Henry: Tell us a little bit about your background, Marcia. What were you doing in your twenties?
Marcia: I describe myself as a straight psychologist in those days. I didn't know anything about
psi or psychic or even know the word intuitive. After graduating from college at the age of 21, my graduate studies
continued as I earned an MS in School/Clinical Psychology and then enrolled in a PhD program in Social Psychology
where I earned an MA first, in School Psychology and then my PhD. All of this from the New School for Social Research
in New York. My first job out of college was as a psychometrist at Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute. Simply put --
I scored tests for students applying to the college, those enrolled in the counseling center and occasionally used
and interpreted projectives to evaluate other referrals.
When I was 23, I was offered a position as a lecturer for the
psychology department at Hunter College. All of this during the day while I went to school during the evening and
focused on my studies as well. The Hunter position was interesting since I was the only non PhD teaching full time
and the youngest person in the psychology department.
My studies were balanced at that time by my love of dancing
-- and I took classes at the 92nd Street Y in NYC. Just a side note -- when I entered Adelphi College I was a dance
major for 2 years and then switched to psychology in my junior year. I had been studying dance since the age of
8 and performing informally since my teens.
My personal life -- married at 23 for 3 1/2 years and single
until I married again at 29.
The most interesting facet of my twenties was balancing my work
and academic life with my dance activities.
Henry: Tell me a little more about your training as a psychologist?
Marcia: Actually, I never thought of doing anything else other than teaching psychology on the
college level. This I did at Hunter College and also taught in the evening school for a while --- which gave me
a course load of 6 full time classes a semester. This didn't seem burdensome at the time even when I was going
for my degrees.
Henry: What paths of personal development did you follow?
Marcia: Oh -- all I knew was my love for dancing and going to school. When I was 29 I married
for the second time to a professor of psychology (Gordon Becker) teaching at Yeshiva University. Nine months after
we were married, we moved to Washington DC where Gordon was offered a professorship in the psychology department
at Howard University.
The first year in Washington DC, I commuted back and forth from
DC to NYC and finished my thesis (in a record 9 months and was awarded the first PhD in 5 years from the New School
For Social Research). Then I received an offer to teach at Federal City College --- a new college -- the last of
the land grants but the first "free" college in Washington DC. Reflecting the constituency of Wash DC,
the college was primarily African American (Black) and Third World. Quite an experience! This was at the time of
Black Power with H Rap Brown and Stokely Carmichael and here I am this frail 95 pound white gal with long hair
standing out in contrast to her students and colleagues. And why was I there? No one else offered me a full time
academic job. It was as simple as that.
My personal development was on the job training and in a situation
that personally changed my life. My teaching of psychology was transformed when one of my students - a big black
gal screamed at me - your teaching me how to have a white baby and I want to have a black baby. I had only been
religiously following the Child Psychology Text. My teaching changed dramatically after that and I tried to convert the research findings and discussions
in the text into more relevant situations for my students. Most importantly
-- my love affair with dance continued as I became part of an African Dance Troop where I was the only "white"
participant. And the students were furious when the leader would tell everyone that my rhythm was closer to the
drum's than anyone in the group. Everyone thought he was patronizing me -- and little did I or anyone else in my
group know about reincarnation and my African roots from several lifetimes -- where the rhythm just flowed through
my body.
Another personal development through my dance activities was
the dance classes I joined at Federal City College led by Mike Malone. Many people came over from Howard including
Debbie Allen who was in our dance group. She was later catapulted to notoriety as one of the stars of the TV program
"Fame." All was not smooth and I was tasting the bitter lesson of what it was like to be the minority
--me the only white in this group as well.
And Music played a very important role. After my divorce from
Gordon, I had a major involvement with a jazz musician who played for many jazz greats like Miles Davis when my Beau was younger,
and Roberta Flack during the time we met. In fact, he is one of the musicians playing on the famous cut "First
Time Ever I saw your Face." So my personal development was fueled by jazz music and "black" dance.
And my soul came alive though I was embroiled in racial politics that I had never experienced. My white family
and friends could not understand or tolerate my affiliations in the black world and conversely, in the black world
I was there but not fully "seen" or accepted.
At one point at Federal City College, I was the chairperson
of the Psychology Department and eventually inherited the chair of the Graduate Program in Community Psychology.
This phase has an interesting ending. When I resigned my Associate
Professorship at Washington DC because I was so tired of being pigeon holed as a white woman or "Miss Ann"
as I was frequently called. I was also just plain tired of always having to defend and explain myself to people
(white and black) who didn't understand my true motives for being there. I had one last "gift" to give
my students before I left the college. This last act evolved from the precognitive dreams I started to have three
years earlier that I didn't understand. Nothing in my psychology studies and teaching prepared me for this --dreams
going forward in time. I thought I was losing my mind until I heard about the burgeoning area of psi - parapsychology.
I also found out there was a parapsychology conference in the hills of West Virginia. And so, I took ten of my
students with me to this conference. Did we ever stand out and make an impression. Nine black faces, one gal from
the Philippines and little ole' me. This was personal development for all of us.
Henry: Did you work as a professional psychic for awhile?
Marcia: When I lived in the Bahamas following my stint in Washington DC, I was the co-coordinator
of Counseling at the local college and faculty member as well. One day a woman came up to me at a Sat Sang (held
in a dance studio) and said, "I know you are a psychic and can read. Please do a reading for me."
I was stunned. I loved the Tarot cards and had the standard Rider-Waite deck and used to read for myself but never
thought of myself as doing this for other people. Well I caved in to her request and it was so successful that
word spread around the island that I was a psychic reader. At the local fairs, I would give psychic readings and
be heavily patronized. This continued for the five years I lived in Nassau, Bahamas. My
psychic readings continued when I moved to Hollywood, Florida and lived at the Florida Society for Psychical Research.
What a contrast -- I was a licensed psychologist with a private practice and to the concern of my fellow psychologists
I was also a practicing psychic. And, getting a lot of press and media attention since I had a Cable TV show that
I hosted called "Altered States." When I met Jim a few years later and moved to Michigan, I still called
myself a psychic at least at the beginning and again aroused such opposition when a major article appeared about
me. The pristine psychologists denounced me and said I probably didn't even have a valid PhD, Enough said about that time which in
my former lifetime took me right into the Inquisition where one of the local psychologists was literally my Torquemada--torturing
me mentally, decrying me publicly and for five years resorting to obscene phone calls to get me to simply fade
from the picture and even flee from Grand Rapids. I look back at that time, and know that my presence was needed
to help raise the consciousness of that area which it did. I might add that the President and Vice President of
the local psychology group called upon me and met with me in private to find out more about parapsychology and
the areas I was teaching from my home --Psi studies and reincarnation.
Henry: How would you go about explaining intuition? How is it that we can know about the world
"out there" by looking "inside"?
Marcia: The intuitive mind is an incredible gift that everyone possesses --like a giant computer
base or to respond to your question, a giant magnifying glass. How is it that I can look at a person I never met
(out there) and close my eyes so to speak and look inside and know many public and private details about this person.
That's where I salute and praise intuition - my inner compass and guide which as I just expressed is this giant
computer and grand magnifying glass.
Henry: How do you distinguish between intuition and ESP?
Marcia: Some people confuse intuition and ESP. ESP or Extra Sensory Perception is often equated
with psychic ability. Psychic ability or ESP is only one aspect of intuition since intuitive functioning encompasses
a much broader spectrum of human ability. I think of the psychic as more predictive and the intuitive as transcending
that realm providing a picture that even defies words. For example, the mental intuition that Einstein used
when he thought in images before formulating theories is an abstract kind of intuition and unrelated to ESP. Creative
inspiration of scientists and artists has nothing to do with psychic ability.
Henry: Have you ever participated in any formal experiment to prove the existence of ESP, such
as Rhine type of experiment, Ganzfeld, or something of that sort? And what about an intuition experiment? We don't
see experiments trying to prove the validity of intuition, whereas we see so many experiments trying to demonstrate
ESP. Why not? What would you consider to be the most convincing demonstration about the validity of intuition?
Marcia: I’ve never participated in any ESP experiments. I mentioned earlier on that I was absolutely
fascinated with Psi at one point and read whatever books were out there on the subject. So what ended my love affair?
I had presented a paper on psi to the research wing of the Spiritual Frontiers Fellowship which was very well received.
I don't recall the contents but presume that the informal precognitive dream research that I carried out for 6-7
years was featured. I then submitted that paper to be considered for publication in the Humanistic Psychologist
which was the Journal for Division 27, Humanistic Psychology of the American Psychological Association. The paper
was rejected by the reviewers but what turned me around in another direction was that one of the reviewers wrote
"bullshit" across the title page. I was devastated and made the commitment inwardly some day to write
for a larger audience and not the limited academic community. This was not a reflection on my psi interest or
psi research but I wanted to be able to articulate or translate what I was finding in my intuitive world to a larger
audience so that they too, could identify their God given gifts.I wanted people to realize that intuition is a
practical accessible part of everyday life, a natural extension of the five senses.
Truthfully, I don't feel equipped to answer the question about
research since I don't think about research anymore -- that is not my journey now. I am interested in showing people
how that wonderful intuitive voice is communicating constantly and helping them find out how it speaks --the nuances
--so they can retrieve the brilliant information sent from the soul.
Henry: It's clear that you can teach how to do it with out knowing why or how it works. but we
might teach it more effectively if we had some idea about how it worked, why it worked... that's why I think the spiritual/notspiritual
divide or the remotveview-esp/intuition divide is interesting to explore...
Marcia: When I first started with my serious interest in astrology about 35 years ago -- I used
to say "I don't understand it but it works!" I go out and drive a car and if it breaks down, I still
don't understand how it works but can drive. Same with intuition I know there is an incredible resource --this
deepest wisdom of the soul. I don't know how it works in detail (research) but do know how to teach people how
to access it -- and most importantly, believe in themselves that it is there waiting to be tapped.
I appreciate the way Caroline Myss expresses this her foreword
to my book, The Intuitive Healer. She
says, "Writing a book about intuition is not an easy task. In many ways, it's like writing about how air travels
through cheesecloth- it's real, to be sure, but impossible to hold." And because intuition is impossible to
hold and subject to our five senses, it is difficult to demonstrate in a tangible sense. For me the most convincing
demonstration of the validity of intuition is to look around and see how every single thing that surrounds us was
first an intuitive vision in the mind of the creator. Right now, I'm on the computer --wow --what a brilliant demonstration
of intuition, along with the CD that is playing, the structure around me holding my books and possessions. So my
take on demonstrating intuition is as a complete pragmatist.
Henry: Can you tell us a personal story that would say something about how you made the leap
from being naturally intuitive to focusing on intuition as a distinct process and deliberately invoking it?
Marcia: Two turning points happened to me in May, 1970. The first, in my counseling practice
as a therapist, I was noticing that my resolutions to my clients problems were absolutely brilliant. I would puff
out my chest and think "Wow! --Am I great or what!" And then I realized that this information was not
coming from me but through me. And so without labeling the process, I continued to let the insights flow.
Second turning point came about when my mother handed
me a Sydney Omarr book on Pisces detailing what was going on in the year 1970. I thought astrology was ridiculous
and far from scientific and wasn't interested but my mother pleaded with me just for fun to try reading the book.
For that week, the first admonishment that Omarr gave was to keep a record of my dreams as some potent revelations
would be offered. By the way, as soon as I held the Sydney Omarr book that I received from my mother I knew that
I would meet him some day. (More on that later). So, I recorded the first dramatic and crystal clear dream where
I was driving a car, put my foot on the break and it went right to the floor. The car turned over and I got out
unharmed. When I awoke from this dream, I couldn't figure out whether I was in the middle of an accident or in
my bedroom. As I dutifully wrote the dream in my dream book I wondered why I was trying to harm myself with such
a punitive dream. That thought stayed with me for a half hour and then left until a week later. I was coming from
a dance rehearsal driving down a heavily trafficked street in Washington DC when I put my foot on the break - it
went right to the floor just like the dream image and the emergency didn't work either. In a split second, I heard
a voice say, make a quick right and I crashed between two clothing stores, the only area of safety. Then I remembered
the dream, which actually came as warning to check my brakes. One dream after another followed--showing me the
action of upcoming events and detailing conversations I would be having with other people. It took me years to
find out that these "dreams come true" were actually a field of study called "precognitive dreams."
So my intuitive doorway opened through my dreams. In
the years to follow, my intuition served me superbly in guiding me through dangerous or unfamiliar situations and
helped me in my role as a translator or liaison to find the right words to describe this whole process to people
unfamiliar with the workings of the intuitive mind. In short, I was receiving information about future events that
I never could have received from my logical mind alone. Also, I was being shown more parameters and options in
the situation. With my three advanced degrees in psychology (MA, MS and PhD) I had never learned anything like
this.
To recount how I felt about my "work" when
living in Grand Rapids, MI. In January 1983 I moved to Grand Rapids, MI to live with my new husband Jim Emery.
Soon afterward I realized how conservative my new home was. I thought, "Why me, Lord? Why me? And God said,
"Who else could open this area up? Who else could play Grand Rapids?" In the Midwest I had to learn how
to be very conservative, and present this material in ways that people can accept. I became this great translator
bringing intuition into practicality. That's when along with my husband we founded the Intuitive Management Consulting
Company which sponsored public and private workshops. All this activity going on around me and yet I was profoundly
lonely since I didn't have colleagues to share my intuitive joys and discoveries. In May 1994 I came for a visit to the
Bay Area, CA and was interviewed
by Jeffrey Mishlove for his "Thinking Allowed"program. Shortly
after that, I was invited by Jeffrey to join an intuitive business consultants group sponsored by the Intuition
Network that consisted of Jeffrey, myself, Sharon Franquemont, Nancy Rosanoff, Gary Markoff and Roger Frantz. Our
first project was putting together a conference called, "Intuition at Work: A Gathering of Colleagues"
which was held November 11-13, 1994 at San Diego State University. Roger Frantz, an economics professor at the
University and Director of the Center for Public Economics, was the Coordinator of the conference. The response
was exciting and prompted us to hold another conference the following year on Nov. 9-12, 1995 at Denver, CO. I
was the program chairperson of this conference titled, "Intuition at Work: From Insight to Application."
Now we fast forward a couple years and here I am living in Berkeley, CA. I loved my new environment which was such
a refreshing contrast from the conservative Grand Rapids. I was feeling a strong need to orchestrate an event that
would bring the intuitive community together again. So I coordinated the next Intuition Network conference, "Intuition:
From the Art of Inner Knowing to the Skills of the Business World" which was held August 14-17, 1997 in Berkeley,
California. At the end of that conference, an announcement was made that I had just received a grant for $120,000
from the Life Science Foundation in Excelsion, Minnesota to formulate Intuition Study Groups.
Henry: How did you get your start as a teacher of intuition?
Marcia: I have to go back and deliver the bottom line to the previous question. The first precognitive
dream that I described came the night before (or morning) that I was to be spiritually baptized as a member of
Unity Church. This occasion was a big deal and didn't mean giving up my Jewish faith but was more of an acknowledgment
of my practicing and bringing the Unity principles into my life. So here I'm clobbered with a spiritually significant
2 by 4 spiritual dream. As I said, the precognitive dreams began to multiply and my experiences of occurrences
that stretched reality tripled as well. I was introduced to card readers who could look at these playing cards
and tell me what was going on in my life. I met an astrologer who asked for my birthdate and told me about the
significant events going on in my life and about my relationships with others. Someone else read tea leaves and
another coffee grounds and I was constantly startled by what they knew about me. As a teacher, I wanted to share
my new discoveries with others and invited a select group of my students from Washington DC to weekly meetings
at my apartment where I either had guest speakers or shared my experiences. I even began attending a spiritual
Church on Sunday afternoon (Unity was in the morning) and never lost my sense of amazement. I received a salary
for my academic work in both Washington DC and in Nassau, Bahamas, (my next geographical locale) and held "free"
monthly or weekly gatherings for those interested in pushing the envelope to explore these altered state type of
experiences and new thought ways to receive information.
When I moved to Hollywood, Florida following five years in the
Bahamas, I was led to live at the Florida Society for Psychical Research and first began to put names to my experiences.
I learned, for example, that these dreams that came true were called precognitive. Also the words I heard ever
since I had the automobile accident (from the brake dream) were clairaudient and that my connection with my mother
calling me from so far away after the accident and other significant experiences was telepathic. And so I was introduced
to ESP and PK the two components of psi and was literally thrilled that I could finally put names to these experiences.
Just a sidebar, I was invited to host a TV program on Cable TV that I called "Altered States."
I taught psi classes at the Florida Psi Center and was invited
to teach a workshop for a week at a summer Spiritual Frontiers Fellowship (SFF) conference in Michigan called "Bridging
the Gap Between Psychology and Parapsychology. I met Jim at that summer SFF conference and after we married later
that year, I moved to Michigan, I brought my love of psi with me and began teaching psi classes from my home.
Notice I haven't used the intuition word yet. So here we go,
back to my Florida days at the Psi Center when I met a man who came to a psychic fair at the Center. He was so
enchanted with my reading and my interest in dreams that he made a private appointment to come back and see me
with his two sons. The oldest, a teenager was especially interested in dreams. In the middle of that session with
this man and his two sons, I had an incredible AHA. I realized that I saw him in a dream that foreshadowed the
course of our relationship. Before long, we had a long distant courtship when he moved to Long Beach, CA and I
still lived in Hollywood, Florida. He became interested in psychic experiences and one day I brought him Douglas
Dean's book, Executive ESP. I met Douglas at the Florida Psi Center and admired the way he brought the word psi
into the business realm. This is what my new friend wanted to experience. Douglas's book did influence him and
my new friend wrote a book that was published called Intuitive Management. Can you guess the
identity of the mystery man? Well of course it's Weston Agor.
Now we jump back to Grand Rapids, Michigan and a night when
my husband Jim and I had a group over for a meditation. While socializing after the meeting, a man came up and
asked if I had heard of this book, Intuitive
Management which he saw in the bookstore. I smiled and showed him
my copy of the book and that I was one of the women in the book's dedication. This man asked if I could teach a
course in intuitive management and I boldly replied, "sure." And so, that is how I got my official start
teaching intuition. My first class at Aquinas College was called "Intuitive Management in Decision Making
and Problem Solving." This was an undergraduate course for business majors and carried 3 credits. A year later
I met the head of the graduate program leading to a Masters in Management Degree and asked if I could teach an
elective course in their program. And so I began teaching the course titled "Integrating Intuition and Logic
for Managers."
Henry: More recently your training has been involved with setting up some self-help intuition
groups, called “Inreaching.” Can you tell us something about them?
Marcia: For years I had a vivid dream showing people meeting all over the world to talk about
intuition and share their techniques for cultivating this skill. I have always enjoyed participating in a local
dream group and that was my model for formulating these intuition study groups. As I mentioned, I had just received
a grant for $120,000 from the Life Science Foundation in Excelsior, Minnesota to formulate these Intuition Study
Groups that we called Inreaching (INR). The official funding began October 1997 and ended on September 30, 1998.
The grant covered my services as director, my husband Jim as the associate director and Janis Marshall as my assistant.
As groups started forming we were told that some met at home, or in a bookstore, an office, a church or another
religious setting. Intimate groups from 3-5 people to larger venues of 15-25 gathered in bi-monthly meetings to
do SOS -Sharing, Offering Information and Support. With the assistance of Jim and Janis, I developed two products.
One was a Start-Up Kit which showed the coordinator what is needed to ignite the fire so an INR group can begin.
The second product was a Manual called, Cultivating Intuitive Potential, which was given to each INR group when they began having regular meetings. This Manual
was a sampler of tools for developing intuition with substantial pieces from a dozen of today's most prominent
intuition-related trainers. Jim and I continued monitoring the groups on a volunteer basis since October 1, 1998
and covered basic office operating expenses, mailing and other related costs. As of January 1999, over 650 people
from 40 states in the USA and 30 countries abroad (i.e. Australia, Africa, Canada, Columbia, India, Malaysia and
the Netherlands) had expressed an interest in this project. At that time, more than 50 INR groups were presently
meeting once or twice a month. We helped new groups start and monitored the ongoing activities of existing groups.
Jim in particular put an enormous amount of time and energy into Inreaching. He helped local groups get started
by attending their first meeting, if possible, to show them what might be done. Jim corresponded with potential
coordinators in other states to set up groups and directed people to existing groups. Whenever I spoke around the
country, I always introduced Inreaching to the group. From the time the INR program was instituted in October,
1997, a considerable number of people were touched. For example, the conference called "Intuitive Living:
Expand Your Perception" that Jim and I orchestrated July 29 and 30, 2001 in Oakland, California was a phenomenal
success. This was the first West Coast Regional Inreaching Conference and our hope was to orchestrate at least
one conference every year in a different area of the country. That was the dream but it soon faded. In May 2001
we assessed our interest and commitment to INR. Although there were a few ongoing groups still meeting, the interest
had waned considerably. In the past year and a half, we placed a modest $25 materials and registration fee for
anyone desiring to be a coordinator. During this time, fifty people expressed an interest in being a coordinator
but only one followed through by sending in the $25 fee. This made us wonder as to the real motivation of the people's
inquiry and intention to be a coordinator. If we were to redesign this program, we would institute a dues structure
to form a financial base to support any future local or regional program/speaker. We firmly believe that also establishes
a "value" on the activities. Alan Vaughan, for example, tried to initiate a group in Los Angeles and
after a few sessions got very discouraged. The people coming had the subtext of wanting a "free" reading
or class from him. This may be an extreme example, but dramatizes the point that people need to be encouraged to
put a value on any opportunity that is offered them to cultivate their intuition. Now that the interest had abated,
it was time for us to close INR and continue to promote intuition in other activities in our life. Since I am self-employed,
I needed to become involved in activities that would generate an income and no longer felt comfortable volunteering
my time and talents without the needed financial return. I am so pleased and have been personally rewarded by devoting
my time and energies to cultivating these INR groups for 3 1/2 years.
Henry: What have you learned about people and their intuition by teaching classes on the subject?
Marcia: I learned how to teach intuition to people who were very logical and couldn't expand
their perception. Through teaching I evolved a powerful technique initially called the Intuitive Problem Solving
Formula (first Book-Intuition Workbook) and then later the Mindshift Method (second book - The Intuitive Healer) and eventually the PowerShift in the third book, PowerHunch. The Mindshift Method or IPS or PowerShift showed others how to move beyond the barrier
of the logical mind into the presence of the mysterious intuitive realm within which contains a vast storehouse
of wisdom. Using this process they learned how to enter a deeply relaxed, intuitive state. First step was to define
a problem or issue, and then learn how to become centered and release the mental and emotional tensions and then
become receptive and release the physical tensions. Then when asking the question to listen for the picture, symbol
or image in response as the intuitive mind communicates. Next step is to engage any one of four interpretation
techniques to unravel the puzzling symbolism. If the answer still isn't clear perhaps a time is needed to incubate
or step back a moment. Then go deeper with another question and once the meaning of intuitive voice is clear, take
that resolution back to the logical mind for implementation..
Henry: Do you think that personal or spiritual development grows from intuition development?
How do you see the relationship between the intuitive dimension of a person and their psychological and spiritual
development?
Marcia: I have always felt that all intuition is spiritual in that our intuition is the voice
of God expressing through us. The presence of God makes us aware of a greater design than we can experience by
ourselves. Through the intuitive mind we are hearing or feeling God's instructions. And since I define intuition
as "the deepest wisdom of the soul" it has to be that direct contact with that God helps us tune into the realm of infinite
possibilities rather than viewing circumstances based on our prior experiences. In place of God you can use whatever
name you are comfortable with--call it Allah, Krishna, Buddha or even refer to our God-like mind as our higher
consciousness or higher mind.
I want to distinguish between religious training and spiritual
development. I had religious training for example, in the Jewish faith from the time I was young and spoke Hebrew
and at age 13 had the traditional Bat Mitzvah or coming of age for young Jewish women. That did not make me spiritual.
While living in Washington DC a friend introduced me to Unity Church. While still continuing my observances in
the Jewish faith, I attended Unity Church every Sunday and was amazed at the positive and broad approach to resolving
my problems or issues. An ex-girlfriend of my boyfriend, the Jazz musician was plaguing me and making life miserable.
I couldn't believe the Unity Minister when we told me to send her love instead of the negative hatred I was projecting.
I did and the results were amazing in transforming the fires of a very vitriolic situation between us into acceptance
of our differences and roles.
To go back to the question, I think the spiritual awareness
is the breeding ground for the intuition pouring forth. My intuition was always there and I look back at my life
of always knowing the comforting word to say, even the questions that would be asked on the test, and an awareness
of upcoming events. It was only as my spirituality and awe of the wonders of God as a part of myself were awakened,
that my intuition began to blossom forth.
Henry: How do you explain that folks like yourself feel that your personal development, spiritual
development are very important to intuition development and functioning, while people like the late Bev Jaegers
believes that spiritual development has nothing whatsoever to do with it.
Marcia: It is my spiritual faith that picks up when I am going through a phase like now --"down
in the valley" and truly shows me the bigger picture. This is the joy and value of connecting with the intuitive
mind -- seeing the bigger picture. And whether we call it the God within, higher mind or consciousness or simply
our intuitive mind, that is the essential intuitive rudder steering our boat. Once every few years for whatever
reason, I dip down in the valley like I feel at this moment. Again, it is the spiritual facet of my intuitive mind
that beams or telegraphs to my intuitive self, the bigger picture. So, I can still have these low feelings but
feel comforted on another level knowing that "the best is yet to be" and even get a very clear sense
of when the good times are coming about. Bottom line-- I couldn't function or stay truly in touch without these
pictures beamed by my spiritual soul or essence to my intuitive mind. If you recall I think I said this way back
-- the intuitive mind speaks to us on four channels: the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual......and so
all I am talking about is the connection between the spiritual facet of intuition.
Henry: Have you met people who are very intuitive but whose personal life is a mess? So what's
going on?
Marcia: When they get disconnected from the intuitive mind they are definitely led astray. Intuition
is an antenna or inner compass that guides us regularly and reliably when we listen.
Henry: What relationship do you see between intuition and emotional intelligence?
Marcia: Daniel Goleman's work on emotional
intelligence indicates that emotional skills like self-awareness, empathy, motivation and paying attention to gut
feelings will contribute more to a person's well being and success that the intellect or technical expertise. An
integral part of emotional intelligence is knowing what you're feeling -which includes noticing your gut feelings
or intuition about important life decisions
Henry: What do you think is the most common challenge facing people in learning to harness their
intuition? What do you offer as a way to overcome that challenge or make it work for you?
Marcia: In a word or two, to realize that the information that comes isn't weird or strange.
To accept that we all have intuition which I love to call the sleeping giant and arousing it brings us information
that is exciting, real and very believable. I teach people to honor their flashes and hunches and not regard any
as silly, weird, or coincidental.
I guess another set of challenges focuses on avoiding what I
called the culprits that masquerade as intuition. These culprits are subjective ego-based emotions driven by wishful
thinking, fear and projection.
Henry: You’ve mentioned your three books, the latest being PowerHunch.
But how did you get started? What was your very first piece of professional writing?
Marcia: My first piece of professional writing appeared in Sydney Omarr's Astrological Guide for You in 1986. The
article was titled "Astrology and Tarot." Of course I can't just drop this without giving you the fascinating
synchronistic story leading up to the article.
One day when I was living at the Psi Center in Hollywood,
Florida, a woman knocked on my cottage door and said, "Is there anyone around here who can give me a reading?"
A gentleman accompanied her. That was the last thing I wanted to do that day but she pleaded with me. This tall
woman with a turban on her head (as a hat) was imperious in demeanor. I asked her to sign my guest book and couldn't
even read her writing. During the reading I kept talking about her famous son and his rise to fame and her own
travels to many foreign places. When I finished, she looked at me and said, "you are amazing and 99% accurate.
I didn't tell you my real name which is Jacqueline Stallone and my famous son is Sylvestor Stallone." I had
read about her and knew she was an astrologer and the first words out of my mouth were, "Do you know Sydney
Omarr personally? I want to meet him." And so the connection was made and he was delighted to have a professional
woman write in his annual and credential astrology. (And now we flashback to when my mother first gave me Sydney's
Book for Pisces in 1970 and when I touched it, I knew I would know him and be affiliated with him someday.)
Sydney's influence on my writing was pivotal. When he
took a look at my first manuscript, he said, "You are so damm academic. Just tell the story." And that
admonishment elicited my inner story teller which is a vital part of every piece I write. The second article I
wrote for the 1987 Annual was titled "Astrology and Dreams." An article appeared every year for the next
four years. They were: "A Psychologist's Use of the Horoscope," "My love life and Astrology,"
"Your Erotic Nature in 1990," and "Astrology and Reincarnation."
As I attended conferences and gave handouts of my presentations,
some were printed in local bulletins such as the Dream Network Bulletin, Association of Dreams Newsletter, and Research & Development Newsletter. My first article in an actual journal was titled "Managing Intuitively" Venture Inward, January/February 1990.
Henry: Is there any way in which you deliberately
evoke intuition in the writing process?
Marcia: In the morning, before the work day begins,
I sit quietly and after meditating for a short time, I pick up a pad and silently ask a question, listen for the
answers and start writing. The information that comes to me, I couldn't possibly know from my limited conscious
mind. The perspective widens and it often feels like I get my directions for the day.
The setting for the writing
is so important. I walk to work by going from my bedroom on the third floor of my house to my office on the first
floor. A wonderful energy vortex seems to flow in the area of my computer and desk. I sit quietly, welcome help
from the God source and all my guides and just ask for a starting point. Sometimes I hear the words (voice), sometimes
I get a "feel" (vibration) of a story or incident that keys me into what I want to write about, and at
other times I can image (vision) a situation or past incident that serves as a relevant example.
The background is so important
for me. I need music--a special type--that expands my consciousness to provide the widest perspective possible.
Right now as I write this, I am listening to Mantras 4 by Henry Marshall and the Playshop. I wrote my first book by constantly playing the African
Mass with Kenyan Folk Melodies called Missa Luba. At certain times when I need to be energized, I play some of my favorite African music.
Henry: What has been your greatest challenge in writing? What have you been learning from that
challenge that might be helpful for other aspiring writers to know?
Marcia: To present my material in a user friendly way so the reader doesn't get lost in academic
jargon or trade terms. I want to make my material accessible so the application is enjoyable and not laborious
for the reader.
A related challenge is keeping to my writing schedule.
My last book was written in two months which entailed my being at the computer anywhere from 8-12 hours a day.
I wouldn't eat unless my husband put food in front of me (which he graciously did and still does). But -- here's
the challenge. I was so unbalanced. I needed more time to do Tai Chi, Yoga, Tramping or Running, Dance or Movement.
Anything to balance the mental input. This balance is crucial to maintain and I have already promised my weary
body that anything I write in the future will be born amidst the balance of my body, mind, heart, and soul.
Henry: Can you say a little bit about each of the books you’ve written?
Marcia: My first book, Dr. Marcia Emery's Intuition
Workbook: An Expert's Guide To Unlocking the Wisdom of Your Subconscious Mind (Prentice Hall, 1994), evolved from my teaching the Masters in Management Course "Integrating
Intuition and Logic for Managers." It helps the readers with improved problem solving and decision making
by showing them the steps to take as they go from the logical mind to the intuitive realm so a resolution can be
achieved effortlessly.
The second book, The Intuitive Healer:
Accessing Your Inner Physician (St. Martins, 1999), is essentially
about learning how to use your intuition to commune with the body to find out what's wrong and know how to fix
it. This empowering book helps the reader take responsibility for his or her physical and psychological well-being.
This book gives the reader a breakthrough perspective by means of which he or she can: See the deeper meaning of
any ailment; know what steps to take to address its causes and begin the process of healing.
My third and most recent book is PowerHunch! Living An
Intuitive Life. (Beyond Words, 2001).
In this book, readers receive the basic tools and principles that will allow them to make intuition a part of everything
they do including decisions of all kinds and magnitudes, as well as challenges relating to other people. Then,
they learn how to apply these principles to enhance their intuitive understanding of daily life. They will learn
techniques that will enable them to: Create a vision and make it happen; Take risks that pay off; Be in the right
place at the right time; Choose wisely in partnership affairs and Minimize debilitating stress.
Henry: Your latest book, PowerHunch! Seems to take a leap forward in terms of intuition training. Instead of little techniques
to get an intuition, it seems more about living intuitively. Tell us a little more about this book. Why did you
want to write it? How do you seeing it add to what you've already written?
Marcia: As a lightning bolt seems to emanate from the heavens, I want to take that lightning
bolt also known as an intuitive flash and bring it right down to earth. Specifically, I want to put that flash
to practical use in our everyday life,
PowerHunch! Goes beyond other books on the market that detail the what and the how of intuition. Readers are
given the basic tools and principles that will allow them to make intuition a part of everything they do. First
the readers are guided through the basic principles of intuition and then into an easy to use, practical training
course designed to help them exercise the intuitive muscle. I wanted to teach my readers how to apply the principles
of intuition to their daily lives. I do this by giving them practical exercises and input which includes colorful
anecdotes and hundreds of examples of intuition in action, covering a wide spectrum of occupations and relationships.
I wanted to write this book to emphasize five points.
First, everyone is intuitive and not just the gifted few. Second, our intuitive mind is always operating. Third,
intuition lets you ride the wave of rapid change and stay on the crest. Fourth, insights sent by the intuitive
mind provide shortcuts to expedite problems solving. Fifth, the intuitive antenna is attuned and will show you
a wide variety of possibilities.
Intuition is not just for a few gifted people-it's a
powerful tool everyone has that can be activated at any time and place. For many people this great asset has been
dormant and engaging it through the readings and exercises in the book provides the opportunity to awaken the sleeping
giant with. As people learn how to identify, develop, and utilize intuitive judgment, they are able to integrate
that input with logic for more effective whole-brain thinking.
When I started teaching my graduate classes at Aquinas,
many of the students felt this special resource belonged to the women. Others felt it was "weird" or
"strange." My constant message was that intuition resides in everyone. I wanted to translate their experiences
and show them how intuition was speaking to them and operating in their lives. The only book out that had practical
relevance at that time was Roy Rowan's The
Intuitive Manager. It was difficult for them to identify with the
examples in that book. I had the idea I wanted to interview top level people to show my students and others how
everyone was using intuition even though they didn't use those words. When I received a grant from the Charlson
Research Foundation (now Life Science Foundation), I started interviewing some top CEOs in West Michigan for a
book I was going to write (under the auspices of the grant) titled Being
Intuitive, Like it or Not. Here for example, I'm talking to Rich Devos,
one of the founders of Amway who is an incredible visionary as he is telling me he is not intuitive and never uses
the word. Yet, he took one intuitive step after another to launch Amway and bring it to international fame. Bottom
line is that I became very interested in showing how the people at the top of their line were using intuition regardless of how
they language it. For the next five years I expanded my interview base to include people outside of the Mid-West,
added more women, added more "well known" people. The book was completely written (500 pages). I had
an agent submit the book to publishers and none were buying it. I knew I had to reposition the book and in the
meantime moved to California, wrote The Intuitive Healer and then revisited the book and realized I needed more current and representative data.
By this time, I had been collecting stories from my students past and present. A year ago, Beyond Words Publishing
gave the nod to the book. By that time, most of my interview data was obsolete. I had been researching since 1990,
and ended up writing a completely different book in two months that primarily went beyond the business arena. Whether
it's relationships, career, balance and healing, or simple everyday decision-making, intuition gives everyone an
edge. I was trying to show people that when they feel stuck and uncertain, it's often because they are only seeing
a part of the whole. A flash of intuition illuminates and clarifies everything. They see the big picture and an
array of new options we never thought of before. Intuition can be a powerful ally in a world obsessed with pragmatic
solutions. Unfortunately, most people are trained to ignore the intuitive mind and depend solely on logical thinking.
Intuition is often discredited because it is associated with sloppy, seat-of-the-pants type analysis or even that
"woman's thing." When intuition is honored as an equal partner with logic, decisions are made readily
and problems are solved effectively. I am a whole-brain advocate: I honor logic and intuition as necessary
companions. Logic helps us organize and assess the forest of information in which we live. Intuition ignites the
visions and insights that inspire and awaken the highest in us. Both are required to turn our visions into reality,
to make our dreams come true.
Henry: How is it different to learn to use intuition, as in classes, workshops, practicing techniques,
and learning to live an intuitive life?
Marcia: You have to put it into action all the time and not just think you are accessing it in
class or during a practice time. The basic premise is that everyone has intuitive flashes. Intuition is the inner
advisor and counselor or oracle-to-go that can be accessed anywhere, anytime, day or night: in the office, on a
commuter train, at home doing the dishes, in the shower, walking, relaxing, even sleeping. To put it into practice
and live an intuitive life is to realize that intuition can help you go beyond the bare data to reach surprising
conclusions, tune in to a friend's needs, choose the right partner, come up with an innovative solution, and help
your children through difficult times, In fact, there is no area of life intuition does not touch. Today, intuition
seems to be everywhere and is recognized as an important decision-making tool for the twenty-first century. Through
my research and classes I find that leaders and the majority of business people are using intuition more and more
in the decision-making process to achieve success. And outside the corporate boardroom, down through the ranks,
from the management team to the workers, out to the social arena and the home, that gut feeling or power hunch,
also called intuition, is there to inspire us and show us where to look next. I neglected to add when talking about
my earlier publications that I had an article in United Airlines Hemisphere Magazine in December 1995 called "PowerHunches: Trusting Your Intuition."
If the world at large was ready to hear about PowerHunch then, they are really ready now to step out of the box
and get a glimpse of the larger picture of their lives.
Henry: What do you think will be the impact upon society, how we work, how we get along with each
other, as intuition becomes seen as necessary to educational goals as literacy and critical thinking?
Marcia: We will have more tolerance for one another views as we see the bigger picture. We will
be able to clarify our priorities and really feel balanced in all our activities.
Henry: What seems to be your current leading edge?
Marcia: I can't believe that in March I will be 65 years young. I am still having a love affair
with intuition and can now be more circumspect in my activities. I love going out and touching people through my
workshops, talks, keynotes, booksignings -- or whatever puts me in front of a group of people to talk about intuition.
I am teaching two online courses for Akashic University which
Victoria Weston has recently initiated. The courses are "The Relationship between Intuition and Dreams"
and "Intuition and Risk Taking." Your readers can preview her other offerings and get further information
on my classes at www.PsychicVista.com. I also teach annually for the Holmes Institute (Science of Mind) --Graduate School of
Consciousness Studies. The course I teach is "Intuition in the Business of the Spiritual Community. And I
also teach for the University of Philosophical Research which is a one year curriculum for Consciousness
Studies. My course is called "Intuition in Business."
And then I also savor my quiet time to write. When I'm not busy
with teaching, writing, book talks or media appearances, I find time to consult, counsel, coach, with in person
or phone sessions. Just a line or two about one of my new labels -- that of a medical intuitive. For the past year
and a half I have been participating in Carol Ritberger's medical intuition program which has validated my talents
as a medical intuitive. My gift is being able to guide another person's exploration about the body/mind connection
underlying his or her malaise. So to be continued at some future time when I write more about my adventures in
medical intuition.
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