In a 1936 book titled Think & Grow Rich, authored by Napoleon Hill, a technique was shared called the "Invisible Counselors Technique."
The basic gist is to imagine yourself in a "counselor's room" with a group of role models you would like to converse with (essentially the people you chose in the Identity chapter). Then you would ask these "counselors" whatever you wanted, imagining how they would respond to you.
This is similar to what people of faith do when they pray, or what Christians do when they ask WWJD ("What Would Jesus Do")? This same technique can be applied to any character or role model. Even though it may be "imaginary", there's something about the process that allows us to alter our states of mind and gain clarity.
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In my opinion, if something works for you, run with it.
When I was younger, my "invisible counsel" were the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Captain Planet's Planeteers.
https://www.conwaydailysun.com/things_to_do/movies/retro-review-first-ninja-turtles-film-holds-up-30-years-later/article_03c95df8-f38e-11ea-b0ac-8f4f154be115.html
https://www-kiva-org-0.freetls.fastly.net/img/w800/de9901a615b002e708426fb2976b22cb.jpg
Many children growing up have imaginary friends, which serve as coping mechanisms as they start to make sense of the world. The interesting thing is that, even though we try to rationalize them out as adults, there's a well-known scientific term called the Placebo Effect.
According to Harvard Health Publishing, the placebo effect posits that your brain can convince your body a fake treatment is the real thing, and thus stimulate healing. This idea has been around for a millennia. However, what's fascinating is that science still doesn't quite understand why or how it all works in full, since it involves a complex neurobiological reaction.
Professor Ted Kaptchuk of Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, whose research focuses on the placebo effect, had this to say:
"When you look at these studies that compare drugs with placebos, there is the entire environmental and ritual factor at work," says Kaptchuk. "You have to go to a clinic at certain times and be examined by medical professionals in white coats. You receive all kinds of exotic pills and undergo strange procedures. All this can have a profound impact on how the body perceives symptoms because you feel you are getting attention and care."
Does this sound at all familiar to some of the things we've been mentioning about wolves and rituals? This is why the wolf, as a symbol, has guided human beings in various cultures around the world. And why wolves, with their pack structures, can teach us so much both personally and professionally, even today.
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