insight checks

welcome, dear reader, to insight checks! contained within these pages is a collection of five meditative, introspective games, to be played alone or with a friend, that aim to help strengthen your connection to yourself, your community, and the world around you.

why use games as a vehicle for this strengthening of connection? play can teach us things about our “real” selves that we might otherwise miss, and experiences of play can be steered in a transformative direction if approached with intention and attention. approaching the topics contained within these games can also feel less threatening when viewed through a playful lens; it can give us permission to be vulnerable in a safer container than our everyday life might provide.

i also firmly believe that, through play, we can imagine better worlds into being. yes, building a better world takes hands-on, hard work, but imagination and play can guide that work in exciting new directions. and, as terry pratchett's iconic, anthropomorphic personification of death says in the book hogfather, "you need to believe in things that aren't true. how else can they become?"

the games in this collection are as follows:

the other you: a game that uses biofeedback (body sensations) to guide you through various prompts imagining what your self in an alternate universe might be facing and bearing compassionate witness to that alternate self.
material components:

• your own body
• some means of recording your answers to the prompts, if desired
  

wayfinding: a game about discernment, where you will write a letter from your future self who has made a decision you’re facing to your current self, telling you about the outcome of that decision.
material components:

• some means of recording your answers to the prompts, if desired
• a candle, some incense, or another way of marking the time as something special
• a blank page or two (whether physical or digital) on which to write a letter, and a corresponding writing implement

attendant spirits: a game about the power of belief in shaping reality, wherein you will take on the perspective of an “attendant spirit” witnessing your real human self and offering wisdom and encouragement to your human self in various scenarios.
material components:

• a candle, some incense, or another way of marking the time and space as special 
• a journal (whether analog or digital) 
• some means to write in this journal 
• a deck of tarot cards, separated into major arcana and minor arcana (see the alternative rules and materials section at the end of the game if you don't have a deck of tarot cards handy)
  

true voice: a game about recognizing your own true voice, the voice of your inner knowing, through self-reflection and noting how it feels to state facts vs. falsehoods.
material components:

• yourself 
• some means of recording your responses to the journaling prompts, if desired
  

sacred: a game that takes the form of a small ritual to explore what is sacred to you.
material components:

• some means, whether analog or digital, to record your answers to the prompts and any other reflections, if desired 
• a candle, some incense, or another way of marking the time and space as something special 
• an object, small enough to fit into a purse or pocket, that reminds you of a connection to yourself, or to something beyond yourself 
• a small bowl of cool water, to be used to mark the object as special (the candle or incense can also serve this purpose)
  

each game will begin with a brief introduction, which will include some framing for the purpose of the game, notes on how to bring a friend into the game with you if you wish, a list of any suggested materials for play, and some notes on safety. you will then be invited into the world of the game by the phrase, "let's begin." at the conclusion of each game will be some space for reflection and an invitation to potentially integrate something you may have learned or gained from the game experience into your everyday life before you are gently guided back to the here and now.

so, are you ready?

let's begin.