With lukasas specifically, I incorporate it with my existing memory system. I’m thinking of posting a post about that later, but the way I remember things is in three sets of four. So my beads as I move along the board reflect that. I can’t write down notes on paper to learn, so this helps make things more manageable. I use different shaped beads for what I call touchstones - or a separate sequence of words I use to link to the information, kind of like pegwords, it makes it easier to keep track of where I am so I don’t get lost. I use braille stickers to label with initials things I need extra help with, and also to label the lukasa itself so I know which one it is and what it’s about. Sometimes I make an initial using circular beads in the braille formation. Hope this helps!
Nikolina
Really interesting, Nikolina. Thank you!
Lynne
You’re welcome!
I’m very curious about what other techniques you use for remembering. How do you get along with the Memory Palace?
I don’t get along with a memory palace at all, I find I can’t visualise it enough. I haven’t always been blind but my world now is what I can feel, so techniques like the lukasa and ititamat (“counting the days ball”) suit me better. For learning other information, I use a number combination (with I think it’s the major system or similar) to represent a set, then learn three lots of four informations per set. Like, “4 30” “Lore Beautiful” “Ovomancy” “Augury” “etc.” “etc.” then a second line, and a third. It’s like a memory palace using pegwords, but without visualising anything. I use the rhythm of the words instead. Reference number then one-two-three-four one-two-three-four one-two-three-four. I hope this makes sense, it’s hard to explain. I feel for the words the way I feel through the world
Because I have aphantasia, so no visualisation, I use story far more than images with my memory palaces. I have about 10 km of palaces that I use. But I can see them as I walk them, and so I think that would make a difference. Each location is named, more than recalled through imagery.
Hope that makes sense.
What you mean by that is that every location has a name that helps you remember the image and, therefore, the information you encoded
Amazing! I wasn’t familiar with this technique itiamat. Can you elaborate on how you use it daily? Do you encode every major event into this ‘ball’? And when you feel this object or something similar, do you recall the memorie
As I create a memory palace, or use a path I already know, I name each location with something that relates to the physical site. Because I can’t keep a detailed image, I choose one detail about the site and attach the key to the palace to it. So for my countries palace, I know one house as New Zealand, and another as Bolivia and so on. The name brings up one detail at the location. The more I use the location, the more I become familiar with more of its physicality.
For 1000 digits of Pi, I have named the houses according to something in the PAO image. I use the Dominic system, not the Major System, so the locations are usually named for the Person - but because some people have a lot more than one location, I pick up on the action and/or object It might be Dante’s home, or Dante’s bushfire … and so on.
I walk part or all of one of my palaces each day. Physical and mental exercise! And I am never bored!
Hope that makes sense.
I find that making stories takes up extra mental load and makes it harder to remember, because the story is extra and (to my brain) unnecessary information. I love how you do it by walking location though, I only have one route I can walk with my cane but I think it’s similar to know I run through the numbers. Thank you for sharing, your comment was very insightful!
I use it in a similar way to a lukasa, with special shells and beads and knots tied into a ball of twine. I like it as a diary but I also like it for remembering linear text, like an essay or speech. I use each knot as a kind of touchstone or marker for different places in that text
Thank you!