System 3: Learning to access our higher intuition

Stories, examples and a step-by-step tutorial.

A peculiar thing happened to me once when I was 16 years old. I met someone who could read my thoughts and emotions with extreme precision.

It was the most mind-blowing conversation. This person had access to information about myself that I didn’t even know, deep knowledge and facts that felt so true and real, it was like my own soul speaking to me.

It was the weirdest thing, and it entirely shook my world. I decided to learn all I could about what he did.

Now, 20 years later, I’ve learned a lot about the process and it’s not reading thoughts, after all, it’s about reading energy and translating it into words. Also, it’s about being able to access different sources of energy, like higher intuition.

The process has many names but I’m calling it “System 3”. I told you before about Daniel Kaufman’s two systems of thinking (from “Thinking Fast and Thinking Slow”):

• System 1, for quick, instantaneous reactions

• System 2, for deeper, analytical thinking and reasoning

I believe we have another system, in addition to these two. I call it System 3 — our ability to read energy and access higher intuition.

The mind is a system of thinking, but I’ve found that intuition arises from beyond thought. It is as if it is given to us, from another source. So what we have to do is learn how to listen.

Think of it like a computer that’s coming online. System 1 and 2 are two ways of processing information locally. Ultimately, they can only process what’s already available on the computer. You may have a super strong processor (aka your mind), but if you don’t have more data than what your senses have perceived, your insights will be limited. It’s like you’re offline.

System 3, however, is like connecting the mind to the internet. To download new data.

And it turns out we have access to quite a lot more data than we’ve been told.

Now, people have different opinions and systems of thought as to where the data is coming from, but let’s leave that discussion for another day, as it is somewhat divisive. Suffice to say, genius can strike anyone and sometimes the mystery of life is that we don’t know where it’s coming from.

But we can still learn how to access it.

And that’s what this post is about.

Exercise to access System 3

Here’s one way to do it. If you’re not in a state to try this now, feel free to skip down to the Stories of System 3, below.

I like to begin by writing down a question I’d like answered. Maybe a problem I’m pondering, or something general like “what am I missing?” or “what is a vision for my life that I have yet to see?”

Think of this as your prompt.

Next, turn off your phone, and go somewhere you won’t be disturbed. (Bonus if you’ve done some workout or other relaxation prior.) Sit down in a comfortable position where you can relax. Start moving your focus to the inside, taking several deep breaths, exhaling from your mouth. Don’t be annoyed if thoughts comes up, just let them be, and move your focus back to the body.

Then, you may want to go through a few series of observations. What am I feeling? What’s keeping me distracted? What’s my body saying?

Observe your responses, but don’t get entangled. Visualize yourself releasing the thoughts and emotions through the breath — like it’s dust in the wind. With each breath, you go deeper into yourself and into stillness.

Next, I want you to think of your mind as a radio. Most of the time, your radio might be dialed to the channel of your mind, and that’s where you speak from. Sometimes, you tune the radio to your emotions, like when speaking from your heart (see previous post).

Now, what we’ll do in this exercise is to tune the dial of your radio not to your mind or your heart, but to a higher frequency, to your “higher intuition” — a place that feels to me like it sits high above my head. And we’ll speak from there, and see what comes out.

So go ahead and visualize the radio dial being turned up, up, up… visualizing your point of awareness rising along with it. Visualize flying higher and higher above your head, above your physical body, as you continue to breathe slowly.

After a while of rising like this, maybe a few minutes, I feel as if I gradually arrive at a place of more expansiveness. (Yes, it’s strange, but just run with it.) I’ve found this to be a place of higher knowing. And at this place, I typically ask the question I had brought.

Then I sit in silence to receive.

Since I’ve practiced this a lot, I get an answer quickly. But the first few times I did it, I had to sit in silence for some time, with an empty mind, pretending as if the answer was trickling down from that higher place, down to my conscious mind.

At that point I start speaking, or writing. It’s helpful to have a recorder that transcribes automatically, like Otter.

The key is to just start talking or writing. It may feel at first as if you don’t have anything to say, or that you’re not sure of what you’re saying is coming from a higher source. That’s natural. The key is to start talking, and don’t stop.

Gradually what’s coming out of your “radio” may feel more attuned and aligned. More profound. If it doesn’t, try to turn your radio dial higher in the visualization, allowing yourself to fly higher up in the air, as if you’re fetching the information from an even higher location. And you’re channeling this information back down to the mind. While you keep on talking.

I recognize this may feel absurd or very hard but a few things have helped me:

1. Don’t think about if it’s real. Just say what you feel, perceive, see, imagine. This is an exercise of creativity and as such, a playful, non-serious approach is helpful.

2. Secondly, realize that there are different frequencies. You may start off low but as you keep talking you can keep rising and go higher.

3. And most importantly, avoid trying to interpret in the moment. That will make you lose the connection. Just let it flow. It doesn’t matter what it means now or whether it’s true — you can come back and interpret your recording in a few hours.

You should expect to produce nonsense or static the first few sessions. But over time, it can really turn into gold.

Stories of System 3

For me, System 3 has become a ceaseless supply of insights that have impacted me profoundly. All of my best decisions in life have come through using this method.

Some of you have heard the story of when I gave the gift of my “H” (from Jonathan) to my bride (Sara) so that we became Jonatan & Sarah on our wedding day. That idea came from System 3 after a simple question about what to give her as a wedding gift. “You should give her your ‘h’” was all I got back. And it worked brilliantly.

When asking what company to start next, the idea for my current business, Squadformers, and to work on meaningful software, build great teams and take equity as compensation, was all System 3. It’s turned out into the best fit for me as a founder that I’ve ever had.

And one day I’ll tell you about the crazy time when the universe arranged for me to meet Mark Zuckerberg and deliver a long and important message that I had received from System 3. (I don’t know the man and thought I had no way of meeting him, so imagine my surprise when the encouragement came to give him a message! And even more so when it actually happened!)

I use System 3 consistently in my life and at this point it’s very integrated. I use it lots of times per day for things big and small — who to hire, where to go for lunch, what to say and how to grow. It’s what inspired me to move to the U.S, get our third child, and has taught me so much about life, work and relationships.

So yes, System 3 is real and ceaseless. It is available to us all and I believe is behind many of humanity’s best ideas and decisions. I’ve tried to describe it best as I can here and I realize it may feel like an advanced technique. Doing the process with others is helpful, especially if they ask questions and write down responses for you.

Try it and let me know how it goes. I’ll share more stories soon.

Hope this helps!

Blessings,
Jon