Mind Map

The "big" ideas are also complex ideas, evoking large and intricate webs of associations. No two people will have exactly the same set of associations to any idea. If we come from the same culture, class, gender and educational background, there may be a lot of overlap. It's never total, because every human is unique.

A mind map, sometimes called a concept map, is a way of tracing your own personal web of associations toward a concept (like home or justice), a Goddess or God, an event, or, really, just about anything that is significant to you at the moment.

Take a piece of plain, unlined paper, and some pens or markers in a variety of colors. Write the name of the concept you want to explore in the center. Relax, and let your mind drift - this is not the time for rigorously logical thinking. If you de-focus a bit, you may notice things that are peripheral, but will become important.

As associations come up for you, write them down. Write them larger or smaller, closer or farther away from the central concept, according to your feelings. If you like, use several colors. Draw lines between them and the central concept, thicker or thinner, curved or straight, in different colors that seem to represent the nature of the relationship. You may perceive some secondary associations branching from the first set. If so, add them and draw in the connections you perceive. If you feel there are cross-connections, add those as well. The result will look like a somewhat irregular spider web.

Date the paper. Look at it again in a few days to see if you want to add to it. If you have any reflections on what it showed you, write them in your journal . You may want to keep the mind map where you can look at it for some time. Definitely save your dated mind maps.

This exercise is good for:
 

written by Judy Harrow , HPs, Proteus Coven
updated January 22, 2002 by Judy Harrow

the address of this page is: www.proteuscoven.org/proteus/mindmap.htm