I was thinking about something that I tried to do awhile back and figured most of you freaky little whackos might want to give it a shot. It comes from the teachings of Alister Crowley on the subject of modern magic and the lesson is about mind control and focusing errant thoughts. It goes something like this…

For one week you must omit the words “I”, “me”, “my”, “mine”, “myself” and any other words that refer to yourself in the first person possessive. You cannot cheat by substituting phrases such as “The humble man before you” or “This person”.

If someone asks you if you would like a glass of water you would say, “a glass of water would be nice” instead of saying “I would love a glass of water”. I know it sounds unbelievably cheesy and easy but here is the catch. You have to place a large rubber band around your wrist and every time you mess up you have to give it a sharp snap.

Just for the record, the first day I put myself through this exercise I had a giant whelp on my wrist and was generally refusing to talk. I consider myself a rather sharp individual so let me tell you all up front it’s not very easy. If anyone wants to give it some serious effort the challenge stands, and if you make it through the first week I will let you know what the second mental exercise is “and just so you know, they get exponentially harder as you go”

*Quick note*
When Crowley originally came up with this exercise he didn’t tell his students to snap their wrists with a rubber band, he advised them to slash their forearm with a straight razor…

I already speak like that,
did ever since I could

so what's the next lesson?

And yet, you said "I" twice in that short post...

I might actually try it out myself, just to see how long I last. I've tried a gameshow game a few times, that's just as evil, you are to be questioned, about anything, really, but you can't use the words "yes" or "no". It soubds easy, but it's damn hard once you try. No nodding, shaking head, anything.

Hahahah.
Well now, an excersize like this should be demonstrated in all schools. Especially when it comes to writing in the passive rather than the active voices. Good English lessons.
Unless deliberately spoken in first person in anything like a book, people should omitt any words such as "I, me, my , mine, myself" and even useage of the word "you" should be limited. It sounds so much better in poetic works without those words

I was told when writing job applications, you should avoid starting any sentences with "I". It makes you appear self-centered instead of open.

Strap on those rubber bands me lovlies! :lol:

The only rubber bands should be one's willpower.(rubber bands as a form of punishment, not generally)
Quote the word "Should"
So for now we have our beloved rubber bands. =)


Great thread idea by the way, Aaron

Thanks AwakeInDeath... Just so you know, if you give it a true effort by the end of the first day you will be mentally drained... It gets easier as you go but the first couple of days are really hellish.

*giggles* The week two exercise makes week one seem like a walk in the park...

This could definately be an interesting forum excercise too, avoid those words in posts.

That is true Clearwitch. Many (Especially Buisness-related) jobs look for things like that in applications. They may not stress it so much that they reject it the moment they see it, however, if they compared it to another application(in a situation were they have many applicants, and all of them qualify) and saw that that person avoided those words, and that thier application was more ..quality... guess who gets the higher recognition...

Good luck with that, it will take you twice as long to say the simplest things, but if you think you can handle it then good luck!

Just for that, from this day forward... this week, and possibly after that , since it is a good habit not to use those words anyhow, all members who comply in this thread should avoid usage of those words in Forum, and in life. Surely Aaron has a list of good excersizes to come. We should especially enjoy this thread, for it is an excersize that can acctually improove one. Much agreed that the first few days will be awkward with the excersize...Here goes nothing


and everyone should be looking forward to the next week's excersize.

Suggested we "Track this Topic" using the option listed in the options

*Starting after this post so I can be as clear as possible*

Anyone who wants to play along just go ahead and leave a post in here, If you have any questions feel free to send me a PM and I will answer everything to the best of my ability. I will leave a new exercise every week starting on Friday, but just remember, they get really difficult as time progresses...

That being said, lets get this show on the road!

The first trial is easily passed.....give the next lesson.

Given that attitude why don't you substitute the straight razor for the rubber band and see just how easy it is, unless you intend to take a vow of silence for a week it would almost be worthwhile to take bets on how long it takes you to whittle your arm down to a nub... Don’t be so eager to jump to the next lesson when you haven’t even given this one more than 10 minutes of somewhat serious thought, your not remotely ready to go on to the next step…

Says you....your beliefs are not universally salient.

Cogito Ergo Sum is easily withdrawn from the mind.

This has been achieved in the past and is the basis for development here in....the word 'I' is rendered meaningless when juxtaposed against an impersonal world.

In writing almost any form of essay or thesis the word 'I' is thrown away....the first person self is discarded easily by the experienced.

By the way this would be part of a lesson in how it is done...arrogance is not intended with seriousness, only a sense of fun.

Easily withdrawn from the mind? Possibly if one was to be pathologically nihilistic it would be possible, but easy, we will have to agree to disagree on this one.

The task put forth is not necessarily a belief system but rather a mental exercise that shows just how often we think about ourselves and put ourselves before others even in unconscious thought. It is meant to help focus the mind so that eventually errant thoughts are dealt away with and greater levels of concentration can be achieved. If you believe that this exercise is to simplistic for you then come back in a week and take up the next exercise, but leave this one to the rest of us with our pristinely ungifted perspectives so that we can begin the exercise where it was meant to start…

This sounds really interesting! It's hard though...but fun, in a strange way...

Still count if it's something already done the majority of the time anyway? Guessing probably not.

Game to give it ago.

A small exercise like this was done in Phych class once. Just for a few conversations. A week... Wow talk about having to have will power. The wrist is really going to feel it!! OUCH!!!

Did you know that it's a method also used to help smokers quit smoking ect? The person did it as a punishment everytime they wanted a cigarette.

The method has been used for many 'habit breaking' things.

Kudos Arron.

Love this idea.

You can't use any self-referring phrases, it seems, Lili.

This is also like a demonstration in how you can control others too, no? ;)

I will give it a shot.....for a day........tomorrow. It actually sounds fun. Though I think it would be more fun and perhaps meaningful if we were to just say "the humble person before you" or some other such thing. I can already see the looks I would get.

I have not seen this from Crowley though. Can you point to where he mentioned this. It would be interesting to read.

:yikes000: WOW! OK......this seems like a worthwhile pursuit. And it is difficult even choosing words for the post......It'll be an odd habit to build. But built it shall be.....where are those rubberbands!?

They say one should think before one speaks anyway....

Interesting challenge you present, Aaron. Not that it cannot be done of course, just that one has to wonder about the level of real life participation most of the posters in here will apply to the excersize. It's much easier to omit those words when typing than when speaking.

Tisk tisk, Sanctuary....



....and that's not even half of your post.

Of course this is just a joke, no one likes a tattletale.

OOOowww wwwww!!!!

Not half an hour goes by, someone comes into work(where this post is being written) and while in autopilot the wrong thing came out!!!!


This is proving challenging to be sure!

This is reminiscient of an old Sensei's self-control technique. It kept alot of people out of the karate class. One wasn't allowed to touch their face (or speak for that matter). Not with the hand, the shoulder...not anything. When the sweat pooled somewhere or clung to the end of the nose it was to be ignored, and trust that the sweat DID come! It was extremely hard but it tought it's lesson very well.

Well I lasted until 11:15a and slipped in a phone call. :) No rubber bands or knives. The one slip and I just stop. Maybe some other day...

Yes, it is more difficult than it seems.

*gets rubberband and puts blade someplace ready*
Starting now...

You were speaking of a 7 day week, yes?
How lovely. This will be an edeavor to be remembered. Speach improvement is always fun, anyways.

Exercise 2

For everyone who found the first week easy, here is the next step...

It goes just like week one, but this time every time the possessive words enter you mind while thinking of how to say something without using the possessive words it costs a snap...

You think the wrong thing, you pay for it...

*content removed*

Awww, It was hard enough! Can one refer to one's self in third person? Such as Sara wants to eat now? And this is going to be so hard to not even think the words! Friends keep complaining that if they hear another Snapping they'll rip it off!

Poor wrist's red and inflamed... Thanks for the next lesson Aaron!

You can't refer to yourself in the third person either, hell, now you cant even think of yourself in the third person... ^_^

Lol, it hurts a lot more than what one would think it would! It's hard to make sense really saying one all the time!

YOu guys are much braver than me. I don't even want to attempt this, LOL.