(Excerpt from a group session)

[MICHAEL]

In order for you to have a "powerful" lifetime where what you planned to accomplish is actually achieved to satisfaction, the Universe has developed what is termed a SUPPORT GROUP.  This Support Group consists of Twelve Positions/Individuals playing specific Roles in your life, each specializing in a facet of your life in order to keep you in a Thirteenth Position labeled the POWER Position.  This is because when your full Support Group is in your life and recognized, you become incredibly empowered.  Even Universes are arranged in this system of cooperation.

The Twelve Positions are labeled and organized into 4 groups of 3, taking care of four defined contexts of your life.  Each of these sub-groups of three allows you to play a fourth position in each, creating a Quadrant (group of four) that is very powerful.  Although there is a non-physical Support Group in a given lifetime ("spirit guides"), we are speaking today of those physically incarnated for the Personality's comfort and support, except where indicated.

It is important here to note that over many lifetimes you build a Network of Support that extends in circles, or "strings", of strength.  There are twelve Strings of Support.  To say whether a person is 1st String or 6th String indicates how often, BUT NOT HOW WELL that Essence plays that Position for you.  A First String Position is the "strongest" because of time and depth of commitment to you, but those 11^th and 12^th Strings are just as effective, even if only short-term.  This system of “strings” was cultivated to accommodate conflicting plans between Essences for a given lifetime.  If the First String Position is not choosing to incarnate for that era, or are not planning physical contact, then a Second, or Third String, and so on, will always be available.

If you find any of the Positions "missing", it is in an indication that you may simply be unaware of a source, or you are imposing that Position on an existing person in your life, "forcing" them to play roles they are not designed to, or are not willing to, play.  (We will mention that you truly cannot "force" another to perform or behave in any way, it will always be his or her choice; we choose this word due to its impact and example, rather than its accuracy.)  This imposition can cause great strain and stress on an individual coming into your life to play a specific role, and then finding they are trying to fulfill a handful of Positions.  Identifying what a particular person's specialty is frees the relationship from unnecessary expectations and disappointments, creating permission to take full advantage of the gifts the individual CAN offer.  Make mental notes along the way if you realize you have one person playing multiple Positions, and which Position may be the more natural intention.

The first sub-group of three would be your INTIMATES.  These are the most directly experienced of all Support Positions.  They are LOVE, KNOWLEDGE, and COMPASSION.  Since these are the basic fundamental needs in any given lifetime, those who are not open to receive these players consciously are usually dreadfully alone.  It is NEVER a case where there is no one to play these roles; it is always that you are, for whatever reasons, blocking the interaction.  Despite your blocking the interaction, energy is still exchanged with these Positions, most likely unconsciously, but they are a part of you nonetheless.  In fact, you would physically be incapable of life if these Positions were not in some way fulfilled.  Isolation and loneliness are such profound delusions in this Universe, regardless of your insistence and indulgence in them, that to have truly experienced such a state would result in complete self-annihilation.  There is ALWAYS Love, Knowledge, and Compassion available to any fragment at any time.

LOVE:  the person playing this position is someone who has unconditionally accepted everything about you and loves you completely.  There is nothing you can do wrong in this person's eyes.  There is ALWAYS someone, somewhere who loves you and can inspire you.  The False Personality may not recognize it because of its own limitations, but, fortunately, that does not stop you from being loved. Acknowledging who is presently your LOVE POSITION can bring great peace.  Sometimes it isn't who you want it to be, but, again, this is False Personality's perception, not the truth. If you choose to recognize that you are loved, and by whom, you may be more capable of attracting the Personality defined "love" relationship, which isn't always about being truly loved, but what is stimulating to Personality.

KNOWLEDGE:  this person is your best advisor.  This person can have ideas bounced off of them and they will tell you with confidence what will work and what will not, or help you in coming to those conclusions yourself.  It is this person you trust the most in your life as an information source.  The Love Position can inspire you, but the KNOWLEDGE POSITION helps put things in perspective like no other Position, helping to narrow your choices to what is in your best interest.  This can range from high-impact life decisions, to just asking the opinion on a new mate or job.  Without the objective viewpoint of an external source, choices can be made more difficult than necessary.  You can rest in the hands of this individual's direction.

COMPASSION:  this person is the one who cares enough about you to point out what you are doing wrong, or right, in light of your "higher plans", as they support you.  You may refer to this as "brutal" compassion, since it is sometimes painful to the Personality to face the truth.  This person can be counted on to tell you the truth about you in any situation.  This Position is vitally important as it helps you to stay within parameters you might have set for a lifetime's accomplishments.  You may become bogged down by addictions, depression, procrastination, despair, boredom, even delights, or other "distractions", and COMPASSION will be there to help you move through these.  Not that a lifetime is wasted in any way, even if these "distractions" prevailed, since all experience is valid and useful, but COMPASSION can still be there with truth.  This person will help push you to the limits of who you are this lifetime, since they see past your fears.  In fact, they refuse to support fear in your life at all.

As we said, these three Positions are your INTIMATES, since they affect your most immediate reality and, therefore, are most important to start with in recognizing.  Acknowledging what role you play in another Support Group can be as liberating, and we suggest you keep this in mind as we progress.

Next, we will cover the INSPIRATIONALS.  These Positions are labeled MENTOR, BEAUTY, and CHILD.  The theme here is to remind you of the larger perspective of your life.  They are not necessarily in your life intimately or even personally, but they are available at your disposal when the need arises.

MENTOR:  is the person who models most closely the role you want to play in your life.  They are your teacher.  This is someone who is accessible to you in some form for guidance in "how they did it" (or "do it").  The MENTOR provides a framework of plan for the general work you intend to do in life at a given time.

BEAUTY:  is the person who innocently points out the good in life, the beauty in you and your life, and generally embodies, themselves, what is beautiful to you.  This person can take you back out of despair and help you connect with the loveliness of your life's unfolding.  They help you connect with the loving field that creates the Physical Plane in the first place.  They remind you of what is perfect in life.

CHILD:  is slightly self-explanatory, for this is the individual you, yourself, provide nurturing for.  Often it is literally a child, but is by no means limited to that form.  It is someone who depends on you for care.  This gives you the experience of your own capabilities to provide and, therefore, reminds you of your strengths, however begrudgingly.  Many people choose Companion Animals for this Position, and while this is quite effective, it is a bit more "to the point" when of the same species.  Many people, when feeling lack of purpose or importance, turn to this Position for rekindling.  This works, if all other factors are considered, but often False Personality then imposes several other Positions on the "child"/animal companion to fill a void.  Then the gift is rarely truly gained.  This turns the CHILD into a source of resentment, which is not GOOD WORK.  This Position is usually easy to spot since it "cries out" for attention particularly from you.

That completes the INSPIRATIONALS.

The next triad of Support can be called your CLASSMATES, meaning those who help you through your Physical Plane Lessons you've chosen for the lifetime.  In order to undertake your chosen challenges, you will need HUMOR, ANCHOR, and DISCIPLINE.

(Notice, as we progress through the Positions, the less intimate and personal they become, yet, we assure you, they are just as crucial.)

It may be obvious why HUMOUR is vital:  someone has to cheer you up and make you laugh when the "going gets tough", reminding you NOT to take things so seriously.  A celebrity comedian sometimes plays this for a mass of people.  Acknowledging the affects of this person in your life carries with it a cleansing, putting your energy back in perspective.

Your ANCHOR reminds you that, "through it all", you have a place to go at ANY time for rejuvenation, relaxation, and nurturing.  This person has probably been in the same residence all of your life, or you, at least, know where they are at all times, and how to be with them, regardless of distance and time.  This individual would never turn you away if you were in need of shelter, clothes, food, etc.  This person reminds you of the stability existing in the midst of life; an "oasis" or retreat.  Parents play this role a lot, but it can be played, of course, by anyone offering consistency on the Physical Plane; time and space is never a challenging factor in your relationship.

DISCIPLINE is defined as the person who heightens the awareness of your decision making process.  They are not someone who is riding you, forcing you to fulfill plans, they simply help create scenarios that bring your awareness to the impact of your decisions.  Although Knowledge helps define the parameters of your potential decisions with feedback and advice, DISCIPLINE helps you see the end results, often far-reaching.  A sometimes-frustrating relationship, since this person will remind you of your intended track, they are nevertheless helping you focus through your procrastination and distractions.  While Compassion will be truthful through this, and Knowledge can help shape plans, DISCIPLINE actually shows you the road and keeps you "awake".  We feel this helps differentiate the affect of DISCIPLINE from others, as it is sometimes hard to spot, or intensely ignored.

That ends the CLASSMATES definitions.

Finally, you have your SPIRIT GUIDES.  We do not mean this term in the typical definition, but rather in the respect of their impact on more Spiritual (or abstract) Lessons as opposed to your day-to-day Material Lessons, as you will see.  These Positions tend to hold more clues to themes that carry over several lifetimes.  These Positions are especially free to be played by anything, or anyone, physical or non-physical, incarnated or not, who exemplify and express the inherent quality. They are HEALER, ENLIGHTENMENT, and MUSE.

First, we will cover the HEALER Position.  This Position takes care of repairing, mending, or processing the deeper effects of experience.  Whether Physical, Emotional, Intellectual, or Spiritual you will always have available a HEALER for your "pains" and "ailments", or "dis-eases".  This could be an actual Doctor, or spiritual leader, but may also be played by personal, non-physical guides who help you assimilate life.  The Dream State is where many of you access your HEALER.

ENLIGHTENMENT:  this is a teaching, or teacher, person, or organization that gives structure to your current belief system, or perspective.  This Position provides you with a framework with which to take in life.  We, the Michael Entity, play this role for many of you, our Students, but it can be played by anything that helps you understand, comprehend, and act in the context of the "big picture" of your life.  This is where you get a sense of having a "path".

And, finally, we will cover the MUSE Position.  This Position is the pure aspiration with which you measure your life against and strive to attain personally.  The MUSE is the least tangible and namable, although you can usually hint at it in certain phrases, such as "Freedom", or "Unconditional Love"; more specifically in "Sexual Freedom", or "Unconditional Love of my family".  Certain people, historically, become a MUSE for masses of people, such as Christ, or Buddha; even musical/theatrical entertainers, or political figures, like Madonna and James Dean, John F. Kennedy and Princess Di.  Knowing and acknowledging who personifies your MUSE and being able to identify the quality to some extent constructs a sort of "light" ahead.  The MUSE gives the greatest clues as to why you came to be incarnated in the first place.  Be as clear as possible in your definition of the MUSE and refrain from confusing the source of the MUSE with the Muse itself.  For instance, our Philosophy may be a MUSE, but we, the entity, act as Enlightenment, a vehicle for your MUSE.  Another:  Madonna's music may be entertaining, but her Personality, itself, acts as MUSE for most.  One more:  For some, Seth's Teachings act as Enlightenment, but Jane Roberts acts as the actual MUSE.  You may have many MUSE to help tend to the different areas of your life, though this may be true of any of the Positions.

Now:  Evaluate the people in your lives and what role they play, assigning them, as accurately as you can intuit, what String they may be.  Evaluate what Position you may be most inclined to play on a wider scale, and then what role you play in other's lives individually.  Determine whether you have been playing a Position you are good at or if it has been imposed on you, and vice versa.

If you find vacant areas in your Support Group, recall that you can ALWAYS find someone to fill the Position, even if they are not from any of your Strings.  If you find resistance to a particular Position, start making an agreement upon rising from sleep that you are open to examples, so you can "ease" that Position into your life.  Many resist the Discipline Position in daily life, for example, but can still find the experience of that Position's influence at any time.  An elderly lady in front of you at the check out counting endless pennies and coupons can heighten your sense of decision making by forcing you to either surrender to the situation in peace, find another check out, or explode with anger.  Regardless, the impact of your choice will be immediately apparent, thus, Discipline has been experienced.  Many find it difficult to see their Beauty, so they can decide to allow "glimpses" of what it's like by actually listening to that simple compliment from a stranger, or acknowledging the sunset you helped create today.

Rather than being distracted by what a person isn't giving, now you may be able to identify the gift that's been there all along.  Comparing perceptions can also reveal a role you never knew you played for a person so well, or didn't suspect was expected of you.  Rather than wander through life thinking these basic elements of Support are missing, ease them in gently, by paying attention to your day.

The Support has always been there and always will.

QUESTION:  "Can gemstones act as HEALER, because I feel very healed by stones?"

MICHAEL:  Yes, but understand that gemstones are actually a conduit for the Healing source, NOT the Healer Position itself.

QUESTION:  "Are there times when you are naturally more open to your Support Group than at other times?"

MICHAEL:  Yes, of course, since some lifetimes are designed to "go it alone", so to speak.  It may appear, at those times, a most isolating experience,  but, since that lifetime would naturally be predisposed to isolation, contact may not even be missed.  Besides, as we said before, but, here will reiterate, even in the most severely isolated experiences, it is merely illusion.  Again, you are always surrounded by Support.

We will also add that as Soul Age progresses, especially during the Older Soul Ages, there can tend to be a kind of "codginess" indulged in that seems to say, "I've been through so much over so long a time, I don't need anything I can't do for myself!"  Old Souls are the most likely to get this bout of prejudice.  Observe any room of Old Souls and regardless of their understanding and casual compassion, there is sometimes a secret labeling of each other as "lunatics".  So, Old souls can get "set in their ways" and choose to ignore some Support.

Another delusion of the Personality is that since you are such an OLD SOUL, you must express your strength and Spirituality through "individuality".  In light of all offers for support, you must figuratively turn your head and say, "NO, I CAN HANDLE IT...".  We do not see who benefits from this act and merely perpetuates your conditions.  There is NO ONE to judge you, besides you.  YOU MEASURE ALL PROGRESS; there is no other judge.  We cannot stress this enough.  Therefore, making life "easier" would only make sense, of course, if this is your choice.