According

Species, 1997—demonstrates that we have used sq
literally to grow our human brains. sq has ‘wired’
us to become the people we are and gives us the
potential for further ‘rewiring’—for growth and
transformation, for further evolution of our human
potential (13). We use sq to be creative, to solve our
existential problems—problems that make us feel
personally stuck, trapped by our own past habits or
neuroses or illness or grief—to become more spiritually
intelligent about religion, to transcend the
gap between self and other. Spiritual intelligence is
‘our compass at the edge’.
After all these discussions it is natural to ask:
‘Can we improve our spiritual intelligence?’ Zohar
advocates seven practical steps to improve our SQ:
Step 1: Becoming aware of one’s own position
Step 2: Feeling strongly the need of inner change
Step 3: Reflecting on one’s own centre and deepest
motivations
Step 4: Discovering and dissolving obstacles
Step 5: Exploring many possibilities to go
forward
Step 6: Committing to a path
Step 7: Remaining aware that there are many
paths (263–5)
The three basic varieties of intelligence work
together, supporting each other. Our brains are
designed to allow this. Each of these intelligence
types has its own area of strength and can function
independently. Therefore, we need not necessarily
be high or low in all the three simultaneously. But
since spiritual intelligence operates from the brain’s
unifying neurological functions, it has the capacity
to integrate all our intelligence mechanisms.
The concept of human intelligence can no more
be restricted to the age-old iq. Constantly changing
notions about intelligence necessitate a shift
of paradigm. This involves replacing an old way of
thinking with a radically different one. The false
notion of equating intelligence with iq is undergoing
a change to include eq and sq, thus completing
the all-inclusive picture of human intelligence.
This is a major paradigm shift in the field of human
intelligence.
P
PB August 2009
Varieties of Intelligence 31
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