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AccessMasterMinds Training Resources Page
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Updated: by Don Edberg, 5/20/01

Brainstorming Techniques

http://www.brainstorming.co.uk/ -- An Excellent site for MM Leaders
http://www.calpress.com/critical.html -- An Essay on critical thinking.
Innovative Thinking -- Resources, tools, software, tutorials and information for creative thinking, lateral thinking, problem solving, creativity and brainstorming.
Guide to Philosophy on the Internet


Thinking Techniques

http://www.thirdage.com/living/games/brainfitness/index.html?hanl ----Brain Fitness Site.
http://www.silkwood.co.uk/ ----The World Wide Brain Club.
http://www.dnai.com/~pcombs/patvows.html ----Vow to Think.
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Info copyright 1978 by Thomas D. Willhite. Published by PSI WORLD, High Valley Ranch, Clearlake Oaks, Ca 95412. All rights reserved

The Book of Mastermind
"Support means taking the responsibility to see that all of your abilities are applied toward the accomplishment of the goal." Thomas D. Willhite

"For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Matt.18:22

SUMMARY: The key to all power lies within the creation of a Mastermind, for the Mastermind is the power. Bringing together in harmony the conscious, subconscious and superconscious results in the creation of the Mastermind within you. Join in harmony with others, and the power is unconquerable. The secret of all power lies within this book... the Mastermind.

What is a thought? Think about it for a moment. WHAT IS A THOUGHT? I am more than a single thought , yet all my thoughts taken together form me, my consciousness as I know it now. I think a thought, but how? Some of my thought I produce myself by thinking, reflecting, and creating. Others just "pop" in as though they had a beingness of their own. So where did they come from?

And how did I get them? Why did I get them and not someone else? (or did someone else get them too?) In all of life there is no more complex mystery than this: what is a thought? Solve this mystery, and you shall solve the mystery of life, death, and all existence.

Today, scientists tell us that everything we see, feel and touch is energy. This book is energy...your body and mine...the clouds...the stars...even the air we breathe. The atom, once thought to be the smallest particle of matter, was split: and the result was tremendous energy. So scientists looked inside the atom, inside the particles which make up the atom, and what they found was energy. The atom is energy confined to a small space: electricity is a form of energy in motion; a table is energy molded into a form we label "table." I like to think of all matter as "condensed energy." Water is always in the air we breathe, but not until it condenses into rain do we acknowledge its existence. So, likewise, condensed energy we acknowledge and call "matter." I propose that thoughts are energy not yet condensed. A THOUGHT IS ENERGY NOT YET CONDENSED. So, logically, the next question is, how do we condense a thought? Try this. To this thought energy, add more energy. And add it in such a way that all the energy is in harmony; it all works and vibrates together. The result is something of power, of force... something that has reality. This result is more than just a sum of the energies which have come together. For when they join in harmony, a force exceeding the sum is unleashed.

Let me illustrate this for you. Perhaps you recall seeing pictures or hearing of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, built in 1940 on Puget Sound at Tacoma, Washington. The bridge collapsed...was literally torn apart... by 40 m.p.h. winds. Now, if you go out and run some experiments, you will find that most bridges, houses and other structures we build can withstand 40 m.p.h. winds without problems. A shingle may fly off, or there may be some minor damages: but the whole thing does not just collapse. It simply does not happen!

So why did it happen with the Tacoma Narrows Bridge? What was it about that bridge and that wind on that day which produced this tremendous force which tore the bridge apart? It was not the wind alone because the wind did not have that much force. Scientists and engineers immediately started to work on the problem. This is what they found. The bridge was a suspension type bridge and was supported from cables. Not too different from the Golden Gate Bridge. As the wind began to blow, these cables began to vibrate. Though not intentionally, the design of the bridge caused the cables to vibrate in resonance (harmony). The cables acted like a child's swing: a very small push at the amplitude of the swing results in a large force (motion). For the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, the wind repeatedly provided that small push. As the wind increased in velocity, a force built up within the bridge. By the time the wind had reached 40 m.p.h. the bridge could not stand the stresses and literally destroyed itself. IT DESTROYED ITSELF! The wind was only the agent which caused the vibrations to be in harmony...not the sole cause.

To destroy a bridge takes tremendous force, so we are dealing with a tremendous amount of energy. In this illustration the result of the force appeared (to man) to be destructive. In reality, energy is neither positive or negative; it simply IS. That same combination of wind and harmonic vibration could be harnessed toward useful purposes. The resolution of the energy crisis may well lie here.

A similar force can be unleashed when thought energies are brought together in harmony. This force I call the MasterMind. It is the force and power of the superconscious coming through when thoughts come together in harmony.

THE PRINCIPLES OF THE MASTERMIND CAN BE STATED AS FOLLOWS:

When two or more minds (thoughts) are brought together and blended in perfect harmony, there is created a third mind, or power which is different from and greater than the parts which came together. This third mind, or MasterMind, can be used by one or all of the individual minds. It will disappear, and all of the evidence of its former existence will disintegrate, when the harmonious alliance of the minds is broken.

The Mastermind- that awesome force- is available to you now and will always be available to you. It is available to you in two ways: 1) first, with yourself, through the harmonizing of your conscious mind with the subconscious and the superconscious, and 2) second, through the creation of mastermind groups by harmonizing the minds of two or more persons. We shall look at how to create the Mastermind both ways, but first let us consider the key...HARMONY.

HARMONY IS THE KEY!!!
I cannot over-emphasize this point. Without harmony you have nothing. The lack of harmony is usually the first, last and only cause of failure. Read that sentence again, and apply it to your life. Do you have a marriage that has failed or is failing? Or are you in a job that is depressing or frustrating? Look for the lack of harmony-within and without-in these situations. Now look at your successes...and see how harmony was working for you. Notice how, in the successful situations, those close to you worked with you and supported you toward your goal. All the elements, the pieces and people, worked together as a unit. This is the meaning of harmony: all the pieces or parts working together toward the same goal. The individual elements have submerged their interests, their individuality to that of the whole.

A healthy human body is a perfect example of harmony. All the subsystems-circulation, nerves, digestion, breathing-work together to produce an active, vibrant, beautiful person. Each subsystem does its own part to support the rest of the systems and the overall well-being of the person. One system is not "better than" another... nor does it try to outshine the others. In short, there are no ego problems. If this harmony is broken by overeating (as when the stomach desires to take control) or by nerves (as when the nervous system takes over) or whatever, the body begins to fail. The result: obesity, nervous breakdown, disease. Notice, the harmony is broken first, than the failure. A well-dressed man or woman is another picture of harmony. When you have the opportunity, look closely at such a person. Notice the hair, the makeup, the clothing, the hands, the shoes, the posture. Do they not all blend into the whole? Is there not a sense or presence that radiates about such a person? Now in your mind's eye, destroy the harmony by removing or changing one of the elements. Add work boots or a torn sweater. What happens?

Now change your mental picture to one where work boots and a torn sweater would be in harmony... perhaps a farmer coming in after a day's work. It is the combination, the blending of elements, that creates the harmony, not the elements themselves. If you can see these pictures in and out of harmony, then you truly understand the concept.

You create a mastermind within yourself when you harmonize the conscious, subconscious, and the superconscious minds. This is the source of the personal power of all great leaders...Moses, Lincoln, Joan of Arc, Martin Luther King. In each of these people, there was total agreement, total harmony, between the conscious and the subconscious minds: this agreement was in accord with the superconscious, the deep universal senses. As a result, the power the superconscious was able to perform what seemed to be superhuman feats. They were not superhuman. They were leaders who understood the law of harmony and USED it. That same power is available to you right now.

Pause quietly for a moment, and see if you can touch base with this power.

The key to harmony is that there is agreement at all levels of consciousness towards a goal. Notice that all great leaders have a strong, overwhelming goal...one to which their whole being (all 3 levels of consciousness) is committed. The goal- the message - is the same at the different levels. And within each level, there is consistency. The conscious mind for example, is not saying one moment do it and the next do not do it. Thus, the harmony or agreement exists both between and within the 3 levels of mind, so that the whole is harmonious.

The harmony between the three levels of consciousness is power. It is the ability to get what you need when you need it... to do what you want to do when you want to do it.... to be what you want to be when you want to be it. The power of the Mastermnind will appear in many forms... in ideas... in energy ...and in "lucky" coincidences...In the pieces fitting together perfectly... in having the right knowledge or the right skills...in attracting people... in getting the "breaks". It is the perfect manifestation of the goal in the shortest time.

The growth of leaders begins here... with the creation of the Mastermind within. The achievement of all goals starts here.

I began this book with a quotation from the Bible, "For where tow or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them"(Matt 18:20). This is referring to the Mastermind, the godlike power, which emerges when minds are united in harmony towards a positive goal. The Mastermind results not only from within, but also can result when two or more persons achieve this same harmony between themselves. Again, the key is HARMONY...and the result is power.

Unlimited power is available to those men and women who have the wisdom and determination to submerge individual personalities and individual interests through the blending of their mind in harmony towards a specific purpose. Jesus and his disciples formed just such a Mastermind...and so did Pierre Curie and Marie Curie (discoverers of Radium). Ford, Edison, and Firestone all founded their initial companies with Mastermind teams. In fact, the modern corporation is based on the MM principle. Who is the MM team in Corporations?...why, the Board of Directors/Trustees. The people who make up this team control the direction and ultimate outcome of a corporation.

Not every group of individuals that come together in cooperation towards a common purpose is a Mastermind. Every board of Directors is not a MM team, though they do have the potential to become one. The MM will not spring up just because you get a group together and decide to do something. There is a lot hidden in that little word HARMONY. For, you see, the harmony of purpose between the individuals must exist at ALL levels of consciousness. There must be not only conscious-level agreement, but also subconscious level agreement (the superconscious is always in agreement because it is universal and common to all). Thus, each individual is in harmony with him or herself and, at the same time, is in harmony with all levels of every other member of the MM team.

The process is easy to describe but often difficult in real life. First, it is necessary to arrive at a conscious agreement. This usually can be done fairly quickly. Now the harder task comes--to achieve a subconscious agreement. This means that all the other individual's programs and I AMs must be in harmony and support your I AMs. I cannot hold old programs about having to be "the best" or "the most noticed" and fit in the MM.

It will not work. My immediate and personal interests must submerge to the overall purpose of the MM. is this not the true meaning of teamwork? You will find the MM principle working in that team who could not possibly make it to the Championship finals, but did... or in the family that started the family business with all the cards stacked against them, and succeeded.

The results of creating a MM are awesome...it is peace and power and knowing all in one. It is unbounded ideas and limitless energy. It is knowing that you know.
First, conscious agreement as to the goal or purpose is established. Next, the two people work to establish the subconscious agreements between themselves, at the same time maintaining harmony within their own conscious-subconscious levels. Then, if these agreements are in harmony, with the superconscious, the MM power emerges.
Not all minds can be harmonized together and blended into a MM. Not all people are alike in thinking, nor would we want them to be. You will be able to form a MM with one person but not another. This is not a right-wrong situation, it simply is what it is. The major task and responsibility of a leader is to group his team in such a way that MM can be formed. This is what leadership is all about. The leader places people at those strategic points in his group or organization and in such combinations that their individual minds CAN and WILL blend in harmony with each other and with the group's purpose. The ability to group and organize is the main characteristic of a leader. He must know and understand the MM principle. And if he understands it, he will first apply it him or herself... for that is where it all starts. A leader is, first, a leader of self; then, and only then, a leader of others.

If you are a part of a MM team and find you can no longer support the team, then disassociate yourself from the team. By doing so, you allow the MM to continue. If you remain, your discontent will create the negative force that causes the MM power to fail; you will become the Judas of your MM group. Once you have disassociated yourself and are outside the MM, you can pursue your own goals. Not good, not bad, not right, not wrong, Just is! The results are positive all around. You win by staying in alignment with your own conscious and subconscious directions; the others win by being given the same opportunity.



Resources page (stories, inspirations, musings, teaching tools)- from Diáne Mandle:

ON COMMITMENT:
Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation) there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans. That the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamt would have come his way.
I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe's couplets "Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius,power and magic in it" W.H. Murray

ON SELF ESTEEM -- by yogi Amrit Desai.

If you want to develop true self-esteem, the foundation of transformation, a real change in life can only happen through self love, self acceptance. With self love, all activities are geared towards realizing and actualizing your potential.

Every perception you have- about what happens to you or around you -is based on what you think about yourself. How your feel about yourself. Whatever you think about the world, that is the way the world will come to you.

The moment you're not feeling good about yourself, all good things that are happening to you will invariably be interpreted as something negative. Once you interpret them as negative, you yourself will create negativity, even if it's not there.

By repetition, we repeat certain things to ourselves and continually dwell on our weakness and fears. Then whatever we fear, we begin to draw closer to ourselves through that process of auto-repetition. That is how we bring things into creation.

On the spiritual path, on a journey towards the self, you are actively creating your own life, carving out what your life will be. You are a sculptor, a sculptress. You create ongoingly. You take a life and you sculpt it with your own mind, your own thoughts, your feeling, opinions,beliefs- everything you hold within you: you create externally.

Thus getting to know who you are is basic to spiritual growth and transformation; for whatever you feel about yourself, that's what you'll duplicate in every relationship that you have.

Once you go in the direction of Self esteem your first priority is internal change. Every problem that comes in your life comes with a message of personal transformation. Only when you don't blame others or yourself, can the secret message be released.

Self esteem means moving towards freedom. Freedom from dependency... having the ability to draw all that you want from yourself. That is the only way to experience true freedom.
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