I’ve mentioned in several blog entries that I am a member of a Mastermind Group, and people often ask me a variety of questions about how my meeting is structured and run. Since I think Mastermind Groups are a wonderful tool for personal growth and connection, I’d like to share some of the details about how my group works which will help you form and run your own group.
In essence, a Mastermind Group is a group that helps you become a vibrational match for your goals or your intentions. The belief is that your group members know you so well, they can tell when you are not really a vibrational match for your desire, so they will help you locate blocks or help you craft an intention that is in alignment with who you are and what you want.
How many people are in the group?
My group has 6 members. Sometimes someone takes a break for a few months if their schedule gets too full, if they’re traveling, or if they just need a break. Sometimes a member will bring a guest to a meeting to see if they are a good fit for the group. We generally have the guest come to a few meetings so we can get a feel for her and for her to decide if joining our group is something she’s really interested in. But generally speaking, we keep the number at 6 or 7.
The number of people in the Mastermind is really up to each group, but I think 5-7 people is ideal. If the group is too big you can sometimes lose the intimate connection as people split into cliques or sub groups. Or your meetings can take 2 hours. If the group is too small you don’t get the wisdom of a larger collective, and if people are absent you could be at your meeting with just one other person.
How often do you meet?
My group meets every other week. Even if someone can’t make the meeting, we don’t try to find a day when everyone can make it. We stick to our schedule and whoever can come, comes. Most of the time, every member is present. It works best that way if the members are committed to attending every meeting.
I think meeting once a month is not quite enough because a lot can happen in a month and if you miss even one meeting then you’re really going long without your supportive group. Meeting weekly is also a good option if everyone is comfortable meeting that often.
How long are your meetings?
We meet for one hour, however we have learned to reserve some time after our meeting for chatting about other things going on in our lives. During the meeting, we are all business, otherwise it’s easy to get sidetracked. Sometimes a member is going through a personal crisis, but we honor our meeting structure and then spend time after the meeting helping her with practical solutions to her problem.
Is your group for women only?
We tested out having men in our group but decided it changed the energy and dynamic too much, so now we’re a woman-only group. You can specify a gender or invite anyone. It all depends on what kind of energy you want to create and how compatible everyone is with each other. Compatible energy is more important than gender.
Where do you meet?
Our group meets at the home of one of our members. You can meet in a conference room, a park, a restaurant, or really anywhere that you can ensure privacy, because you need to be able to be emotionally intimate with your members. You can rotate the home in which you have your meetings to make it fair for everyone.
How do you find members?
Adding new members to my group usually happens when one of us brings a friend who we think would be interested in joining and also be a good fit for our other members. I think it’s vital that you don’t add new members if someone who is already in the group opposes the addition of a new member for whatever reason. There is a great deal of trust involved in having a Mastermind Group and if someone would feel uncomfortable with the addition of another member then it’s not worth adding the new person.
If you’re just starting out, I recommend picking people who share a similar vibration to you. Perhaps a close friend. But just because someone is your friend doesn’t mean they will be a good member of a Mastermind Group. To function well, members should be emotionally mature, respect confidential personal information you may discuss at meetings, be reasonably intelligent, and kind. Pick other attributes as best suits your group’s intention (i.e. business minded, other parents, women only, etc.).
What happens at the meetings themselves?
We start our meetings by reading our Declarations For Mastermind which is simply a list of our group’s goals and guidelines. Reading this at the beginning of each meeting centers and grounds us and gets us ready to enter a creative state. It helps us cast off any problems we might be dealing with, as it’s vital to bring yourself into a high state of awareness so you can help the other members with their intentions. You can come up with your own declarations or probably find a copy on the internet that other groups use.
After the Declarations are read and we’re all present, we go around the table and each of us shares our “wins” since our last meeting. Usually your “win” is related to one of your previously cast intentions, but it doesn’t have to be. Any area of your life where you had a significant or positive experience can be shared. A real example of a “win” I used at my last meeting was this, “This week I remembered a pair of pants in my closet that I haven’t been able to fit in since basically the day I bought it. So I put the pants on to see if they would fit me now that I’ve lost a lot of weight, and they were actually too big! So I missed my opportunity to wear them. Oh shucks!” 😉 Since time is limited, everyone knows to keep their wins on the short side. We also never bring up problems, i.e. “I don’t know what I’m going to do about my husband. He’s gone off the deep end again.” The Mastermind Group is not a place to go whine and complain. It’s a place to become empowered. If problems need to be discussed, we do them after the meeting with whoever is available and willing to listen. It’s not a pity party.
After we all share a win or two, we begin going through our intentions. In advance, we send our intention to the hostess of our meeting, who copies them all onto a single page and hands them out at the meeting. An example of an intention is this. “I, Erin Pavlina, request the support of the Mastermind in sending unconditional love to my body.” So we just go in order down the page and the first person reads their intention out loud.
Let’s use the example I just gave of my own intention. My fellow group members listen to see if I am congruent with my stated intention. If not, they will ask to hear more about this area of my life and why I’m trying to send unconditional love to my body. Or they will simply suggest another way of stating my intention so that I’m more congruent with it. We keep working the intention, drafting changes, until I’m a vibrational match for this desire. Sometimes I don’t need any changes, and sometimes I do. Sometimes changes can take 10 minutes to get the intention right. When I’m done, we go on to the next person. We continue until everyone has gotten their intention just right. This is really the bulk of our meeting.
At the end, we read a dedication to close our meeting, reaffirming our purpose and our desire to achieve success in our lives.
How does being in a group help you manifest your intentions?
Ah the Mastermind. What is it really? To some, the Mastermind is simply the universe, and you’re placing your order with the universe and coming into vibrational harmony with it. Some see the Mastermind as God or Source. To me, the Mastermind is the collective intention of the other members of your group. You think it’s powerful to create your own intention and become a vibrational match for it? Imagine having 5 or 6 other people also casting your intention to the universe and holding the intention for you to achieve it. It’s very powerful and loving. Your group members also know when you’re intending something you don’t really want, or don’t really think you can have. This is why an intimate and emotional bond usually forms within the group. You need to trust that sometimes they know what you want or need better than you do.
Form a group and give it a try. I’ve been in my Mastermind Group for years and it’s been so wonderful and empowering. These ladies keep me progressing forward and help me achieve my goals. They help me release what I don’t want, and help me attract what I do want. It’s all good.
