I’ve been half-assedly learning memory techniques for the last couple of years. Aside from the pure fun, exploration, and creativity that goes with memory techniques, I find myself very excited about the personal, philosophical, and psychological growth that’s possible with them.
I’ve been into philosophy since I was a teenager 20 years ago and picked up a book on Bruce Lee’s philosophical writings. Now in the last few years, thanks to some great teachers that I’ve been following (mainly Anthony Metivier and Martin Faulks) who often talk about personal growth, memorizing information that’s useful to you, and who explore both esoteric and practical ideas in this realm, I’ve been getting more and more inspired to go down this path.
From what I understand, this was a big focus of memory techniques in the middle ages and renaissance, as well as in the more religiously-focused groups of people such as freemasons, christian monks, pythagoreans, hermetic groups, etc.
Some ideas I’ve been drawn to or have tried:
- Pythagorean memory meditation
- Bruno memory wheels and Llull’s system
- Themed memory palaces, each representing and exploring a virtue, value, or concept
- Hermetic memory concept of the golden chain/higher forms
- Created a memory form/seal - like a palace but a 2d delineated geometric shape that you trace over and over until it’s solidified mentally - and then put some guiding life principles/values in the slots and constantly revisit to hammer these into my subconscious. Unlike a memory palace, it all fits in your field of consciousness at the same time instead of having to walk through.
- Creating a PAO-like system based on or utilizing philosophical ideas or values so memorizing pi can be a deeper comparative/contemplative activity (haven’t figured this one out yet)
- Subconscious reprogramming
Here are my questions for yall:
- Is anyone else interested in this side of memory techniques?
- What other ideas, techniques, teachers, books, etc do you know of that deal with this side of things?
Or any other thoughts ![]()
Happy Saturday!