Naomi’s Blog

Spiritual Intelligence – Do you have it? – Do you want it?

Let your Soul be your Pilot

 

Since the notion of Spiritual Intelligence is central to the idea of a new paradigm, this blog is the first part of an ongoing series which will explore :

• Do you have Spiritual Intelligence?
• Do you want Spiritual Intelligence?
• How can you develop Spiritual Intelligence?
• How can you use Spiritual Intelligence?

We are probably all familiar with the term Emotional Intelligence which has now made its way into the workplace, the organization and the schoolroom. The husband and wife team, Danah Zohar and Ian Marshall have introduced us to another wonderful new principle with as much power to effect practical change. They call this quality, Spiritual Intelligence.

SQ is defined as,‘a transformative intelligence that allows us to break old paradigms and to invent new ones, to reframe problems and situations, to dissolve old patterns and old ways of thinking.’ Furthermore, ‘SQ also represents our access to and need for deep meaning, fundamental values and a sense of purpose, and the extent to which these influence our decisions and actions. It has the force to address lower motivations and to shift us towards higher motivations.’ This is ‘the soul’s intelligence, it is the intelligence with which we heal ourselves and with which we make ourselves whole.’

This broad definition allows you consider whether these potentialities might serve your life?

1. How might access to an inner transformative intelligence serve you?
2. How might access to a inner problem solving intelligence serve you?
3. How might access to an inner values based intelligence serve you?
4. How might access to an inner spiritually dynamic intelligence serve you?
5. How might access to your soul’s intelligence serve you?
6. How might access to an inner healing intelligence serve you?
7. How might access to an inner holistic intelligence serve you?

You already have Spiritual Intelligence? Your life-experience is the track record of your Spritual Intelligence in action. If you review your life’s journey, you will see how you choose relate to experience. Your measure of active SQ is evident in the underlying patterns that have created your life story. The following questions indicate that Spiritual Intelligence is just a matter of mind but of a mindful attitude to life. SQ encompasses behaviour, outlook, values and core sensibilities. To explore your own capacity for Spiritual Intelligence spend time on the Self-Review. Score each question either as a high, medium or low response. Answer each question by reflecting on your life experiences.

Brain or Mind?

How do you rate:

• Your capacity to be actively flexible and spontaneously adaptive?
• Can you describe any life circumstances when you have changed direction to meet new circumstances? In what way do you see yourself as being spontaneous and adaptive?

• Your degree of self-awareness?
• Can you describe any life circumstances in which your self awareness has been an important factor?

• Your Capacity to face and use suffering?
• Can you describe any life circumstances when you have been faced by personal suffering, loss or disappointment?

• Your capacity to transcend pain?
• Can you describe any life circumstances when you have been faced pain, either physical, emotional or psychological ?

• Your  ability to be inspired by vision and values?
• Can you describe any life circumstances when you have inspired by vision ?
• Your reluctance to cause harm?
• Can you describe your attitude to harm and explain what you consider to be harmful action.

• Your tendency to see the connections between diverse things?
• Can you describe how this tendency has operated in your life?

• Your tendency to ask ‘why’ or ‘what if’ questions?
• Can you describe how this tendency has operated in your life?

• Your faculty for working against convention?
• Can you describe how this faculty has operated in your life?

Danah Marshall offer a full assessment based on twelve primary criteria that are indicators of:

• Critical Thinking
• Reflective Thinking
• Intuition
• Creativity
• Moral Sense

But even without a formal assessment a Self-Review will be insightful. At a a time of unprecedented change and global challenge, the possibility of harnessing such transformative power is essential for our personal and global futures.  Old templates cannot serve new circumstances. We need to create a new paradigm – Spiritual Intelligence is a bridge into the future.