Esoteric Principles of Persuasion

(from a presentation given May, 1997)

In this article, we examine the subject of persuasion - what it is and and the principles behind how it works. May a deeper understanding of persuasion allow us all to be more sensitive to our influence on others and to be more vigilant in not allowing ourselves to be unduly influenced by other people, culture, and institutions.

Knowledge of the art of persuasion can help you to live your life more in accordance with what YOU want, instead of living it as others want.

Communication / Persuasion Diagram

There are three components to communications situation:

Sender	Key 1	Projective, sending ideas
Receiver	Key 2	Receptive, receiving ideas.
Message	Key 7 Key 16	The act of speech ( words define as a fence does). The mouth as the organ of speech (breaks down false ideas )

From the sender's point of view there are two motivations.

	1-8-15: Separatism. Judging by surface appearances; materialism; trying to obtain something for one's self alone; trying to get something at another's expense; exploitation; pride; lust.
	2-9-16: Unity and Love. Service to others, helping them to grow and awaken.

Examples of Persuasion

What follows are a series of concrete examples showing typical persuasive situations and how the esoteric principles apply in the specific case.

Counselor helping someone to heal.

Key / Principle	Description
K1	Counselor directs the attention of the client towards seeing things in a deeper way. This is done primarily through "leading questions" that help to direct and focus the clients attention.
K2	By directing their attention the counselor implants seed thoughts and images in the clients subconscious for the purpose to leading them on a journey of self discovery .
K3	This stimulates mental imagery, and brings up (forgotten or repressed) memories, feelings, images, and desires so that they can be re-examined in a controlled way and healed.
K4	Counselor then helps the client organize these emotions, memories, and images to see them in the proper light and to see the underlying forces that are at work. Thus the counselor helps the client to "Burn their Copper".
K5	By seeing things more clearly, the client is now able to access their own inner wisdom, and see the principles that are at work in their problem/issue.
K6	By helping the client access their own intuition, the counselor helps them establish greater discrimination and inner harmony. The establishment of inner harmony has a healing effect. You've helped them turn their desires/emotions/problems to Whiteness by helping them establish contact with their own inner guidance and intuition.
K7	With a greater degree of inner harmony and healing, the client sees things more clearly and is thus able to access and use a greater degree of Will in the accomplishment of their desires. (of course we know better, as Will is not a personal thing).

Guided Imagery Journey

Key / Principle	Description
K1	The Guide codes the message and acts to direct the attention of the participant to the "story" being told.
K2	Participant listens to the story from the guide.
K3	Participant experiences mental imagery as they follow along with the words.
K4	Guide feeds back and directs the imagery.
K5	Participant contacts his/her intuition (inner guide, angel, spirit guide, etc. ...)
K6	Participant feels sense of inner harmony and healing.

Salesman selling product X

Key / Principle	Description
K1	Get the customer's attention. Direct their attention to the benefits of your product (Logos), direct their attention to images and feelings that will incite a desire for your product (Pathos), direct their attention to your company's/ product's reputation for quality/reliability (Ethos). Also could use techniques to trigger certain well known fixed pattern responses in the customer .
K2	Seed thoughts are planted in their mind. Since each customer her their own set of memories, beliefs, and ingrained patterns, their subconsciousness will deductively produce certain reactions based on certain triggers. The smart sales person will know which triggers will make the customer "play the tape" and give the desired response. It's called "knowing the customer's mind. " Playing off of known stereotypes, opinions, and prejudices.
K3	If the sales person does their job, they've evoked images, memories, feelings, and desires in the customer that are favorable to their product.
K4	The sales person then directs that imagery, eliminating resistance by answering objections and building on those emotions that are favorable. They fine tune the customer's thought processes to narrow down to the choices the sales person wants them to consider. The sales person's Emperor acting on the customer's Empress.
K5	Soon a little voice will begin to speak to the customer, saying "This is the main chance. I've got to have that product. Go for it!"
K6	The customer uses their sword of discrimination and makes a "Decision". Whether or not it's a case of true discrimination or the serpent of temptation depends on where the inner "voice" was really corning from.
K7	The decision made, the customer's senses (the twin sphinxes: pro/con, pain/pleasure) are brought to rest. Tension is resolved and satisfaction is reached. They've surrendered to a higher/stronger "Will" and have acted in accordance with its desire. The question to be answered is: Who's will was it? Their own? The sales persons? The One Will?

Seduction.

Putting someone under a spell of wanton desire, love, and pleasure and linking it to yourself. ( even this has a positive application -giving pleasure to your partner/spouse making them feel the way they want to feel with you -based on Love and not a selfish desire for physical release at their expense).

Key / Principle	Description
K1	Capture and direct their attention to introduce subtle suggestions into their subconscious using verbal patterns and techniques. Your bag of tricks/techniques is the implements on the magician's table (initiative, imagination, action, result).
K2	Their mind becomes suggestible and they become receptive.
K3	They begin to imagine certain. ..thoughts. ..and begin to have pleasurable feelings. You've evoked memories and images of past pleasure and anticipation of future pleasure By capturing and directing their imagination, you're able to direct, control, and incite desire within them as well.
K4	You direct/organize these thoughts and feelings to increase their intensity of emotion and desire and link them to yourself using various patterns and techniques.
K5	A little voice inside them starts talking and they forget about what they originally thought they "wanted" and even forget about what they think they "know" and instead begin to go with that "voice". The inner voice becomes the authority. It's a voice of intuition, but it may not true spiritual intuition which comes from the Superconscious level, although it could be.
K6	The serpent of sensation tempts them into action. They intuitively discern the situation as something they want, and they decide to go for pleasure. They think it's their idea, not yours. But it's not a logical or rational decision; it's an impulsive one.
K7	Reconciliation of opposites through union. The senses are brought to rest through satisfaction of desire. You become the rider in her chariot and bring her senses to rest through union/satisfaction/pleasure. She enjoyed giving over the reins to you and letting you direct her physical/mental vehicle. Thus there was mutual benefit. The question that remains to be asked is: Was Love your motivating desire?

Persuasion Principles Organized by Tarot Key

Here is a listing of the individual principles with general application to persuasive situations.

Key 1: The Magician. Initiative; Attention.
Directing the Attention. Getting the audience's attention and directing it in accordance with what you want them to see, hear, think, and do.

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Key 2: The High Priestess. Memory.
Understanding the deductive patterns in your own and in the audience's minds. Understanding Click-Whirr, Fixed Action Patterns. Understanding your audience's beliefs and prejudices.

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Key 3: The Empress. Imagination.
Incite and direct desire by controlling and directing their images. Capturing the imagination. Inciting desire in another person order to control and direct it towards a specific action.

In classical rhetoric, this is known as the principle of Pathos (the emotional appeal).

Inciting strong feelings and emotions in your audience can convince them of something or to get them to take action (Venus rules Libra, meaning that desire rules action).

The downside or negative use of this principle is when people incite desire in others in order to manipulate and control them. An example would be when a spouse acts seductively to incite desire in their partner, but then withholds sex/pleasure in order to control them.

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Key 4: The Emperor. Reason
Organizing their imagery to focus and tune their receiver to your frequency.

In classical rhetoric this is known as the principle of Logos (the logical appeal).

Using logical reasoning.

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Key 5: The Hierophant. Intuition.
Helping them contact their own inner truth and wisdom OR Stimulating an inner voice (from subconscious) that tells them to "go for it".

In classical rhetoric the principle of Ethos or Authority.

The principle of induction from a higher frequency source entering your own consciousness. The source can be one's own inner teacher, or from a person of greater Will who influences by direct impaction of their own vibratory rate on yours. Vibratory healing occurs this way.

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Key 6: The Lovers. Discrimination
Helping them to contact their own inner wisdom (K5) thus bringing them inner harmony and healing. Also, helping others to discern the unity behind the appearance of opposites. OR Causing the serpent of sensation to tempt them to act from which they also learn to discriminate

Offering one a Choice between two (seemingly dissimilar) things

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Key 7: The Chariot. Receptivity -Will
Opposites Reconciled, senses brought to rest. Acting in accordance with Will, be it flowing through your own personality, or corning from another stronger willed personality.

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Key 8: Strength. The Law of Suggestion
The sum of the whole persuasive process. Human subconsciousness controls all forces of nature below it, and is in turn amenable to control from the self conscious via suggestions.

The question then becomes: Do your persuasive efforts work to help people control their animal levels (Vital Soul, Kundalini) through Love, or are you strengthening the animal levels in people?

The Secret of Work: not being concerned or anxious about results; persuading not to get something for our self ( at their expense), but doing it because it' s the right thing to do.

To be successful, we must not be concerned as to the outcome of our work.

We must be specific.

We must know what is intended.

We must be fully resolved to bring about definite results.

We must avoid anxiety about the outcome.
To be anxious and concerned about results is to make mental images of failure.

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Key 9: The Hermit. The Law of Response.
What you like to do is what you're supposed to do, so put all your energy into that.

Being of service to humanity by responding to the needs of others (which is actually responding to the One Will -God).

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Key 10: The Wheel of Fortune. The Law of Rotation
Aligning oneself with the natural cultural forces. Going with the cycles by using knowledge of Cultural Laws governing social interaction.

Reciprocity Rule: (K6, K11): In all cultures people have a desire to resolve a debt owed and give something in return. However, when the other person can choose the nature of the indebting first favor, and the nature of the debt canceling return favor you could easily be manipulated into an unfair exchange by those who might wish to exploit the rule.

Companies / sales people giving us a "Free Sample" in order to try their product. Even if we don't buy right away, subconsciously we'll be more likely to buy their product when we do buy a product of that type.

Someone does us a favor/gift and later asks for something in return

In airports, Hare Krishna' s giving us a "free" flower and then asking for a donation

The obligation to make a concession to someone who has made a concession to us, even though we may not be interested in either of the things being offered:

	Labor leaders making outrageous demand X so that they can appear to concede to a more reasonable demand Y (when actually they really wanted Y all along).
	Sales person conceding to your refusal to buy, but then asking for a referral so he/she can try and sell their product to them.

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Key 11: Justice. The Law of Action/Karma
Weighing the Pros and Cons and taking balanced action. Persuasive reasoning helps this process, but Libra is ruled by Venus; Action is ruled by Desire

Reciprocation. Acting to absolve a debt and restore balance. Reciprocation governs the compromise process leading to dynamic balance in action

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Key 12: The Hanged Man. The Law of Reversal (Neptune -Illusion)
The Suspended Mind. Putting a person's mind on hold temporarily makes them very suggestible. Using your Reason to subordinate their Imagination, thus temporarily stopping their flow of creative ideas and allowing you to direct their attention to implant another seed thought into their mind (using your Magician to impregnate their High Priestess with a suggestion of your choosing).

Verbal techniques which temporarily put the mind on hold:

Ambiguity	Being vague. By being ambiguous you create a blank in their mind which you can fill in the way you want to using tonality, and other techniques.
Interrupt	Using verbal and non-verbal techniques which interrupt an individual's thought process and snap them out of whatever it was they were previously thinking: "Well I don't suppose you could just STOP (pause) ...and let me tell you about ..."
Confusion	Obfuscating the issue, or using nonsensical circumlocutions to befuddle them. This includes Logical fallacies such as "red-herring", "non-sequitor", and "ad-hominen."

The Perceptual Contrast Principle (Illusion)

When two dissimilar items are placed next to each other (in space or time) the second object will appear to be more different than it really is. As when a real estate agent shows you the poor quality over-priced house, then shows you the house they really wanted you to look at all along. The second house will seem much better and cheaper by comparison (it' s virtually impossible to detect the use of this principle).

The use of Illusion and Deception to Obtain an Advantage.

Illusion and deception takes place when we make the person think one type of interaction is taking place, when actually another kind is happening in order to extract a "payoff' from the other person. Their Magician triggering a pattern in your High Priestess that' s not appropriate for the apparent transaction, thus giving them an advantage or payoff. In one sense, deceiving another for selfish advantage is a form of black magic.

Games People Play:
(Deception and Ulterior Motives)
(From the book: "Games People Play")

"A game (as opposed to a procedure, ritual, or pastime) is a ongoing series of complementary ulterior transactions progressing to a well-defined predictable outcome. It is a recurring set of transactions, often repetitious, superficially plausible, with a concealed motivation. It is a series of moves with a snare or gimmick. The two chief characteristics are 1) their ulterior quality and 2) the payoff. The principle function of the preliminary moves is to set up the situation for the payoff."

Ego States
Parent	Ego states which resembles those of parental figures (K5,K9,K14)
Adult	Ego states which are directed toward objective appraisal of reality (K1,K4)
Child	Still active ego states which were fixated in early childhood (K0,K2,K3)

Examples of games:

In the game of "Schlemiel" a person constantly makes messes and apologizes in order to get the "payoff" which is obtaining the forgiveness forced by his apology.

Flirtation

Cowboy: "Come and see the Barn"
Girl: "I've loved barns ever since I was a little girl."

Surface Transaction: Adult to Adult (Conversation about barns)
Ulterior Transaction: Child to Child (Sex Play)

"Why don't you. Yes, But"

"The agent presents a problem. The others start to present solutions, each beginning with "Why don't you ...?" To each of these the agent objects with a "Yes, but ...". A good player can stand off the others indefinitely until they all give up, whereupon the agent wins. Since the solutions are, with rare exceptions, all rejected, this game must serve some ulterior purpose. This game is not played for its ostensible purpose ( an Adult request for information or solutions), but to gratify the Child. On the surface it may sound Adult, but really the agent presents herself as a Child inadequate to meet the situation; whereupon the others become transformed into sage Parents anxious to dispense their wisdom for her benefit" The real purpose is not to accept solutions, but to experience the pleasure of rejecting them."

Surface Transaction:
Adult to Adult: asking for and receiving possible solutions.

Ulterior Transaction:
Parent to Child: "I can make you grateful for my help."
Child to Parent: "Go ahead and try.

Payoff: Child gets reassurance, avoids domination

Salesman selling product X

The ulterior message is directed by the well trained " Adult" of the salesperson to the "Child" of the woman in order to invoke the payoff - getting the sale.

Salesman: "This one is better, but you can't afford it."
Woman: "That's the one I'll take."

Surface Transaction:
Adult to Adult (statements of fact)

Ulterior Transaction:
Adult to Child: "You can't have it."
Child to Adult: "I'll show you, you arrogant person!"

Saleswoman selling product X

The ulterior message is directed by the well trained " Child" of the saleswoman to the "Parent" of the man in order to invoke the payoff - using sex appeal to get the sale.

Saleswoman: "This one is really good." (as she gives him an inviting look)
Man: ''I'll take it."

Surface Transaction:
Adult to Adult (statements of fact or evaluation)

Ulterior Transaction:
Child to Parent: "Try to impress me, daddy" (Sex play)
Parent to Child: "I'm someone of means, who can take care of a lady like you."

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Key 13: Death. The Law of Transformation which brings about dissolution and Change
( the Imaginative Intelligence: how we use our imagination. )

Death (Fear of Death) can be very persuasive in and of itself. (ex. " A Christmas Carol" & Ebenezer Scrooge's conversion)

Love and Unity are shown in this key. The picture on Key 13 is the outer face it has for us in our unevolved state until we look a little further. The same Love Power which leads to birth is what controls the physical changes resulting in dissolution and death.

Dissolution is the secret of the Great Work. The dissolution of form is imperative for growth. When forms break down, energy is released to be utilized for future development.

Learning to use our imagination and desire to create images which enhance our spiritual evolution. Using our imagination to further the evolutionary growth of ourselves and others. We use our reproductive force to reproduce forms (sex and reproduction of physical bodies, creating relationships and situations for our growth), and we produce images both which change us.

In the persuasive situation, aren't we trying to replace one form (belief, situation) with another? The key is in whether we're corning form the Mars center or the Venus center (see twists in skeleton's spine in the BOTA tarot deck).

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Key 14: Temperance. Verification / Trial
Giving away free trial samples: Letting someone verify for themselves the value of what you're offering.

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For further exploration see the following links:

Fantasy Role Playing as a Persuasive situation

Read an illuminating discussion of this article at:

Conversations: Persuasion and Counseling