SHARING THE MICHAEL TEACHINGS SINCE 1983
MICHAEL EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION
THE
SEVEN MODES
The Mode is one of the most visible Overleaves because it determines the primary means of expression. It is the modus operandi, or the means, of obtaining the chosen Goal. Your Mode is the way you live your life, e.g., passionately, cautiously, assertively. The Mode affects the nature of the personality, how it operates in the world, and how it is perceived by others. Of all of the overleaves, the phenomena of sliding is most noticeable with the Mode.
THE INSPIRATIONAL MODES
Passion and Reserve are the Inspirational Modes.
PASSION
Passion, the Exalted Inspirational Mode, gives the personality the tendency toward strong emotional reactions. People in Passion live their lives with energy and enthusiasm. They are outgoing and expressive. Passion Mode people also learn to deal with identification, which is the tendency to lose your perspective in the emotions of the moment. Many Mature Souls will act out of the negative pole of Passion Mode, believing that the immediate situation is all that is real.
People in passion express their immediate reactions to situations, rather than merely observing and trying to control or contain those reactions. So, Passion Mode lives closer to the surface in its immediacy and inability to be hidden. People in Passion inspire others by their enthusiasm which says, "Let's do this!" and in their ability to express their enjoyment of the moment. In the positive pole, Passion becomes self‑actualization, which is the ability to realize one's ambitions. People in Passion will slide to Reserve Mode when they feel the need to inhibit their emotions.
POSITIVE POLE
Self‑actualization. Realization. Re‑creation. Spontaneous. Lively. Enthusiastic. Open. Emotional. Involved. Dramatic.
NEGATIVE POLE
Identification. Loss of identity. Taking the part to be the whole. Emotional upheaval or trauma. Irrational. Unable to think clearly.
RESERVE
Reserve, the Ordinal Inspiration Mode, is used in order to be refined, polished, or more civilized. It is one of the more difficult Modes because the personality needs to find an outlet to express emotions in a refined or restrained manner. Some do this by developing a skill or art—such as ballet, music or poetry—which requires a precise degree of refinement. Another method would be to develop an appreciation of culture, where raw emotions have been refined and expressed in a more restrained manner. People in Reserve usually have a deep appreciation for beauty.
Reserve Mode is the opposite of Passion in that it hides immediate reactions or contains them. This gives people in Reserve an air of restraint or containment. They are uncomfortable around those who express themselves coarsely, without dignity. They are usually polite and proper, not extravagant in their behavior. Reserve is usually chosen for the purpose of compensating for a past life of extravagance, or for the pursuit of elegance. Reserve Mode can look similar to a Goal of Discrimination. In reserve, there is an element of internal refinement; in discrimination, there is an element of picking and choosing among things outside of oneself. In the negative pole, reserve looks like inhibition or the inability to express emotions.
POSITIVE POLE
Restraint. Refinement. Tempered. Elegant. Sublime. Graceful. Civilized. Cultured. Tasteful. Self‑controlled.
NEGATIVE POLE
Inhibited. Suppressed. Constrained. Blocked. Anxious. Depressed.
THE EXPRESSIVE MODES
Caution and Power are the Expressive Modes.
CAUTION
Caution, like Power, is on the expressive axis, and expresses itself as an atmospheric presence that can be easily sensed. The motto of caution mode is "look before you leap." People with this mode are cautious or wary in their approach to situations and prefer to know exactly what they are getting into. They have a tendency to feel that something may go wrong before things go right. A lot of times caution is chosen because Essence has seen, over lifetimes of experience, that jumping into situations can be dangerous. In this sense, caution is the opposite of Passion Mode. In the positive pole, people in caution will deliberate before they act. In the negative pole, they are fearful or phobic for no apparent reason.
A person in Caution can slide to Power Mode occasionally when she knows what course of action works for her and takes authority with it. When someone in Caution slides to Power it can be a very effective means of reaching her goal, since those around her are not used to seeing her take authority and, therefore, offer no resistance. The main reaction to being around someone in Caution is that she looks like she may be withholding something, but you're not sure what. Caution can evoke timidity in others because it expresses a subtle mood of fear, and people can begin to mirror those fears in their own behavior.
POSITIVE POLE
Deliberating. Cautious. Safe. Quick to recognize danger. Tactful. Diplomatic.
NEGATIVE POLE
Phobic. Unreasonably fearful. Unable to move or act. Feelings of hopelessness and anxiety.
POWER
Power Mode is the most noticeable of all the Modes. This is because people with this Mode carry an aura of power and authority with them, regardless of whether they are aware of it or not. When a person in Power Mode walks into a room, others can feel her presence. This is also true of the other Expressive Mode, Caution, although the Ordinal Mode is more internalized. Power is about how one relates to others, i.e., someone in Power achieves her Goal by being an authority whose word is listened to, or by being recognized as someone with whom to be reckoned.
Power Mode is more blatant than the Goal of Dominance, even though the two Overleaves are often confused. Dominance works through specific issues and goals, while power affects everything and cannot be hidden. A person in dominance says, "This is how I can manipulate the situation to obtain my desired result." Power Mode says, I am in control of the situation and it will fall in line with what I want." In the positive pole, Power Mode expresses itself as the authority—for example, the person you would go to when seeking advice. In the negative pole, Power is oppressive and uncomfortable to be around. When someone in Power Mode is in a bad mood or is displeased, it is apparent to everyone around her. Whatever she feels emotionally is expressed through the Power Mode to the people around her.
POSITIVE POLE
Being an authority. Knowing what one is talking about. Having a powerful presence. Being the person that people look to for answers. Self‑confident. Powerful. In control.
NEGATIVE POLE
Oppressive. Domineering. Evoking fear in others. Taking or asserting power without consent. Subtly or overtly manipulating.
THE ACTION MODES
Assertion and Perseverance, are the Action Modes.
ASSERTION
Assertion and Perseverance are on the action axis and, therefore, manifest particularly through behavior, as opposed to feelings or thought. The positive pole of Assertion Mode is dynamism—living dynamically, or actively pursuing one's goals. Assertion Mode people are willing to step in and take action where others would not. Assertion Mode is often loud or noticeable, giving its people a sharp edge to their personality. Or it can be handled more subtly, in which case you will notice the person is more willing to take a stand and to act out her beliefs than someone with another Mode would be.
In the positive pole, Assertion Mode is dynamic, action-oriented, and active in achieving the personality's goals. In the negative pole, it is aggressive, belligerent, pugnacious and insensitive to others. In the negative pole, aggression and violence can escalate as the person becomes more and more imbalanced. An Assertion Mode person will give no thought to logic or physical danger while belligerently pursuing her Goal. People in Assertion are able to achieve a lot when they direct themselves toward being productive. Also, by being in Assertion, a person who has been passive for a number of lifetimes can learn to be more assertive. She can also create difficulties with others by being overly pushy, manipulative, or intolerant.
POSITIVE POLE
Dynamic. Sets good boundaries. Action‑ or goal‑oriented. Taking a stand. Enthusiastic. Able to lead others. Energetic.
NEGATIVE POLE
Belligerent. Pushy. Selfish. Obnoxious. Violent. Aggressive.
PERSEVERANCE
Perseverance is the Mode which is chosen when Essence wants to create a personality with endurance, stick‑to‑it‑iveness, and the ability to complete long‑term tasks or karmas. Perseverance works by choosing goals and then accomplishing all of the steps necessary to complete that goal. Once in motion, Perseverance builds a kind of momentum which can be difficult to stop even if the goal is no longer important. This Mode is often chosen along with being Moving Centered. Compared with (for example) Passion Mode, Perseverance appears somewhat dull, although Passion Mode people will usually admire the endurance and persistence they often lack.
Perseverance can also slide to Assertion Mode to appear more dynamic and take a stand. In the negative pole, Perseverance can be immutable, or unwilling to change, despite the fact that a decided course of action may now be inappropriate. Although Perseverance Mode can carry the personality through long and harrowing karmas, it makes it difficult to let go of a karma when it is finally complete. Because it is an Action Mode, people in Perseverance can form physical habits or addictions which can be difficult to break. Perseverance sets the body in motion and gives it persistence but, at the same time, it makes it difficult to change a course of action once it is chosen.
POSITIVE POLE
Persistent. Enduring. Goal‑oriented. Able to carry out long‑term projects, aims, goals. Able to see things through to the end.
NEGATIVE POLE
Immutable. Unchangeable. Dogged. Lacking spontaneity. Driven.
THE NEUTRAL MODE
Observation is the Neutral Mode.
OBSERVATION
Observation is the most commonly used mode. The advantage of Observation is that it allows you to "look before you leap," to observe before acting. It also has the advantage of being able to slide to any of the other modes. You use observation to see where you stand and then use one of the other Modes to act. People in Observation will have a favorite place they slide to; for example, from Observation to Passion or to Power. This Mode is so useful and popular that thirty to fifty percent of the population in any given community are in Observation Mode.
Because Observation is a "Neutral" Mode, and since the Mode is the most visible of the Overleaves, a person in Observation can seem quite unassuming when she first walks into a room. She can be recognized by the way she quietly looks about, missing few details, before she slides to a different Mode, or way of acting, in order to interrelate with others. The person in Observation will at moments seem somewhat detached and passive, absorbing the energy of her environment before actually participating. Observation is often chosen with Intellectual Centering. When observation is combined with other Neutral Overleaves, the observer may spend a large portion of her time looking rather blank.
POSITIVE POLE
Clarity. Awareness. Attention. Absorptive. Spectator. Observer. Having a neutral perspective.
NEGATIVE POLE
Surveillance. Scrutiny. Removed. Inactive. Withholding emotions or information.