CognitivePattemsof

Jesusof Nazareth:
Toolsof TheSpirit

by
RobertB. Dilts

DynamicLearningPublications
 CognitivePatternsof Jesus of Nazareth:
Tools of The SPirit'

Pa g e
Contents

lntroductlon
2
of NLP
A. PrinciPles
of Modeling 2
andStructures
B. BasicPrinciples 3
C. Levelsof Modeling 5
D. SourceMaterialfortheStudY

Part l: ExPloringthe Mind of Jesus

8
l. SomeBasicElements of HumanExperience
A. TheNervousSYstem
9
SYstems
1. RePresentational
theSenses 10
- Overlap
2. Synesthesia Between
11
B. Language 12
Strategies
C. Cognitive
14
Analysisof Jesus'LanguagePatterns'
ll. A Neuro'Linguistic 14
A. GeneralAnalysisof Jesus'Predicates
in Context 17
B. MicroAnalysisof Jesus'Predicates
17
1. TheWord
20
2. The Heart
22
3. The Light
25
4. The SPiritand The Life

29
Cues
of Jesus'Accessing
llt. Analysis
32
lV.Jesus'MacroStrategY

Patterns 35
of Jesus'Cognitive
V. Summary
Part ll: lmptementingJesus' CognitivePatterns 38

l. Operationalizing
the Integrationof LongTermand ShortTermGoals 40
Exercise:
IntegratingTimeFrames 41
An NLP Interpretation
of The Signof the Cross 42

ll. Operationalizing
the GreatCommandments 44
A. AligningNeuro-Logical
Levels:lmplementing
the
FirstCommandment 47
Transcript:
Demonstration of theLogical Process
LevelAlignment 48
Summary of the Logical
LevelAlignment Process 55
B. Logical
LevelCo-Alignment Process 57
Summary LevelCo-Alignment
of Logical Process 59

perceptual
lll.TakingMultiple Positions- LovingYourNeighbor
AsYourself 61
TheMetaMirror 68
Demonstration
Transcript: of TheMeta-Mirror 68
Summary of theMetaMirrorProcess 75
'Mindof TheHeart'Exercise 76

lV.Summaryof lmplementation
Strategies 77
TheResonance Pattern 79
Transcript:
Demonstration Pattern
oftheResonance BO
Summary Pattern
of theResonance 85
NeuralNetwork Analogy 87

V. Conclusion B9

Bibliogra p h y 93

Appendix A: Overview of Neuro-LinguisticProgramming 95

 CognitivePatternsof Jesus of Nazareth:
Toolsof the spirit.
by
RobertB. Dilts

INTR ODU C TION

The wordsand ideasof Jesusof Nazarethhavehad a majorinfluenceon the

thinkingof Westerncivilization for almosttwo thousandyearsnow."Christianity" of
someformis the primaryreligion of almosteveryWesternnation.The storyof the life
and deedsof Jesusof Nazarethhas beentranslatedintoeverymajorlanguageand
has beenspreadaroundthe worldby the variousmissionaries andchurchesthat
werespawnedby histeachings.Forcenturies he hasbeenhailedas the ultimaterole
modelfor WesternMan. Millionsof wordshavebeenwrittenabouthis actions,
sayingsand ideology(andit is estimated thatmorehas beenwrittenaboutJesusin
the lasttwentyyearsthanthe previous twothousand years).
Throughthe yearsJesushasbeenviewedas manydifferent thingsby many
differentpeople:a teacher,a miracleworker,a charismatic healer,a magician, a
charlatan, a politicaland religiousleader,a blasphemer, a paranoidschizophrenic, the
son of God,a myth. Whatever one'sopinion,however, therecenainlyseemsto be
muchthatcan be learnedfromthe remarkable accounts of the life,wordsandactions
of Jesusof Nazareth.The purposeof thismonograph is to takeyet anotherlookat the
reporteddeedsand teachingsof Jesus.Usingthe modernpsychological modeling
toolsol Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)| wishto examinethe structurebehind
the extraordinary deedsandcapabilities reportedin the accountsof his life.
Neuro-Linguistic Programming is a psychological modelwhich,amongother
things,providesa set of toolsthat allowus to mapoutthe cognitive processes
underlying the worksof creativeand exceptional people(seeAppendixA). Rather
thanconcernitselfwiththe contentof the workof the particular individualto be
modeled,NLP looksfor the deeperstructures thatproduced thoseresults.In
parlicular,NLP searchesfor the way in whichsomeoneusessuchbasicneurological
processesas the senses(i.e.,seerng,hearing,feeling,smellingand tastingl, how
theseprocessesare shapedand reflectedby language,and howthe two combineto
producea particularprogramor strategy. According the NLP modelit is the way in
whichwe organizeour sensoryand linguistic functions intoa programmed sequence
of mentalactivitythatdetermines to a largedegreehowwe willperceiveand respond
to the worldaroundus.
Jesus- Page1
 A. Principlesof NLp

In essence,all of NLPis foundedon two fundamental premises:

1. TheMapis Notthe Territory. As humanbeings,we can neverknowreality.We
can onlyknowour perceptions of reality.We experience and respondto the world
aroundus primarily throughour sensoryrepresentational systems.lt is our,neuro-
linguistic'mapsof realitythat determinehowwe behaveand that givethosebehaviors
meaning,not realityitself.lt is generally not realitythatlimitsus or empowers us, but
ratherour map of reality.
2. Life and 'Mind'are SystemicProcesses. The processesthat take placewithina
humanbeingand betweenhumanbeingsandtheirenvironment are systemic. Our
bodies,our societies, andour universe forman ecologyof complexsystemsand sub-
systemsall of whichinteractwithand mutually influence eachother.lt is notpossible
to completely isolateany partof the systemfromthe restof the system.Suchsystems
are basedon certain'self-organizing'principles and naturally seekoptimalstatesof
balanceor homeostasis.
All of the modelsandtechniques of NLPare basedon the combination of these
two principles. In the beliefsystemof NLPit is notpossible for humanbeingsto know
objectivereality- that is the realmof whatmencall 'God'. Wisdom,ethicsand ecology
do notderivefromhavingthe one'right'or'correct'mapof the world,becausehuman
beingswouldnot be capableof makingone. Rather, the goalis to createthe richest
mappossiblethat respects the systemicnatureandecologyof ourselves andthe
worldin whichwe live.
The modeling toolsof NLPallowus to identifyspecific,
reproducible patternsin
the languageand behaviorof effective rolemodels.WhilemostNLPanalysisis done
by actuallywatchingand listening
to the rolemodelin action,muchvaluable
informationcan be gleanedfromwrittenrecordsas well.

B. some Basic Principtesand structures of Modeling

The purposeof modeling is notto makethe one ,real'mapor modelof

something,but ratherto enrichour perceptions
in a waythatallowsus to be both
moreeffectiveand moreecological in howwe interactwithreality.A modelis not
intendedto be reality,but insteadto represent
certainaspectsof that realityin a
practicaland concreteway.
The statusof Christianity
as an influence
in the worldis in manywaysa resultof
Jesus- Page2
its successin representing and programming a fundamental strategyfor thinkingand a
set of assumptions and beliefs.Thisis a processthat hasa structure,and recognizing
and definingthat structurecan helpus to enrichour understanding of the effectsof that
processon ourselves and ourworld"The kindof strategy Jesusseemsto embodyis a
strategyfor formingand organizing fundamental beliefsaboutthe worldintoa way of
beingand livingthat has deepimplications bothpersonally and socially.
The purposeof this monograph is to identifypatterns
in howJesusorganized his
experienceof the worldaroundhim andthenactedin thatworldso that we may gain
somenew insightinto his remarkablelifeand abilitiesandthe impactthat they have
had on modernsociety.By analyzing the wordsand reporteddeedsof Jesusas they
havebeenpasseddownto us throughthe gospels,perhapswe can findwhat
structuresof mindlie hiddenbeneaththeircontent.Eventhoughso muchhas been
writtenaboutJesus,analyzing manydifferent no one
aspectsof his lifeand ministry,
has hadthe toolsof NLPbeforeto analyzethe gospelslor whattheymighttellus
processes
aboutthe specificneuro-linguistic underlying the mindandworksof Jesus.

C. Levels of Modeling

ln modeling an individual, suchas Jesus,therearea numberof different aspects,

or levels,of the varioussystemsandsub-systems in whichhe operatedthat we may
explore.We can lookat the historical andgeographical environment in whichhe lived
- i.e.,whenand whereJesusperformed histeachings andworks.We can examinehis
specificbehaviorsand actions- i.e.,whathe did in that environment.We mayalso
lookat the intellectual and cognitivestrategiesandcapabilities by whichhe selected
andguidedhisactionsin hisenvironment - i.e.,howhegenerated thesebehaviors in
that context.We couldfurtherexplorethe beliefsand valuesthat motivatedand
shapedthe thinkingstrategies andcapabilities thatJesusdeveloped to accomplish
his behavioral goalsin hisenvironment - i.e., whyhe didthingsthe way he did themin
thosetimesand places.We couldlookdeeperto investigate Jesus'perception of the
selfor identityhe was manifesting throughthatsetof beliefs, capabilitiesand actions
in thatenvironment - i.e.,the whobehindthe why,how,what,whereand when.
We mightalsowantto examinethe way in whichthatidentitymanifested itselfin
relationship to his family,hisdisciples, hiscontemporaries, WesternSocietyand
Culture, the planet,God- i.e.,who he wasin relation to whoelse. In otherwords,how
did the behaviors, abilities,beliefs,valuesand identityof Jesusinfluence and interact
withlargersystemsof whichhe wasa partin a personal, socialand ultimately
spiritualway?
Jesus- Page3
 betweentheseelementsis as a networkof
One way to visualizethe relationships
generativesystemsthatfocusor converge as lhe core
on the identityof the individual
of the modelingprocess.

Universe

Profession/
Community
S p irit u a l" T ra n s . Mis s io n "
Family WhoElse?
ld e n t it y Mis s io n
Who?

B e lie f s / V a luPeesrmis s io n / Mo t iv a t io n
why?
Ca p a b ilit ieDire
s c t io n
How?

or Actions
at?
Constraints
Environment
Networkof LogicalLevels Where?
When?

Clearlythetaskof modeling Jesuson allof theselevelswouldbe an

overwhelming undertaking (onethat has beengoingnowfor almosttwo millennia).
While,to a cefiaindegree,eachlevelis so interconnected to the othersthatit is not
possible to examine one independently thegoalof my studyhasbeento
of the others,
focusintosomekey areasin whichNLPwillbe ableto providethe mostamountof
insight.
This monograph, CognitivePatternsof Jesusof Nazareth, will explorethe
structure of the cognitive
strategies
employed by Jesusin hisvariousworksand
teachingsand howwe mightapplyJesus'strategic thinkingabilitiesto our own lives.
It is intended
as the beginning of a largerworkcomposed of two othersections. The
secondsection,TheEpistemology of Jesus,wifl explorethe beliefs,valuesand
assumptions that lie behindthe wordsand actionsof Jesusas viewedfromthe
perspective of NLPand systemstheory.Thefinalsection,The Therapeutic
Techniques of Jesus.will explorethe structurebehindthe numerousand often
astonishing actsof healingreportedly performed by Jesus.

Jesus- Page4
 D. Source Material lor the Study

The objection,of course,maybe raisedthat,becauseof theirfragmentary nature,

andthe factthattheyhaveundergone numerous the gospelswill not
translations,
providean accurateenoughrepresentation of Jesusto be validin sucha studyof his
psychologicalprocesses.Obviously,withperhapsthe exceptionof somekindof
divineinspiration, one cannotknowthe actualhistorical Jesus.Whathaveinfluenced
hislory,however,are the gospels.And eventhoughI will be workingfromlranslations
of accountsthatweremadedecadesafterJesus'death, it is throughtheseaccounts
that peoplethroughouthistoryhavecometo knowJesusof Nazareth.Forthis reasonI
havechosento analyzethe KingJamesversionof gospelssinceit hasprobablyhad
the mostinfluencein the Englishspeakingworldfor the pastthreecenturies.
According to scholars, the historical Jesuswouldhavespokenin Aramaic,a
dialectof ancientHebrew.The writtensourcesfor the NewTestament (andsomeof
the OldTestament), however, wereoriginally recordedin a commondialectof Greek
usedby scholarsof the timecalled'Koine'- a legacyof the empireof Alexanderthe
Great.The KingJamesversion(orAuthorized Version)of the Biblewas published in
1611aftera massiveundertaking underthe auspices of JamesI of England.54
scholarswerecommissioned to workindividually and in groups,utilizingprevious
Englishtranslations andtextsin the originallanguages.WhileI willbe primarily
workingfromthistext,forthe reasonscited,therearesometimes interestinginsightsor
thatcomefromconsidering
clarifications the historyand meaningof the originalGreek
lermsfromwhichthe translations weremade.
Thereare also severalrelevanttextsthat haveonlybeenrecentlydiscoveredand
are not a partof the traditionaldocuments of the NewTestament whichcan provide
additional insightsand richnessintothe understanding of Jesus'teachings and
thoughtprocess.Of particular interestis the Gospelof Thomas.The gospelof
Thomasis one of a numberof fragmentary, non-canonical recordsof Jesus'lifeand
teachingsthat werewrittenin approximately the sametime periodas the gospelsof
MatthewMark,LukeandJohn(i.e.,the middle-to-second halfof the firstcentury).The
Gospelof Thomasis a collection of sayingsratherthana storyof Jesus'life likethe
fourgospelsof the NewTestament. Whilethe gospelof Thomasis notgenerally
acceptedas a theological documentby the existingChristianchurches,the sayingsdo
providean interesting andancientadditional viewintothe life,teachingand thought
processesof Jesusof Nazareth.RonCameron,editorof TheOtherGospels,points
out:

Jesus- Page5
 "Mostof thesayings intheGospel of Thomas haveparallels in the
'synoptic' gospelsof Matthew, Mark,andLukein theNewTestament.
Analysis of eachof thesesayings reveals
thatthesayings in theGospel of
Thomas areeitherpreserved in formsmoreprimitive thanthosein theparallel
sayingsin the NewTestament or aredevelopments of moreprimitive formsof
suchsayings. Theparticular editorial
changes whichthesynoptic gospels
make,including theaddition of a narrativestructureandtheinclusion of
traditional sayingsandstorieswithina biographical framework, aretotally
absent fromtheGospel of Thomas.Allof thissuggests thattheGospel of
Thomas is basedon a traditionof sayings whichis closelyrelated to thatof
thecanonical gospelsbutwhichhasexperienced a separate processof
transmission. Thecomposition of lheGospel of Thomas, therefore, is parallel
to thatof thecanonical gospels.ltssources arecollectionsof sayings and
parables contemporary withthesources of thecanonical gospels.Inthis
respect, theGospelof Thomascanbe profitably compared withthe Synoptic
Sayings Source, common to Matthew, MarkandLuke,generally referred to
as Q (fromthefirstletterof theGerman wordQuelle, meaning 'source').
It is probable thatmanyof thesayings intheGospel of Thomas which
arenotpreserved elsewhere elsealsoderivefromearlytraditions of sayings
of Jesus.Thisdocument is,therefore,an important sourceof aswellas
witness to Jesus'sayings."

In a way,thesomewhat fragmentary andsynoptic natureof thegospelsandthe

pathway of translations
theywentthroughto reachtheirEnglishmanifestation can
actuallyserveas a usefulfiltersothatonlythemostrobustpartsof Jesusstrategy
emerge;and thosearetheaspects thatareof mostinterest here.FromtheNLPpoint
of view,theappealandlongevity of thewordsof theBibleliein thewaythatthey
accessandorganize fundamental neurological processes intoa strategy for
interactingwiththeworld.Sucha strategy is a generativeprocess thatmaybe
appliedindependently of the contentwithwhichit wasinitially expressed.
I shouldpointoutherethatthisanalysis is notintended to addressor pass
judgment on mattersof faith,butratherto examine theworksof Jesusin the lightof
modernpsychological discoveriesto addyetanother dimension to whatcanbe
learned fromthem.Mygoalis to identify specific verbalandbehavioral patterns in the
wordsandactionsof Jesusthatcanilluminate us moreas to howandwhy Jesus
thought whathethought, saidwhathesaidanddidwhathedid. Whether or notJesus
wasthesonof Godis notat issuehere,andwhether or notyoubelieve hewasdoes
Jesus- Page6
notchangethevalueof theinformation.
lf youarea believer andfeelthatJesus'teaching andhealing powers camefrom
a supernatural source,youmuststillacceptthathisactionsandteachings were
intended to operate on manydifferent According
levels. to Christian
doctrine, Jesus
was'GodmadeMan.'Asa manamongothermen,Jesuswouldhavehadto manifest
hisspiritualmission through a man'snervous system. Thisprocess of manifestation
wouldhavea structure - perhapsa veryimportant An analysis
structure. of this
struclurewouldbe neitherirrelevant nordisrespectful.Jesus'reportedmission wasto
enlighten throughhiswordsanddeeds.Themoreoneunderstands aboutthe many
levelsof knowledge andinformation provided byJesus,themorerichone's
experience of hismessage willbe.
lf you area non-believer youmuststillacceptthatJesus,as portrayed in the New
Testament, is a representation
of an exceptionally healerandinfluential
successful
leaderthathasshapedourmodern world.Whatever canbegleaned fromthespecific
methods described abouthowJesusproduced hisremarkable resultscanstillof
benefitin ourmodernworld.
Jesusmayhavea greatdealto contribute to thepracticeof modern psychology,
psychotherapy, healthandleadership as wellas religion.

J e s u s- P a g e 7
PART I. E X P L OR IN G T H E MIND OF JESUS

GregoryBateson - an anthropologist,systems theoristandoneof the most

important influences in theearlydevelopment of NLP- thought of 'mind'as being
immanent in anysystem witha complex enough setof connections andinteractions.
Groups,societies, lowerorganisms, almostanysystemcanshowcertainproperties of
mentalprocessif theyhaveenoughcomplexity of interaction. 'Mind'itselfis nota
thing,butrathera process resultingfromandgoverning therelationshipsand
interac{ions in a system.
Thehumanmindis primarily a productof ourmiraculous nervous system- which
is trulyoneof thewonders of the universe.Ourmindis manifested andexpressed
througha numberof complexty interacting
systems in the hemispheres of ourcerebral
cortexandotherbrainstructures, andin nervestructures thatextendthroughout our
bodies.NLPviewstheactivity withinthesestructures, in theformof language and
inner'programs,' asthe primary sourceof humanintelligence andexperience (see
Appendix A).

l. Some Basic Elementsof HumanExperience

A. The NervousSystem

Thenervous systemhasto do withthe"neuro" partof Neuro-Linguistic

Programming. lt is through ournervous systemthatwecoordinate ourbehavior and
organizeourexperience of theworld.Thehumannervous systemmaybe dividedinto
threeprimary subsystems: 1)theCentral Nervous System 2) thePeripheralNervous
System and3) theAutonomic Nervous System.
TheCentralNeruous System is madeupof thebrainandspinalcord. lt controls
ourmuscles andmovement andis associatedwithconscious thought andaction.
ThePeripheral NeruousSystem is madeup of the branches of thespinalcordand
thesenseorgans. lt relaysinformation abouttheenvironment fromtheorgans,
muscles andglandsto thecentralnervous system andbackagain.
TheAutonomic Nervous Sysfem dealswitha network of nervesoutsideof the
spinalcordthatdealswithmanyunconscious suchas temperature
activities
regulation,
circulation, of the"fight-flight"
theinitiation
salivation, reactionandother
emotionalandattentional states.
TheCentralNervous Systemexecutes mentalprograms, plansandstrategies via
the PeripheralNervous System.TheAutonomic NervousSystem determinesthestate
Jesus- Page8
of the biological'hardware"withinwhichthoseprogramsare carriedout.

S e n sa ti o n Cognition
Input-Output Tlnught- Progranuning

Peripheral
Nervous

Conscious

Unconscious
Autonomic
Nervous
System

R egulation
Interral State

While most peopleare consciouslyawareof their sensations,thoughtsand

actions,the functions of the Autonomic
NervousSystemgenerally takeplaceoutside
of consciousawareness.
Whetherit be teaching,learning,thinking,healing,praying,eating,understanding,
lovingor hating;all humanactionand experiences are mediatedand manifested
throughthe interplay of thesethreepartsof our nervoussystem.

1. Representational
Systems

"Thesenses
arethe ministers
of the Soul."- Leonardo
da Vinci

Representational
systems relateto the nervous
systemstructures whichoperate
the fivesenses- Visual(sight),Auditory$ound),Kinesthetic (feeling),
Otfactory
(smell)andGustatory ftaste).Eachrepresentational systemis designed to perceive
andrepresent certainbasicqualitiesof thepartof theworldit sensesthrough the
interaction
between the peripheral andcentralnervous systems.Theseperceptions
andrepresentations includecharacteristics suchas color,bightness, tone,loudness,
temperature,pressure, elc.Thesequalities arecalled"sub-modalities" in NLpsince
theyaresub-components of eachof therepresentationalsystems.
We buildourindividual models of theworldandguideourlivesbasedon howwe
combine ourmemories andconstructs ofthefuturein orderto respond to whatwe are
Jesus- Page9
ableto perceivein the ongoingexternalworldaroundus. The emphasisplacedon
thesevariousmodesof usingthe senses,the way in whichtheyare balanced and
combinedtogether, etc.,willgreatlyinfluence the way in whichwe perceiveand
respondto our environment.
Peopledifferin theirabilitiesto usetheirrepresentational systems.Thisoften
effectstheirabilityto thinkandact andevenshapesthe development of their
personality.Thedifferent senseshighlight differentaspectsof our perceptions of
eventsand situations. A personwho primarily responds throughfeelingand intuition
may reactto a crisissituationquitedifferently thana personwho is lookingat it and
apptyinglogic.
As a manifestation in the worldof the "flesh"Jesusneededto interact withthat
worldandthe peoplein it throughthesesenses.Theywerethe mediumfor contact
withthosearoundhim,and it wasthroughthesesensorychannels that he gavehis
messageand performed his earthlyworks. In manycaseshe was actuallyquite
explicitabouthis emphasisof certainsensorychannels thathe himselfusedand that
peopleshoulduse in perceiving and organizing theirexperience of the world.

2. Synesthesia - Overlap Between the Senses

Notall of our mentalexperiences are clearlydistinguishableintoone particular

sensorycategory.Thisis becauseour sensoryexperiences becomemixedtogether
in our nervoussystems.lt is thisconnecting together of informationfromthe different
sensesthat makeslearningpossible.Sometimes experiences becomeconnected
and overlapped so completely thatit is notpossible to easilydistinguishone fromthe
otherin a causalrelationship - theyare boththeresimultaneously but eachneedsthe
otherin orderto be there. Feelingmovedby a pieceof musicor art wouldbe an
exampleof this. Thefeelingcouldnotexistwithoutthe ar1andthe artcouldnotexist
withoutthe feeling.Certainly, manyof the mostpowerful experiences in our lives
(suchas 'religious'or'spiritual'experiences) involvean integratingtogetherof the
varioussenses.
fn NLP,sucha connection is calleda synesthesra. The term literallymeans"a
synthesizingof the senses."Synesthesias are usuallymorerichand powerful than
perceiving something througha singlesensealone. Synesthesia patternscan also
be a veryimportant factorin determining
the easeor effectivenessin whichcertain
mentalfunctions are performed.As withthe development of the sensesthemselves,
the strengthof the varioussynesthesia varyfor differentpeople.
relationships

Jesus- Page10
 B. Language

aspectof Neuro-Linguistic
Languagerelatesto the'linguistic" Programming.
Whilethe spokenwordis pan of the auditoryrepresentational
system,its functionis to
organizeand connectinformationfromthe othersensesas opposedto simplyregister
qualities as the morepurelytonalelements
of an experience, of the auditorysystem
do. Sincelanguageis actuallyrepresented in the brainthanpuresounds,
differently
NLPconsiderslanguage to functionas anotherrepresentational
system- a kindof
'meta'representational system.
For example,the word "caf"doesnot physically soundlikea cat,feelfurrynor do
the soundsor lettersattemptto indicatefourlegs,whiskers,a tail etc. The wordis
rathera pointof convergence whichunitesmultiplesensoryrepresentations in the
formof mentalpictures, sounds,feelings, etc. The meaningand significanceof a word
to a particular
individualis a functionof the amountof neurologyit mobilizes.
l-anguage, of course,is oneof the mostfundamental featuresof humanthought
andcommunication - an8 Jesuswas a masterat usingit. Linguisticpatternscan also
provideus withcluesto otherthoughtprocesses thatgo on behinda person'suseof
language.

Linguistic Clues to Thinking Patterns.

Perhapsone of the biggestdifficultiesin modelingthe mentalstrategies of

exceptionalpeoplecomesfromthe fact that the moreone developsthe abilityto
actuallydo something,the lessone is awareof how specitically one is doing it.
Mostetfectivebehavioris characterized by'unconscious competence.' Whilethis
reducesthe amountof conscious effortonehasto put intoachieving a goal,it makesit
to describeto othershowto developthe samedegreeof competence.
difficult Most
peoplefocuson whattheyare doingandtendto ignorethe subtlebut essential mental
processes by whichtheyaredoingit.
The goalof Neuro-Linguistic Programming, andof thisstudy,is to explicitly
identifythe mentalstrategiesthat lie behindexceptionalachievements so thatthese
deeperprocesses maybe mademorefullyunderstandable and transferable.
Accomplishing this goal,however, involvesa significant
amountof detective work. We
mustfollowthe subtletracesthathavebeenleftbehindby our model,as one might
followfootprintsin the sandhopingto eventually discoverthe individual who has left
them. LikeSherlockHolmes,we collecttogetherthe clues(especially thosewhich
mayhaveescapedthe noticeof our fellowdetectives) hopingto piecethemtogether
Jesus-Page11
intotheirunderlyingpatternfromwhichwe mayderivesomeinsightintothe great
mysteryof Jesus'mind.
Fofiunately,
becauselanguage is so linkedwithall of the functionsof the brain,
the wordspeopleuseoffermanyimportant cluesto howtheyarethinking. A primary
methodof Neuro-Linguistic analysisis to searchfor particular patterns,
linguistic such
as'predicates',whichindicatea particular representational systemor sub-modality,
and howthat systemor qualityis beingusedin the person's overallthoughtprocess.
Predicatesare words,suchas verbs,adverbsand adjectives, whichindicate
or qualities
actions,relationships as opposedto persons, placesor things.Thistype
of languageis typicallyselectedat an unconscious levelandthus reflectsthe
underlyingunconscious whichproduced
structure them. For example,whensomeone
says,"f seewhatyou are saying,"'Thatdoesn'tfeelnghl,"or "Yousoundupset,"NLP
wouldtaketheseas literalreferences to the pafl of the nervoussystemthe personis
usingto representthe experience (seeAppendix A for a morecompletelisting).
Thesekindof sensorybasedwordsplayan important rolein the modelingprocess.

C. Cognitive Strategies

Cognitivestrategies relateto the "programming" partof Neuro-Linguistic

Programming. Peopledo not act effectivelyin the worldthroughrandom,haphazard
associationsor reflexes.Jesus,for example, wascertainly not randomin the waythat
he usedhissenses,hislanguage, norin the wayhe organized hisexperiencesto
operatein the worldaroundhim. Effective peopledevelopconsistent step-by-step
procedures for solvingproblems, makingdecisions, creatingplans,etc. These
specificsequences of mentalstepsarecalleda'strategy'inNLP.Likea computer
program,a strategydefinesa processthatis independent of the dataor contentbeing
processed.For instance, the sequence of sensoryfunctions usedin a memory
strategymay be appliedto remember thingsof manydifferent contents(phone
numbers,names,spellings, faces,etc.). Likewise,
the sequenceof mentalstepsused
in a decisionmakingstrategymaybe appliedto decisions of manydifferent
types.
The way eachmentalstepis linkedto the stepthatcomesbeforeit andthe one
featureof thoughtandlearning.Usingthe exact
thatcomesafterit is an important
sameelementsin a differentsequence can completely changethe resultingmeaning.
For example,the two phrases"Hewhois not withus is againslus," and "He who is
not againsfus is with us," usethe samewordsbutthe sequencemakestheir
meanings quitedifferent.Thesameholdstruefor the sensorysequences involvedin
thought.

Jesus- Page12
 Inthecourseof ourlives,ourrepresentationalsystems, synesthesiapatterns and
language processes become organizedtogetherintotheconsistent sequences or
thatmakeup ourcapabilities
strategies andpersonality. Eventhoughweallstartwith
the samepotential
basically in ourbrains,thesepotentialsareshapedintodifferent
combinations andsequences. Strategysequences aregenerally organizedin a way
thefeedback
thatreflects loopthrough whichinformation typically
flowsthrough a
system.lnformationis 1)inputto thesystem through2) someinterfacemechanism
that3) passesinformationto thecoreof thesystem.Information is organizedand
processed andthen4) transformed into5) thesystem'soutput.Thisoutputeffectsthe
environment aroundthe systemin a waythatproduces feedback whichreenters the
systemas newinput.

According to NLP,the greatmindsand leadersof historyhaveachievedtheir

greatnessbecausethey havemanagedto formpafiicularly elegantand compelling
strategiesfor operatingeffectively
in the world. Let us now beginto explorewhat
Jesus'languagemightunveilto us abouthisown innerstrategyfor makingsenseout
of the worldaroundhim.

Jesus-Page13
ll. Neuro-LinguisticAnalysis of Jesus LanguagePatterns.

As an archeologist
mightdecipher withexcitementa set of precioushieroglyphics
tombof an ancientpharaoh,
in the mysterious let'sapplythe linguistic
filtersof NLPto
the languageof Jesusof Nazarethto seewhatkindof structuretheycan helpus
uncoverabouta thoughtprocessthat has shapedhistory.

A. General Analysis of Jesus' Predicates

As a startingpoint,let us beginby examining Jesus'use of the mostbasic

sensorypredicatessuchas "see,""heaf'and "feel".Searchingthroughthe gospel
textswe findthatJesususesthe word"see"in I2 versesof the fourgospelsand
'saw' in 10 verses.The predicale"hear" he usesin 6 0 of the versesand "heard"in
1 7 of the verses. lt is interestingto notethatthe words"feel"and "feft"do not even
occuronce! At firstglance,thiswouldseemto indicate thatthe primaryemphasis of
Jesus'messagewas on the visualand auditoryaspectsof experience, withsomewhat
of a focuson the visual. In fact,Jesushasoftenbeeninterpreted as de-emphasizing
feelingsand the 'waysof the flesh',the implication beingthat they interferedwiththe
abilityto receiveand keephis message.
Analyzingfurther,we can examinethe gospelsfor sensorypredicates indicating
outputrelatingto a particular sensorysystemas opposedto the inputor receiptof
information throughit. In thiscase,we findthatJesususesthe word "shew"(show)in
2 1 versesandthe word"tell"in 4 4 verses.Herethe scalestiltdefinitely in the
directionof the auditorypredicate.As withthe firstset of predicatesanalyzedabove,
the kinestheticcounterparts to thesewords,"touch"or "move",do not appearin Jesus'
language.We are,however, toldthatJesus"touched" peoplein at least1 2 instances,
andthat he "laid"his "hands"on peoplein at leastanother1 4, indicating his use of the
kinesthetic systemin hiswork. We are alsotold on severaloccasions, 4 to be more
exacl,thatJesuswas "moved"to compassion, whichwouldindicatea responseor
outputon an internally kinestheticlevel.
ln referenceto the particular senseorgansthemselves - the meansby whichwe
interfacewith our externalreality- we findJesusreferring to the eyes16 times,the
earsl3times,the mouth1 2timesandthe body17 times.Thereis, however, another
organof the bodythatJesusalsorefersto quiteoften:the heart. ln fact,he mentionsit
in 32 versesof the fourgospels.Thisis important as an indicator of internal
kinesthetic sensations the heartis an organoftenassociated
- certainly withemotional
states.So here,for the firsttime,we finda greateremphasis on the kinesthetic system.

Jesus- Page14
 A finalgeneralanalysis maybe madeof themoremetaphorical termsreferring to
a specific sense,suchas "light"(visual), (auditory),
"word" "flesh"(kinesthetic). This
anafysis showsJesusreferring to the "word"in 4 0 verses[hereferslo "words"in the
morenon-metaphorical sensein another 21 versesl,lo"light"in 3 0 verses, lhe
'flesh"in 1 9 verses.Onceagain,wefinda significant leaning in favorof theauditory
digital(verbal) function.
*Life"and"Spirit"aretwoothersignificant termsthatJesusrefersto quiteoftenin
histeachings andsayings.Bothwordscouldbe considered as a reference to some
vitafinternal feelingstate. WhileJesususestheword"life"5 9 timesin thefour
gospels,however, it is notalwaysinthesenseof anactive, feltstate.Forinstance, 'life'
maybe usedto standfor"existence" in thebroader senseas opposed to vitalenergy,
so it is notnecessarily a goodconsistent indicatorof Jesusstrategy. Theterm" spirit,'
whichis usedbyJesus2 2 timesin thegospels, is perhaps a betterindicator ofthisvital
kinesthetic state.Theterm"spirit",of course, doesnotreferto anyspecific sensebut
ratherto an internal statethatis probably a synthesis or synesthesia of allthesenses
together. Thisstate,however, is verymuchassociated withfeelings.Forexample,
whenJesuswasupset,we aretold,"hesigheddeeplyin hisspirit"(Mark8:12),and
whenhewasinspired, he is described as beingfullof "thepowerof the Spirit" (Luke
a14)..Suchdescriptions indicate a strongrelationship withinternal feelings.
Letus reflectfora moment ontheimplications of thisdata.Belowis a summary of
thebasicrepresentational systempredicales usedbyJesusin thefourgospels.

SI.JMMARYOF PREDICATESUSEDBY JESUS

ORIENTATION VISUAL AUDITORY KINESTHETIC INTERNAL

FEELING STATE
Input/Perception "Sgett
ttSawtt
82 "Hgar": 60 "Fegl"l 0
l0 "Hgard": t7 "Felt": 0
"Life": 59
Output "Shew": 21 "Tell": 44 {"Touched"}: l2 "Spirit": 22
{"LaidHands"} t4
{"Moved"}: 4 TOTAL 8I
InterfaceOrgans "Eyes": 12 "Ears": 13 "Body": l7
"Eye": 4 "Mouth":12 "Heart": 32
Metaphorical "Light": 30 "Word": 40 "Flesh": 19
["words":2l]
TSTAL t59 2W 98

Whilea lookat the totalsof the sensoryspecificpredicatesexamined showsa

fairlydefinitepreference for the auditory(particularly
verbal)representational
system,
we mustkeepin mindthatour primaryconcernin regardto the strategy thatJesus
Jesus-Page15
usedis the sequenceandfunctionof eachof the representational systems.For
example,one plausible way of interpreting the informationaboveis thatthe auditory
predicatesseemto dominatethe inputand outputfunctions- "Hear"and *Tell"the
'Word(s)'.The visualpredicatesseemto dominatethe perceptual/organizational
funclions- "See"lhe "Light".Kinestheticreferences-- Body","Heatt",Life" and
'Spirit"-- seemto dominatethe interfacefunctionsrelatingto reactionsto inputfrom
boththe externalworldand innerperceptions.
We couldpostulate thatJesus1) "hears"lhe"Word"of Godwhich2) triggersan
internalfeelingstateof "life"and "spirit'.Theseresponses3) generatevisualimagery
in whichhe seesthe meaningof lhe "Word"(the "Light"). This4) stimulates feelings
in his 'heart"whichthencauseshimto respondwith his "body"and 5)tell the ^Word".
In the languageof NLP,we wouldsaythat,for Jesus,information is inputthroughthe
auditoryrepresentational systemand organized visuallyunderthe influenceof an
internalfeelingstate.Theseimagesprovokekinesthetic reactionsin the heartand
bodywhichultimatelyexpressthemselves as wordsthat are outputintothe world
aroundhim,completing the feedbackloop.

Input Interface Representation Inerface Output

InnerImages Emotionsand WordsExpressing

HearWords - TransformW.ords ._>
------_ Stimulatedby +
ThroughFeelings ActionsTriggered + InnerVisualand
Feelings BYImagerY KinestheticResponses

Auditory K i n e sth e ti c Visual Kinesthetic Auditory

(Synesthesia)
+
I Feedback

Let'slakea closerlookat howJesususedsomeof thesewordsin contextto see

if we canverifyor refinethisfirstapproximation process.
of hiscognitive

Jesus-Page16
 B. Micro Analysisof Jesus' Predicatesin Context

1. "The Wotrd".

In Jesus'teachingsandsayings, auditorypredicatesdo seemto be primarily

associated withinputandoutput.WhenJesususedtheword"hear"it wastypically
related of information
to thetransfer relating
to hismessage. Forexample,thephrase
'He thathathearsto heaf let himhear,"wasprobablyoneof Jesus'mostcommon
slatements. Otherexamples, likethefollowing,tendto furtherconfirmthathearing
wasJesus'mosthighlyvaluedrepresentational system for receiving
information.

'Andhe answeredandsaiduntothem,My motherandmy brethren

are thesewhichhear theword of God,anddo it." Luke8:21

Because Jesusperceived
wordsas beingthe primarymediumfortransferring
information,
he alsoconsidered representations
auditory as themostsignificant
output
system.Thisis supported
bystatements
suchas:

"For by thy words thou shaltbe justified,and by thy words thou

shaltbe condemned."Matthew12:37

"Andhe calledmultitude,and said unto them,Hear, and

understand:Notthat whichgoeth into the mouth defileththe man; but
that whichcomethout of the mouth, thisdefiletha man."
M a tthew15:10-11

Theseexampleswouldappearto confirmour earlierhypothesis thatthe auditory

component in Jesus'strategycomesbothat the beginning andthe endof the process.
ln the fastexample, for instance,Jesus'statement "Hear,and understand:"indicates
that hearingis to be usedfor receivinghis message.The phrase,"thatwhichcometh
out of the mouth,thisdefiletha rnan,"indicatesthat verbalrepresentations are the
mostimportant sensoryoutputrelating to an individual'scharacter.
The importance of languageto Jesusas the primarymediumwithwhichto enact
his missionis emphasized by accounts of hisskillas a publicspeakerandteacher,
and especially by reportsof his uniqueabilityto healthroughhiswords.
Yet,whileJesusobviously valuedwordshighlyas an evidenceof the inner
organization of a person,he alsoperceived that,at times,wordsweremerelysymbols
and cluesof otherprocesses.WhileJesusbelieved thatwhatthe wordsstoodfor was
Jesus- Page17
important,
the wordshadto be congruent
withotherinnerrepresentations,
as he
indicated
in statements
suchas:

'But whenye pray, usenot vain repetitions, as the heathendo: for

they thinkthat they shallbe heard for theirmuchspeaking."
Matthew6:7
'He thatis of Godheareth God'swords: ye thereforehear themnot,
becauseye are not of God." John 8:47

Jesus'comments seemto indicate thatthereare differentlevelsof 'hearing'and

'speaking'.In fact,in the originalGreektexts,fromwhichthe Englishtranslations were
made,thereare two typesof "words":1) rhema(pnpa)meaninga sayingor wordsas
thingsand2) logos(l.o1os)meaningwordsassociated withthe manifestation
of
reason.In ancientGreekphilosophy 'logos'wasthoughtto constitute the controlling
and unifyingprinciplein the universe.Forexample,Heraclitus (540-480BC)defined
'logos'as the universalprinciplethroughwhichall thingsare interrelated and all
naturaleventsoccur- indicating a remarkably systemicviewof the universe.He
believedthat,whiletherewas an elementin manthroughwhichthis principle couldbe
perceived, mostpeoplefailedto comprehend the'logos'andthus livedlikedreamers
witha falseviewof the world.According to the stoics,'logos'wasa cosmicgoverning
or generatingprinciplethatis immanent andactivein all realityand thatpervadesall
reality.Accordingto Philo,a Greekspeaking Jewishphilosopher and contempo raryot
Jesus,'logos'wasthe intermediate betweenultimaterealityand the sensibleworld.
Clearly,the implications ol logosstrike
to the coreof the 'neuro-linguistic'
process.In fact,in theirfirstbook,The Structure of Magic, RichardBandlerand
JohnGrinder- the co-creators of NLP- makea distinction in the useof language
similarto the rhema/logos distinction:

"Allthe accomplishments of the humanrace,bothpositiveand negative,

have involvedthe use of language.we as humanbeingsuse our
languagein two ways. we use it firstof all to representour experience-
we calf this activityreasoning,thinking,fantasying,rehearsing.when we
use languageas a representational system,we are creatinga modelof
our experience.This modelof the world which we createby our
representational use of language is baseduponour perceptions of the
world. our perceptions are also partiallydeterminedby our modelor
representation...Secondly, we use our languageto communicate our
Jesus- Page18
 modelor representation of the worldto eachother. Whenwe use
fanguageto communicate, we call it talking,discussing,
writing,
lecturing,singing."(pp.21-22)

Perhapsthepowerof thewordto eitherhealor defilecomesfromthefactthatit

ourperceptions
notonlyrepresents of theworld,butalsoshapes them.As Bandler
andGrindermaintain:

" Th e nerv ous s y s tem wh ic h is r e s p o n s ib lef o r p r o d u c in gt h e

representationalsystemof languageis the same nervoussystemby
which humans produceevery other model of the world - visual,
etc...Thesameprinciples
kinesthetic, of structureare operatingin each
of thesesystems.'

ForJesus,then,language process.
is a multi-level At one level,wordsoperateas
behavioralcuesand symbols(rhema)usedto transmitinformation betweenpeople.
At anotherlevel,wordsconstitutethe intermediatebetweena largerrealityand the
sensibleworld,representingfundamental principlesin the universe(/ogos).Thereare
wordsof the "Flesh"(rhema)andwordsof the "Spirit"(logos).A similardistinction
showsup in the Greekwordsfor "speak".Laleo(Icrl.eco)
meansto talk or verbalize-
thatis, speakingas a behavior;
for example"l speakto themin parables"
or "'thou
shaftbe dumb,and notableto speak".The wordeipon(ernov)meansto tell or
declare- speakingas an expression of a person'sdeeperperceptions and beliefs;as
in, "Godspakeuntohimsaying..." or "thisspakehe of the spirit".lt seemsclearthat
Jesuswas cognizant of the distinction,
andactuallyspentquitea bit efforttryingto get
othersto perceiveand recognize the differencethemselves.
Thus,one can inputor outputsomething throughwordson a behavioral levelor
on somehigherlevel.lt wouldseemthatthe difference betweenwhichlevelwas
accessedwouldbe a functionof whichneuralcircuitryis mobilized or committed in
orderto perceiveor expressthe words.Rhemaandlaleoseemto relateto activity
locusedin the peripheral
nervous
system(Aoe)whileeiponandlogoswould
appear
to be associated
withdeeperactivitywithinthe centralnervoussystem(AOi).

Je s u s - P a g e 1 9
 2. "The Heart".

Jesusconsidered in a personthroughwhichthe the

the 'heart'as the 'element'
generative principlesof languageas'logos'wasperceived.He indicated that people
"see with their eyes, and hear withtheir ears, and shouldunderstand with their
heart" (Matthew13:15).
In Jesus'model,the primarysourceof verbaloutputwasthe heart,and he
perceivedwordsas echoingthe deeperemotional lifeof the speaker.Forinstance,he
claimed:

'A good man out of the good treasureof his heart bingeth forth that
whichis good;and an evil man out of the eviltreasureof hisheart
bringethforththat whichis evil:for out of the abundanceof hisheart his
mouth speakest" Luke6:45

'Whatsoeverenterethin at the mouth goethinto the belly,and is

cast out in the draught.But thosethingswhichproceedof the mouth
comeforthfromthe heart, and theydefilethe man." Matthew15:16-17

lf wordswerenotconnected theyare simply"vainrepetitions",

to the 'heart'then
'lip service'orevenhypocrisy.

"Heansweredand said unto them,Wellhath Esaiasprophesiedof

you hypocrites,as it is written,Thispeoplehonourethme withtheir |ips,
but theirheart is far fromme." Mark7:6

Clearly,for Jesus,the heartis the seatof a person's

internalvaluesand
individual
motives.The heartdetermines the degreeand qualityof emotional
padicipation
that motivatesone'swordsand actions.We can speculatethat it the
degreeto whichone'sheartwas involvedin one'slanguage that makesthe difference
betweenwhetheris was at the levelof rhemaorlogos.
the heart- kardia(rcrp6rcr)
Physiologically, in Greek- is the centerof the body's
systemand playsan important
circulatory rolein the 'autonomic'
regulatoryfunctions
whichare necessary of the heartbeatis
for the body'ssurvival.Whilethe regularily
maintained by a conductingsystemwithinthe heartitself,nervesto the heartfromthe
centralnervoussystemcanquickenor slowthe beat. Thus,the heartis responsive to
impulsesfrombothbodyand 'mind'-i.€.,the heartadjustsits beatingrateto both
physicaland psychological changes.Heartrate,for example,increases with
Jesus- Page20
emotionalresponsessuchas anxietyandfearor excitement and passion.Heartrate
slowsin response
to relaxationandconfidence.
Frombotha scientificand metaphoricperspective, systemhas
the cardiovascular
longbeenconsidered the seatof emotionalexpression andthe hearthas beenthe
organmostassociated with emotionsand beliefs.
relatesthe heartto beliefswhenhe states:
Jesushimselfexplicitly

"For verilyI say untoyou, Thatwhosoevershall say unto this mountain,Be

thou removed,and be thoucastinto the sea;and shall not doubt In his
heart, but shall believe that thosethingswhichhe saith shallcometo pass;
he shallhavewhatsoever he saith." Mark11.,23

CI course,not all ideasandthoughtseffectheartrate. Onlysomecognitive

processesmobilize deepenoughneurology to involvethe heart.Thereforethe heart
makesa powerfulfilterfor evaluating
the commitment of the nervoussystemto different
processes.The kinesthetic
psychological sensations withthe heart(Ki)
associated
levelof processing
comefroma different in the nervoussystem(theautonomic
system)
thanthe kinesthetic
sensations
associated (arropot)in Greek-
withtouch- haptomai
whichare producedby the peripheralnervoussystem(Ke).
As partof our survivalsystem,the heartandthe neurological
mechanisms which
operateit havebeenaroundmuchlongerthanlanguage, whichprobablyappeared
arounda hundredthousandyearsago (atthe veryearliesta millionyearsago). Thus
the systemsupporting the heartis associated
withmorefundamental biological
processes.Whenwordsengageour hearttheyare drawinga muchgreaterand deeper
commitment of ourtotalneurology (andthustotal'mind').

Jesus- Page21
 3. The Light

Jesussawthe heartas a keyelementin an evenlargersystem.He seemsto

haveperceivedthe heartas a filteror transducerfor influences
comingfrom other
partsof the system,in particular
fromthe visualsense:

'The light of the body is the eye: thereforewhen thine eye is

single,thy whole body also is fullof light; but when thine eye is evil,
thybody alsois fullof darkness." Luke1'1:33

Jesusviewedthe visualrepresentational systemas a primaryguidefor behavior

- i.e.,lhe'eye" leadsthe body.Visionis a pivotalelementin Jesus'strategy,and one
on whichhe placeda lot of emphasis. In fact,of allthe senses,Jesusseemedto
identifyhimselfmostwiththe visual.Oneof the mostcommonwaysJesushadof
describinghimselfwas as the "lightof the world."

"l am the Iight of the world:he that followethme shall not walk in
darkness, but havethelight of lite." John8:12

The kindof "light"and visionJesusis referringto is clearlynot directlyrelatedto

externalreality.The Greekwordusedin the Gospelswasphos (Qols),
whichmeans
radianceor'something thatmakesvisionpossible.'Oneimplication of this is that it is
a processthat is generatedfromwithinas opposedto takenin fromthe outside.
Anotherimplication is that,sincelightis the processthroughwhichimagesare
rendered,it is on a different
levelthanthe contentof the image.Consider
the
quotesfromthe Gospelof Thomas:
following

"Jesussaid, 'lf they say to you,'Where did you come from?',say to

them,'Wecamefromthe light, the placewherethe light came into
being on its own accordand establisheditselfand becamemanifest
throughtheirlmage. " Thomas(50)

"Jesussaid, 'Theimages are manifestto man,but the light in them

remainsconcealedin the image of the light of the Father. He will
becomemanifest,but hisimage will remainconcealedby the light."'
Thomas(83)

Jesus- Page22
 Jesusdistinguished
It wouldseemthat,as withlanguage, between different
levefsof vision.Concrete, images- eikon(errrov)
observable in Greek- werelike
rherna.'Light"(phos)waslikelogos.
It seemssignificant thatwhenJesusspokeof "hearing" hewasgenerally
referringto theexpression or transfer verbalinformation
of specific in theformof
words.WhenJesususedtheword"see"it wasmostoftenoriented towards the
internalperceptionof largerandmoreabstract patterns of information.
Thewordfor'heai usedintheearlyGreektextsis akauo(arcruol),which
as'to giveeaf'or "hearken."
translates Thisclearly to theactof listening
relates or
TheEnglish
information.
inputting word"see",however, wasusedas a translationfor
Greekwords:eidon(er6ov)
threeditferent as in "hesawthe
- to know,be acquainted,
multitudes"or'bringmea pennythatI mayseeil";blepo(pX,erot)
- to look,perceive
or
understand, eyes,seeye not?"or "l wasblindnowI see";andhorao
as in,"having
(opaco)
- to discern,takehead,as in "seea vision", "seethegloryof
"seesalvation",
God".Noneofthesewordsmeansimply"inputbytheeye".Theyallseemto involve
morerepresentationandcomprehension thaninput.Obviously,
therangeof
experience to by useeing"
referred wasmuchmorebroadandabstract thanthat
by "hearing".
indicated
Eidonappears to referto theprocess perception
of seeingas sensory directed
towardtheconcrete
environment theperipheral
through system(Ye).etepo
nervous
refersmoreto seeingasthecapability
to receive
andtheninternally
register
visual
withinthecentralnervous
representations tloraorefersto theprocess
system1Vi7. of
visionrelating
to deeperandlesssensory
basedlevelsof experience
thatdoesnot
necessarily worldbutis rathergenerated
haveitsrootsin theexternal froman internal
source(V1. Thiskindof visionwasoftenmetaphorical andtypically
aboutevents
to thefutureratherthanthepresent
relating or thepast.Forexample,consider
the
way"seeing" is intended
in thefollowing
statements.

'And all fleshshall see the salvationof God." Luke3:6

"Verily,verily,I say unto thee,Excepta man be born again,he cannot

see the kingdomof God." John3:3

"Verily,veily, I say untoyou, lf a mankeep my saying, he shallnever

see death." John8:51
Jesus- Page23
 Clearly,thesestatements all referto moreabstract classesof eventsin the future.
Theyare also moreorientedtowardseeingcausesandconnections betweenthingsin
somelargersystemof organization - i.e.,"see the salvation,""see the kingdom,"
"see death.' To understand whatis meantby eachof theserequiresoneto imagine
a muchbiggerpicturethanwhatcan be seenin one'simmediate surroundings. For
Jesus,it wasthistypeof largermoreabstract, metaphorical visionthatstimulatedthe
heart.
Oneimportant implication of the multi-dimensional natureof the 'Word'and the
'Light'is that the two levelsco-existsimultaneously, but differentneurological
circuits
mustbe mobilizedin orderto perceivethe differentlevels.ln fact,it wouldseemthat a
greatdealof Jesus'teaching was abouthowto strategically organizeone'sbehavior
and nervoussystemin orderto be ableto sharehis multi-level perception.Thissame
distinction is reflectedin the Gospelof Thomas:

Hisdisciplessaid to Him, "Whenwillthe Kingdomcome?"Jesus

said, "lt will not comeby waitingfor it. lt will not be a mafterof saying
'Hereit is' or'Thereit is.' Ratherithe Kingdomof the Fatheris spread
out uponthe earth,and mendo not see it."Thomas(113)

Jesussaid, "Recognize whatis in your sight, and that whichis

hidden fromyou will becomeplain to you. For there is nothinghidden
whichwill not becomemanifest."Thomas(5)

Logos(theword)mayhavebeenthe mediumfor Jesus'message,andkardia

(theheail)may be the meansthroughwhichwordsareconnected to the deepestparts
of a person,but horao(vision)seemsto be the channelthroughwhichthe intended
messageis processed and represented.

Jesus- Page24
 4. The Spirit and The Life

Theseinternalvisionsof the "kingdom" and"salvation"wereinspiredin Jesusby

an interaction
of lhe"Word"withlhe "Spirit"and "Life","Spirit"and "life"representthe
partof Jesus'strategythatis the leasttiedto a specificsense.Rather,"spirit"and "life"
representa powerfully generative statethatoperates on a differentlevelfromnormal
experience.

'lt is the spirit thatquickeneth[i.e.,giveslifeor energy- R.D.];tne

flesh profitethnothing:the words thatI speak untoyou, theyare
splrit, and theyare life." John6:62-63

In thisstatement,Jesusis indicatingthat,to him, spiritinvolves

the releaseof
energy.Whilethe kindof energyreleased by "Spirit"wouldseemto involvestrong
kinestheticelements,theyare on a differentlevelthanthe kinestheticsof the "fleshn.
'Theflesh'lsarx(ocrp()in Greeklwouldseemto be moreindicativeof the physical
bodyand activitywithinthe peripheralnervoussystem(Ke) whilethe generationof
energyand lifewouldbe morerelatedto the autonomicnervoussystem1Xi;. fne
'flesh',then,is the channelfor the manifestation of the energyreleasedby 'spirit'.
The implication is that'spirit'and'life'can somehowbecomeembodied through
language(a centralnervoussystemprocess).Thus,'spirit'seemsto be indicativeof a
synesthesia betweenthe centraland autonomicnervoussystemsthat reteasesspecial
Thesetwo processesseemto havebecomejoinedand consotidated
capabilities. in
Jesusafterhis baptismby John. By all accounts, the two mostsignificant
eventsthat
seemto havetakenplaceat thattimearethat1) Johnthe Baptistdeclared Jesusto be
lhe 'Lambof God" and 2) afterhis baptismJesushad a visionaryexperience:

'And straightaway
comingout of the water,he saw the heavens
opened,and the Spirit like a dovedescendedupon him:And there
camea voice fromheaven,saying, thouart my belovedson in whom
I am wellpleased."Mark1:10-11

FromthattimeonwardJesusis reported to havebeenfilledwithlhe "Holy

Spirit",a stateof consciousness
fromwhichhis revelations
wouldcome.lt wouldseem
thatJohn'sverbal proclamation or "Word'releasedor awakened a powerfulstateof
'synesthesia' betweenthe visual,kinesthetic
andauditorysenses.In an attemptto
Jesus- Page25
describethis stateto hisdisciples
Jesusexplained:

'Howbeit whenhe, the Spirit of truth,is come,he will guideyou into

alltruth:for he shallnot speak of himself;but whatsoever he shallhear,
thatshallhe speak: and he willshew you thingsto come."John 16:13

'Spirit',then,is indicative
of a specialprocessthat releases
visionary
capabilities
whichextendbeyondthe typicalperceptual spaceof the individual.Jesus
indicatesthatthe representations it stimulates
do notcomemerelyfromthe contentof
one'sownexternallifeexperiences. Thetypeof experiences associatedwith"spirit"
extendbeyondone'sidentity, personalhistoryand immediate sensoryenvironment.

"Butwhenthey deliveryou up, takeno thoughtof how or whatye

shall speak: for it shallbe givento you in thatsamehour whatye shall
speak. For it is notye that speak, but the Spirit of yourFather which
speakethinyou." Matthew 10:19-20

"Butthe Comfortef whichis the Holy Ghost, whomthe Father will

send in my name,he shallteachyou all things,and bringallthings to
your remembrance, whatsoever I havesaid untoyou." John 14:26

'Spirit'providesthe individualwithinformationthatcomesfroma largersystem

or'mind'(the"Fathef')thatis beyondone'spersonal conscious identityor sensory
experience.Jesusseemsto be implying thatwe areall partof a kindof larger
'holographic' process- suchthat any partof the systemcan haveaccessto
informationfromanyotherpartof the system.
A hologramis a kindof opticalprocesswhichproducesa threedimensional
imagethatappearsto floatin space.In a holographic all of the information
recording,
for eachpartof the imageis contained in everypartof the recording.Eachpieceof the
hologram, no matterhowsmall,containsall of the information for the wholeimage.
Jesusis implying thatit is possible
for us to haveaccessto a kindof holographic
knowledge aboutour universe.
Thisanalogyof a hologram can potentially providesomefurtherinsightintothe
natureof the kindof neurological processes Jesusmighthavebeenreferring to with
the terms'Spirit'and'Light'.A truehologram is producedthroughthe application of a
coherentlightsourcein the form of a laser.A laserhas onlyone specificfrequencyof
lightwavesas opposedto the mixtureof wavesthatmakeup the 'whitelight'through
Jesus- Page26
whichwe normallysee reality.The holographic imageis recordedon a pieceof glass
as a complexinterferencepatternthat lookslikea chaoticset of smearsand smudges
in normallight.The imagemayonlybe sensedby the humaneye in the presenceof
the laserlightusedto recordit initially.
PerhapsJesus'reference to "Spirit"indicates the
a specialstatesynthesizing
centraland autonomicsystemsthatwouldbe likethe laserlightsourcein the
holographic process.In this statepeopleare ableto producethe 'Light'whichallows
themto experience the worldon a different level- to decodethe seeminglychaoticswirls
and smudgesof the sensibleworldand see a deepermulti-dimensional representation.
In thisstate,one wouldbe ableto perceive the entire'hologram'of whichhe or she was
a partand gain localaccessto the information embodiedwithinthe largerimage.
fromthe Greekword pneuma(nveupcr)
The Englishword'spirit'wastranslated
whichmeanswindor air. In ancientGreekphilosophy 'pneuma'wasan etherealfiery
principlein organisms.Jesusclearly
stuff,believedto be a cosmic,life-giving
connectsit withthe Wordor 'logos'whenhe says,"thewords thatI speak untoyou,
theyare spirit, and theyare life." The implicationof this statementin Greekwould
be thatthe /ogos,the principleby whichallthingsareconnected in the universe,is a
stimufusfor or an embodiment ol pneuma,the vitalprinciplein livingcreatures.In
otherwords,that we are not simplyisolatedphysicalcreatures('flesh")we are a partof
a largersystem,a larger'mind', a largerlife- a hologram.
The Englishword'life'in the Gospelswas useda translation for two different
Greekterms:1) uzoe"((cq) meaningmotionor activity,and 2) "psyche"(nur(q)
meaninganimallifeand "breath".Jesususedthe lerm 'zoe'to referto the more
generafor abstractimplications of life- i.e.,"eternallife". He used,'psyche'toreferto
the morepersonal experience of life- i.e.,"hewhoshalltryto savehis lifeshallloseit."
In the statement"the words thatl speak untoyou, theyare spirit, and they are
llfe.", the word"life"wastranslatedlrom "zoe",indicating that certainwordsare a kind
of triggerfor a deeplevelof motionor activity.
Perhaps, then,'Spirit'represents a stateof consciousness thatallowsone access
to information that is typicallynot availableto the consciousmindbut is alwaysaround
us at an unconscious level- information thatis generated by a kindof 'groupmind'
immanentin the system. 'Life'represents the neurological processthroughwhichthat
information is set intomotionand becomesembodied in physicalreality.
On a physicallevel,air,windand breathare mechanisms throughwhichwords
are formedandtransmitted.In fact,the term"spirit"comesfromthe Latin'Epirifus",
whichliterallymeans'breath'. In the samewaythatlightmakesseeingand vision

Je su s- Pa g e 2 7
possible;air,breathand windmakespeaking and hearingwordspossible. And,on
anotherlevel,breathingkeepsour physicalbodyalive. Like heartrate,breathingis
mediatedby boththe autonomicandcentralnervoussystemsand couldserveas a
pointof overlapand integration
betweenthe two systems.Breathliterallycreatesthe
energyand movement thatgiveslifeto bothwordand body.

" Spirit"
Central
Nervous System
--'\\-- Motion ExpressWords
- Zoe (LastsBeyond Life
/: of Individual)
I Synesthesia
-.2
I Breattr
I Aurono*i. /
Pnewtu
NervousSystemJ -r' \
Energy SupportPhysicalLife
Psyche

Oneinterpretation of Jesus'useof theterms'spirit' and'life',then,couldbethat

"spirit"indicates theneuralmechanism thatexpresses andrepresents the"word," and
"life"represents themechanism thatmanifests it.
I mentioned that,neurologically,
earlier language servesas a pointof
convergence or confluence forotherneural circuits.Thesecircuits mayextend
beyondthe sensoryrepresentations storedin thecerebral cortexto deepernervous
structures relatedto theautonomic nervous system.Minimally, language could
mobilize higherlevelstructures whichcouldin turnactivate thedeeperautonomic
structures. lf thisis indeed thecase,it becomes possibleto imagine howwordsmight
playa deeperrolethansimplyas a medium to sendsignals between people. For
example, if an individual is in theappropriate state,wordsmightindeedbe ableto
healbyfacilitating theconvergence of therightcombination of neuralstructures to
activate theselfhealing andregulating capabilitiesof theautonomic nervous system.
It shouldalsobe notedthatthesignals thatpassthrough thenervous systemdo
notdo so in a linear, mechanical fashion likeonebilliard billhittinganother or like
electricitypassing throughwires.In mechanical systems suchasthese,theinitial
impulse of energy thatactivatesthechainof responses in thesystem gradually
becomes weakeras it is diffused by mechanical chainsof events. Incontrast,every
nervecellin the nervous system generates itsownenergy. Thecell'fires'in response
to thesignals it receives.Theenergy produced bythecellis oftengreater thanthe
signalit hasreceived. Neuralnetworks canactually escalate or amplifytheintensity of
theinitialsignal.Inthisway,wordsmayindeedbe ableto 'givelife'or to 'heal'by
releasing energyin vastcircuits of of neurons.

Jesus- Page28
lll. Analysis of Jesus' AccessingCues.

Our modelingof Jesushasthusfar explored the clueshis languagehas leftus

abouthis modelof the world. NLP,however,has identified anotherset of cluesthat
can helpus gainadditional insightintoJesus'accomplishments and personality.
mentalprogramsneedthe helpof certainsubtle
In orderto functioneffectively,
bodilyand physiological processes called'accessingcues' in NLP(seeAppendix
A). One of the mostinfluentialand importantof theseaccessing cuesis eye position.
It hasoftenbeensaidthatthe 'theeyesarethe windowsto the soul.' In NLPthe eyes
are considered windowsintothe invisiblefunctioningof the nervoussystemas well.In
the modelof NLP,the positionof a person'seyesat timesof internal thoughtgivean
indicationof whichrepresentationalsystemthe personis using.Theseeye positions
alsohelpto directand strengthen thesesensoryprocesses.Forexample,upwardeye
movements indicateinternalvisualization;
eye movement to the leftor righthorizon
indicatelisteningfor or rememberingsounds;eye movements downandto the left
indicateinternalselftalk;andeye movements downandto the rightindicateaccessto
feelingstates.

Ucronltructed Ur.emqmbered

A88|l'"tff A['JllB?]P""d

Kinesthetic

NLP Eye MovementChart

In the previoussection,I mentionedthatJesusidentifiedhimselfmoststrongly

withthe visualrepresentational system.Thistendsto be confirmedby the factthat at
manykeytimesin his lifeJesusis reported to be looking up - the visualaccessing
positionin NLP.
For instance,whenhe was healinga deafperson,we are giventhe following
account:

"Andlooking up to heaven,he sighed, and saithunto him,

Ephphatha,that is, Be opened." Mark7:34

Jesus- Page29
 ThefactthatJesusis described as havingsighedis alsosignificant.In addition
lo its implicationswith reference
lo 'spirit',pneumaandpsyche,a deepbreathis an
accessingcue associated withthe activation of feelingsin the modelof NLp. The
indication of the abovedescription is thatJesuswasderivingan internalfeelingat the
sametime he was accessingthe internalvisualization. This woutdindicatea strong
visual-kinesthetic overlapor'synesthesia' in whichthe feelings(andthe stimulation of
the autonomicnervoussystem)werebeinglinkedto and strengthened by the imaging
(representations generated withinthe centralnervoussystem). lt is onlyafterhe looks
up (vi) and sighs1xi; tnatJesusis abteto givehisword(A6) ,power,.
In fact,the important
phenomenon of 'blessing'-in whicha verbalutteranceis
givenspiritualsignificance- seemsto be associated withthis samekindof V->K->A
synesthesia.Whenstandingbeforethe crowdof fivethousand,for instance,we are
toldthatJesus,"lookedup to heaven,and blessedand brakethe loaves,, (Mark6:41).
Againthe upwardeye movementprecedesthe verbaloutput.
At anothercriticalmoment, the raisingof Lazarus- the lastand mostsignificantof
Jesusworksof healing- it is reported:

"Thenthey took away the stonefrom the place wherethe dead was
laid. And Jesuslifted up his eyes,and said,Father,I thankthee that
thou hastheardme.,, John11:41

A significant indication
of thisdescription
is thatthiseye positionis an important
part of the way in whichJesusaccessedandcommunicated with "the Father."lf thisis
so, thiseye positionis obviously a verykeyelementof hisstrategyand an important
cluefor our understanding of him.
Eyepositionindicates the representationalsystema personis mosttunedin to at
a particulartime,and we are givennumerous descriptions thatJesusspecifically
movedhis eyesin an upwarddirectionduringimportanteventsin his life. In fact,
at
probablythe mostsignificant
decisionpointin his life,we againfindJesusaccessing
upwards.Just beforehe turnshimselfoverto the authoritiesfor arrestand crucifixion,
we are told:

"ThesewordsspakeJesus,andtifted up his eyesto heaven,and

said,Father,thehouris come;gtorifythy son,thatthy son alsomay
glorifythee:"John17:1

Jesus- Page30
 ThatJesuslookedup at thissignificant moment is a veryimportant indicator
of his
strategy, andperhaps givesus a clueasto howhewasableto holdontohisbeliefs
andgoalsso strongly. Thiswasthetimethat,forJesus,the"spirit" (pneuma) andthe
"flesh'(san)wereto seemingly comemostto a conflict of purposes.Hewaseitherto
proceed withhisvisionof the largerlite(zoe)or changecoursein orderto benefithis
ownpersonal existence (psyche).By movinghiseyesto thevisualaccessing position
he presumably mobilized thecommitment of neurology necessary to strengthenthe
connection to the higherlevelvisionandthebroader timeframewithinwhichhe was
to fulfillhismission.
It is interestingto notethatthissameeyeposition is reportedto havealso
accompanied the inspirationof Jesus'apostlesas well. Forinstance, atterhis
crucifixion, Jesusis reported to haveappeared to hisapostles to givethem
instructions. Whenhe is finishedwe aretoldlhal'\heylookedsteadfastly toward
heavenas he wentup" (Acts1:10).
Wearealsotoldthatthe martyrStephan, priorto beingstoned,maintained his
laithby utilizing thesameeyeposition.

'But he,beingfullof theHolyGhost,looked up steadfastly

into
heaven,andsawthegloryof God,andJesusstandingon the righthand
of God,"Acts7:55

fnthisdescription
the upwardeyeposition
occursat thesametimeas being"fult
of theHolyGhosL" Thiswouldseemto confirm thecloserelationship
betweenvision
andthe experienceof the "Spirit."

Jesus- Page31
lV. Jesus' Macro Strategy

Withthe information we havegatheredaboutJesus'microstrategy, we can

beginto defineand someof his higherlevelprocessesand createwaysto
operationalize them.
It seemsto me thatone of Jesus'majoroutcomesfor histeachingwas to provide
the visionand the strategynecessary to helppeopledevelopthe abilityto perceivethe
largersystemof whichtheyare a memberandto concentrate on and respondto more
distantgoalsrelatingto that systemas a whole- an abilitythat has manyusesin non-
religious as well as religious contexts.Gonsider structureimplied
the neuro-linguistic
the following statement. lt illustrates
and reviewssomeof the mostimportant elements
of the strategyI believeJesususedand soughtto transferto his followers.

"Andthenshallthey see the Son of man comingin a cloud with

power and great gloty.
"And whenthesethingsbegin to cometo pass,then look up, and
litt up your head; for your redemptionis nigh.
"Andhe spaketo them a parable;Behold the fig tree, and allthe
trees;Whentheynow shootforth,ye see and know of your own selves
that summeris now nighat hand.So likewiseye, whenye see these
thingscome to pass,knowye that the kingdomof God in nigh at hand.
"Veily lsay untoyou, Thisgenerationshallnot pass away,till all be
fulfilled.Heavenand earth shall passaway;but my words shall not
pass away.
"Andtake heed to yourselves,lestat any timeyour hearts be
overchargedwith surteiting,and drunkenness,and cares of this life, and
so that day come uponyou unawares."
Luke21:27-34

In this statement,Jesusfirstmakesverbalreference to the visualrepresentational

system,directingit to an imageof a dramaticfutureevent. Cenainly,this vision
becomesthe pivotalelementto whichthe restof the communication refers. lt is
interesting that he thentetlspeoplelo "lookup,and liftup your head."Accordingto
NLPthis wouldbe leadingthemto an internalvisualaccessing positionwhichwould
helpto reinforce and reaccess the visionhe is verballydescribing.
Jesusfollowsthis description witha parable.Jesusoftenusedparablesas a
verbaldeviceto accomplish the development of a metaphorical internalpicturethat
Jesus- Page32
illustratedthe deeperlevelprinciple he wastryingto convey.ln thiscasethe parable
relatesto the abilityto deriveevidencerelating to longterm,internally represented,
futureoutcomesfromobservations madeof the external environment in the present.
His statementthat, "Heavenand earthshall passaway;but my words shall not
pass away,"reiterates the importance of language, the dependence of the whole
strategyon the 'word"andthe broaderimplications ol 'logos'. He is clearlyplacingthe
highestvalueon words,implying thatthe processes and relationships definedthrough
thosewordsare morefundamental and pervasive thanthe physical content(i.e.,
'heavenand earth) thattheyencompass. Jesusis sayingthatthe physicalworldwill
changebutthe coreprinciples andvaluesthatsupportlifewillstayconstant.The
challengeis to continually adaptthesedeepprinciples to changingcontextsin a
changingsystem.
He thenwarnsof the possibility of conflictscomingfromthe contentof our
present,ongoingexperience("thislife")thatcan occurin the "heart"and interferewith
the awareness and accomplishment of the longertermgoalsand deeperprinciples
represented by the "word."
The overallstrategyimpliedherereflects the patternswe uncovered duringour
microanalysisof his language.lts functionis to aligna seriesof differentlogicallevels
of experience in which1) words(logos)embodya largerspiritual mind; 2) it is through
vision(horao)thatthe individual identityis ableto comprehend the largermindand
relateit to our personalexistence; 3) the heart(kardia)is the mechanism through
whichvisionis translated intothe specificbeliefsandvaluesthatguideone'sactions
and behaviors.
On a macrolevel,the structure of hisstrategy seemsto centeraroundthe
processof movinglrom visiontoactionthroughthe processes of languageand
emotion.
The organizational visionthat drivesthe strategycomesfrom"spirit"whichgives
one accessto generative experience beyondthe confinesof one'sindividual identity,
personalhistoryand immediate surroundings.
Thisis an important and powerful strategy.As the greatpsychologist and
philosopher WilliamJamespointedout:

"ln all ages the man whosedeterminationsare swayedby reference

to the mostdistantends hasbeenheldto possesthe highest
intelligence."(Principles ot Psychology, p. 15)

ln ordertobe "swayedby referenceto the mostdistantends"onemusthave1) a

Jesus- Page33
way of perceiving and buildinga representationof thoseends,2) an evidence
procedurefor determining progresstowardthoseendsand 3) the awareness,
and energyto keepafterthoseendsuntilthey are reached.In
flexibility,motivation
otherwords,one needsa wayto fix a futuregoal,detectprogresstowardthe goaland
a rangeof possiblemeansto achievethat goalin a changingworld.
The strengths of Jesus'strategic seemto me to be in the areas
thinkingabilities
of creativityand leadership- manifesting the expressionof deeperprinciplesand
valuesintodifferentspecificcontextsand situations.Thatis, of bringingthe detailsof
lifeintocongruence withfundamental higherlevelprinciplesfor living.Thisseemsto
be a strategythat Jesusperfected, butthatdoesnotcomenaturallyto most.

Jesus- Page34
V. Summary of Jesus' Cognitive Patterns

It wouldseemthatour neuro-linguistic excavation has leadus to discoveran

intriguingset of cognitiveand neurologicalpatternsthroughwhichJesusmay have
perceivedand interacted withthe externalworld. lt appearsto be a processin which
multiplelevelsof humanexperience are ableto be perceivedand organizedinto a
harmoniousstructurefromwhichcoordinated actionsin the worldcan be taken.
Our microanalysisof Jesus'languagepatternsand accessingcuesuncovered
an intenreaving of cognitive and neurological elementsin which;
1) certainformsof language(theword as Logos)serveas a pointof
convergence for neuralactivitywithinboththe centraland autonomic
nervoussystemwhichcan createa specialstate(Spiritor pneuma)that
makesit possible to perceive deepprinciples withina largersystem.
2) The language in combination withthe spiritual statereleasesuntapped
energyinherentin the system(Lifeor zoe).
3) Channeled via the appropriate accessing cues,thisenergyactsas a kindof
Light(phos)whichrevealsand represents the structureand implications
of
theseprinciples withinthe largersystem(likethe reference beamin a
hologram) througha specialkindof vision(horao).
4) Otherstructures withinthe autonomicnervoussystem(Heartor kardia'1
respondto thesedeeplevelvisionsenhancing and expanding the personal
emotional significance of the wordsand principles, mobilizing
the neurology
thatallowsoneto be ableto see(blepo)andconnectthesedeeperlevelsto
a moreconcretelevelof experience.
5) Breath(lifeas psyche)activates the flesh(sarx)in orderto embodyand
declare(eipon)ourdeeperexperience intothe concretesensoryworldof
images(eikon),touch(haptomar) and spokenwords(rhema).

Logos', pneuma-> zoe -> phos-> horao-> kardia-> blepo-> psyche-> eipon-> satx-> haptomai-> eikon-> rhema
Word '> Spirit -> Lile -> Light-> Visbn-> Heart-> sight -> breath-> declare-> flesh-> touch-> image-> words

In the modelof NLP,eachof theseelementscan be related(directlyor

metaphorically)to specificcognitiveand,moreimportantly, neurological processes
thatcan give us a wayto not onlybetterunderstand the mindof Jesusfromour
modernmodelsof the world,but alsoto incorporate usefulelements of those
processesintoour own experience.
We can summarize the basiccognitive elements of Jesus'processas a
sequencewhichverymuchresembles our initialapproximationof his strategy.Jesus
Jesus- Page35
"hears' lhe 'Word" whichaccessesor mobilizesan internalstateol "life"and "spirit".
This stateservesas an interfacefor the Wordwhichis transformed and organized(via
lhe 'Light") intovisualimageryin whichJesus"sees"the meaning.Thesesvisions
are connectedto his 'heart"whichtransforms whathe seesintofeelingsand
stimulateshim to respondwith his "body"and mouthto act accordingto the internal
visualmap and tell the "Word".
ln the language of NLP,we wouldinferthat informationis inputintoJesus'
neurology throughthe auditoryrepresentational systeminternally via an interface
consistingof a synesthesia processaccessedby a specialinternalfeelingstate.The
auditoryrepresentations are organized
visuallyandtransformed throughan output
interface,the heart.whichproduces the feelingsthatdrivehis physicaland ultimately
his verbalbehavior in the world.

Words(eOi)-r'spiritual'State(Synesthesia)
-->Vision(Vc)-t Heart1ri1->Actions(Ke)-r words(A,6e)

Evenat thissimplelevelof cognitive structure,ourmodelof Jesus'strategy has

important implications,whichbeginto become clearerif wecompare it withother
strategies. lt is important to keepin mind,forinstance, thatthesequence,
combinations andfunctions of therepresentational systems is a crucialelement of the
strategy.Forinstance, if thestrategy beganwithexternal visualinputinstead of 'the
Word'wewouldprobably havea resulting beliefstructurecloserto science than
religion,forthewholeprocess wouldbe basedon external visualobservation. In fact,
it seemsthatJesus'strategy is probably moresuitedanddesigned to dealwiththat
whichcannotbe externally seenor measured. Thisis probably whythe"word"is such
an important element of thestrategy.
Oneinteresting wayto viewthemajordivisions of humanendeavor is by
categorizing themas a function of thefundamental differences in thebasicstrategies
theyemployandrequire.
Mostof thesciences, as I indicated above,seemto be baseduponvisual
external input.Theoutputsystem of scienceis alsovisualexternal in thatthe'proof'of
itsbeliefsystemis provided by experimental demonstrations thatonecansee.
Religion andphilosophy, ontheotherhand,primarily inputlanguage, andtheiroutput
systemis alsolanguage. Theirgoalis to dealwiththefunction andpurpose of what
we seearoundus ratherthanitsstructure.
Incontrast to bothscience andreligion, mostarttendsto be an expression of
feeling- thatis,theybeginwithan internal feelingwhichis translated intoexpression
through oneof thevarious artisticmediums (V=painting, At=rnusic, A6=po€try,
Jesus- Page36
 Ke=dance,etc.),the purposeof whichis to createa similarfeelingin the observer.

Athletics,of course,beginswithexternalbodilyactions(Ke) and produces

externalbodilyactions.

I np u t . . . O u t p u t Field of Endeavor
ve...w Scie n ce
Ao...Ao Philosophy& Religion
xl...xi Art
Ke...Ke Ath le tics

WhileI am admittedly presenting onlya verysimplified viewof thesevarious

fields,the pointremainsthatwhatdistinguishes sciencefromart or religion,
and
religionfromart,etc.,is thattheyare differentwaysof thinkingand perceiving the
world. An artist,a scientistanda philosopher can experience the sameexternalevent
but perceiveit differently
becauseof the way it is processed throughthe strategiesor
'neuro-linguistic
programs' thatdefinetheirprofession.
At a deeperlevel,my beliefis that a largepartof Jesus'influencethroughhistory
comesfromthe factthatthe description of his tife,actionsand wordsunconsciously
embodiesa particularly powerfuland fundamental strategyfor perceivingand
operatingin the world- a strategythatcouldproducethe kindsof actsof healing,
religious experiences,and the Judeo-Christian valuesand culturethat havesprung
fromthe dissemination of the Gospels.In otherwords,the typeof strategylaidout in
the Gospelsis a description of a fundamental and unconscious neurological
program
thatallowsa personto perceive and respondto the worldon multiplelevels.The
strategyis an operational processthat can be appliedon an ongoingbasisby an
individual to produceactionsin the concreteworldthatare congruent to deeperlevel
valuesand beliefs.
In the nextsectionI wouldliketo demonstrate howJesus'strategycan be applied
to personaland pragmaticsituationsin our own livestoday.

Jesus- Page37
 JESUS' COGNITIVEPATTERNS
PART ll: IMPLEMENTING

One objectionthat mightbe raisedat this pointis thatthe analysiswe havemade

of Jesus'mentalprocessthusfar is essentially irrelevantto the meaningthatJesus
reportedmessagewas acluallytryingto convey.
Obviously, Jesus'teachings werenotintended to simplyspecifya cognitive strategy.
Theywere mostoftenmessagesdirectedat the higherlevelsof beliefs,values,identity
and spiritualissues.However, we are onlyableto manifest our knowledge and
representations of thesehigherlevelprocesses throughthe specificskillsand capabilities
we haveacquired.In a way,our internalcognitive strategiesare the linkingpin between
the spiritand the flesh.lf we knowwhatto do but don'tknowhowto do it we willjust
becomefrustrated.Understanding and wantingto do somethingis not enough. We need
specificmapsandstrategies to successfully
manifest the deeperlevelsof our experience.
One of the advantages of knowingaboutJesus'cognitive strategy, at the levelof
detailwe are ableto achievethroughNLP,is thatwe can beginto fill in missinglinksin
relationship
to howJesuswas ableto do thingson a largerlevel.lt allowsus to uncover
the basicbuildingblocksout of whichmeaningful behavioris manifested.The valueof
NLPis thatit chunksa processdownto a levelso that it maybe appliedpragmatically
and replicatedby the averageperson.Whenwe havethe smallerpieces,we can then
assemblethemto moreconsistently achievethe largerpieces.
With regardto this claim,and in contrastto the objectionraisedabove,other
readersmightfeelthatconceptslike"Light","Logos", "Life",etc.,aretoo
"Spirit",
abstractand distantfromany actualconcretelifeexperiences to be of any practical
value.The objectionmightbe raisedthatthe amountof detailwe are ableto derive
fromthe Gospelsis notspecificenoughto tellus exactly"howto"thinklikeJesusor to
applyhis cognitivepatternsto anythingpragmatic.
Certainlythe Gospelsprovideonlyverybroadhintsaboutan undoubtedly very
complexand sophisticated process.Thereare manymissinglinksto be filledin to
applythe structurewe haveuncovered to specificsituations.At the sametime,it is
important to keepin mindthatNLPbeginsfromthe assumption thatthe mapis notthe
territory.Evenif Jesuswerealivetodayandcouldbe interviewed in greatdetail,his
actualneurological processwouldstillbe unconscious, invisibleand so immensely
complexthat it wouldnot be possible to exhaustively describe.Furthermore, in terms
it is not evennecessarily
of transferability, desirablethat suchgenerativeprocessesbe
described in too muchdetail.In orderforthemto be adaptedto the manydifferent
possibletypesof situations and nervoussystemspossible for humanbeings,a certain
amountof flexibility
mustbe allowed.
Jesus- Page38
 The ultimatepurposeof modeling in NLPis to producea mapthatis richenough,
strustured enoughand flexibleenoughto be of practical valueto thosewho chooseto use
it. Onceyou haveidentified enoughof the keyelements of the microand macrostrategy
of yourmodel,you can startto fillin the missingpiecesby inference. In otherwords,if one
knowsthatone hasto go frompointA to pointB, onemayuseothertoolsto fillin thethe
pathwayto get there.Oncewe haveidentified the generalframeworkemployedby an
individual likeJesus,we canfill in missinglinksanddefinethe moremechanical aspects
of the process.Throughthe technology of NLPwe can piecetogetherstrategicdetails
derivedfromothersourceswithwhathasbeenuncovered in Jesusin orderto lill in the
blanksand createsomething that hasverypracticalapplications.
A thirdobjectionmaybe whetherthe kindsof mentalprocesseswe are
ascribingto Jesusare evenpossibleto acquireor transfer.lt couldbe contendedthat
the abilityto achievethe typesof states,formthe typesof synesthesias and createthe
typesof abstractvisualizations, especiallythosethat embodyhis spiritualexperience,
are completely uniquecapabilities or talentsthatare notpossiblefor the average
personto develop.
Obviously, therewillneverbe anotherbeingexactlylikeJesus.Therewere
manyinfluences at workto producehimas a specificphenomenon and special
individual.Ourgoalis notto makean exact"clone"of Jesuswhowouldproducethe
exactsamespecificactionsandwords,but ratherto extractkey elementsthatcan
significantly enhancethe livesand experience of ourselvesand otherpeople.The
beliefsystemof NLPis thatthe fundamental neurological
capabilitiesthatformthe
basisof Jesus'sstrategyare latentin everyhumanbeing.Andthatwhileone'sown
uniquelifeexperiences on the one hand,and physiological makeup on the other,
certainlyinfluence the limitto whichsuchabilities maybe developed, thesekindsof
skillscan be releasedin peopleof averageabilityin a waythatgreatlyenhances their
competenceand personalexperience.

Jesus- Page39
l. Operationalizingthe Integration of Long Term and Short Term Goals

In Jesus'macrostrategy, the wordis the trigger,the lightis the mapandthe spirit

is the forcethatallowhimto accomplish his mission.Yet,as withany organization of
elements, the chainis no stronger thanitsweakestlink.As I saidearlier,perceiving
and wantingsomething in not enough.We needtoolsand methodologies to achieve
themin the concreteworld.
certainly,in manyaspectsof lifeone encounters the conflictbetweengoalsthat
will benefitus in the longrunandthe painsand pleasures of our immediate sensory
experience.The 'flesh"(ourbody'sresponses) can be influencedby a varietyof
inputs.Whilethe payoffsof a longertermorientation are oftenquitelarge,the strategy
required to attainthemis notalwayseasy.Justthinkof howdifficult is for peopleto eat
healthily, exerciseconsistently, developgoodstudyhabits,concentrate on theirwork,
etc. Everyonehas no doubtexperienced the strugglebetweenluturegoalsand
immediate needsor desires.As Jesuspointedout:

"Watch and pray, thatye enternot into temptation:the spirit

indeedis willing,but the flesh is weak."Matthew26:41

Operationally speaking, Jesusis implying thateventhoughthe spirit(longterm

futuregoalsrelatedto the 'largermind'of the wholesystem)provides the guidance,its'
influence can be overridden by otherfactorsin the immediate environment relatingto
the levelof the 'flesh'(shorttermneedsrelatedto the individual 'psyche').To
effeclivelyaddressthiskindof conflictone needsspecific tools- whatwe mightcall
'toolsof the spirit'.Jesusseemsto suggestthatone methodfor keepingfocusedon
longterm goalsconsistsof usingthe visual("watch")and verbal("pray")
representational systemsto reinforce the internalstateof the "spirit".An exampleof
whatJesus'meansby "praying" is givenby his'Lord'sPrayet'(Matthew6:9-13):

'After thismannerthereforeprayye: Our Fatherwhichart in heaven,

Hallowedbe thy name. Thy kingdomcome. Thy will be done on earth,as
it is in heaven."

In the modelof NLP,a prayeris a kindof neuro-linguistic

program.lt is a
specifically
organized set of wordswhosepurposeis to stimulate and mobilize
neurology in a consistent
fashion.ln the termsof NLP,the neuralcircuitrymobilizedin
orderto represent the systemof elements definedby the verbalreferencesto a 'Father

Jesus- Page40
in heaven', a 'Hallowed name',a'comingkingdom' and'earthandheaven', createsa
confluence of representationsthatopenup a kindof neurological space.Thesewords
triggerrepresentationsthatareverybroadanddeepin termsof spaceandtime.The
factthatJesusfollowsthesewordswith,€ive us thisdayourdailybread,"suddenly
anchors theseveryhighlevelrepresentations to a muchmoreimmediate frameof
reference.
TheLord'sPrayer is anembodiment of oneof themostessential elements of
Jesus'macrostrategy: hisabilityto entertainmultipletimeframes- integratingthe
awareness of verylongtermprocesses withtheimmediate moment. I mentioned
earlierthatoncekeystrategic elements of goalor pathway aredefined, NLP
technology maybe usedto fill in missinglinksandcreatenewtoolsfor accomplishing
thosegoals.NLPhasdeveloped an extensive technology for managing and
coordinating manyissuesrelating to theperception of time.As an example,trythe
exercise described belowthatI developed withmycolleague ToddEpstein as a
meansto createa personal reference experience fortheintegration
of longtermsand
shorttermtimeperception.

Erercise: lntegratingTime Frames

1. Finda partner
andstandor sitfacingeachotherandwithinarmsreach.
2. Lookat theotherperson's faceandexperience yourself intheimmediate moment (i.e.
be completelyawareof whatyouareseeing, hearing, feeling,
tastingandsmelling
rightnow- uptime).
3. Whenyouareableto experience yourselffullypresent, reachoutyourrighthandand
touchthe shoulder of thepersonin frontof you.
4. Remove yourhand,closeyoureyes,takea deepbreathandturnaround.
5. Facingyourpartneragain,extendyourperception of timefromtheimmediate moment
to thetimeframeoftheprogram,
to thecontextof thisactivity, to thephaseof lifethat
youarein,to yourwholelife,to a timeframelarger thanyourwholelife,extending into
yourpastandfuture.
6. Whenyouareableto experience a senseof timeapproaching eternityor timelessness,
reachoutyourlefthandandtouchtheothershoulder of thepersonin frontof you.
7. Remove yourhand,closeyoureyes,takea deepbreathandturnaround.
8. Faceyourpartneragain.Lookintoeachotherseyesandtakea breathtogether at the
sametime,thenreachoutwithbotharmsandtouchbothof yourpartner's shoulders.

Thisprocess a process
employs called'anchoring'
in NLP,intheformof a touch
Jesus- Page41
on the shoulder.Theterm "anchoring"refersto the establishment of stabilizinglinks
betweenour experiences. Anchoring is a processthaton the surfaceis similarto the
'conditioning" technique usedby Pavlovto createa linkbetweenthe hearingof a bell
and salivationin dogs. By associating the soundof a bellwiththe act of givingfoodto
hisdogs,Pavlovfoundhe couldeventually just ringthe bellandthe dogswouldstart
salivating, eventhoughno foodwas given. !n the behaviorist's stimulus-response
conditioning formula,however, the stimulusis alwaysan environmental cue and the
responseis alwaysa specificbehavioral action.The association is considered
reflexiveand not a matterof choice.
In NLPthe processhas beenexpandedto includeotherlevelsthan
environmentand behavior.A remembered picturemaybecomean anchorfor a
particular internalfeeling,for instance.A touchon the leg maybecomean anchor
for a visualfantasyor evena belief.A voicetonemaybecomean anchorfor a
stateof excitement or confidence.A personmayconsciously chooseto establish
and retrigger theseassociations for himself.Ratherthanbeinga mindlessknee-
jerk reflex,an anchorbecomesa toolfor selfandinterpersonal empowerment.
In this exercise, anchorsfor longtermandimmediate timeperception are
established andthenactivated simultaneously to createa neurological statein
whichbothmodesof perception maybe experienced in an integrated fashion.

An NLP Interpretationof the Sign of the Cross

Incidentally,NLPtypeprocesses suchas anchoring and accessing cueshave

alreadybeenorganically incorporated as spiritualtoolsin manyreligiousrituals.
Consider the ageold Christiancustomof makingthe "signof the cross."The signof
the crossis customarily madeby Christians at the beginningand endingof prayeror
justpriorto importantor tryingevents.lt consists of touchingpartsof the bodywiththe
handin a motionthatoutlinesa cross- the forehead, the chest,the leftshoulderand
finallythe rightshoulder.Thegeneralinterpretation of the movement is thatit
symbolizesJesus'crucifixion. Yet,just likeJesus'own strategy, it may embodyseveral
levelsof processsimultaneously.
Fromthe pointof viewof NLPthe movementand the
touchof the handsbothguidethe movement of the eyesandtouchoff anchorslhat
serveas an unconscious reminder and rehearsalof a particular
mentalsequence.
Thewordsthataresaidalongwithmakingthe signof the crosstendto supportthis
hypothesis.The wordsgo, "ln the nameof the Father(touchforehead)and the Son
(touchchest)and the Holy(touchleftshoulder)Spirit(touchrightshoulder).
Amen.'
According to the modelof NLP,thesegestures wouldpromotethe activation
of
Jesus- Page42
two fundamental
synesthesias,stimulatethe sensorysystemsto be mobilized in order
to represent
eachof theseconcepts,andestablish the sequence in whichtheyare
it wouldindicatethatthe "Father"providesthe visionor the
connected.Specifically,
Lightgl;. fne 'Son"is the bodilymanifestation
of the Lightthroughthe heartandthe

flesh(Ke). The "HolySpirit"is thejoiningof internal

words(A6) and emotions(Kl)
that standin betweenthe Lightand its physicalexpression.

-The Light"[the big picture]

"Thekingdomof heaven"
"Father"

"The Word"
"Holy"

fo

2
ke
"Son"
"TheFlesh"
"TheHeart"

Whilethisis not necessarilya directexpression of Jesus'strategy, it doesfit in

withthe generalstrategyelementsthat havebeenemergingfromour study.The
"Fatherin heaven"seemsto be associated withthe internalvisionof the largersystem
of whichwe are a part,andthe "Sonof man"withthe earthly,kinesthetic manifestation
and expression of thatvision.Thefactthatthe movement connecting the "Father"and
the "Son"goesfromup to downis consistent withthe visual-to-kinesthetic overlap
identifiedearlier.Thatthe "HolySpirit"is indicatedby a movement fromthe verbalto
kinestheticpositionsis alsoconsistentwithauditory-to-kinesthetic statedescribed
earlier.The "HolySpirit"givesaccessto the wordand inspiresa specialfeelingstate.
On a cognitivelevel,'thesignof the cross'indicates the reinforcement of an
unconscious but explicitstrategyin whichlanguage(communication) and emotion
providethe mediating processes necessary to movefromvisionto action.On a
neurologicallevel,lhe signof the cross'impliesthe integration of the centraland
autonomic nervoussystems(headand heart),andthe leftand righthemispheres of
the brain(language and feeling).
Jesus- Page43
ll. Operationalizingthe Great Gommandments

Perhapsthe clearestand mostdirectstatementof Jesus'macrostrategyis

expressed
throughthe followingaccount:

"Andone of the scribescame,and havingheardthemreasoningtogether,and

perceivingthat he had answeredthem well,askedhim, Whichis the first
commandmentof all?
"AndJesusansweredhim, Thefirstof allthe commandments is,Hear O tsraet;
The Lord our God is One Lord:And thou shalttove the Lord thy God with all thy
heart, and withallthy soul, and withaltthy mind and withall thy strength:
fhtsts the firstcommandment.
'And the secondis like,namelythis,Thoushaltlove thy neighbor as
thyselt. Thereis noneothercommandment greaterthan these.,,
Mark 12:28-31

Fromthe NLPpointof view,the firstcommandment abovestatesthe principle of

congruence - thatall partsof the systemarealignedtowardsits highestpurpose.lf any
partof a systemis leftout,ignoredor suppressed the systemcannotfunctionfullyor
ecologically. The secondcommandment extendsthatprinciple beyondthe experience of
the individual to the othermembersof the system.Eachpartof the systemis perceived
andtreatedas if it wereas important and specialas any otherpartof the system.
Basically, whenJesuswaschallenged to answerwhatthe greatestCommandment
was,he shiftedto a higherlogicallevel.He did not nameone of the,"Thou shallnot..."
commandments. He did not namea specificrule,he described the deeperprocessby
whichsuchrulesare generated(he shiftedthe conversation lrom rhematotogos).
It is interesting to notethat,froma strategic perspective,thereis an inherentdifficulty
in the "Thoushaltnot..."formof commandment. Thiskindof linguistic
formulation would
be classified as a goalstatedas a'negation';a ruleaboutwhatnofto do as opposedto
whatto do. The problemwithsuchnegations is thattheyplantthe suggestion of whatyou
are notsupposed to do. lt is difficult,
if notimpossible, to makesenseout of the statement,
"Thoushaltnot imaginea personin a bikini,"withouthavingto engagein the activitythat
is beingforbidden to somedegree.I can remember beingratherconfusedby the dilemma
this posedas a boy.!n orderto knowwhatyouwerenotsupposed to do, you hadto think
of whatyou werenotsupposed to; butthe sinwasthe thinkingitl
Jesus'declaration is a description of whatto do." LoveyourGodwithall your heart,
yoursoul,yourmind,andyourstrength. And loveyourneighbor as yourself.
"

Jesus- Page44
 Onceyou are alignedandcongruent withinyourself- onceyou do in factlove
yourself- thenyou will be ableto trulylovepeoplearoundyou as you wouldyourself.But
if you are not alignedwithinyourself, if you aretornby conflicts and hateyourself, then
you probablywilltreatyourneighborexactlyas you treatyourself,with hatredand
incongruity.
Ukewiseif you onlyhaveinternalcongruence andalignrirent but are not ableto
understand and respectanotherperson'smodelof the world,you can abusethemand
notevennotice- you can 'trespass againstthem'.Thisseemsto be the kindof thingthat
happenedduringthe Crusadesandthe inquisition. Everybody was servingtheirGodwith
theirheartand souland mindand strength... and killingtheirneighbors.
Jesus'commandments are a statement of a verydeepphilosophy for lifethatgoes
beyondany particular religiousstructure.lt is rathera description of a strategy for
approaching life- a strategyfor insuringthatthe entirespaceof humanexperienceis
broughtintothe consideration of anydecision.I can remember beingstruckby the
wisdomof thesewordsevenas a child. Yet,the questionthat I alwayshad was "HoW
specifically,doesonego aboutlovingone'sGodwithone'sheart,soul,mindand
strength?" And "How,exactly, doesone loveone'sneighbor as oneself?"lt is herethat
NLP can providesomevery powerfulinsightsand tools.
Throughout this monograph we havereferred to the differentlevelsthat makeup our
humanexperience. The multi-levelmodelprovidesa verypowerful framework for
systematically operationalizing the strategyimpliedby Jesus'commandments.
Our identityis likethetrunkof a tree- it is the coreof ourbeing.Thetrunkof a tree
unfoldsorganically from a seedby growinga supportnetworkof unseenrootsthat reach
deeplyintothe groundto providestrength and nourishment. lt hasanothernetworkof
"roots"that reachintothe lightandair to providenourishment of a differentkind. The roots
and branchesof a treebothshapeandare shapedby the ecologyin whichtheyexist.
Similarlyour identitiesare suppoiledby internal,invisible"roots"in the form of neural
networkswhichprocessour perception of our personalvalues,beliefsand capabilities as
well as physicalbeingand environment.Externally, identityis expressedthroughour
participation in the largersystemsin whichwe participate: our family,professional
relationships, community andthe globalsystemof whichwe are a member.Phenomena
suchas "healing,"'Joy,""compassion," "commitment" and "love"are "fruits"of lhe spiritas
manifested throughour identityand are expressed andstrengthened through
development, enrichment and growthof thesetwo systemsof "roots"- the unseensystem
of our neurology whichgrowsin the soilof our bodies,andthe leavesand branchesof the
largerfamily,communityand globalnetworksof whichwe are a part.

Jesus- Page45
 Global System

Community
Systemof Limbs,branches Light (Phos)
and leavesconnectingto the Profession
largersystemsof whichone is a part.
Ai (Pneuma)
Family

'Fruits'ofthe spirit=
love,compassion,
healing,joy, peace.
ldentity

Beliefs/Values
Systemof innerroots
connectingto the strength Breath (Psyche)
andnourishment of the Capabilities
bodyand Tlesh'.
Hearl (Kardia)
Behavior

Environment

I canremember holding eachof mytwochildren forthefirsttimein thefirstmoments

aftertheirbirth.Ratherthanbeing'blankslates'thatwereto be mechanically shapedby
reflexive reactionsto theirenvironment. lt wasclearlo methattheyalreadypossessed a
complete identity
- theyweretheirownspecial andunique embodiment of spirit.lt
seemed to methattheirjourney through lifewouldbesearch for howmanywaysthey
couldrelease theirspecialness andthatspiritoutintothesystems of whichtheywere
participants throughbuilding different levelsof linksthrough theirenvironment viatheir
beliefs,capabilities andactions. lt couldbethrough music, through language, dance,
healing, playing or anyof an infinite number of possibilities.
Thekeywouldbe how
strongly andrichlytheywereableto growtheirsystems of rootsandbranches.
Jesus'first commandment seemsto be outlining thestrategy to alignyourself
towards yourhighest purpose
spiritual (yourGod),through yourbeliefs andvalues(your
heart), yoursenseof selfor identity (yoursoul),yourcapabilities (yourmind)andyour
behavior (yourstrength). Thishasto do withdeveloping ourinnernetwork of 'roots'.Once
thisis done,we arefreeto 'loveourneighbors'through growing an everincreasing
network of limbs,branches andleaves- starting withthe peopleclosestto us we extend
oursenseof wholeness, compassion andlovethrough vasterandvastersystems of
people, creatures andeventually allof theglobalor universal system thatwe areableto
comprehend.

Jesus- Page46
A. Allgning Neuro-LogicalLevels: lmplementingthe First Commandment

By synthesizingthe conceptof thesedifferentlogicallevelswiththe micro-analysis

we madeearlierof Jesus'languageand accessingcues,we are providedwith a powerful
roadmapfor aligningheaft,soul,mindandstrength. ln the modelof NLP,eachof these
differentlevelsis embodiedthroughsuccessively deeperand broaderorganizations of
neuralcircuitry.As one movesfromthe simpleperception of the environmentto the
activationof behaviorwithinthatenvironment,morecommitment of neurologymustbe
mobilized. Capabilities
callintoplaylongertermplansand mapsand requirethe
involvement of evendeeperlevelsof neurology. Beliefsand valuesare represented and
manifested throughthe mobilizationof neurotogy
that callsintoplaystructuresas deepas
the autonomic nervoussystem(suchas the heart).ldentityinvolves thetotalcommitment
of our nervoussystem.Spiritualexperiences involvethe resonancebetweenour own
mindand nervoussystemwiththe largersystemsof whichwe are a part.

Logos Word Ad
LargerSystem
pneuma Spirit Hologram
Ki
phos Light vi
zoe Synesthesia
Life Ki
horao Vision VC
Beliefs& Values Autonomic
kardia YourHeart Heart Ki NervousSystem
eipon declare ai9
o
blepo sight vie
psyche breath Kie Central
laleo NervousSystem
speak AE
sarx flesh KE
haptomai touch KE
eikon image Peripheral
VE
NervousSystem
rhema word A:

Jesus- Page47
 ThroughNLPmethodsit is possible to systematicallyaccessandconnect
experiences and neuralprocesses associatedwitheachof thesedifferentlevels.Using
the cognitivepatternswe haveuncoveredas a strategicguide,and the neuro-logical
levelsspecifiedby NLPas an interactiveguide,l havedeveloped a processthrough
whicha personcan bringall levelsof themselves intoalignment.The processuses
spatialanchoringand accessingcuesto activateand integratethesedifferentlevelsof
experience.lt has provedto be a verypowerfulexperience and an tool for peopleto
addressissuesrangingfrompersonal to learning,
conflicts, to health.

Transcript: Demonstrationof the Logical Level Alignment Process

RBD:I wouldliketo demonstrate the logicallevelalignmentprocesswithW. Thefirststep

is to physically levels;onefor environment,
layoutsix spacesfor eachof the different
behavior, beliefsandvalues,identityand spiritual.Youcan placethem
capabilities,
rightnextto eachother.

W: OK. I'vedonethat.

RBD:And whatI'mgoingto askyouto do first,W is to standin the environment

spaceand
in whichyou wouldliketo be morepersonally
thinkaboutthe environment aligned.

W: Well,I'ma trainer,and I wouldlikebe morealignedin trainingsituations.

RBD:I agreewithyouthatit is veryimportant

to be congruent andalignedas a teacher.
Canyou describesomeof the environments thatyou are in as a trainer?The
questionbeing,"Whereand whenyou do training?"Describesomespecifictimesand
placesthatyou do yourtrainings,

W: Usuallya room,likethisone,sometimesa littlebit smaller.A numberof people-

betweenfifteenandthirtyfive. Sometimes
in the middleof the week,sometimes at the
weekend.And,on a largerlevel,the whereis in Berlin,in WestGermany.

RBD:O.K.Verygood. (ToAudience)NoticehowW. describedthesein a verymatterof

factway - whichis veryappropriate for environmental
leveldescriptions.
Your
environmentis simplywhatyou seeand heararoundyou. Peopleare oftentempted
to makejudgments or interpretations
abouttheirenvironmentsas opposedto describe
Jesus- Page48
 justwhattheysee and hear.lf someone said,"l workin a hostileenvironment," that
wouldbe a judgmentabouttheirenvironment. Forthis process,at this level,it is
importantto describeonlywhatyou senseexternally, as W.did.
CfoW.) Now,I'd liketo haveyou stepintothe behaviorspaceand describethe kindsof
thingsthatyou do whenyou aretrainingin thoseplacesandat thosetimes. The
questionis, nVhatdo you do in thosewheresandwhens?"Whatare the actionsand
behaviorsthatyou engagein, in thosetimesand places?

W: Sometimes I sit;sometimes I'mstanding; sometimes I'mwalkingaround.Sometimes

I'm presenting, sometimesI'm demonstrating, sometimesI'mjust watchingwhat's
goingon if it's a largegroup.ln a littlegroupI'mtryingto supportthemby asking
questions and sayingthingsto them.l'm oftenwalkingaround.Goingto the flipchart,
writingthingsdown. Listening, hearing, tryingto makesenseout of whatpeopleare
sayingand doing,and responding.

RBD:Good.(ToAudience) Again,noticehowW. is simplydescribing a set of behaviors

-
not makinginterpretations. lf he hadsaid,"l behavewellor poorly," thesewouldbe
judgmentsaboutbehaviors.Forthisexercise, at this level,'behaviors'
wouldbe
actionsthat a videocamerawouldbe ableto recordif it was in the environment.
Videocamerasdon'tjudgeor interpret, theyjust record.
Oo W.) Now I'd likeyou to stepintothe capabilitiesspace. And the questionhereis,
"Whatis the know-how or the mentalstrategies andskillsyou needin orderto sit,
stand,walkaround,listen,writeon the flipchaftand respondas you aretrainingin
thoseroomsin Berlin?"In otherwords,"Howareyou ableto do those'whats'in those
'wheres'and 'whens'?

W: Well,I use my capability

to structurethingsand to structure
information. I usethe
to makesenseof whatI see,hearandfeel. I use my knowledge
capability of
designto put that structureintowords,actionand behavior.I usemy
instructional
capabilityalsoin a morebroadrangeto structureovertime,and I use my capabilityto
go intothe perceptualpositionof the groupmembersand see thingsfromtheir
perspective.And,notas oftenas I wouldlike,I use my abilityto go to 'third'position,
seeingthe relationshipbetweenmyselfandthe others. I alsouse my capabilityto
makepicturesof whatI'mgoingto do.

RBD:O.K. |Io audience)

NoticehowW.'sphysiology
changesas he stepsintoeachnew
space.The amountof gesturesand movementsincreases.
He literally
involvesmore
Jesus- Page49
 of himself,moreof his neurology, at eachlevel.In the environment spacehe hardly
movedat all. In the behaviorspacehe beganto gesturewith his armsand move
arounda little.In the capability
space,you couldsee hiseyesmovingand searching
aroundmoreas he accessed hisskillsand abilities.Alsoas he describesthe different
levels,thereis a changein histoneof voice.He speaksa bit moredeeplyand slowly.
The kindsof wordshe useschanges. Theyindicatemorebroadreachingand
personalprocesses.
CfoW.) Now,I'd liketo haveyou stepintothe betiefspace.The questionhereis, "Whydo
you use thoseparticularcapabilities to act in thosewaysin thoseenvironments?"
Whydo youchoseto useyourabilities to structure,to putthingsintowords,to lookat
thingsfromotherperceptual positions andpicturewhatyou are goingto do? What
sortof beliefsandvaluesleadyouto usethatknow-how andtakethoseactionsin
thosetimesand places?

W: Well,I'mbelieving in respect,
respectfor otherpeople.Respecting the waytheyare
livingtheirown lives.I'mbelieving in havinggoodrelationships. I'mbelievingin
supportfor otherpeopleand myself,in orderto enrichwhatwe can do here. I'm
believing in love. And I believeit'sgoodto havea lotof skillsto do things.

RBD: So you valuerespect,relationships,

support,skilland love.Canyou say anything
aboutwhy you'vechosento manifest thosevaluesthroughtrainingin particular?

W: Well,I wasthinkingaboutthatthe otherday,andthe answerI haveat the momentis

justthat I loveto do it.

RBD: That'sas gooda beliefas any. ffo audience)The questionwe are exploringhere
is "Whatbeliefsdo you haveaboutyourself, aboutpeople,and aboutdoingwhatyou
do?" Whatbeliefsguideyou? NoticehowW.svoicebecameevenmoredeep. lt is
almostas if you hearevenmoreof himspeaking. He is speakingfromhis heart.
(FoW.) I'd liketo haveyou stepintothe identityspaceand answerthe question"Who
am I that,in my heart,I wouldrespectthe livesof others,wantgoodrelationships,
supportpeople,valuelotsof skillsand believein love?""Whoam I that I woulduse my
mindto structure,
to putthingsintowords,to takemultiple perspectivesand visualize
the future?""Whoam I thatI havedeveloped the strengthsto demonstrate,
to sit,
stand,walkaround,listen,writeon a flipchartand respondto peoplein thoserooms
duringthe weekand on the weekends on thatpartof thisplanetpeoplecall
Germany?""Whoam I as a trainer?"Whatkindof a trainerareyou? Whatkindof a
Jesus - Page50
 personare you? Whatkindof 'soul'areyou?

W: (Pause)lt'sdifficult.

RBD:Yesit is difficultto searchyoursoulandevenmoredifficultto shareyoursoul.What

are you willingto say aboutyourself?Evenif it's notthe rightanswer?Try usinga
rnetaphoror an analogy.

W: (Pause)Well,one metaphor wouldbe thatI am likea dropin the oceanand kindof

goingwiththe flow. Anothermetaphorwouldbe thatI am likea lighthouse...tt
has
something
to do withtight.

RBD: So,you are likewaterandyouarea channelforlight.

I'd liketo haveyou takefinala stepbeyondbeinga lighthouse,beyondbeinga drop
in the ocean,intoa spacethattranscends yourself- intoa spiritual
space. Raiseyour
headand youreyesso you are lookingup and imagineyou couldsee beyondyour
own lifeandyourownidentityfor a moment.Whatis yourpurpose?Whatareyou
servingin thisidentityas a lighthouse?Whatdoesit meanto be a dropof waterin the
flow of life? A lighthousefor what? A dropin whatkindof ocean?Whatis yourvision
and missionas atrainer?The questionhereis 'Whatis the visionthat I'm pursuingor
representing as a lighthouse,as the dropin the ocean,as a trainerthatvalues
respect,support,skilland love;and who structures and verbalizesand takesdifferent
perspectives and visualizesin his mind;andwho sitsandwalksand listensandtalks
and respondswith his bodyto groupsof fifteento thirtyfive peoplein thoseroomsin
Berlin?"

W: (Longpause)lt hassomething
to do withlove,but I don'tknowhowto put it into
words.

RBD:Takeyourtime. Thesewordsare impodantwords;perhapsevensacredwords.

what is important hereis to nottalkaboutit, but ratherto talk"it". Letyourselfbe in the
presenceof this"largermind".Thewordsdon'tevenhaveto be 'your'words.
Letthem
emergeor flowfromyourneurology. Justdescribe what'sgoingon as you experience
it. Maybeit'sjust colors,maybeit'sjustfeelings.

W: (Pause)I'mexperiencing thateverything is perfect;that

nothingneedsto be changed.
It's likelightgoingall over.Thereare lot'sof paradoxes...like
it is timeless...and
yet
Jesus- Page51
 timeis llowing,all at once.

RBD: (ToAudience)This is obviouslya verypowerfullevelof experience for W. Just

noticehow muchhis breathinghas changed.Theseare experiences that we don't
oftenopenourselves up to - exceptperhapswhenwe are neardeathor someonewe
loveis neardeath.And yetthe spacefor themis alwaystherein our neurology. We get
so caughtup in the immediacy of 'conducting'our livesthatwe forgetlifeis alsofullof
light;thatlifeis perfectbutat the sametimefullof paradoxes, thatit is timeless, but
timeis flowing,bothat the sametime. Eachof us hasprobablyhadexperiences such
as this,but find it hardto holdon to themor perceivetheirrelevancein 'day-to-day
living'.Yet,this is the levelof experience thatgives'day-to-day' experience meaning
and purpose.I believeit is possible to bringthiskindof awareness intoour daily
experience.
Oo W.) W, whatI'd liketo askyouto do is to takea momentandjust fullybe in this
stateof light,of paradoxof timelessness and love. Honorit, holdit, anchorit. Andthen
stepintoyouridentityspaceandbringit withyou. That'sright,physically movebackto
youridentityspaceand bringthisvisionandthosewordswithyou. Keepyoureyes
raised,takea fullbreathandjust noticehowit enriches yourexperience of who you
are. lf you wish,you can restateor addto yourdescription, yourmetaphors, of who
you are as a trainer,as person,as a soul.

W: I canfeelit but,it'shardfor me to putintowords.lt'slikeaddinga kindof excitement

to it all,andthe awareness of beingpartof something bigger.

RBD: So you'renotjusta dropin the ocean,there'san awareness thatyou are an

embodiment of thatocean.You'renotjusta lighthouse,there'san awareness that
you are partof that light,that largersystem,that largermind. Andthere'sa feelingof
excitementthatemergesout of thosewordsandthatvisionwhenyou bringtheminto
you.

gratitude.Andat thatsametime,it's
W: lt'salsoa senseof beingthankful...experiencing
gettingmuchmoreenergy.

RBD: Thatvisionandthosewordscan mobilize

yourneurology
in a powerfulway.They
can bringit alive,fillit withspirit.
l'd now liketo askyouto takethatsenseof energyandthankfulness; of beingan
important partof thatvastoceanandthatlight;of beingtimelessandyet in time,and
Jesus- Page52
 physicallymovebackintoyourbeliefspace. Keepingyoureyesup and your
breathingfulland deep,bringthe senseof visionandyourmissionintoyourheart.
Howare your beliefsandvaluessolidifiedor enriched?Wouldany newbeliefs
emergefromyourheart?

feelthe beliefthatwe areall one. Thereis

W: Well,on one level,I am ableto concretely
alsothe the beliefthatgrowingis good,withoutneedinganyfurtherpurposethanto
grow.lt can havea purpose,butthereis a sensethatgrowingis goodevenwithout
havingany purpose. That'sonething.Andthereis alsoa realizationthat I am
supposedto be herein thistime.ThatI can relaxand enjoyit and appreciateit,
wonderafterwonder.

RBD: I'd liketo nowaskyouto takethatsenseof light,of love,of the paradoxes of life,of
timelessness andtimeliness, of beingpartof the lightandpartof the vastocean;of
believing in respect,supporl,skillandlove;of feelingthatwe are all one,thatgrowing
is goodevenif it servesno purposethat we can perceiveandthat you belonghere
and can appreciate the wondersaroundyou;and I'd likeyou takeall of thatintoyour
capabilities space. Raiseyoureyesand as you takea full breathconnectyourvision,
yourmission, yourspiritandyourheartto yourmind.Realizethatyourskillsand
capabilities are a reflection
and expression of thosebeliefsand values,of your identity
and soul,and of yourvisionand mission.Yourmindis the way in whichyou manifest
thesedeepstructures. As you fullysenseall of theselevelsof yourself,howdoesit
solidifyor enrichyourperception you havefor manifesting
of the capabilities your
values,beliefs,identifyandvision?

W: I havemoreof a capability of beingin firstposition

- of respecting my ownpointof
view. Also,it'seasyto seeotherpointsof viewandtakewiderandwiderperspectives.
It'seasierto understand othermapsof the world,otherwaysof being,of living...this
soundsa bit funnyto say,but eveneasyto understand trees,plantsand otherformsof
life. And it'seasierto 'let it flow'withouthavingtimeconstraints, or whateverthe word
is - fewer'boundaries'. I wouldhavemoreof the capability of flowingand alsogiving
directionto the flow.

RBD: Now l'd liketo haveyou standin the behaviorspaceand re-experience those
specificactionsthatyoutake; teaching, goingto the blackboard,
talking,listening,
looking,responding.Takethistotalsenseof yourcapabilities,beliefs,identityand
spiritintothosebehaviors.Liftyoureyes,takea deepbreathand connectyour
Jesus- Page53
 strengthsas a trainerto yourmindandto yourheanandto yourmissionand to your
vision. How mightyou experience theseactivities Howwouldhavingthis
differently?
hologramof yourtotalbeingenrichtheseveryspecific, concreteactionsthatyou take?
Perhapsit changesthe qualityof whatyoudo.

W: Well,it changesa lot. The metaphor I havefor allthechangesis thatit wouldbe more
likea dance.For example, if I wouldgo to the flipchail,it wouldbe morelikedancing
and beingawareof all that'sgoingon aroundme,of whatI'mdoing,and hearingand
listeningand beingthere. lf I wouldexplainsomething, I wouldhavethe'why' of
doingit. And thereare manymorepictures.I couldadd all of the words. lt's kindof
likehearingmusicwhileI'mdoingthings.

RBD:Finally,t'd liketo haveyou movebackintothe environment space,backto those

specificwheresandwhens;thelittlegroups,the littlerooms,the big rooms,fitteento
thirtyfivepeople.Lookup,takea fulldeepbreathandalignyourhighestspiritual
purposewithyouridentity, yourheartandyourmindwithyourstrengths in this
environment. Howwouldyou re-perceive, and restateyour senseof
re-experience
yourenvironment if you broughtthislight,the paradoxes,the senseof timelessness
but alsothe flowof time,yoursenseof beinga lighthouse anda partof a vastocean,
yourbeliefthatgrowthis goodin andof itself,yourrealization thatyou belong,thatyou
can appreciatelife wonderafterwonder.Yourvaluingof respect,support,skilland
love.Takeyourabilityto understand othei mapsand takea widerview,to havefewer
boundariesand directthe flowof yourexperience. Alsobringthe dancethe pictures,
the words,lhemusic.Noticehowyourexperience of yourenvironment changesand
enriches.

W: The bestway I can answerthatis its prettymuchthe sameenvironment but I would

perceiveit reallydilferently. As if it is filledwithlight,or moremusic.Andone
differenceI experience is it wouldbe muchlessof doinga job. The wordwhich
comesto my mindis that it wouldbe a specialplace- a sacredplace- eventhoughit
is the sameroom,placeandcity.

RBD:So, eventhoughthe placesandthe peopleandthe timesstaythe same,you'dbe

ableto perceive
the lightthatfillsthemandthe vastoceanthatflowsthroughthem.
Theseroomsin Berlinwouldbecomea sacredplace.Theyare not onlya placefor
respect,suppott,skilland love,theyare placesof widerperspectives,
of wonderafter
wonderwheredifferentmapsare understood andwheregrowthis valuedwhetherit
Jesus- Page54
 has an obviouspurposeor not.Therearethe roomsandthe flipcharts,but atsothe
paradoxes.Theyare placeswherechangeis takingplacebut wherenothingneedsto
be changed.lt takesplacein timebutit alsotimeless. lt is a sacredspacewhereyou
belongand whereconstraints and boundaries are transcended.lt is a placeof vision
and beliefand wonderwhereyou cando yourjob andto manifest yourhighest
spiritualpurpose.lt is a placefor sittingandwalkingaroundandtalkingand
demonstrating and listeningand responding, but it is alsoa placefor for musicand
dancingand gratitude.

W: lt is beautiful.

RBD:And perhapsthatbeautydoesnotevenhaveto be limitedto thoseroomsin Berlin

whereyou do yourtraining.Perhapsthe lightandthe oceanfillthe whoteworld,and
our wholeplanetis a sacredplacefor vision,for respect,
for growth,for dancing,for
music,for the transcendenceof boundaries, for love.you only
for widerperspectives,
needto liftyoureyesandtakea deepbreathto see it.

W: I thinkit can be.Thankyou.

I liketo thinkthatW.'sexperience providesa glimpseof howJesusmusthave

experienced the worldin an ongoingway:a sacredspace,filledwith light.Flowingin time
but alsotimeless. Transcending boundaries throughsupport,skill,widerperspectives and
love.
The levelalignment processis a wayto mobilize
verydeeplevelsof neurology, and
then,througha processof successive approximations,
releaseit intoa specificsituation.I
myselfusethisprocessallthe timein orderto preparefor seminars and othercontextsin
whichI wantto havefullaccessto all levelsof myself.Thefollowing is a summaryof the
stepsof the process.

Summary of the Logicat Level Alignment process

1. Physically
layout one spacefor eachof the six logicallevels.

| 'd*- I F-ry I l--'*"*l f;-"-*lF*;l f.^,'"^**l

2. Standin the "Environment"
spaceandanswerthe question:
"Whenand wheredo t
wantto be morealigned?"
3. Standin the "Behaviot''
spaceandanswerthe question:
"Whatdo I needto do when
Jesus- Page55
 am in thosetimesand places?""Whatstrengthsdo I have?" ,'
4. Standin the "Capabilities" spaceandanswerthe questions: "Howdo I needto use my
mindto carryout thosebehaviors?"'Whatcapabilities do I haveor needin orderto do ;
thoseactionsin thosetimesand places?"
5. Standin the "BeliefsA/alues" spaceand answerthe questions: "Whydo I wantto use
thoseparticular capabilities to accomplish thoseactivities?""Whatvaluesare
importantto me when I am involvedin thoseactivities?"'What beliefsdo I haveor
needto guideme in my heartwhenI am doingthem?"
6. Standin the "ldentity"spaceand answerthe questions: "Whoam I if I havethosebeliefs I
and valuesand usethosecapabilities to accomplish thosebehaviors in that
environment.?" 'Whatkindof soularethosebeliefs,values,capabilities and behaviors ,
an expression of?""Whatis a metaphorfor my mission?"
7. Standin the "spiritual"spaceand answerthe questions:"Whoand whatelse is that :
personwho hasthat identityserving?" "Whatis the visionbeyondme that I am
participatingin?"
8.An ch o r th es tatethaty ouenter e d in t o in t h e s p ir it u a ls p a c e . T a k e t h a t p h ysi o |o g ya n d
innerexperience and stepbackintothe identityspaceso you experience bothat the
sametime.Noticehowit enhances or enriches yourinitialrepresentation of the identity i
experience.
i
9. Takeyou experience of bothyourvisionandyouridentityand bringthemintoyour i
beliefspace.Againnoticehowit enhances or enrichesyourinitialrepresentation of
yourbeliefsand values.
10. BringYourvision,identity, beliefsand valuesintothe capabilities space.Experience
howthey strengthen, changeor enrichthe capabilities you experience withinyoursetf. t,
11.Bringyourvision,identity, beliefs,valuesand capabilities intothe behaviorspace.
Noticehow eventhe mostinsignificant seemingbehaviors are reflections and
i
manifestations of all of the higherlevelswithinyou.
12. Bringall levelsof yourselfintothe environment spaceand experience how it is :
transformed and enriched.
I

Theprocess witha partner,

is bestdonein conjunction or'Guardian Anget,'
who i
servesas a kindof witnessto yourwords.The'Guardian Angel'helpsto keepyouon I
trackby askingthequestions 'backtracking'
andcontinually or reviewingwhatyouhave
saidat eachof thelevels(itsometimeshelpsto writedownkeywordsandphrases).

Jesus- Page56
B. Logical Level Co-AlignmentProcess

Jesusmadethe statementthat, "Forwheretwo or threeare gatheredtogetherin my

name,theream I in the midstof them" (Matthew18:20).The implication of this is thatthe
aligningtwo or morehearts,souls,mindsandsetsof strengths togetherwithinthe
frameworkof a sharedvisioncan createsomething thatis greaterthanthe sum of the
partson a higherlevel.According to the Gospelof Thomas:

Jesus said to them, "Whenyou make the two one, and whenyou make
the inside like the outsideand the outsidelike the inside,and the above
like the below and whenyou make the male and the femaleone and the
same,so that the malenot be male nor the femalefemale;and whenyou
fashioneyes in place of an eye, and a handin place of a hand,and a foot
in place of a foot,and a likenessin placeof a likeness;thenwillyou enter
[the Kngdoml." Thomas(22)

The logicallevelalignmentprocessmay be broadened to allowyou to co-align

yourselfwithothers.
As an example,I usedthisprocesstogetherwithmy wife,Anita,as a preparation
for childbirth.Ratherthansimplybe a breathing coach,thisprocessallowedme to
otferher supporton manydifferent levels.
We startedby sharingour perceptions of the environments in whichthe birth
wouldtake place:our homeandthe birthingroomat the hospital.We visitedthe
hospitalso we couldidentifyspecificexternal cuesanddetails.
Thenwe definedto one anotherhowwe wantedto be ableto act in those
environments.Anitaverbalized and demonstrated how she wantedvariouspartsof
her bodyto be relaxedand activeduringthe different partsof the laborprocess;how
she wantedher breathingto be and howshe wantedto act towardothers.I in turn
describedanddemonstrated the toneof voiceI wantedto usewhenI talkedto her,
the qualitiesof movement I wouldhavein touchingherandthe kindof flexibility of
behaviorI wantedto havein orderto respondappropriately to changesor
uncertainties in the hospitalenvironment andthe medicalstaff.
We thendescribed to eachotherthe skillsandcapabilities we wouldneedto act
the wayswe haddefinedin the birthingenvironment. Anitabroughtup the importance
of the abilityto remember keythingsevenunderdifficult experiences, herabilityto
concentrate and focus,to handlepainin di{ferentwaysand her abilityto be awareof
her body. I wantedmy abilitiesto communicate, to respondcreatively,to be acutely
Jesus- Page57
awareof her physiology and to recognize and managemultipleperspectives. i
Next,we sharedto eachotherbeliefsandvaluesthatwe wouldneedin orderto
be ableto activatethosecapabilities and producethosebehaviors in the i
environments we haddefined.Sheidentified the beliefsthatshe couldtrustherbody;
thatthe experienceof laborwouldunfoldin the mostappropriate way;that even
thoughshe couldnot controlwhatwas happening, therewas a benevolent outside
forceat work; thatshe hadmanychoicesabouthowto respond;thatshecouldtrust
thosethatweresupporting her;andthatshewas bringinga newlifeintothe worldthat
she wo u | d |ov e.| s haredmy bel i e f t h a t we h a d o p e r a t e d we l| a s a t e a m m a n yti m e s
before;thatif I was ableto approachthe situationwitha pureintentionthat any
guidanceI wouldneedwouldcometo me;thatI hadmanyskillsthatwouldbe thereto
supportme as unconscious competences. We alsosharedour valuesof respect,of
makinguse of all the choicesavailable to us andof love. ,
Afterthis,we sharedour perceptions of whowe wouldbe if we wereableto
manifestour beliefsand valuesthroughour capabilities intothe birthenvironment.
Anitaperceived herselfas a kindof nautilusshell,spiraling openontothe world.I
perceived myselfas a kindof lightshiningout intothe roomto keepeverything clear
and in focus.
At the spirituallevel,Anitaenvisioned of shellswithinshellswithin
a universe
shells;eachone becomingsuccessively larger.Shesaw herselfas one of the shells i
in thisvastchain. I saw myselfas a kindmagnatein a largersystemof many
magnates, eacheffecting linesof forceemanating
eachotherthroughthe invisible
fromthem.In thisvisionthe positionof oneof the magnates couldeffectthe alignment
an d o r d e ro fa l l oftheothers .Thef u n c t io n wa S t o c o n t in u a | | y a d ju s t t o k e e p th e
balanceand harmonyof the forces.
We exploredthe waysin whichourvisionsfit together. The unitedvisionwas of
j
the universeof shellswithinshellsall of whichwerelikemagnates and interconnected
throughtheirinvisible linesof force.
I
WhileAnitahad beenmarriedfor overthirteenyears,we hadneverreallytalked
to eachotheraboutour visionsfor our identities andour perceptions of the larger 1
spiritualsystemsin whichwe participated. lt can be quitemovingto sharesucha level
of experience withsomeoneyou love,andthinkyou know.
In bringingour sharedvisionintoour senseof identitywe feltthatwe werelikea t
pairof interlocking nautilusshells.The shellsweremadeof a kindof lightor energy
that couldbe moreor lessfocusedor dense,beingeitherveryconcreteand hardlike
throughthe room.ln our
a shell,or verylightanddiffuselikea lightspreading
metaphor we wouldbothbe moreconcreteor diffuseat various
for our mutualidentity,
Jesus - Page58
pointsdepending on the situation.Throughthiscoordinated dancea particular pointol
densitywouldform,aroundwhichthe interaction wastakingplace.Thisnewpointof
densityrepresented the babywho wouldfirstformout of our danceas a pointof focus,
gainingdensityuntilshe becameanothershell,andfinallyenterthe danceas another
interlocking shell.
Withinthe frameof ourcommonvisionandidentitywe reviewed the beliefsthat
we had sharedearlier.Theyseemedto be muchmorepresentand unified,almostas il
theywerea singlebeliefthatcouldbe expressed simplyas 'Life','Love'and 'Trust'.
In reviewing ourcapabilities, we feltthatthattherewas a specialcapability we
hadas a teamthroughthe combination of skillsthatwe possessed, thatneitherof us
coulddo independently. Thiswasthe abilityto createa spacefor lifeto formand
grow;to createa contextin whichanotherbeingcouldthriveand bloom.
As we thoughtaboutthe specificactionsand behaviors we haddefinedearlier, it
no longerseemedlikewe weretwo separatepeoplereacting to an externalsituation
or reactingto eachother.Rathelour behaviorseemedto be an integrated actionfrom
a singlebeing,likethe eyes,arms,hands,legsandfeetof a dancer.Anita'sbreathing
practiceno longerseemedlikea kindof mechanical programming, but rathera means
to actuallybreathespiritand lifeintothe experience.
Finally,we broughtthe totalityof our sharedvision,identity, beliefsand values,
capabilitiesand behaviors intoour mapof the birthingenvironment. Similarto W.'s
experience, it tookon the senseof a sacredplace;a placewheremomentous things
wouldoccur;a focalpointaroundwhichmanyelements spun.Ourexperience was
thatit was a placeof challenges but,at the sametime,a placeof choices.Ourfeeling
wasthat,comewhatmay,it wouldbe the appropriate thing,andthat we wouldbe able
to handleit as a team.
I can testifythatourjointmulti-level mapallowedus to meetthe challenges of
laborand birthin harmonious and coordinated fashion.Our beautiful daughterhas
beenthrivingand blossoming in a co-created contextof light,life,loveandtrustever
since.

Summary of Logical Level Co-AlignmentProcess

1. Physically
layouttwo spacesfor eachof the six logicallevels.

I rrr"*I t *"irylf-r,r"*l t-."r"'--lFffil t.^,r"""'"",I

Spiritual

Jesus- Page59
2. Bothstandin the "Environment" spacesand identifyan environment (a placeand
time)thatyou share. Describe yourperception of thatenvironment to eachother. i
3. Standin the "Behaviofspaceand answerthe question:'What do I wantdo when I
am in that timeand place?"Describeto eachothersomespecificbehaviorsand :
actionsthatyou wanlto manifest in yoursharedenvironment.
4. Standin the "Capabilities" spaceanddescribe to eachotherthe capabilities you
haveor needin orderto manifest thoseactionsin thatenvironment.
5. Standin the "BeliefsA/alues" spaceand answerthe question:"Whydo I wantto use
thoseparticularcapabilities to accomplish thoseactivities?"Discloseto eachother
the valuesand beliefsthatmotivate andare reflected in the capabilities and
behaviors you wantto manifest in yoursharedenvironment.
6. Standin the "ldentity"spaceand answerthe question:"Whoam I that I havethese
motivations and capabilities to manifest thosebehaviors in thatenvironment?" i
Usinga metaphor verbalize yourperception of yourselfin relationto the beliefs,
va lu e S,capabi | i ti es andbeha v io r s y o u h a v e id e n t if ie d .
7. Standin the 'Spiritual"spaceand answerthe question:"Whatis the visionI am
pursuingor representing?" Describe to eachotheryourvisionsof the larger
systemin whichyou are participating.
B .Exp lo r e inw hi c hw ay s thetw ov is io n s f it t o g e t h e r o r c o m p le m e n t e a c h oth e r .T o g e th
takethatphysiology and innerexperience and stepbackintothe identityspaceso you
experience bothat the sametime.Answer the questions, "Whoare we together?" nVhat
is our jointidentity?" '
9. Takeyoursharedexperience of bothyourvisionandyouridentityand bringtheminto :
yourbeliefspaces.Answerthe question, "Whatareour sharedbeliefsand values?"
10.BringYourvision,identity, beliefsand valuesintothe capabilities
space.Answerthe
question,'Whatcapabilities do we haveas a teamthatare beyondour individual
capabilities?"
:
11.Bringyourvision,identity, beliefs,valuesandcapabilitiesintothe behaviorspace.
Noticehow eventhe mostinsignificant seemingbehaviors are reflections
and
manifestationsof all of the higherlevelswithinyou.Answerthe question, "Whatwillbe :
our jointactionstogether?
12. Bringall levelsof yourselfintothe environment spaceand experience howit is l
transformed
and enriched.

Jesus- Page60
 lll. Taking Multiple PerceptualPositions- Loving Your NeighborAs yourself

The co-alignmentprocesscan certainlybe a powerfultoolto takestepstoward

'lovingyour neighboras yourself'.Understandingsomeoneelse'smapof the worldon all
levelscertainlydeepensthe senseof connection and relationshipone haswithanother.
Yet,Jesusseemedto havesomething evenbroaderin mindwhenhe spokeof
'lovingyour neighboras yourself'.
He maintained:

"Forif ye love them whichloveyou, whatthankhaveye? for sinners

also love thosethat love them. And if ye do good to them whichdo good to
you, whatthankhaveye? for sinnersalsodo eventhe same. And if ye
lend to them of whomye hope to receive,what thankhaveye? for sinners
alsolend to sinners,to receiveas muchagain.,,
Luke6:32-34

Jesusclearlyseemsto implythatlovingone'sneighborsextendsto all of humanity;

and in particular
thosewhomit wouldseemthe mostdifficult
to love.

"Yehave heard that it hath been said, Thou shatttove thy neighbour;
and hate thine enemy. But I say untoyou, Loveyour enemies,blessthem
that curseyou, do good to them that hateyou, and pray for them that
despitefullyuseyou, and persecuteyou;That ye may be the childrenof
your Fatherwhichis in heaven;for he makethhissun to riseon the evil
and on the good,and sendethrain on the justand on the unjust.,,
Matthew5:43-45

The abilityto loveone'senemies,"blessthemthat curseyou, do goodto them that

hateyou, and pray for themthat despitefultyuseyou, and persecuteyou'wouldcertainly
seemto requirespecialskills.Formostpeople,Jesus'comments seemstikea nice,lofty
sentiment,but difficult,unpragmatic
and evendangerous to attemptin ,reallife'.yet,it
seemsthatJesusdid notintendit as simplyan admirable put impracticalideal. In
additionto continuallyencouragingit in histeachings,Jesusoftendemonstrated it in his
actions.
Perhapsthe mostsignificant indication of hiscommitment to thisprincipleis the
responsehe hadto thoseresponsible for his owncrucifixion
anddeath:

"Father,forgivethem;for theyknownot whattheydo." Luke 23:34

Jesus- Page61
 Of all of the thingshe couldhavesaid,Jesuschosethesewordsas his'logos'.
Obviously, to Jesus,his message of forgiveness, mercyandlovewas morethansimplya
bunchof nicewordseasilysaidto a groupof adoringfanswheneverything was goinghis
way. In the momentwhenit wouldhavebeencompletely justifiablefor Jesusto be
thinkingonlyof himself- in the momentwhenJesushadthe mostreasonand rightto
hate,condemnand cursehis 'neighbors' - he implores forgiveness for them. Jesus'
movingand stunningstatement demonstrates a remarkable abilityto congruently believe
that his own persecutors and killerswerenot inherently bad or malicious, but ratheracting
out of blindness and ignorance.
It mightbe easyfor someto saythat it was onlybecauseJesuswas 'superhuman'
that he couldthinkthisway. Butthisis evidently notJesus'perspective. Hisconstant
urgingand encouragement for thisway of thinkingand actingindicatethat he believed
thatthis abilitywas potentially latentin everyone.
I mentioned at the beginning of thismonograph thatNLPis basedon the two primary
presuppositions that 1) the map is notthe territory, and 2) liteand mindare systernic
processes that naturally seekoptimalstatesof healthand balance. One implicationof
thesetwo presuppositions takentogetheris thatthe actionsand behaviorof all organisms
is essentially positivelyintended - thatis, it is an attemptby the organism to correclor
optimizeits own stateor the stateof the systemof whichthe organismperceivesitselfa
member.In otherwords,the beliefsystemof NLPis thateveryonemakesthe bestchoices
that they perceiveavailableto themgiventheirmodelof the worldin that moment. In NLP,
evilactionsand behaviors arisebecauseof a narrow,incomplete or impoverished model
of the worldratherthanout of evil intent.Jesus'dyingstatementon the crossindicates
that he sharedthis beliefon a deepand personallevel.
Usuallypeopleonlypurposefully hurtotherswhentheyfeelthreatened and perceive
no otheralternatives, or whentheydo notperceive othersas in fact'human'or like
themselves.Forexample, whenmy wifeand I firstbroughtour newbabydaughterhome,
our threeyearold sonwouldsometimes do thingsthatwouldeitherscareher or hurther-
not becausehe was a "badboy"but ratherbecauseeither1) he didn'trealizeit wouldbe
painfulor frightening fromher pointof view,or 2) it wasthe onlyalternativehe
experienced at a particularmomentto to expressfrustration,respondto a perceivedthreat
or get attention.
In the NLPmodel,for instance, whensomebody theyare perceived
actsselfishly, as
stillhavinga positiveintentbut are unableto identifywiththe systembeyondthemselves.
Peopleoftenharmothersor act in unproductive waysin an attemptprotectthemselves
becausethey perceiveno otherchoicesor cannotcomprehend the otherperson's
Jesus- Page62
perspective.
The key in NLPis to separate a person'sintention
fromhisor her behavior,andthen
validatethe intentionwhileofferingotherbehavioralalternatives
that wouldsatisfythe
positivepurposeof the intentionmoreecologically. Thus,identityis alwaysvalidated.
Jesusechoedthis approachin parableslikethe prodigalsonandstatements suchas:

"Yejudgeafterthe flesh;I judgeno man." John8:15

The implicationof this statementis that mostpeoplesimplyjudgethe behaviors(fhe

flesh)of otherswithoutlookingat the deeperlevelsbehinda person'sactions.
WhileNLPseeksto separateintentions frombehaviors, it is importantto statethat
the positiveintentiondoesnotjustifythe behaviornorits repercussions. lt has been
pointedout thatthe "roadto hellis pavedwithpositiveintentions." Obviously,my wifeand
I did not allowour sonto continue to hurtor scareourdaughterbecausehe was positively
intendedand didn'tknowany better.We hadto demonstrate otherchoicesand helphim
to discoverotheralternatives. Similarly,
Jesus'missionwasto bringaboutchange,notto
say,"Ohwell,becausepeopleare blindandignorant, its OK for themto continuehurting
and persecuting others."The significance of the principle of 'positive intent'comesfrom
understanding the deepermotivesfor behaviors, andthusthe waysto directandchange
themto otherchoiceswhichare moreappropriate but stillsatisfythe positiveintent.
In NLP,they keyto ecological behaviorcomesfromhavinga rich modelof the world
thattakesintoaccountmultipleperspectives, levelsandtimeframes.Eventhe most
positiveof intentions,whenpursuedfroma singlepointof view can be unecological and
dangerous. The inquisition,the crusades, the burningof witchesand heretics, the 'holy
wars',etc.,are goodexamples of positiveintentions expressed througha limited
perspective.
The abilityto act and promoteecological changefromthe beliefin positiveintent
obviouslyrequiresgreatskillandwisdom.Likeany otherbeliefor value,it is onlyas valid
as the skillsandcapabilities
thatsupportand manifest it. Certainly to perceive
the abilities
differenttimeframesand recognize differentlogicallevelsare crucialto supportthis
principle.Actionsthat seemtotallyevilor incomprehensible at one leveland in onetime
framebeginto makesensewhenconsidered in the contextof anotherlogicallevelor a
differenttimeframe.
Perhapsthe mostimportant skillnecessary to loveone'sneighbor as oneselfis that
positions'(Grinder,
of takingdifferent'perceptual Delozier,1989;Dilts,1990).In NLP,the
notionof perceptualpositionsacknowledges thatany interaction withina system
necessarily involvesmultiplemapsandperspectives of the sameevent.For example,in
Jesus- Page63
the mostbasicinteraction betweenoneselfand one'sneighbor, thereare minimally three I
perspectives that maybe taken:1) FirstPosition- one'sown pointof view;2) Second
Position- the pointof viewof one'sneighbor;and 3) MetaPosition - the pointof viewof an I
observerlookingat the interactionbetweenoneselfand one'sneighbor.Thereis also
whatis knownas 'ThirdPosition'which is a kindof an 'enlightened' metaposition- the i
pointof viewof a wiseobserverwho hasaccessto the pointsof viewof boththe firstand
secondposition.
It seemsobviousthat'lovingyourneighbor as yourself'presupposes the abilityto
takethe perspective of yourneighbor.Thus,in NLPlanguage, the firststeptoward
followingthe secondcommandment wouldminimally involvetaking"secondposition."
Thatis, to putyourselfintoanother'smodelof the worldandvalueit as muchas yourown.
Clearly,Jesushimselfmusthavehada highlydeveloped abilityto takesecond
position.Hissensitivity
to the feelingsandthoughtsof otherswerereferred to quiteoften.
On numerousoccasions Jesuswas saidto have'perceived' or'known'thethoughtsof I
others(Matt.9:4,Matt.12:25,Luke5:22, Luke6:8,Luke9:47,Luke11:17).His parableof
the goodSamaritan and the reportsof his owncompassion and equanimity certainly i
implythe abilityto empathize withothers.
Thisprocessof shiftingperceptual positionsseemsto be at the heartof manyof '
Jesus'teachings and actions.Forexample, he maintained:

"Thereforeallthings whatsoever
ye wouldthat men shoulddo to
you, do ye evenso to them."Matthew7:12

Jesusis essentially
sayingto integrate one'sownfirstpositionperspective withthe :
secondpositionperspective of anotherin determining howto act towardthem.Certainly, a
deeppresupposition of thisstatement is the abilityto considerthe subjectiveexperience
of anotherperson.tt alsoseemsto implya kindof metaposition to oneself,in whichone
is lookingat one'sown actionswithrespectto someoneelse.
Jesusmakesthe impofiance of takinga metapositionwithrespectto oneselfeven
moreclearin statements suchas:

"Andwhy beholdestthouthe motethat is in thy brother'seye,but

considerestnot the beamthatis in thineown eye?Or how wilt thousay
to thy brother,Letme pull out the moteout of thineeye;and behold,a
beam is in thineown eye...firstcastout the beamout of thineown eye;
and then shaltthousee clearlyto castout the moteout thy brothels
eye."Matthew7:3-5
Jesus- Page64
 Perhapsthe mostpowerfuland dramaticexampleof Jesus'use of MetaPositionis
in the followingaccount:
represented

"Thenthe scribesand Phariseesbroughtuntohim a womantakenin

adultery;and whenthey had sether in the midst,Theysay unto him,
Master,this womanwas takenin adultery,in the veryact. Now Mosesin the
law commandedus, that such shouldbe stoned:but what sayestthou?
This they said,temptinghim, that they mighthave to accusehim. But Jesus
stoopeddown, and with his fingerwroteon the ground,as thoughhe
heardthem not.
So when they continuedaskinghim, he lifted up himself,and said unto
them,He that is withoutsinamongyou, let him first casta stoneat her.
And again he stoopeddown,and wroteon the ground.
And they whichheard it, beingconvictedby their own conscience,went
out one by one,beginningat the eldest,evenuntothe last:and Jesuswas
left alone, and the womanstandingin the midst.
WhenJesushad liftedhimself,and saw nonebut the woman,he said unto
her, Woman,whereare thosethineaccusers?hathno man condemned
thee? Shesaid,No man,Lord.And Jesussarduntoher, Neitherdo I
condemnthee:go, and sinno more." John8:3-11

Thisparticularaccountdemonstrates Jesus'masterful abilityto sortlogicallevels

andto trackand integrate
multiple perspectives.Hiscomment, "Hethatis withoutsin
amongyou,let himcastthe firststoneat her,"is a directstatement to thecrowdto go to a
metapositionwithrespectto themselves. Jesus'statement to the woman,"Neither do I
condemnthee:go, and sin no more,"is a clearexampleof howhe separated identityfrom
behavior.He validatesher identitywithoutcondoning norjustifyingthe continuationof the
particularbehavior.
the Englishword"sin"wastranslated
fncidentally, fromthe Greekword hamartano
(crpoptcrvol)
whichsimplymeansto 'err'or'missthe mark'as opposedto 'transgress
againstGod.' Thisis clearlyimpliessomething at a behavioral
level,not at an identityor
spirituallevel.Thus,Jesus'statementto the womanto "go,andsin no more,"couldbe
interpreted as "go,and learnfromyour mistakes."The sameinterpretation couldbe
appliedto hisstatement, "Hethatis withoutsinamongyou,let himcastthe firststoneat
her." He wouldbe saying,"Hethathasnevermadea mistake, or missedthe mark,let hirn
castthe firststone."

Jesus- Page65
 Jesusis implying that,whetherit is fromfirstposition,
secondpositionor meta
position,we shouldneverdevalueour own perspective or modelof the worldnor anyone
elses.Jesus'encouragement to takeotherperspectives was not in orderto weakenor
negateone'sown perspective but ratherto makeone wiser.And,in fact,we can only
beginto truly understand otherperspectives whenwe havesolidifiedour own - whenwe
havealignedheart,soul,mindand strength. Sometimes peoplewantto takeother
perceptual positions becausetheirown is weakor unclear.As I pointedout earlier,if our
own first positionis weakor unclear,we will mostlikelyjust projectour own incongruency
and lackof selfworthontoothers.In the wordsof the Gospelof Thomas:

Jesus said, "lf those who leadyou say to you,'See, the Kingdomis in
the sky,'then the birds of the sky willproceedyou. lf they say to you, 'lt is
in the sea,'then the fish willprecedeyou. Rather,the kingdomis inside of
you, and it is outsideof you. Whenyou cometo knowyourselves,then
you will becomeknown,and you will realizethat it is you who are the sons
of the living Father. But if you will not knowyourselves,you dwell in
poveftyand it is you whoare thatpoverty."Thomas(3)

Jesushimselfcertainly someonewitha poorselfconceptor low

did not represent
selfesteem.He was sureof himselfand his missionas an individual
and encouraged his
followers
to acknowledge and pursuetheirown missions,evenin the faceof resistance
and persecution.
In hiswords:

' No man, whenhe hath lighteda candle,puttethit in a secretplace ,

neitherunder a bushel,but on a candlestick,that they whichcome in
may see the light." Luke 11:33

"Letyour lightso shinebeforemen,that theymay see your good

works,and glorifyyour Fatherwhichis in heaven." Matthew5:16

Jesus'continualreferences to his 'Father'bespeaksanotherimportant perceptual

position- a thirdpositionor'enlightened metaposition'.The "Fatherin heaven"madethe
"sunto ise on the evil and on the good,and sendethrain on the justand on the unjust.'
The Fathe/sperspective is clearlyverywideand impartial- all modelsof the worldare
treatedequally.Andeventhoughit was notJesus'ownfirstpositionperspective in his
roleas a humanbeing,it was a perspectivethathe wasclearlyableto takeand
encouraged othersto takeas well.Consider the following
statement:
Jesus- Page66
 "But love ye your enemies,and do good, and lend, hopingfor nothing
again; and your rewardshall be great, and ye shall be the childrenof the
Highest:for he is kind unto the unthankfuland to the evil. Be ye therefore
merciful,as your Fatheralso is merciful. Judgenot, and ye shall not be
judged;condemnnot, and ye shallnot be condemned:forgiveand ye shall
be forgiven."Luke 6:35-37

Jesusclearlyintendsto portray,and urgeothersto to assume,the broadand

benevofent pointof viewof the 'Father'whois'merciful"and "kinduntothe unthankful
and to the evil."This is a perceptual
positionoutsideof one'sown individualperspective.
The abilityto takesucha pointof viewalsoseemsessential to 'lovingyourneighboras
yourself.'
Because"themapis notthe territory," therewill neverbe "onerightmap."Jesusis
arguingthat wisdomandtruthcomefromtakingmultiplepersepectives. The main
messageof his statements to "judgenot"and "condemnnot"seemsto me to be that no
one hasthe rightto imposetheirmodelof the worldon anyoneelse.The basisfor all
injustice,oppression, abuseand prejudice, evenif it is positively
intended, stemsfrom
eithera) the confusion of one'sownpersonalmapfortheterritory; b) the beliefthatone is
in possession of lhe rightffiap;'or c) the inabilityto perceiveand valueanother'smodel
of the world.Thereis no one rightperspective. 'Truth'is the intersectionof many
perspectives. Therefore, the morerichone'smapis,the morechanceone hasto
approachsomekindof "Truth".
In summary, in additionto perceiving multiple timeframesand multiplelogical
levels,Jesus'cognitive strategyinvolves the abilityto integrate multipleperceptual
positions.Ratherthansimplyspewingout hardandfastrulesabout'good'and 'bad'
behaviors, Jesusadvisesus to guideour actionsand makeour decisions in this lifeby
constantly assessingmultipleperceptual positions.Thisis clearlyexpressed in
statements suchas:

"Judgenot, that ye be not judged. For with whatjudgmentye judge, ye

shallbe judged..."Matthew7;1-2

"Andforgiveus our debts,as we forgiveour debtors." MatthewG:12

To makesenseout of thesedeclarations,
we mustgo to a metapositionand
madeup of threeperceptual
considera relationship positions:our'Fathef, ourselves,
our neighbor.
Jesus- Page67
 MetaPosition

The Meta Mirror

To loveyourneighbor as yourself,then,requires theabilityto perceive andintegrate

a number of different perceptualpositions.
NLPofferssomesimplebutpowerful andpragmatic waysto develop theabilities
to
takeandcoordinate multipleperspectives. Forexample, I havedeveloped a process thatI
calltheMetaMirrorthat usesan NLPprocess called'spatial sorting'todevelop theability
to assumeandco-value perceptual
multiple positions, specificallyin situationswhereit
seemsdifficultto 'loveyourneighbor'. I believethatit reflects manyof theprinciples that
Jesussoughtto convey, andprovides a concrete wayto manifest them.
Thefollowing of theMetaMirrorprocess
is a transcript takenfrommybook
Changing BeliefSystems withNLP(1990).Inthisparticular transcripttheterm"Meta
Fourth"position is usedto denotewhatI havebeencalling the'enlightened third"
position.

Transcript:Demonstration
of The Meta-Mirror

youhavea hardtimegettingalongwith.Doesanybodyhavesuch
R:Thinkof somebody
a problem?Whydon'tyoucomeup,B.?(B.comesup.)

Step1: Naming
theOthelsBehavior

R:lmaginethisperson is righthereinfrontofyou.
Givea nameto thebehavior whenyouarearound
thatreallymakesit difficult that
person.Whatis it thathedoes?Whatwouldyoucallit?Howdoeshe act?ls he
insensitive?
ls he rigid?
Jesus- Page68
B: Indifferent.

Step2: NamingYourOwn Behavior

R: Now physicallymoveto meta-positionand observeyourown responsein relationto

[the]otherpersonwhenhe is indifferent.
Whatwouldyoucallyourown behavior?

B: Rigidity,
maybe.Inflexibility
wouldsuitbetter.

R: So thereis indifference
in himandinflexibility
in you.I wouldlikeyouto considerthis:
couldhe stillbe indifferent
if you werenotinflexible?
Wouldit be possiblefor himto be
if you weresomething
indifferent otherthaninflexible?
The pointis this:in any human
systemwhatyou do determines how otherpeopleact as muchas whattheydo
determines howyou act.

lndifferent

lnf lexible

INNER
OBSER\ER
MetaPosition

Diagram
of Unsupportive
Relationship

ls this personindifferent
to yourbehavior
or to youridentity?

B:Tomy identity.

R: And whatare you inflexible

about?

B: Aboutwhat'simportant
for me in thisrelationship.

Jesus - Page69
 R:Yourvalues?

B: Yes.

R: fro audience)| wantyou to noticethatthe peoplethatyou probablyhavethe most

ditficulttimeswithare the onesthatyou allowto affectyouridentity...
[Io B.):Maybeyou aregivingtoo muchof yourserf to thisperson?

B: Yes.

R: And your rigidityaboutyourvalueshasn'tmadehimany lessindifferent

to you?

B: No,becauselwas suckedintohissystem.AndnowI'mstuck,lcan'tget out.

Step3: The Relationbetweenthe Two Me's

Now I wantyouto physically

moveto a fourthpositionoverhere.Whenyou lookat
howyourinnermeta-positionselfis tryingto changeyourouterfirstpositionself,and
the way you are communicating withthatperson,whatis this relationship
like?(Robert
pointssuccessivelyat 1 and 3.)

B: Betweenme and me?

R:Yes.We wantto explorethe question,

"Howdo t relateto myselfin reference
to the
otherperson?"

B: The innerme thinksthatnothingthe outerme doesis goingto haveanyeffecton

that
otherpersonanyway.

R: In a way,you aredoingto yourselfwhathe is doingto you.The inneryou alsoseems

indifferent
to the you stuckin that relationship.
I callthis processthe metamirror,
becauseoftenthe way the personis treatingyou is a reflection of howyou treat
yourself.The problemis not onlythe otherpersonor evenhow I reactto the other
person,the problemis alsohere,in the systembetweenthe two me's.Thatis
an
importantpartof howthe totalsystemworks.
Howdoesthe outeryou reactto that innerindifference.

Jesus - Page70
B: She is verytense.She is afraidshe will loseher identity.

R: No wonderthe outeryou is rigid.She'sstuckbetweena rockand a hardplace.

lndiff erent

l st Position
lnf lexible
4th Position

lndifferent

of TotalRelational
Diagram System

to switchthesepositions
I thinkit mightbe interesting (theinneryou andthe outeryou)
around.Forexample, whatif you hadswitchedthe placesof the first-position
outer
you withthe innerpositionyou,so thatyouwereindifferent to the otherpersonand
inflexibleaboutyourvalueswithyourself! Perhapsthe moreinflexible I am aboutmy
valueswithme,the morecreativeI can be in my behavior withhim.

?2?

INNER
OBSERVER a*Fn\Position
MetaPosition
4th Position
Indifferent K.
/\

Inllexible \ I
/"no\
SELF
q-t"'"?
Perceptual
Switching Posilions
In the Unsupportive
Relalionship

Jesus- Page71
 The nicethingaboutworkingsystematically likethisis that you don,thaveto change
the elementsof the systemto finda solution.
Youonlyneedto changethe relationship
betweenthe elements.what if you do that?
Justtakethesetwo and physically shift
themaround?

B: lt seemseasythatway.(Laughing)

R: Whathappens?ls the relationship

the same?

B: I thinkthereis nonenow.

R: And if thereis no moreretationship,

thenyoucan starta newoneevenif it,swiththe
sameperson?

B: Yes.

R: Now let'scomelookat thesetwo:thisparl

thatis in meta-position
now,that is being
inffexible
aboutyourvaleswithyourself.
Do you I

wantto havea relationship withthis

personnow?
I

{
B: No,notat all.

R: what kindof relationship

wouldyou makesurethatyou had hereif you
evertalkedto
thatpersonin the future?

B: Thetroublenowis thatI don'twantto communicate

anymore.

R: Whatwouldmakeyouwantto communicate?

B: A moresincereperson,a bit moreauthentic.

R: oK' Now,put yourselfintothisotherperson's

positionfor a moment;intosecond
position'lf you are experiencing
the worldas thisperson,whatwouldmakeyou
a
moresincereand authenlicperson?

;
[B' physically
movesintothe positionof the otherperson.For t
a momentshe is verydeep
in thought.J

Jesus- Page72
I
1
B: Self-confidence.

R: Nowcomeallthe wayoutof thissystemto thefourthposition. I wantyouto notice

somethingimportant here.
lf you bringconfidence out of thisotherperson,if youact in a waythat makeshim
confident, thenhe is goingto be moreauthentic. Hereis the big question:
Howwould
you act to makehim moreconfident thatwouldstillbe in linewithyourownvalues?

B: Certainlynot by beinginflexible?

R: Whatway wouldit be?

B: By beingopenand listening,
at least.

R: But alsomakingsurethatyou keepyourinflexibility aboutyourvaluesout herein the

meta-position,becauseI wantyouto noticethat"openand listening" is not indifferent
to who I am andwhatis important to me.Openand listening is notgoingto be getting
suckedin, especially out herein thirdposition.
if I am inflexible
So I can be moreopenand listening withthatpersonbecauseI havesupportfrom
myself.

Self-Confident

OTHER
2nd Position
1 st Position
4th Position

Support
Self-Confidence

Diagram
of theNewFunctional
Support
System

Jesus- Page73
 Step4: Enteringthe NewRelationship

R: Fromfourthpositionvisualize the youin firstpositionin this newrelationship

being
open and listeningto the otherperson-butsupported
by the meta-positionyou who
knowswho you are and is inflexible aboutyourvaluesand identity-step intothe first
positionand lookat that otherperson.
(8. stepsto firstpositionandlaughs.)

R: (Tothe audience):Lookat that physiology.

lt is an interesting
combination
of all of the
otherones.
[Fo B.):Whathappenswiththat person?

B: lt is morecomfortable.

R: Howdo you feet?

B: Muchbetter.lt is completely
different.

R: Thankyou.

Veryottenthe placethat you havedifficultycommunicating

withanotherpersonis a
mirrorimageof howyou are relating to yourself.
lt is not reallythe otherpersonwho is
eitherthe problemor the solution.
lf I can stepbackto see howit is reallya reflection
of my retationwithmyseff,thenI
can restructure the systemso that I am supporting myserf.Thiswilloftentransformthe
wholerelationship. The metamirrortechnique createsa contextin whichwe can keep
shiftingperceptual positionsinsideand outsidethe problematic relationship
untilwe find
the mostappropriate and ecological arrangement of elementsin the relationalmolecule.

Jesus- Pagel4
Summary of the Meta Mirror Process

1. ldentitya personyou havedifficulty with.Visualize thatpersonfromfirstposition

(associated) and namethe traitthat makesthat personso difficult,€.g.,"rigid,"
"insensitive,' "incongruent, "denial,"etc.
2, Stepbackto metaposition(dissociated fromthe relationship) and visualize yourselfin
the interaction. Nameyourown behavior in relationto the otherperson,e.9.,
"judgmental," "irritated," "scared,"etc.
"helpful,"
3. Noticehowthe way you are actingactuallyreinforces or triggersthe behaviorof the
otherpersonin the system.(lf youwerenotthere,howwouldthe otherpersonacl?
Couldthe otherpersoncontinuehisor her responses?)
4. Thinkof whatotherwaysyou couldrespondto that person.Perhapsyou havetriedto
changeyourown reactions already.Whatmakesyoucontinue to actthe wayyou do
on this relationship?
5. Nowtake a stepto the side(the"metaphof'position) and lookat howyou treatyourself
in this interaction,i.e.,"pushy,""angry,""judgmental," "creative," etc. Noticeat which
logicallevels(behavior, capability,belief,identity)
the different responses are
operating.
ln whatway is yourresponse to yourself a mirrorfor whatthe otherpersonis doing?
6. Fromthe "meta-foufih" position,switchthe two positions associated withyourself.That
is, put yourthird-position reactions (thewayyou havebeentreatingyourself) intothe
firstpositionso you havethat levelof responseto the otherperson.Putyourformer
first-positionresponses intothe third-position location.
Noticehowthe switchchangesthe systemandtransforms the expression of the
responses.
7. Putyourselfintothe otherperson'sshoes(secondposition). Viewyourselffromthe
otherperson'seyes.Howdoesyourbehavior appearfromthatperspective? Fromthis
otherperson'sperspective, whatdo you needor wantfromyourself.
8. Reassociate intothe revisedfirst-position location(i..e.,the onethat has been
replacedby the formerthird-position levelreactions). Noticehow your reactionsand
pointof viewhavechanged.
L Continueto switchperspectives andadd choicesof responses (at appropriate level)
untilyou feelthe relationship is morebalancedandfunctional.

Jesus- Page75
 The processof takingmultipleperceptual positions can be relatively simplebut very |
powerful.The threebasicperceptual positionscan also be broadenedto incorporate
someof the deeperlevelprocessthatwe explored in the levelalignment process.In a .
seminarthat we developedcalledToolsof the Spirit,my colleagueRobertMcDonaldand
I havepeopleexpandthesebasicperceptual positionsto a higherlevelby extendingthe i
time frameassociatedwith positionand bringingin higherlevelsof visionand spirit.For
instance, if one expandsone'sframeof perception withinfirstposition, one beginsto j
experience everything as andextension of oneself.lf oneexpandsone'sframeof
pe r ce p ti o n w i thi ns ec ondpos i ti o n , o n e e x p e r ie n c e s b e c o m in g . o n e wit h ' th e o th e r
(or object).Expanding
individual one'sframeof perception withinthirdposition,leads
oneto the experience of bothoneselfandthe otherpersonbeingparta muchlarger
system.The followingis a briefdescription
of an exercise,the we call 'The Mindof the
Heart',that usesanchoring to applythesebroadened perceptual positions
i

'Mind ol The Heart' Process

;
1.Thinkof a personor an situationinvolvinganotherperson thatcausesproblems or
difficulties.
Acknowledge whatit feelslikefromyourownpointof view(1stposition)
in thatexperience.
2. Froman observer pointof view(metaposition) accessa stateof beingaligned
i
towardyourhighest spiritualpurpose withyourheart,soul,mindandstrength and j
physicallytouchthecenterof yourownchest.
3. Keeping yourhandonyourheart,putyourself intotheperspective of theother
person(2ndposition) deepen yoursenseof beingin thatperson's perceptual
positionuntilyoufeel'onewith'himor her.
4. Withyourhandstilltouching yourheart,moveto a position in between yourselfand
theotherperson(3rdposition). Broaden yourperceptionuntilyoucanexperience
thatbothof you area partof muchlargerandvastersystemor'mind'.
yourheart,returnto yourownperspective
5. Stilltouching (1stposition) in the
Widenyourframeof awareness
situation. untilyouareableto perceive everything
aroundyouas an extension of yourself.
i
lf youareableto do thiswitha partner (orGuardian Angel), havehimor heralso
accessan aligned stateandhelpto anchor youbytouching yourheartareajustbelow :
yourhandand placing hisor herotherhandin thecenterof yourback(thussupporting
andbac k ing y o u u p ) . T h e G u a rd ia n An g e listo co n tin u e to m a in ta in h isorherow ns
of alignment,andcontinue to touchyourheartandbackasyoutaketheexpanded 2nd,
3rdand1st position perspectives inthedifficultsituation
Jesus- Page76
lV. Summary of lmplementationStrategies

Thissectionhasexploredsomewaysin whichwe mightuse NLPtoolsand skills,in

conjunction withour understanding of Jesus'cognitive patterns,in an attemptto
implement someaspectsof Jesus'profound abilitiesto integrateand alignmultiple time
frames,multiplelevelsof experience and multipleperceptual positions in our dailylives.
Jesus'microand macrostrategies clearlyhaveimportantimplications for problem
solving,leadership, healingand personaland socialchange.Ultimately however, it
seemsto me thatJesus'strategy is onethatproduces wisCom.
I havealwaysmaintained that excellence comesfroma passionate commitment to a
singleperspective. ln orderto becomegoodat something, one muststayassociated in
one'sownfirstpositionandfocus.Thisis an important wayto learnandprogress, but it is
not necessarily wise.In fact,sometimes it producesunecological repercussions.
Geniuscomesfroma passionate commitment to the integrationof multiple
perspectives. J. Bronowski, the authorof thethe bookTheAscentof Man,claimedthat"a
geniusis a personwho hastwo greatideas"and spendsthe restof his lifetryingto get
themto fit together. Whenone hasbecomeexcellent in severaldifferentareasandthenis
ableto synthesize them,one beginsto approach genius.
Wisdomcomesfroma passionate commitment to the constantprocessof taking
multipleperspectives. Sincethe worldis in constantchange,we cannotrelyon
yesterday's answersas beingtrue for tomorrow. Wisdomis not somethingyou do or get,
rather,it is something you participatein an ongoingway.In the wordsof GregoryBateson:

"[Wisdomcomesfrom] sittingtogetherand truthfullydiscussingour

differences- withoutthe intentto changethem,"

The intentto changesomeoneelse'smodelof the worldimpliesa judgmentof that

model.Noneof us are omniscient
enoughto knowthe 'right'mapor takein all of the
systemswithinsystemswithinsystemsthatmightbe etfectedby ouractions.Wiseand
changecomesfromdiscovering,
ecological creatingand offeiingalternatives
- from
constantly
wideningand enriching
our mapsby:

1) Takingall perspectivesrelevant to the systemin whichone is interacting.

2) Considering and aligningall of levelsexperience in relation
to the systemon is in.
3) Respecting all timeframesnecessary to ecologically
incorporatechangewithinthat
system.

J e s u s- P a g e 7 7
 Of course,wisdomcan onlybecomemanifested as actionsby firstsynthesizing
the
manyperspectives one hastakenandthenfinallybringing themintoone'sownfirst
positionperspective.The abilityto consistently manifestdeeplevel
and appropriately
principlesand valuesin concreteexperience requiresthe mappingof thoseprinciples
and valuesthroughsuccessivelevelsof representation. Eachlevelof representation and
descriptioninvolvesdifferent
combinations of timeframes,perceptual positions
and
cognitiveprocessesas shownin the tablebelow.

Level TimeFrame Perceptual

Posilion(s) CogniliveProcesses

Spiritual Beyondone'slife First- Mela- Second- Third Word-Spiril-Light

Etemal-Timeless

ldenlity One'sWholeLife First- Meta- Second- Third Vision- Life

Beliefs& Values Signilicantperiodof one'slife F irs t -Me t a -S e c o n d Heart(emotion)

Capabilily Timeframeof the context First- Meta see- hear-declare

Behavior ln the moment First(awareol sell) rnove-breathe-speak

Environment lmmediate First(extemally

aware) image-word-touch

According to NLPthe combinations of thesevariousdimensions of our subjective

experienceare embodiedin the formof neurological circuitswhichmay be activatedand
mobilizedthroughpatternsof language,cognitivestrategiesand accessingcues.
It is interesting
to notethatthe processof multipledescriptionseemsto havebeen
embeddedin Christian doctrineby earlyChristianleadersin the formof the HolyTrinity.
ln the conceptof the HolyTrinitythereis oneGodin threedifferent forms:Godthe Father,
Godthe Son,and Godthe HolyGhost. In the interpretation we havebeendeveloping
here,we can describethe notionof the 'threeperson'sin one God'as the processes of
Logos,Lightand Spiritexpressed throughthe threefundamental perceptual positions.
Godthe Fatherrepresents Spiritas manifestedthroughan expanded thirdposition
perspective characterizedby a very broad,timelessand benevolent perspective of
humanityas partof a muchvastersystem. Godthe Son represents Spiritas embodied
throughthe expandedfirstpositionperspective of an individualhumanbeingin which
everythingseemslikean extensionof him/herself. This is expressedin the formof
personalmissionand vision.Godthe HolyGhostrepresents the Spiritin the formof a
kindof expandedsecondpositionperspective who "speaksnot of himself"but 'teaches
allthings","bringsall thingsto remembrance" and"showsyouthingsto come"- thatis,
who becomes'one with'thelargermindor hologram.
The "OneGod"wouldnot be any oneof the individual perceptualpositionsnorthe
Jesus- Page78
'persons',butwouldratherbe the deeperprinciples thatare metato, but expressed in,
the threedifferentperspectives - the resonance of allthreeperspectives.
I wouldliketo presenta finalprocessthat integrates the toolsand skillsof NLP
togetherwiththe principlesand strategies we havebeenmodeling fromJesusin orderto
producethe kindof 'resonance' impliedby the conceptof the 'HolyTrinity'.

The Resonance Pattern

The term'resonance' refersto a kindof non-linearinfluence thattwo vibrating

objectsor systemshaveon one another.Forexample,if one hastwo guitarsthat are
similarlytunedand plucksa stringon one of the guitars,the corresponding stringon the
otherguitarwill beginto vibrate.The samekindof resonance can occurbetween
corresponding noteson a pianoand a tuningfork,etc. In mechanical and eleclrical
systems,resonancerefersto the processby whichvibrations of largeintensityand
amplitudemay be producedby a relativelysmallperiodicstimuluswhosefrequencyis
the sameor nearlythe sameas the naturalvibrationperiodof the system.Resonance is
also definedas "thecomplexof internalbodyprocessesthat occurin emotionalstates
suchas rapportor empathy"(Webster).
It seemsto me that whatJesusreferredto as "Spirit"was something that operated
similarlyto the processof resonance - a statethatgavehim accessto knowledgeand
wisdombeyondthe confinesof his own personal conscious experience.
Fulfilling
our individualmissions oftenseemslikeit requiresus to 'movemountains.'
Thisinvolvesa greatdealof wisdomandcommitment. According to Jesus,in orderto
movemountains, we haveto saythe word,notdoubtit'in our hearts'and'believethatit
willcometo pass'.The purposeof the Flesonance processis to helputilizethe
perspectives and perceptual positions of key individuals
in our livesas a wayto develop
our innerwisdomand support.I willreferto thesekey individuals as 'mentors'.Mentors
are individuals or phenomena whodo notteachus or instructus the typicalconscious
way,but ratherreleaseor amplifyknowledge and wisdomthat is alreadyinherentwithin
us, and the systemsin whichwe are participating, throughtheirrelationship withus.

Jesus- Page79
Transcript: Demonstrationof the ResonancePattern

R: B. wouldyou liketo helpoutwiththisdemonstration?

B:Yes.Sure.(B.comesup.)

R: Canyou thinkof a situation

in whichyou experience
or anticipate
experiencing
doubtaboutyourbeliefsor mission?

B:Yes. I'mtryingto bringaboutsomebigchangesin my organization, and I thinkI'm

goingto havesomerealdifficultywithresistance froma numberof key people.
Becausetheydon'tunderstand whatI'm tryingto do, theywill be threatenedand
throwup roadblocks.I'm notsureI'llhavethe wherewithal to dealwithall of it.

R: As AlbertEinsteinsaid,"GreatSpiritshavealwaysbeenopposedby mediocre :
minds."What I wouldlikeyouto do is to createa space,a kindof physical'problem :
space',stepintoit andputyogrselfas fullyas youcan intothatsituation,
that
momentof doubt.

B: OK. (8. stepsforward.His breathingshallowsand his bodytensesnoticeably.)

R:That'senough. Thatlookslikea toughsituation. Nowstepbackandleavethat

experience overthereforthemoment, anchored to thefloor.
Now,fromoutherein MetaPosition, I wouldliketo haveyouidentify three
'mentors'. Mentors canbe people thatyou'vemet,people thatyouknowthrough
theirwritings or creations,peoplethatyou'veonlyreadaboutbutwhohave
influenced you,animals, eveninanimate objectsor physical places.
Theymaybe
livingor deceased. Whatis important is thatthesementors havebroughtoutor !
released something deep,important andpowerful in yousimplythrough whatever
formof 'presence' theytakeforyou.Forexample, mywifeusedto go surfing a lot. 1
Whenshewaspreparing forandgoingthrough labor, shechosetheoceanas
mentor. Shehada personal relationship withtheocean. At onetimein herlifeshe
hadbeenafraidof thewavesthatcouldcrushyoulikea toothpick. Shetookit as a
personal challenge to learnto serf,andbefriended thisvastmysterious'creature'.
,
Shestillgoesdownto be neartheoceanwhensheneedsto makeimportant
decisions or reaffirmherself.
So B. choosethe mentors you'dliketo havearound youin thatsituation.
Generally
Jesus- Page80
 I liketo havepeoplepickone relatingto theirbeliefsand values,one relatedto
theiridentityand one relatedto theirperception you selected
of the spiritual...Have
th e m ?

B:Yes.One is a kindof professional

mentor.A personthathelpedme out a lotwhenI
was a youngmanand at a pivotalpointin my life.Anotheris my father.He has
passedawaynow,butwe werereallyclosewhenhe wasalive.Andthethirdis my
threeyearold son.

R: Good.Now,stayingin MetaPosition, I wouldlikeyouto arrangethesementors

aroundthe you who is in thatdifficultsituation.
Wherewouldyou placethemwith
respectto you?In frontof you?Behindyou?Aboveyou?In yourarms?

B: Well,I thinkI wouldplacemy sonnextto me,on my leftside.I'dput my professional

mentorbehindme...sort And I wouldplacemy fatherout
of overmy rightshoulder.
in frontof me...andmaybea littleaboveme.

R: OK. Now,I'd liketo haveyou pickone of the mentorsand put yourselfinto his
perspective.Go to secondpositionwith him. And as muchas possible,assumethe
kindof physiology that mentorto you.
that mostrepresents

mentor.(8. movesintothe physicalspacejust

B: Alright.l'll startwith my professional
behindwherehe was standingwhenhe was experiencing the difficultsituation.
His
posturebecomeserectandconfident, and he foldshis arms.)

R: Fromthe perceptual position

of thismentor,whatmessage wouldyou sendto the B.
in thatdifficultsituation?
Sendit throughwhateverchannelis mostappropriate.lt
can be words,a touch,a look...whatever is the mostcongruent
to thismentor.

B: (ln roleof professional | wouldsay,"Justdo it.Youras goodas anyone

mentor.)
else.Whoelseis goingto try?lt doesn'tmatterwhattheythink.Do it."

R: Good.Nowstepout of thatmentor'sposition
and moveintothe perceptual
position
of oneof yourothermentors.

B: I'd liketo go to my son next.(B.stepsintoa locationnextto wherehe was standing

whileexperiencing the diflicultsituation.
Hisbodymovesand sways.His breathing
Jesus- Page81
 relaxesand a smilecomesto hisface.)

R: What messagewouldyou sendto that B. in thatsituation?

B: Thereare no wordsreally...

R: That'sOK just sendin whateverway is mostappropriate.

(8. reachesout his handas if to touchthe handof the B. who'isin the ditficultsituation.
Aftera moment,he nodsandstepsbackfromwherehe hasbeenstanding.)

R: Good.Nowlet'sgo to yourthirdmentor.

(8. walksto a positionin frontof wherehe hadbeenstanding in the difficult

experience. He foldshis handsandstandsin silencefor a periodof time breathing
regularlybut deeply.Thenhe walksbackto his metaposition.)

R: lt lookslikethatwasan imporlant
spaceforyou.

B:Yes.l'm kindof stillprocessing

it.

R:Takeyourtime.And in a momentI'd likeyouto revieweachof the messages that

your mentorssentto thatyou in the difficultsituationand see if you can verbalize
whatwouldbe the metamessageor assumption behindeachmessage.Thatis,
eachof thesemessages comefromdeeperpresuppositions or messages. I'd like
you to findthe higherlevelmessagethatwouldgo witheachindividual message.
For instance,yourprofessionalmentorsmessagewas "Justdo it. Youras goodas
anyoneelse.Who elsewillif you won't?Do it."Whatwouldbe the metamessage
or deeperlevelmessagebehindthat?

B: The messagebehindthatis something

like,"Youare likeme.Youknowhowto
makethingshappen.""Whatyou aredoingis important."And"l believein you.'

R: So,"Youare likeme,you knowhowto getthingsdone,whatyou are doingis

and I believein you."Believing
important, in someone,
evenwhentheydon't,can
be a verypowerfulthing.Whataboutyourothermentors? Whatwasthe message
and metamessageof yourlittleson?
Jesus- Page82
 Well,he wasjustsortof touchingmy hand,as if to say,"Relaxandjust
B: (Grinning)
De.Whateverhappenswillbe the rightthing.Let'sjustexplore."

R: That'snice.Prettywiseadvicefroma threeyearold.Whatis the metamessage?

like,"l loveyou and ltrustyou."And

B: Wellthe metamessagewouldbe something
"Theuniverseis a friendlyplace."

R: Alright.Whatwasthe messageand metamessageof yourfather?

it wasas if therewasjustthiskindof lightgoing

B: WhenI wentto my father'sposition,
A lightanda feeling.lt was likea senseof beingtotally
myselfin thatsituation.
awareand engagedbut happyand proudat the sametime.

R: And the metamessage?

B: The metamessagewas,"lt doesn'treallymatterhowit turnsout. That'snotwhatis

important.Whatis importantis thatyou committo it andthatyou act withintegrity.lt
doesn'tmatterwho theyare or whattheythink,peoplewill recognizeintegrity, and
they will respectyou.That'showyou reallychangethingsanyway."

R: Thereis clearlya lot of wisdomin yourneurology.

Takea momentnow and find
whatkindof commonmessage'resonates' betweenall threeof thesemessages
and metamessages.Whatsortof message seemsto be inherentin all threeof
your mentor'smessages?

like,"Bewhoyou are,committo whatyou believein andthe

B: lt'ssomething
guidanceand supportwill be there."

R: So the guidanceandsupportwillbe thereif youjustbe whoyourandcommitto

whatyou believein. Now I'd liketo haveyou revisiteachof thesementor's
positionsone moretimeandjustcommunicate thatcommonmessagefromeachof
theirperspectives.
Noticein whatwaysit changesor enriches,
if any.

B: (Standsin professional
mentor'slocation.
Holdsbodyerectandfoldsarms.)Here,it
becomeskindof, "Ofcourse.Whatelseareyougoingto do. lt'snotevena matterof
Jesus- Page83
 believingor doubting.lt'sdestined."

R: OK. Nextmentor.

B: (B standsin son'slocation.He smilesas he movesandrelaxeshis body.)Frommy

son'sposition,there'sanotherpiecethatgetsaddedthatis something like,"lt can
be enjoyable.lt doesn'thaveto be difficult.Yourattitudeand your interpretations
are something thatyou choose."

R: Out of the mouthof babes...Sage

adviceagain. Nowsendthat commonmessage
fromyourfather'sperspective.

B: (Movesto father'slocation.Standscalmlyandsilently.)Fromthispointof viewit

seemslikeI am partof something that is beyondme. Thatwe are bothpartof
something that has beengoingon forever.Thatwe arenotjustus as B.sfatheror
8., but we are the embodimentof everyone who haseverbelievedin makingthe
worlda betterplace.lt justseemsso deepand so strongand so obvious.

R: OK B. comebackto metaposition. (8. movesto hismetapositionlocation.)

In a way eachof thesementorsrepresents a kindof neuralcircuitryin yourself.
Whenyou go intoeachperceptual positionyouaccessthe circuitthat is resonant
withthatmentor.As you sendinformation throughit, the circuitamplifiesand
enhances certainaspectsof it, or enrichesit by processingthe situationthrough
partsof your nervoussystemthat havenot beenmobilizedor utilizedwith respect
to it before.
Nowwhat I wouldlikeyou to do is to standin a locationthat is just behindwhere
you initiallystoodwhenyou wereexperiencing thisdifficult (8. Movesto a
situation.
placea stepbehindwherehe initially stood).And hereI'd likeyou to imaginethat
all threeof yourmentorsarearoundyou.Yourprofessional mentoris behindyou,
tellingyou to do it andthat he believesin you;yourson is nextto you holdingyour
hand;and yourfatheris in frontof youand aboveyousendingthatkindof glow.

(B.sphysiology
is centered,
flexibleand aligned.He takesa deepbreathand looks
aroundto the locations
of his mentors.)

R: lmaginethatthesementorsare eachcommunicating
theirmessagesto you.And
thattheyare sendingyouthisdeepcommonmessage,"Bewho you are,committo
Jesus- Page84
 whatyou believein andthe guidance and supportwillbe there."lmaginethis
commonmessagewasa specialkindof lightthatcouldenteryoureyes,ears,and
the poresof yourskin,andfillyouwithits guidanceandwisdom.
Thenseeing,hearing, feelingand resonating withyourmentorsandtheircommon
message,associatefullybackintothatdifficultsituation.

(Breathing
deeplyand comfortably, andeaseintothe location
B. stepswithconfidence
withthe difficultexperience.)
associated

R: Noticehowyourperception changes.
of the situation

B: lts almostas if the peopleI wasworriedaboutbecomepartof the planinsteadof a

resistance.Theyneedto be doingwhattheydo in orderfor me to do what I haveto
do. Theygiveme the opportunity my commitment
to demonstrate and my integrity.
Ratherthanthrowingme off my path,theiractionshelpto defineit; whethertheyare
in agreement withthe way I seethingsor not. Andanotherthingis, I can enjoy
them. I can smileat them,evenwhentheythinksomething is veryserious.Butit is
nota smileof disrespect. lts as if my heartand my visionbecomesso big andso
strongI can seetheirresistance childthat I wantto comfort.The
likea frightened
wholethingis so different. Thankyou!

R: Thankyou.Mayyourlighthelpshowthemsomemorechoicesand alternatives!

The resonance patternis a wayto openourselves up the wisdomthatis within

eachof us by virtueof the factthatwe havea nervoussystem.Our nervoussystems
can haveaccessto information that doesnot necessarilycomefromdirectsensory
stimuliand behavioral reactionsto the outsideworld. Spontaneous insightscan occur
througha kindof resonance.Thestateof resonance canopenus up to wisdomthatis
inherentwithinownour nervoussystemsandthe largersystemsaroundus.

Summary of Resonance Pattern

doubtaboutyourbeliefsor mission.
in whichyou experience
1. ldentifya situation
Relivea keyexample (1stposition
of the experience - associated).

2. Go to'metaposition'and threeimpofiant
identify mentorsthathelpedto shapeor
influence wayby 'resonating'with,
yourlifein a positive releasing
or unveiling
Jesus- Page85
 something deeplywithinyou. Chooseone relating to yourbeliefsand values,one i
relatedto youridentityand one relatedto yourperception
of the spiritual.

[Note:Mentorscan includechildren,
teachers,pets,peopleyou'venevermet but
havereadabout,phenomena in nature(suchas the ocean,mountains,
etc.)and
evenyourself.l

3. Frommetapositionarrangethe mentorsaroundthe you in the situationin which

you experience
the doubt.

4. Physicallyassociate into(i.e.,go to 2ndposition

with)eachof the mentors,
one at
a time,and senda message to the youwhois in doubt.The messagedoesnot
needto be verbal. lt maybe sentthroughwhateverchannelis mostappropriate
for that mentor.

5. Go to 'metaposition' or presupposition
and identifythe 'metamessage' behind
the messages of eachof the mentors

6. Findthe 'commonmessage'that
resonates
withinthe messages
fromall three
mentors.

7. Onceagain,associate
intoeachmentor(2ndposition) the
andcommunicate
commonmessagein the way mostappropriate
for thatmentor.

just behindthe you who is experiencing

8. Standin a position the doubt.
Experience your mentorssurrounding you communicating theirindividual
messages andthenthe commonmessagein a singlecommonvoice.

Visualizeand feelthe messagecomingin throughyourearsand flowing

throughyourbodyas light.

9. Hearing,seeingand feelingyourmentors'andtheircommonmessageassociate
backintothe problemexperience.Noticehowyourperception
of the situation
changes.

Jesus- Page86
Neural Network Analogy
A fascinatinganalogywithwhichto thinkaboutJesus'strategyis providedby the
techniquesutilizingwhatare called"neural
mostrecentartificialintelligence
networks".Neuralnetworksare modeledafterthe functioning of the nervoussystem.
Eachelementin the networkhasits ownsourceof energyand is connected to many
otherneuronsin the system.The energywithinan individual neuronis released by
patternsof collectivesignalscomingto it fromother'neurons'
in the systemto whichit
is linked.Thus,eachneuronis bothan individual anda memberof the systemas a
whole.

Individual neuronsresponddifferentlyto inputfromthe systembaseduponthe

strength to otherneurons.
of theirconnections Neurons strengthen or weakentheir
connections to otherneuronsin response to signalsflowingthroughthe system
accordingto a particularlearningrule. Eachneuronstartsoff with equalpotentialto
all of the othersanddevelopsits individual'personality'
or'identity'as a functionof the
numberof otherneuronsto whichit is connected andthe learningruleto whichit
changesthe strengthof connections to others.Depending on the numberof
connections a neuronhas,andthe strengthof thoseconnections it mayrespondto
onlyverynarrowlocalinformation, or it mayrespondto information in verydistant
areasof the network.

Jesus- Page87
 | n fo r m a ti oni naneural netw o r k is s t o r e d c o lle c t iv e | y b y t h e wh o le n e t w o r ka s
patternsof activityin the neurons.The system'sknowledge cannotbe separatedfrom
the circuitryas a whole.The intelligence of the networkis inherentin the systemas
functionof the numberand qualityof connections betweenthe elements. Intelligent
behavioremergesorganically in the networkthroughlearningas the networkis
exposedto experience. Differentpatternsof experience changethe strengthof
connections between'neurons'in the network.
lf we appfythe neuralnetworkmodelas an analogyto makesenseout Jesus' ,
strategywe find someinteresting parallels.lf we envisionhumanityas a kindof
giganticneuralnetwork,"God"may be considered to represent the 'mind'or i
intelligence of the networkas a whole. The"Word"as logosis the learningrule i
throughwhichthe strengthof responses betweenneuronsare changedand evolved.
"Spirit"is likethe patternsof energythatpropagate andflowwithinthe system.'Life"
is the potentialenergywithineachindividual neuron.The "Heaft"represents the core t,
of the neuronitself.Combined withbreath(psyche), it expresses or releases the
energyof the individual neuronin response to the information it is receiving and .
processing fromthe otherneuronsit is connected to. Heartand breathare whatmakes
the neuron'fire'.Wordsas rhemaareimpulses thatemanatefromthe neuron, ,
stimulating activitiesin others."Light"is likethe resonance patternsthat form between
the neuronsin the networkwhichbecomethe specificembodiments of the intelligence
f
withinthe wholenetwork.
In thisanalogywe mayviewJesusas a neuronthatis connected to boththe vast
reachesof the systemas a whole,but alsowitha richnumberof localconnections.

Jesus- Page88
V. Conc lus i o n

Oneof myownpersonal symbols forwhatNLPis allis aboutis representedby

painting
Michelangelo's ontheceilingof theSistineChapelin Rome.Thepainting shows
Adamlyingonthe Earthreaching uptowardheaven andthehandof Godextending down
fromthesky.Theirfingersareoutstretched towardoneanother, justreadyto touch.To
me,the miracleis in thatspak in between thetwofingers- thesparkthatlinksthespiritual
to thesensual.Thatsparkis whatNLPandmodeling areallabout.Thisis whatI have
soughtto explorein thismonograph - thatinteraction
between thesacredandthe
profane;themapandtheterritory; dreamandreality; visionandaction.

Vision

GregoryBatesontellsa storyaboutBedrandRussellandAlfredNorthWhitehead, the

co-authorsof greatmathematical treatisePrincipiaMathmatica (whichfirstestablishedthe
notionof logicallevels,in relation to mathematical theory).Thetwo workedtogetherin
England,whereRussellwas a studentof Whitehead, untilWhitehead cameto the United
Statesto teachat HarvardUniversity. At one point,Whitehead invitedRussellto cometo
Harvardto givea lectureon a newand intriguing theoryby an unknownbut aspiring
youngscientistnamedAlbertEinstein.The lecturewas apparentlynot terriblysuccessful.
It was a hot,stuffyeveningand everybodystruggledfollowRussell'sexplanation of
Einstein'stheoryof relativity.Russellclosedto scattered applause and a fairamountof
disquietingsilence.Whitehead finallyretookthe podium,clearedhisthroatand said,
"Well...lwouldliketo thankmy colleague BefirandRussellfor leavingso totally
unobscured the vastdarknessof the subject."
Batesonclaimsthat,whilesomemightseethe commentas a kindof pokeat his
formerstudent,Whitehead's commentwasactuallyquitea compliment. He pointsoutthat
mosttext books,presentations andtheoriesdo precisely the opposite- theyobscurethe
vastdarknessof the subject.Peopleact as if theyactuallyknowwhatis goingon.
In mattersthatare sacredandprofound, the 'vastdarkness of the subject'needsto
be acknowledged, as we try to shinearay of lightintoit. I havepersonally gazedintothat
vastdarknessin the eyesof my childrenin the moments aftertheirbirth,andin the eyesof
my fatherin the momentof his death. I hopethatthis attemptto understand moreabout

Jesus- Page89
 the the mindof Jesusof Nazareth hasnotobscured thatvastnessbutinsteadhas been
ableto cast somesmalllightontoit.
Callinguponthreeof my ownpersonalmentors- GregoryBateson, Abraham
Lincoln,and AlbertEinstein - | wouldliketo reviewsomeof the key pointsof this
monograph.
Firstand foremostis the fundamental presuppositionthat'themapis notthe
territory."No map of Jesus'life,his cognitivepatterns,northe meaningof his messagewill
everbe the one rightmap- the wisestand mostecological mapsare thosewhich
integrate togetherthe broadest and richestnumberof perspectives, timeframesand
levels. My goal has beento attemptto enrichour modernmapsof Jesus,and thus of
ourselvesand our world,by applyingsomeof the newfilters,modelsand perspectives
thatare partof our currentstateof humanintellectual evolution.
Secondly,and equallyas important, is the presupposition
thatall lifeand mental
processes takeplacewithinan ecologyof systemswithinsystemswithinsystems.All of
thesesystemsmutuallyinteractwithone anotherandco-influence one another.Inthe
wordsof GregoryBateson:

"Theindividualmind is immanent,but not only in the body.tt is

immanentin pathwaysand messagesoutsidethe body; and there is a
larger Mind of whichthe individualmind is ontya sub-system.This
larger Mind is comparableto God and is perhaps whatpeople mean by
'God,'butit is stillimmanentin the totalinterconnectedsocialsystem
and planetaryecology.,,

Withinthisframework, Jesus'abilities
as a leaderanda healer,andthe fulfillmentof
his spiritualmission,wouldhavebeenmanifested in the concreteworldthroughhis
nervoussystem- a processthat hasstructure.By applying someof the modeling
principlesand distinctions
of NLPwe havemadean approximation of someof the
cognitiveand neurologicalstructuresimpliedby the reportsof Jesus'wordsand actionsin
the Gospels.Jesus'cognitivepatternsseemto represent a stateof the nervoussystemin
whichprinciples relating
to the "largerMind"maybe somehowaccessed- perhapsvia a
kindof mechanism similarto an opticalhologram - andthenembodiedwithinin a specific
contextthroughthe activationand mobilization
of successivelevelsof neuralcircuitry.
Thisprocessallowsoneto perceiveand effectively
managemultiplelevelsof experience,
timeframesand perceptualpositions
withina systemas one participatesin the tasksand
relationships
that makeup one'sidentityand mission.
Thiskindof multi-dimensional
processis essentialin orderto takewiseand
Jesus- Page90
ecologicalactionsin a worldwherelhe mapis notthe territoty",and thus impossible
for
any one personto havethe one rightmap.As AbrahamLincolnpointedout:

"ln great contestseachparty claimsto act in accordancewith the will

of God.Bothmay be, but one mustbe wrong.God cannotbe for and
againstthe samethingat the sametime...itis quite possiblethat God's
purposeis somethingdifferentfromthe purposeof eitherparty...Since
man is finite he can neverbe absolutelysure that he rightly sensesthe
will of the infiniteGod."

In the secondpartof thismonograph we exploredhowNLPtools,skillsand methods

couldbe appliedto implement the patternswe had uncoveredrelatingto Jesus'strategy
in a pragmatic way in our dailylivesby exploring howwe mightoperationalize histwo
greatcommandments.I presentedsomewaysin whichNLPtoolssuchas anchoring,
accessing cues,language patterns, spatialsorting,timeframes,logicallevelsand
perceptualpositionscouldbe employedto enrichour own personalmapsof ourselves
and the peopleandsystemsaroundus to incorporate and alignall levelsof our
experience.
Ratherthan imposingrigidrulesaboutwhichparticular kindsof behaviorare 'good'
or'bad';'right' or'wrong','ethical' Jesus'two greatcommandments
or'unethical',
describea processthroughwhichappropriate actionsmay be generated and selected
withina changingworld.No particular actioncan be evaluated outsideof the contextand
systemwithinwhichit is occurring. A behaviorthatis appropriate in one situationor
contextcan be inappropriate and evendestructive in another.Whatseemsrighton one
levelcan seemwrongon another. Whatappearsto be goodin onetimeframecan appear
bad in another. Whatseemsethicalfromoneperspective can seemunethicalfrorn
another.ln the termsof NLP,the questionis notwhethera particular behavior in andof
itselfis good,bad,right,wrong,ethicalor unethical but ratherwhetherthe outcomeof a
particularbehavioris "aligned"and "ecological" withrespectto all the systemsit effects.
Thetwo corepresuppositions of NLPleadto the conclusion that all actionsspring
fromthe positiveintentof an organismto optimizeits stateandthe stateof the systemin
whichit perceives itselfas a member- withinthe confinesof its modelof the world.The
ecologyof an organism's actionsis a resultof its abilityto perceive and represent the
implications of its behavior on the systemswithinsystemsof whichit is a part,and on the
kindsof choicesand alternatives it perceivesas beingavailableto it. Eventhe most
altruisticindividual can act selfishlyor unecologically if he or she perceives no other
alternative or is unawareof the impacthisor heractionsare havingon the surrounding
Jesus- Page91
system.
To trulyalignourselves towardour highestspiritual purposewithour hearts,souls,
mindsand strengthwe needmorethanfaith;we alsoneedspecificskillsand tools.With
the appropriate kindsof toolsit becomeseasierto manifest our ownvisionand mission
and to truly'loveour neighbors as olrselves'.
Perhapsit has beenthe evolution of someof theseabilitiesthathavebroughtdown
the BerlinWallandthe lronCurtain.Perhapsit is dueto the lackof someof theseskills
and toolsthat we stillpersecuteand harmone anotherout of fearand angerand fight
warsto settledisputesbetweennations.My hopeis thatthis studyhascast somemore
lighton howwe mightcontinueto enrichour mapsand our abilities to understandand
manifestthe 'largermind'of whichwe area part.
I can personally saythat I oftendrawnuponthe processesI havedescribedhere,
especially in situations Forinstance,
thatare difficultor challenging. I havebeenin the
situationof havingto decidewhetheror notto removesomeonethat I dearlylovedfrom
the medicallifesupportsystemthat was sustaining his physicalexistence.ln moments
suchas these,onecannotlookat one'swatch,one'scheckbook or one'spast
accomplishmentsto makethe decision.One mustmakeone'sbestattemptto facethe
vastdarknessandpeerintoit to seewhateverlightor wisdommaybe presentin that
largerhologramand,as a finitebeing,try to understand of the infinite.
something
Accordingto AlbertEinstein:

"A humanbeingis a part of the wholecalledby us'universe'...apart

limitedin time and space.He experienceshis thoughtsand feelingsas
separatedfrom the rest-- a kind of opticaldelusionof hisconsciousness.
This delusionis a kind of prison for us, restrictingus to our personal
desiresand to affectionfor a fewpersonsnearestus.Our taskmustbe to
free ourselvesfrom thisprison by wideningour circle of compassionto
embraceall living creaturesand the wholeof naturein its beauty."

Thosewho havethe earsto hear,letthemhear.

Jesus- Page92
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The Holy Bible, ThomasNelsonInc.,Nashville,

TN, 1976.

The Holy Bible: From the Ancient EasternManuscriplg GeorgeLamsa,Harper&

Row,SanFrancisco,CA,1981.

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Nashville,
TN, 1975,
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Nashville,
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The New Testament: A New Translation together with the Authorized Version
in Parallel Columns,JamesMoffatt,
Harper& Brothers NewYork,New
Publishers,
York,1935.

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Press,Oxford,
1989.
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Young's Analytical Concordance to The Bible, RobertYoung,W.B.Eerdmans

Publishing
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(editor),
The Other Gospels:Non-CanonicalGospel Texts,RonCameron The
Press,Philadelphia,
Westminster PA,1982

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J., Bandler,
R.,Delozier,
J.;
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Changing Beliefs With NLP,Dilts,R.;MetaPublications,
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California,
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T. Smith,S.;
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OR,1990
Angels Fear: Towards an Epistemology of the Sacred,Gregoryand MaryCatherine
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Mind and Nature,Bateson, E. P. Dutton,

Gregory; NewYork,NY,1979.

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Gregory;
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The Structureof Magic Vol. I & //, Grinder,

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Tools for Dreamers;Dilts,R. 8., Epstein,

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E.,andPribraffi,
K.,HenryHolt
& Co.,Inc.,1960.
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Publications,
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J. DeLozier& JohnGrinder, SantaCruz,CA, 1987.
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Processes,M. Maruyama, Vol.51, pp. 164-178, 1963.
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Harper& Row,SanFrancisco,
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Jesus- Page94
Appendix A: Overview of NLP
NLP standsfor Neuro-Linguistic Programming,a namethatencompasses the threemost
influentialcomponents involvedin producinghumanexperience: neurology,languageand
progamming. Theneurologicalsystemregulateshow otu bodiesfunction,languagedetermines how
we interfaceandcommunicate with otherpeopleandour progammingdetermines thekindsof models
of theworld we create.Neuro-Linguistic Programming describes thefundamental dynamicsbenveen
mind (neuro)andlanguage(linguistic)andhow theirinterplayeffectsour bodyandbehavior
(programming).
NLP wasoriginatedby JohnGrinder(whosebackgroundwasin linguistics)andRichardBandler
(whosebackgroundwasin mathematics andgestalttherapy)for thepurposeof makingexplicitmodels
of humanexcellence.Their fust work TheStrucrureof Magic Vol.I & II (1975,I976) identifiedthe
verbal andbehavioralpatternsof therapistsFritz Perls(thecreatorof gestalttherapy)andVirginia Satir
(internationallyrenownedfamily therapist).Theirnextwork Panernsof theHypnortcTechniques of
Milton H. Erickson, MD.Vol.I & II (1975,1976) examined theverbal and behavioral panerns of
Milton Erickson,founderof theAmericanSocietyof ClinicalHypnosisandoneof the mostwidely
acknowledged andclinically successful psychiatrists
of our times.As a resultof this earlierwork,
Grinder and Bandler formalizedtheir modeling techniques andtheirown individualcontributions
under the name "Neuro-LinguisticProgramming" to symbolize therelationshipbetweenthebrain,
languageandthebody. The basicsof this modelhasbeendescribedin a seriesof booksincluding
FrogsInto Princes(Bandler& Grinder,1979) , Neuro-Linguistic ProgrananingVol./ (Dila,
Grinder,Bandler,Delozier, 1980), Refrarning @andler&Grinder,1982)andUsingYourBrain
(Bandler,1985).

I. Basic Presuppositionsof NLP

1, The Map Is Not The Territory.
As humanbeings,we canneverknowreality.We canonly know ourperceptions of realiry.We
experience and respond to the world around us primarily our
through sensory representational
systems.It is our'neuro-linguistic'mapsof realitythatdeterminehow we behaveandthatgive those
behaviorsmeaning,not realityitself. It is generallynot externalrealitythatlimits us or empowersus,
butratherour mapof reality.
2. Ltfe And 'Mind' Are SystemicProcesses.

The processes thattakeplacewithin a humanbeing,andbetweenhumanbeingsandtheir

environment,aresystemic.Our bodies,our societiesandour universeform anecologyof systemsand
sub-systems all of whichinteractwith andmutuallyinfluenceeachother.It is not possibleto
completely isolate anypartof the systemfrom therestof thesystem.Suchsystemsarebasedupon
certain'selforganizing' principlesandnarurallyseekoptimalstatesof balanceor homeostasis.

II. The T.O.T.E. Model

"Thepursuanceoffunre endsand tlte choiceof meansfor their anainmentare themark and
criterionof tle presenceof rnentalityin a phenomenon"
William James- Principles of Psychology

A mentalstrategyis typicallyorganizedinto a basicfeedbackloopcalleda T.O.T.E.(Miller, et al,

1960).The lenersT.O.T.E. standforTest-Operate-Test-Exit. TheT.O.T.E.conceptmaintains that
all mentalandbehavioralprogramsrevolvearoundhavingafixedgoal andavariablemcarsto
achievetlnt goal. This modelindicatesthat,aswe think,we setgoalsin our mind (consciously or
unconsciously) anddevelopa TESTfor whenthatgoalhasbeenachieved.If thatgoalis not achieved
we OPERATEto changesomethingor do somethingto getcloserto our goal. Whenour TESTcriteria
havebeensatisfiedwe thenEXIT on to thenextstep.Sothefunctionof anyparticularpartof a
behavioralprogramcouldbe to (T)estinformationfrom the senses in orderto checkprogresstowards
thegoalo: to (O)perateto changesomepartof theongoingexperience sothatit cansatisfythe(f)est
and(E)xit on to thenextpartof theprogpm.
Jesus - Page95
 TE S T T. O. T. E.
Flxed Future epe x
ses I
Evidencefor EXIT trt t
Achievement a
of the Goal
t
e

Flexibility
of Means
to AccomplishGoals

OPERATIONS

For example,oneTESTfor creativitymightbethatanideais "unique". If theconceptyou have

comeup with is not uniqueenoughyou will OPERAIEor go througha procedureto maketheidea
moreufuqueor to comeup with a betterconcept.Individualswill havedifferentwaysto TEST for
systempreferences
somethinglike "uniqueneis"basedon personalrepresentational or proclivities.

III. Levels of Processingand Organization

Peopleoftentalk aboutrespondingto thingson different"levels". For instance,someonemight

saythat someexperience wasnegativeon onelevelbut positiveon anotherlevel. In our brain
structure,language,andperceptualsystemstherearenaturalhierarchies or levelsof experience.The
effectof eachlevelis to organizeandcontroltheinformationon thelevelbelowit. Changing
somethingon an upperlevelwouldnecessarily changethingson thelower levels;changingsomething
on a lower level couldbut wouldnot necessarilyeffecttheupperlevels. AnthropologistGregory
Batesonidentifiedfour basiclevelsof learningandchange- eachlevelmoreabstractthanthe level
belowit but eachhavinga greaterdegreeof impacton theindividual.Theselevelsroughlycorrespond
to:
Spirimal Msion& Purpose Who Else?
A. Who I Am - Idcntiry Mission Who?
B . My Belief system- ValucsandMeanings Permission& Motivation V/hy?
C . My Capabilities- Strategies
andStates Maps&Plans How?
D . WhatI Do or haveDone- SpecificBehaviors Actions& Reactions What?
E. My Environment-Exterral Corutraints Consraints& OppornrnitiesWherc?When?

The environmentlevelinvolvesthe qpecificexternalexternalconditionsin whichour behavior

takesplace. Behaviorswittroutanyinnermap,planor strategyto guidethem,however,arelike knee
jerk reactions,habis or rituals. Arthe levelof capabilitywe ilre ableto select,alterandadapta classof
behaviorsto a wider setof externalsituations.At thelevelof beliefsandvalueswe may encourage,
inhibit or generalize
a particularstrategy,plan or way of thinking. Identity,of course,consolidates
wholesystemsof beliefsandvaluesinto a senseof self. While eachlevelbecomesmoreabsracted
from the specificsof behaviorandsensoryexperience, it acruallyhasmoreandmorewidespread effect
on our behaviorandexperience.
* Environtnental or constraintsa personhasto reactto.
factors determinetheextemalopportunities
Answerto thequestionswhere?andwhen?
* Beluvior is madeup of the specificactionsor reactionstakenwithin theenvironment.Answerto
thequestionwhat?

Jesus - Page96
 * Capabiltties-guide
a3dgrvedirectionto behavioralactionsthrougha mentalmap,planor strategy.
Answerto thequestionhow?
* Beliefs,.Tndvalucs
providethereinforcement
(motivationandpermission)thatsupportsor denies
capabilities.Answerto thequestionwhy?
* Identity determineoverallpurpose(mission)andshapebeliefsandvaluesthroughour
_fa91o1s
senseof self.Answerto thequestionwh o?
* Spiitwl issuesrelateto thefactthatwe area pan of a largersystemthatreachesbeyondourselves
asindividualsto our family,communityandglobalsystems. Answerto rhequestio;who else?
Each9{theqeprocessesinvolvesa differentlevelof organization
andmobilizessuccessively
- mobilizationandcommitmentof neurological
deeper 'circuitry'.

Universe

Planet

Spiritual'Trans-Mlsslon"
Family WhoElse?
Mlsslon

Beliefs/ValuesPerm lss lo n/Mot lvatlo n

whv?
Capabilities Dlrectlon
How?

Behavior Actlons
What?

Environment Constralnls
Networkof LogicalLevels Where?When?

IV. The R.O.L.E. Model

. . The goalof theR..O.L.E.modelingprocessis to identify_theessentialelemenrsof thinkingand

behaviorusedto producea particularresponse or outcome.-Thisinvolvesidentifyinethecritiial steos
of theTenl{ sqategy- andthe-role-eachstepplaysin theoverallneurological"pr6grim". This rotei
{etermingj !y tle-folowing four.factorswhichareindicatedby theleneiswhibhirat<eup nameof the
R. O . L. E . Model- R eprese
ntatioralsystems
; Oientabn ; L inks; Effect.

.[epresentational Systemshaveto do with whichof thefive senses aremostdominantfor the

particularmentalstepin thestrategy:Visual (sight),Auditory (sound),Kinesthetic(feeling),Olfactory
(smell),Gustatory(taste).
Eachrepres-entationalsystemis designed t-ope-rceiye
certainbasicqualitiesof theexperiencesit
senses.Theseincludecharacteristics sucha; color,brightness,tone,lotiness, temperautre,
preyufet etc. Thesequalitiesarecalled"sub-modalities" in NLP sincetheyaresub-components of
eachof therepresentationalsystems.

Jesus- Page97
 RepresentationalSystems

Sight
Visrcl
zH Sound
Audttory
Feeling Smell
Kinesthertc Ofactory
Taste
Gwtatory
v A K OG

is focused(e)xternally
Qrientation hasto do with whethera particularsensoryrepresentation
towardthe ouside world or (i)nternallytowardeither(r)ememberedor (c)onstructedexperiences.
For instance,whenyou areseeingsomething,is it in theouside world, in memoryor in your
imagination?
Orientation

OutsideWorld InnerExperience
Exterrnl Internal
e
-/>-
Recall
Remembered
Imagination
Constructed
Oeftbrain) (rightbrain)
r c
3. Links haveto do with how a particularstepor sensoryrepresentation
is linkedto theother
representations.For example,is somethingseenin theexternalenvironmentlinkedto internal
feelings,remembered images,words?Is a particularfeelinglinkedto constructed pictures,memories
of soundsor otherfeelings?
Therearetwo basickindsof waysthatrepresentations canbelinkedtogether:sequentiallyand
simultaneously.Sequentiallinks actasanclnrsor triggerssuchthatonerepresentation follows
anotherin a linearchainof events.

V e -*l -a j v e,rr..
which Generates which Trigge.rs
(JU E S IION
a
which Stimulates
a Feeling a Fantasy
":.T"?
o @ @ @
Sequentlal Llnks

Simultaneous links occuraswhatarecalledsynesthesia.r.Synesthesia links haveto do with the

ongoingoverlapbetweensensoryrepresentations. Certainqualitiesof feelingsmay be linkedto
certainqualitiesof imagery- for example,visualizingtheshapeof a soundor hearinga color.
lmage
brightness -
f f-* coU, a
movement - | I
f f f-

llL
t
b c a ti o n J l l
II temperature - - ' '
inbnsity I

Feeling
S yn e sthesla Llnks
Jesus - Page98
 Certainly,bothof thesekindsof links areessentialto thinking,learning,creativityandthegeneral
organizationof our experiences.
L in k s

./\
Sequential Simultaneous
AnclorslTriggers Synesthesias

A+ 11
/o\
\*,
eg. Soundor Word
is Followedby eg.Feelsa Soundor
a Feeling Hearsa Feeling

4. fffect hasto do with theresult,effector purposeof eachstepin thethoughtprocess.For

instance,thefunctionof the stepcouldbe to generateor input a sensoryrepresentation,
to testor
evaluatea particularsensoryrepresentation
or to operateto changesomepartof anexperience or
behaviorin relationshipto a sensoryrepresentation.

Effect

Generate Evaluate Change

Input Test Oprue

V. PhysiologicalClues:Making the R.O.L.E. into a B.A.G.E.L.

The R.O.L.E.modelelements dealprimarilywith cognitiveprocesses.In orderto function,

however,thesementalprogramsneedthehelpof certainbodilyandphysiologicalprocesses for
consolidationandexpression.Thesephysicalreactionsareimportantfor theteachingor development
of certainmentalprocesses
aswell asfor theexternalobservation
andconfirmationof them. The
primarybehavioralelementsinvolvedin R.O.L.E.modelingare:

Eody Posture.
[ccessingcues
Qestures.
P;le movements.
laanguagePatterns.

1 . Eody Posture

habitualpostureswhendeepin thought.Theseposturescan
Peopleoftenassumesystematic,
indicatea great systemthepersonis using. Thefollowing aresome
dealabouttherepresentational
typicalexamples:
a. Visual: lzaning backwith headandslnuldersup or rounded,slnllow breathing.
b. Auditory: Body leantngforward, headcocked,shouldersback,armsfolded.
c. Kinesthetic: Headandshoulders down,deepbreathing.

Jesus Page99
 2. Accessing Cues
Whenpeoplearethinking,theycueor triggercertaintypesof representations
in a numberof
-.--
different waysinclgding:breathingrate,non-verbal"gruns andgrodns",facialexpressions,snapping
thei{ fin-gen,s_cratching
theirheads,andsoon. Somebftheseareidiosyncraticto ihe individual-dnd
needto be 'calibrated'to theparticularperson.Manyof thesecues,however,areassociated to
particularsensoryprocesses"

a. Visu3l: High shallowbreathing,squintilg eyes,voicehigherpitch andfastertempo.

b. Audito-ry:. Dilphragmaticbreathing,
knittedbrow,flucrualngvoicetoneandtempb.
c. Kinesthetic: Deepabdominal breathing,deepbreathyvoice-ina slowertempo.
3. Qestures.
. . . Peoplewill oftentolch, point to or usegestures
indicatingthethe senseorganthey areusingto
think with. Sometypicalexamplesinclude:-
a. Visg.al:Torcling or pointingto theeyes;gesturesnade aboveeyelevel.
b. Auditory: Pointingtowardorgesruingiear theears;touchingthemouthor jaw.
^
c. Kinestheticz Touchingthecluit andsiomacharea;gesturesiade belowthe-neck.
4. Eye movements

- Automatic,unconscious eyemovements particularthoughtprocesses

oftenaccompany indicating
the-accessingof oneof thereprbsentational
systems.NLP has'citegorizedthes6cuesinto the
following pattern:

vcson?tructed vr€mgmbered

A[JI]8nlu"d

K i ne s th e ti c H?dlta
5. languagePatterns

. Aprimary ry9qtd of Neuro-Linguisticanalysisis to searchfor particularlinguisticpatterns,such

as'predicates',
whichin-dicate a particularneurological
representationalsystemor sub-midality,and
how that systemor qgalityis beingusedin theoverallprogramof thought.hedicatesarewoids,such
asverbs,adverbsandadjectives, whichindicateactionioiqualitiesasopposedto things.This typeof
languageis.tlpically selectedat an unconscious
levelandthusreflectsthl underlyinguiconscioui'
structurewhich producedthem. Below is a list of commonsensorybasedpred.iiates:
VI S T ] AL AUDITORY KINESTHETIC
"see" "hear" "grasp"
"look" "listen" "touch"
"sight" "sound" "feeling"
"clear" "resonant" "solid"
"bright" "lortd" "heavy"
"picture" "word" "harl.dle"
"hazy" 'noisy" "rough"
"bringsto light" "ringsa bell" "connects"
"show" "tell" "move"
Jesus - Page100