QUICK INTRODUCTION TO THE MICHAEL TEACHINGS

WHO IS MICHAEL?

"Michael" happens to be a group of souls (an "entity") who have completed their individual journeys through the Physical Plane, now speaking as one voice, sharing their wisdom as gained from the many lifetimes of experiences collected by all of the members of that entity.

The name, "Michael," is simply a convenient name we use to refer to this family of consciousness, an "entity" of over 1000 souls. They have collectively experienced thousands of lifetimes and have completed their experiences in the Physical Plane, now teaching from another Plane known as the Causal Plane. 

Most of us refer to "Michael" in plural, since they refer to themselves in plural, but some people use the terms "he" and "him." Michael is not a physical or biological presence; thus, they have no sex or gender as part of their identity. They are a collection of souls, so it is more convenient to refer to them as a group. Some prefer to call them "the Michaels." There is no right or wrong way to refer to Michael.

WHAT IS CHANNELING?

If Michael is truly a non-physical presence, then it goes that they need physical means to communicate their information, perspective, and teaching to those of us within the physical plane. Those who help Michael in this communication are called "channels."

"Channels" are people who have made an Agreement as part of their life plan to act as a voice or conduit of energy for non-physical sources of inspiration, healing, or information, that originate from a non-physical source. Most of the time these Agreements are made between the channel and the source of teaching or energy before the channel is born, but sometimes a person will make the Agreement later in life.

If this all seems strange, that's because it is strange. It may help to think of "channeling" as some form of misunderstood creativity, and "Michael" is some brilliant part of the channel's brain that functions in ways we do not yet understand.

I do not pretend to know exactly why or technically how channeling is possible, or even if it is valid communication from another plane of existence as we have come to understand it, but I do know that something profound is happening and only personal experience can "prove" something like this to you. 

My own experiences over the years have convinced me of two things:

• that there is something authentic happening beyond my apparent, daily consciousness that is being accessed for detailed, expansive, seemingly unlimited and original information
• and that, regardless of the source, the information has had an obvious, positive impact on me and other students. 

Those two factors make it worth my efforts to continue exploring and trusting the process, even if I struggle daily with the questions of its validity.

If consciousness does exist beyond the Physical Plane after death, then "channels" are like radio receivers who tune out from their own "station" for periods of time to "receive and broadcast" other sources.

The channeling I do is limited to my contact with Michael. I do not offer services for communicating with an individual who is between lives trying to contact a loved one. I can and do experience contact with many who have died, but this is not where my work is.

Similar to other non-physical teachers, such as Seth, Emmanuel, Lazaris, Orin & DaBen, Michael shares the knowledge and experience they gained while living physical lives now framed from a broader/higher perspective.

Michael helps us to understand the dynamics of who we are, both as Personality and as a Soul (Essence), including how to better use the unlimited tools available for understanding, nurturing, and building ourselves, relationships, and universe.

WHAT DOES MICHAEL TEACH?

Michael teaches that the only purpose behind life, is life, itself. There is no profound, exalted, or mysteriously secret reason behind our lives. 

Michael refers to our source of existence as Tao.  We are each "fragments" of this original source, imbued with the creative impetus to seek experience within a spectrum of possibilities. No lifetime is ever "wasted" because ALL experience is valuable, even the bad or painful stuff. 

The idea of "good" or "bad" experiences is a natural and important human concept because we experience levels of pain or pleasure or positive or negative consequences, but to Essence, ALL of it is meaningful. 

Michael does not describe experiences as "good" or "bad", because we learn from all of it, but they do state clearly that we naturally evolve over lifetimes toward more expansive, conscious and loving paths and lose our inclination for more resistant, limited, fearful paths. 

Michael teaches that the Universe is not a chaotic, random system of events that we must endure, but rather that there is an awesome structure that can be comprehended by us to a great degree that can help us gain a better understanding of our personal part and power in the larger scheme of things.

Michael teaches that reincarnation is valid. As a soul gains experiences over lifetimes, so does it gain maturity and wisdom that can be accessed by every new personality in each successive lifetime.

Michael describes this evolution of maturity and wisdom as a "soul age." They teach that every soul goes through 7 stages of maturity across as many lifetimes as it takes. There is no one to measure a soul's maturity except the individual soul, itself. 

As we gain experience, we learn to be more aware, more compassionate, more connected, more sensitive, and more peaceful, but we also go through a spectrum of experiences that naturally include all things horrifying and beautiful. We eventually gain enough experience that the Soul and the Personality within the lifetime begin to co-create, decide, and choose more consciously, bringing to the lifetime a greater sense of Truth, Love, and Energy.

Michael teaches that our souls choose one of 7 Roles (or Essences) to be our particular means of existence and form during our entire cycle of lifetimes. This Role remains the same throughout all of our incarnations and we continually improve and evolve in our experience and use of that Role. Each soul is made even more unique as we choose a ratio of "Focused and Creative Energy" lending us a unique inclination toward creativity or focus, which we eventually learn to balance out. Every soul also has a unique "Frequency" which acts as a kind of "GPS location" in the vastness of existence and also helps us understand the way we process experiences.

Your Soul creates a Body and Personality for every lifetime. Early lifetimes can be quite difficult and chaotic, but with each lifetime, our soul gains more experience, and each Personality gains more access to Essence which increases the capacity for choice. Eventually as the soul ages, both Essence and Personality begin to create lives together in deeply meaningful ways.

A Personality is designed with a Goal (a primary motivation for the lifetime), a Mode (how you reach your Goal and how you relate to others), an Attitude (a basic philosophical perspective), and a Centering (how you take in life). Some Fears are developed as a form of protection in our youth as we navigate threats and danger, but eventually (and hopefully) we learn to overcome any fears that are no longer necessary. There is so much more to each Personality, but these are some basics.

There are 7 Roles/Essences, 7 Goals from which to choose, 7 Attitudes, 7 Modes, 7 Centers, and 7 Basic Fears (Chief Features).

Understanding the dynamics of your Essence as it exists beyond this lifetime and improving self-awareness of your Personality's design can free us from harmful self-criticism and confusion, enabling us to enjoy being who we are in this life, and to increase the Love and Understanding, Compassion and Peace in our experiences of relationships and self.

THE POWER OF CHOICE

Michael's Teaching can be summed up in one, single quote:

"You are here to learn how to choose, and to choose how to learn."

There really is no better way of conveying this Teaching's bottom line than through that deceptively simple statement.

Michael teaches that we are making Choices on many levels at all times as a Personality and as a Soul. Our Soul journeys through many, many lives, learning about itself through our many individual Personalities who are equipped with a powerful basic tool: CHOICE.

They go further to say that there are no "bad" choices, only experiences and the lessons gained from those experiences, if we choose. NOTHING is wasted, not even the most boring or painful of lifetimes. We learn to make better Choices as Souls and as Personalities as we gain awareness and as we gain experience.

While Michael doesn't use the terms "good" or "bad," they still acknowledge that we eventually learn to make the choices that bring us (and others) more kindness, acceptance, love, pleasure, and growth.

This philosophy of Choice can free us from destructive criticism against ourselves and others while encouraging our potential to learn from our so-called "mistakes." Holding this philosophy of choice, even if we choose self-criticism and fear it is still not "bad," it is just another Choice of many available to us in any moment and we can learn from all of it. It will always be up to us to decide if and when we can choose more gently and lovingly.

And finally, Michael teaches that there is ALWAYS Choice available. Even the Choice not to Choose... is a Choice. No matter how difficult our lives may become, we always have the powerful tool of Choice as a means to make a difference. We may not always have a choice in what happens TO us, but we always have a choice in what we DO with what happens to us.

WHERE IS GOD?

Some people are comfortable with the word "God", some are not. Some find the word "God" to be limiting, lacking the vastness of this elusive source of life and beauty around us.

Michael prefers not to use the word "God" because Western Civilization has turned the word "God" into something far to personified and limited. To help us move away from the stereotypes and limited images of "God," Michael uses the term "Tao," [pronounced DOW, with a hard D) an Eastern term meaning "the way." This term helps us avoid preconceived limitations or personifications and focuses more on our path, or "the way."

You may use whatever term you personally prefer. There are no rules about this in any way. Regardless of the term you use, Michael's teaching does support the concept of a source from which we all sprang into existence.

THE 7 ROLES IN ESSENCE

(or the core of our Being)

Michael says that we are always connected to "Tao;" always moving along that path even if we tend to forget. It is natural for us to forget because each lifetime generates a new body with a new brain through which our soul must work to regain and evolve conscious awareness. As we gain experience over many lifetimes, we tend to regain that awareness more quickly within a lifetime.

IN THE BEGINNING...

According to Michael, we are "fragments" of whatever is our source of existence and as fragments we exist to explore and create. These fragments are imbued with the same creative force as our source and we are to do as we wish, explore what we wish, experience what we wish, interact as we wish, and generally experience everything possible! This fragmentation of the source allows for unlimited creativity and exploration as these sparks or fragments run around being creative and experimental out on their own! With all of this creativity and curiosity, a soul can easily get into trouble, go through painful growth, sadness, loneliness, fears, etc., but those experiences are part of the same spectrum of experiences that includes joy, happiness, abundance, passion, love,...

Our souls know an absolute sense of safety in the universe because they cannot be harmed, but our physical bodies and our Personalities can definitely be harmed and suffer. Our Essences experience our lives a bit like we experience going to the movies. While sitting in the theater we can have a whole spectrum of emotions and experiences as we are pulled into the action and drama of a really good movie, but we ultimately know we are safe and can leave when it's over. Our souls experience the excitement and pain of our lifetimes in a very similar way, except that as the soul gains experience, it becomes easier to create far more potentially pleasurable, meaningful and enjoyable lifetimes because the sooner we "wake up" in a lifetime as Personality, the sooner we can make more conscious choices and expand our understanding and perspectives.

CHOOSING A ROLE

Our "Essence" (or "soul/spark") chooses one of 7 "Roles:" like choosing a vehicle to use to travel through the universe on our own. These Roles are not limiting in any way. ALL of life can be experienced through any single Role, but the one our Essence chooses is our own.

As you read more about the Michael Teachings, you may find that the terms "Spark", "Soul," "Essence," and "Role," are used interchangeably for convenience.

Your Role is constant throughout all of your lives but continually expands and improves on its way of Being with every additional lifetime and experience.

THE 7 ESSENCE ROLES

This is a very simple introduction, so please do not get too preoccupied with trying to determine your Role just yet, as it is a bit more complex than the descriptions here. This is just a BASIC Introduction. It's very important to remember that the names used to identify the Roles are only used for convenience and they are not to be taken literally. For instance, a Priest Essence can be a farmer or a plumber or a murderer; a Server Essence might be a preacher, housewife, or serial killer. The Role describes the PRIMARY WAY OF BEING for a soul, and this can show up in infinite ways.

Each Role will behave in ways that are terrible and frightening, as well as in ways that are beautiful and enlightening. Each Role has a Positive and Negative Pole, which helps describe the spectrum of behavior that a soul can exhibit through a Personality, with the Negative Pole reflecting how the Personality may reject its Essence and the Positive Pole describing the embrace and presence of Essence. We will not cover the Polarities here.

Sometimes the Role is difficult to determine because of several factors that may inhibit expression and behavior, such as parental influences, cultural expectations, gender roles, and environmental conditions, so be patient as you study.

To understand how Essence chooses a Role, think of the "fragment" or spark of you as always swimming in the "white light" that is "home" or our source. Our spark is still very aware of and connected to that source. When we chose a Role, it was a way of differentiating ourselves from the source. Our souls never truly leave that source, but we do differentiate ourselves in this very creative way as if the white light of who we are is passing through a prism, separating that original light into 7 visible rays of color. In the same way that all color is still a part of white light, so are our souls forever a part of the source, no matter how separated we may seem to be.

Here are the 7 Roles in Essence:

Servers & Priests

These are the Inspiration Roles. The Server brings inspiration to us one on one, while the Priests inspire us in groups. Servers see the world as their honored guests, while Priests see the world as a congregation or "flock".

Artisans & Sages

These are the Expression Roles. The Artisan creates and brings new things to the planet, while the Sage points us toward those new things and reminds us to play. The Artisan expresses through creativity and more one on one while the Sage expresses through communication and to larger groups. The Artisan sees the world as a blank canvas, while the Sage sees the world as an audience or playmates.

Warriors & Kings

These are the Action Roles. The Warriors stand as our protectors and persuaders, helping us remain motivated and instilling intimate and meaningful loyalty, while the King leads us into action as a group or helps delegate action to members of a group. The Warrior sees the world as something to conquer or protect, while the King sees a kingdom or realm to rule or lead.

Scholars

This is the only "Neutral" Role, meaning it is the centerpiece and mediator of all other Roles. The Scholar studies life and observes, always submerged in something they find important to study, ranging from addictions and inner challenges to science, languages, and philosophy. This Essence studies so naturally that the life itself becomes a study. This is the most versatile Role and can sometimes be quite the chameleon. The Scholar sees the world as an object of interest or study.

THE ENERGY OF ESSENCE

There are many ways that an Essence is uniquely designed, but here are a couple of the basic elements that contribute to that uniqueness:

FOCUSED/CREATIVE ENERGY RATIO

This is a specific way your Essence designed itself to approach life in general and is measured by a RATIO (such as 75/25, or 34/66, etc). This ratio never changes across your lifetimes, but we eventually learn to find the balance for our specific ratio, attracting people and events to help us with that balance.

FOCUSED ENERGY is very definite, linear, plan-oriented, direct, forceful, aggressive, action-oriented, tangible, protective... etc.

CREATIVE ENERGY is abstract, non-linear, spontaneous, omni-directional, inspiring, passive, emotional, intangible, nurturing... etc.

Those who have much higher Focused or Creative energy (above 60 either way) can tend to have strong tendencies in one energy over the other. This means they will "naturally" be more Creative or Focused, regardless of other factors. A "high creative energy" Warrior has the potential to be as creative as an Artisan, for instance. As you study the Michael Teachings, you will learn about the various factors that might enhance a person's Energy Ratio. The goal over many lifetimes is to eventually find a balance in our ability to use these Creative and Focused Energies.

Energy Ratio has nothing to do with mannerisms, jobs, social roles, etc. If a woman is working in construction, this does not mean she has higher male energy just because it is traditionally a "man's job." Likewise, if a man is a House Husband, this does not mean he has more female energy just because this is traditionally a "woman's job." Your Energy Ratio may influence your choices regarding the use and expression of your skills, but you are never restricted by that Ratio. Most people are more restricted by the stereotypical expectations of a society rather than their internal dynamics.

NOTE: In sexual intimacy, people usually have more profound or satisfying sex/intimacy with those of proportionally reversed Energy Ratios. For instance, a 35 Focused/65 Creative would "fit" more dynamically with a 65 Focused /35 Creative ratio. This isn't a rule by any means but is one of many ingredients contributing to the experience of sexual intimacy.

FREQUENCY

"Frequency" is the exact point of reference for a soul on a defined spectrum of energy that represents Human Sentience.

"Higher" or "Lower" Frequency has nothing to do with being better or worse. Your Frequency is primarily a kind of GPS for your soul in the vastness of the universe, but it also influences how your Essence processes experiences. Your Frequency contributes to how you experience the energy of physical and non-physical environments; from the way you experience a city or a room, to how you experience a relationship. Knowing your Frequency helps you understand how the core of you processes what you experience.

An Essence with a HIGH Frequency (65+) tends to take in life at a faster pace, processing events swiftly. The benefit of this is that these Souls can move through experiences, gather what they want, and move on. The challenge is that one can tend to skim through an event, missing all the important parts, then continue to repeat that experience over and over in different forms until the important parts are finally collected. Those with a High Frequency can literally store unprocessed events and experiences as a kind of vibrational pattern within the cells of the Body or as Emotional patterns. Then, when an occasion arises or they get stressed, they can then "recreate" the same situations through their reactions and interpretations, simply pulling in new players and settings, until they finally finish with that particular process of growth. Only the individual person can determine when he or she is "done" with a pattern. These recurring experiences, reactions, and interpretations are not imposed on them.

An Essence with a LOW Frequency (-35) tends to take in life more slowly and meticulously, processing it with great attention to detail. The benefit of this is that they can dive completely in an experience, take as long as they need, wringing it for all it's worth, never needing to repeat that experience again. The challenge can be when one resists an experience. The lower frequency will find it excruciatingly difficult to leave a situation, while at the same time resisting all growth within it. Since this Frequency is more "solid", the resistance can begin to settle into the body as pain, ailments, illnesses, accidents, or they can develop apathy. If an experience is resisted to the point where it becomes Physical, then Essence will begin processing the basic energy of the denied event by dealing with its physical elements. While this is not a "bad" way to process experiences, it is not much fun for the body.

MORE ON FREQUENCY:

You will tend to feel more comfortable with people within about 20 points of your own Frequency point. For instance, if you have a Frequency of 62, you will relate to, communicate more easily with, and find general resonance with those who have a Frequency up to 82 and as low as 42. Being with someone outside of that range can tend to bring challenges.

This 20-point range of flexibility isn't as limiting as it may seem, considering that another Essence can also move within his or her own 20-point range. 

An example: Let's say one person has a Frequency of 35 and another has a Frequency of 70. The person with the Frequency of 35 would need to "tune" to a higher Frequency, stretching as far as 55, while the other person would need to lower his Frequency as low as 50. This gives the two people about 5 points of common Frequency with which to relate. These two people may have trouble maintaining constant contact or sustained intimacy, but the "stretching" of the Frequency can lead to some very exciting experiences!

What if a person's Frequency is 19 and can only go as high as 39, while another person's Frequency is 72, only able to go as low as 52?  This leaves a "gap" of about 13 points!

Anytime there is a "gap," there is usually a bridging factor of some sort, such as a third person with a Frequency that accommodates both, acting as a conduit or mediator. These so-called gaps in Frequency are what help bring more people together! Even an event or situation can act as a common middle point between two distant Frequency points, such as a spiritual pursuit, games, common goals, etc. If the two are focusing on something that is a commonality, it can help bridge the gap in frequency.

An interesting note: The Frequencies of all people in a room or event will gravitate toward the lowest common denominator. If the common denominator Frequency is a stretch for someone, they will most likely feel uncomfortable and either leave or separate into a smaller group. 

During adolescence, particularly in a school setting, we tend to go through a "locking" of our Frequency and avoid any flexibility. It is at this age we tend to remain within only a few points of our own Frequency point. This is what leads to "cliques" and can contribute to strong divisions among groups in schools.

SOUL AGES

"Soul Age" describes one of the most immediately practical and useful aspects of Michael's body of information. The Soul Ages describe the very basic stages every soul will go through in the process of its evolution. Your Soul Age helps describe where you are in that process. Soul Ages can also help describe the average perspective of groups of people, communities, countries, etc. Understanding the age of an Essence, or the average age of a group of Essences, can greatly increase your ability to be understanding, accepting, adaptable, compassionate, and constructive.

Remember that the Soul Ages are not hierarchical, and that one Soul Age is not better or worse than another.

When we entered our first lifetime we begin an incredible journey of dedication, intensity, and adventure in the school of Earth and playground of life! Each lifetime brings more knowledge for Essence and the use of that knowledge is continually improved upon when planning the next lifetimes. As knowledge and experience grows, so does the maturity and perspective of the soul, and that maturity is described as a Soul Age. 

The progression through the Soul Ages is self-determined and no other Essence, or God, or institution, or ANYTHING monitors your speed or level of growth. Your Essence is the only one who can determine its evolution.

There are 7 Soul Ages but we will only cover 5 here as they are the most relevant to you in the beginning. There are 2 additional Soul Ages that are experienced after the completion of all of your lifetimes as an individual soul, but we will not cover these in the Basic Teachings.

Each Soul Age can take as many lifetimes as the soul wants or needs to take, but there is an average of 49 lives per Soul Age.

Infant, Baby, Young, Mature, and Old

INFANT

Infant Souls are those who are new to being in bodies and new to the planet. They are usually superstitious and fearful, choosing lifetimes set away from the chaos of modern life, or at least living separately from it, even if in the midst of it.

The basic lessons of the Infant Soul are Survival. The lifetimes tend to be centered mostly on learning how to feed, clothe, and keep the body alive.

There are very few Infant Souls being born anymore since there are very few places left to incarnate without older soul ages intervening. The Infant Souls who are already committed to a cycle of lifetimes will tend to find it difficult to keep others from either exploiting them or being compelled to rescue the Infant from its survival struggles.

The Infant Soul Motto is, "There is ME, and everything is just scary and threatening!" As the Infant begins to learn how to survive, it begins to seek being part of civilization, which leads them to the Baby Soul Age.

BABY

Baby Souls have generally mastered basic Survival and now seek experiences focused on how to build civilization together in groups. Baby Souls gain experiences through focus on an authority, being civil, enforcing order, being clean, law-abiding, structured, etc.

The development of most Religions is rooted in Baby Soul values and ideals. What better way to bring order to a large group of people and to enforce rules but through the threat of a vague, scary, parental God who can get angry and punish you if you misbehave? There are many forms of religion, of course, but one can see why Baby Souls would be drawn to this context. There is a security in the churches as the rules and laws are handed out by an unquestioned authority.

Baby Souls will rarely question, they simply have their decisions handed to them from their trusted authority, which they will defend blindly. They do not ponder their individuality, except in terms of how they fit into the contexts and traditions handed down from familiarity and authority.

All things based on order, structure and justice are Baby Soul concepts, like the library systems, judicial systems, and police forces.

Baby Souls see the world in terms of "ME, and NOT ME". This means if you are "NOT ME", you are a threat, wrong, bad, and possibly "going to hell". They see everything in terms of black and white, good and bad. 

Because Baby Soul's seek to uphold order at all costs, it only makes sense to them that you behave within their established terms. As the soul grows through the Baby stage, it begins to develop a sense of individual identity, which leads to the Young Soul Age.

YOUNG

Young Souls have learned all they can from being civil and listening to authority. This Soul Age is like the adolescence of Soul Ages.

The Young Soul seeks individuality, recognition, fame, excitement, stimulation, material rewards, and competition. This is where the soul begins to indulge in the physical plane and really get into some trouble and adventures!

This Soul Age tends to be the least spiritual, but they will use religious or spiritual groups for networking or to help them maintain a position of authority over other people. Many religious and political leaders are Young Souls acting as authorities for Baby Souls. It can be very difficult for a Young Soul to be spiritually conscious since the focus is so immersed in being as physical as possible.

Young Souls see the world in terms of "there is you and me and I am going to win." 

When an Essence has indulged in the physical plane, experienced all of its riches, there will come a point of realization that "there is more to life than this", and that is the step toward the Mature Soul Age.

MATURE

Mature Souls have learned most of what they can from having things and taking things and doing things; they've been rich, been recognized, and extracted whatever they thought was important to obtain from the physical plane. Once they have all of that experience, the soul and personality figuratively look around and say, "now what?" The soul starts to seek experiences focused on emotional connections and spiritual intimacy, and meaningful existence.

The Mature Soul finally confronts the internal sense of separation gained during the Young Soul Age and begins to reach out to others, often in pain. Most Mature Souls find intimacy through the sharing of intensity and emotions, seeking others who can identify with such personal, inner struggles.

Mature Souls are the most intense and dramatic about life, encouraging questions such as "who am I?" and "Why am I here?" They begin to turn away from organized religion, preferring a more personal spirituality or meaningful and ethical philosophy.

They begin to recognize the sources of pain and oppression in society and seek to alleviate those influences in any way; therefore, the Mature Soul actively supports some form of "Rights", such as LGBTQ Rights, Animal Rights, fights against Apartheid and Child Abuse, White Supremacy, etc.

Mature Souls crave closeness and meaning in their life. This Age is where the soul begins to want their lives to contribute and "count" for something in terms of benefiting humanity or, at least, benefiting others. As they explore intimacy and bonding, they must also explore boundaries and consideration for the well-being of themselves and others.

The Mature Soul sees the world as "there are you and me and I know how you feel."

Many of the Students of the Michael Teaching who are drawn to this teaching are somewhere in their Mature Soul cycle.

When the Mature Soul has learned to bond meaningfully while upholding and honoring boundaries the soul then begins to feel a gentle, but haunting, pull to seek what feels like "home", and they know home isn't "here".

OLD

Old Souls have gained experiences as a Mature Soul that helped them remember who they love, how to bond, and they have answered to some satisfaction the questions about why they exist and "who" they are. They now begin to expand the questioning of everything on a larger scale. "Where do we all fit into the scheme of things?" "How does reality work?" "What is Love?" "How do I get Home?"

The Old Soul has a sense of being "tired" and knows that the goal is now to finally, utterly, compassionately love this world, the people in it, and everything about it. The Old Soul seeks the experience of truly unconditional Love. 

In addition to nurturing a Love for this world comes the final, most challenging experience of all: the unconditional love of self. This experience can be terrifying because Old Souls have glimpsed the magnitude of the vastness of the Universe across all of their lifetimes and they realize their tiny place in it. It can seem impossible to be or feel meaningful in such an ocean of energy, but the Old Soul, eventually, realizes that every fragment matters to the creation and evolution of existence.

The Old Soul begins to seek a state of oneness with the universe and life. They begin feeling a deep recognition of other people that is not limited by the current lifetime. Old Souls can see the entirety of a person, "remembering" other people from other lifetimes.

One of many challenges for the Old Soul is to remember themselves sooner when in a lifetime and to remember to draw wisdom from their souls, using the inherent knowledge gained from across all of their own lifetimes. They must also understand how to live and communicate with all other Soul Ages. 

Old Souls begin seeing past the veil that separates the Physical from the Non-Physical, which draws the Old Soul to mystical and profound spiritual experiences. Eventually, the Old Soul learns to experience life with a uniquely balanced sense of awe and familiarity, as it experiences its last lifetimes and seeks to reunite with their spiritual family.

Another important note: Some students have been taught a stereotypical interpretation of how an Old Soul "should" behave or not behave or how they should appear in the world. The reality of being an Older Soul is that you have all other Soul Ages under your belt of experiences. This means the Old Soul has far more flexibility in choosing how to behave, how to express themselves, what tools to draw from, etc. There will be times when an Old Soul appears to be some other Soul Age because they can call upon that aspect of themselves if needed. In the same way that an Adult of 40+ years old can be rejuvenated and healed by playing like a child in silly games, so can an Old Soul play the Young Soul games, if necessary.

Being an Old Soul doesn't mean you avoid material security, find righteousness in poverty, resisting technological advances, and sitting around philosophizing while waiting to die. The Old Soul has all of those lives under the belt, so they draw strength and wisdom from ALL levels of who they are, and they seek to LIVE more fully! This means that an Old Soul may WANT to play out a Mature Soul drama or have a business that succeeds like a Young Soul or draw from the Baby Soul experiences as a means to have order and respect within a household and family. Sometimes the Old Soul just might get silly with the Infant Self through wild dancing and drinking!

The whole POINT of getting to a place where you are an Old Soul is that you have gained the perspective of each previous Soul Age and can use those perspectives however you wish!

Musical Chairs Analogy

I'd like to share an analogy that helps put all of the Soul Ages into perspective.

Imagine you walk into a room with a stage in the center and 5 chairs are set up in a large circle, all facing inward toward the stage, and there is a lot of activity on the Stage for you to watch!

The first chair in the circle is the Infant Soul Age. It's the first time you have been in the room and it's the first time you are seeing the stage. You sit and stare and fidget and observe and get as comfortable as you can. You watch the Play, but you are very nervous because you have no idea what is really going on. At some point, you begin to understand that the key is in sitting still, watching the play, and gaining some insight that way. You then move to the next chair.

Now you are in a new position in the same room with the same stage with the same activity on the stage. Not only has your perspective changed but you now understand where to focus and this makes the play even more interesting!

Someone else has now seated themselves in the chair you previously occupied.

You remember what the room and stage looked like from that previous chair, and what activity you could see better on the stage, but now you have a new perspective from your second chair! You can see things in the room you didn't notice before, while the person in the first chair (your previous chair) is observing from the angle you originally had. 

From your position you have the memory of the previous chair PLUS the experience of this new perspective. The first chair is not better or worse, but just a different chair!

You now move to the third chair, the fourth chair, etc., all the while learning to see the room and stage and play from a new perspective while also remembering the perspective of the previous chairs.

As you progress from chair to chair, you can always remember and draw from all of the perspectives/chairs you have experienced! It wouldn't be very appropriate to turn to the first chair while sitting in the third chair and scowl or condemn them because they cannot see from your point in the circle. You sat in that first chair at one time, and though you saw what you saw from that perspective, a new person may notice things you completely missed, so there is always something to learn from those sitting in positions you previously occupied.

ALL Soul Ages can be recognized for what they are: a different point on the same circle.

THE WORLD NOW

If you look at the world in terms of the average Soul Age, you will see a much more interesting and compassionate picture than if you simply look at the world as a place of chaos, war, struggle, and division. 

Some populations will have a higher percentage of one Soul Age, which will give a culture or society a different society and approach to life than another population. There are Young Soul populations, such as the United States. Brazil, and China and there are Old Soul populations, as we can find in The Netherlands, Switzerland, and Iceland. Within a Country, you will, of course, find "pockets" or smaller populations of Soul Ages drawn together.

The world is now officially a Mature Soul world. This can be seen in the breaking down of boundaries and connecting of people all over the world with phones, televisions, faster travel, the Internet, shared causes, and global threats such as climate change. The Mature Soul shift can be seen in the Berlin Wall coming down, the environment now seen as Global, not just local. We can see the Mature Soul influences in the rise in collective fights for Human Rights, LGBTQ Rights, Animal Rights, Women's Rights, etc.

Though the world is officially "Mature", the United States is just coming out of a long Young Soul phase and is slowly introducing the effects of a more Mature Soul mentality. There are still Young Souls in power making decisions that affect us, and even though it will take a while for Mature souls to find power and leadership appealing, they are making their way into these positions slowly.

YOUR SOUL FAMILY

Throughout all of the lifetimes, heartaches, pleasures, fears, and pains, you are never alone. There are groups of souls connected to you on very intimate and deep levels. Your Essence develops varying levels of depth with other Essences as you would as a Personality bonding with others within a lifetime.

Though the dynamics of how Essences are organized and connected can get very detailed and mathematical, we will stick with just a few introductory terms here.

The first terms that will become familiar to you are CADRE and ENTITY.

ENTITY: a family of approximately 1000 Essences who share a theme of consciousness. Think of an Entity as a busload of souls who come with you to Earth, and everyone on that bus is your Entity Mate.

CADRE (pronounced either KAH-druh or KAD-dree): a group of 7 Entities (or 7 "buses"). Entities are organized into groups of 7 acting as "extended family", so to speak. Your Entity, along with these 6 other Entities, make for a large family of souls sharing an intimate and specific group consciousness. Everyone in your Cadre is called your "Cadre Mate".

YOUR INTIMATE CONNECTIONS 

There are some Essences you work with on world projects and some you work with on specific internal growth. To help with these intense and amazing experiences across many lifetimes, it takes commitment and dedication.

There are at least two primary Essence relationships that stand out. Any relationship can be profound and intense, so these technical terms are only for those Essences who have chosen to get to know you "inside and out" and to always seek to push you beyond your limitations.

Your ESSENCE TWIN and TASK COMPANIONS

The ESSENCE TWIN is the one Essence committed to going through EVERYTHING with you, including all the worst and best experiences. This is not the romantic "soul mate" that romance novels like to promote. This Essence relationship can only be described as "intense". This is because the relationship does not allow for either individual to "hide" from himself, or to avoid the internal issues that block growth. The relationship with your Essence Twin (ET) can be intensely loving or intensely hateful, but there is rarely neutrality between yourself and that Essence. You each reflect in each other everything you love and hate about yourself. This "mirroring" ignites growth and encourages a self-awareness because you are so profoundly confronted with yourself, your fears, and your desires.

Most Essences spend about 60% to 70% of their lives incarnated with their Essence Twin in some way. Otherwise, if only one of you is incarnated, the other might act as a Spirit Guide.

Essence Twins are never from the same Entity.

TASK COMPANIONS are Essences committed to working on external, worldly projects and experiences with you. Your Essence always starts your incarnational cycle with at least one Task Companion, but you also acquire as many as 12 as you continue to incarnate. You acquire more Task Companions because you find others who choose to work with you on themes that you discover that are interesting.

Task Companions are always from the same Entity. 

OVERLEAVES & PERSONALITY

In the same way the "spark" takes on an Essence Role for its cycle of lives while adventuring from the Tao, the Essence takes on a PERSONALITY each lifetime when it incarnates! This helps create even more diversity and flexibility for the soul.

The PERSONALITY is the vehicle for Essence to experience life. Personality is an extension of Essence, allowing the soul to experience the Physical Plane and all of its emotions, sensations, thrills and chills. There a number of ways your Essence can create Personality, and as Essence gains experience across lives, it gets better and better at creating and planning its life and Personality. 

Though Essence does create Personality, YOU are still Essence. The you that is you in this life is a fragment of your Essence in the same way that your Essence is a fragment of its original source.

The different factors used in designing a Personality are referred to as OVERLEAVES.

The Overleaves used in creating a Personality are:

GOAL: The primary motivator within the lifetime

MODE: The primary way of approaching the Goal and relating to others

ATTITUDE: The primary way of viewing the life

These Overleaves listed above are chosen before birth by Essence.

AFTER being born, by the age of three, another Overleaf is settled on called CENTERING: your primary way of navigating the world and experiences.

In your adolescence you develop what is called the CHIEF NEGATIVE FEATURE. It is a protective and defensive feature that is developed in reaction to what you experience as threatening. It becomes your stumbling block and primary challenge to all things within the life.

The 7 Goals

The Goals are:

• Re-evaluation: the lifetime revolves around slowing down experience as much as possible, so as to assimilate past life influences.
• Growth: the lifetime revolves around gaining as much experience as possible, so as to use in future lives.
• Discrimination: the lifetime revolves around learning how to make better choices and decisions for yourself.
• Acceptance: the lifetime revolves around learning how to accept all choices and decisions, even the choices of others.
• Submission: the lifetime revolves around learning where and how you are most needed and effective.
• Dominance: the lifetime revolves around learning how direct and lead those who are most needed and effective.
• Flow: the lifetime is learning how to relax, enjoy life, and let it unfold, trusting in Essence.

The 7 Modes

The Modes are:

• Reserve: reaching your Goal by refining your emotions
• Passion: reaching your Goal by freeing your emotions
• Caution: reaching your Goal by refining your thoughts
• Power: reaching your Goal by freeing your thoughts
• Perseverance: reaching your Goal by refining your actions
• Aggression: reaching your Goal by freeing your actions
• Observation: reaching your Goal by observing and using the Mode most appropriate for the occasion.

The 7 Attitudes

The Attitudes are:

• Stoic: sees life as if they have seen it all before
• Spiritualist: sees life as if they have never seen it before
• Skeptic: sees life like it can always be disproved
• Idealist: sees life like it can always be improved
• Cynic: sees life as opposite to what appears to be
• Realist: sees life as it appears
• Pragmatist: sees life practically and through the Attitude most appropriate for the occasion.

Your Primary Centering

NOTE: there are 7 Centers, but we are only concerned with the Primary Centering here

• Moving Center: this is the Center that governs our body movements and actions. Those who are Moving Centered are action-oriented and take in life through their bodies.
• Emotional Center: this is the Center that governs our sense of connection to others emotionally and within ourselves. Those who are Emotionally Centered take in life through their feelings.
• Intellectual Center: this Center governs our beliefs and thoughts and communication. Those Intellectually Centered take in life through analysis and reasoning.

The 7 Chief Negative Features

We usually develop three fears. These are our Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Fears. The Primary affects and challenges our fulfillment of our GOAL and personal experience life; the Secondary affects and challenges your MODE and affects your relationships and intimacy; and our Tertiary affects our bodies and HEALTH.

• Self-Deprecation: fear of Inadequacy; the fear of not being able to live up to your own or someone else's standards, leaving you feeling weak, insecure, and incompetent. Fear of NOT BEING ENOUGH and not being seen accurately.
• Arrogance: fear of Vulnerability; fear of others failing your standards, or ignoring your standards, leaving you isolated and distanced as you may be seen as being above others or expecting too much. Fear of BEING TOO MUCH and being seen too closely.
• Self-Destruction: fear of Worthlessness; feeling that you have no worth or value unless dead or dying for someone/something else, leaving you with ongoing sacrifices for others with no gain for anyone, even extending into getting a terminal disease. Fear of GETTING TOO MUCH.
• Greed: fear of Scarcity; feeling that you won't get all that is out there of worth to you personally; leaving you fixated on one or two things that you cannot satisfy as a way to maintain your sense of self. This can be food, affection, sex, money, even vague things like not enough "love". Fear of NOT GETTING ENOUGH.
• Martyrdom: fear of Losing Control; a strong need for being in control of everything in your space even though that is impossible. This leaves you feeling victimized, burdened, and complaining. Fear of LOSING CONTROL OF SPACE.
• Impatience: fear of Missing Out; you are always fighting the clock, trying to control before being controlled, leaving you intolerant and agitated. Fear of LOSING CONTROL OF TIME.
• Stubbornness: fear of Change; you cannot and will not deal with anything new and against your already-set opinions, ideas, and environment. Some people who have Stubbornness actually can appear like they are adventurous and changeable but look closely to see if they are actually creating "the more things change, the more they stay the same." Constant change can just be a way of avoiding dealing with actual changes. Fear of ANYTHING DIFFERENT.

If you have read through the entire Introduction, you have just touched on all the very basics of the Teachings! This is just the tip of the iceberg, but it gets more and more familiar as you start to apply it.