Pygmalion and Galatea story

The magic power of self-fulfilling prophecy - Psychocybernetics

List of Pygmalion theme films/ books (to be discussed)

Wish fulfillment formula

Twelve steps to wish fulfilment

Psychocybernetics - how to get what you want

The science of Psychocybernetics has discovered the law of nature which shows us how our deepest wishes can be granted, how the "self-fulfilling prophecy" does indeed work, how to get what we want. It is both easy and hard, because there are certain conditions that absolutely without fail must be fulfilled. What are they? The requirements for wish-fulfilment are best illustrated by a story, the story of sculptor Pygmalion and his dream of an ideal woman.

The story of Pygmalion & Galatea

Long time ago there lived in ancient Cyprus a gifted sculptor named Pygmalion, who was a confirmed bachelor; all the women he knew were superficial, frivolous, selfish and vein. He saw so much to blame in women that he came at last to abhor the sex, resolved to live unmarried and was called "a women-hater". But he felt lonely and in his heart of hearts longed for the presence of a woman.

Unable to find a woman of his dreams, an ideal woman, he decided to make up one of his own when one day he ran across a large, flawless piece of ivory. When finished the statue was so beautiful and his art was so perfect that it concealed itself and its product looked like the workmanship of nature. Pygmalion admired his own work, and at last fell in love with his creation. Oftentimes he laid his hand upon it as if to assure himself whether it were living or not, and could not even then believe that it was only ivory. He adored the statue, and gave it presents such as young girls love, bright shells and polished stones, little birds and flowers of various hues, beads and amber. He put luxurious clothes on its limbs, jewels on its fingers, and a necklace about its neck. To the ears he hung earrings and strings of pearls upon the breast. Her robes became her, and she looked not less charming than when unattired. He laid her on a couch spread with softest silks, called her his love, and put her head upon a pillow of the softest feathers, as if she could enjoy their softness. Sometimes she seemed to him to be alive, as if she would get up at any moment when he looked at her admiringly. He caressed her, pressed his burning with desire lips on her ivory lips and lovingly held her body in his arms, longing for her arms to embrace him. He gave the statue a name: Galatea, "Sleeping Love" and spoke to her in most tender words of loving adoration. At last he cried from his heart that she should have a heart to love him back.

Just about then the festival of Aphrodite came - a festival celebrated with great devotion to the Goddess of Love at Cyprus. Pygmalion realised that he has been offending the Goddess with his hatred of women and rejection of love for a long time, and was being punished for his error. So he went to the temple of Aphrodite to ask forgiveness for all the years he had shunned her and to beg for a wife who would be as perfect as his statue Galatea. Victims were offered, the altars smoked, and the odour of incense filled the air. When Pygmalion had performed his part in the solemnities, he stood before the altar and humbled, pleaded, "Precious Goddess Aphrodite, who can do all things, please give me, I pray to you, for my wife" - he dared not say - "my ivory virgin," but said instead - "one like my ivory virgin" to avoid causing another offence by a direct demand. Aphrodite, who was present at the festival, heard him and knew the thought he would have uttered; and as an omen of her favour, caused the flame on the altar to shoot up thrice in a fiery point into the air.

Aphrodite was curious so she visited the studio of the sculptor while he was away and was charmed by his creation. Galatea was the image of herself. Being flattered, Aphrodite brought the statue to life. When after the celebrations Pygmalion returned to his home, he went to see his statue, and leaning over the couch, gave her a kiss as was his usual custom. Her lips seemed to be warm. He pressed its lips gain, he laid his hand upon the limbs; the ivory felt soft to his touch and yielded to his fingers. While he stands astonished and glad, though doubting, and fears he may be mistaken, again and again with a lover's ardour he touches the object of his hopes. It was indeed alive! The veins when pressed yielded to the finger and again resumed their roundness. Then at last the votary of Aphrodite found words to thank the goddess, and pressed his lips upon lips as real as his own. The virgin felt the kisses and blushed, and opening her timid eyes to the light, fixed them at the same moment on her lover who threw himself at her feet.

When Pygmalion and Galatea were wed, Aphrodite blessed the nuptials she had formed. Pygmalion never forgot to thank Aphrodite for the precious gift she had conferred upon him. In gratitude, he and Galatea brought gifts to her temple throughout their life and Aphrodite blessed them with happiness and love in return and from this union Paphos was born, from whom the city, sacred to Aphrodite, received its name.

One might ask: how is this story relevant to our lives today?

In the past people explained to themselves powerful phenomenons as "the power of gods," supernatural power," and in any case, something that would certainly have to be superhuman in one form or another. The Goddess Aphrodite was the embodiment of the recognised by the people power of love to overcome even the most obviously hopeless obstacles, when one truly believed in the possibility of such power. It is only now, thanks to new scientific discoveries that we can understand how such powers function in the material world.

The key to this story is the power of love to create a miracle, to obtain through the power of one's belief, devotion, sacrifice and humility the object of one's desire.

This magic power has been scientifically formulated and enunciated under the name of Psychocybernetics.

What, then, is the magic key to" wish fulfilment" and how did Dr Maltz find it??

What is the "magic key"?

Dr Maxwell Maltz was a gifted plastic surgeon who dedicated his life to repairing disfigured faces and bodies. World War II especially provided countless numbers of people terribly smashed and shattered by all sorts of weaponry, shells, fires and diseases from malnutrition and infections. With his talent, dedication and special skills in applying the most advanced techniques and always developing new ones he helped countless people to regain their sense of humanity and rejoin social life when he gave them back a normal human appearance. People came to him for help from all over the world, and he became quite famous. His work filled his life with a sense of satisfaction and pride for doing something valuable for humanity. He gave thousands of people new life by restoring their damaged features to normality and former beauty. On the other hand, he was constantly puzzled by a certain persistent phenomenon: that sometimes people with new good-looking faces who lived in the shadow of their emotional scars continued to act and feel as if they were still ugly and looked monstrous. Given a mirror they admitted that the face now looks "different", but claimed that "nothing changed" and that they still "feel the same", that is, "ugly" and damaged. And it was through these cases that Dr Maltz began to suspect the existence of an "inner image of the self" that he form inside our hearts, which may not correspond to the external image seen in the mirror. He began investigating the then non-existent psychology of self-image, and found the greatest insights in the newly emerging science of cybernetics. It was the newly discovered principle of homeostasis that allowed him to understand the reasons for resistance of the inner image to be altered, which he called "self-image". He then began to treat this mysterious "self-image" - and to apply his skills of a compassionate plastic surgeon to inner emotional scars. His fame became so great that lectures booked for a few hundred attracted thousands. He was a charismatic man who, although no longer with us in body, continues to help millions with his discoveries, compassion, wisdom, his books and tapes in his own powerful and kind voice.

The immortal classic book "Psychocybernetics" by Dr Maxwell Maltz tells us exactly how to do it, and shows specific exercises to be executed step by step as a path to the goal.

What is the Psychocybernetics formula for "wish fulfilment"?

Goal Targeting

Choose specific target (goal)

Formulatewhat you want to achieve

Make a decision that you want to realize this goal NOW

Write downyour decision with a sense of deep commitment

State clearly what constitutes the reaching of the goal (how will you know that you have achieved it)

• 1. Visualize vividly the picture of yourself in the new role (what you would like to be and have)
• 2. Picture every detail (smell it, touch it, feel it, see it, taste it, hear it, experience it)
• 3. Arouse deep desire for these things
• 4. Consider the end result as a "possibility"
• 5. Become enthusiastic about your new image, your new role (position, job, task, responsibility)
• 6. Concentrate your mind upon the outcome
• 7. Generate deep emotional attachment to these things
• 8. Dwell upon the final benefits
• 9. Play with the idea that it "might happen"
• 10. Glide softly and effortlessly over the pictures you can see in your mind
• 11. Imagine that you are already there, keep going over the end result
• 12. Think of what you have to do as easy, use no effort or will power
• 13. Play back the pictures of yourself in the new role and with the new image like a film in your mind

What are the steps that must be taken if we have a wish, a heart-felt desire, a craving, a longing, a yearning deep inside if want it to become true?

The twelve steps to wish fulfilment

STAGE I

• I. Formulate what you want to achieve
• II. Choose specific targets (goals)
• III. Make a decision that you want to realize this goal NOW
• IV. Write down your decision with a sense of deep commitment
• V. State clearly what constitutes the achievement, reaching of the goal (what will be the expected "the end result" - i.e., how will you know that you have achieved it)

Stage II

• VI. Visualise the end result in every detail
• VII. Become enthusiastic about the final outcome
• VIII. Consider the end result as a possibility - turn on all positive switches, disallow (disable) any negative thoughts
• IX. Connect to your Success Mechanism and the source of your energy "drive"
• X. Focus all your energy on that one goal
• XI. Generate deep emotional attachment to the picture of yourself in the new role
• XII. Imagine what will happen AFTER you achieve this goal

In choosing our goal, target, dream, and formulating the wish and its picture, we can be aided greatly by the most wonderful motto left to us by one of our civilisation's greatest writers: Rudyard Kipling, who gave this answer when asked how he creates his life-like fabulous characters:

I have six honest serving friends,

that taught me all I knew,

Their names are WHERE and WHAT and WHEN,

And WHY, and HOW, and WHO.

Who am I?

How to live? How to find happiness?

Why bother?

Where to work and set home?

What is worth fighting for, living for, dying for?

When is the time right to strive for self-fulfilment?

The techniques and exercises outlined can be found in the book: Psychocybernetics by Dr Maxwell Maltz