AN AFRICAN RENAISSANCE epitomises the Spirit of the TIMES. To make the most of this ZEITGEIST, you must begin with a simple premise: you are a product of the TIMES as much as anyone; the generation you were born into has shaped your thoughts and values, whether you are aware of this or not. And so, if you feel from deep within some frustration with the way things are in the world or with the older generation, or if you sense there is something that is missing in the culture, you can be almost certain that other people of your generation are feeling the same way. And if you are the one to act on this feeling, your work will resonate with your generation and help shape the ZEITGEIST.

SEVEN therapeautic tonics to loftily LOCATE your LIFE’s BASIC BEARING:

1. BREAK sharply and clearly with the past. Use the past and its values or ideas as something to push against with great force, using any anger you might feel to help in this.
2. ENDEAVOUR to associate yourself with historical, venerated, revolutionally figures or times, so as to give added weight to whatever movement or innovation you are promoting.
3. ASPIRE to update, incorporate and bring to LIFE the spirit of childhood period in a subtle manner, thus exploiting the unconscious attraction we all feel to that early period.
4. REALISTICALLY organise a group around new ideas or values that are in the air. Introduce some rituals that bond the members together and some symbols to identify with.
5. IT is never wise to preach or moralise or condemn the spirit of the TIMES. You will only marginalise yourself. Better to find a way to redirect it, instead of fighting its direction.
6. NEVER cease to modernise your spirit; adopt some of the ideas of the younger generation that appeal to you, making yourself into an unusual and appealing hybrid.
7. GEARING yourself to consciously transcend your era (unlock its hold) is an ideal, one that your active nature allows for, and one well worth aiming to realise to some degree.

Here is BEYONDISM FORMIDABLE FORMULA for SELF-ACTUALIZATION
(The ‘head’ and ‘tail’ of Activating your SELFHOOD) in regard to:
Knowing what is noble and higher, and seeking to transfer yourself and others there.

1. FLOWERING of our latent PSYCHIC PRECISION lies in being in resonance with NATURE and GOD.
   Core Choice #56: We will discover infinite knowledge and energy.
   Sure Score #56: Necessary for our own individual maintenance.
2. ONWARD, we should be very careful not to pare down God’s Omnipotence to the level of our opinions.
   Solid Stance #56: God does nothing to stop the nefarious activities of this world and leaves it all to us.
   Catalysing Consideration #56: So we have to shun stupidity, blameshifting, and being easily led astray.
3. REALLY combining PSYCHIC enrichment that we expect from polyphonic music and fantastic movies.
   Mighty Mission #56: With the intense total involvement that comes from complete PSYCHIC engagement.
   Vivid Vision #56: Our PSYCHE will be the nexus plugging us into the electromagnetic battery of the planet.
4. MOTIVATED you will prepare each day for the celebratory task of PSYCHIC attunement to REALITY.
   Gaining Ground #56: You will bring together of various senses into the experience of synaethesia.
   Capturing Clouds #56: You will deeply realise a synergistic amplification of energy and enjoyment.
5. UNLIMITED and well nourished we shall turn our surplus wealth into the research and artistic production.
   Lofty Leap #56: Necessary for the establishment of a healthy collective organism.
   Merry Momentum #56: In absolute resonance attunement with Supreme Being.
6. LIVE a LOVELY LIFE by keeping guard of any force which may militate against PSYCHIC PRECISION.
   Holy Hearken #56: Babylon in all its desolation is a sight not so awful as that of the PSYCHE in ruins.
   Divine Distinction #56: The PSYCHE grows sicker than the BODY in contemplation of its SUFFERING.
7. AVOID any sort of PSYCHIC torment facilitated by causeless irritation with the things of the PRESENT.
   Prudent Planting #56: Keep off groundless anxiety on the score of falsely anticipated future misfortunes.
   Hoped Harvest #56: Shun unmerited self-reproach for your own past actions (of omission or commission).

#56. In as much as I aspire to add fuel to the fire of an African RENAISSANCE,
Which STRATEGIES must I use to recruit others to this NOBLE cause?

The divide-and-rule strategy is invaluable in trying to influence people verbally.
Start by seeming to take your opponents’ side on some issue, occupying their flank.
Once there start creating doubt about their argument, tweaking and diverting it a bit.
This will lower their resistance; create an inner conflict about a cherished belief.
That conflict will weaken and make them vulnerable to any suggestion and guidance.
Finding their flank - the support they crave, the favour that will disarm them, is key.
In this political world, the flank (a kind issue to respond to) is the path to power.

#56. I, ___________________________, adding my fuel to the fire of an African RENAISSANCE, do DECISIVELY DECLARE that, directing any project, artistic or professional or scientific is like fighting a war. There is a certain strategic logic to the way I will attack a problem, shape my work, deal with friction and the discrepancy between what I want and what I get. I have realised that directors or artists often start out with great ideas but in the planning create such a straitjacket for themselves, such a rigid script to follow and form to fit in, that the process loses all joy; there is nothing left to explore in the creation itself, and the end result seems lifeless and disappointing. On the other side, artists may start with a loose idea that seems promising, but they are too lazy or undisciplined to give it shape and form. They create so much space and confusion that in the end nothing coheres. The solution is to plan, to have a clear idea of what I want, then put myself in open space and give myself options to work with. I will direct the situation but leave room for unexpected opportunities and random events. It is a fact that, both generals and artists can be judged by the way they handle chaos and confusion, embracing it yet guiding it for their own purposes. Whether I will be beset by many small problems or by one giant problem, here is the model for my mental process. If I let the complexity of the situation confuse me and either hesitate or lash out without thought, I will lose mental control, which will only add momentum to the negative force coming at me. I will always divide up the issue at hand, first placing myself in a central position, then proceeding down the line, killing off my problems one by one. It is often wise to begin with the smallest problem while keeping the most dangerous one at bay. Solving that one will help me create momentum, both physical and psychological, that will help me overwhelm all the rest.

In this reference, as a BLESSED BEYONDIST, I hereby, make an ABSOLUTE AFFIRMATION that, in trying to actualise my project, within my group, factions may emerge quite subtly by virtue of the fact that people who are experts in their area may not tell me everything they are doing. I should remember: they see only the small picture; I am in charge of the whole production. If I am to lead, I must occupy the center. Everything must flow through me. If information is to be withheld, I will be the one to do it. That is divide and rule: if the different parts of the operation lack access to all the information, they will have to come to me to get it. It is not that I will micromanage but that I will keep overall control of everything vital and isolate any potential rival power base. Moreover, the temptation to maintain a favourite is understandable but dangerous. Better to rotate my stars, occasionally making each one fall. I will bring in people with different viewpoints and encourage them to fight it out. I will justify this as a healthy form of democracy, but the effect is that while those below me fight to be heard, I will rule. I have realised that LIFE is full of hostility - some of it overt, some clever and under-handed. Conflict is inevitable; I will never have absolute peace. Instead of imagining I can avoid these clashes of will, I MUST accept them and know that the way I deal with them will decide my success in life. What good is it to win little battles, to succeed in pushing people around here and there, if in the long run I create silent enemies who will sabotage me later? At all cost I must gain control of the impulse to fight my opponents directly. Instead I will occupy their flank. Disarm them and make them my ally; I can decide later whether to keep them on my side or to exact revenge. Taking the fight out of people through strategic acts of kindness, generosity, and charm will clear my path, helping me to save energy for the fights I cannot avoid.

As a charmer, I have learnt that time is the greatest weapon I have. I will patiently keep in mind a longterm goal and neither person nor army can resist me. And charm is the best way of playing for time, of widening my options in any situation. Through charm I can seduce my enemy into backing off, giving me the psychological space to plot an effective counterstrategy. The key is to make other people emotional while I remain detached. They may feel grateful, happy, moved, arrogant — it does not matter, as long as they feel. An emotional person is a distracted person. I will give them what they want, appeal to their self-interest, make them feel superior to me. When a baby has grabbed a sharp knife, I should not try to grab it back; I should instead, stay calm, offer candy, and the baby will drop the knife to pick up the tempting morsel I offer. As a charismatic, I will assume vulnerability. I have understood that Charismatics display a need for love and affection. They are open to their audience, and in fact feed off its energy; the audience in turn is electrified by the Charismatic, the current increasing as it passes back and forth. This vulnerable side to charisma softens the self-confident side, which can seem fanatical and frightening. Since charisma involves feelings akin to love, I in turn must reveal my love for my followers. If the audience does not sense this quality in me they will turn away from me. On the other hand, I must never seem manipulative or needy. I should imagine the public as a single person whom I am trying to seduce — nothing is more seductive to people than the feeling that they are desired.