Introduction

Everyone holds their fortune in their own hands, like a sculptor the raw material he can fashion into a figure. But it’s the same with that type of artistic activity as with all others: We are merely born with the capability to do it. The skill to mold the material into what we want must be learned and attentively cultivated.

The Ultimate Power

There exists a form of power and intelligence that represents the high point of human potential. It is the source of of the greatest achievements and discoveries in history.

It often comes to us in a period of tension — facing a deadline, the urgent need to solve a problem, a crisis of sorts. Or it can come as the result of constant work on a project.

In any event, pressed by circumstances, we feel unusually energized and focused. Our minds become completely absorbed in the task before us. This intense concentration sparks all kinds of ideas— they come to us as we fall asleep, out of nowhere, as if springing from our unconscious.

Let us call this sensation *mastery—*the feeling that we have a greater command of reality, other people, and ourselves. Although it might be something we experience for only a short while, for others—Masters of their field—it becomes their way of life, their way of seeing the world.

In the process leading to the ultimate form of power, we can identify three distinct phases or leves: The first is the Apprenticeship; the second is the Creative-Active; the third Mastery.

• In the first phase, we stand on the outside of our field, learning as much as we can of the basic elements and rules.
• In the second phase, through much practice and immersion, we see into the inside of the machinery, how things connect with one another, and thus gain a more comprehensive understanding of the subject.
• In the third phase, our degree of knowledge, experience, and focus is so deep that we can now see the whole picture with complete clarity.

Intuition powers at the mastery level are often a mix of the instinctive and the rational, the concious and the unconcious, the human and the animal.

Keys to Mastery

What we find in the stories of all great masters is essentially the following pattern:

• a youthful passion or predilection.