Wizards above:

 

Leonardo da Vinci

Artist, engineer, anatomist, master of revels, naturalist, sculptor, architect... and more. Da Vinci was a fierce proponent of renegade ways and getting his knowledge first-hand, through experience.

Mary Ellen Pleasant

California's Mother of Civil Rights, she was an abolitionist, operator on the Underground Railroad, multi-millionairess, and Voodoo Queen of San Francisco. No mean accomplishment for an American black woman in  19th century America!

Richard Feynman

One of the great minds of 20th century physics, a unique renegade character who insisted on thinking and acting in ways that always questioned the status quo. Feynman, again and again, provided lessons and examples of what is possible when one takes responsibility for one's own knowing and being.

 The Secrets to becoming a true wizard 1. Seek & Define Your Vision Discover your true vision, your real passions, and use them to set your goals. 2. Wisdom comes from Experience and Reflection A Wizard is wise, and they become so by learning through experience. They seek out new experiences all the time. 4. Develop a Creative, not Reactive Mindset Most people only react to what life throws at them. Wizards actively create the lives they want to lead. 5. Accept Radical Responsibility When we take responsibility for everything in our lives, we gain the power to change it all. 6. Think Like a Renegade Don't be afraid to think the unthinkable -- always question the status quo. 7. Learn to See the World as Systems Within Systems When we experience our world as a complete systems, made up of smaller systems, and not just a collection of unrelated parts, we discover secret knowledge. 8. Learn to Use Leverage One of the wizards greatest secrets is the art of leverage, which says we can cause massive change with very little effort, if properly applied. 9. Try on Different Roles We are limited by who we think we are. Try on different roles and you will discover powers you never knew you had. 10. Be Persuasive Wizards create change, in part, by leveraging time and efforts of others. They must be great persuaders. 11. Develop Your Meta-skills Meta-skills are the skills that lie beneath, and help us develop more specific skills. Memory, reading, how to learn a language... these are invaluable. 12. Question Everything! Albert Einstein was quite clear: "Never stop questioning!" Question your own assumptions, and those of your society. It's the only way to real truth. 13. Fail Often, Fail Fast, Fail Forward That's the key to life-long learning, and to success of all kinds. And that's how Wizards Change Themselves and The World Around Them Learn more in the book, from a talk, or at one of our workshops.

Wizards above:

 

George Parker (top center)

Billed as a "Corporate Alchemist," George is among Europe's top business consultants, writers adn magical performers. Much of what appearas in "The Wizard's Way" is inspired by George's thinking and example.

The Wizard of Oz

Fiction provides many of our great models for what it means to be a wizard.  This "accidental wizard," who finds the role thrust upon him... nonetheless rises to the occasion. A great example of how, when we step into roles that stretch beyond what we believe ourselves to be, we can work wonders!

Merylyn / Gandalf / Dumbledore

More wizards from fiction and legend, these three provide the basic model for what we have come to think of as "The Wizard's Archetype." Most striking, at least for the author, is that when we examine their stories, it is the wisdom which makes them remarkable, not their "magic."

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