Guessing is a funny business. There is fine line between guessing, intuition and somehow "knowing" things that you know you cannot consciously know.

A lot of people are afraid of guessing, because even the fact that they might have to guess anything could be a sign that they don't know, and that they're about to get it wrong - one of the many unfortunate left overs from our often less than happy school experiences.

Guessing comes into its own not when we're dealing with rote facts, but with situations where you literally CAN NOT KNOW the answer.

Today's exercise is simply designed to give you an opportunity to practise taking a guess in safety, and notice as you do this, how you are responding. If necessary, calm down and try again. Guessing is easy, and it is like a flow if you let it be so. Here's the exercise.

Imagine you are standing in old English landscape - green grass, misty blue hills in the distance, an old castle by a lake ahead, and ancient oaks growing tall.

Look at one of these old oak trees. How old do you think it is?

Just let the answer come to you. This is just you, guessing. You don't know, and there's no right or wrong here.

Pick another oak. How many leaves do you think it has? Just let the number come, and let it go again.

Look at the castle. When was it build?

Take your best guess. Don't try and think this out, this is not a thinking game, just open up and accept the answer.

And how many people have lived there over the centuries?

How many have visited?

And what is the value of the gold in the treasure chamber below that castle?

There ... that's all. As simple as that.

Congratulations on having a go - and well done!

The MindMillion Energy Exercises created by Silvia Hartmann, exclusive to The Guild of Energists