Your Inner Council: What is it and how to develop it.

As the Jedi of the star wars universe had a council to guide them, as this temple have a council to guide it, we too should have an inner council to guide us. This council is a list of figures be they real, fake, alive, or passed on that we meet with in meditation to council us in times of trouble.

This is much like the idea of a force ghost coming to the aid of a current Jedi. We pick out a group of councils we feel would best advice us on particular issues. Basically specialists in a particular area. We then learn all we can about them and start an inner dialog with the person. Sometimes we can meet with the whole council in times we need varied opinion and others we meet with just a single counselor on an area they are best suited to advise on. Or any combination in between.

So as an example I will list some of my own personal counselors:

Master Yoda for times of wisdom and patience.

King Leonidas for times of hardship and battle.

Nikola Tesla for times I require a a scientific thought process.

As you can see you tailor the council to fit your needs and can add or subtract as you go. However its ill advised to make it too wide as you might not be able to study each person in depth enough to tap their spirit and mind. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and own counselors as we discuss this idea.
This idea is not mine but one I found on the following website: http://www.artofmanliness.com/2012/03/11/the-cabinet-of-invisible-counselors/

This sermon by Edan fits this topic very well. I feel that I use more people that I have known throughout my life, rather than God(s), fictional characters, or famous people. I feel a deep connection with my grandfather when I meditate or looking for guidance throughout my days.

This is a great thread - and I like your list!
Here are my current 7, in no particular order:

George Fox - for original thought and steadfastness in the face of oppression

Obi Wan Kenobi - just because . . .

Bjorn Lomborg - for effective environmentalism, no matter how unfashionable (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H79-s2fOLh4)

Lao Tzu - for wisdom

Thomas Young - the definitive polymath provides inspiration that everything is interesting

Valentino Rossi - for bravery, technical acumen, persistence and sense of humour

Edgar Mitchell - for pursuing his interests and beliefs in the face of opposition (www.noetic.org)

So LoudZoo how do you communie with these counciors of yours? What have you done to be able to tap into their mind and spirit so as to get their perspective and not your own?

Oh and I got to ask is your name a play on Lao Tzu the philosopher?

Hi Madhatter ,

Yes - my screen name is an intentional corruption of Lao Tzu. I got online at home at about the same time as I was 'discovering' Taoism (about 15 years ago) and it had a huge impact on my worldview. At the time I was bit of a spiritual butterfly flitting from one paradigm to another (I suspect I still am!) and I guess I wanted to ensure I'd never 'forget' the message the Tao Te Ching had for me. Adopting an online moniker of Loudzoo (for chat rooms, forums etc) has helped remind me of that, along with some other flags. There's also a large dollop of irony in there - I doubt very much that Lao Tzu was 'Loud' or like a 'zoo'. That's more like a description of my 'monkey mind' - it is a zoo in there and the chatter between all the monkey's vying for attention can get loud!

As for these people, I don't profess to commune with them directly. They 'speak' to me through their writings and actions, and I take on board what I can. Three of them are alive and well today (Bjorn, Edgar and Vale) so I get to see them in near real time through their output. Two of them were certainly real people (Thomas and George) and I've been able to read about them, what they said and what they did - to try and build-up an idea of what they were like. Lao Tzu is largely a fictional character - we have a couple of enigmatic books, and some folk tales. Lastly, Obiwan is of course completely fictional.

There is a progression here that is quite interesting - from real people, alive today, through long dead people who really lived, to those that are entirely fictional. The reality is that as councillors, they are all fictional. I will never know what these people are / were really like. Can we ever know what anyone is really like? Do these people really know themselves? I doubt it - but I have no problem with that. I have idealised them into certain character archetypes that may be far removed from their actual personas. And whether we realise it or not - that's what we do with everyone in our lives, and ourselves. In a sense they form a group that are parts of a personal mythology. One of the stories that I, and we all, create to make sense of our worlds.

It's an interesting question that you ask: how do I know that I am getting their perspective and not my own? I don't know for sure. What I have some confidence in is that if I read what, for instance, Bjorn Lomborg has said and I initially disagree with it then that idea / view is his, not mine. If, over time, I adopt that idea / view it becomes incorporated into my perspective. Furthermore, that line of thought begs the question: what part of our perspective is really ours? I can't claim to have ever had an original thought. As far as I can see, my perspective is entirely the result of my environment (society, family, friends, education etc) - its all borrowed from others. What we often think of as intrinsically 'me' - is anything but.

What it all boils down to in a practical sense is a broadening of the "WWJD?" (What would Jesus do?) thought process. This group diversifies my influences and they give me inspiration to watch and participate in the world from a different perspective. That perspective may be mine or it maybe someone else's but it is different from what it might have been without that influence.

To the best of my ability, I let the Force by my guide and council. I develop it in the stillness and perception of the ways of the force.

Stillness and rest. Surrendering into the Force.

Meditation is a good way to start.

I could list individual names but those names are simply aspects of the Force that I resonate with. We are all just reflections of the one. We are all one. The names on these wonderful lists are just reflections of yourself. You are and can be these people in your own way in your own life.

I like: Sidney Pourtiea. He liberated three countries with two major movies. I love the movie ' Lillie of the field.

Telsa is a wonderful mentor.
Jefferson and Thomas Paine are great, too.

Atmon and Brahm are inspiriting words.

I wouldn't say that I have an Inner Council so much as I have individuals that inspire me. I will sometimes think "What would Spencer/Gandalf/Obi-Wan/Uncle Iroh/Gibbs do?" It's still just me though.

On a side note, I do very much enjoy the site you got this from. I've learned many things from the Art of Manliness.

In times of tough personal decisions, I find myself inspired by the character of Captain Picard of Star Trek TNG.
In times of passion, Brandon Lee (RIP).
In times when tact and calm is important, Ip Man.
In times when keen motivation, prompt action and quick thinking is required, Jason Bourne.
In times of playfulness, Jim Carrey
In times of wonder, the character Edward Magorium.

There have been other inspirations, and may change through time.

Proteus wrote: In times of tough personal decisions, I find myself inspired by the character of Captain Picard of Star Trek TNG.
In times of passion, Brandon Lee (RIP).
In times when tact and calm is important, Ip Man.
In times when keen motivation, prompt action and quick thinking is required, Jason Bourne.
In times of playfulness, Jim Carrey
In times of wonder, the character Edward Magorium.

There have been other inspirations, and may change through time.

So how did you connect with these people? What study did you do to grasp their mindset? Also do you practice Wing Chun or do you just admire the history of Sifu Ip Man?
Oh and love the profile pic. Though the Cheshire cat will never top the Hatter.