A Circle of Serpents
18/08/2006 11:51 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
izmeinaIzzie cannot leave a library empty handed and last week was no exception. Along with the very tasty "Freakonomics" and "How long is a piece of string?", another morsel that caught our attention was on a display of so-called 'self help' books.
Borrowed a few of those in the past - some interesting and insightful but most kind of corny and enthusiastic and rather over the top. Deepak Chopra, Norman Vincent Peale and the utterly awful abomination "The Celestine Prophecy" come to mind (No - we neither bought nor borrowed this bullshit but had to endure the ravings of countless kookie fans and nearly pissed ourselves silly with the giggles when we did get a peek)
But Barbara Sher is not one of these. Already got her book "I could do anything - if only I knew what it was" and it was most interesting and entertaining indeed without being pompous or overbearing. So, with such favorible first impressions - snatched this one off the table and was not disappointed.
What makes her so different is the little games, suggestions and thought experiments are so much fun that you want to do them instead of tediously struggling through some To Do list and then feeling guilty for procrastination and lack of discipline. (Yesss - and she is one of the few people who recognises the existence of resistance and procrastination and suggests getting around them sneakily rather than resorting to the usual spouting of affirmations and Can-do wishful thinking)
One of the earlier exercises is to gather your allies
What do you need from your allies?
Rank the items on your list
Create a list of candidates for your allies
Gather your allies around you
Let them find their voices
Log your first meetings with your allies
And unlike real people - imaginary allies can be anyone you choose - from history, fiction or whatever and they don't have to be people either
Izzie rather likes this concrete way of invoking spirit guides but also the little dialogues with the inner Dursley
"Wait a minute. What about some reality here!
Will you ever be able to find real people to give you all the support you described on your list of needs? Can reality match this fantasy? Not unless you are very very lucky......
But a real-life all-round perfect ally that devotes himself totally to you isn't necessary. Even with imaginary allies, you only chose them for one or two of their characteristics......... You don't really need huge amounts of support - just small, crucial doses" (P44 "Live the life you love and stop just getting by")
And what Izzie finds so funny - just thinking about those people - who probably have also previously made an appearance if you've ever done the meme "Guests you would invite to a dinner party if you could choose anyone" - just thinking about them makes you feel all warm and fuzzy and happy - (so dearest Dolores did not get a place on the Serpent's Board of Directors after all - or maybe as our secret weapon of mass destruction)
And yesss - we do have a list but have not got around to invoking any of them yet as there's other stuff in the book we want to get done before Madame Pince demands it back
And it's funny - the more Iz thinks of it - the more we realise that books and libraries have been a constant theme in the life of this serpent - bringing lots of opportunities for learning and escapism and wonderful new adventures. Such pretty little Portkeys and portable too - well the books anyway
Borrowed a few of those in the past - some interesting and insightful but most kind of corny and enthusiastic and rather over the top. Deepak Chopra, Norman Vincent Peale and the utterly awful abomination "The Celestine Prophecy" come to mind (No - we neither bought nor borrowed this bullshit but had to endure the ravings of countless kookie fans and nearly pissed ourselves silly with the giggles when we did get a peek)
But Barbara Sher is not one of these. Already got her book "I could do anything - if only I knew what it was" and it was most interesting and entertaining indeed without being pompous or overbearing. So, with such favorible first impressions - snatched this one off the table and was not disappointed.
What makes her so different is the little games, suggestions and thought experiments are so much fun that you want to do them instead of tediously struggling through some To Do list and then feeling guilty for procrastination and lack of discipline. (Yesss - and she is one of the few people who recognises the existence of resistance and procrastination and suggests getting around them sneakily rather than resorting to the usual spouting of affirmations and Can-do wishful thinking)
One of the earlier exercises is to gather your allies
What do you need from your allies?
Rank the items on your list
Create a list of candidates for your allies
Gather your allies around you
Let them find their voices
Log your first meetings with your allies
And unlike real people - imaginary allies can be anyone you choose - from history, fiction or whatever and they don't have to be people either
Izzie rather likes this concrete way of invoking spirit guides but also the little dialogues with the inner Dursley
"Wait a minute. What about some reality here!
Will you ever be able to find real people to give you all the support you described on your list of needs? Can reality match this fantasy? Not unless you are very very lucky......
But a real-life all-round perfect ally that devotes himself totally to you isn't necessary. Even with imaginary allies, you only chose them for one or two of their characteristics......... You don't really need huge amounts of support - just small, crucial doses" (P44 "Live the life you love and stop just getting by")
And what Izzie finds so funny - just thinking about those people - who probably have also previously made an appearance if you've ever done the meme "Guests you would invite to a dinner party if you could choose anyone" - just thinking about them makes you feel all warm and fuzzy and happy - (so dearest Dolores did not get a place on the Serpent's Board of Directors after all - or maybe as our secret weapon of mass destruction)
And yesss - we do have a list but have not got around to invoking any of them yet as there's other stuff in the book we want to get done before Madame Pince demands it back
And it's funny - the more Iz thinks of it - the more we realise that books and libraries have been a constant theme in the life of this serpent - bringing lots of opportunities for learning and escapism and wonderful new adventures. Such pretty little Portkeys and portable too - well the books anyway
