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[HE VISION AND JiCH NICU ES

OJ PS"fCHOSVN1HlESIS
Wt:tat,~h¢rs_Say,About What We May Be
• • ~~ .
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9 780874 772623
Techni(Jles for
Psychological and
Spiritual Growth
Through
Psychosynthesis

PIERO FERRUCCI
Forawnt by Laura Huxley
A Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam Book
published by
G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS
New York
CONTENTS

FOREWORD by Laura Huxley 11

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 15
HOW TO USE THIS B00K 1

17
INTilODU,c nON: THE VISION OF WHOLENESS
The asme-e an4 the thmta
ofpsyehmynthesis. 21
1. FOCUS
LetmJina,amunt,-atio,, IUlll tk11lopmg II iemer
perception. 29
2. GLEAMS OF A REMOTER WQ,Rl.,D
The expkmmo,, ofthe unconstioNs. 35
3. MAPS
A IIIO/lel of Jmt) .,, 11re and
.,.,,w funaio,, t 43
.f. A MUI;l I fUDE OF LIVES
Gn,ting MIJ"llfflted with our iwrious ulentitus. 47
5. TOTALLY IMMEASURABLE
The tlisttr,ny ofpure ~ - 59
6. THE Will,
Hn, to ttmtMt 11111i nJtiiwte
pff'St1Ul 111,t(mQMy " " "frttdoM. 71
7. TIGERS OF WRATH
The uses 11nd ,,,is,ues efag,eressum. 85
8. THE PRIMORDIAL FACT
Dirtaing llttmtion
"""p,ychologiaJ mn-gy. 95
9. A MIND CRISP AND INCISIVE
Bta1111ing /Ukpt lit the 11rt efth;niing. 103
10. THE SCHOOL OF LIFE
O,. lkiJling lf'ith P"in. 113
11. RESERVOIRS OF REVELATIONS
The &Dile lllnB""B' ofour psyche
""" ht,a, to use it. 117
12. ONE FLOWER OPENS
The untrodden regions efthe Mind 11,ul
,_,. niolutiotuiry unfoldment. 129
13. THE BEST THERAPIST
The technilJUt of innn- duilogue. 143
14. TI-IE PATHOLOGY OF THE SUBLIME
Dagen and distortions in the explomtion
IUlll tht expression ofthe s u p ~ . 155
15. YOUR LIFE, YOUR MASTERPIECE
l½ydJologia,J m,ftr,,u,nslnp iUUl the
II# of i,ugi,wiq,,. 163
16. WHAT WE LIVE BY
The extrll()rta"""Y potmtilll of loJJe
'"'" its eJJOCIJtion. 175
17. BEAlITY
Tht p,rfoM,ul., f11r-reothing influenee
eftht ~ dilllnln<m. 187
18. SYNrHESIS
77,e,..,,, tfopposius
IJ"lffl#II
~mera,. 199
19. NO FEAR. TO DIE
• to dn,,lt;,, leras tf
•••• 213
20. sn.ENCB
s,;ru.., *•""••-,I(
~ i,m,itio,, 1#1/lJIIIR'fl
d#N]IOill#•,,..,.. 217
Epilogue
71-BJfOl. . .tfH,,,,,.,,., 227
229
Appmdixk Additional Excrdscs 235
Appendix B: Psychosymbeaia lnstiturcs In The World 24)
Appendix C: Paychosyntbais Bibliography 248
JNDEX 250
ListilfB ofExenists

Visual E\·ocation 30
Tactile Ev<Xation 31
Olfacrorv Evocation 32
Kinesthetic Evocation 33
Taste Evocation 33
Auditorv Evocation 34
Free Drawing 37
Recognizing Subpersonalitics 48
Working on a Subpersonality 56
The Potential in Subpersonalities Appendix A
Self-Identification 66
Reviev.i·ing the Will 74
The Will in Everyday Life 74
Purpose 82
Review on Aggression 86
Transfonning Aggressive Energy 91
Directing Attention 99
Rdlcctive Meditation 104
Acceptance 115
Crisis and Meaning Appendix A
The Lighthouse 119
The Butterfly 121
The Sun 122
The Flame 123
The Fount 123
The Diamond 123
The Sky 124
The Ship 124
The Bell 125
The Arrow 125
Reconstruction: the Vilia 126
The Rose 132
Inner Dialogue 144
Letter to the Self 148
Ideal Forrm 165
The Ideal Modd 167
The Dimensions of Love 176
171

-·
~=:,,.,of[.ovc 183
hmaBamy 193
TrcasuringBcaury 196
Conttmpbring An
Inevitable Grace
Th<Syn<h<,i,ofo,,po,;,,,--1 206

-·
The Synthesis of Oppotirc.-II 211
Right Propxtions 215
Thc:Tcmplc ofSilentt 219
The Tcmpk of Silence in a Busy Town
FullMediarionOutlinc
Humankind's Ptnntial 227
Lord._bow..,.weu-e,blnbownorwti.wemaylK..

WilliamShakapcarc
nrn,p,,,fH..J#,Pri-.,fl>MaMi
AatV. SccncV
FOREWORD

M yfint_contact with psychosynthcsis took place in F~orcncc in ~954.1

met there an dderly gentleman, Mr. P.,.who was mtcrestcd m psy..
cbological and spiritual studies. We cx,changcd 10me information, and he
became interested in my work. He then asked me to give him a seasion. (As
carly,111950 I bad started to develop the ·techniques which I later described
in my boob.)
I was living in a respectable and old-&shioncd pension where they
call you for the evening meal with a little ~ rcminisc~nt of the Holy
Mass. Mr. P. came at five o'clock. He had a deep session, eliciting a power-
ful rcacaon
-"' _ acrom
_ pam- .ed_b_y te
__ ars. · and so
· - bs
- . As.du -_ an· d-_we were
1'dcd,
-_s subs_ --
proceeding on a lighter and more pleasurable note toward what I thought
·was the end of the session, suddenly Mr. P. found himself in Heavco:
"Light, light everywhere," he kept repeating~
This,was twcnty•sevcn years ago, before I bad ever heard of mystical
czperiencc.s, psychedelics, and the like4 But the ,expression on Mr. P.'s face
wu 10 beatific, and his words 10 beautiful, that I knew I should not disturb
wlurevcr was going on. On the odtcr hand, it was,scvcn-tbirty, and I heard
the little bell in the corridor. What wu I to do? ·What if someone looked in
my room to ran.ind me of dinner and found a gentleman lying on my bed
and aq,cati.ng, ''l am in the Light . . . I am in the·Presence" i
M1\ P. 1taycd ill the Light for hours of our time- an eternity for him.
Then he returned to our plane of ronsciousness, ,elated but sbakm. We met
'cbe nat day, and to bis inquiry u to what I had done and ·what had
happened 't o him, I confessed that I hadnit tbc faintest idea. Mr. P. then said,
•
"'It was an extraordinary experience. There is a famous psychiatrist who
lives here :in Floren.cc and knows all about these spiritual states: Leis tty to
see him.;,
The foHowing day we met Dr. Roberto Assagioli, a lively, pleasant
man in his sixries. Assagioli was intcrcflCd and amused by this whole
episode_ At some point in. the conversation, Assagioli asked me in a very
gentle way,,uBu~ .Miss Archcra~tcU .me, what do you do with people?" And
I ans\VCml,, 'Wdl, I don't do anything really; I just help them to get rid of
1

their garbage. And what do 1"" do?" Prompdy came the reply: "I do just
the same thing you do4"
How much I lcamcd &om this bdcf encounter! ·0 r. Assagioli's inter-
ested but not patronizing listening, his delight in our report, and finally his
simple statcmcnt- "I do just the same thing you do" -gavc· me a whole
course in the art of human communication in the most unpretentious way.
I, a neophyte who had not gone past the seventh grade, was delighted to
hear that the famous doctor did just what I did!
For many years I did not hear about Assagioli, except once in a while,
.and then I would think, "Ob yes, that is that man who does what I do!" In
1963 Assagioli sent .me a.charming letter of appreciation for my book, Toa,
Are Not the TMp. I showed it to Aldous~ who was very pleased and sent
him lJUIIIII with the following inscription: "To Roberto Assagioli,. in the
hope that he may find something to interest him in this utopian essay on
~ - 11_.:1-ti • ,,
~ 1 ~'"-'s1 u u.1CSJ.S.

••·•
In 1969 Picro Ferrucci came from Italy to visit me. I was then giving
.seminars, and.the moment he came to the house I knew that he was the one
I wanted as a a,.lcadcr.
Picro Ferrucci had had the most exacting and classical academic train-
ing (he had just completed his doctorate in philosophy and education), .all
ofwhjch was totally different from the kind of work I did in my scminars4
Yet I always fek that he had a trcmcndO'us insight into people, a great
capacity for empathy, and a..son of self-effacing quality. I was going to give
a seminar in San Francisco and asked him to be my co-leader. 'lbis was the
beginning ofa wonderful collaboration. We presented .seminars and work-·
shops together, and latrr we teamed to write &twm He111n1 Mil Blll"tll
(Farrar 8c Straus, 1975).
Aldous's memorable lectura were tape recorded. The wk of
raearch and transcription from tape to paper requires dedication and
1

scholarship. Picro Ferrucci's discreet editing of The H•"""'· S~

(H~r 8c Ro,w, 1977) bu been highly praised.
In 1970 Picro wrote me that he had gone to Florence to work with.
Aaagioli .. Thc.ir close coUaboration went on for several yean until
Assagioli's dcadl (1974). On my trips to Italy I saw Assagioli a c-0uple of
times and had brief but remarkable contacts with him. There was a good,
light feeling. Spcaltiog ofP'icm Ferrucci one day, he told me, "He will carry
the torch ofpsychosynthcsis in the world» While reading W1lllt Bi May Be
I remembacd that phrase and the loving way in which AuagioJi spoke
about Picro.
Wlart Rt Mtiy B, is the first comprehensive presentation of psycho-
synthcsis. The wisdom ofAssagioli and the flower ofhis practical spiritual-
ity spring from every page. In Wlwt m M111 Be the reader can find an
extensive variety oftechniques, reaching tbc many levels of functioning ofa
human being. The training of the will and of the intuition is emphasized.
~ arc ways ro reach the famous (or infamous) unconscious,, which uc
direct and even pleasurable. Some exercises have an Eastern flavor, which,
however, is never dissociated from sane Latin common sense. The bound-
less power of beauty, so often neglected in psychotherapy., is an ever-
present offering to the reader. Herc and there one hears the unforgettable
bubbling of the fountain of joy-according to many mystics, the highest
spiritual quality. By bringing forth our highest qualities, thcac techniques
help tO solve everyday problems in a new ,and unexpected way.
This book docs not offer the promise of an easy and instant illumina-
tion, which breeds the twin sisters of hope ,and disillusion. B·u t I couldn't
imagine anyone giving it an honest try for one month without experimcin_ g
remarkable, even surprising developments-within and without.
Bookshelves~ nowadays flooded with works on sclf•~alinriQll.
~ the few valuable ones, I find W., Kt MIIJ Be wunatcbul in its
clua.

Laura Archcra Huxley

June 1981
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

R 1
oberto AssagioU devoted sixty-ad .· d years ofa long ,life tO dcvdoping a
comprchcnsivc understanding of the human being. Psychosynthcsis.
It bu die -virtues of bang o.pcn to the great conttibuti.ons of science, art,
and the spiritual traditions; inch.tsivc of the essential dimensions ofhwnan
clistencc; and at the same time fundamentally practical. I was fortunate
eaougbnotonlyto smdy psychosynthcsis with Assagioli, but all0 to know
him pcnonally-a truly wise old man, an inexhaustible source of joy and
humor.
This book, which Assagioli encouraged me to write, aims to give a
basic~,comprchcnsiv,c, and practical account of the main themes of psycho-
synthesis in the :field ofsclf•rcaiization as,I lea.med them.&om h.im and have
med tbcm.in my pnctice. All the general principles and the rcchruq,ucs
described here were created or described by Assagioli. 1he specific details,
the cuework, and the ways of wording and presenting the exercises are
mine. I should like 10 ap1US here my enduring gr.atitude to Roberto
Assagioli for all he has given me on all kvcls., -
I would also like to thank Stuart MilJcr for his invaluable
eomribwion of intelligence, kindness, and, above all, good taste in editing
this book; Kenneth Leslie-Smith for his g;reat patien,ce and precision in
,correcting my mistakes.,,Laura.Huxley for her inspiring hints and practical
help,; Diana Beccbctti-Whitmorc for rhc quality of her humor in editing
and for ,collaborating with me through the years - a fact that has left a deep
trace in all my work; Massimo Rosselli, whose basic suggestions have
pdy improved the book; the late R.uth Ha.gy Brod, my fo,rmer agent, for
her, tiffJess efforts and aome cxcellmt advice; Lisa Mitchell for being a
lkiD.fid mmtor·in the art of writin,g; David Grabijn for his careful ~adin,g
of die manuscript and lucid observadom; Philip Winsor for his kind a,-
operation; .Millie Loeb for her care and her editorial work; and Jean Bond
for bcin,g there when it all. started,. And then also Maddc:ine Shaw, Ida
PaJombi, Beverly Besmcr,, .Andrea &xconi, Naomi Emmerling, R.cnc van
Hicnel, Matilde Santandrea~Furthermore, nothing would have happened
without the unchanging suppon·of my family.
Finally~ I would like to chant all my clients, studma, and 00Ueagues1
who-with suggestions, reports, experiences, or just their p.n:=sencc-bavc
hdped in cowidcss important ways.

The techniques,presented in this book can elicit within us m.nsformations

of g1cat interest and importance. A1so, they can be used. .in many contats
such ,as individual and group therapy, the school, social work, art, and
business.
The:0 utc0me ofthis work goes beyond the boundaria ofthis or that
1

school, and touches a much wider area; die ~ o , ,. ,oj' hw•

ptnmrWities IINl the , , ~.,frhe Selfi And this is one of the fields where
in-depth study is most needed. Whoever is interested in this work can send
the aurhor (Picro FcmJcci, piazza Garibaldi 12, Fiesolc (Firenze)1 Italy)
written dcscrip1ions of experiences and results emerging from the use of
ttchniqucs offered by thjs book, or from their application in a specific
professional area.
Any such report would be welcomed,,and re,gardcd as a rontribution
to rcseucb in this f1eld .
HOWTOUSE
THIS BOOK

few hints may help you to maximize the beneficial effects the exercises
A arc meant to bring about:

l. Tae ti#se. Devote some undisturbed period of time to an exer-

cise. Even if this is only five minutes, make sure it is a universe of its own,
uninvadcd by outer disrurbanccs.
2. Prtp,,n. Take a comfortable position, with spine erect and mus-
cles relaxed. Close your eyes and breathe deeply and slowly a few rimes.
Take at least two or three minutes for thls stage. (No preparation is needed
for the more active cxerci.es.) I also suggest recording the instructions for
some cxcrcisc-1 on blank tape cassettes, so you can work with them repeat•
cdly and listen to them without interruption.
3. Jtnist. Pick one exercise you like and stick to it for some time,
even if you do not notice immediate results. Repetition of an exercise
multiplies its power.
4. Omltea. After you have performed an exercise, it will k.ccp work-
ing silently for you. But if you want its influence to be greater, remind
yourself ofthc experience and iu meaning right in the midst of everyday
life-your true and ever-present laboratory.

17
11 rHATWBMATU

5. "6ri ;,. silm&e. Sharing your insights prematurely with people

who may not llllckrstand them often dissipates the psychological energy
you have built up.
6. You may also want to hep 11 " , .. . . in which you write about
the insights and subtle transformations that take: place.
Introduction:

'IH E VISION OF
WHOLENESS

fter years of searching, the seeker wais told to go to a cave, in which he

A _would find a.well. "Ask the well what is Truth,"' he was advised, "and
the well will ~ ·veaJ it to you.''
Having found rhe well, the seeker as~ that most fundamental ques-
tion. And from the depths came the answer, ''Go to the village crossroad:
there you shall find what you are seeking.,,.
Full of hope and anticipation, the man ran to the •crossroad,.to fmd
only thicc rather wtintcresting shops. One shop was selling pieces of metal.
.another sold wood, .and thin wirc-1 were for sale in the third. Nothing and
no one there seemed to have much to do with the revelation ofTrutb.
Disappointed, die seeker returned to the well to demand an explana-
tion, bur he was.told only, "You will understand in the future." When the
man protested, all he got iD return were echoes of his own shouts. Indig-
nant for havin,g been made a fool of-or so be thought at the time-the
seeker continued bis wanderings in search of Truth. As years went by, the
memory ofhis experience at the well gradually faded until one night, while
.he was walking in th.e moonlight, the sound of sitar music caught his
attention. Ir was a wonderful music, and it was played with great mastery·
and inspiration.
Profoundly moved, the uuthsccker fdt drawn toward the player. He
looted at the fingers dancing over the strings..He became aware ofthe sitar
ibdf. And then suddenly he exploded in a cry of joyous recognition: the
sitar was nude out of wires and pieces of metal and wood just like those he
bad once ICCD in the three stores and had thought to be without any
particular significance. .
At last be 'Understood the llle$Age of the well: we have already been
givm cvcrydung we need; our task is to assemble and use it_in the appropri~
ate way. Nothing is meaningful as long as we pe~civc onJy separate frag-
ments. But as soon as dlc fragments romc together into a synthesis, a new
entity ,emerges, whose nature we could not .have foreseen by considering
the fragmmts alone.
The process of synthesis is visible everywhere in the natural as well as,
the strict:Jy hWIWl world: cells assemble to form an organism, lctlhs join
to form a 910,rd, musical tones combine to farm a melody, and so on..
.Much empirical evidence shows that synthesis can. also take place in the
psychology of human beings, and, Q>nverscly, that its lack causes aerious
difficulties.
The Italian psychiatrist Robcrro Assagioli .noticed several years ago
that a great deal of psychological pain, imbalance, and meaninglessness arc
felt when our diverse inner clements exist unconnected side by side or clash
with one another. But he also observed that when they merge in succes-
livdy greater wbolcs, we experience a release of energy, a sense of well·
being~,and a greater depth of meaning in our lives.
Seeing that this process tends to occur naturally in all human beinp,
but that it often Fts blocked, Asaagioli devised techniques to evoke and
facilitate it. After he had initially been involved -with psychoanalysis (he
was considered by Fmid as one of its representatives in Italy during the
beginning of the century), Assagioli grew dissatisfied and developed bis
own system, a practicaJ psychologicaJ app.roach open to all contributions,
that has since been applied in such fields as education, therapy and medi-
cine. To that system.he gave the name ofpsychosymhcsis~
Assagioli's approach is not just a form of self-improvement ( which
promises more and more of the sa.me thing~ more cnc-rgy.,,more concentta--
tion, more ,elaxation, etc.) or another form of therapy~(where we ,only try
·t o,,g et rid o.f something). Rather, it aims to evoke wholeness and the dawn
of a new and wider frame of rcfcrmce in the human psyche. A woman
having apcrimccd psychosynthcsis wrms:."The internal process of psy-
chos,yntbcau makes me think of a kaleidoscope. When the pieces ofcolored
gla.u att being &hakcn up,, they are just a jumble. Then you hold the
blcidoscopc steady, and they form a beautiful pattern."'
To help this process take place, simple psychological exercises-such
as rhc ones presented in this book-arc uscd. lbc techniques ofpsychosyn-
thcsi5 have been tested by Assagioli. and his colleagues over the past seventy
,an in varioua c:ultura. And they have been found to be particularly
df~cift when used regularly. A, in all disciplines, &om mountain climb-
ing to piano playing, from learning a language to dancing, practice is
essential for mastering something new.
The resulting change is gradual. Years ago,.when I first started to uae
psychosynthcsis •exercises on m~ I expectal instant ftrCWorb. But
nothing much seemed to happen right away (though it does for some
people). Like many novices, I was not always able, ar first, to· perform the
•c:ercisca as directed: I would be distracted, get stuck in a blank state, or
become restless and rbiok tJf something dsc to do. Only after a while did I
militt that big changes were going on. I have subsequmdy seen mil
paaem occurnng . m . . ' . of peopl_e who use th-cse cxaases. ne
. th__ e maJonty I , . ., .

become aware ofthe transformation long after it bu started

There is a reason for this delay: our unconscious needs time.. &
A . li nnn1~
---mgao
-
.
r._..... ·"·

One ofthe main functions ,o f the una>nscious., and at the same

time one of the most important stages in the educational
pPXCSs, is the elaboration of experiences which one 1w made,
- . •---..I and learned.
the vi-
_.u u1' au1m1
• ., •
_' . h u- ~
monofwbat 1 pcrca~ _ _ __ _
L.....-

This elaboration can be regarded as a real "psychic gestation"

having strict analogies with phyaical gestation. Both occur in
the deptht,, in the mystery,,ooe in the mother's womb, die other
in the intimate recesses of the unconscious; both arc sponta•
neous and autonomous functions, but so sensitive and delicate
that they can be easily disturbed by external influences; both
fmally cliron in the aisis and the minde of "birth," of the
maoU'atation ofa new life.1

This nocion of gestation reminds us ·that in psychosynthesis we stim-

u.latc forces already present in ourselves. These forces arc usually lacnt, but
at times we can see them directly at work.. They operate~ for example, when
ID emotional wound is slo,wly healed; when, in a eris~ we fmd unsus-
pcacd strength; when, after thinking about a prob~ the solution sud-
denly presents itself to our· mind~ when a second wind of mergy and
inspiration comes after a time of fatigue; •Or when a 1uddm 111,d sponra-
neoua mnaformation takes place in ua. The effectiveness of psychosynthew
Iii aadlel ll'mll from die activation ofthese potitive forces.
The moment we see the range of possibilities opening in front of us,
we are filled with a sense of wonder and enthusiasm. But we should also
beware Jest this enthusiasm lead us astray; certain distortions .and conse-
quent dangcn arc particularly widespread today because of the inteme
interest in self-realization.
P'erhaps the most fundamental distortion is the belief that the tecb.-
nique itself is the main transforming agent, rather than the way in which it
is used.
An example can perhaps illustrate this danger. A psychiatrist had
been working with an autistic child. Fo.r a long time he had been trying to
communicate with him, but the child had always remained locked in his
own world. At last., one day, in the wake of an intuitive impulse, the
psychiatrist took a pencil, threw it on the ground, and told the child: "Now
pick it up and give it ro me." His tone of voice carried the weight of all the
hopes of all the failed attempts of the past. The annosphcrc was ripe; the
child did as he was asked, and in that magic moment a link.o fconsciousness
was established between the two.
The psychiatrist later talJccd about this experience to a group of col-
leagues in a conference. Soon after, many of them started mcchanicaUy
throwing pencils before autistic children and waiting for the children to
pick them up. Of course, what had come to be known as "the pencil
technique'' failed.
The same distortion may occur with psychosynthcsis techniques.
The all-important factor is the attit»tle with which they arc used. We can
use them with attention and patience as tools to transform our lives. Or we
can use them mcchanicaUy or as parlor games and just waste our timr. We
can make of them what we want; in themselves, they hold no guarantee.
A second major distortion is narcissism-being so completely en..
,grossed in one's inner processes and growth as to occlude any concern for
other human beings and society at large. Victims of this distortion forget
that no technique we employ in personal growth has any value unless it
affects our relationshjps and that, conversely, relationships themselves can
be a major stimulus to individual evolution. As Martin Buber said, "Man
becomes an I through a You," 1 and there is no true gtowth that remains
purely within the circle of the individual.
A rcGcnt wave of criticism, however, has gone to the extreme of
condemning all forms of interest in personal growth as a form of narcis-
sism. Some cri.tics equate self•realization with self-absorption, seeing it as.
"a retreat to purely personal satisfaction.',3
Such a way of thinking, however valid it may be in some inStanccs,
ignores the fact that the way people act-what they produce and express
and the way they relate to others- depends on what they Me.
If a person's thinking is sloppy and prejudfoed, for example, he or she
cannot participate intdligcntly in the decisions of the community. Thoee
who lack sensitivity to beauty and a sense of the whole cannot be ecologi•
cally aware. Those who have not met their inner demons will not be able to
take pan in building a more open society. And if their relationships arc
polluted, they won't be able to contribute to social harmony in any effective
way or to envisage a furore consistent with their highest potential.
Any social change brought about by such people hopelessly pcrpctU·
ates and multiplies their shoncomings on a collective scale. For this reason
M focus on the individual, while avoiding the pitfall o.f narcissism.
A parallel danger is the inordinate thirst for experiences, unacmmpa-
nied by an.y effort to understmd them or to anchor them in everyday life.
This thirst for stimulation causn individuals to move from one "trip" to
another, collect all the psychorechnologics on the market, and become trUe
"comciousn.css junkies." These people hanker for excitement, cban~ and
"altaul states ofconsciousness"; and., ifmere variety ofexperience-rather
than its assimilation-were the measure of maturity, they would be the
IDOlt evolved people around.
A WDIC of grandiosity is another trap in which we may easily get
caught: a momcmary euphoria leads us to expect instant, total; and perma•
nmt results. The magical wish to live happily ever after lurb in the back. of
our .minds, ready 10 entice us into the false belief that we have achieved
more than ia possible. But the only·way to accomplish valuable results in
the work of self-realization is by being realistic about our human limita•
tions. We have to be comcious of our relative smallness, of how many
difficulties life presents, how weak the body and volatile the fttlings can be
at ri.mc.s, how easily we can be influenced, how complex human existence is,
how many vectors impinge on all of us, how little we as a species know
about anything, how likely chance is to interfere with our plans, and how
mysterious life is at the core.
Not that we should look upon these facts u faral handicaps-on the
contrary, awumcas of them can be incorporated into our unfoldment
wiaely and can lead us to ~•iie more completely the full significance· of
being human.
For the raaona suggested above, ps,ychosynthcsis values times of
darkness as much as periods of joy and enlightenment
It emphasizes the importance of using obstacles as steps to growth
rather than promising their complete disappearance.
It opa more for doubting and risking rather than for guaranteed
safety or ccswy.
It prefers me creativity of confusion to the deceptive "clarity" of
ready-made answcn.
ft reminds us of effort as much as effortlessness.
It acknowledges the immense variability ofhwnan beings and tbcrc-
fore promises no standard results.
It praises the unexpected event that shatters in one mommt our
model o.f how it all should be.
lo short, psychosynthcsis rccogni1.es our complexity as well aa the
intricacy of the human situation, and it secs no possibility of a univcr.sal
recipe. As Assagioli was fond of humorously saying to those protesting
against thls reality, "It's not my fault if the universe is so complicated!,,
This realization leads us to consider perhaps the greatest and most
common ofall dangers: one-sidedness.Were we to develop only one part of
our·being to th.e exclusion of all the others-be it the oody, or feelings, or
"spirit;,, or what have you- that pan would be invested with a power it
doesn't deserve. It could become demonic and make •Of us limited and,
perhaps~even fanati.cal beings. A story told to me by .a student of ps,ycbo-
symhesis is quite illustrative in this regard:

When I w·as a child I played in bed at night with all kinds of

fantasies. My favorite one was that I was a submarine, moving
.in the depths of the ocean. But that limited me from going on
land, so I had to imagine I was a tank, free to roam on all lands
of the: earth, on the mud, on the sand,. on the scones-every-
where.
.But as a tank I also felt incomplete. Because how could l
reach the sky? So I had to become an airplane. But then air-
planes can only fly. Finally one night I decided that I was going
to be all three at the same time-some kind of fantastic machine
that could fly in space, explore the abysses ofthe ocean, rapidly
and ea.sily move on land. I could reach ,everywhere, and that
gave me a real joy.
Working in psychosyntbcsis reminds me of that distant in-
sight of my childhood. It equips me to move at all levels; it has
·t aught me familiarity with all the various parts ofmyself..

When it is balanced and healthy, human growth proceeds in .all di.rec. .

tions: it looks like an expanding sphere rather than a straight line. It is for
precisely this reason that psychosynthcsis endeavors to take into consider-
ation all the dimcnsio,ns of human life which truly matter and which, if left
unackno,wlcdgcd, .lead to a fragmented, even absurd existence!

The emergence of will and self-determination

The sharpcnin,g of the mind
I ~ T.w y.,.,., ofWl-ln#, 27

The enjoyment of beauty

The enrichment of imagination
The a"'3kming of the intuition
The realization of love
The discovery of the Self and of its purpose
Chapter 1

FOCUS

T he odlcrday I had a fight with a taxi driver. The man was

rude and brutal, and I was so upset that afterward my
hands were trembling. Later I couJdn,t get the experience out of
my mind. This lasted for the whole day until I performed the
exercise, which immediately enabled me to sec the situation in
its right proportions. My reactions arc often melodramatic, but
perfonrung this exercise throughout the past week has had a
liberating effect on me.

The ~'exercise" this woman refers to is remarkably simple. With eyes

closed, she visualized a number and held it in her mind for three minutes
without thinking of anything else. Although it generally takes time and
practice to acquire the ability to perform this visualii.ation without being
distracted, it is surprising to sec what progress people can make in this
direction in the course ofonly a few days of training.
Miracles? No. Through the psychological exercises contained in this
chapter and in the rest of the book, we can gain a sense of mastery over our
psychological processes. We arc already used to working well with material
things: steering wheels, typewriters, toothbrushes, knives, buttons and so
on. We can now become equally accustomed to dealing consciously and
effectively with the stuffof our inner world.
The womm mentioned above was able to focus her scattered energies
by doing this simple exercise and this achievement in itself had a healing

29
effect on her whole personality. In addition, focus brings concentration-
one of the most basic psychological skills. & the philosopher Kcyscrling
puts it, "'lbc ability to concentrate is a real propelling power of the totality
of our psychic mechanism. Nothing elevates our capacity of action more
than its development. Any success, no matter in which area, can be ex-
plained by the intelligent use ofthis capacity. No obstacle can permanently
withstand the c:xccptionaJ power of maximum concentration.>' 1
Any human function-be it physical or psycbological-·mophics
when it is not used. Uncultivated and uncxcrciscd, our psychologic.a.l fume•
tiom tend to waste away, so that only those which habit compels us to use
will survive. This truth was elegantly expressed by Sir Francis Galton,
w,iting on the function of i!Mgioation:

The pleasure its use can afford is i.mmcmc. I have many corres-
pondents who say that the delight of recalling beautiful scenery
and great works of an is the highest they know; they carry
wboJc piaure galleria in their minds. Our bookish and wordy
education.tends to repress tbia valuable gift ofnature. A faculty
that is of importance in all tec:bnical and artistic occupations,
that gives accuracy to our perceptions, and justness to our gen-
eralizations, is starved by lazy misuse, instead of being culti-
vated judiciously in such a way as will on the whole bring the
best return. 2

The following briefexercises can be done at any time during the day
and do not require much time or call for special conditions.

VISUAL EVOCATION

Ooee your e,a and visualiz.c the following:

A pen slowly writing your name oo paper.
A singJc-digit number. 'Then substimtc a two-digit one, then a
three-digit one, and so on until you reach the limit ofthe number of
digits that you can retain. Keep that number in front ofyour inner eye
for two minutes.
Various colored shapes: a golden triangle, a violet circle, a blue
five-pointed star, and so on.

Abstract images like letters of the ,alphabet or numbers oo a black·

board may be more diffirult to vi~naliu rhan more complex ones with