Of course you are right, Drham. It's always better to find your own way based upon some inner guidance.

But the thing is...it's not a particularly useful or empowering thing to tell people who don't know where to start, is it?

And it also falsely (in my view) gives the impression that there does not exist a systematic or quantifiable approach to getting what you want. Such a quantifiable approach does exist and your emotions are the key to it.

If you follow the road of simply telling people to find their own way, we'll eventually reach the point where much of the confused population who are seeking more concrete guidance will give their power away to whoever shouts loudest about having all the answers. And that opens the door to somebody convincing them to start believing in some old white guy with a long beard sitting on a cloud somewhere randomly dispensing good and bad manifestations based on some mysterious criteria. And then those people will just spend their lives trying to guess what those criteria are (and open themselves up to manipulation by others who simply want to control their behavior) because they don't understand the basic principles behind how their realities come to be.

Hmmm...wait a minute...most of the world's population already is in that situation :)

Personally, I think intuition is most valuable when it operates within a knowledge structure or framework of some kind. That's because I see intuition as a metaphysical synthesis of existing knowledge into new and unusual forms...but I think the knowledge framework must be pre-existing for intuition of this kind to manifest. (It's like channelling...the information that is channelled can only be interpreted through the framework of the channeller)

For example, Einstein operated within the knowledge structure of mathematical physics and was able to use his intuition as a stepping stone beyond that. Mozart utilized his intuition within the structure of existing musical forms. Sir Francis Bacon (who many claim was the real author of the Shakespeare plays) utilized his intuitive inspiration within the framework of the English language.

The framework provides the focusing platform.

Similarly with these manifesting principles, once you internalize their operations within yourself and build up experience with gaining results using them, you can start to develop intuition that leads you to your own approach that works best for you.

But I think that a principle-based framework needs to be there at the beginning. To me, there is nothing wrong with studying and learning what that framework is - and then use your intuition within it...one-size does fit all, in my view, but you can pick and choose what to wear :)

I believe you are right. I also believe that in learning from others we become aware of our own uniqueness. Our intuition is our link to the Universe or to God as I chose to believe. However, learning to identify our intuitive feelings takes a lot of patient and sometimes courage. Many times when we are faced with stressful situations we tend to want fix things our selves. Sometimes we are so eager to "Fix it" that we fail to listen to our inner guide, our intuition. That is why mediation is so important. It is the silence, in the still moment, that the answers to our problems are given to us by God or the Universe. We are different people, but there is only one God from whom all things come from. So it is in reading about others that I find what works for me. I do not always agree with everything I read. However, I do learn a lot from all that I read. I have a choice in everything I do and when it comes to reading, I choose only what I can learn from.