Different Ways of Knowing

How do we make decisions in times of paralyzing uncertainty and mind boggling complexity? Do we rely on one channel of knowledge, or do we tap into all our sources to tackle the challenges ahead? It turns out we know much more than we think we do.

Balancing Left and Right Brain Qualities

According to Ian McGilchrist, our left and right brain hemispheres posess different strengths. The left side is good at narrowing down complex problems through an analytical and rational approach, while the right side zooms out, placing a problem in context and focusing on connections.

Mirroring the educational system I grew up in, I tend to make most of my decisions using the left hemisphere. I focus on the individual parts of a whole to understand a system, structure information, and draw logical conclusions. This way of thinking is highly effective for solving complex issues, but it does not account for our ability to think creatively and see the bigger picture.

Learning to Ask for Guidance

My reliance on pure rationality shifted after I completed a six week course based on Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, a spiritually focused guide for unlocking creativity. In the course, I explored journaling as a tool for seeking knowledge and guidance on specific questions.

If you do not approach this in a religious sense, you can view the practice as a way of asking the universe for clarity, or seeking a deeper wisdom within ourselves. By opening ourselves up and tapping into our intuition, we simply write down what emerges. The process is less about forcing a solution and more about becoming receptive to the answers already surrounding us.

Four Ways of Knowing

This shift made me wonder what other ways of knowing we can depend on in our everyday lives. In Regenerative Leadership by Laura Storm and Giles Hutchins, I was introduced to the four ways of knowing, often attributed to Carl Jung and described by others as embodied wisdom.

First, rational knowledge: Related to the left brain hemisphere, this is our logical, intellectual approach. It involves reasoning, analyzing data, and relying on facts to compartmentalize and solve complex problems.

Second, somatic knowledge: This is our bodily intelligence, where physical sensations often hold truths that our minds have grapsed yet. Practices like body scanning, grounding, or movement help us tune into these signals to locate stress or release stored energy, revealing the subconscious information held within our nervous system.

Third, emotional knowledge: This is our internal barometer where emotions act as messengers that provide real time data about our environment. For instance, anxiety might signal that we are approaching a boundary, while anger can indicate that a boundary has been crossed.

Fourth, spiritual knowledge: This acts as our inner compass, grounding us in our deeper values and mission. It means listening beyond the 'noise' of our constant stream of thoughts to feel our connection to something larger than ourselves. This is the space that Julia Cameron teaches us to tap into.

Redefining Efficiency

In my experience, rational thinking drives efficiency, a metric well-suited to our task-oriented society. This is especially true within the food sector, where constant time and money pressure prioritizes speed above all else.

However, relying solely on this channel ignores the broader landscape within which we operate. By drawing upon all four ways of knowing, we align our decisions more deeply with our core mission, strengthening our relationships and honoring the complex tensions inherent in our work.

Because my own work in the food system is deeply rooted in social and spiritual layers, this integrated approach allows me to account for the emotions, memories, and gut instincts that ultimately define what 'feels right'.

This often forces a confrontation with the classic dilemma of quality versus quantity: do I take the fastest path for immediate results, or do I explore the issue more deeply to achieve a qualitatively richer outcome?

In a world of interconnected, wicked problems, the latter is increasingly necessary. Perhaps choosing depth over speed is the ultimate form of efficiency, saving us from the costly task of cleaning up the systemic messes created by decisions that were far too rushed.

Diving Deeper for Transformative Change

My journey toward becoming a more embodied learner has taught me that the 'what' of my knowledge matters just as much as the 'how' of my thinking. To achieve transformative change, we must move beyond tackling surface-level symptoms and dive into the deeper currents of the systems we inhabit.

This means looking past events and patterns to confront the structures and, most importantly, the culture of beliefs that underpin our reality.

Because these subconscious beliefs, social constructs, and inherited traditions often go unquestioned, a purely rational approach is insufficient. We must cross-reference our decisions with our entire toolkit to ensure they align with a deeper truth.

A New Way of Operating

Integrating all ways of knowing has fundamentally changed how I solve problems. I am learning to be more present and attuned to the subtle signals I once ignored. Now, when I face a challenge, I don't just ask if the solution makes sense; I ask what it does to my emotional comfort, whether my body feels open and receptive, and what my intuition suggests.

By learning to listen to ourselves in these different ways, we gain access to a reservoir of information far richer than anything we could have analyzed on the surface.