When you examine the functioning of the human brain, the

answer is a resounding, "Yes!"

The human brain includes right and left hemispheres. These

operate in different contexts as they perform different

functions. In most people, the left hemisphere is primarily

detail-oriented, while the right hemisphere is visually

oriented and recognizes patterns.

The right hemisphere recognizes the picture, the overview or

the context, while the left brain translates that image into

words. When you look at a person who seems to be someone you

knew a long time ago, you recognize the pattern of that

person's face long before their name catches up. You move in

for a closer look, while trying not to stare, and your left

brain is thinking, "Oh, that's um, oh. . . I'll never forget,

um, whats-his-name."

The detail-oriented, left-brain hemisphere provides these

functions:

Logic.

Sequential perception.

Rational analysis.

Precision.

The sense of time passing at a fixed speed.

The translation of visual images from the right side of the

brain into words.

The pattern-recognizing, right-brain hemisphere provides these

functions:

Spatial awareness - the ability to imagine, and operate

within, three-dimensional space.

Whole picture overview - the recognition of patterns of light,

sound or thought.

Dealing with thoughts in their natural, symbolic form.

Artistic ability - visual imagery.

Musical ability.

Memory.

The experience of emotions.

The dream state.

The reception of intuitive impressions.

In education, the left side of the brain is promoted much

more than the right. Much attention is paid to arithmetic

and word skills, while art and music receive little, and

intuitive development doesn't get any.

When you drive at a constant speed, your right brain, with

its spatial awareness, monitors the road ahead for pattern

changes. If you engage in a conversation while driving,

using left-brain word skills, and something in the traffic

pattern requires your attention, you have to switch your

primary focus over to your right brain in order to deal with

it. This explains why conversation stops as you attend to

making a turn. The turn doesn't require that much attention,

but it does require a whole switch of brain sides, so the

conversation stops for that short time.

Music naturally resonates with the right side of the mind. Did

you ever sing along with a Golden Oldies song, one that you

hadn't heard for years? Weren't you amazed at how many of the

lyrics you remembered? How could you possibly roll out, from

memory, line after line of lyrics that you hadn't heard in

years? The answer lies in the right brain, where music is

experienced and, also, memories are stored. You never had to

use your left brain to laboriously remember the lyrics. When

you heard the songs, they played into your right brain and

were automatically stored in your right-brain memory,

waiting to be recalled, sometimes decades later.

Right-brain development can include artistic and musical

ability, which can be used to make your immediate

surroundings look and sound beautiful.

To see how art skills turn on the right side of the brain,

try drawing a picture of your left hand, only without looking

at the paper you're drawing on. As your right hand draws the

outline of your left hand on paper, there will be a point at

which your thinking flips over to the right brain. You'll

probably start the drawing in a linear style that prefers

simple, straight lines, then suddenly switch to a more

complex style that sees all the slight curves and details,

appreciates their beauty, and starts to include them.

Quality of life can be enhanced enormously with more

right-brain attention. Imagine, the luxury of living in

a world where communities are designed to calm your senses

and inspire you with the sights, sounds and smells of a

beautiful environment.

Your spiritual connection is developed through the right side

of the brain. Meditation provides inner peace and the

development of intuition, which, in turn, provides necessary

insights into your life's path.

As right-brain activity is enhanced, your normal functioning

becomes more whole-brain, and both hemispheres begin to be

used in balance. The two hemispheres of the brain are

connected by a large band of nervous tissue called the

corpus collosum. This connecting band of tissue is larger

in women than in men, raising the question,

"What are women known for having more of than men?"

Now, there could be many light-hearted answers to this

question - abilities like shopping skills, holding long

conversations and being able to ask directions when lost.

However, the biggest difference is women's intuition.

It's not that men don't have intuition, it's just that

women tend to have more of it.

In order to develop our latent abilities, and our spiritual

potential, we need to feel our way into a deeper experience

of that feeling-oriented, right side of the brain, just as

we have thought our way into developing the word-oriented

left side of the brain.

We need to become more accustomed to using the language of the

right side of the brain. The right brain uses symbols and

pictures, not words. Symbols can be visual, and they can be

complete information packets - thought balls, which are whole

pictures containing thoughts and feelings.

To operate in the right brain means to grasp concepts without

words, feeling them, knowing them, letting the left-brain

logic wait until our sense knowingness has had the chance to

become more than it was before.

If you are new to the art of paying attention to your

intuition, then you will need a little practice before

proficiency is achieved. Your initial attempts may seem like

failures, but that's only to be expected at the outset.

Practice by being receptive to the "still, small voice within"

of your intuition. The more you pay attention to your intuitive

insights, the more you grow to realize how profoundly correct

they are.

Practice makes perfect, and a you'll achieve good results a

lot sooner than you might expect. Just keep track of all your

insights and, with a little dedicated practice, you'll be

amazed at their accuracy.

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