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Empowering the goal,
that is to say, the
sanctuary
The very act
of focussing on (i.e. of contemplating) her goal concentrates the pilgrim’s
energy (i.e. de-fragments her so that she achieves full coherence, and which
produces an energy surge). Each time detail is added to her goal or
reinforced (i.e. imagined, thought about, felt emotionally, experienced
physically), for instance, when creating a time frame or imagining or feeling
a series of joyful responses to goal achievement, that is to say, each time
the goal-as-image is upgraded, enhanced, varied or intensified, it is powered
up. The powering up affect is increased each time the goal is accessed just
before going to sleep and immediately upon awakening, and which has the
effect of keeping the goal active during sleep time. As the image of the goal
intensifies, the pilgrim becomes more and more focussed and intense (i.e. addicted), indeed, energised. The pilgrim
may also pump up the image of her goal, i.e. her ‘as if’ goal experienced as ‘as
is’, with energy added from outside. The very act of pumping up increases her
goal oriented coherence. The pilgrim
may invest her increased energy (experienced as a surge, elation, enlightenment or
increased speed), derived from de-fragmentation or accessed from outside, to
drive herself to achieve her goal. Or she may opt to transform that energy
‘high’ directly into happiness, joy, rapture or bliss, thereby reducing her
capacity to reach her goal but enjoying the rewards of goal achievement, the
latter being indicated by an energy surge (read: profit). Diverting energy
from the (up-hill) path to the distant goal to immediate enjoyment is the
pilgrim’s biggest temptation and the sure (down-hill) path to failure.
However, when things (i.e. plans) go wrong, and they often do, indeed must do, diverting energy into immediate gratification
helps the pilgrim weather the storm. The more a
pilgrim empowers her goal (and, conversely, dis-empowers or dumps other
goals), the more the goal begins to act as a centre of gravity, gradually
drawing the pilgrim towards itself. As the pilgrim is drawn into the goal,
the goal begins to determine the actual path the pilgrim takes. In the case
of the pilgrim, representing Mr Hyde, she seeks to become Dr Jekyll. The
risks of changing the persona have been well described. For a vivid
depiction of Gautama Siddhartha’s self-transformation from a burnt-out and
very unhappy rich warlord’s son to Tathatgata (later called Buddha) see ‘Siddhartha’s Hurricane’. |