Exercises - Lesson 9

The Other Reading

Exercise 9.1 - Doing a Reading About a News Event

Go through today's newspaper and choose a topic that interests you. Look for one that is intriguing and somewhat controversial. A short-term media event is a good choice because you will get feedback on the situation quickly. Read over the facts that are available, and write a question that covers one aspect of the situation. Do an Other Reading following the procedure described in lesson 9. (You can also refer to the step-by-step outline.) Write down your interpretation and what you predict the outcome will be.

Later, when the situation has resolved somewhat, go over your reading and relate it to what happened. If your interpretation doesn't seem to fit, look at the cards again to see if you can find something new in them.

Exercise 9.2 - Am I Involved?

Think of a problem that is bothering a close friend, relative or colleague. Choose a person whose concerns are important to you. Write a question about the problem as if you were doing an Other Reading. Deliberately keep yourself out of the question. When you are done, ask yourself these three questions:

Do I feel strong emotions when I think about this person in this situation?
Do I have a vested interest in this situation?
Do I desire a particular outcome in this situation?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, rewrite your original question so that it is centered on you. The goal of this exercise is to help you learn to tell when a problem involves you directly and when it doesn't.

Exercise 9.3 - Imaginary Situations

You can create a troubling set of circumstances for an imaginary person, and then do an Other Reading about it. You can also borrow a situation from the advice columns in the newspapers. These are great resources for problems of all kinds.