← The Imaginal Act, thirty days

Week 1 · See · Day 02 of 30

The Atlas

Today's intent (planned)

Look at your whole life once, in twelve domains, and choose at most three to work on this month. Coverage, not twelve projects.

The practice

  1. Open reality/atlas.md (Studio: Atlas). Under its heading, start a table: the header row | Domain | Now | Wanted | Priority | and the divider | --- | --- | --- | --- |.
  2. Add one row per domain, in this order: Body & Vitality, Mind & Mastery, Heart & State, Character & Code, Spirit & Source, Love & Union, Lineage & Legacy, Circle & Community, Wealth & Sovereignty, Craft & Contribution, Sanctuary & Lifestyle, The Golden Age.
  3. Score each twice, from 0 to 10: how it is now, and where you want it. Go fast; first answers are fine. A row like | Craft & Contribution | 5 | 9 | | is enough. A blank means not looked at yet, not a failure.
  4. Look at the gaps. Write yes in the Priority column for at most three domains: the ones you are willing to work on now. A large gap is not automatically the right one.
  5. Check that each priority has a heading below the table with one - True now (reported): … line. Add any that are missing.

Why it works

Meaning

Think of your life as a house with many rooms. Some you live in; some you rarely enter. The scores are not grades. They say how each room feels to you today. Choosing a few is also care for the rest: you decide what gets your attention, and let the others wait without guilt.

Mechanism

A gap between now and wanted gives effort a direction. Naming it beside the present is the first half of mental contrasting, which supported follow-through in experiments better than picturing the wanted state alone. Limiting priorities protects attention, which is finite. The scores are self-reports: useful for seeing your own view change over time, not a measurement of your life.

Tonight (reported)

Add an entry at the top of reality/witness.md, under its heading, headed ### <today> <time> · gratitude (Studio: Witness):

  • Happened (fact): Which domain scored highest for now?
  • Meant (my meaning): What does it hold that you value?
  • Did (action): Only what is done: the Atlas, saved.
  • Next (planned): Which priority you want to imagine first tomorrow.
  • Did it come? No look-for yet; it starts on day 5. Leave that line out of today's log.