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<DIV>>>Board games have the capacity to focus consciousness. They can
<BR>strengthen conscious directionality.<<</DIV>
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<DIV>Mats - fascinating article. Do you think the prevalence of cardinal points
in board games may factor into this as "locating the self in the cosmos"?</DIV>
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<DIV>I would expect that the reed games of North America and the stone games of
Africa, both of which apparently involved significant mental math, were
similarly "focusing," although without "boards" the lack of extant artifacts
makes this much more difficult to examine.</DIV>
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<DIV><FONT lang=0 size=2 face=Arial FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="10"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT lang=0 size=2 face=Arial FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10">-Sally
Wilkins </DIV>
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<DIV>In a message dated 7/11/2012 2:01:45 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
mwi9@swipnet.se writes:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 10px; MARGIN-LEFT: 10px"><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" color=#000000 size=2 face=Arial>You
could also try at the following locations and their adherent <BR>discussions
groups, if
applicable.<BR><BR>http://www.jungianstudies.org/<BR><BR>http://aras.org/<BR><BR>http://www.studyofmyth.org/<BR><BR>I
am more and more inclined to think that board games have played a
<BR>significant role in the development of ego consciousness. In a period
<BR>of our history, in certain Stone age and Bronze Age cultures, people
<BR>seem to have been obsessed with board games. Almost every tenth
<BR>artifact found at Mohenjo-daro is game related. I have argued that the
<BR>structure of board games depict the collective progress in
<BR>consciousness, and that it is, essentially, an image of psychic
<BR>structure:<BR>http://home7.swipnet.se/~w-73784/boardgam1.htm<BR><BR>Board
games have the capacity to focus consciousness. They can <BR>strengthen
conscious directionality. The noble men in Aztec <BR>civilization could often
be seen carrying around a Patolli board game, <BR>much similar to Pachisi and
Ludo. They seem to have been almost <BR>obsessed weith it, as a hazard game.
Circulation around a center <BR>('circumabulatio') is an archetypal motif
which, according to Jungian <BR>psychology, signifies the progression of
consciousness and the <BR>successive approximation of the personality to the
'Self'. These games <BR>had special squares, possibly with a similar
significance as the <BR>ladder and snake squares of the Indian game of dice.
The snake is a <BR>regressive force which makes you slide back to an earlier
phase in the <BR>journey.<BR><BR>Chess is today employed as a means of
strengthening the concentrative <BR>effort in school
children.<BR>http://www.kcfe.eu/en/content/%E2%80%9Cchess-school%E2%80%9D-endorsed-european-parliament<BR>http://www.chessinschools.co.uk/<BR><BR>It
turns out that it improves the childrens' results in other school
<BR>subjects, too. They learn to focus their minds. Chess gives you an
<BR>immeditate award if you concentrate and make an effort to calculate
<BR>the future. In most school subjects, the reward isn't immediate, and
<BR>it isn't obvious why the children should learn mathematics,
etc.<BR><BR>That's why I think that board games could have had a significant
role <BR>in the evolution of ego consciousness. The inhabitants in early
<BR>civilizations learnt that it is worth while to really make an effort
<BR>and think ahead. As soon as you have gotten used to focusing your
<BR>attention, you are in the habit of doing this in other contexts as
<BR>well. Arguably, board gaming can establish a higher level of
<BR>consciousness in that the ego fixes itself at a higher energetic
<BR>level.<BR><BR>A game like snake and ladders also has psychological effects
in that <BR>it is necessary to maintain composure in face of fortune and bad
luck.<BR><BR>Mats
Winther<BR></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV></FONT></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>