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The Scholar is one of the seven soul archetypes or roles in essence. Scholars have a natural affinity for information, logic, and learning. |
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Students of life
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Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. — Marie Curie |
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The Scholar essence represents the most neutral aspect of being — assimilation. In other words, Scholars are designed to absorb and integrate information from the world around them. Their role in life is to develop and maintain our collective learning and understanding.
Scholars shine when they are able to gather information and assemble knowledge on whatever topic takes their interest. The source of information can be anything and everything: books, the Internet, travel, scientific research, introspection, or simply watching the world go by.
Scholar souls are born to study, think and learn, but not just in the academic sense — fundamentally they are students of life. Scholars are life’s observers, reporters, analysts, and archivists.
As such, Scholars tend to be thinkers rather than doers. They feel at home being surrounded by information. Their living spaces tend to be more like libraries, their drawers full of old note-books.
Neutrality
As the only neutral role, Scholars are less driven to dive into life or to change the world. Instead, they tend to regard life as something to be studied — preferably at arm’s length.
That’s not to say that a Scholar will never be proactive or involved. Many Young Scholars have been successful in politics, for example. And any Scholar can adopt a more extravert personality style as and when it suits their purpose in life.
But on the whole, they are less dynamic than Kings and Warriors, less expressive than Artisans and Sages, less welcoming than Priests and Servers. In fact, Scholars can seem relatively dull or monotone compared to others.
The Scholar is an intermediate role, an observer rather than a participant. All of life is vicarious rather than experiential, regardless of the soul age.
— Original Michael group transcripts, 1973
Introspection
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Logic takes care of itself; all we have to do is to look and see how it does it. –– Ludwig Wittgenstein |
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Being so focused on information and its logical implications means that Scholars are naturally introspective and contemplative. They like to have time alone to fully process their experiences and observations internally, before trying to articulate their thoughts. This is in stark contrast to Sages, for example, who prefer to express their every thought immediately.
Scholars sometimes have difficulty expressing themselves in an erudite fashion. The knowledge is there but there is a misconnection between cerebrum and vocal cords.
— Original Michael group transcripts, 1973
Scholars can also be quite pedantic when they do join the conversation — correcting others on their use of grammar, for example.
This basic difference in processing styles can lead to misunderstandings. The more extravert essence roles and personalities can view a Scholar’s introverted behaviour as arrogant or anti-social. But being introspective and subdued is not the same as aloofness, nor is it shyness. It’s just a Scholar’s nature.
(For an excellent article on the realities of being an introvert, see Revenge of the Introverts by psychologist Laurie Helgoe.)
Scholars who are born and raised in emotionally expressive cultures will develop a more expressive style, but they will still be distinctly less expressive than other roles in the same culture.
No Scholar will ever be gushy, no matter how young the soul. Enthusiasm can be genuine, but will be subdued. All reactions are low key: grief, joy, pain, pleasure.
— Original Michael group transcripts, 1973
Scholar Faces
Physically, Scholars tend to have
- a narrow face (at least before middle age),
- a prominent, flat or heavy-looking forehead,
- a semi-detached look in the eyes,
- relatively unexpressive, deadpan features,
- a “flat-line” mouth that is more often shut than open.
To me, they often look like they are carrying a heavy weight inside their brains.
The typical facial expression of Scholars varies from a sort of gruff, haunted look, as though desperately in need of some missing piece of information, to a more solid and reassuring look of expertise and understanding.
Like Warriors, Scholars often wear a frown — but whereas the Warrior expression says “Back off!”, the Scholar frown is more introspective and analytical. Think of the Spock character in Star Trek saying “Hmm… Fascinating.”
Scholar Soul Evolution
[As a reminder, all souls progress through five cycles of self-evolution in physical form. See: Reincarnation: the 35 Steps.]
Baby Scholars
In the second stage, ‘Baby’ Scholars tend to study and teach a dogmatic understanding of the world. Baby souls are prone to adopt a rigidly fixed worldview, rather than alter their worldview to fit new facts. This can lead Baby Scholars into some odd ways of thinking. A good example would be the “creationist museum” director Ken Ham, who tries to reconcile science and religion by claiming there were dinosaurs on Noah’s ark. Pictured is the Canadian Christian writer and schoolteacher E. Margaret Clarkson (1915-2008). A Baby Scholar who achieved worldwide prominence (and notoriety) is the U.S. President Richard Nixon.
Young Scholars
In the third stage, competitive Young Scholars can be relatively extravert, in the sense of being intellectually punchy, brash and forthright. Good examples are the TV presenters Jon Stewart and Erin Ade (pictured). Many Young Scholars become successful academics in prestigious universities where they can use their expertise for personal achievement. Some, such as the Roman emperor Claudius , US diplomat Henry Kissinger, or British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, channel their sharp minds into politics.
Mature Scholars
The fourth stage of reincarnation is a period requiring much introspection, and is therefore “scholarly” by nature. Hence, the Mature Scholar really comes into its own and shines, focusing on interests of a more reflective, philosophical or artistic nature. Examples include the philosophers Leibniz and Wittgenstein, primatologist Jane Goodall, writers Jane Austen and Mary Shelley, composers Gustav Mahler and Sergei Prokofiev, singer Alanis Morissette (a reincarnation of Prokofiev?), artist Georgia O’Keeffe, actors Ben Affleck, Helen Hunt, Emma Watson and Joe Morton , and Britain’s Prince William. As for Mature Scholars in political roles, we have US President Woodrow Wilson. I am also a Mature Scholar myself, as it happens.
Old Scholars
Old Scholars seek self-actualization through their love of knowledge. Examples include Leonardo da Vinci, Goethe, Emily Dickinson, Aldous Huxley (pictured), Ramana Maharshi, and Ken Wilber. They focus on perfecting their mastery of learning and teaching, with increasing wisdom. The original Michael channel, Sarah Chambers, was an early-stage Old Scholar, as were the composers J. S. Bach and Beethoven.
The Old Scholar is detached, aloof, and often arrogantly intellectual.
— Original Michael group transcripts, October 1973
Positive and Negative Poles
[As a reminder, any manifestation of consciousness has both a positive pole and a negative pole. The positive pole is an expression of the true self or soul; the negative pole is an expression of the false self or ego.]
Acting in the positive pole, knowledge (or knowingness), the Scholar is able to develop clear, objective knowledge from valid information and meaningful experience, for the good of all. The Scholar can be a useful expert, an authority on a particular subject, a pundit, a maven.
In the negative pole, theory (or theorisation), the Scholar’s understanding is just that, theory. In other words, their “knowledge” is too dry, hypothetical, or abstract to be of any use. A Scholar in the negative pole can get lost in abstruse, meaningless, theoretical issues that are impractical and of interest to no-one but themselves, like the medieval scholars debating “How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?” The term “ivory tower” reflects this kind of thinking.
A Gallery of Scholars
Some famous examples of the Scholar soul:
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SERVER | ARTISAN | WARRIOR | SCHOLAR | SAGE | PRIEST | KING
Up to: Soul Types: The Seven Roles in Essence