Back in 1979, novelist Chelsea Quinn Yarbro presented a whole new framework for understanding personality and spirituality. This framework wasn’t hers, but had been “dictated” to a group of friends in San Fransisco through a Ouija board. The source of the information referred to itself simply as “Michael”.
Rather like the ultimate computer in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Michael would readily answer any question about life, the universe and everything. Thousands of messages came through, giving clear, dispassionate, almost clinical, answers to every question asked.
The Ouija board is now long gone but the questions and answers have never stopped. There are now well over a dozen people who can “channel” Michael.
Messages from Michael tells the story of the origins of the Michael teachings. Since then, Michael has continued to give us a detailed, mutlifaceted system of psychological and spiritual knowledge. This wisdom contains just about everything we need to know in order to understand who we are at every level.
So where to begin?
Let’s start with…
Who – or what – is Michael?
When the messages first came through, the source explained that each individual soul evolves in consciousness through the long and often difficult process of reincarnating, living many different lives in many different circumstances. As Michael puts it, the soul “enters the physical plane as many times as is necessary to experience all aspects of life.” In doing so, the soul gradually becomes more self-aware, more capable, more loving, less fearful, less separate.
At the end of this learning process, when all there is to experience as a separate being has been experienced, the soul unites with others in its wider group to form an integrated “entity”. This is a far greater body of consciousness and intelligence than any single soul. After re-integration, the soul is no longer a separate fragment but part of a greater whole.
The being we call Michael is one of these—an integrated entity. The group consists of precisely 1,050 souls who have all completed their own process of reincarnation. And according to Michael, they exist not on the astral plane (where we reside between lives), but on the higher “causal” plane of pure thought and intelligence.
The Michael entity is not yet a single being; it is a group, a collective. This is why the entity refers to itself in the plural: “we”, “us”.
But why the name Michael?
It is just a name for convenience, as Michael explains it:
You may call us anything you wish.
The last name a fragment of this entity used was Michael.
And what does Michael teach exactly?
We are not the path to spiritual enlightenment. We offer a way to human understanding based on our own experience, first as humans ourselves in both tranquil and troubled times and now as the reintegrated fragments of a causal body no longer alive as you know it but still with keen awareness of what being human entails.
Our purpose is to teach some understanding of the [soul’s] evolution on the physical plane so that the student can reach some insight into human behavior which will enable him then to stop brooding over interpersonal relationships or the lack thereof and concentrate on personal life plans.
Michael likes to tell it straight. With impeccable grammar.
A summary of the Michael teachings – key concepts
Perhaps the best way to summarise the Michael teachings is to simply introduce the key concepts one at a time and in an order that makes sense. Let’s start with essence.
Essence
Essence is just another word for spirit or soul; it is the innermost being of a person; it is our true nature.
Soul types
There are seven soul types or roles in essence: Kings, Priests, Sages, Scholars, Warriors, Artisans, Servers.
Each has a particular archetypal quality and brings specific abilities or attributes into life:
- Kings: commanding leadership
- (e.g., Elizabeth I, John F. Kennedy)
- Priests: inspiring vision
- (e.g., Oprah Winfrey, Barack Obama)
- Sages: expressive communication
- (eg., Oscar Wilde, Dolly Parton)
- Scholars: knowledge integration
- (e.g., Marie Curie, Ken Wilber)
- Warriors: forceful action
- (e.g., Julius Caesar, Salma Hayek)
- Artisans: creative exploration
- (e.g., Michaelangelo, Björk)
- Servers: selfless service
- (e.g., Mother Teresa, Dalai Lama)
Soul type does not change from one lifetime to the next. From a soul’s first incarnation to its last, the role in essence remains constant. For example, I am a Scholar, I have always been a Scholar and I will always be a Scholar.
See article: Soul types: the seven roles in essence.
Reincarnation
From the soul’s perspective, reincarnation is the process of undergoing life in physical form again and again in order to evolve, becoming increasingly self-aware and a unique expression of divine love.
Evolution of the soul comes about by making important choices as an individual, and learning from the consequences of those choices. Key experiences and choices are set up by the soul in spirit before each lifetime (see life plan). One life is not enough to experience the full spectrum of life circumstances and choices, however, so an evolving soul will reincarnate many times over (typically 100+).
See article: Reincarnation – the 35 steps
See also: 10 things everyone should know about reincarnation
Soul age
Souls evolve through five stage of reincarnation:
- Infant
- Baby
- Young
- Mature
- Old
Each stage has a distinct focus that requires particular learning experiences:
Each of these stages actually involves seven levels, from start to finish. And each of those takes at least one lifetime to complete.
So there are 35 “steps” to the whole reincarnation process, from the first level of the Infant soul stage to the seventh level of the Old soul stage. Typically it takes well over a hundred lifetimes to complete the sequence.
(Incidentally, I am a Mature soul, currently at the fifth level of the Mature soul stage.)
Souls also progress through further stages beyond the cycle of physical reincarnation. These involve taking on a teaching role (as is the case for the “Michael” entity). Entities themselves evolve into greater levels of integration and higher consciousness.
Life plan
A life plan is the outline plan of key events and circumstances for a given lifetime, formulated by the soul (with its guides) while in spirit, before taking birth. The life plan is designed to ensure that certain desired experiences and choices are encountered during the life, with the agreement and cooperation of other souls involved.
For example, the soul may desire to learn about abandonment, and so will plan an experience of abandonment by a parent in early childhood. Another soul will make an agreement to be the abandoning parent, and will incorporate this event into their own life plan.
Once in physical, human form, there is little or no memory of the life plan. The incarnate soul undergoes a kind of temporary amnesia. This ensures that each planned event (such as early abandonment) is experienced “as real”, with all the shock and suffering that naturally goes with it.
Life task
A life plan will often include a specific task to be undertaken in the second half of life. For example, mine is “To acquire and share knowledge in a spirit of joy”. This life task is usually the main focus of the life to come, and much of what is set up in the first half of life is actually preparing the personality for this undertaking in the second half.
That early experience of abandonment, for example, might have been chosen to support the later life task of (say) “Healing parent-child relationships” – the early experience would help to instil the developing personality with the appropriate knowledge, intent and compassion.
When a personality begins to search for their “true purpose” in life, typically around 35-45, this is the calling of the life task (see the seven internal monads). Quite often, the pull to realise and begin the life task puts the personality through a crisis.
The seven internal monads
In every lifetime we undergo a sequence of seven major transition points, or “monads”. Each one involves a significant shift in the soul/personality’s sense of self that is largely unavoidable:
- Birth – from spiritual to physical form
- Self-awareness (age 2-3) – from physical to social identity
- Coming of age (15-20) – from socially-given identity to self-defined identity
- Mid-life (35-45) – from false identity to true identity and work on the life task
- Retirement (60-70) – from active life to reflective life
- Decline (terminal process) – from living to dying
- Death – from physical to spiritual form
(Note – the ages shown are just approximations.)
Each of the seven monad-transitions is like a mini-death-and-rebirth. On each occasion, the inner self must let go of an old identity and accept a new one. This can go more or less smoothly or it can throw the personality into a crisis and even a rebellion. The outcome can be a successful transition to a new level of being or, at worst, the transition is “abdicated” and the personality remains stuck — a case of arrested development. Even so, the personality will have the opportunity to revisit the abdicated transition in later monads. For example, a person approaching mid-life might suddenly face unresolved issues connected with coming of age or even earlier.
The 4th monad is particularly notorious as a time of inner turmoil, as it may involve undoing 20 years of “hard work” on the false persona as well as 40 years of cultural programming.
A soul “normally” remains with a physical body from its birth to its death. Not all lives include all monads, however. A life that ends in childhood, for example, will pass through the first two monads and then skip to the last two monads.
We often live shortened lives for various reasons – because it is our karma to experience an early death, for example, or because we want to help another soul experience the loss of a child, or simply because of an unplanned accident.
To complete a level of soul growth, however, it is necessary to undergo all seven monads in one life.
There’s a great book about the seven monads: Spiritual Turning Points by Victoria Marina-Tomkins.
Overleaves
The “overleaves” are a set of personality characteristics that are adopted by a soul for a particular lifetime. They include a goal (lifelong motivation), a mode (way of acting) and an attitude (way of perceiving).
A person’s overleaves shape how that person thinks, feels and acts in life. They are selected by the soul before birth specifically to help the human personality perform the life task to come. Overleaves are what make up a human being’s true personality.
It is certainly possible to ask a Michael channel to get your overleaves for you. I, for example, was told that I have a goal of growth, a mode of perseverance and an idealistic attitude. Having observed myself (and others) very closely over the last ten years or so, I completely agree with all of these.
For more information about the overleaves, see article: Overleaves – the Structure of Personality
Goal
The goal is the personality’s underlying motivation or basic desire in life. There are seven options:
- Dominance: taking the lead in life
- Growth: overcoming challenging experiences
- Acceptance: opening to others, being warm/inclusive
- Contentment: taking life as it comes (the “goal of no goal”)
- Submission: committing oneself to the service of others
- Rejection: being highly selective/exclusive
- Retardation: radically simplifying the life experience
Whereas the life task is a specific objective, such as “Learning to run a business with compassion,” the goal is more of a general a direction to take. For example, if the life task involves being in a leadership role then the chosen goal is likely to be dominance.
See article: Goal: the driving force of the personality
Mode
The mode is the personality’s approach to life, its way of acting on the goal. It involves the inner or outer use of energy. There are seven options:
- Aggression: acting at “full throttle” with totally externalised energy
- Passion: acting with a sense of vision and emotional charge
- Power: acting with inner confidence and certainty
- Observation: watching rather than doing (the “mode of no action”)
- Perseverance: channelling one’s energy into completion of the task despite difficulties
- Caution: focusing one’s energy on careful prior planning to eliminate problems
- Repression: holding it all in, reserving one’s energy
Attitude
The attitude is the personality’s overarching perspective or way of perceiving life. There are seven options:
- Realism: focusing on facts and likely implications
- Spiritualism: focusing on higher meaning and purpose
- Idealism: focusing on inherent possibilities
- Pragmatism: taking each situation as it comes (the “attitude of no perspective”)
- Cynicism: focusing on gross contradictions
- Scepticism: focusing on subtle inconsistencies
- Stoicism: focusing on absence of meaning
Centering
The personality’s preferred way of processing its moment-by-moment experiences in life, usually set in early childhood (around age 2-3). There are seven centres in all: emotional, intellectual, moving (physical), instinctive, higher intellectual, higher emotional and higher moving (higher physical). In normal life, however, the personality tends to adopt either the emotional, intellectual or moving centre to assimilate its sensory experiences.
In addition, there is a secondary centering by which the personality processes immediate reactions to those experiences. For example, if sensory experiences are processed emotionally and then reactions are processed intellectually, one is said to be operating “in the intellectual part of the emotional centre.” This means that one experiences life, moment-to-moment, with feeling but one expresses those experiences by talking about them.
False personality
If the overleaves chosen before birth make up the true personality, the other traits and habits instilled into the person during childhood and beyond make up an artificial or false personality.
False personality consists of two main components:
- Early programming or “imprinting” from one’s family, culture and social environment.
- The false identity (persona) adopted in or after adolescence as a way to break into adulthood.
Whereas the true personality reflects the wise choices and higher consciousness of the soul, the false personality reflects the ignorance and immature perspective of the young person. Whereas the true personality knows no fear, the false personality is riddled with it.
One of the key challenges in life, at the 4th monad, is to overcome your false personality and begin to manifest your true personality—your overleaves, your soul age and your role in essence.
Chief feature
The “chief feature” is a false personality trait, an entrenched character flaw driven by fear and illusion. Its purpose is to protect the person from whatever he or she fears the most as a social being, such as a sense of personal vulnerability, inadequacy or worthlessness.
An incarnate soul can have various bad experiences in childhood and may exaggerate or misinterpret their meaning. These can crystallise into a specific lifelong fear, such as the fear of change. The growing child then adopts certain behaviour patterns to avoid or eliminate the thing feared at all costs. In late adolescence, emerging into adulthood, the fear and negativity become cloaked in a false persona.
There are seven possibilities, and we all have one of these as our chief feature:
- Impatience: rushing through life (fear of missing out)
- Arrogance: feigning perfection or superiority (fear of vulnerability)
- Greed: compulsive acquisition/consumption (fear of lack)
- Stubbornness: refusing to accept anything new (fear of change)
- Martyrdom: playing the innocent victim (fear of worthlessness)
- Self-Destruction: compulsive elimination/annihilation (fear of loss of control)
- Self-Deprecation: trying to be invisible to others (fear of inadequacy)
Actually, all adults have a primary character flaw which distorts their goal and related life decisions, plus a secondary one which distorts their attitude and hence internal perceptions of life. If like me, for example, your primary is Impatience, you will be anxious about missing out on opportunities to achieve your life’s goal. And if your secondary is, say, Self-Deprecation, you will tend to perceive your life in terms of your own inadequacies.
Chief features operate as vicious circles, unconsciously creating the very anxiety they are supposed to prevent. Throughout much of life they cause internal conflict, working behind the scenes to thwart all attempts at fulfillment. Learning to manage your chief features is one of the greatest possible achievements in personal growth.
See article: Chief features of false personality: the seven character flaws.
See also these blog posts -
- 10 things everyone should know about reincarnation
- The soul of Barack Obama – overleaves compared
- Michael Jackson – the reincarnation of Mozart?
- John Lennon – the reincarnation of Branwell Brontë?
Links to Michael Teachings and Channels
- The Michael Teachings – key website for Michael-related information and resources – FAQs, channels, etc
- MT Student Community – “a place for Michael Teachings, run by students, for students” – The only definition of being a student is that you are interested in the Michael Teachings [MT] material and perhaps feel drawn to get deeper into it. The MT Student Community mission is to create an environment in which students can help each other grow.
- The Personality Game (itstime.com) – “a fun way to learn about personality types and their unique — and often quirky — traits.” – website of Barbra Taylor, a Management Consultant who works with the Michael teachings with a focus on improving team-work and increasing productivity within a company.
- Flight of the Hawk – “Perspectives of the Universe through the lens of The Michael Teachings, Shamanism and Astrology” – Blogsite of Michael channel and Shamanic teacher Victoria Marina-Tompkins
- José Luis Stevens, PhD – “Insights Into Life, Understanding People” – Website of Michael channel José Stevens
- Michael Mosaics – “Personality Profiles for Older Souls” – website of Michael channel Terri Claire Benning
- Summerjoy Press – “Books and Sessions that can Change your life!” – website of Michael channel Shepher Hoodwin
- TruthLoveEnergy – “Using Truth, Love and Energy to Understand, Nurture and Create Your Life”. Lively website of Michael channel and “goofy man-boy” Troy Tolley, aka CocteauBoy.
- Polaris Rising – “Step into the Flow of your Life” – website of Karen Murphey who channels a higher being known as Polaris, incorporating both Michael and Seth.
- Seele-Verstehen.de ["Soul-Undersanding"] – German-language website on the Michael teachings by Rolf Herklotz.
Beautiful simply beautiful! Namaskar
I’m confused: I thought there were no “accidents”? And how would dying early be the result of karma, what Karma? Explain?
Thank you
An accident in this context would be an event not planned in the soul’s life plan. The physical plane uniquely makes such things possible. I recently came across a regression case in which the person wanted to know why she had chosen blindness. She was told by her own spirit guides that in fact she hadn’t chosen it but that it had come about at her birth through brain damage caused by the negligence of medical staff. We plan our lives before birth in broad brush strokes, but as they say in the army, no plan survives first contact with the enemy. In other words, once life starts, anything can happen. It’s like a football game – the manager plans how to win, but that doesn’t mean everything will go as planned.
A death is premature from the human perspective. We may naturally expect to live a full life, say to 75, but let’s say we planned before birth to die at 30. The shock and disappointment of such an “early” demise may be an experience we specifically wish to undergo for whatever reason. One such reason could be karmic – that we took a young life in the past.
- Barry
Hi Barry, can you please go into more detail about dying young. I recently lost my 5 yr old niece due to a brain tumor, diagnosed in June & she past away 3 mths later, sept. 11th. Why would she choose to go so quickly? A medium told me she was an old soul, but then again how do I know they are right saying that, I’m skeptic on the old soul part & am having a hard time understanding why she would choose this life. I stayed by her bedside in the hospital 12 hrs straight, a day for 7 days while she was in a coma the last week of her life. For some reason I felt she was gone, her soul was gone, it was just a body laying there on life support. I’m not sure if she was being reborn again or floating above us. I have become less catholic & much more spiritual @ metaphysical since then. I also have to say when I found your site, I’m having a hard time taking a break from reading from it. It’s wonderful insight.
Hi Cristy
First of all, my sympathies for your loss of a niece so young.
To understand why “good people die young”, as occasionally happens, we have to step out of our human perception of things and try to see what goes on behind the curtain, as it were.
What happens to us in human life is like an improvised stage play. Earth is the stage, and we are all actors, more or less ad-libbing as we go along. But behind the scenes there is a rough script and a huge production team. I say “rough” script because if everything were fully scripted, line by line, word by word, there would be no room for free will, and therefore no purpose in us experiencing the “play”.
The rough script is our agreed life plan, laying out approximately what key events and circumstances will happen when (e.g., “At the age of three I shall be abandoned by my mother so that my alcoholic father will have to raise me, and by age fifteen I will want to run away from home.”). As actors on the stage we have no conscious memory of the plan. In this way, we get to experience each event in its full unexpected rawness, and we also get to choose how we react in response to it. Those raw experiences and on-the-spot choices are precisely why we are here. Through them, we find ourselves and unfold as evolving beings.
One of the key events in every life is the manner and timing of death. In some cases, we might leave it open (“I’ll just die of old age at some point”) but in other cases we plan a very specific death (“I shall die very suddenly just after I graduate. A car crash will do.”).
From our human perspective, life is everything and death is always tragic. The death of a lovely young child is particularly shocking and awful because, it seems, she is missing out on so much that the rest of us are experiencing. It seems so unfair, cruel even, that her young life has been “taken away from her”.
But from the soul’s perspective, death is just a swinging door from one place to another. It’s a transition from the physical state (where we experience being separate, broken) to the non-physical state (where we are eternally united and whole).
Death, to the soul, is no big deal. Yes, the process leading up to it can get unpleasant, and once we have passed through the door back into the light we may be disoriented for a little while. Nevertheless, the process is as familiar to the soul as is the process of waking up each morning to us.
Just as we go to sleep at night for a few hours, so the soul voluntarily goes into physical life for a few decades, or just a few years in this case, or sometimes even just a few minutes, and then returns Home again, soon fully awake, surrounded by eternal love and light once more.
So, the chances are that your niece’s early death was precisely what she had planned – not just her alone but also the other souls who would be affected, such as her parents, and probably yourself too. In this life, you knew that soul as a young niece and she knew you as an aunt. Yet between lives, you have always known each other as beautiful beings of light.
There can be all sorts of reasons why a soul would choose to live for just a few years. Perhaps she had one thing left to do with her present family before moving on to something new. She could get it done in childhood, then quickly return Home to prepare for the next life in a different body rather than hang around with this one. Or, perhaps she had no life purpose for herself in mind other than that she agreed with the parents (as souls) to give them the difficult experience of losing a child. The grief and confusion and questioning that such a death leaves in its wake are very often part of the plan, quite deliberately designed to stimulate certain experiences and choices.
It’s usually impossible to see this bigger picture – the higher purpose of such experiences – while we are in the middle of them. It’s like trying too hear a faint symphony while there are alarm bells ringing in our ears.
In your case, though, it is perfectly possible that your beloved niece’s death is part of a plan for you to question everything and become more spiritual at this point in your life – partly through reading websites like this one, asking questions…
I’m really glad you like the site by the way! But I hope this gives you a helpful perspective on what is clearly an emotionally difficult and challenging experience.
barry
Just want to say to Barry what a wonderful thoughtful answer
I do as well believe your way, is always hard to see the big picture… and I hope this can help Cristy to find some inner peace…
I just found your website and being reading a few things… gosh never met Michael (at least I don’t remember ) but he speak my language.. never thought of all those different stages but all makes so much sense. Thank you for creating this wonderful place, looking forward to read more and participate. Love and light xxx
So glad you like it, Maria.
Thanks
Barry
Hello Barry,
Your web site is very nicely done. My compliments. I just came across it and had not seen it before.
The comparison of President Obama Overleaves is a contribution in channel comparison and information similarity. You mentioned my dear friend and long time associate Holly Coleman in the article favorably. In my experience, she is one of the best, and often least acknowledged Michael channels out there. Her focus has been morphed into GlobalWisdom.com. I am glad you included her.
I wish you well and hope that our paths cross sometime. Your writing is stimulating and clear. As a Sage-Scholar, I both aspire to do it (tough too
) but I greatly respect it.
Keep up the good work.
All the best,
Stephen Cocconi – Citizen of Earth
Hi Stephen
Thanks for the great feedback – much appreciated.
I was once told by a Michael channel – about ten years ago – that I have an agreement with the Ms to find my own way to promulgate their teachings. I guess I’ve finally found it, and it fits my sense of purpose. Though it also a challenge, given my high level of self-dep as a secondary CF.
Yes, it was great to come across Holly’s writings, and I particularly liked the piece on Michael Jackson.
cheers,
barry
Truly enjoyed the blog thank you for sharing. Glad to meet another Michael student. I like how you have woven the information into readable clear format.
Looking forward to more
Val
Many thanks, Val!
All I can say right now is “Thank You Barry”. I need to take sometime to digest this right now. thank You
Dear Author,
Thank you.
I stumbled upon this by not chance. It is my soul calling out to be understood. My human personality could not bear life any longer.
For the past 35 years i have struggled w my ego at full play.
And the past 12 years ive dabbled in almost all religions and attracted to spiritual teachers like: Osho, Gary Zukav and Eckhart Tolle.
Now now now, after stumbling upon your blog, all the pieces have come together. That is why I am instantly hooked on all that you write here.
Now I have worked out my whole life and soul purpose.
The soul looking at itself.
Thank you so very much.
Gwen, I am delighted that you have taken something of value from here.
very interesting!
Ihave never heard of the “Michael teachings” before now-even though I’ve researched quite a bit of metaphysical subjects. I just happened accross it on the Internet. Is this subject available in libraries and bookstores as well? I find the teachings very interesting and am quite often in libraries and bookstores. Bonnie
Hi Bonnie
Check out this page:
http://personalityspirituality.net/books/
At the bottom there’s a list of some Michael teachings related books.
Bonnie this was just released earlier this month:
Barbara Taylor started the discussion “Michael Transcripts – Public Domain ~ May 5, 2012″ on The Michael Teachings
————
This message went out this morning. The formation of a new non-profit was announced at the annual Michael Student gathering at the Seven Oaks Retreat Center in Virginia last week.
———————-
Date/Time: May 5, 2012 5:55 AM Eastern Daylight Time
For the past few years, we have been collecting copies of transcripts from the Michael study group in the 1970s with Sarah Chambers and friends. Most of what we have collected comes from members of that original group.
After consulting with legal experts, it has been confirmed that these original transcripts are in the Public Domain and may be freely shared with Michael students.
We are making these transcripts universally available to help dispel some of the false mystique, mystery and misunderstanding that have surrounded their existence, whereabouts and use before now. It is our intent to make them readily accessible, free of charge, to Michael students and other interested persons everywhere. We encourage you to download these transcripts, in whole or in part, for your own study and sharing with others. Since they are exact copies of the original Michael study group sessions held in Oakland during the 1970s, we believe they are an invaluable resource for expansion of knowledge about the Michael group and its teachings by interested students and scholars everywhere.
The transcripts may be downloaded from https://www.box.com/s/5ce43099329013efbf1d
Included in the file directory (in PDF format) are:
- Dimensions Magazine (April and June 1975)
- A compilation called “One True Teaching” in 2 parts
- A compilation called “A Cosmic Teaching”
- Charts and Graphs that the study group used (TOMG_Misc.pdf)
- Individual transcript sessions from 1973 through 1978 (TOMG_date.pdf)
- A compilation called “The Teachings of Michael”
The link included in this message points to an online file directory where you can download scanned copies of the transcripts we have gathered in PDF format. The files in this directory do contain real names, so we ask students to respect the privacy of the individuals.
At some later time, we intend to release an easier-to-read version (with aliases for names), which will include an updated history of the Michael Teachings that includes interviews with members of the original study group.
Please share this message with other Michael students that you know.
Donations to support our work may be sent via PayPal – using this link
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=T9Y52EFKTG8Q6
Board of Directors,
Center for Michael Teachings Inc.
- a non-profit organization created to support the expansion of the Michael Teachings
5206 Markel Road, Suite 200
Richmond, VA 23230
Michael: “Love is the highest truth. Truth is the highest good.”
————
Thanks valorie, you’ve reminded me that I should do a proper post about all this.
Your so welcome Barry, love and present energy with lots of inspiration mixed in for your day.
Val
Don’t give me all this bull shit about spirituality and false ego, i have heard all this from the Hare Krishna’s and they let me down like the Christians. So give me a brake and stop deceiving people i hate you!!!!
Hello to you too.
If you moderate my comment you prove my point ha ha
What was your experience with the HK’s? Personally, I’m allergic to organised religion (not against it per se, but it just don’t suit me at all), so I’m curious.
Ok I might sound like a blubbering idiot here but I have a question so bare with me
I read quite a bit of this website last night, for like 5 hours I couldn’t put my iPad down. I don’t believe there is a god and the Michael teachings is the only thing that has ever made any kind of sense to me spiritually. Do you think when Jesus said he would come back he meant he would be back in another life and is a lower level old soul so he’ll be back to finish up the levels? Do you get where I’m coming from here?? I’m trying to make sense of how Jesus plays into all this. I guess I believe he was actually alive but don’t believe in him as some kind of god. For ten years I’ve considered myself an atheist but I can’t figure out how I fit into this newfound belief.
My understanding, consistent with these teachings, is that Jesus was a King soul who had long since completed the reincarnational cycle as a human being (i.e., completed 7th level Old), and evolved to a great degree, and then agreed to return to Earth one more time to be born in Palestine as a spiritual channel for the Truth of our ultimate essence – the creative energy of Love (which younger souls personify as God). The channelling did not begin until later in his life. Up to the age of 30 or whatever, he was a regular 7th level Old King. After the baptism with John he “got” who he is and his mission. Towards the end of his life he was a direct channel for God, the Tao, Essence, whatever you like to call our absolute nature. The same story applies to Buddha, Lao-Tzu and Krishna. Our history is punctuated with these rare channels who come specifically to kick-start our evolution every now and then.
PS – I believe the idea of Jesus coming back is just a baby/young soul myth. Not that it is a bad myth – it communicates a sense that Jesus hasn’t gone away for good, which is correct but not in a physical sense.
People imagine the “second coming” as Jesus suddenly appearing from nowhere in the same physical form, a fully grown man, just as he was 2,000 years ago. But the only way that soul (any soul) could return to actual human form (rather than being, say, channelled) would be to be born into a whole new body – and that would not necessarily have to be as a male Jewish baby in Israel/Palestine. The same soul could incarnate as, say, a baby girl in a Japanese Buddhist family, for example. So if “Jesus” were to literally reincarnate again, the field is wide open as to the race, gender and location. The only alternative to full reincarnation or being channelled would be that the soul could arrange a “walk-in”, taking over a vacated adult body. But again, we would not necessarily recognise that individual as Jesus.
More fundamentally, I would imagine that the individuality of Jesus the soul is now integrated into a much greater level of consciousness. The same vast loving presence is there, I believe, more so in fact, and always available/accessible through prayer/meditation, but the persistent image of that beautiful and powerful consciousness as a bearded man in robes and sandals is just a convenience for the human mind/culture.
Thank you so much for answering my questions. Every bit you said helped me understand. I feel like suddenly I see the world in a whole new light, like I’ve never seen it before. Everything seems to make sense now. My husband keeps asking me what I’m so interested in because every night I can hardly pull myself away from your blog. I’ve kind of told him a bit but it’s all so new to me I find myself stumbling over my words. I want to share with the world what I’ve learned but I feel like if I say I’ve got the meaning of life because of this soul through the ouija board named Michael, my family is going to think I went bat shit crazy. How do you explain your belief to others?
Haha!
Well, that’s still a conundrum for me.
About half the people who know me have no idea what I believe or even that I run this blog. At first I told no-one except my wife. All I knew was, after studying these teachings for ten years and combining them with my own spiritual experiences, it all made sense… this is what I have come to understand and it is completely liberating – and it deserves someone with my writing abilities (setting modesty aside) to do it justice. I also got from a Michael channel that I had made a pre-life agreement to promulgate the teachings in my own style. I have no doubt about that (I am actually weeping as I write this.)
So I started this website as a labour of love and service. At the moment it gets over a thousand hits a day, so it must be right! Anyway, as I say, I kept it very quiet at first – a sort of secret hobby. Gradually, as I have seen people getting benefit from it, I have been more open about it with some of my friends. But there are still some who I will probably never mention this (or my beliefs) to. They just won’t get it and it will muddy the relationship. So … It’s a matter of sussing out who will be receptive to it and who won’t. I don’t waste my time arguing with people, I just offer information to those who want it. (Scholar!)
As usual that makes total sense. I know there are ones who would get it and the ones who would think I lost my mind. What I believe really is only a lesson in this lifetime and what others believe is a lesson in their lifetime and if we all believed this none of us would learn lessons from each other. Keeping this to myself for quite a while sounds like a good plan. I believe you mentioned having a son, have you or do you plan on guiding him in this direction? This is mind boggling to me, everything that has happened to me in the last two days I can relate it back to this. Randomly I have laughed outloud because it’s like wow this is really it, this is why we’re here. I feel like I’m watching a play at times and know its only going to get better. I wish I could bottle this up and sent it to myself in my next lifetime! Do you think since we’ve figured this part out that it will follow us into our next life because we’ve learned it already? Thank you for sharing this, from the bottom of my heart. I’m sure I’ll have many more questions.
We haven’t explicitly taught our son (aged 11) anything spiritual, but presumably it must “rub off”. Our house is filled with spiritual books, he knows about my website and my wife and I run Enlightenment Intensive retreats at least once a year (which means he has to be super-quiet for 3 days while a group of people come and meditate!). Hopefully he also learns from our example – our general pursuit of higher love, joy and truth. When he is ready to start asking questions, of course, we will answer them. But we are just taking it as it comes.
Next life – sheesh, I hope all this stays with me at some level! The thought of having to start from scratch again is scary! But I’m sure it all sinks in at an intuitive level – it becomes part of our wiring, even if we can’t explicitly remember where it comes from. And just as we carry over interests and talents from one life to the next (piano playing, physics, nursing, etc.), I will hopefully carry over my psychological & spiritual interests.
Thanks for answering all my questions. I’ve got a few more if you don’t mind. They keep popping in my head. If I’m bugging you let me know.
What’s the difference between a spirit and a soul? Are spirits just souls who want to stick around in their old lifetime for awhile longer even though they’ve died?
I saw you mentioned a certain soul had a male presence, does that mean that all of us have a particular gender soul no matter if we’re male or female in a lifetime? Is that what leads people to have gender confusion here on earth? Or perhaps they are feeling things from a previous lifetime?
A soul is a spark of eternal essence, evolving in self-consciousness. Another word for essence is spirit, and sometimes soul and spirit are used interchangeably, but I see that what you mean here is a ghostly presence.
There are two things that can happen:
1. When a human body dies, there is a sequence of events that follows. The first is the soul (consciousness) exiting the body. The second is the soul moving on into the higher Light (sometimes via a “tunnel”). Sometimes a soul will do the first but not the second, for whatever reason – either not understanding that they have died, or just not being willing to move on – perhaps being attached to a specific place, or concerned about a loved one still alive, or perhaps fearing going to “Hell”. So yes, a “spirit” can be a soul lingering about after death. Friendly souls from the light will try to intervene and encourage it to come along, but if it is consumed with fear or hatred or whatever, it might not listen for a long time.
2. It is said that people’s intense emotions or traumatic experiences can leave behind an energy trace in the physical environment, like an after-image that gradually fades away. Some people can tune in and see, hear or feel these (example – a faint scream is heard in a ruined castle). Although they might appear to be lingering souls, they are not conscious at all – they are little more than “spillages” of emotional energy, just shadows let behind by a former consciousness that has long since moved on.
I can’t remember where I referred to a soul with a male presence… I’m intrigued now! No, souls have no actual gender. There are no male souls or female souls. We all swap genders every now and then. I have recalled being an Irish woman a couple of centuries ago, and also a saucy Chinese concubine.
There are certain energetic qualities that different souls can have which some of us on Earth would perceive as either “masculine” or “feminine”. A King soul has what we would tend to see as a very “masculine” presence (in the sense of being commanding, powerful, masterful). Likewise a Server soul can come across as a “feminine” presence (in the sense of being gentle, caring, nurturing). But these are simply reflections of our human conceptions of gender stereotypes. Male and female female genders do not apply to souls, just differing amounts of yin and yang energy, if you like.
That said, some souls do prefer incarnating into one gender over another, so for example a Warrior who enjoys being in the military might be born male 90% of the time. Other souls are very at ease in either gender. But swapping gender at least now and then is necessary for the sake of getting multiple contrasting experiences. That Warrior still needs to know wheat it means to be sensitive or exploited or whatever.
Interestingly, the development of sex change operations and treatments now allows souls to compare-and-contrast within a single lifetime. I don’t know what is in these souls’ specific Life Plans, but perhaps it might be that one who is very used to being (say) male might reluctantly incarnate as a female but with the option to change if “he” doesn’t like it! Presumably a soul like that has an ongoing “issue” with gender – or on a more positive note, perhaps it is voluntarily helping to change social attitudes about gender.
Most of the things you said were how I saw it my head too especially about the spirits, like they were just imprints left behind.
Here is where I got the whole male presence question -
“At first I could not see them well — I was just aware of their mass of light and presence. They gave off quite a masculine energy, especially the one in the middle who did all the ‘talking’. Later, I came to see that the one in the middle bore some resemblance to the self-portraits of Leonardo da Vinci in his old age with his long white hair and beard.”
You actually said “masculine energy”
So as a soul you maybe give off the vibe of a gender that you prefer?
Insanely interesting about the meaning of gender changes and why people get them. I can’t believe how much more sense the world makes with all this knowledge. I love it.
Again, thank you so much for answering my questIons.
Ah yes, thank you.
Well, there is an added factor here, which is that in the spirit world between lives (otherwise known as “Home”), any soul can project itself to others in any visual form it chooses. Souls don’t have actual form, they are just light-energy and consciousness, but form is a great convenience.
I remember reading in one regression book, possibly one of Newton’s, about a young soul who was very fond of its previous life as a Western cowboy type with a big moustache, and in the spirit world that’s the appearance it presented to others.
A visual form is also useful for projecting a role. My personal guide came across as a regal female that evoked my awe, love and respect. My elders, or at least the one in the middle, came across as what I would intuitively recognise as a wise “authority figure” – a bit like Dumbledore to Harry Potter!
Hey Barry!
I’m back for more!
What’s your take on people who are mediums or are sensitive to spirits or people who seem to become “possessed” by some evil force? Are they older souls and more connected to the spiritual word? Or is it just another lesson for any soul and chosen when picking a new life?
Hmm… That’s a big topic with no simple answer. There are sensitive/psychic/medium types at all soul ages. I think it’s a talent that can be developed if one so chooses, over several lifetimes, just like music or sport. Generally I would suspect that they are Priest souls, probably with spiritualistic attitude.
Being “possessed by evil spirits” could simply be a matter of culture and perception. An Infant soul in a tribal context, for example, could be the village shaman talking to “the ancestors” or “the trees”. A Young soul with psychic talents would more likely seek personal fame and fortune – those who want to be “TV’s top psychic detective” and so on. Uri Gellar is a possible example. An Old soul could be a direct channel of higher wisdom and healing energy from Source. But in a social context dominated by Baby souls with strict religious beliefs, hierarchies and so on, any one of these might be deemed to be possessed by evil spirits, or satan.
I don’t know if there really are “evil” spirits as such. More likely, there are infant, baby and young souls existing on other dimensions, who might react with great fear-based malevolence if we were to cross their paths in some way.
Thanks for answering my questions. Ever since the first day I read your blog I look at life and death, the way people act good or bad in a whole new light and I love everything about it. I feel like I see everything clearly now.
I stumbled on this site recently and have been browsing it over the last couple of days. I’m quite intrigued. I’d like to know whether you believe in “God” or a creator. You mention Jesus earlier and so I’m curious about the god connection.
I’m now in my late 50′s and during the last year I’ve become drawn to find out more about mediumship and spirituality. I’ve always considered myself a bit spirit sensitive and now I am full of questions.
At this time, I do believe in a creator (God for lack of a better word). I believe in Jesus, but I don’t believe in the bible. I just think there’s too much room for error being that it was written by man and translated several times (again by man).
Anyway, I’m enjoying your blog and hope to continue to grow and learn.
Thanks for your time.
Hi Simone
My understanding is informed partly by a number of spiritual experiences I have been fortunate to have, and partly by reading absolutely everything I could get my hands on.
I accept the existence of a creative impulse that is not only conscious and intelligent but also omnipresent. Some call it Source, or the Tao. To call it “God” would be to personify it in human terms, perhaps to make it seem more familiar and easy for young children to grasp. But I do not believe in a Creator who is a separate individual being, who makes judgements and demands praise and decides the fate of lesser beings.
My understanding is that we are all extensions of the one creative impulse, consciously experiencing and creating existence in myriad different ways. As such, we are, in a sense, continually creating ourselves. There is nothing that is not a part or extension of this Source. We do not owe anything to our “Creator” because we are, in essence, that same Creator. We are the One undergoing evolution in the form of many. And the underlying relationship between us all is absolute, unconditional love.
I understand Jesus to be a highly evolved soul whose purpose in that life was to dramatically present the truth of unconditional love in a way that would impact human society. I see other figures as having had a similar mission (e.g., Buddha), so Jesus is not unique in that regard – certainly not THE “son of God”.
I believe it is possible to commune with and talk to an intelligence or consciousness that is higher than our own. I also believe it is possible that the presence that was once embodied as Jesus is among such higher consciousness, and is readily available.
There is a stage in our evolution as incarnating souls when belief in a supreme being in command of the Universe makes sense. The Bible, Koran and other scriptures are important tools for (in particular) Baby souls who need fixed absolutes to frame their newly evolving concept of life. Later in our evolution (particularly as Mature souls) we come to question everything and seek our own answers. Then, if we look deep enough within ourselves, or into another being, ultimately we find the Source in all its glory.
When some people have that experience, they conceptualise it as an encounter with a separate almighty being and call it God. I don’t have a problem with that. I just see it differently.
Thank you Barry for your reply.
When I said I believe in a creator, I should have clarified that I also feel we are all part of that creator. After being raised a Catholic and moving away from that as the years past, I came to feel that “God” as a totally separate entity wasn’t right, and the way you describe it seems to make sense. I was also at an impasse on how to figure Jesus into it all, and once again your take on him makes sense.
Thank you again, and I hope you don’t mind if I have more questions as I continue to read along.
Answering questions appears to be part of my present life task, so no problem!
Awesome question Simone! I’ve been wondering how Barry would answer that same question for a few weeks and I was stoked when I read it. I think I read it 5 times this afternoon and it made my day. I attended a baptism last Sunday and was having such a hard time understanding why people think life’s purpose is to serve god and get to a place called heaven. It was neat to watch…over 200 people in a lake getting baptized with smiles on their faces…it gave me a warm fuzzy feeling (I think because I genuinely enjoy seeing people happy) I can’t even imagine how good they felt.
Thanks Imsewhappy. I too have had a couple of questions already answered by reading others questions and Barry’s answers. I’m finding this site to helpful.
Thank you so much for this wonderful website! It shows up for me right on time.
Blessings,
-H
Great. Every time I hear this it makes me so happy to know I’m doing the right thing.
B
This is awesome
Hi Barry. I happened upon your site yesterday when searching for Michael’s Teachings. I had never heard about it but found it mentioned on a person’s profile who seemed to have very similar thoughts and perspectives as mine. I was interested in finding out what she’d meant by MT.
I am a spiritual person and have had several spiritual experiences right from my childhood. I am 30 now. Over these years, I have been forming my own theories, reading stuff here and there and very recently came upon Ra’s material and was astounded by what it had to say. Some of it was just as I was guessing things to be and some of it filled the gaps I hadn’t been able to earlier. Some was also new and very little opposed to what I had thought earlier. And now this. A lot of it is similar though I guess I have to read more from both Ra and Michael to see if they are saying the same thing. Either way, it confirms/clears a lot of stuff and makes the world more meaningful and beautiful.
I just wanted to thank you for the wonderful site you’ve got here, for all the effort you put into it and for spreading love. Love and blessings!
Many many thanks, Sai. Glad you like it.
Thank you, I’ve always had a gut feeling that certain cicumstances occur in my life for a reason. i HAVE NOT HAD AN EASY JOURNEY..however, watching and trying to help others has been the only comfort in this lifetime.It does not matter what I SEEM to get involved in / Business,Relationships,or Friendships, …the people i’m involved with have a jealousy towards me, then they use my kindess to thier advantage. I have no money, no assets, yet I sense this JEALOUSY. The comment, ” I wish I had what you have Mike ” has been said to me at least a 100 times. I’m 68 yr.s young and now I find all my purposes so far are been verified. Thank You So Much, Michael [actually my name]
Right back at you – thanks Michael.
Interesting psychologically. Helpful model to assess inner struggles. Seems to be some Aristotle and Plato presuppositions philosophically. Appreciate spiritual emphasis! As far as spiritual models go though can’t reconcile with descriptions of Jesus Christ presented in the the gospels. He’s described as a self-aware adolescent with no masks and as an adult full of grace and truth. As a teacher he reportedly said, “I am the way, the truth, the light.” Expositors note this light references identity as God–hence THE self-aware soul incarnate. Traits of human personality reflect some measure of the character of God, “image of God” is the concept. Restoration to the ideal image requires relationship via His teachings (ie covenant) which he confirmed via death, burial, ressurection. Most significant it appears is the distinction or separation between divinity and humanity. The ultimate goal or joy / blessedness is being brought into His presence rather than cycling through stages of soul growth to somehow become absorbed into it. I probably did not do justice to the soul growth concept but felt inclined to engage. Thanks.
Wow amazing Im 28 and my first born will be 6, I went through foster care, abuse, miscarriages, divorce and now my understanding on life is unfolding to find my purpose who am i really, and also my daughter. Stinks being on the poverty stucken side of economy though im sure with enough reading enough praying and studying I will accomplish the path successfully. Any other helpful links would be amazing help and very much appreciated…my current relationship with boyfriend and my daughter are my purpose my relationship with boyfriend is him virgo and me sagitarrius and my daughter is aries whom is either just strong astrology or maybe a aspergers child still havent been diagnosised never the less succeeding in parenting and my relationship both strong to succeed not enough to make me blind to know what i want and what im seaching for within my own marks to lead me to the Heavens
Hi Barry, thank you, thank you, thank you. I have really been struggling with relationships of all kinds in this lifetime. Family, friends and in particular, the opposite sex. I often say to my friends, I’m here to learn a lesson but I obviously haven’t learnt it yet. This week I met a spiritual counsellor who talked about my “ego” and how I have let it control my life, etc, etc. so, I did what a lot of us do, I put spiritual ego into google and the first link was Wikipedia, the 2nd link was yours. I can’t stop reading. There is so much information I can’t take it all in. I love the questions and answers at the bottom of each page and in particular the lady who nursed her 5 year old niece at the end of her life. We all think God is responsible for very bad thing that happens in life but your readings have a completely different take on things and, to m, make total sense. Like you, I don’t believe in organised religions, most of them are a cover for greed. I have been quite spiritual since my mum loaned me her Doris Stokes books at the age of 13.
I can’t wait to read more. I’d also like to thank Isewhappy for her interesting questions and your replies are so detailed, it’s nice to see someone investing their time into the replies.
Fantastic website. I’ve forwarded it on to some of my spiritual friends and hey are like me, in awe of everything we read
Thank you Ravangel, I really appreciate it. All this information has made a huge difference to me and it’s a pleasure to pass it on.
Barry