Enlightenment is letting go of those things that cause suffering in our lives. Resistance is the most common cause of needless suffering. Consciousness is simply knowing. Freedom is actually quite simple, however, most prefer to continue doing as they have always done. Enlightenment.com has some wonderful insight and comments on their view of what enlightenment really is. And for more, check out Enlighten Next.

Intuition is defined as "immediate apprehension by the mind without reasoning, immediate insight". It is the knowing of something without prior knowledge or any use of reason. Intuition is true knowledge; it is the language of our soul. I believe we all have intuitive abilities that if followed will provide us with the best possible life and solutions to our perceived problems. Further, we should look at our so-called mistakes as really lessons and dispense with the guilt that is associated with those "mistakes". The more that intuition is followed, the easier it gets to recognize. Some of the sites listed below have extensive information to help comprehend the concept and, hopefully, put it into practice.

• The Intuition Network is a good place to start exploring.
• Intuition. . . Awaken to the Journey Within is another neat site.
• InnerSelf has a good article.

I also like a quote from The Science of Mind, page 358: “ Right here, through our own nature, is the gateway and the path which leads to illumination, to realization, to inspiration, to the intuitive perception of everything. The highest faculty in man is intuition and it comes to a point sometimes where, with no process of reasoning at all, he instantly knows.”

We were designed to live by our senses, not by our brains. But over the eons we've learned to think our responses instead of feel them, totally backwards from the way all the rest of nature lives. Follow your inner-guidance; it is sublime, immutable and never failing. Try using intuition, you'll like it!

As mentioned on the Spiritual page, we embrace the word "now". This is a powerful word and the ability to respond to now, to live in now, and to enjoy each precious moment without clinging to it or pushing it away is the essence of spiritual practice. In reality there is only Now. You create your reality Now, so whatever has happened in a notional "past" or a perceived "future" is irrelevant except to the extent you believe it. Living in the now meshes well with intuition and they compliment each other.

The past matters for learning, not for accounting.

"Do it now" is one practical application. If you know that you would rather be living somewhere else, working somewhere else, or just doing something different, then now is the time to follow your intuition.

Stop doing the things you dislike doing, and start doing the things you really want to do. That sounds easy and it is. The effort of going out and earning the money to do what you really want to do is almost always less effective than just going out and doing it. By the time you do have the money, you may have lost all your vigor and joy.

Carpe diem - exclamation, used to urge someone to make the most of the present time and give little thought to the future.

Listen to your inner self; you really do know what is best for yourself.

Through teen and adult years I've competed on every level with mixed results. In the work environment this was generally to my advantage and it was certainly necessary in some life-threatening situations. But the results in personal life were not always as positive. Frequently the competitive spirit becomes a hindrance in relationships with others; the challenge is to recognize when "friendly" competition results are not worth the potential consequences.

Even more basic is internal competition. One does not compete at being true to oneself – if you're worrying about what the next guy is doing, you've given up your freedom.

On a larger scale I think a quote from “Dark Shadows” by Ohky Simine Forest is appropriate.

“Today's actual societies still admit and foment competition, ambition, greed, and violence, without true consideration for the people. Such societies disguise themselves under false morality and dishonest respectability. There is no real order in these societies.”

Nonviolent Communication (NVC) is sometimes referred to as compassionate communication. "Its purpose is to strengthen our ability to inspire compassion from others and to respond compassionately to others and to ourselves." It's another aid in avoiding the competitive mode.

If you are self-conscious and alert to how you appear to others or try to do better than the rest, everything becomes a challenge instead of an opportunity, stressful rather than delightful. Competing for Life by Paul Pearsall is an excerpt from his book "Toxic Success" and it describes the state our culture has created.

After much scrutiny, I've concluded that my competitive days are past and I intend to instead pursue more cooperation. So far it's a lot more fun and satisfying.