Someone Wasn't Using Her Intuition
Part 1
by Susan Dunn
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"Grandmother, what big arms you have!"
"The better to hug you with, my dear."
"Grandmother, what big legs you have!"
All the better to run with, my child."
"Grandmother, what big eyes you have!"
"The better to eat you up with."
And saying these words, this wicked wolf fell upon Little
Red Riding Hood, and ate her all up.
The moral of the story (according to author Andrew Lang): "children, especially attractive, well bred young ladies, should never talk to strangers, for if they should do so, they may well provide dinner for a wolf. I say 'wolf', but there are various kinds of wolves. There are also those who are charming, quite, polite, unassuming, complacent, and sweet, who pursue young women at home and in the streets. And unfortunately, it is these gentle wolves who are the most dangerous ones of all."
How Does This Apply To intuition?
What were the cues Little Red Riding Hood was not paying attention to, the messages from her intuition? How do we learn what to fear and what not to fear?
Application
This fairytale exists in several different countries (some versions more graphic than others, and more fatal), because of the lessons it teaches. Generally they all begin with this statement, as the little girl first meets the wolf in the woods: "Now the little girl did not know that the wolf was a wicked animal."
Mammals (including humans) learn this from their mothers, and others of their kind. For instance, when you first take your toddler to a park and he encounters his first slide, he may put his foot on the first step, then look over to you to see how he's supposed to react, or if he's supposed to go further. His look will say, "Is this safe? Will I be alright?"
If you respond with reassurance, the child will continue. If he senses fear in his mother, or if she overtly displays fear (saying "no" or looking anxious or shaking her head) he will have learned that this is something dangerous and to be feared.
This can be accomplished by looks alone. emotions are 'contagious' and often transmitted through the eyes. A child can learn from direct experience (a dog that bites her, for instance), or vicariously, by looking to those around him to see how she's supposed to react. What she's supposed to think about it, and what she's supposed to do or not do.
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Susan Dunn, MA, Clinical Psychology, The EQ CoachT, Susan Dunn, MA, cEQc, The EQ Coach™, Susan Dunn. Bringing the power of Emotional Intelligence to YOUR life through coaching, eBooks, and distance learning. Midlife, retirement and transition coaching, career and relationships. Email for free EQ ezine. Want to be a certified EQ Coach? Email for information on this fast, affordable, comprehensive, no-residency program. Products available for licensing to build your practice. Visit the best ebook library on the Internet - EBook Library.
Susan Dunn. Susan is the author of "How to Live Your Life with Emotional Intelligence." I offer coaching around emotional intelligence for career, relationships, resilience (the skill for this decade), transitions, retirement, and personal and professional development. I train managers and coaches to teach EQ. Mailto: sdunn@susandunn.cc for FREE eZines. For free daily tips on how to develop your EQ, send blank email to: EQ4U.