(* The same parenthetical
instructions to you, reading this, as those following Step # 10 above. If
your participants are restless at this point or otherwise not responding
well, give them a minute or so, then the half-minute's notice, then cut
short the experience by going back in the elevator saying, "after this
first look-around, so we can compare notes before going back to this
civilization to see what we can find in it." If, on the other hand, you've
plenty of time and if your participants are responding well, this is one
of the steps whose interval you might allow to extend to eight minutes or
longer. If your participants are responding well enough for you thus to
carry on further, at the end of this interval of 8-10 minutes, give the
half-minute's notice as in the parenthetical instructions during the
interval following Step # 10 above, then at the next let-up in the
buzz-murmur give the three 'bings,' and say:)
19. "Thank you. Keeping eyes
closed, perhaps moving even deeper into this experience as you move
around the spaces of this highly advanced civilization in whatever form
you've encountered it... --Whatever aspect, object or feature you've
found there that's unusual or new to you, pick one to investigate more
closely - or find something now to investigate if you hadn't noticed
anything special before."
"Getting enough detail is the main
thing now, especially this first time or so we go invention-hunting.
Getting enough detail makes this the crucial step of this experience. To
have enough patience to get all that crucial detail, you might
want to breathe smoothly and slowly again for awhile in a feel-good way.
Going after all the detail you might need:"
"Because you have complete freedom of
your own mind, whatever it is that you find: you can open it up, or go
inside of it; you can expand it to bring more of it into view or make it
smaller to gain perspective. You can even move it through time of day or
year to see how it performs or how it was made or whatever else you can
observe about it, inside and out, to discover how it works. Discover the
principles of how it works, in enough detail to become able back here to
build a working copy of it yourself. You might start by going up to it
and touching it, feeling it, maybe even smell and taste it, and describe
to your partner, as if your partner were 'Mission Control,' everything
you can of how it looks, how it performs, how it feels to touch, taste
and smell. Then get inside of it one way or another, and go on from
there until you and your partner know every working detail of your
respective inventions and know how to build a working copy of the
device. Whatever this device or object is, now go up to it and discover
everything about it, as you resume describing
now....."
(* Same parenthetical instructions
as in the interval following Step # 10 above. This interval, too, if your
participants are doing especially well, you can expand to 8-10 minutes or
longer if you have time, searching for all the working detail which will
enable your participants to build actual working inventions from these
observations. Run the 'one-bing' half-minute's notice. Next lull in the
buzz-murmur, the full 'three-bing' signal, saying:)
20. "Thank you, eyes still closed,
moving even deeper into this experience... --Now please find some member
of this civilization, some person knowledgeable about this device, maybe
even this device's builder or inventor. For even more understanding of
what this device is and how it works, let's become one with this
knowledgeable person or inventor in order to share his, her or its
perception of this same device that you've been examining. To do this,
please stand this knowledgeable person at arm's length distance from you
- with his, her or its back to you - and now please waft yourself
forward into the body of this knowledgeable person. Bring your own eyes
to where this person would ordinarily look from, to be this person,
seeing. Bring your own ears to where this person normally hears from, to
be this person, hearing. Perceive through and with this person's senses
and memories and abilities. Notice the often surprising differences
between the way this person sees the device you've been examining and
the way you had seen it earlier. As this person, re-examine this device
and make utterly real to your partner these differences in perception,
coming to understand what those differences mean. --And how these add to
your understanding of how to build a working copy of this device. Resume
your describing now....."
(* Same parenthetical instructions.
This step is also expandable if appropriate. The purpose, of course, is to
press for enough detail to become able to build a specific invention that
actually works. Cycle 'one-bing' and then at the next lull, 'three-bing,'
saying:)
21. "Thank you, now return this
person's head to his or her or its own shoulders now, so that you can
ask some questions and get answers. Perhaps the best way to ask
questions and get good answers in this experience? --Ask your questions
very softly out loud, so your partner can barely hear them, but in your
own head very loudly--then listen as intently as you can until you
either hear this person's answer, or until this person does something or
points to something for you to see, or the scene itself changes in
answer to your question. You then report to your partner whatever
happened, as it is somehow an answer to your question. While your
partner in turn is reporting to you his questions and experience of
answers, sometimes you can add questions of your own without leaving
your own experience, for your partner's knowledgeable person to answer.
You can ask about anything, but our main purpose is to get as effective
an understanding as possible of how the device works so you can easily
copy and build it back here on our Earth......."
"Think of the first question you can
ask, whose answer can add greatly to your understanding. --Now loudly in
your mind, softly out loud, ask that question, look and listen intently
for the answer, report the results to your partner, take turns with your
partner doing the same, and then maybe another question or so in the
minute or so remaining. Ask that question, report the results, go on
with this now....."
(* 3-5 minutes but expandable,
otherwise the same parenthetical instructions as following Step # 10
above....)
22. "Thank you. If you've not
finished you can always come back here for more, with your partner or
with a tape recorder to tape your additional observations. Please return
now to your elevator........ push the button labelled 'Return,' and
return..... feeling motions, returning with full recall of all that has
transpired thus far - coming fully present to here and now, coming fully
alert and feeling marvelously refreshed! Now: please take notes and make
sketches of what you have observed!"
(* Allow several minutes for
note-taking and sketching, perhaps a few more even for a
refreshments-break. When ready, say:)
23. "The most valuable part of
this experience is often the de-briefing. Debriefing brings new
breakthroughs because in relating what you've seen to a new listener,
new perceptions often occur to you or new meanings for perceptions and
relationships in such experiences become clear. Take your notepad with
you; let's see if you can be seated with a new partner in ten seconds! -
Ten..... Nine..... Eight..... Seven..... Six..... Five..... Four.....
Three..... Two..... One..... One-half.....
One-quarter....."
(* or whatever way to laughingly stretch
out the interval if needed until all are ready).....
24. "This time with eyes open, in
just two minutes tell everything that you experienced, from the moment
of the color through the elevator door, on through that door into the
experience and what you found waiting for you there in that experience.
First one of you, telling that experience in great detail but compressed
into just two minutes. Then I'll sound this chime as signal for you to
reverse roles so your partner can have airtime too. O.K., with eyes
open, this time one of you describing, here goes....."
(* After 2-3 minutes or at first
lull, gently sound the water glass or chime a time or so, saying:)
"--Even at risk of incompletion, your
partner needs airtime too, very gently switch now so your partner may
also describe his experience."
(* Allow 2-3 minutes or until first
lull...)
25. "Gently return to here and
now. You may want to make a few additional notes or sketches, because
more has occurred to you and more may continue to occur to you in the
hours ahead. Now that you know the way into this Discovery Space, with
fresh partners at home or with tape recorders to describe your
observations into, you can revisit this Space, as many times as you
like. You can revisit it to get fresh details on an invention already
seen or to go for entirely new inventions, copying down all the details
you need to be able to build the thing back here on our present-day
Earth."
(* Encourage your participants to
stay alongside their new partners during the ensuing few minutes of open
group discussion. If things have gone well and the mood is right, orient
the discussion toward the "beachhead" aspect of "Beachhead," that now each
participant has established a beachhead in that highly advanced
civilization where he can flash back to immediately whenever he wants,
without even need of the elevator because of the connections already built
up. Emphasize the diverse wealth of possible discoveries in an entire
advanced world, to say nothing of using the elevator to go visit yet other
such worlds. Liken the participant's situation to that of a prehistoric
caveman visiting your own town and having found a wheelbarrow on this
first venture, what else is there in your town for him to find and
re-"invent?" The entire accumulated wealth of not only devices but arts
and ideas and genius of all of civilization is there to draw
upon....)
26. "For example: right now your
civilization 'beachhead' is there, waiting to show you something
further that can be very valuable to you. Right where you are now,
without elevator or any preliminaries, please close eyes right now and
be looking at some further scene in your civilization! What's all
around you and what shows up when you move around in that scene?
--Starting with what's directly in front of you in that scene, please
begin describing this further scene to your partner now!..."
(* Allow this to run 2-5 minutes, or
longer if participants get strongly involved, but don't go as long as with
the initial visit. Bringing them back after your cycle of 'bing' and '3
bings,' say:)
27. "Waiting there for you is the
incredible wealth of entire worlds and civilizations, a wealth of ideas,
a wealth of arts, a wealth of techniques. --Including even other
techniques to invent techniques with, and even better ways to find
answers; techniques of learning; a wealth of genius, a wealth of
devices, a wealth of science and technology all freely there for you to
copy off and re-create back here. Visit as many times as you like. Also
visit other worlds as well, the universe is open and free for us to
explore, to create new wealth back here on
Earth."
(* Determine among you who has, on
this first try, come back with some workable invention or innovation.
Determine which of the inventions, innovations and ideas brought back has
enough detail to be made workable back here. Determine which may be used
to create and generate some practical wealth in the near future. Determine
if you want to work together to actualize that wealth, and if so, begin
action-planning together. Or you may leave it for each participant to
pursue his own devices.)
==========
Extending that thought a little
further: even if, to this point, you, the Reader, have been working alone,
with only tape recorder for listening and company, you may give some
thought to involving other individuals, creating joint experiences
together, and working together afterwards to actualize some of the wealth
potential of the resulting ideas.
On the one hand you may have had
your fill of waiting for other people's actions and probably desire
strongly to move ahead on your own. On the other hand, if you can bring
other people with you, you are much stronger, and far likelier to generate
those answers, solutions, ideas, innovations, inventions, new products and
services which are worth pursuing - and far stronger for pursuing them
into payoff.
Perhaps your main value to each other as
a group, above and beyond the above strengths, can be: to remind each
other to use one or another form of process for creative problem solving
when encountering some issue or some difficulty en route to your
goal.
But if you are already highly effective
as an entirely self-directed individual, practiced at working alone and
carrying your own aims through to completion, then working alone with your
tape recorders is a realistic choice for you, relatively free of
impediments. (But you may need to build in some scheduled extra stimulus
or self-reward, for it's far more fun with another person or persons than
it is with just a tape recorder.)
If this is your first read-through and
you are now wondering how you should progress further, your most obvious
alternative choices are:
1) Use a second tape recorder. Record
the above group-scripted exercise on tape, with appropriate pauses. On
playback, record your responses to the other tape recorder. For
debriefing, write in as much detail as you can, as quickly as you can.
2) Recruit a partner as listener or
possible co-learner or co-explorer. Take turns, reading the scripted
instructions to the other and being listener, and being the one cued
through the steps of the experience.
Or, better still: both of you work
from a tape you pre-record for these experiences, describing your
respective experiences to each other at each step.
3) Draw in 6 or more people in
addition to the reader of the script. Preferably engage an even number
of participants so that everyone can work in pairs. (There is no upper
limit as to how many in a group can do this process at one
time--usually, the more the merrier because each pair's processing
reinforces what's going on for the other pairs.) One person should read
the above script aloud to everyone else. The first time or so you read
this script you should literally follow it word for word. After several
rounds have made you familiar with the experience, you can begin ad
libbing it to adapt it to variations in group and circumstances. After
enough rounds of experience you will no longer need the script to
conduct groups through the experience, and can create new versions of
the procedure in order to pursue special goals.
Obviously, these are not mutually
exclusive choices. Should you wish to, you can try all options at
different times. However, your strongest chances of initial success are
with # 3 above. --And of course there is the fourth choice, the choice
most reading this are likely to follow--
4) Working alone, with one tape
recorder to receive your described experiences. To do this, first read
through the above script several times to get the gist of it in mind.
Then, take yourself through the following simpler, shorter version of
"Beachhead:"
Simplified Version of "Beachhead" for
Individual Use:
1. Hand - visualize the back of
your hand as you imagine pushing the call button for an elevator.
2. Door - describe in detail
the door of the elevator while you wait for the elevator to arrive.
3. Controls - when the elevator
arrives, step in, look around. Examine the Control Panel with its many
buttons. Select the button for "Space" and lightly rest your finger upon
it.
4. Program - through that
contact on the "Space" button, program your elevator to take you to
where, in some highly advanced civilization across space, you can come
across, observe in detail, and copy, some device or procedure which back
here would be a useful, beneficial, and easily built invention.
5. Movement - once you push
that button to send you on your way, allow yourself to feel movement of
this "elevator" through space/time, until you arrive - the COLOR,
what color flashed through from beyond the door?
6. Explore the scene beyond
your elevator's opened door. Come to whatever it is that you are due to
find on this "trip." Explore and examine the device or procedure in
every way possible, to get enough detail to be able to successfully
re-create it back here on our Earth.
7. Return refreshed; debrief
extensively onto paper.
================
It may be important for you (and
your colleagues) to know that the first "trip" or so is the hardest work.
There is enough information here for most competent people to be able,
with some attention, to get themselves into this initial zone of success
without needing to be formally trained by a Project Renaissance
professional. After that initial success, inventions start coming in the
necessary detail more and more readily. After a half dozen trips you will
find other, additional inventions coming through to consciousness for you
even when you are not in any sort of special process such as "Beachhead,"
during your everyday activities. Be alert to this the first few times so
you can pick them up as they occur, and so that you can reinforce that
behavior as it occurs. We suggest carrying around at all times a notepad
or pocket recorder, a "Portable Memory Bank," and using it for this
purpose.
How far can this be extended? How much
wealth of idea and invention and discovery can be gotten through this
means? How large is the universe?!?
The group of educable mentally retarded
Canadians I taught in 1979 was "exceptional" in two regards - not only the
degree of their seeming lack of intelligence, but because usually only
about a third of people who try "Beachhead" for the first time get a
workable invention or discovery from it that first time. ("Now he tells
me!") Perhaps, for those retardates, there was "less in the way." However,
in our experience, virtually everyone who has the patience to venture a
serious-effort "Beachhead" trip three times, and the patience to go for
the needed detail, who has at least a little visual imagery going from
previously, will start getting useful devices and inventions until these
come in a ready flow.
Many people come into this experience
with some idea for an invention already on their mind, perhaps from years
ago but not developed. Some of these are workable and some, of course, are
not, whereas apparently all adequately detailed inventions by this
"Beachhead" method are workable. Once the previously thought-about,
would-be inventions have been expressed and are out of the way, the road
is clear for the subtler faculties to work undistorted by prior
expectations. Whether these workable inventions are also profitable,
depends a lot more upon local and general market conditions. In general,
though, in this version of "Beachhead," at least, a fair percentage of
your inventions should turn out to be potentially profitable and be a good
means by which to create new wealth.
Whether it actually gets developed and
gets to be a source of wealth, is a function of many other variables
having naught to do with the merits of the invention itself.
To help you with this aspect,
especially, involving other people in such experiences is a good idea. You
can be one another's "support group" through the tasks and tribulations
required before the practical side of payoff finally comes. You can
encourage each other through the best of it, pick each other up from the
worst of it and from the all too often unfair setbacks which dog those who
try to do something positive in this world. Ask each other questions and,
yes, not only remind each other to specify the difficulties and to apply
formal answer-finding process to them, but to be audiences to one another
in such process and generally. Even so simple a way as this can make all
the difference to your succeeding: asking each other, at 3-day or 1-week
intervals, "Have you done that next step yet?"
Also, going for very simple ideas and
inventions, the first time or so, is a very good idea. What would be an
invention here as simple as an advanced world's counterpart to the common
table fork or wheel barrow? Sanitation? Paint? Money? Shoes? You will have
plenty of time later to try for some galaxy-cruising star-drive spaceship
which requires 18 materials not yet invented plus 3 major technologies yet
to be conceived. Go for what you can immediately build from your resources
immediately on hand. After you've achieved enough of that, then to invent
a star-drive can become much more feasible (or an anti-gravity sled, or an
age-reversal treatment.....)
For the simpler, more immediately
practical inventions: if you've already gotten new products and services
you can build, go ahead with them. If some details might still be needed,
only you can do what is needed.
Going for Additional
Detail:
Here is a checklist of some of the many
various things you can do, during the initial experience or upon revisit,
to gather the additional detail needed. --Detail needed to understand and
successfully create back here on Earth what you viewed onsite in your
advanced world. With tape recorder and/or live listener, check your way
through at least some of the following observations. Did you--?
( ) Change size relative to the device
you were viewing?
( ) Did you get large enough to see
all of it?
( ) Did you get small enough to go
inside it and move around inside it?
Especially inside of it, did you test
to use not only sight but--
( ) Sound?
( ) Smell?
( ) Taste?
( ) Touch? - for
Texture?
Temperature?
Density?
What did it feel like moving through
it, at different points?
Magnetic or electrical
feeling?
Vibration?
( ) Did you check it out from
different perspectives and angles?
( ) Did you examine it at different
times of day?
( ) of season?
( ) of year or century?
( ) Did you examine it with the eyes
and senses and memories of a member of that civilization who is familiar
with that device?
( ) Was the image steady and
consistent, or did other things come into view in place of it at times?
(If several devices were shown you, the images may not have been so much
literal as symbolic of a principle - in which case go back to be shown a
third, perhaps even a fourth, device illustrating the same principle or
natural law, until you catch on as to what that
is.)
When still in doubt, you can always ask
your faculties to show you what you most need yet to see and understand,
and they most likely will - especially if you've given a good shot to the
above. --And additional ways for getting the needed details. You can even
ask your faculties to show you what you most need to ask about this device
or situation, as well as the best answer to whatever that best question
is!
Note again: once you've driven through
to get the necessary detail, it becomes easier on all subsequent rounds
and inventions. The key detail will come more and more immediately and
intelligibly. 3 or 4 such inventions along, you will find your mind
showing you additional inventions even when you are not in process or
searching for same - this can build into being quite a roll if you let it!
The key is mustering the patience, if needed, that first time to get all
the detail you need to understand and re-create the device as your
invention.
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