(TXT) View source
# 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-
(HTM) detail: https://web.archive.org/web/20200123133918/http://www.halzinabennett.com/
LOC: BF441 .B43
tags: book,non-fiction,self-help
title: Mind Jogger
# Tags
(DIR) book
(DIR) non-fiction
(DIR) self-help