The Maker of Maps - a metaphorical tale

Written by Adam Sargant, Dip.H.Ed (Nursing Studies), Dip.Hyp.,NLP(prac)


Way back, back further even than beforerepparttar time of your future dreams, there was a Map Maker who was regarded asrepparttar 122253 finest maker of maps inrepparttar 122254 city. His maps were known throughoutrepparttar 122255 land, and people would travel for many days to have a map prepared byrepparttar 122256 Map Maker.

One day, a foreign dignitary visitedrepparttar 122257 Map Maker's shop, and atrepparttar 122258 dignitary's requestrepparttar 122259 Map Maker prepared himrepparttar 122260 most exquisite of maps made ofrepparttar 122261 finest parchment, withrepparttar 122262 rarest inks. The Map Maker worked late intorepparttar 122263 night, ignoring mealtimes and calls for bed. Inrepparttar 122264 morning,repparttar 122265 dignitary called to pick uprepparttar 122266 map as arranged and he was delighted.

Reverently he unrolledrepparttar 122267 map out onrepparttar 122268 Map Maker's desk. Beneath their eyes desert lands unfurled in gold, while green-brown forests and white peaked mountains lay before them. Delicate lines marked out contours, latitudes and longitudes, and exquisite letters showedrepparttar 122269 locations of towns, villages and cities.

"Map Maker" saidrepparttar 122270 dignitary, pointing to a deep blue river onrepparttar 122271 map, "tell me of this area here".

"Sire" repliedrepparttar 122272 Map Maker "I know not of these areas I draw. My maps are drawn fromrepparttar 122273 words andrepparttar 122274 maps of others who have gone before me." And he tookrepparttar 122275 dignitary to a room atrepparttar 122276 back ofrepparttar 122277 shop that contained books from travellers, hand drawn maps, sketches, and all manner of paper and record.

The dignitary hid his disappointment well, but soon after he left,repparttar 122278 Map Maker began to hear disturbing stories. That people were saying that they could not trust his work. Saying, that if he simply put together his maps from other peoples work then however fine they were, how could anyone guarantee their accuracy? How could anyone who used them know that they would simply not get lost?

Overrepparttar 122279 weeks, he noticed a slowing down of business, until his customers had almost stopped coming in their entirety. Now, this sorely vexedrepparttar 122280 Map Maker, for not only was this how he made his living, but he was a deeply proud man, proud of both his art and his reputation. And it pained him torepparttar 122281 core of his being that his maps might not actually be as good as he had always believed them to be. So he resolved to discard his work and to discard his books and his drawings, and venture out intorepparttar 122282 world himself, and learn his art again anew.

So, he sold his shop, his fine pens and his parchments. He sold his rare ink and his gold leaf, his books, papers and records. Withrepparttar 122283 proceeds fromrepparttar 122284 sale, he paid of his servants and was about to putrepparttar 122285 remaining money inrepparttar 122286 single bag he had packed for his journeys when he had a thought. This thought came unbidden, and he knew not from where, but it seemed important to him somehow.

"If I am to start out anew then I must go out intorepparttar 122287 world as much as a new born child as I am able. Only then will I be able to immerse myself deep in my art".

And so he gaverepparttar 122288 remainder of his money to a beggar outsiderepparttar 122289 shop, and he left his shop and he left his city. As he walked passedrepparttar 122290 city gates with only his clothes and his bag he turned back to look, and it seemed to him as if he was leaving a strange place.

Many days he wandered and there was much fear in his heart, for he had no maps to guide him now. But many days there was much joy too, as he took to sketching withrepparttar 122291 simple pencils and paper he had brought with him forrepparttar 122292 task of relearning his art. And sometimes he measured, and drew maps, and sometimes he just sat, deep in a silence. And it would seem to him afterward, that it was at these times that he was most deeply immersed in his art, and that it was in this inner sense of silence that he learnedrepparttar 122293 most.

As he learned to survive, to trade his physical labour or his skills as an artist for food,repparttar 122294 days when he felt fear grew less, andrepparttar 122295 days when he felt joy, grew more. He came to knowrepparttar 122296 pleasure of rain on his skin,repparttar 122297 soft sound of birdsong asrepparttar 122298 sun rose inrepparttar 122299 mornings. He came to learnrepparttar 122300 ache of muscles worked hard during a long day. He came to appreciaterepparttar 122301 bright crispness of a winter's day,repparttar 122302 newborn colours of spring,repparttar 122303 warm joy of summer andrepparttar 122304 red-gold quiescence of autumn. He discoveredrepparttar 122305 joys of a simple welcome and of hospitality, of a giving and receiving, motivated only by a common humanity.

An Experimental Meditation using NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) Approaches

Written by Adam Sargant, Dip.H.Ed (Nursing Studies), Dip.Hyp.,NLP(prac)


This meditation is built onrepparttar idea of trance identification with a future idealised, or present higher realized, self. Deep Trance Identification is a concept derived fromrepparttar 122252 fields of NLP and hypnosis, but has its origins in shamanism, spiritual and religious practices of all kinds. Shamanic practices of identification with spirit beings and deities would appear to go back to pre-history. More recently, some forms ofrepparttar 122253 mystical Christian practices ofrepparttar 122254 Stations ofrepparttar 122255 Cross encourage identification with Jesus at stages from his being condemned to die through to his resurrection.

In Sogyal Rinpoche's book, The Tibetan Book of living and Dying, he describes a meditation he calls Guru Yoga. I have adapted this meditation with an emphasis on some ofrepparttar 122256 submodality distinctions. I would be interested in people's thoughts or experiences with this meditation.

It seems to me that one should be able to future pace (nlp jargon)repparttar 122257 insights and resources fromrepparttar 122258 meditation back torepparttar 122259 future self. This then creates a feedback loop, becauserepparttar 122260 resources develop inrepparttar 122261 future pacing and become increasingly expanded and available torepparttar 122262 trance identification. So as one carries outrepparttar 122263 meditation below, one can become aware ofrepparttar 122264 insights that develop in "the now" contributing torepparttar 122265 spiritual development ofrepparttar 122266 future guru self being meditated upon. This further developsrepparttar 122267 guru self and results in accelerated insights in "the now".

I am constantly amazed byrepparttar 122268 obvious familiarity in buddhist writings with submodalities, given that they don't appear to have an explicit model of such.

Recievingrepparttar 122269 Wisdom ofrepparttar 122270 Wisdom Self

  1. Invocation

    Sit quietly. Imagine yourself at some point inrepparttar 122271 future having acquiredrepparttar 122272 spiritual wisdom and experience that you currently seek. Picture yourself as having allrepparttar 122273 qualities of compassion and wisdom and allow that image to fillrepparttar 122274 sky.

    As you attend to that image, of your future self benignly and compassionately aware of your self now, allowrepparttar 122275 image to take onrepparttar 122276 qualities of translucence like a rainbow, so you can seerepparttar 122277 sky throughrepparttar 122278 image ofrepparttar 122279 guru self.

    Holdingrepparttar 122280 image in mind, allow yourself to feelrepparttar 122281 presence of a superbly compassionate and wise being, and in your mind, addressrepparttar 122282 guru self withrepparttar 122283 following words "Help me, inspire me to reach forward to my goals of spiritual development. Teach me to progress asrepparttar 122284 I that is you have progressed and to realiserepparttar 122285 true nature of my being".



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