2023-04-08 - Mind Jogger by Hal Zina Benett =========================================== I found this in a used book store for $2 and it still had a 20-sided dice attached to it. Very distinctive! It basically reads like a Western streamlined oracular brainstorming system based on the i-ching. I like the minimalism of this book. Below are quotes. Before You Begin ================ Mind Jogger comes packaged with a 20-sided die with which you will make selections from the readings... The die is an integral part of this system. If you want additional dice of this kind, they can be obtained from most game supply stores and stores that carried supplies for "Dungeons and Dragons" and other "role-playing games." If you would prefer to make reading selections with cards... [ The book has a look-up table to correlate the aces, deuces, and the face cards to a number between 1 and 20. I propose a simpler method without a look-up table: * Select ace of clubs through 10 of clubs. * Select ace of hearts through 10 of hearts. * Shuffle these 20 cards into a deck. * Draw a card at random. * Ace through 10 of clubs correspond to the numbers 1 through 10. * Ace through 10 of hearts correspond to the numbers 11 through 20. ] Chapter 1, Ancient and Modern Problem Solving Systems ===================================================== The fault I found with other problem-solving systems was that they offered no element of discovery, no element of the unexpected to "jog" my thoughts, to suggest a new path that I might never find alone. Problem-solving systems such as outlining, prioritizing, and conflict resolution helped me get my thoughts in order. They worked with what could be clearly described--resolving, clarifying, putting issues into perspective. But in my own life, there seemed to be only a few problems that yielded to that kind of linear process. Many people have had similar experiences in their own lives, getting answers to problems at unexpected moments. All these experiences teach us that our most creative solutions frequently come when we least expect them. Such experiences characterize what brain researchers commonly refer to as intuitive and "non-linear" thought processes. If one goes deeply enough into the study of the various examples of random selection employed by ancient peoples, it becomes quite apparent that all of them began as carefully constructed mental disciplines aimed at making sense of the world in which they lived. Self-reflection was always a key element, and through such systems the individual could juggle "knowns" in the constantly shifting air of [her or] his own "determining spirit"--or as William James would have called it, "free will." The advantage of random selection is that it bypasses old habits of thinking. ... It forces us to look in the unfamiliar places. Chapter 2, The Instructions =========================== In every case, you begin by stating a question. The way you formulate your question for Mind Jogger can be as important as the subject matter itself. If you feel confused, angry, or frustrated at the moment you decide to turn to Mind Jogger for help, take a few moments to describe your negative [unpleasant] or confused feelings before you do anything else. By doing this you discharge some of the negative [unpleasant] feelings you are experiencing, thus allowing you to focus your attention on making a clear, positive statement about the problem. After writing down this "personal response" you will find that it takes much less effort to state your question or describe your problem. Relaxation Exercise ------------------- Your work with Mind Jogger is most productive when your mind is open and relaxed. [It proceeds to describe basic breathing and relaxation exercises.] Some questions work better than others -------------------------------------- The I-Action statement Make an "I" statement that places yo in the active role of seeking a solution. For example: "I want to know what I can do to solve the problem I am having with _____." Keep it Positive Spot negative words and rephrase your statement to make it more positive. Observe the following: * Negative statements tend to be static, and they tend to anchor your thoughts and feelings to the negatives you describe. * Positive statements tend to be dynamic, and frequently suggest actions you can take to alter the situation that is causing you trouble. * Positive statements nearly always motivate you to move forward to a solution. The Procedure Simplified ------------------------ 1. You begin by describing your personal reactions to a problem you are having. Be as elaborate as you wish here, expressing yourself freely. 2. State your "Question/Problem" in two lines or less. For best results state the problem or question in a positive way. 3. Cast the die to select your first reading. Note that each reading is separately numbered. Turn to the Text reading indicated by the die. Study what it says, then ... read only the reading entitled "Source." Give yourself a few moments to think about what you've just read. Then ask yourself how the information you've just read applies to the problem or question you have brought to Mind Jogger. 4. Cast the die to select your second reading. This time read the Text and the Obstruction readings. As before, ask yourself how the information presented in the Text and the Obstruction apply to the problem or question you have brought to Mind Jogger. 5. Cast the die for the third selection. Read the Text and... the reading entitled "Solution." Then ask yourself how this information applies to the problem or question you have brought to Mind Jogger. 6. Take a moment to review what you've thought about so far and ask yourself what is the most important insight or discovery you've made. 7. Think about the work you have done thus far and decide on an action you can take to move forward to a solution. It is useful to break your action goals down into two parts: * Immediate Action: Although there is not always a long-term goal for solving a problem, there is nearly always an immediate action that you can take [IOW, a next step]. * Long Term Goals: State long term goals and describe the immediate action you can take as briefly and precisely as you can. Not all questions or problems have long term goals, of course. Interpretation Tells It All --------------------------- Because interpretations are so valuable, you should take your time with them. Write them down, and in the process of working out the words that describe what you are thinking and feeling, you necessarily clarify and define issues, making it possible to make decisions about what actions, if any, you should take to resolve the stated problem. Chapter 3, Ways To Apply Mind Jogger ==================================== I highly recommend keeping a journal of the work you do with Mind Jogger since it allows you, over a period of time, to keep track of goals you may set for yourself in the process of working through a problem or question. If nothing else, it is nice to have all your work in one place where you can refer back to it for any reason. If you find yourself agonizing over the final state of a decision or if you find yourself avoiding that final state, there are really only two possible questions to explore. Take out Mind Jogger and state the problem in one of the two following ways (or both, if you wish to do two full readings). 1) I am in favor of this change and want to know what I must do to move forward on that final decision. 2) I am in favor of things staying the same and want to know what I must do to make that final decision. If you wish, you might be even more specific, stating that you want help to understand what is making it difficult for you to make the final decision. Block Busting ------------- Sometimes the real problem lies in the way the question is asked. At such a time, when you suspect that the question you are asking is phrased in such a way that it can never yield a solution, let Mind Jogger help you step back [IOW "get meta"] for a more objective look, instead of asking the most obvious question that comes to your mind, ask Mind Jogger questions such as: "What is it about the way I am going about my search for a solution that is blocking me from receiving the answer I need?" Or, "I would like to discover a more productive way to phrase my question." The Personal Journal -------------------- Because most changes do occur in small increments, often spread out over many months or years, they may sneak by us without notice. To that end, the Mind Jogger diary is not unlike a photo album that, kept over a long period of time, provides a record of changes... Where personal growth is concerned, this record can be an important affirmation of one's inner strengths and self-determination. Text 1, Tradition ================= Traditional values may endure not out of habit or fear of change but because they offer something of value. However, rigidly following tradition in the form of laws, language, or social ethics may blind us to more satisfying and appropriate alternatives. One's ignorance of tradition may result in repeating the same errors others before us have made. Guide 1, Source --------------- Fear of a new path may prevent you or someone close to you from finding solutions to a present problem. Your knowledge of the accepted path is valuable in evaluating new possibilities. Guide 1, Obstruction -------------------- Give up the false security of an accepted path. At the same time take heed of what others before you have done. Learn from other's errors. Guide 1, Solution ----------------- Study the past and you will discover new knowledge. Alternatives will become clear when you acknowledge tradition and forge new paths that avoid errors which others have already made. Text 2, Paradox (Duality) ========================= To care about anything makes us vulnerable to both pleasure and pain: Those who dare to love must risk the pain of losing that love. Those who strive to achieve material wealth must risk losing that wealth. There is comfort in knowledge but with that knowledge comes the burden of awareness. Fame means enjoying recognition, on one hand, the loss of privacy on the other. No important experience is without is paradox. Likewise, paradox respects no socio-economic boundaries; it is as prevalent in failure as in success. Guide 1, Source --------------- Your present problem has arisen because you have misinterpreted a paradox. An undesirable outcome, as the result of an action you took, is not a sign of a wrong decision. Guide 2, Obstruction -------------------- Accept both positive and negative sides of a recent decision or action. Let go of something valued, risk loss even though you may suffer others' judgments. There is no other way to reach your goal. Guide 2, Solution ----------------- Stop weighing pros and cons. There will be a paradox regardless of the choice you make. Personal power comes with your acceptance of the paradox and your commitment to action. Text 3, The Lull ================ Lull follows periods of intense activity. These can be perceived as restful, boring, anxiety-producing, or even depressing. They may be used as opportunities to recoup or viewed as times of deprivation, loss, and foreboding. Highly productive people may feel a sense of loss or even a sense of fear or negativity about the future during lulls. A lull may also be the goal of a person who seeks and enjoys leisure. The lull is an essential life rhythm like the rest between heartbeats. Learn to see all lulls as valleys in a broad landscape whose hills, forests, highways, deserts, and skyscapes are forever unfolding. Your choices in the ways you interpret lulls are unlimited. Guide 3, Source --------------- You may feel that nothing is moving forward, that you are making no progress toward your realization of an important goal. The problem is not that you are not making progress--on the contrary, the lull is a healthy part of an important progression. Guide 3, Obstruction -------------------- This is a time to do nothing. Acknowledge the lull as an integral part of a much larger cycle of progress. You will understand the solution to your present problem only when you relinquish the impulse to find a reason for the lull. Guide 3, Solution ----------------- The solution to your present problem will come to you when you least expect it. You need no longer push or make great efforts to find what you are seeking. Consider the lull useful to you now. Text 4, Change ============== Change can be large or small, gentle or wrenching. When one senses that it is inevitable, emotions run high--from optimism and invigoration, to foreboding and loss of energy. Even change for the better can trigger profound feelings of loss, since even positive change usually requires letting go of something secure and familiar. Fear of loss--letting go of the familiar, even when it is uncomfortable--can be so great that it discourages healthy or necessary change. We have the power to accept or reject feelings that signal us to change but by doing so we frequently experience greater discomfort. Guide 4, Source --------------- You are presently working very hard to overcome a major resistance to change. This resistance may be your own or someone else's. You have invested a great deal of time and energy in the change that is about to occur, and you need to take care that you don't get in your own way now. Guide 4, Obstruction -------------------- Make room for change by letting go of something familiar and known. You will begin to see the solution to your present problem when you understand that the discomfort of changing is now less than the discomfort of staying the same. Guide 4, Solution ----------------- The discomfort you presently feel will pass as you let go of something familiar and allow an important change to occur. Recognize that you have participated, perhaps without knowing it, in bringing about this change. You will ultimately benefit. Text 5, Projection ================== We each create our own world. This is not to say that there is no "real" world out there. Rather, we perceive reality through a two-step process: First, we recognize the existence of the outside "world" through sensory impressions that in and of themselves have no substance or meaning. Second, we assign meaning to these sensory impressions on the basis of what we know and feel at that moment. These constitute our "projections," interpretations of reality that are more or less accurate but are never exactly like reality. As you recognize and accept the fact that you live in a world of your own projections you begin to enjoy the simple luxuries of humor and patience and love. It becomes clear that your own judgments are the closest you can ever come to truth and such truths confirm the importance of trusting and supporting yourself in your own life. Your thoughts and actions are the vehicles that carry you to success. Guide 5, Source --------------- The present problem has arisen because of the disparity between the "real" world and the projections of people involved--including you. The conflicting points of view reveal the true identities of the people involved. The issue is not to uncover the truth but to understand those people better by looking closely at the nature of their projections. Guide 5, Obstruction -------------------- Relinquish you present search for "rightness," or justice, viewing the problem or question as a way of revealing the identities of the people involved and only after that as an issue of justice or rightness. Guide 5, Solution ----------------- Focus all your attention on your projection, not on discovering some absolute truth about the external world. The only important truth to be discovered in the present question/problem is the nature of your projection. There is nothing else. Text 6, Self-Communication (Self-Awareness) =========================================== We each possess a vast warehouse of information about the world, collected not just through formal education but through firsthand experiences, stories we have been told, things we have imagined and memories that are carried genetically. You possess more information about yourself than anyone else in the world can ever have about you. When self-communication is developed and encouraged, you become your own expert about what is right for you. This is especially important when making personal choices since only through self-communication can you gain access to that warehouse of self-knowledge which only you possess. Self-communication is the only path to intuition. Guide 6, Source --------------- You have been neglecting self-communication. You have sought answers to a present problem in sources outside yourself, not realizing that the knowledge you require is private, your own possession. Guide 6, Obstruction -------------------- You will begin to see your solution as you give up your belief that the answer you require can be found in other people. You already possess the knowledge you need. Guide 6, Solution ----------------- Recognize the richness of your own knowledge, including, but not limited to, your formal learning: Seek new forms of self-communication to open new channels to your valuable inner resources. Text 7, Conflict ================ All human conflicts, as well as achievements, began as ideas. Ideas become realities only when people believe in them so strongly that they would risk their own physical or mental comfort to act on them. There is great strength in complete commitment to an idea or belief. There is also potential for great conflict. The more personal risk you take the more you may feel resistance or opposition. This is especially true if you are opposed by a person whose commitment to her or his idea is as powerful as your own. If you know the other person is willing to risk as much as you, your body signals you to defend yourself just as it would with a physical threat. Recognize that strong physical responses are also good measures of the strength of your commitment to an idea or belief. Guide 7, Source --------------- Distress that you feel in a present conflict is making itself known as physical discomfort or even disease. The source of this discomfort is your struggle to make an idea into a physical reality. Explore your own level of commitment. Guide 7, Obstruction -------------------- The solution to your present problem will come as you temporarily suspend your desire to achieve harmony. An important idea is at stake. Have courage as you face a conflict and you will gain valuable knowledge about yourself. Guide 7, Solution ----------------- By exercising your courage to confront a person who is opposing you, you will find deep understanding of her or him. Or the confrontation will result in separation, with increased respect for the importance of acknowledging human differences. Text 8, Negotiation =================== Satisfactory solutions to conflicts with important associates or friends come now only through open negotiation. Conflicts that result in one person subverting another person's needs never stay settled. Both parties--the one doing the subverting as well as the person subverted--must share responsibility for the failure of such "solutions." Longer lasting solutions that respect all persons who are involved require great patience to bring about. But these agreements can be maintained comfortably and will ultimately profit everyone. Guide 8, Source --------------- Compromises made in the past--either formally or by default--are the source of present fears or resentments. That past compromise must be re-negotiated. Guide 8, Obstruction -------------------- Relinquish the idea that one person must give up her or his needs to satisfy the other. There is no absolute way to determine "right" or "wrong" in this problem. Work for equality. Guide 8, Solution ----------------- Express your own needs in the present moment but realize that your long-term interests will be served only if you are carefully to study the needs of the other person involved. Give joint interests equal consideration. Text 9, Communication ===================== The expression of ideas and feelings allows others to know our needs and expectations. These exchanges can have both positive and negative effects: For example, the effective leader communicates a plan of action but does not reveal personal doubts about the potential outcome of the plan, since those doubts can undermine other people's efforts to carry the plan forward to success. Similarly, the impulse always to communicate the truth can mask the desire to use that truth to injure the person with whom they are communicating. Guide 9, Source --------------- To get to the roots of the present problem focus on your efforts to communicate an important piece of information to another person or persons. Your reasons for doing so are not as they appear on the surface. Guide 9, Obstruction -------------------- Re-evaluate your decision about how much or how little you should communicate your ideas or feelings to another person(s). Guide 9, Solution ----------------- The solution to your problem will be found in a new understanding of a responsibility connected with your communication of important information to another person. Text 10, Personal Power ======================= Personal power is the ability to know yourself and use your personal resources and assets in ways that will bring you, as well as others, maximum benefits. It is the power to utilize your own knowledge, experience, and intuition for creating objects, relationships, new ideas, businesses, physical structures, etc., that are truly an expression of you. It is the source of your strength in making decisions that will truly serve and benefit you, rather than only gaining you the approval of others. Those who are most successful trust their personal power but also understand that inner resources are constantly renewed by listening to what others have to offer. Self power can turn into loneliness and disappointment if listening is neglected. Guide 10, Source ---------------- Your present problem once more exhibits your need to establish more satisfactory balance between your personal power and your interdependence with other people. Guide 10, Obstruction --------------------- Give up the belief that your power lies only in establishing alliances with other people. They cannot give you power. They can provide valuable nutriment but only when you see and respect your own inner resources. Guide 10, Solution ------------------ Embrace your inner resources. Be fully supportive of what is truly you. Doing this is the foundation for all true and secure personal power. Listen to other people but don't mistake their power as your own. Text 11, Patience ================= Patience is the key to successful and productive self-discipline. You achieve what you desire not by imposing your will over the way you spend your time but by embracing your beliefs, your passions, and your dedication to a larger plan. To achieve the goals of a larger plan you make choices about the way to spend time or money in the present, sacrificing immediate gratification for the satisfaction of the larger plan. When the balance is right, there is no sense of deprivation, since you are working in the service of your own greatest interests. Then, when the larger goal is finally achieved the habit of patience must give way to the enjoyment of that personal achievement. Guide 11, Source ---------------- The tension you now experience is the result of questioning whether the achievement of your larger goals will pay off in rewards that are worth your sacrifice. Guide 11, Obstruction --------------------- To achieve your goal, stand back and carefully look at ways you presently use your personal resources. Look at sacrifices that have become deprivations; those which are not in some way satisfying are obstructions and should be changed. Guide 11, Solution ------------------ Look long and hard at an important goal. Evaluate the probability of your success and decide if you need to change the ways you are presently using your resources. You may need to increase, decrease, or in some other way change your commitments. Text 12, Flexibility ==================== We are all affected by beliefs and feelings--which ultimately are the source of all personal motivation. These are the cornerstones upon which we build our lives. When our thoughts and feelings are challenged, it can seem as though our very lives are in danger. The ability to let go of the thoughts and feelings that direct our lives can open doors to new knowledge and experience. It is important to know that suspending one's thoughts and feelings briefly does not negate them forever; they will return. Look upon the willing suspension of belief as a personal choice, creating space for other voices, other knowledge to be heard. We grow by receiving what other have to give, not by constructing shields that make even our physical bodies inflexible. Guide 12, Source ---------------- The key to understanding the present problem is found in one person being too flexible while another too rigidly clings to her/his point of view. One person is taking responsibility for the other, creating tension and resentment that are being masked. Guide 12, Obstruction --------------------- Temporarily suspend important feelings and long-held personal beliefs. This suspension opens wide the door for change, which is now required if you wish to move forward. Guide 12, Solution ------------------ Learn to suspend your most strongly held beliefs so that new information can come in and new relationships can develop. At the same time, define the lines between your flexibility and your submission to others. Text 13, Equilibrium ==================== The impulse to maintain equilibrium or balance is constant throughout nature. Change is also constant, and while change is occurring there may be an illusion that equilibrium is lost. Fighting to achieve equilibrium at such times is counter-productive, and can lead to chaos. All life is cyclic, rising and falling, getting better, getting worse, getting better again. [Humanity's] search for equilibrium can be noble: just as often it can be destructive. Thus, relinquishing the impulse to regain or maintain equilibrium may be a sign of strength or wisdom. Guide 13, Source ---------------- Things are not out of balance. The real problem is in the perception of imbalance--yours or another person's--resulting in an unnecessary struggle to fix something that doesn't need to be fixed. This effort is preventing necessary change. Guide 13, Obstruction --------------------- Give up, or help others to give up, a struggle to maintain an old system, routine, or belief system. Trust that the resulting change will bring many benefits to all. Guide 13, Solution ------------------ The solution to the problem you are facing lies not in maintaining or restoring equilibrium but in allowing change to occur. Text 14, Creativity =================== The ability to manipulate ideas, objects, materials, experiences, and even relationships with people, is essential for living a successful and productive life. Such creativity is a powerful use of your personal resources. But even though creativity is usually positive, it can also be destructive since through it you can invent problems where previously there were none. Guide 14, Source ---------------- Look at both the positive and negative aspects of creativity in the present problem: along with the creation of solutions you may find that problems are being created unnecessarily. Guide 14, Obstruction --------------------- Something that you once created and which served a useful purpose, is now working against you. Relinquish your attachment to this past creation and you will see new solutions. Guide 14, Solution ------------------ Look carefully at a personal creation that once made an important contribution in your life; it is now at the center of a problem. Relinquish that creation and move forward. Text 15, Intuition ================== Intuition is knowledge that we each have within us but which we may not be fully aware that we possess. Often intuition is knowledge that comes from sources other than book, teachers, consultants, our superiors, etc. Such knowledge may prove more valuable than knowledge that authorities and would-be experts offer. Intuition is partly congenital, [and] partly what we have acquired through experience. It is dependable and ultimately the most important source of knowledge we can turn to in choosing careers, mates, places to live, etc. To be strongly intuitive means to be in touch with one's greatest personal convictions, able to gain access to one's personal resources easily and quickly. Guide 15, Source ---------------- In the problem you presently face there is a struggle between trusting your intuition and turning to experts or other authorities. That is the root of the problem. Guide 15, Obstruction --------------------- Give up the hope that experts or authorities will relieve you of the burden of making an important choice in your life. Your own intuition holds all the answers you require. Guide 15, Solution ------------------ Collect whatever information you can, then stop analyzing. Relax and allow your own intuition to dictate your final choice. Text 16, Spiritual ================== No matter how far science, psychology, technology, art, or industry take us, there continue to be unknowns or experiences that cannot be explained in simple linear terms. These are usually what we term "spiritual" concerns. We all have experiences in this realm, whether they be found in our awe of the infinite complexity of the universe itself or with our faith in a personal God. In addition, there are human needs and interactions that have spiritual implications--the need for self-esteem, for a sense of our own power, the need to love and be loved, the support and strength of family bonds, or faith in our serving a purpose larger than ourselves. These exert powerful influences in our lives and can be understood only as spiritual values. Guide 16, Source ---------------- Spiritual values and needs in your life are being overshadowed because you feel you must focus your attention on other priorities--i.e. business, scientific, technological, etc. Guide 16, Obstruction --------------------- The present problem may seem obvious, but its total solution is discovered only by putting aside scientific, technological, or other systematic processes, to look at broadly spiritual concerns. Guide 16, Solution ------------------ A solution to your problem lies outside physical, intellectual, or emotional realms. These are important but final resolution can only be found by including the spiritual. Text 17, Higher Authority ========================= The lifespan of each person is miniscule compared to the life of the planet or the universe. Personal knowledge counts for little within this scheme of things--yet it counts for much within our own lives. Awed by our little-ness, we seek support from higher authorities, or from groups. Sometimes, even as we seek this support, such associations can diminish or undermine the importance of personal power. The balance between self-trust and trust in a higher authority is always in flux. This balance should always be considered whenever personal power and self-esteem are threatened or low. Guide 17, Source ---------------- There is an imbalance between your self-power and the power you have relinquished to a higher authority. Your personal voice is not clear at this moment and this is causing problems for you as well as others. Guide 17, Obstruction --------------------- The evidence that you have collected for making an important decision is incomplete though not wrong in the ordinary sense. Examine an imbalance between your own knowledge and that of a higher or "other" authority, and be prepared to give up your dependency on authority in order to achieve a personal need. Guide 17, Solution ------------------ Gather information to find a solution to your present problem by seeking others' counsel or expertise. But honor the fact that the final decision is yours alone. Text 18, Innocence (Inexperience) ================================= Before you have experienced a thing firsthand, your thoughts and feelings about it are abstract and untested. Such abstractions may help prepare you for the real thing, or they may distort your understanding of it, leading to wide confusion and faulty judgments. Real experience tests the abstraction, pitting it against the checks and balances of your senses, your knowledge, and your feelings. The solid knowledge that you gain from confrontation with reality provides information that often becomes the source of great personal strength. Judgments made from knowledge gained by firsthand experience are much more likely to yield the desired results than judgments made through abstraction. Guide 18, Source ---------------- There are many ways to look at your present problem. You now see only one way of looking--and in this way your abstractions are preventing you from seeing the most important issues. Guide 18, Obstruction --------------------- Face a fear that is now preventing you from experiencing something related to the present problem. The solution becomes clear only when you dissolve the abstraction by leaving your innocence behind. Guide 18, Solution ------------------ You have been attempting to solve a problem by applying information that you have not experienced firsthand. This is distorting the real issues. Dissolve the abstraction with firsthand experience. Text 19, Darkness ================= Darkness is commonly perceived as negative. It symbolizes the unseen or even the "forbidden fruits." However, writers since the beginning of time have seen darkness as the source of constructive experience and knowledge. In the Book of Job, we are told "He discovers deep things out of darkness." Similarly, though the term "dark inner self" connotes something potentially evil, that part of the self is more positive than negative. We sometimes use the darkness as a way of avoiding action: for example, by looking only at our failures in life and convincing ourselves that we can't possibly succeed in a present venture. But by looking more deeply into the darkness, we see past our own disappointments and fears and discover the best in ourselves. Guide 19, Source ---------------- You are seeing only darkness and negativity in a present problem. The darkness is there but you have yet to discover the positive resources that are present within it. Guide 19, Obstruction --------------------- As you cease to cling to your own fears about the darkness which you associate with the present problem, you will discover that the darkness masks very positive resources. Guide 19, Solution ------------------ You already know the solution to the present problem. But you will become fully aware of that solution only as you give up the negative illusions that you are projecting to the darkness. Text 20, The Storm ================== In the natural world storms destroy man-made structures. In our inner world, storms of a different kind bring turmoil, challenging thoughts and feelings, and even destroying once highly valued personal points of view. Even so, inner storms, in and of themselves, are neither positive nor negative. An old structure destroyed makes room for the new, which might be more refined, richer in content, more complex, larger, etc. A storm might also leave an empty space in which to create something entirely new. Storms on the horizon only mean change in the making. After the storm passes, there is usually no choice but to accept the changes it brought. There is, however, a choice about how to interpret and make use of the change. Guide 20, Source ---------------- Tension, anxiety, or restlessness that you are presently experiencing is the product of an inner storm. The discomfort is caused not by the storm's threat but by your own natural reflexes to resist changes produced by the storm. Guide 20, Obstruction --------------------- As an inner storm passes, give yourself time to mourn the loss of important beliefs, feelings, a place, or even a person you have lost. Accept the loss of an old way. Let go. Guide 20, Solution ------------------ Important beliefs, feelings, or relationships have been destroyed by an inner storm. Mourn the loss, then watch for the clearing where something new will grow. author: Bennett, Hal Zina, 1936- detail: LOC: BF441 .B43 tags: book,non-fiction,self-help title: Mind Jogger Tags ==== book non-fiction self-help