Volume One
Chapter Seven — Steps to Authenticity
March: Characters
1. Were you ever in a school play? Do you remember what it was like to learn lines and play a fictitious character? Then, at the conclusion of the play, you and the other members of the cast went to the front of the stage and took a bow. When the curtains closed, you stopped pretending to be that character and went back to being yourself. Right? Wrong, you went back to being another character, one you have more familiarity with and experience playing. You've played this character since you were small and started showing signs of personality. This character is a shell for the real you who is pretending to be the character. This is the biggest secret in the world. The "you" you have been playing is as real as Batgirl or Superman. All three of you are fictional characters.
2. How can fictional characters have anything that isn't an unreal experience? They live in comic books, on stages, and in plays. They were created in a writer's mind and then were made as real as possible by artists and actors. They live in fictitious worlds that were also created in a writer's mind. The key words here are as real as possible. They will never truly be real, just as all of the billions of human characters running to and fro today will never truly be real, because they only house something real. They only house something real temporarily, until they die and the soul moves on, or until the soul has grown sufficiently to merge with the body. Thus, making the soul an expression of reality and no longer an instrument of illusion.
3. As characters start to open up and question who they are, who their friends and enemies are, and what life is really all about - and the key word is real(ly) - they give their souls some breathing room, some space to expand in. Think of a root-bound houseplant. Once it receives more space the roots can expand, and growth that had been temporarily halted can resume. The character is the single most important element in the body-ego-mind-character equation, as it is the gatekeeper. Characters create experience through free will. They decide what kind of a reaction they will have towards the things life throws their way. They decide to resist or accept things ranging from easy and pleasant to extremely difficult and unpleasant. Everything, and I mean everything, asks the character these two questions: Are you sure about this? Is there another way to think about and approach this?
4. Guidelines:
Pick a time of day that suits you best and read the step that corresponds to the appropriate month and date. This is your starting point. Simply reflect on what the step means to you and ways to put it into practice. Accept whatever feelings come to the surface as you work your way through the steps. These steps are the beginning of a transformation where love replaces fear, which is no easy feat. Be patient with yourself. You are doing what few have ever been able to do. Now you have the means. Just add a little willingness and you will be a more soulful and less ego-driven being in just a year's time. Godspeed.
5. March 1
What are some positive achievements your character has accomplished thus far in this lifetime?
6. March 2
What are some negative experiences your character has experienced thus far in this lifetime?
7. March 3
Returning to your character's positive achievements, how much was your soul involved in these?
8. March 4
Returning to your character's negative experiences, how much did your soul help you to process them?
9. March 5
Think about your birth family. How much did characters in this group help you to learn more about your soul and how to allow its free expression?
10. March 6
Think about your chosen family. How much did characters in this group help you to learn more about your soul and how to allow its free expression?
11. March 7
Try to remember a time when you reacted from your ego to harsh circumstances. How could your soulful response have improved the outcomes?
12. March 8
Try to remember a time when you responded from your soul to a harsh set of circumstances. How did this help to save the day and make lemonade out of lemons?
13. March 9
Describe a character from your current life experience with whom you have had a terrible relationship.
14. March 10
Describe a character from your current life experience with whom you have had a rocky (good/bad mixture) relationship.
15. March 11
Returning to the terrible relationship from March 9, what was your takeaway from this experience?
16. March 12
Returning to the rocky relationship from March 10, what was your takeaway from this experience?
17. March 13
What character traits do you see as being important contributors for society?
18. March 14
What character traits do you see as being dangerous for society?
19. March 15
What character traits do you have that you consider to be important?
20. March 16
What character traits do you have that you consider to be potentially dangerous?
21. March 17
How do you enhance your important character traits?
22. March 18
How do you shine light on your own traits that you see as potentially dangerous?
23. March 19
Are you willing to see yourself in others instead of seeing them as other?
24. March 20
Are negative character traits really traits or are they just built-in tendencies to resist love, to resist the soul?
25. March 21
What character traits were taught to you as you grew up?
26. March 22
Which of these traits were positive?
27. March 23
Which of these traits were negative tendencies?
28. March 24
Which character traits do you value the most?
29. March 25
As you look back on your past experiences, when were there times that you felt compelled to react from your built-in programming (ego)?
30. March 26
As you look back on your past experiences, when were there times when you went out on a ledge and responded in ways that did not feel natural to you?
31. March 27
Comparing the reflections from March 25 and March 26, which reaction or response felt more joyful even if somewhat more uncomfortable?
32. March 28
Look back on a recent lunch or dinner gathering with friends. Can you tell who is reacting from ego and who is responding from soul?
33. March 29
Look back at a recent time when you observed yourself reacting from ego. What could you do differently the next time?
34. March 30
Take a mental snapshot of your family as you were growing up. What was dominant in the household: ego or soul?
35. March 31
The more you choose soul and love, the stronger it gets inside you and the easier it will be to repeat this choice. Can you commit to exploring your soul as a loving response more often?
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