“The first people had questions, and they were free.
The second people had answers, and they became enslaved.”
~ Ancient Earth Wisdom
Questions, I have questions. Or at least my mind does. Like a precocious two-year old, it never seems to tire of asking “Why?” Mostly I consider this a sign of healthy curiosity. I have always been a Hungry Learner, seeking to understand the world. What does not feel very healthy however, is my mind’s compulsion to identify, label and draw conclusions based on limited information. In other words, questions are not the problem as much as my mind’s addiction to having “the answer.”
I spent a good deal of my twenties and thirties searching for antidotes to my educated mind. I stopped reading and began meditating. I immersed myself in the esoteric realms and began to explore working with energy. I excavated my emotional body, unearthing the deep doubt, grief and anger that proved the invisible backdrop for my deeply conditioned Know-It-All persona. I went on vision quests and began opening up to the vastness of the universe, humbly acknowledging how little I truly understood of Life. I learned to pray.
I found myself drawn to indigenous ways that, instead of providing answers, offered awareness practices that enabled personal discovery. It was during this chapter that I had the great fortune of meeting and working with Paula Underwood Spencer (Turtle Woman Singing), whose father’s clan hailed from the Oneida nation of the Iroquois Confederacy. I learned many things in my precious years with her before her spirit left her body. However, the wisdom practice she shared that has influenced me the most (and the scores of folks I’ve since shared it with) is The Rule of Six.
The Rule of Six (Rof6) says that for each apparent phenomenon, devise at least six plausible explanations, every one of which can indeed explain the phenomenon. There are probably 60, but if you devise six, this will sensitize you to the vast array of potential options and prevent you from locking in on the first thing that sounds “right” as The Truth. This attitude supports the mind in discovering new ways of perceiving, keeping our perceptual biases in check while allowing them their say.
I love that I can apply the Rof6 to a wide variety of perplexities. One day it could be “Why are our local hummingbirds choosing not to migrate this year?” The next day might find me anxiously pondering “Why did my sweetheart not say good-bye this morning when he knows I am not feeling well?” Whatever the inquiry, the Rof6 invites me to explore beyond my mind’s knee-jerk reasoning. I find that identifying three possible answers for any phenomenon is fairly easy. It’s stretching into the fourth, fifth and sixth that requires much more lateral thinking!
There is a second phase of the Rof6. After you’ve fully named six possible explanations for whatever phenomenon you are seeking to understand, you then apply your Personal Probability Factor (PPF) to each of your six explanations. This PPF is determined by your own, unique life experience – there is no right answer. Of course, a PPF cannot be either 0% or 100%, because both of these percentages are absolutes. It is not important that your PPF’s add up to 100%, as you are not determining a “winning” thought, but evaluating your beliefs an assessing which of the possibilities strikes you as being the most likely.
In the case of the second scenario, I might apply the Rof6 thus:
“Why did my sweetheart not say good-bye to me this morning when he knows I’m not feeling well?”
1) He’s an inconsiderate jerk (PPF 20%);
2) I’m so pathetic; he’s lost interest in me romantically (PPF 15%);
3) He’s afraid of catching whatever I’ve got (PPF 25%);
4) He was afraid I might ask him for help, which would put him behind schedule (PPF 40%);
5) He assumed I needed to rest and didn’t want to disturb me (PPF 55%);
6) He was running extremely late because he was up most of the night with me (PPF 30%).
By the time I have imagined at least six possible answers to my query, my mind is much more receptive and much less agitated. Remembering to apply this simple practice has broadened my perspective and loosened the grip of both the righteousness and doubt that plagued my early years. Paradoxically, learning to identify many possible reasons for any situation has helped me develop more clarity in my choices, not less. Certainty is overrated if it’s based on faulty reasoning. Being less wedded to my habitual stances and more open to possibilities has been a wisdom path for this recovering Know-It-All.
(This article first appeared in the Jan/Feb 2012 Spirituality & Health Magazine.)
Rebekah Jan 8 2012 - 3:36 pm
Very good article!
Anna F. Jan 19 2012 - 4:29 am
Thank you for sharing this article – I really enjoyed it and found it to be thought provoking. I found myself thinking about the implications if more of us could use the Rof6 to break the cycle of our black and white thinking. Thanks for sharing a great piece of consciousness.