The “seventh” sense
Touch, smell, sight, taste and hearing are the five channels through which we instinctively connect with the world since the day we are born. They let us experience pure, genuine, immediate sensations that reach our brain without us even needing to think about it. However, to tackle everything life throws at us, we also need to call on what is often dubbed the “sixth sense” – something that extends beyond the physical and draws on intuition, empathy, the ability to correctly interpret reality and be in our element in any given situation.
But I propose to you the existence of a “seventh sense” – a way of picking up on stimuli (both physical and emotional) that kicks in when there’s a “short circuit” in our other perceptive pathways. It’s that something we experience, for example, when we feel trapped in a situation that conflicts with our desires and expectations, forcing us to look within ourselves and discover a new source of resourcefulness. This mainly happens when our inner energies seem misaligned with our surroundings; when the desire for movement and renewal clashes with the need to slow down and surrender to fatigue, or vice versa, when our unyielding dynamism rubs against the stillness that surrounds us.
A defeat, a loss, a recovery or even a simple change of season can be an opportunity to experience this sense. Some feel the full weight of disorientation and the daunting nature of the dive into the unknown, while others see it as a phase of vitality and volcanic rebirth. In any case, it’s prudent to take a second to gather yourself, regain awareness of the resources at your disposal, and choose the right time and extent to “blossom” into a new form, full of new ideas and life goals. We often need to reframe our perception of waiting, the un-lived, the unsaid and the undone to allow us to rediscover our own sense of being in the world.
So I say bring on the idleness, the meditation, the moments of reflection, that pure and simple moment of stopping, looking within and rediscovering how to interact with our surroundings. It’s never easy to rethink yourself (rebuild yourself?), but even the tiniest gesture can transform into a creative act, helping us grow and making us able to appreciate the little things – a smile offered to others, a flower received, a free ray of sunshine or a splash of colour to liven up our daily strolls!
Marco
