Heuristics and Awen

Part of this post is inspired by an entry on like sister's blog as well so of course I am taking on druidic studies. You can check out my sister's blog here;
http://awrittenexperiment.blogspot.com/2012/01/light-bulbs.html

Everybody has had a problem before that they have to solve but kept come up with a solution. Well you have undoubtedly also experienced an answer coming suddenly. As if the answer came from some source beyond yourself. In that post there are musings about our subconscious. There are in fact a couple explanations out there for the sudden moments of genius and clarity. The subconscious definitely plays a part but there also be be some divine influence.

Often when we kept come up with an answer or anything satisfactory we become frustrated. Realizing we don't know everything or that we have forgotten. We start to wonder if there are simply things me aren't meant to know. It is good to have perseverance and a positive, I can do it, attitude but sometimes you need to let something go before you go insane.

It can be hard realizing you don’t know everything, and admitting you have so much more to learn from life. People are so adamant about proving their point, getting their voice to be heard, & practice being right that they never step back to get a different perspective. Intellectual humility is admitting you don't have all answers and stepping back. Sometimes stepping away is exactly what you have to do to find the solution. Realizing that the solution is still being developed and will emerge when ready.

A great help at times like that to give you strength to not dwell on getting a solution is the first few lines of The Serenity Prayer. God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.

The only question is how does a perfect solution or answer come out of a blue? One that is so good you find it a little unbelievable. Considering you aren't even actively thinking about it and have set it aside. I am going to present the two most accepted ideas on how this happens. One scientific and other spiritual.

Scientifically speaking we have heuristics. Heuristic or heuristics; (from Greek: "find" or "discover") refers to experience-based techniques for problem solving, learning, and discovery. Where an exhaustive search is impractical, heuristic methods are used to speed up the process of finding a satisfactory solution. Examples of this method include using a "rule of thumb", an educated guess, an intuitive judgment, or common sense.

Heuristics are simple, efficient rules, hard-coded by evolutionary processes or learned, which have been proposed to explain how people make decisions, come to judgments, and solve problems, typically when facing complex problems or incomplete information. There is innate information and knowledge we all have just from living. There are patterns your mind recognizes subconsciously and answers to problems that are already there. Answers we are unaware of having.

Knowing some heuristic techniques will also help bring out what is within. The most fundamental heuristic is trial and error, which can be used in everything from matching nuts and bolts to finding the values of variables in algebra problems. Here are a few other commonly used heuristics, from George Pólya's 1945 book, How to Solve It:
-If you are having difficulty understanding a problem, try drawing a picture.
-If you can't find a solution, try assuming that you have a solution and seeing what you can derive from that -("working backward").
-If the problem is abstract, try examining a concrete example.
-Try solving a more general problem first (the "inventor's paradox": the more ambitious plan may have more chances of success).

The spiritual answer is that of divine inspiration or a connection with some part of the divine. The idea of receiving help from a higher source. Many different cultures believed that prayer, ritual and ceremony were necessary to connect to something higher. While it very well may bring bigger results it is good to recognize that music for a child you the divine energy. We all have a permanent connection with the divine which influences us and we can draw upon. Several concepts describe a element which contains wisdom that connects all and can influence us.

The concept of the Sophia in a way realized an innate wisdom just like heuristics. Greek for wisdom, Sophia is a central idea in classical Greek philosophy and religion. Adopted by Western religions, especially Christianity. The Greek teachers of philosophy such as Plato and Socrates understood philosophy as the love of wisdom (philo-sophia). Socrates felt that skepticism towards your own wisdom and knowledge left one free to receive the true wisdom of a spontaneous insight or inspiration. The New Testament of the Bible is further separates the wisdom of man and that of God or the divine. It speaks of God's wisdom as being a mystery and pure. Far greater than our own ability for knowledge.

The energy which would contain this higher wisdom and make it attainable is often referred to as the Akasha. This is a Sanskrit word which means "aether" which is likely more familiar to you. Philosophy considers it to be the fifth element. It is described as the One, Eternal, and All pervading physical substance which is imperceptible. It is said to have the quality of sound.
Interestingly in the Hebrew alphabet each letter is believed to be a crystallization of one of the aspects of manifestation of the divine word. In other words they are based upon what God said in order to create. They feel that sound creates substance.
So we see the connection between the Akasha and the creative forces of the divine. This sound contains wisdom and he precise principles of creation and perfection.

Nwywre. For the Druids it was the link that connect in the human world with the divide world. They knew of the fifth element and we're aware of its ability to manifest. Nwywre represents the creative power of Akasha in the physical world. It seems to be the connection between Hindu and ancient Hebrew concepts. The inspiration behind the Hebrew alphabet and other divinely inspired things.

When we are able to connect to this element containing wisdom (or perhaps it manifests in us) it is called the Awen. ‘Awen’ is a Welsh word roughly translated as ‘divine inspiration.’ The word is Indo-European in origin and comes from the root ‘-uel,’ which means ‘to blow.’ In this sense, it could be seen to mean, ‘that which takes one’s breath away.’ In other words, the Awen is that which is awe-inspiring. If you've ever had an 'ah ha!' moment, when the solution to a problem seemed to come to you in a flash, you've experienced Awen. If you've ever been particularly moved by a piece of music, or a well-acted scene from a drama, you've experienced Awen.

So as you can see philosophical knowledge indicates that there is an element which contains wisdom and is able to affect us and manifest. Science provides us with a theory of this innate knowledge and how to access it. Perhaps just another technique to strengthen the connection with the divine. It seems we are truly never alone with our problems.

YouTime tm

YouTube is one of the better websites out there. It is nice for finding any kind of video you could want. Really great for music videos. The commercials are bearable because it is a great service. YouTube is a great place to waste time and spend your free time. Although a side effect is losing track of time completely. Going from one after another after another video. It is probably one of the more addicting websites out there next to Facebook.

I spent the last month organizing videos into playlists. Several of which are just music. The following link is to a playlist of a lot of my favorite songs. I thought I would share it.
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9D953DE794BAD4EB