CREATIVE STRATEGIES
The 21 Thought-Starter Challenge (Part 3)

2) 12 KEYS TO ALL FROM THE PYRAMIDS
1) THREE COMPANIONS WHO NEVER WERE
5) THE GRAFTER AND THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE

Like the intellectual call to arms proposed in the PRINCIPLES section of this exhibition, the engagement with the above material advocated here is meant to be collaborative, not confrontational.  The goal is to push the magic community’s natural talents for analysis and research further – for each of us to challenge ourselves by looking more deeply into James’ strategies.  

The task is daunting, but the potential rewards are enticing.  To give a taste of both the difficulties and the wonders contained in the creative strategies material. Three of the twenty-one thought-starters on James' list have been isolated.  (They have been reordered slightly for the purposes of this discussion).

James followed a specific procedure after deciding to use a thought-starter. But his process, as mentioned earlier, is ethereal and difficult to grasp.  Therefore, each of the three examples listed at the top of this page will illustrate a different aspect of his creative strategy system. 

“Three Companions Who Never Were” is a superb example of how his process operated on a pragmatic level, while “The Grafter and The Tree of Knowledge” reveals the intimate, modest way in which he began writing about his methods.  However, a brief description of “Twelve Keys to All From The Pyramids,” is best for introducing the mystic, otherworldly ambience that emanates from James’ work.