4
Developing Our Intuition: The “Mind Map of Me”
Chapter 2 tackled the techniques used to access intuition through new insights and exercises. Chapter 3 discussed exercises for removing the barriers in place. How, therefore, can we develop the perception of intuition more finely? Chapter 4 puts forward a tool that allows us to improve our self-knowledge, become more perspicacious about ourselves and increase the perception of intuition. We have called this tool the “Mind Map of Me”.
Ever since the inscription “Know thyself” was written on the pediment of the temple at Delphi in Greece, humanity has not stopped wondering: “who am I?”, “where am I”, “where am I going?”. These questions may be of a philosophical, symbolic, psychoanalytical, metaphysical or spiritual kind.
The “Mind Map of Me” suggested has a practical vocation as a tool and aims to let us “dig deep in ourselves”. It allows us to take a “picture” of “who we are”. Within the limits of human cognitive means, it reveals and highlights the perception of “who I am”. The “Mind Map of Me” is simply a self-assessment tool without any external witness, which enables an individual to face themself and consequently demands from the individual a great deal of honesty, integrity and truthfulness.
This tool aims to explore concrete and primary aspects of our state of being like needs, health, intelligence, abilities and beliefs. Its goal is also to explore more subtle aspects, such as perceptions, feelings, intuitions, love, emotions and dreams.
The “Mind Map of Me” is a self-assessment and introspection tool that reviews our situation at a time “t” in our life. It gives us the opportunity of asking ourselves questions about several personal dimensions of our life, our relationship with ourselves and our outward relationship with others.
This tool allows us to take stock as faithfully as possible of “where we are today” and what we wish to develop and carry forward in the future honestly and consciously.
Built based on the seven heuristic maps [BUZ 91], this tool lists the problems related to the seven following topics: trust, feeling, achievement, love, communication, thinking and knowledge. Each of the seven maps aims to explore levers (abilities, skills, aptitudes, etc.), needs and obstacles (beliefs, anxieties, fears, etc.).
The principle is simple: we are asked to self-assess on a scale from 0 to 10 as spontaneously as possible. The objective is to shed light on what checks an individual, what works and what an individual wishes to develop in his or her life.
4.1. The “Trust” Mind Map of Me
The trust map should be used first. In the history of an individual, trust relies on the power relations that he or she has established, lost or kept in balance in his or her life.
Trust is based on several parameters such as self-esteem, self-love, gratitude, education, the need for security, our relationship with ourselves, achievement, the will to live, successes, inner peace and the fact of not judging ourselves and others. According to Hindu and Buddhist traditions, trust is related to how an individual is rooted in his or her ancestors, to the color red, to the “lam” mantra and to the musical note “C”.
Now complete the exercise by filling out the trust map (Figure 4.1) and marking each category on a scale from 0 to 10. For example, if you are very confident in your future, you could choose nine out of 10.
As we saw in Chapter 2, music affects our mood. Therefore, it is recommended to listen to enjoyable music while taking the test. Here are some suggestions: Beethoven – Klavierkonzert No. 2. Adagio, Billy Idol – Adams in Chains, Craig Armstrong – Finding Beauty, Cat Stevens – Wild World, Cab Calloway – Minnie The Moocher, Chris Rea – On the Beach.
When the test is over, namely when you have completed the map, you should circle the three elements on which it would be useful to work. The test provides some work suggestions, but everyone can decide whether to follow them or not.
4.2. The “Feeling” Mind Map of Me
The second map on feeling lists parameters such as the state of being, letting go, our relationships with others, the expression of our needs, the way of digesting things, our relationship with uncertainty and the way of giving and receiving.
Figure 4.1. The “Trust” Mind Map of Me
Feeling is associated with the color orange, the note “D”, the “yam” mantra, the moon, the element “water” and creativity. As was the case for the previous map on trust, complete the test (Figure 4.2) on feeling by marking each category on a scale from 0 to 10.
It is recommended to listen to enjoyable music during the test, for example: Lisa Gerrad and Pieter Bourke – Shadow Magnet, Dead Can Dance – Yulunga, Johann Sebastian Bach – Air on the G-String (From the Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D), Christoph Spendel Trio – Beyond Words.
Once the test is over, circle the three elements on which it would be useful to work, as was the case for the previous map.
4.3. The “Achievement” Mind Map of Me
The achievement map lists several aspects involved in the notion of “achievement”: will, commitment, the ability to act and boldness. The related color is yellow, the related note is “E” and the related mantra is “ram”. Complete the achievement map (Figure 4.3) by marking each category on a scale from 0 to 10 while also listening to music like: Thomas Otten – Espiritu, Georg Friedrich Händel – Rinaldo: Lascia Ch’io Pianga, Inva Mulla Tchako – Lucia di Lammermoor.
Once the test is over, circle the three elements on which it would be useful to work.
Figure 4.2. The “Feeling” Mind Map of Me
Figure 4.3. The “Achievement” Mind Map of Me
4.4. The “Love” Mind Map of Me
The map on love gathers together all the problems related to this topic, such as virtues, passions, zest for life, motivation, faith, ideals and hope. It is recommended to complete this map (Figure 4.4) by ranking each category on a scale from 0 to 10.
Here are some songs to listen during the test: Karl Jenkin – Interlude No. 4 Agnus Dei, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – Swan Theme (Swan Lake, Act II – Scene No. 10), Snatam Kaur – Ong Namo, Florent Pagny – Io le canto per te, Deepak Chopra – Desire (instrumental), Vangelis – Blade Runner: Love Theme.
Once the test is over, circle the three elements on which it would be useful to work.
4.5. The “Communication” Mind Map of Me
The communication map reveals most of the aspects involved in communication such as listening, looking, empathy, spontaneity, will, autonomy and integrity. Communication involves anything leaving our mouth or reaching our ears, representing then the Ying/Yang balance. The related color is blue, the note is “G” and the mantra is “ham”. The communication map (Figure 4.5) should be filled out by marking each category on a scale from 0 to 10.
Listen to the following compositions during the test: Dvorak – Serenade for Strings, op. 22, II. Tempo di valse, Télépopmusik – Breathe, Zdeněk Fibich – Twilight, op. 39, Art of Noise – Robinson Crusoe, Bruce Hornsby – The Way It Is, The Cars – Drive, Frédéric Chopin – Waltz in A Flat.
Once the test is over, circle the three elements on which it would be useful to work.
Figure 4.4. The “Love” Mind Map of Me
Figure 4.5. The “Communication” Mind Map of Me
4.6. The “Thinking” Mind Map of Me
The sixth map, the thinking map, allows us to discover the following aspects: intuitions, feelings, doubts, the perception of things and sensitivity.
The map should be filled out (Figure 4.6) by marking each category on a scale from 0 to 10 while you listen to songs such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Sonata in A Major, 1st Movement, Ice House – No Promise, Joe Jackson – You Can’t Get What You Want, John Barry – Amicalement vôtre, Louis Armstrong – What a Wonderful World, Ludovico Einaudi – Divenire, Michael Nyman – The Heart Asks Pleasure First.
Once you have completed the test, circle the three elements on which it would be useful to work.
4.7. The “Knowledge” Mind Map of Me
Finally, the last map, the knowledge map, investigates the following parameters: forecasts for the future, opening our mind, uncovering and serendipity.
According to Hindu and Buddhist traditions, knowledge is associated with the colors gold, white and purple, with the note “B”, and with the mantra “aum”. Knowledge is the “unit that contains everything”, and “the whole is contained in unity”.
The knowledge map (Figure 4.7) should be filled out and each category should be marked on a scale from 0 to 10.
The following songs are recommended: Deva Premal and Miten – Gayatri Mantra, Duffy – Stepping Stone, Eddy Mitchell – Décrocher les étoiles, Emma Shapplin – Carmine Meo.
Once the test is over, circle the three elements on which it would be useful to work.
Figure 4.6. The “Thinking” Mind Map of Me
Figure 4.7. The “Knowledge” Mind Map of Me
In this chapter, the “Mind Map of Me” tool that we have developed allows us to self-assess in relation to themes such as trust, feeling, achievement, love, communication, thinking and knowledge. Every map aims to highlight the three elements that an individual wishes to develop.
In total, we have highlighted 21 ways forward, which open up the possibility of developing, improving and knowing ourselves better.
After this test, which involves the seven “Mind Map of Me” maps, we are asked to refer back to Chapter 2 (section 2.2.3) in order to feel our intuition and see to what extent our feeling has evolved and changed.
In this chapter, we have developed the introspective tool represented by the “Mind Map of Me”, which allows us to explore ourselves on seven levels and question “who we are”, “how we want to be” and “where we want to go”. The effects observed in hundreds of adults who have taken this test include reduced fears, better self-esteem and the awareness that focusing intentions and thoughts leads us to carry out our daily actions more effectively. Some individuals reach a new state of serenity.
We will now see in Chapter 5 whether intuition helps creativity or not.