ACCEPTANCE

One of the seven goals Essence can choose to use for a lifetime. The Exalted Goal on the Expressive Axis. This Goal includes wanting to find the good in others and in situations, as well as wanting to be approved of and received favorably by others.

 

ACTION AXIS

Roles and Overleaves that express themselves through movement, how one behaves in the world and what one does.

 

AGAPE

Unconditional or unqualified acceptance of self, others, and life in general. Accepting that others are on their appropriate paths and that they are all right for who they are. This acceptance can range from mild tolerance to overwhelming approval.

 

ASSERTION

One of the seven Modes that Essence can choose to use for a lifetime. The Exalted Mode on the Action Axis. Acting in a dynamic or belligerent manner. Being the active force in one's own life. Also called Aggression.

 

AGREEMENTS

Plans made between Essences to do something together during a specific lifetime. These plans are like non‑binding contracts as they can be abandoned with no karmic consequences.

 

AKASHIC PLANE

See Akashic Record(s).

 

AKASHIC RECORDS(S)

One of the seven Planes of Existence. The storehouse for all experience in the Universe. Entities do not live out a cycle on the Akashic Plane, but rather go there for information or reference. Entities must reach the Causal Plane before they can have direct access to the Akashic Record.

 

ARROGANCE

One of the seven chief Obstacles, or negative features, Essence can choose to use for a lifetime. The Exalted Feature on the Inspirational Axis. Fear of vulnerability. Trying to make a favorable impression.

 

ARTISAN

One of the seven Roles that Essence can choose to use for an entire Circle of Experience. The Ordinal Role on the Expressive Axis. Artisans create all that is new and innovative.

 

ASPECTS OF SOUL PERCEPTION

Although a personality will live life mainly from one of the five levels of Soul Perception—Infant, Baby, Young, Mature, and Old Soul—it still retains the capability of using other aspects of a different, younger, Soul Perceptions. Using or acting from a younger aspect of Soul Perception can be appropriate given the situation.

 

ASSIMILATION AXIS

The hub of the wheel position. Can slide to either the Ordinal or Exalted positions of any Overleaf.

 

ASSIMILITIVE

Absorbing all action, knowledge, emotion. A historical, preservation, gathering‑of‑experience stance.

 

ASTRAL PLANE

One of the seven Planes of Existence. The plane where Essence goes when it leaves the body, when the body is asleep, between lives, or after completing all lessons on the Physical Plane. On the Astral Plane, Essence learns true sexuality, the complete combining of two or more Essences in thought, feelings, and being. Entities recombine on the Astral Plane after all fragments have completed their Physical Plane lessons.

 

ASTROLOGY

The influence of the planets on human events. The time of birth and the resulting astrological chart is chosen by Essence each life just as the Overleaves are chosen. Overleaves determine your basic personality while Astrology is a map of Karma, Agreements, and other factors such as imprinting.

 

ATTITUDE

One of the Overleaves that Essence chooses when it takes a Physical Plane body. The perspective or way of viewing the world. The intellectual point of view. The seven Attitudes are Stoic, Visionary, Skeptic, Idealist, Cynic, Realist, and Pragmatist.

 

AXIS/AXES

Overleaves are grouped into three pairs of one Ordinal and one Exalted each, along three axes—Inspirational, Expressive, and Action—which correspond roughly to truth, love, and energy. The fourth axis, Assimilative, has one neutral Overleaf (able to be either Ordinal or Exalted) and encompasses the other three.

 

BABY SOUL

The second of the five ages of Soul Perception experienced on the Physical Plane. Baby Souls are concerned with the control of instinctive behavior through structure, civilization, hierarchy, and rules. This is the first level at which a fragment becomes oriented towards others. 

 

BARDO

The first level of the Astral Plane where Souls stage themselves to first come to a planet in their energy ring of cadres and entities, also the transition level between the rest of the Astral and the Physical planes traversed through prior to birth and post-death. Ghosts are spirits that are temporarily stuck in the Bardo on their way to the Astral plane and their past life review.

 

BELIEF SYSTEM

Your way of viewing the world and reality as you perceive it to be. The stance from which you view life. The structure and context of your thinking that assumes some things to be true. There is an inherent inflexibility in a belief system. The Michael Teaching is not a belief system but rather a source of information that encourages students to continue to question all beliefs.

 

BLEED-THROUGH

Contact over years or lifetimes with another Essence causes you to start using some of that other Essence's characteristics. This phenomenon is observed most often between Essence Twins. You also occasionally experience bleed-through of your own past life memories and characteristics into the present.

 

BODY TYPE

Essence chooses the balance of planetary influences on the physical body's glandular system each lifetime. This balance manifests as certain sets of physical characteristics, depending on which influences are dominant. There are seven primary planetary influences (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter) and three secondary influences (Neptune, Uranus, and Pluto). Since the Body Type is not part of the personality, it is not technically an Overleaf; it can, however, have a similar if somewhat lesser effect on Essence's experience on the Physical Plane. Only rarely does Essence choose to use only one influence. Most bodies fall under the influence of two or three planets.

 

BUDDHA

A manifestation of the Infinite Soul who taught using Buddhaic Plane energy, emphasizing lessons about merging with the totality of the Universe on an energetic level.

 

BUDDHAIC PLANE

One of the seven Planes of Existence. The last plane that Essence passes through before reuniting with the Tao. Lessons of the Buddhaic Plane concern merging with the totality of the Universe on an energetic level.

 

CADRE

A group of seven Entities. Each Entity belongs to a Cadre. Most of an individual Essence's lessons, Karmas, and Agreements will be done with the members of its Cadre. There are 12 Cadres in each energy ring of Souls that comes to the planet.

 

CASUAL PLANE

One of the seven Planes of Existence. The plane each essence goes to after completing Astral Plane lessons. On this plane, Essence—reunited with its Entity—deals with intellectual lessons concerning the structure of the Universe and has direct access to the Akashic Record. The entity, Michael, teaches from the Causal Plane.

 

CAUTION

One of the seven Modes that Essence can choose to use for a lifetime. The Ordinal Mode on the Expressive Axis. Dealing with the world through the foresight that minimizes risk. Acting with deliberation, somewhat wary of the consequences.

 

CENTERING

One of the Overleaves that Essence chooses when it takes on a Physical Plane body. The habitual manner in which an individual uses the three Ordinal Centers—Emotional, Intellectual, and Moving—and their parts. (See Parts of Centers.)

 

CENTERS

The seven chakras or energetic foci through which we experience the Universe: Intellectual, Emotional, Moving, Instinctive, Higher Intellectual, Higher Emotional, and Higher Moving.

 

CHAKRAS

The seven centers of energy, emotion, intelligence, and instinctive behavior which operate in the human body.

 

CHANNEL

A person who agrees to set herself aside (her lessons, Karmas, Agreements, and, to a greater or lesser degree, her opinions and prejudices) for long enough to let another Essence or Entity send information through her. This information is then translated in some way by the Channel, often into a verbal message but sometimes through physical contact or emotional healing.

 

CHANNELING

Opening oneself to influences, energies, or information from higher planes or higher plane Entities. (See Channel.)

 

CHIEF NEGATIVE FEATURE

Another name for the Obstacle (chief negative feature); one of the Overleaves that Essence chooses when it is in a Physical Plane body. The primary stumbling block or difficulty in the personality. The seven Obstacles are Self‑deprecation, Arrogance, Self‑sabotage, Greed, Martyrdom, Impatience, and Stubbornness.

 

CYCLE OF EXPERIENCE

When a fragment makes the decision to leave the Tao, it embarks on a Cycle of Experience—starting with the Physical Plane and continuing through the six other Planes of Existence—until it returns to the Tao, with all the knowledge and experience it has gained.

 

COSMOLOGY

The study of how the Universe works and the laws by which the Universe operates.

 

CREATIVE ENERGY

One of two types of energy in the Universe (Creative and Focused). Creative Energy is intuitive, diffuse, explosive, creative, multi-tasking and in charge of the overview perspective. Also referred to as "female" energy since female bodies (with no Essence) are composed of Creative Energy.

 

CYCLE

Essence moves through many cycles. The word "cycle" refers primarily to the Cycle of Experience, but is also used to refer to each of the following in the Michael Teaching: seven year cycles, levels of Soul Perception, and a sojourn on an individual plane of existence. See the individual definitions of each of these terms for clarification.

 

CYCLED OFF

An Essence (fragment) who has completed its Physical Plane lessons and Karmas, and has returned to the Astral Plane after completing its last life, has "cycled off."

 

CYNIC

One of the seven Attitudes that Essence can choose to use for a lifetime. The Ordinal Attitude on the Action Axis. Having the point of view of expecting the worst to happen, being wary and apprehensive, and viewing life from what "probably isn't." 

 

DEVOTION
One of the seven Goals that Essence can choose to use for a lifetime. The Ordinal Goal on the Action Axis. Devoting oneself to the triumph of a cause or another person. Formerly known as submission because of a tendency to submit oneself to a higher cause than self-centered interests.

 

DISCRIMINATION

One of the seven Goals that Essence can choose to use for a lifetime. It is the Ordinal Goal on the Expressive Axis, carefully picking and choosing among all that life has to offer. This can range from being highly refined in one's taste to being outright rejecting.

 

DOMINANCE
One of the seven Goals that Essence can choose to use for a lifetime. The Exalted Goal on the Action Axis. It is a desire to “win” in the game of life and leading others to win with you.

 

EGO

Belief in your separateness from the Universe and the Tao.

 

EMOTIONAL CENTER

The energy focus or chakra related to perception, feeling, and sentiment. Correct use of the emotional center gives one innate knowledge or perception of the truth. All emotions and feeling come the emotional center.

 

ENERGY

One of the three elements of the Universe. All that exists whether it is in the form of matter (e.g., the physical body) or not in the form of matter (e.g., sound). Energy is all that exists in the Universe, corresponding to the Physical and Buddhaic Planes.

 

ENERGY BALANCE

Essence's percentage of Creative and Focused Energy components. 

 

ENERGY RING

The group of about 100,000 souls consisting of 12 Cadres (84 Entities) that come to be born on a particular planet. Each planet is assigned a specific number of energy rings for each sentient race.

 

ENLIGHTENMENT

Raising one's state of conscious awareness to a higher level using higher Centers.

 

ENTITY

A group of approximately 1,000 Essences or Souls who come to the Physical Plane at approximately the same time and agree to share their consciousness on other planes. Members of the same Entity (Entity fragments) share a strong bond and usually recognize each other as old friends when they meet.

 

ESSENCE

The Soul, or spirit, a part of each individual which is immortal.

 

ESSENCE TWINS

Two Essences who come to the Physical Plane at the exact same moment and agree to be in each others' lives over and over again. Essence Twins share experiences while on the Astral Plane and, after many lives, also begin to share Essence and personality characteristics. (See Bleed-through.) Essence Twins also act as mirrors for one another in which each other's flaws and good points appear. This is the most intimate of Physical Plane relationships and therefore the most challenging. Essence Twins can be the same Role but they usually are not from the same Entity.

 

EXALTED
Having a quality that puts one out in the world in a more noticeable fashion. Feeling comfortable dealing with larger groups.

 

EXPRESSIVE AXIS

Roles and Overleaves that are noticeable because of their expressive quality. More emotional in nature. Flamboyant.

 

FALSE PERSONALITY

Operating from the negative poles of your Overleaves. False personality increases the illusion of separateness and prevents life from flowing smoothly. False personality is not always an inappropriate place to operate from, since it can facilitate Karma.

 

FEMALE ENERGY

(See Creative Energy.)

 

FLOW

One of the seven Goals that Essence can choose to use for a lifetime. The Assimilative Goal. Learning to have life flow. Often chosen for a rest life, the trick is to be receptive, rather than pro-active.

 

FLUID

The quality of being flexible, quick‑moving, light, and airy. Connected to the outer edges of the cosmos.

 

FOCUSED ENERGY

One of the two types of energy in the universe (Creative and Focused). Linear, directed, persevering, productive, and concentrated on one point. Also referred to as "male" energy since male bodies (with no Essence) are composed of Focused Energy.

 

FRAGMENT

An individual Essence member of an Entity. Each Essence or Soul on the Physical Plane is a fragment of an Entity.

 

FREQUENCY

A quality belonging to Essence. Frequency is essence's “speed of vibration” measured on a scale from 0 to 100.