The Metaphoric Board: A Strategic Model for Conscious Thinking

Foundational Premise:

"To think clearly we must see the whole field, embody the emotional state of the outcome, and let symbols guide movement."

STRUCTURE:

The model is shaped like a chessboard crossed with a spiral - each square or node is both spatial (position), temporal (timing), and emotive (state).

Each move or action is influenced by 5 core elements:

1 . THE FIVE TACTICAL ELEMENTS (every move contains them)

Each tactical thought checks off:

• Am I moving well?

• Using power properly?

• Staying creative and authentic?

• In line with structure?

• Emotionally high-frequency?

2 . THE STRATEGIC LENS: "See the whole board"

This will be your 'meta-awareness' principle - borrowed from chess:

• Zoom out before you move in

• Train your mind to scan space (all pieces), time (potential futures), and state (the mood on the board)

• Ask: "What's been 'set up' here that I haven't seen yet?"

The move you miss is usually hiding in the 'periphery' of awareness.

3 . TIME - CREATION PRINCIPLE:

"Make time by making space"

To think well, we must first slow space down:

• Breath

• Mentally zoom out

• Step into Appreciation or Curiosity

Time appears when the mind exits urgency and re-enters spacious cognition.

4 . THE SPIRAL OF DESIRE (strategic motive)

Each strategic thread can be anchored in one of these natural hypnotic trance states:

• POWER - Direct control of energy (e.g,,Queen's command)

• CONTROL - Stabilization and boundary-setting (e.g,, pawn structure)

• RELATIONSHIP - Coordinated alliance, sacrifice

• CONTAINERS - Safe zones, systems, frameworks (the board itself)

• JOURNEY - Long term arcs (King's movement, endgames)

• TRANSFORMATION - Unexpected renewal (pawn to Queen)

• BALANCE - Harmonizing dualities (attack vs defence, now vs later)=

Ask before each major decision: "What deep trance state is driving this move?"

5 . THE EMOTIONAL FIELD

Think only from these states:

• CONTENTMENT - Accept what is, before changing it

• HOPEFULNESS - See potential in the unknown

• OPTIMISM - Expect things to go well - and act accordingly

• POSITIVE EXPECTATION - Predict the win without needing it

• EARGERNESS - Move towards whatever excites you

• PASSION - Let fire guide your play

• EMPOWERMENT - Move as one who chooses freely

• APPRECIATION - Use beauty as a compass

Emotion here isn't decoration - it's a 'strategic lens' that colours clarity.

PART 1: VISUAL TEMPLATE - THE METAPHORIC BOARD

THE METAPHORIC BOARD LAYOUT

A circular or spiral map with five radiating axes (the tactical element) and seven concentric rings (trance desires). At each intersection is a possible move or choice you might make in life.

Axes (radiating outwards like compass points):

• Movement (north)

• Force(east)

• Nature(south)

• System (west)

• Emotion (centre and orbiting)

Concentric Rings (trance layers):

1. Survival (instinct)

2. Control

3. Power

4. Relationship

5. Journey

6. Transformation

7. Balance

   
   

   How to use it:

   Imagine a decision. Place yourself on the ring that corresponds to your current drive -

   (e.g "transformation"). Then follow the axis outwards:

   
   

   + "What would Movement look like here?"

   + "What kind of Force am I using?"

   + "Is it original or am I echoing someone else?"

   + "Is there a system or patten I'm aligning with?"

   + "What emotional frequency am I emitting while I act?"

   
   

   It's like a radar scan - this gives your thinking both width (tactical variety) and depth (strategic purpose).

PART 2: CREATIVE THINKING APPLICATION - THE EXCHANGE PRINCIPLE

If you love chess exchanges - and you find gold in that, then you would intuitively understand:

Some Combinations aren't Material - they're Positional, Energetic, or Creative

So Let's Define:

THE EXCHANGE PRINCIPLE of CREATIVE STRATEGY

"I trade ideas the way players trade pieces - not for value, but for vision."

Here's how this applies to creative thinking:

Whenever you're blocked in creative thinking:

1 . Ask: "What kind of exchange is trying to happen here?"

2 . What am I clinging to that could be repositioned or transformed?

3 . Can I sacrifice a safe idea for a riskier one that could open up the whole board?

PART 3: Daily Decision Application - The Tesla Switch

Nikola Tesla said we react to inner image flashes, unnoticed. That means:

• Most decisions are reactions to subconscious imagery

• Until we see the image, we are the automation

  
  

  Daily Practice:

  
  

• Before any decision, ask:

  
  

  "What image am I holding right now?"

  
  

• You may find it's:

  
  

• A fear memory (trap)

• A desire-projection (bait)

• A default position (pattern)

  When you see it, it stops driving you.

  Then choose: Do I want to move like this image? Or rewrite the board?

  
  

  That's where true free will lives - not in reaction, but in the space between image and action.

  
  
  
  

  Final Tactical Rule:

  
  

  "In every thought, observe the square you're on, the whole board you're in, the direction you're leaning, and the feeling you're radiating."

  
  
  
  

  The Metaphoric Board: (a strategic model for conscious thinking)

  Created by Alan Anderson, co-created with ChatGPT.