by Linda-Ann Stewart

Sages say, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” This is true because images are the way the subconscious mind processes information. A word or verbal phrase translates into images in the inner mind. Think of the difference between reading “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” versus watching the movie. Which one was more powerful and evoked more emotions? Most likely it was the movie. The words on the page had to be transformed into mental pictures, but the movie was in the very language of the subconscious, thus grabbed it more directly.

This is why so many goal setting techniques suggest using visualization and cutting out pictures of what you want to help to manifest your desires. We co-create our world by the images we hold in our minds. Looking at pictures of our goals helps to keep our minds focused on what we want. There are lots of different terms for this technique. Master Mind designates it “image book pages,” Joseph Murphy and Mary Katherine MacDougall call it “treasure mapping,” and Catherine Ponder’s phrase for it is a “wheel of fortune.” More recently, they’ve been called, “vision boards” or “dream boards.”

The Basic Technique

No matter what it’s called the basic technique is the same. A person cuts out and collects pictures from magazines that represent what he/she wants. The action of finding the pictures, cutting them out, then pasting them onto paper helps to convince the subconscious that you really do want this goal. The pictures may simply evoke the feeling of the desired result, such as a sunset for peace, or a lit candle for enlightenment, or specific pictures of a cruise, car, income or job. The idea is to find pictures that speak to you. For a job, you might find pictures of someone doing that specific job, or a picture that symbolizes it to you.

Underneath the pictures, you write an affirmation that directs the mind. The affirmation can be “I know that my Higher Mind wants this for me, and my creative mind finds the best way for it to manifest” or “I now have a lavish income of X coming to me easily and freely.” Any statement that clarifies your goal and supports the belief that Spirit is manifesting it now will work. This helps keep you aware that the Universe wants this for you as much as you want it for yourself.

Different Ways to Use the Basic Technique

There are different ways to use the basic technique. For a single goal, such as a job, relationship, travel, or new house or car, you can get a page of colored construction paper or large posterboard and paste the pictures on it. Use a color that connects with you and your goal. Such as green or gold for prosperity, blue or green for relationships or relaxation, red or orange for a new position or some change in your life, purple or lavender for spiritual growth. I had a friend who created a treasure map and placed it on the inside of the door to her closet, where she saw it every day. You can also use a corkboard or styrofoam to pin the pictures and affirmations to, and change them as you choose.

For several different goals, you can get a posterboard and divide it into the areas of your goals. You could segment it into four parts, such as: work, play, relationships, and health. Then paste the pictures and write the affirmations as you would with a single sheet in each area. At the center, you could have a picture and affirmation that recognizes that the Universe is the Source of your good.

Another Way to Use the Basic Technique

One of my early metaphysical teachers used a notebook for his treasure map. He was a businessman and kept it in a drawer of his desk to look at several times a day and said that all of the desires he put into it came to pass. You can take a folder with fasteners, like you used in school, and put pictures and affirmations on sheets of unruled paper. Again, each goal should have its own separate sheet of paper.

How to Use the Treasure Map

With a treasure map, you need to have it where you can look at it several times a day, but where no one else can see it, such as a closet or drawer. This keeps it private, between you and your Higher Self. If you have someone who will be completely supportive of your goal, you can share it with them. Look at your map several times a day and each time give thanks that the Universe and your creative mind has already given you what the pictures represent. By giving your mind a picture of your desire, keeping your attention focused on it, the Universe will find the perfect way to transport you to your destination.

Affirmation:

I know that the Universe wants the best for me, the Highest Good of abundance, health, harmony, ease and comfort. As I put the pictures of what I want into my mind, it powers my Higher Mind to create a perfect outcome. I don’t need to know how it will manifest. My Higher Mind knows just the right way to deliver me to my desire. I give thanks, knowing that the Universe has already granted me what I want.

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