Magnetic Souls (6th Level Old)

[Excerpt from Michael Speaks: June 2005]

[Tibtyc] Good evening, Michael. How can one speed up the work on karma, external and internal? I begin to realize that I have procrastinated a lot in my life. Also, in what way can the concept of Triads helps us to understand, and work on, karma? That is my question.

MEntity: In answer to your first version of the question: One can “speed up” the process of Karma simply by doing it. There are no “short cuts,” but there can be resistance, which can greatly delay the balancing of Karma. In terms of external Karma, all Fragments involved must be present, so a great deal of the “speed” of that process is dependent on group effort.

[Tibtyc] Present on Earth?

MEntity:
If the Karmic scenario originated “on Earth,” then it is most often balanced in the same arena. There are exceptions, however, if the primary element of the Karma is Intellectual or Emotional.

In terms of internal Karma (self karma), one merely need drop all resistance choose to do the work that is required.

In answer to your second version of your question:

The concept of the Triad is tremendously helpful in approaching, processing, and integrating the experience of Karma, internally and externally. ALL KARMA is approached from either the Positive or Negative and is concluded in the Neutral.

In MOST CASES, the Karma is approached from the POSITIVE, moved into and through the Negative, and finding resolution in the Neutral.

We will clarify here that we are speaking in terms of Balancing Karma, not Creating it.

If one were to think of the process of walking as the same process of balancing Karma, one can understand the Triad:

A step is taken forward (Positive), there is an off-balance, mid-air moment that leaves everything dependent on one leg (Negative), with a final landing of both feet on the ground (Neutral).

Karma is one of the many reasons so many relationships seem to go “bad.” They are initiated with an alluring, compelling magnetism simply to get the Personalities into the Karmic Sequence, which then allows the elements for the Negative phase to unfold. Often, when the Karma is balanced, there is no longer an interest in the relationship, which the relationship is often just a means of balancing that Karma.

For most Older Souls, there is little external Karma with which to deal, but a seemingly unending source of Self-Karma to endure.

In terms of Self-Karma, we would say that to find conscious Neutrality, one must first determine the battle that is occurring internally and name it. In other words, if one has Self-Karma around Body Image, it will be helpful to define the Positive and Negative aspects that create the inner polarization, such as “I AM UGLY” vs “I AM BEAUTIFUL.”

In all cases of Self-Karma, there are “two sides” to the battle. There is a perpetual conflict between The Truth and The Lie. The Neutrality comes only when one is capable of seeing the commonality between the two. In other words, the commonality between the concepts of “I am beautiful” and “I am ugly” is… I AM. The definitions beyond “I AM” are merely a means of dividing yourself.

[Tibtyc] Sorry, what would Intellectual Karma be like?

MEntity 
Lying to an individual wherein he makes a choice that is affected by that lie, can lead to Intellectual Karma.

That is one example

Michael Speaks Live
The Nine Karmic Sequences
October 27, 2013
Channel: Troy Tolley
 
[MEntity]
We will discuss the subject of The Nine Karmic Sequences today.
 
As is often the case with our sharing insight or information, we will, first, clarify some terms and context.
 
First, we will expand upon the term "Karma." This is a term we use to describe imbalance and intensity, often as a product of the interference of choice.
 
While Karma is imbalance and intensity, it is also the striving for a return to balance.
 
Ribbons and Karma are not the same things. This is why we use the phrase "Karmic Ribbons." Not all Karma has Ribbons, and though we have rarely spoken to this, not all Ribbons are Karmic.
 
Anything "Karmic," then, is speaking to the imbalance and intensity that strives for a return to balance.
 
These kinds of clarifications are not often necessary because we speak in fairly broad terms about Karma and Ribbons as they apply to the contexts that most of our students ask about, such as the arc of lifetimes and the process of returning to Tao.
 
The significance of NINE is part of the consistency of what sets of factors or elements do for the fragment evolving.
 
For example: 3 is a persistent state of imbalance that propels a fragment forward through Positive, Negative, and Neutral. 7 is the use of 3 as a form of evolution through Positive, Negative, and Neutral in Exalted and Ordinal States that are then integrated and build into the misnomer of "octaves."
 
Octaves are actually repeating groups of 7.
 
9 is a set of factors that are about one's independent self-development, such as the 9 Needs, 9 Karmic Sequences, 9 Pillars.
 
This must be, can be, and will be fulfilled by the individual, regardless of any relationship or circumstance, and often do not require many resources to do so.
 
12 is about one's more dependent, or more interdependent self-development, such as the 12 Support Circle Positions.
 
We can explore all of these variations in another session, but for help in understanding why there are 9 Karmic Sequences, it is because these Sequences are not dependent, and are propelled only by the effort, or momentum, of the individual fragment.
 
Karmic Ribbons often contribute to one of the Karmic Sequences, but not always.
 
When we say "often" here, we mean nearly every Karmic Ribbon.
 
But because not all contribute to these Sequences, we must state that not all Ribbons are part of these themes.
 
In earlier lifetimes, Karmic Sequences are nearly synonymous with Karmic Ribbons.
 
The process of stumbling into, creating, or imposing Karmic Ribbons, experiencing them, burning the Ribbons, and bring[ing] closure, however many lifetimes this takes, is in some way contributing to one of these Nine "stories" that are quite irresistible to every fragment.
 
In fact, for some of our students, the use of the phrase "The Nine Stories" may be more appealing.
 
As the Soul ages, these Karmic Sequences shift from a more literal and external dynamic to becoming more symbolic and internal, with Self-Karma contributing the the stories.
 
In any given lifetime, at any point in your life, you are actively within some stage of at least one Sequence, and often in, at least, 3. Your Essence is always at some point in the stages of ALL of the Sequences, even if not actively exploring them within a particular lifetime.
 
For some, a Sequence can take the entire cycle of incarnations to complete just once. For some, all of the Sequences have repeated over and over in variation throughout the cycle of lifetimes.
 
THE SEVEN STAGES
 
The Stages for each of the 9 Sequences are the same. We will share these, then, before elaborating upon the individual Sequences.
 
STAGE ONE: OPPOSITION with a Negative Pole of Insularity and a Positive Pole of Inquisitive STAGE TWO: DECONSTRUCTION with a Negative Pole of Rebellion and a Positive Pole of Endurance. STAGE THREE: RESISTANCE/PAIN with a Negative Pole of Imbalance and a Positive Pole of Orientation. STAGE FOUR: COMPLIANCE with a Negative Pole of Somnambulist and a Positive Pole of Awakened STAGE FIVE: EXPERIMENTATION with a Negative Pole of Fragility and a Positive Pole of Solutions. STAGE SIX: COMPREHENSION with a Negative Pole of Defensiveness and Positive Pole of Adaptivity. STAGE SEVEN: RELEASE with a Negative Pole of Liberation and a Positive Pole of Wholeness.  
Regardless of whether Ribbons are involved, or not, each of you are somewhere at one or more of these Stages in relation to one or more Sequences, or Stories in your life.
 
THE NINE KARMIC STORIES/SEQUENCES
 
The Nine Karmic Sequences, or the Nine Stories of Your Life are as follows, with a brief synopsis for each, before we open the floor to questions.
 
THE TEACHER STORY/SEQUENCE - The Sequence moves from being an Insular Student to being a Teacher of Wholeness. This is not always obvious or literal, and the Sequence of Study can be anything. Many of our Students are in this Sequence at some Stage. Keep in mind that "teacher" here can be a life of example, embodying the values learned across this Sequence. THE HEALER STORY/SEQUENCE - This Sequence moves from Insular Sickness/Illness to Holistic Health. This can be for any of your bodies, such as the Emotional, Intellectual, etc. THE ENLIGHTENMENT STORY/SEQUENCE - This Sequence moves from Insular Darkness/Myopia to Whole Confidence/Perspective. THE CREATIVITY STORY/SEQUENCE - This Sequence moves from Insular Despair to Emanation of Wholeness. THE DISSEMINATOR STORY/SEQUENCE - This Sequence moves from Insular Hoarding to Whole Communication. THE GUARDIAN STORY/SEQUENCE - This Sequence moves from Insular Destroyer to Wholeness of Sanctuary/Home. THE INTEGRATOR STORY/SEQUENCE - This Sequence moves from Insular Bigot to Acceptance of the Whole, or Wholeness. THE RESPONSIBILITY STORY/SEQUENCE - This Sequence moves from Insular Sociopath to Equality of Wholeness. THE LEADERSHIP STORY/SEQUENCE - This Sequence moves from Insular Poverty to Whole Prosperity.  
These, then, are the Nine Stories/Sequences in extremely short description. Each will have the 7 Stages described earlier, and most of you will recognize these Stories in your life to some degree, or in the lives of those around you.
 
PURPOSE OF KNOWING ONE'S STORY
 
The point for knowing these Stories is that this understanding is yet another way to free you from the distractions and hangups of being Human, being incarnated. What often looks as if your life is not being lived, or is a distraction, or is a detour, is EXACTLY a part of your story, your journey, and your navigation of your story is what writes the story. Your stories are utterly unique, regardless of the universal themes.
 
However utterly unique your story, you are surrounded by these stories, as well, and are not alone in yours.
 
These are stories that cannot and will not be "escaped," but that you grow to love to tell through your life, and that you learn to appreciate in the lives of others, however dramatic, however inconvenient, however difficult and rewarding. They are of the many things that we do together as Sentience.
 
Understanding where someone may be in his or her story frees you from presuming he or she should be at the same chapter as your own. It also helps you to understand why others may be able to manage their stories differently from you. You cannot compare your stories. You can only share them.
 
The expansion of description for each of the Sequences is important, but we can do this over time. For now, this introduction can help you to begin exploring the concept and seeing how it might apply to your life.
 
There is no effect from this knowledge but a sense of peace. There are no tricks, tips, methods for alleviating or avoiding or accelerating. This knowledge of your Story, your Sequence, can help bring you peace so that the writing of your story can be moved into brilliance, enthusiasm, interest, instead of exhaustion, confusion, and daunting.
 
Questions and Answers
 
We will open the floor now to your questions about this topic: QUEUE IS NOW OPEN
 
[Maureen] Michael – Do we have all Nine Stories or Sequences going on in our lives, all at the same time, with differing levels of completion or do we pick and choose?
 
[MEntity]
Here is an example of how these might show up in a lifetime:
 
ALL Sequences/Stories are in effect in some way, but some are Active, some are Passive, and some are Inactive.
 
A fragment may have 3 Active Sequences in the current lifetime, which would mean these stories are clear, obvious, and fairly easy to identify. He has 3 Passive Sequences in the current life, which means that they are not at the forefront of the life, but might cycle up and down in emphasis over the life, or only come to be noticeable in certain circumstances. He might the have 3 Inactive Sequences, which are those Sequences just completed, (which can be within the current life, or from the previous life), and have not begun a new cycle.
 
So Active, Passive, and Inactive, but always cycling in some way.
 
Does this respond to your question?
 
[Maureen] yes it does. Thanks
 
[Janet] I don't quite see the connection between the Leadership story and poverty/prosperity.
 
[MEntity] The phrase "MASTERY STORY" might be more resonant here. It is a Sequence that moves from abject failure to complete fulfillment, in any level of pursuit.
 
[Janet] That helps. Thank you.
 
[MEntity]
The "Leadership" term comes from the fact that the story begins in pursuit of self-fulfillment, but ends in a broader state that benefits far beyond the self.
 
No Mastery, no Leadership, can be ultimately fulfilled in any insular, self-absorbed, self-serving way.
 
We chose the term Prosperity because this is inclusive of fulfillment on a multitude of levels that can be shared.
 
Does this make sense?
 
[Janet] Absolutely
 
[Brian_W] Is there any preference in terms of soul ages or roles towards some stories / sequences vs others. Ie, leadership is preferred by kings, creativity preferred by artisans, healer preferred by server, disseminator preferred by sages, teacher preferred by priests?
 
[MEntity] Yes. This is, actually, one of the main points for these Sequences. Every Role will have its inherent inclination toward a Story, and all of that Role will contribute to that Story, but rather than a Role being limited to its inherent inclinations, and to how life is experienced AS that Role, these Stories allow all Roles to experience the Stories of every Role.
 
[Brian_W] Much like archetypes?
 
[MEntity]
So the most-grounded and solid of Kings with no Artisan influences of any sort from any angle can STILL experience the Artisan Story/Sequences. It will be his own version of such, but that is the way of all experiences anyway.
 
Though the spectrum of factors of design, and the myriad of influences within a lifetime would seem to be extremely broad enough, these Stories ensure that no fragment is left without the option for experience as related to any other Role.
 
This is vital for eventual reunion. Mathematical resonance is the magnetic draw for reunion, but this is not enough for True Reunion/Oneness. We must, as fragments, as Entities, as Cadres, have developed an empathy that becomes the key for our return to Tao.
 
Mathematical resonance is the magnetism, but Agape, empathy, is the embrace.
 
[Maureen] Would our choice of Overleaves, Astrological choices, etc. help us along with our stories as well?
 
[MEntity]
Maureen, yes, everything is a part of your Stories.
 
Where you are in the cycle of Sequence contributes to how the life is planned, and what you do with that life is what contributes to the cycle of the Sequence.
 
[GeraldineB] Is mathematical resonance or magnetism the basis of Magnetic "kingdoms"?
 
[MEntity] Only insofar as the fragment who is Magnetic is at the 6th Level, but otherwise, no, those Kingdoms are evolved over time through experience and choice.
 
[GeraldineB] Is a Magnetic "kingdom" the same story for all participants?
 
[MEntity]
Yes. The draw to be a part of a Kingdom is in great part because of the sharing of a Sequence or Sequences.
 
For example, those in the Ram Dass Kingdom share the primary Enlightenment Sequence. This is not to say each are contributing to one another's Story, since most will not interact, but that there is resonance because of the individual stories that foster an empathy.
 
[Maureen] What is the Sequence we share with Troy?
 
[GeraldineB] Teaching I would think
 
[MEntity]
We will now ask a couple of questions for each of you.
 
DID YOU FIND AT LEAST ONE OF YOUR STORIES/SEQUENCES AMONG THE NINE SEQUENCES? AND CAN YOU SENSE WHERE YOU ARE IN YOUR STAGE OF THE STORY?
 
[Brian_W] I'm guessing teaching, guardian, and responsibility, but unsure on the stage of each
 
[Brian_W] they keep moving around
 
[DianeHB] I see teacher and healer for me, at minimum
 
[GeraldineB] Yes, I know that I'm definitely in at least the Integrator Sequence due to my Configuration, and am probably in the Comprehension Stage
 
[tkmppi] enlightenment/comprehension
 
[Janet] I am leaning toward teacher, enlightenment and leadership.
 
[Dave_92] i saw several. it's confusing.
 
[Maureen] I can see mine - somewhat
 
[Connor] Creativity, I would think.
 
[Mstudent_41] teacher is the only one I am sure of.
 
[Dave_92] it just seems like life to me. beginning something and working through it.
 
[Janet] Possibly experimentation stage for teacher and leadership, comprehension for enlightenment. But these are wild guesses.
 
[MEntity]
Now that we have shared an introduction, and you can explore more with the concept, we can expand upon this concept in further exchanges that may help with further assessments.
 
For now, we will conclude here for tonight.
 
Good evening to each of you.
 
Goodbye.

Michael Speaks

011010

TOPIC CHAT (new format)

Self-Karma
 
MEntity:
Despite the complexities that can be involved in Self-Karma, the actual concept, exploration, and resolution are quite simple. That is not to say that the process is "easy," but that describing these elements is fairly simple.

First, we will define Karma as "any form of intensity (imbalance) as a result of interference to your capacity for Choice." Interference of Choice is not the only criteria for generating Karma. There must be an intensity, or imbalance, generated from at least one party, and most-often the party who suffered the loss of Choice.

The sudden increase for capacity of Choice is also a form of Karma, if intensity is generated. We describe this as Philanthropic Karma, and this form of Karma "feels good," but it is Karma, nonetheless, as it interfered with Choice and generated intensity.

When Karma is generated, "Ribbons" are formed as a means to track those intensities. Those Ribbons connect among the Instinctive Centers of all who are involved. It might be more accurate to describe these as "tuned frequencies" that do not lose track of the members of that frequency, but we feel that "ribbons" is easier to image.

The resolution of Karma is in the "burning" of the "ribbon," or neutralizing that frequency.

The burning of ribbons is always done through role reversal, either with the parties from each side reversing positions, or from the party who generated the karma reversing his or her own actions that generated the Karma.

A simplified example of each might be: Reversing Positions = you kill someone, that someone kills you. Reversing Actions = you kill someone, you then save that someone in a later life.

We realize that we have been sharing the details about our perception of Karma, but this is helpful in understanding your Self-Karma because much of the same dynamic applies.

We will define Self-Karma as being "a dual position within that interferes with your own capacity for Choice, and generates intensity, or imbalance." Often these are also described as "Issues."

ALL Self-Karma is contained within a single lifetime and does not carry over in the same way that Ribbons do among fragments. Self-Karma is generated by the Personality within the lifetime. However, Self-Karma can show up as patterns for an Essence, because Essence designs each Personality, and often the patterns of exploration sought by Essence generates similar opportunities across lifetimes for each Personality that tends toward certain Self-Karmic issues. If a Personality resolves his or her Self-Karma within a lifetime, that Self-Karma is usually not repeated, because Essence then has a completed set of new data from which to use for creating a lifetime. Since Essence learns through Personality, it can only progress beyond certain Self-Karmic patterns when a Personality finally figures out how to resolve the issue. That is not to say that a pattern does not repeat, but that it is rarely repeated. When we say that it is not repeated, we are speaking about a specific Self-Karma, but that issue may be a part of a larger category of Self-Karma, which we will explain in a moment.

If you are alive, you most-likely have Self-Karma. Self-Karma is so common a development among Personalities that even the hosts for the Transcendental and Infinite Souls carried Self-Karma. However, in the cases of Transcendental and Infinite Soul hosts, the Self-Karma is always resolved within the lifetime.

Self-Karma is generated in four categories of your life, which mirror the Axes of our Overleaf System. It would be more accurate to say that Self-Karma is generated in one or more of your four "bodies" that mirror the Axes of our Overleaf System: your Intellectual, Emotional, Physical, and Spiritual/Instinctive Bodies. These categories can help you to identify your Self-Karma by where, how, and when you find yourself divided in a way that interferes with your capacity for Choice.

Self-Karma is often paralyzing in its effects. When we say "paralyzing," we include those uncontrollable compulsions that force a choice even when you "know" is not a choice you would prefer to make. We include non-choice, refusal to choose, or the fear to choose, as a means to suspend yourself between two or more choices, as forms of paralyzing.

What we will share now is a simple exercise for identifying your Self-Karma in a way that allows for tangibility so that resolution can be made, if you choose to pursue such an endeavor.

Draw up a chart in a way that creates the four categories, or bodies: Intellectual, Emotional, Physical, and Spiritual.

With merely a glance at your life, considering each category, it might be fairly easy to identify at least one Self-Karma from each category.

You could translate each category into a way to help your examination, such as: Expression, Inspirational, Action, and Assimilliation areas of your life. Assimilation might be better understood as your "Learning" or "Comprehension," or the "Lessons" are of life.

Another translation: my world view; my relationships; my body; my spirit.

Questions to pose for each category, regardless of how one translates that category might sound something like:
"What do I get the most upset about in this category?"
Or "In this category, what experience repeats for me that keeps me from making the choices I want to make?"
Or "In this category, where do I wish something else would change before I can make a choice that I prefer?"
Or "In this category, to what do I tend to overreact?"
Or "In this category, what triggers reaction in me?"
Or "What frustrates me the most about myself, others, life in this category?"

At first, your examination may bring up broad categories, and that is a good place to start, but you would eventually want to narrow it down to specific triggers or situations. For instance, you may feel that issues of INJUSTICE is a large context that carries triggers for you, but upon closer inspection, you may find that you are really only triggered when someone does not comply to your way of thinking, or agree with you, or celebrate your passionate stance with the same passion. This might indicate that your issues are not so much about Injustice, but about "Being Right" or "Being Superior."

Once one has identified a Self-Karma, then the work of resolution can begin. Resolution is found when there is no longer a sense of division, and your choice is completely owned by you. We will give a very simple example:

A fragment identifies that she has "issues" with her body image, detailing that she feels ugly because she does not lose weight, but does not do the work of losing that weight. This would fall under BODY, or Physical. The broader category would be "Body Image," but she might find she is triggered in instances where she is going to be social or intimate.

Her Self-Karma then might be the division within that says she is beautiful just as she is, as long as no one sees her. Being "Beautiful As I Am" means to her to never having that concept challenged, so she remains isolated and secluded to sustain that version of herself. Being "As Beautiful as Others Prefer" would mean shaping the body into a new form, which means exercise, diet, and patience, but this is in conflict with "Beautiful As I Am," and to follow through in that direction might mean she really is not beautiful as she is, so reprimanding, self-punishment, self-hate, repulsion replace diet, exercise, and patience. She remains at home, or secretly isolated internally, even when in social situations.

The resolution would come only when she MAKES THE CHOICE in one direction or the other, and allows herself to own that choice. If she chooses to "Be Beautiful As I Am" then it would require the work of self-acceptance, self-kindness, accentuating all that is felt to be beautiful, internally and externally, and to build upon that. She would celebrate the beautiful in those people and things that she knows as beautiful beyond any standard in entertainment or social media. She would allow for all forms of beauty, knowing that this is a subjective matter, and never something that can be standardized.

If she chooses to "Be as Beautiful as Others Prefer," then she would own the steps necessary to go down that path, and begin a commitment to exercise, diet, patience, and a reality-check that she cannot transform her body to be exactly as someone else's, but that she can make it the best it can be. She would embrace the fact that she may not please everyone, but focus on moving her body into a state that is pleasing to herself. She is simply taking care of herself.

In short: the Self-Karma is a division that could be described as "Accept my self as I am/Improve upon my self-image." The resolution is to choose one of those and to own all that goes along with that choice.

The irony is that in the commitment to one or the other, BOTH are ultimately included; hence the resolution. Neither side of the division is left behind.

Accepting yourself as you are automatically includes an upgrade to your self image. Improving upon your self-image automatically brings a kindness to the process that is an acceptance for who you are all along the way of your improvement. Improving yourself in your own eyes automatically improves your representation of yourself to others, thus improving yourself in their eyes, as well. Improving yourself in a way that others may find appealing often leads to clarity about what must be improved in your own eyes.

When choosing a direction for commitment to resolution, it is often more beneficial and efficient to choose the direction over which you have the most control. For instance, taking the route of "Accept Myself As I Am" is far more within the control of that person than if she were to entirely depend upon the external factors for gauging her progress. Both paths could work, but this is why many teachings encourage one to start with the self, since that is where one has the most control, and is almost always guaranteed success. Choosing to go in a direction of lesser control that requires others to comply to your ideal is still a valid path, but a more complicated and challenging path, with less-likely successes.

The more time and care given to your examination of your Self-Karma, the more quickly and easily the resolution might come because the solutions are often within the issue, itself.
 
**************Q&A***************
Are there different gemstones with their frequencies that might be utilized to help neutralize the energies of these four self-karma categories?
 
MEntity:
If it is understood that these gemstones are merely a supportive energy, and not an energy that actually does the work for you, then there are stones that might help some fragments receptive to that energy. To understand how these work, it might be helpful to think of each gemstone as being a light of specific color, and when that light is shined into your space, it can highlight certain things. It is not that the stone is actually "doing" anything other than being itself. A flashlight in the dark is not magic, but it can certainly improve one's capacity for seeing. And so it is with such tools as gemstones.

With that being understood, the most common stones available for helping support in the process of Self-Karma might be:

Rose Quartz or Pyrite for Physical/Body Issues
Amethyst Quartz or Citronite for World View/Intellectual/Expression issues
Tourmaline or Jades for various Learning/Comprehension/Instinctive Issues
Tiger's Eye or Azurites for Emotional/Relationship Issues

These stones may help to highlight the areas prone to opportunities for resolution, but they will not resolve the issues for you, or soothe them.

There is validity to frequencies generated from inanimate objects, especially from those directly of the planet, but as with any tool, it is what you do with them that makes the difference, not necessarily the properties of that object. A hammer is just a hammer until one picks it up to use with intent, and that intent can have a multitude of outcomes.

How do you deal with cases where manifesting is involved and appears to interfere with the resolution? For example: If the woman above decides to get in shape, but then injures herself or gets into a car accident that hurts her back. How to avoid or get past that? I see it a lot.

MEntity:
The Self-Karma would remain, as well as the resolution, regardless of circumstances along the way. To make this clearer, we will use an example of a man who has lost his legs who feels he is worthless without being able to walk. The Self-Karma is not in whether he can walk, or not, but in how he experiences whether he can walk, or not. If he is divided to such an extent that it paralyzes his capacity for choice, then he has generated Self-Karma. If he embraces his experience, or if he commits to rising above it, then the Self-Karma is resolved.

For the woman who has hurt her back after committing to improving the health of her body, she can still commit to the improvement of her health and body.

When a commitment in one direction of resolution comes with great obstacles, or surprise obstacles, or challenges, the commitment itself must inherently make room for all of the possibilities of that path, or it is not a commitment.

Is there a way of avoiding or lessening the chances of that happening in the first place? It seems to me that it happens when someone forces themselves towards one choice without being ready?

You are correct that "forcing a choice" is still included in Self-Karma, as we described it as a compulsion. And that is a good point for differentiation:

Resolution comes from EMBRACING YOUR CHOICE, not FORCING your choice. Forcing a choice leads to complications that compound the Self-Karma. Embracing a choice means absolute permission to explore that choice on your own terms at your own pace, and with an invitation to Essence, your friends, your loved ones for support in that choice.

Forcing a choice is usually marked by intensity and often secrecy.

Embracing a choice is usually marked by a gentleness and an openness without shame.

That is not to say that embracing a choice would avoid any surprises, but that embracing a choice inherently brings the strength of adaptability.

In addressing self-karma through another channel once, you told me to consider my greatest concern in life and I'll be on my way to identifying my self-karma... then you asked me "how satisfied are you with your response to friendship". Would you elaborate a little more on the why of that particular question and how it relates to my self-karma?

MEntity: For examination on a broader level, we would ask about the "greatest concern in life," and this would allow one to find his or her most pressing issue/s. Following this with a question about relationships would help to identify a category. That question would have been asked if we suspected it may be helpful to look into your Emotional or Relationship Category for refinement of that exploration.

Thank you, good evening! Could you please give an example of, and resolution to, a spiritual self karma? Would perfectionism be a spiritual self karma?

MEntity:
A broad example of a Spiritual/Instinctive Self-Karma might be those issues associated with Guilt and Shame. A specific Spiritual Self-Karma within Guilt or Shame might be in the experience of being an Old Soul among family members who are Baby and Young, and having to deal with this in a way that does not leave you feeling divided between "being yourself" and "compromising just to keep the peace." In that case, the choice would be between "being yourself" and letting others deal with that, or "Compromising to keep the peace" as a means of dealing with it on your own. The resolution would be in the fact that regardless of which choice you make, you are ALWAYS "yourself," and no context changes that, regardless of the facet you choose to bring forth appropriately or strategically.

In an example you gave, - which is EXACTLY me, lol, and started with back injuries, are both options you gave equally valid for truly resolving the issue? Using that example, what happens if you improve yourself and then later on you end up backsliding or being injured, etc and are once again feeling overweight and unattractive? It seems like loving yourself as you are resolves the situation, whereas changing your body, while healthier physically, could be undone.

Self-Karmic resolution is immediate and permanent and not based upon conditions. If the motivations for improving upon the body as a path to resolution is conditional upon reaching some conclusive state that will only THEN be satisfied, then it is merely a perpetuation of the Self-Karma. If one were to choose to improve upon the body as a means for reaching a state considered "beautiful," it would have to include kindness, patience, and a devotion to the self in a way that naturally translates into "beautiful as you are along the way." The embrace of the commitment to improve upon the body as a means to reach a greater state of beauty would mean that you are merely at one point in that spectrum of beauty, rather than its needing a finish line to cross.

Another way to understand when one is in Resolution is when you know your choice is because you WANT to make that choice, not because you feel you HAVE to make that choice.

"I HAVE to make this choice if I want to be beautiful" is not a choice that resolves Self-Karma. "I HAVE to accept myself as I am in order to feel beautiful" is equally imprisoning. In this case, it would be helpful to understand that the ideal of beautiful cannot be reached without creating steps along the way that are seen as beautiful to you. Much like building a brick house, it must be completed brick by brick. It is never helpful to deny that it is a brick house simply because it is not to a point where you feel you can live in it. For instance, the simple decision to "try to like how I look today" is a beautiful decision. It may not stick, but for now, it is beautiful. The more "for now" moments of beauty you extract from your experiences will add to the materials that build your ideal structure of beauty. The decision not to eat a certain way for the day because you feel this contributes to your better health is a beautiful decision, even if you do not choose that the next day. For now, it is beautiful.

Those simple moments build into a matrix that helps to generate moments that are far more pivotal toward resolution.

So you often surround yourself with 'conditions' when you are experiencing self-karma?

MEntity:
Oh yes. Depending on the extent and depth of the Self-Karma, the more conditional your existence. "I can be beautiful as I am, as long as I am invisible." Those "conditions" generate a false reality, and that is what gets exhausting, not the actual process of resolution. Sustaining a false reality as a means to balance the divisions within is literally exhausting. All Self-Karma can be resolved in an instant once the truth of the absolute superficiality and uselessness is comprehended.

ALL Self-Karma are simply forms of self-discipline that have gone awry in the self-parenting process. Or put another way, generated during the Third Internal Monad.

Is the majority of self-karma generated during or through the 3rd IM or are their other times/experiences that generate a certain amount of self-karma as well?

MEntity: Self-Karma is almost entirely generated during the Third Internal Monad, and complicated or refined over the rest of the life. For instance: there may be the experience of being rejected based on appearance, which prompts one to be very concerned about appearance, which then becomes a divide within that acceptance is based heavily upon appearance, which then becomes specific to certain body parts, or spreads to include the entire body.

So it might be useful looking at the experiences surrounding the 3rd IM in order to help identify some of the behaviours that are self-karmic? Find their genesis, so to speak, and understanding what has given rise to them, be able to put them into a more proper perspective?

MEntity:
It is not necessary to understand from where or when these were generated. It will never matter where or when these were generated, as it is the current "you" who make the choices now. It would be similar to trying to understand when, where, and why you have brown hair. It does not matter. You have the choice to embrace that color, or to change it.

We pointed out the time frame of origin as a means to point out that many of these issues are "teen age" or "young soul" levels of issues, or even younger, and that their bearing has little validity or relevance to you as an adult or older soul.

Self-karma is created by ourselves and not circumstances or others...

MEntity: Correct. It is created when one interferes with one's own choices to the point that it generates a divide within.

Thanks Michael. You've touched on some of this already, but here's my original question/s: Could you comment on how Self Karma tends to be experienced across all soul ages, or is it more likely to be confronted by us as we mature in soul age?

MEntity: If you are alive, you most likely experience Self-Karma. Most Self-Karma is relative to the predominant Soul Age for your planet, or your current society within which you were nurtured.

So there are links to Social/Cultural soul age?
Relative...?

MEntity:
All Soul Ages experience Self-Karma, but it is true that there are emphases within each: Infant and Old tend toward Spiritual Issues; Baby tends toward Intellectual/Expression Issues; Young tends toward Physical/Body Issues; and Mature toward Emotional/Relationship Issues.

Though Old tends toward Spiritual Issues, they are prone to taking on the predominant issues of the times, and can run that gamut of issues across the soul ages, depending on what is of interest for exploration that has never been resolved.

Most Old Souls that we know of have yet to resolve Self-Karmic issues remembered from their Young Soul days and are finally "getting around to them" now. That is because the current society fully supports Young Soul issues involving appearance, body, health, etc. When most of you were in your Young Soul days, your "Baby" or Intellectual/Expression issues were most explored.

We would also point out that now that the planet is technically Mature Soul, newer generations would generate their Self-Karma during the Fourth Internal Monad. In an Old Soul Society, these would be generated during the Fifth Internal Monad. The predominant Soul Age during the lifetime usually indicates when the Self-Karma is generated, and though it can also indicate what kind, it is not necessarily limited to that.

Does this mean we would have to wait for society to catch up to work through mature and old soul issues?

MEntity: No, we simply speak about the practicality of the times, since Self-Karma is generated and contained within the single Personality, which is most-often imprinted by the current society, but anyone can work on anything at any time.

Oh, I misunderstood -- there are four categories of Self-Karma, but one only develops an issue within one category during any given lifetime?

MEntity: No. The time frame for when they are usually generated is fairly consistent, and it can indicate the root of many issues, but could include issues from any category.

In your response to another question, you mentioned that one must choose between being themselves and compromising to keep the peace. How do you accept that finding that compromise may never occur and to be accepting that your best attempts to rectify a situation will never be enough while accepting that the consequences of the failure of another will happen to them, without it creating the self-karma of guilt or shame? I seem to have this type of pattern repeating through the past five or ten years for me and I'd really like to break it somehow.

MEntity:
We see that is a helpful question that addresses the nature of resolution when it is valid. In this case, if one were to choose to compromise for the sake of keeping the peace and does not experience this compromise as an assault against one's being, but finds that compromise still does nothing, then the the point of Being Oneself is still intact, as it is clarified that no amount of compromise makes a difference, and that the issue was never about one's Being. From that space within the original resolution, it would be a matter of decisions based on what to do with these individuals, and not to do with oneself.

This may lead to another layer of Self-Karma because it might get to the Self-Karma one might have about who "should love me, no matter what." Do you endure the suffering within their presence as a means to receive potential love, or do you remove yourself from those people who should love you.

In short, it might move into issues about where love, and what love, is in your life. Is it more loving to remove yourself from the exhausting exchanges, or is it more loving to allow room for their lack of love for your presence as you choose to love anyway.

In most instances where one feels one must continually endure the presence of another while feeling exhausted and even damaged, then the question is not about love, but about Rights.

Could you explain further on your definition of Rights?

MEntity: We will include our Map of Rights in the final transcript, but as an example: every fragment has the Right to Love and Be Loved, and this Right is either supported or removed in the process of a lifetime. So it might be a question of whether those who refuse to love have more of a right to your love than you do?

Just curious about the obstacles to resolution of self-karma...what tends to keep us from resolving them? Are these obstacles different for the various soul ages?

MEntity:
The most-common obstacles to resolution are boredom, specialness, and crisis management:

Boredom is the result of rejection of Essence, and like a dog with anxiety cut off from his sense of resource, can chew off his own skin to keep busy with distraction.

Specialness is a result of rejection of Uniqueness, and spends all of its energy seeking constant external validation for any sense of value. Uniqueness requires nothing for it to Be; it is inherent. Specialness requires constant feedback.

Crisis Management is a result of rejection, or distortion, of one's strengths gained over the lifetime. It becomes far more familiar and routine to manage crises, or patterns of issues, than it is to use those strengths for managing the creation of the life, and new patterns of freedom.

Boredom is usually linked to Self-Destruction and Greed; Specialness to Self-deprecation and Arrogance; and Crises to Impatience and Martyrdom.

Put another way, Boredom often perpetuates Intellectual issues; Specialness perpetuates Emotional issues; and Crises perpetuates Physical Issues.

That is a generality, but it is fairly consistent, keeping in mind that there may be layers within a Self-Karma.

Could you give an example of Crisis Management in the final transcript? I am not sure I understand that one.

MEntity: We can give an example now: It is much more comforting and familiar to, say, manage the trauma and pain caused by your struggling to accept an invitation where you feel your appearance will be scrutinized, than to simply go, or not. Crisis Management vs Life Management. Crisis vs Choice. Crisis vs Creativity.

Hello Michaels & Troy! Initially I wanted to ask WHY self-karma arises and why would we ever want to interfere with our own choices to the point of generating a divide, but I understand that the channel may be tired by now, so will ask instead if you could give an example of the most typical form of self-karma for an Old soul?

MEntity:
We can answer both: Why one generates Self-Karma is simple to understand if one does not see it as such an imposition, but as a process of learning that moves from the experience of duality and into the experience of a spectrum, or wholeness. In every instance of Self-Karma there is duality, and in every resolution there is a spectrum, or wholeness. Self-Karma generates from over-simplifying, and Resolution comes from embracing complexity. In every lifetime, every Personality is born an Infant Soul in perspective, and seeks to not only return to the greater perspective already reached in previous lives, but to exceed that. However, this process includes a process from Duality to Spectrum, so to speak, so none escape that process.

There is no typical Self-Karma for the Old Soul. If the Old Soul lives in an Old Soul world, then the Self-Karma might tend toward Spiritual issues as "typical," but otherwise, the Self-Karma tends toward the predominant Soul Age of the planet or environment.

However, for the sake of example, a "typical" Old Soul/Spiritual Issue could be said to be the resolution between the fact of the current Personality as it exists among all Personalities across time for Essence. Recognizing the profundity of how small one really is in the scheme of things while seeking to retain a sense of identity, contribution, and participation can be terrifying.

This is why we say that Old Souls learn through Terror.

END OF CHAT
 
Map of Rights: The original map referred to in this transcript is not currently available, but the seven basic rights are well covered in OMW: Tending to Your 7 Basic Rights.

This session took place on June 8, 2008.
 
[Michael Entity] Hello to everyone. We are here.
 
[QUESTION] I see a lot of folks who have bad dreams in my work and have found that while interpretation can be useful, people often find relief just by imagining a better ending for the dream. I don't remember where I learned that (maybe from you?). Anyway it seems to bring relief from nightmares. What is the mechanism by which this works? is it just that I say it will and people believe me? Or is it something astral? or simply the subconscious mind doing its thing? All that seems to be required is a good imagination and being in "alpha" waves.
 
[Michael Entity]
There is a level of dreaming that is primarily symbolic and these dreams are where issues from the waking life are being processed or examined. It does not require a fragment to be asleep for those symbols to be meaningful, but the symbols that are recalled from the dream are often the most directly-significant to the issues. For most fragments, the dream state can help resolve these issues being played out symbolically. This symbolic level of dreaming is very similar to how fragments experience and interact on the Astral Plane anyway, but for those fragments who have not resolved the issues being played out in symbolic dreaming, then bringing in the consciousness of the waking personality can help break the worrying cycle that has led to what some describe as "nightmares." This method of resolution is a natural strength for most fragments, which is why it so naturally occurs during sleep where the Personality dissolves to its default nature of strengths and weaknesses. Nearly all fragments assign symbolism to emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and physical elements of the life, though this symbolism is often lost to the conscious personality (waking state). When you, QUESTIONER, direct a fragment to use those symbols and experiences from the dream in a conscious way to bring about a break in the cycle and to direct toward resolution, it is not only resolving the issue in many ways, but bringing about an alignment between the conscious and subconscious selves.
 
This same method can be used for those who are not having nightmares or remembering dreams:
 
Examining an issue within the waking state and breaking it down into symbolism, then manipulating those symbols into a way that brings about a sense of direction, closure, or change can help implement those very things in the reality.
 
For instance, a fragment may be feeling obstacles or patterns that keep him or her locked into poverty or survival modes. This fragment might choose a symbol to represent himself and the obstacles or patterns, adding in a current idea of a solution, and manipulate these into a way that displays a symbolic solution. Keeping that symbolic sense of solution at hand, in mind, heart, or even visually depicted (drawn out), can help to break the current symbolic pattern.
 
[QUESTIONER] cool! bypasses the intellect setting up barriers I would think
 
[Michael Entity] Your assessment is valid, for it is the Intellect that often keeps movement locked into an undesirable pattern. This is by no means true in all situations, but in many, it is.
 
[QUESTION] Could you give an example of this conscious working with symbols such as the poverty or survival mode idea?
 
[Michael Entity]
Questioner, the symbolism would have to be specific to the individual, so our example will not be universal.
 
For instance, one example might be a CAT to represent the individual, a BALL INSIDE A CIRCULAR TUBED TRACK with just a bit of a slit along the inside ring of the tube for reaching at the ball, to represent the pattern/obstacle. The current situation has the cat swatting at the ball over and over and often in a frenzy while the ball is forever locked inside that circular track. No amount of swatting or maneuvering is going to change this ball's circular roll within the tubed track.
 
This person might then change the pattern by realizing that the symbolic pattern of the ball in the track means that everything about what the cat is doing is never going to get anywhere beyond chasing current ideas, actions, and feelings in circles.
 
This situation would either require intervention (maybe a human to come along and break open the track to get to the ball) or to simply walk away to a completely new adventure. For the sake of this example, it might seem to be the most directly implementable action to simply walk away from the current ideas and actions. This person might then imagine the cat walking away wistfully and finding a small tree with accessible branches bearing dollar bills, all dangling in the wind. The cat is seen as having an hilarious and playful time jumping and swatting at the branches and knocking down the dollar bills into a pile.
 
This person, then, might keep that image in mind when he or she begins to feel trapped again within patterns that are obviously not working so that he or she can be open to other, more accessible, inputs and possibilities within the reality.
 
Keep in mind that these symbolic plays are NOT the solution in themselves, but are symbolic shifts toward internal solutions or breaks from patterns in how one is perceiving and interpreting reality, which is then a powerful step toward finding and creating external "real life" solutions and breaks.
 
We would also suggest examining why this person might have chosen himself to be symbolized by a CAT, looking at all that a cat means to that person and applying that insight as a way to discover how he or she sees the self in relation to the issue.
 
We will point out here that this topic could be an entire discussion in itself and one that might be worth examining in the future.
 
[QUESTION] What is meditation? Is it just silencing the internal chattering, or is something else involved? I recently had some personal advice in meditation from Michael, but trying to follow it, I started wondering what meditation actually is.
 
[Michael Entity]
From our perspective, "meditation" is a word to describe the work through a triad that leads to adaptable balancing among all centers. This triad could be described as: EXAMINATION, IMPLEMENTATION, REALIZATION. We will describe this in detail now.
 
First, a fragment would Examine the life to determine which Center is seeming least used, least effective, least understood, etc. For simplistic purposes, we will contain this to the 3 Primary Centers. So if one were to see that the MOVING Center is being used the least, or is the least effective, then this would determine the direction of IMPLEMENTATION. This would mean that your "meditation" would be of a Moving-Centered sort. Stillness or stereotypical concepts of "meditation" would not work for this fragment. This fragment could then Implement a moving meditation into his or her days. This moving meditation could be anything that includes the body and movement, which means that meditation could be anything from exercise to dancing to simple movements of the body while seated. Once a method has been Implemented, then the practice of this on a regular basis will lead to REALIZATION, which simply describes the effect of that particular meditation. In this case, a balance within the self that has taught the body how to call upon its moving center in a more effective way. The Implementation stage is the most important stage as it requires some amount of commitment for Realization to come about. The entirety of the experience from Examination to Implementation to Realization is "meditation." In other words, Meditation is not simply a separation from your routines (examination), nor is it simply the clear focus of intent during parts of your day (implementation), nor is it just the benefits on the other side of implementation (realization). It is a triad of effort.
 
[QUESTION] what would be an example of using Emotional as the Center for Implementation?
 
[Michael Entity] Listening to music that stimulates the emotions could be good for some fragments, while watching dramatic movies could be good for others; still others might find a walk through beautiful environments to be a means for implementing Emotional; exploring art could be another example for some.
 
[QUESTION] So it doesn't matter if I think of this and that during implementation, as long as I move?
 
[Michael Entity] The more consciousness one can direct toward that which is being implemented, the greater the Realization. So if one is implementing Movement, one can think and feel whatever one wishes, but allow the consciousness to fully embrace the body, the sensations, the experience of the movement as clearly as possible. It cannot hurt to be as focused as one can be on the implementation, but it is not necessary to block other natural elements within you.
 
[QUESTIONER] I thought so
 
[Michael Entity]
Those who experience the Realization will find that one can think, feel, and act in a way that each does not overshadow or block the other.
 
This is another topic worth exploring, if our students wished.
 
[QUESTION] I want to know about the 4th internal monad and how one would know if they were on the way to manifesting their true personality
 
[Michael Entity]
The easiest way one can gauge whether one is moving forward through the 4th Internal Monad in a way that is a positive transition, or to gauge whether one has completed a 4th Internal Monad in a way that was in the Positive Pole, is to ask one, simple question:
 
DO I LIKE ME?
 
To the degree that a fragment can honestly say that he or she likes himself or herself, is the degree to which the 4th Internal Monad is being completed, or has been completed, in the Positive Pole.
 
The Positive Pole of the entire 4th Internal Monad is Self-Realization, which is the experience of being present with who you are and generally liking who you are. The Negative Pole is Acquiescence, which is the feeling of being forced or succumbing to "who you are," and not really liking who that is.
 
In short, if you can answer the question DO I LIKE ME? with an answer of "yes" to any degree, then you are generally manifesting True Personality to that degree.
 
[QUESTION] There are different ”schools” teaching how to do psychic readings/how to read energy fields/do energy work. When doing a reading it's sometimes being used different energy techniques for different issues coming up in a reading. For instance: 1.Create and destroy, 2.Removing fear energies, 3.Delete programming, 4.Erasure and 5.Astral healing. If possible I would like Michael make a comment on the use of these techniques and the fact that some of these schools, even today, try to keep some secrecy around the energy techniques.
 
[Michael Entity]
Many "schools" who claim secrecy over their techniques are run by, and determined by, Baby Souls. The techniques involved would be beneficial to other Baby Souls, and to some Young Souls, but probably quite ineffective for Mature or Older Souls to use. This is because the techniques and beliefs that make these work are mythological and superstitiously rooted. If one can adapt these Baby Soul concepts into a more mature language and method, then the schooling might not be lost on the Mature or Older soul, but this would have to be kept in mind along the way. For instance, the idea that one can heal another is a Baby Soul concept, but the reality that one can help another to heal himself is a Mature concept. Even on the most physical of levels of intervention, a physical doctor can only do so much in treating a fragment and the fragment "being healed" must ultimately do the healing. Tending, or intervening the impact of wounds is one thing; but healing is always a personal matter.
 
The older souls know this.
 
We mention this as an example because many of the more secretive techniques and schoolings teach as an undercurrent a kind of power over others (whether for "good" or "bad,") and this ultimate power is simply not valid.
 
If your technique for healing is considerate of the dynamic that needs to be in place between healer and wounded, with an holistic awareness, then the technique would be the most effective and valid. Techniques that leave out the choice of another tend to lead to Karma.
 
[QUESTION] I have recently been involved in discussions with a few of my friends regarding political and governmental systems regarding which are the most effective. My friends would gladly describe themselves as “libertarian” whereas I cannot completely proscribe to such an ideology, if only because their description of “libertarianism” seems to give too much authority to the private sector and private interests; of which I am not entirely comfortable. They would likely label me as “socialist” or as “bleeding heart liberal” if they didn't know me better! I guess the questions are: Is there or are there ideal governmental system(s) or ideology for the current average soul age we are in currently, based on what Michael has perceived from other sentient beings? What do these systems look like? Perhaps what the United States and the rest of the world is currently experiencing in their governments are pretty typical for our current soul age development? That would be my perception at least. Also, what do typical governments look like on worlds that have a majority of old souls? Or do they even have governments?
 
[Michael Entity] The politics of any given region or period of time usually describe the friction between the approaching paradigm and the current paradigm, each respectively defined by the approaching dominant Soul Age and the current dominant Soul Age. Many of the names assigned to the varying "parties" are tedious and unnecessary, so we will speak in broader terms here.
 
NOTE FROM TROY: Some editing was done from the original text as I asked Michael for clarifications and questioned a couple of the original details. Also, the true definitions and delineations for all of the political/governmental systems can really get complicated, so Michael's response seems to be exactly what they've said, a "broader" perspective, at best. They did explain to me that there are really only three political systems, but a multitude of systems within those systems.
 
[Michael Entity]
It could be said that the following political systems are associated in this way:
 
Infant Souls have no politics or order, and are therefore at the mercy of whatever dominant political system is in place at the time. However, they may be most comfortable with Dictatorship, which would be implemented by Baby Souls.
 
The Baby/Young politics have shown up as Dictatorship, Capitalism, and Socialism.
 
The Young/Mature politics have shown up as Monarchy, Republic, Socialism, and Communism.
 
The Mature/Old politics have shown up as Monarchy, Democracy, and Anarchy.
 
Old Soul politics return to a state of no politics, but more of what might be considered Anarchy. We use the word "anarchy" in its true definition, not as the Young or Mature soul might exploit the term. The anarchy usually takes on a form that would be recognized as Tribalism.
 
In response to your questions:
 
We would say that the politics of your current world are exactly indicative of the shifts from the dominant paradigm/soul age to another.
 
From what we can see of other populations dominated by Old Soul Ages and paradigms, there are no governments that you would recognize beyond being more tribal groups in communication and exchange with one another, but with no discernible leader or authority.
 
This is one of the reasons our teaching is particularly attractive to the older soul, since there is no discernible authority beyond the self, and even the sense of self is held in question to a degree that allows for sensitive consideration of all factors involved in the life.
 
An Old Soul world is similar.
 
[QUESTION] I realize my background in government is obviously lacking when I ask this question, but: Is there any distinguishable difference between a democracy and a republic according to Michael's perception? By including both, it seems to be implied that there is a difference.
 
[Michael Entity]
We differentiate a Republic from a Democracy in that a Republic has a more specifically-defined body of qualified voters or elected representatives, while a Democracy seeks to include all people, even those who might not be obviously qualified. The concept of Democracy can get confusing in some cultures such as in the United States because several forms of government are in place. Rather than a pure Democracy, the United States is far more accurately described as a Republic, which is a form of Democracy, but not true Democracy. In addition to this, the general promotion of Democracy is run from an Authoritarian perspective, or as a Plutocracy, to be specific. It could be said that the Physical economy of the United States is run by Plutocratic (authoritarian) politics, while the Emotional economy is run by Republican (Democratic) methods, and this is to be considered when looking at politics. There are Physical, Emotional, Intellectual, and Spiritual levels of Politics and Economy to consider in any system.
 
The closest to an old soul political system that exists in your world today is what is experienced as "the Internet."
 
[QUESTION] How are the Internet and politics related?
 
[Michael Entity]
If "politics" is seen as a term to describe how a body of people govern themselves and resolve apparent conflicts, then the Internet could be seen as a system of politics. In this case, as would be the case for the Old Soul world, COMMUNICATION would be at the core of those politics, or the INTELLECT as economy.
 
The Infant Soul uses Freedom; the Baby Soul uses Authority; the Young Soul uses Capital; the Mature Soul uses Well-Being; and the Old Soul uses Communication at the root of their politics.
 
The "ultimate" political system, in the end, will have to utilize all of these factors to govern a mix of soul ages. Hence, the politics of a Democracy or a Republic will include previous political emphases to some degree, but with the more current politics being the emphasis.
 
[QUESTION] And so, just as we are doing here in this chat, everyone determines for themselves, and then relates to the outside world through communication. but as an autonomous being similarly engaged with other autonomous beings/people? Something like this?
 
[Michael Entity]
We think we have understood your question and we would agree. It could be said then that the politics of the Old Soul are CONTEXTUAL. Certain politics apply within specific instances, but are not seen as appropriate across the board. And each person determines his or her level of compliance within certain contexts, or freely moves to more appropriate contexts.
 
We realize this is far from being deeply explored, but we will move on now.
 
[QUESTION] Since we acquire new bodies each lifetime, why do we still carry "memories" of injuries from past lives into new lifetimes? How does this work? For ex. my back pain has been channeled as being from an injury from a past life that I am working out.
 
[Michael Entity]
One only carries "memories" of injuries into a current life when those injuries or memories are relevant to the current life. They are never random, and never literal. For instance, your back pain is a manifestation of similar patterns being explored within this lifetime that are resonant to other lifetimes of similar exploration. It is not that the injury was literally carried over, but that you are doing similar things in a similar way that then resonate to that other lifetime. That resonance can help in healing the current injury only insofar as insights can be gained from experiences integrated by your Essence from that lifetime. The resonance to the other lifetime is not to give justification or distraction from your current ailments, but to allow a means of direct access to the wisdom stored by Essence from that lifetime.
 
If one can imagine one lifetime as one point on a line, while another lifetime is another point at a distance on that line, and then imagine a line being drawn from one lifetime to another, that line CANNOT be "drawn" without first creating an arc through Essence, which is "above the line." Often Personality can relate to other Personalities before it can relate to Essence, so it "remembers" (or receives through a channel) the reference to another lifetime of similarity, but this is merely a method for indirectly accessing Essence. Keeping that in mind can help the point of that remembering and resonance.
 
However, to be more specific in response to your question, it is not the injury that carries over, nor the memory, but the PATTERNS that are stored in your Instinctive Center, which is pulled from one lifetime and then "inserted" into another lifetime. This is not a literal event, but the image is helpful. It can also hep to think of it as a program, or a collection of programs/software that is now available to the new personality. Depending on the choices of the current personality, certain programs/software/patterns will emerge for use, and many will not.
 
In your case, QUESTIONER, you have called upon a theme of self-esteem issues, and these issues are often ignored or overridden on the emotional or intellectual levels to a degree that physical manifestation helps in tending to that theme of issues. You will then find resonance to lifetimes where a similar physical injury or ailment was being explored for similar reasons.
 
[QUESTION] Could Michael suggest some energy-work on such an issue?
 
[Michael Entity]
The "energy work" for any given ailment would have to be relative to the ailment and the individual, but we can say that any chronic aching that is related to self-esteem issues would require "energy work" on the Emotional Body as a focal point, while emphasis of RELIEF on the Physical Body will help in allowing that focus. This energy work on the Emotional Body might be anything from cathartic expression to gestalt therapies to flotation therapies to singing therapies to permission therapies that allow for more of what one craves, etc.
 
We wish to point out here that the patterns carried over from one lifetime to another are only brought into reality by the choices of the current personality. For instance, there have have been lifetimes for the Questioner that have been lived between the past life back injury and the back injury of this lifetime. Back pain was not an issue in those lifetimes between.
 
A more poetic way to understand this might be that the songs heard from other lifetimes depends on the melodies played by this one.
 
[QUESTION] I would like more information on the upcoming (or current??) nexus. It feels to me as if everything over a period of some months has been leading to this (at least for me personally.) Lots of old wounds and even fear patterns (particularly self-esteem, self-worth issues) have been triggered. I recognize them for what they are, but I need to find a way to stay focused on what it is that I want to create, particularly in terms of my career. I am also dealing with a boss who has a very different approach to life than I do. I am guessing she is some combination of sage/priest/warrior - very focused, driven (passion mode?) energy though even though I think she is emotionally centered. Whereas, even though I am a scholar, and intellectually centered, my approach is more fuzzy, diffuse, and go with the flow, or at least it feels that way. Any suggestions here? Please direct your answer in any way that would be helpful to others in general. I can follow up with Troy on the more personal aspects later.
 
[Michael Entity]
What we can say about the upcoming Nexus is that there seems to be an exploration of the concept of COMPARISONS/CONTRASTS. This seems to be resulting from the enthusiasm/collapse extremes that we have described for many of our students. The enthusiasm comes from the Persistence energy that pushes beyond the collapsing experience of Unchanging energy. It is fair to compare and contrast the unchanging energy with the persistent energy, or the collapsing energy with the enthusiastic energy, but will not be fair to oneself to presume one is stuck in this pattern indefinitely, or to presume one has to remain in one or the other.
 
In light of this, many of you may find representatives of your inner enthusiasm/collapse around you.
 
In your case, it could be said that your "boss" represents the enthusiasm, while "you" represent the collapses. This then leads to your attributing distaste for enthusiasm because your boss expresses it differently from what you would, and this leads to distaste for yourself since you see most easily the collapse in you.
 
[QUESTION] and how to move beyond this?
 
[Michael Entity] What one could do, using your example, is to try what we suggested in our Energy Report, which is to DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT. In this case, it might mean to flip and reverse your perspective and interpretations in a completely enlightening and revitalizing way (instead of in the debilitating way that is your current pattern). Allow your boss to be the wonderful representative of how you create your collapses, and for yourself to represent what actually inspires your enthusiasm. In other words, doing things your way actually leads to productivity, creativity, and meaning, while doing things her way leads to confusion, overwhelm, and hopelessness.
 
[QUESTIONER] I'm not quite grasping this
 
[Michael Entity]
If we are seeing the situation clearly, we would say that your collapses come in your comparing yourself to others forms of productivity and trying to implement methods not natural to you, whereas realizing what does and does not work for you allows for you to implement practices that encourage your enthusiasm and do not require you to conform to anyone else's methods.
 
We believe we may be getting into personal territory and will halt our response here, but simply point out that the upcoming Nexus is one that emphasizes CONTRASTS and COMPARISONS and this is to allow for heightened awareness of what IS and IS NOT working for you in various areas of your life. The process of Comparing and Contrasting can often feel like self-judgment or judgment of others, and it is just that, but it is not something to be feared. It is simply a natural method for navigating life. To fear it is to remain stuck. To remain stuck is to remain at the extreme of collapse.
 
We will conclude here, then. Good day to each of you. Goodbye.

Michael Speaks Live
OPEN FLOOR QUESTIONS
November 24, 2013
Channel: Troy Tolley
 
[MEntity]
Hello to each of you. We are here, now. We can begin our exchanges with you.
 
We understand this exchange to be focused on the questions and considerations of those students "new" to our teachings.
 
What we will do to launch this discussion is to share with you how best to go about your approach to learning and studying our teachings, and where best to apply what it is that you learn.
 
The best way to go about your approach to learning and studying our teachings is: YOUR WAY. The best places to apply the teachings as you learn them is: WHEREVER AND HOWEVER YOU WISH TO DO SO.
 
We know of no "best way" for either of these things
 
Your questions are yours. Your path is yours. Your pace is yours. We have not presented our teaching in a linear or delineated way for a reason. It is a spherical teaching. It can be approached from all "sides" and each side is interlaced with every other side. You cannot go wrong.
 
[dave] hello michael. is there anything in particular that would identify the influence as you when i am making choices? is there a way to hear each of our guides individually? i feel love for them and am incredibly grateful.
 
[MEntity] First, we will say that we, nor your guides, have much influence through even the most willing of fragments. "Influence" from guides can only come in three forms: insight, perspective, or support. We know this can be considered influence, but we wish to clarify that we cannot do more than what is asked of us.
 
[dave] i get it. those 3 are what i mean.
 
[MEntity]
Next, we would say, yes, there are ways to differentiate between "you" and your guides/us. However, this takes time and awareness. Most fragments are quite content with the more practical "inner voice" that one tends to know as one's own voice.
 
Because we do not have a voice, nor do your guides, the indicators for those voices tend to need to be defined by the listener, and then listened for.
 
For example, if you have a guide who is sought for help with career choices, you might assign a more distinct authoritative voice to this guide. That guide will not override this, and all guides would rather use any voice you can hear than to not be heard when you most wish to hear them.
 
[dave] yeah. i think i maybe shouldn't care too much about it. just that i make wise choices.
 
[MEntity]
If a guide or teacher does not have a distinct "voice" assigned to them, we can say that voices of guides with INSIGHT tend to come with more unaffected, flat deliveries, while voices of PERSPECTIVE tend to come with more "personality" and even symbolism, and voices of SUPPORT tend to come as quite comforting and quiet.
 
All of these would tend to come as "bursts" or spontaneously, and it is in those moments that you can begin to build your awareness of what each "voice" tends to, and how it is slightly different from your own.
 
We are speaking of those who live with guides and teachers, not of those who pursue a career in channeling where the differentiation is far more important to distinguish.
 
[Connor] Hello Michael. This is a question I've run into a couple times which has not been clarified to date, as far as I know. Can Transcendental Souls create karma? An example of Muhummad comes to mind, whose teachings didn't quite 'get across'.
 
[MEntity]
Any fragment who is incarnated can create Karma. It is always a gamble.
 
However, by the time one has come to be Transcendental, the requirements necessary for the formation of a Ribbon or Ribbons would be highly unlikely.
 
Karma can be generated without Ribbons. It is the Ribbons that are evaded, not the Karma.
 
[Connor] Ah. Still learning to differentiate the two.
 
[MEntity]
Karma is imbalance generated by intensity of interference of choice. This almost always generates a Ribbon. A Ribbon is the unattended necessity for balance that is caused by the imbalance.
 
Older Souls and beyond in Soul Age tend not to generate Ribbons because they can process any imbalance quite rapidly, and it is rarely relative to any Physical Plane requirements for balance.
 
[Connor] So then the fragment who killed Gandhi, for example, would not have generated a ribbon, despite the act of murder? (if time allows)
 
[MEntity]
For example, a Transcendental Soul may still find himself distracted with the pleasures of the Physical Plane, as was Mahatma Gandhi, and generate some Karma because of some irresponsible choices that create imbalances between himself and others.
 
There was no interference of choice in terms of the Physical Plane, but there was neglect and indulgences that created imbalances in the Emotional and Intellectual realms. These were then balanced in those realms, such as through dreams or after the life.
 
[Connor] Cool.
 
[MEntity] Dying is wholly understood and known to be built into the life of a Transcendental Soul. It is expected. The death is often orchestrated through Agreements in a way that would bring about the changes that the life may not have been able to generate. Karma *could* be generated through the murder of a Transcendental Soul, but it has yet to be done. This is because there is simply no sense of intensity or violation to generate the imbalance necessary.
 
[Kurtle] Hey Michael, I'm getting to know the overleaves better. For today could you elaborate on the Caution and Power modes and how they appear in older souls(mature and old)? The definitions we have here typically apply to the younger souls so clarification would be useful in how they “manifest”.
 
[MEntity]
The Mode is how one RELATES. This is how one relates to the Goal, to the life, to others, and how one goes about securing Intimacy in the life.
 
At the core of Caution and Power are EXPRESSION, so these will be all about the FORM.
 
Regardless of Soul Age, Caution will relate DELIBERATELY (with intention) as a way to give form to a relationship, to a goal, to intimacy.
 
When the forms of relationship, goals, and intimacy are not felt to be representative of Caution, it can fall into PHOBIA, or an extreme aversion to most everything that is in relationship to the fragment.
 
[Kurtle]
ah that makes sense.
 
Well the definition of phobia I mean.
 
[MEntity]
In the older souls, DELIBERATION can come in the form of having quite specific standards and parameters for what is of interest for relating to the fragment. Think of Caution as DISCRIMINATION in the context of relating. Deliberation aims for Sophistication.
 
So Caution Mode is about refining relationships.
 
When Caution is in Phobia, it is like Discrimination in Rejection.
 
[Kurtle] It sounds like a friend of mine. 😛
 
[MEntity]
It is a refusal to take responsibility for the forms that have been created or allowed.
 
Caution could be said to be an emphasis on how the other half of the equation of Relating takes form, whereas POWER is about how YOU take form in the equation of Relating.
 
Power is about how PRESENT one is in a relationship.
 
The more Present one is, the more Authority one has over the self.
 
[Kurtle] So it's like Caution is adapting itself to the situation and Power is adapting the situation to itself?
 
[MEntity] When POWER feels its Presence is not taking form, it can compensate by falling into OPPRESSION.
 
[Kurtle] Kind of like Enforcing their presence on others. Ah I see.
 
[MEntity]
In the older souls, Power is all about being awake in a relationship. When the old soul falls into Oppression, he has fallen asleep. If Power is like ACCEPTANCE, the Oppression is like Ingratiation. It is about losing one's form as a way to conform so that one has some sense of power, in the same way that Ingratiation is about doing what one thinks is necessary in order to be loved.
 
Of course, Ingratiation is not Love, and Oppression is not Power.
 
Kurt, in the younger Soul Ages, Oppression does come as more of an enforcement of presence upon others, but in the older souls, this turns around so that one begins to shrink in the shadow of anything deemed more powerful.
 
For all of the Overleaves, try this for understanding the differences between how they manifest in younger Soul Ages versus older Soul Ages:
 
Add SELF- to the Positive or Negative Pole of the term.
 
[Kurtle] ohhh that make s a lot of sense.
 
[MEntity]
For instance, in Discrimination, the Negative Pole of Rejection is more often SELF-Rejection for the Old Soul. The Goal of Acceptance is more about SELF-Acceptance. CAUTION Mode can fall into SELF-Phobia, or the Stoic into SELF-Resignation. And so on.
 
This is not always a clear differentiation, but it can help.
 
[Kurtle] Ah, would that be the same for the Mature Soul? Self- I mean.
 
[GeraldineB] That's for another time, Kurt
 
[GeraldineB] Time to move along 🙂
 
[MEntity] By "older" we always mean mid-Mature through Old.
 
[ViP1]
Sex education for children is something that seems particularly important in order for children to know how to manage their impulses with respect for themselves as they become older, and yet it is approached in wildly varying, ad hoc ways that typically depend heavily on cultural background.
 
Such approaches range from no intentional attempt at sex education at all, rather avoiding the topic completely, to complete openness that might strike other people as awkward and inappropriate.
 
The education itself might come from parents, or from teachers, or from friends, or from the media, or all of those. In addition, there is usually some degree of awkwardness in parents around even raising the topic with their children to begin with.
 
Do you have any insights on how to approach sex education for children, irrespective of their cultural background, in a manner that is inclusive of their own makeup, that is appropriate to and respectful of their needs and level of mental/emotional development, the best age for children at which to introduce it, and who such education might best be provided by?
 
[MEntity]
The greatest approach to sex education is through the removal of shame from the equation. The rest is fairly moot. Shame is easily learned, and this informs one more so than any other guiding factor for health.
 
We say that the rest is fairly moot because most education for children regarding a topic that cannot be fathomed is difficult to instill in any meaningful way, and for those in the throes of it simply cannot hear. "Education" would be most effective in removing shame, and inviting choice.
 
By inviting choice we mean that children would do well to know that they have a choice for being safe, asking for more information, accessing protection, etc. For some, the details are helpful, for others the details are meaningless, but for the entire spectrum of ages and cultures, CHOICE is what is often missing from the equation of education.
 
"You do not have to understand what you are doing, just that you have a choice in how you are doing it."
 
Once the power of choice is in a child's hand from any culture, and the weight of shame is removed, the eagerness for "better choices" comes naturally.
 
In short: reduce shame, increase choice. This can be implemented in any number of ways.
 
[HunterG] Hello Michael, I know you have said listening to music can be a direct link to essence. My question is "What is the interaction with essence in the context of CREATING music?" Because not much has been said in that regard.
 
[MEntity]
The process of creating music is often the process of manifesting Essence. It is a bringing of the language of the Astral Plane into form.
 
All music is an extension of the Astral Plane.
 
This could be said of any Matter, actually, but music is one of the more fluid and concise extensions.
 
Different kinds of music extend from different levels of the Astral Plane, but all of it is an extension of this Plane.
 
This includes the "music" of non-sentient species, as well.
 
[HunterG] Would there be a way to differentiate the different kinds of music?
 
[MEntity] Yes. Think of the Astral Plane as something like an Emotional Center with all of its Parts. The Moving Part would be that which encourages movement/action. The Higher Moving would be that which encourages resonance/Beauty. The Intellectual Part would be that which brings Expression, such as song, lyrics, etc., while the Higher Intellectual would be along the lines of choral, or philosophical/Truth explorations in word, and the Emotional Part would be that which soothes and calms, while the Higher Emotional Part might bring healing/Loving. Music is not one or the other of these, but often a mix of at least 2 or 3.
 
[HunterG] yes
 
MEntity:
If there is a question to which we can respond in brief, we will take that to close out our session. 
 
If there are no more questions, we will conclude here for tonight. Good evening to each of you.
 
Goodbye