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9/25/06
VOICES
The 8 Intelligences, by Howard Gardner, states the intelligences that each
individual has within them. Everyone has them, though different intelligences might be
more prevalent in one person than another. The intelligences that are most developed
within me are Verbal-Linguistic, Musical, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal and Naturalistic.
These I developed very early in my life. I’m not as far along when it comes to
Mathematical-Logical, Spatial-Artistic, and Physical-Kinesthetic. I am, however, trying
to become more skilled in these areas. Though, in these I am progressing better with
some than with others. The intelligence that, for me, needs the most development is my
Mathematical-Logical intelligence, which I honestly did not realize I was lacking in until
I began reading more on it. As for all the other intelligences I am above average, in
varying degrees, in all of them.
The Verbal-Linguistic intelligence I put to use everyday. I read books daily, from
romance to occult. I have over a thousand books in my home. I love riddles and word
games. At the moment, I only speak English, but I want to learn Japanese, Cantonese,
Mandarin, Korean, French and Spanish, in that order. I employ my writing skills for
school, but on the weekends I work on my story. It’s a romance novel set in New York
with a strong female character. I finished a short story entitled, “Whisper” and posted it
on a forum I joined online. It brings a new perspective on racism, and the subtle racist
comments we hear as children as well as discussing how bad events and remarks are
easier to remember than the good ones. I also write poetry on occasion. My poems
usually rhyme for the simple reason that I like the sound of it, and I also write songs. My
oral abilities are singing, though I only do this in front of dear friends and family
members, and character voices. I love making goofy, exaggerated voices, especially
when I need to cheer someone up. One of the best things in the world is laughter that
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stems from pure joy. I create voices on my own as well as aping voices from various
cartoons such as “South Park”, “Finding Nemo” and “Tarzan”.
My Musical intelligence is somewhat varied. I listen to various types of music and
sing my favorites. At this point in time, I love to sing Japanese anime songs. The way
they sing and the way they put different instruments together is inspirational to me. As
stated before, I write songs, and purchased a keyboard to learn how to play piano. The
keyboard came with a small booklet of songs, which I learned how to play fairly easily.
Sometimes I can also hear music being played on a piano and, remembering the sound,
find the notes that were played. However, since I can’t read notes I was disappointed to
learn the keyboard did not have recording capabilities. When I create a piece of music, I
can’t remember what keys I hit and cannot write it down. I also want a keyboard that’s
compatible with my laptop so that I can transfer my music to it for editing purposes. I
found freeware online that I can use to edit music, add sounds and beats and lay down
vocals all on my computer. Creating music is something I want to learn as much as I can
about.
Interpersonal intelligence is another I also have to a decent degree since I am very
comedic. As an adult, I got along better with children than I did with other adults. This is
due in part to my passion for Disney films, video games and anime. Another reason is
that too many adults are quick to judge you by what you enjoy doing rather than looking
at your actions and deeds. I love talking with people, cheering them up and listening to
the subtle changes of tones and deciding on how they’re feeling by what I’m hearing in
their voice. Ironically, as a child I got along much better with adults than I did with
children my own age. I constantly stayed around adults telling jokes, voicing my opinion
on life, marriage and anything else I believed in strongly. When I became older, it
switched.
My Intrapersonal intelligence has come a long way in the past year. One of the
main reasons was my religious path. Though not in any specific group, I am a practitioner
of magick. For those who do not know, the reason magick is spelt with a ‘k’ rather than
leaving the ending a ‘c’ is because some practitioners, myself included, use this spelling
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to differentiate between the magicians who perform tricks and illusions and followers of
real magick. Thanks to my studies in this and authors like Donald Michael Kraig, Silver
Ravenwolf, Starhawk and Oberon Zell-Ravenheart, I have found my personal spiritual
path. I meditate daily, practice with my Tarot deck and read various books on magick
such as “Modern Magick” and “The Lesser Key of Solomon”. Meditation helps me to
relax, when needed, visualize, and to quiet the mind. When I can do this for long periods
of time many obstacles in my life can be removed. It’s all a mind game and, usually,
we’re our own worst enemies. The entrance to the Temple of Apollo at Delphi said it
best, “Gnothi seauton”, translated “Know Thyself”.
My Naturalistic intelligence is employed daily. I am using it when I’m outside
and I really notice the sky and trees. My naturalistic intelligence is in use when I’m fully
aware of my breathing, my being. I use this intelligence when I meditate outside and
really search inside myself. I’m taking nature in when I walk through a park then decide
to sit on a bench and look at all the beautiful plants around me. I commune with nature
each time I pick up one of my four cats, usually Thorn, and shower them with love and
listen to their deep-throated purr. I love to feel a light breeze sifting through my hair. I
adore a strong gust of wind that hits me in my back with such force that it changes my
walk to a jog. I also recently bought some flowerpots, soil and seedlings so that I can
have plants in my house.
My Mathematical-Logical intelligence I still need to work on. I enjoy various
word games and brainteasers, but my skills are about average. It usually takes me a while
to solve a logic problem. The only logic game I play with any skill at this point is
Sudoku. In that game, which I play online, I am above average. It seems so simple to me.
I saw a logic problem where you had to put various people in boxes and they couldn’t
end up in the same row twice and when I tried to solve it I messed up repeatedly. After
figuring it out, I realized it was basically Sudoku with words instead of numbers.
However, it still is difficult to figure out those puzzles. Sudoku is still easier for me. The
only problem with Sudoku is how addictive it is. I go online to play one quick game
before bed, which takes me less than ten minutes, and realize I’ve been playing
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continually for the past four hours. I do have a book at home that contains logic
problems, so I’ll be using that to try and help develop my skills in this intelligence.
As for the Spatial-Artistic I draw on occasion and paint. Unfortunately, I’m not
very good. I do enjoy getting ceramic bowls and small statues and painting them, which I
do well. I enjoy taking pictures, loading them onto my laptop and altering them. I change
the colors, texture and angles. I found free software online to alter pictures and create
artwork so I’ve been working on that. I also have 3D graphics software and am slowly
learning how to use it. I use self-hardening clay to make pentacles and little statues. I’m
going to learn more about digital photography so that I can create some impressive,
breathtaking art.
My Physical-Kinesthetic aspect is a joy for dancing. It doesn’t matter if I look
cool doing it so long as those around me and myself are having a great time. I enjoy
doing yoga in the morning to stretch out my body and feed the muscles. My main
enjoyment comes from martial arts. I haven’t been to class in a year, but I have every
intention of going back to class. The joy I felt as I was able to kick higher and punch
harder was immense. Despite being very sore after class, I still felt a large sum of energy
swirling through me. I knew I could do anything.
This is how I use the 8 Intelligences in my life. Some are more developed than
others. However, they are all within me as well as everyone else. I have interests that I
would like to explore in each one. I’m not developing fast enough in Spatial-Artistic in
particular for my personal standards, but I know I can and will achieve a stronger level on
each one if I want it badly enough. Determination and strength of mind and character will
further develop the ones I’m lacking in the most as well as increasing the level of those
I’m am already well-stocked on.