CHARACTER 4 RIGHT BRAIN THINKING
our Welcome to our Character 4. I say because this is the part of our consciousness, our right thinking brain that we share with one another, and all other life. I see the brain cells underlying our Character 4 as the portal through which the energy of the universe enters into and fuels every cell of our body. This energy and its consciousness fill up our entire being. We are swimming in it, and it is swimming in us. There is no separation. Our Character 4 is the all-knowing intelligence from which we came, and it is how we incarnate the consciousness of the universe.
Although we are an amazing form of life, we are atoms and molecules in motion. As I mentioned in the chapter on Character 1, our left brain refined our level of processing such that we could lift our focus up beyond the level of the molecular flow into the realm of external things . However, when we devolve our perception from the level of things back down to the level of the atoms that compose all things, we return our focus to the level of the particulate matter from which we originated. The consciousness of this microcosmic flow remains omnipotent and omnipresent. We never left it, we are never without it, and it is the river of peace that flows through our veins.
We embody this peace when we tune in to the consciousness of our Character 4. However, in order to do this, we must quiet the thoughts of our Character 1, which is obsessed with the details of life in the external world. We must settle the emotional volatility and reactivity of our Character 2 and distract our focus away from the experiential sensations being processed by our Character 3. These three characters make a lot of noise inside our head, and we need to quiet it all down if we are going to expand in the consciousness of our Character 4.
I think of the four different consciousnesses of our Four Characters as though they are different instruments playing in a string quartet. The two violins play the melody and the piercing high notes soar above the other sounds, making them easily heard. The cello brings in a bass line of supportive low tones that is readily distinguishable from the higher notes of the violins. The viola, however, plays notes that are not quite as high as the violins or as low as the cello. This is why these middle tones of the viola can blend so well with the others that they become difficult to identify, while at the same time they form the glue that melds all the other notes together into a balanced sound.
Although the viola may be difficult to hear when everyone is playing, if it were not there, the unity of the overall sound would lack luster. At the level of the Four Characters, the role of the viola represents the consciousness of our Character 4. The two violins symbolize our left-brain Characters 1 and 2, which can be loud and overshadowing, while the cello denotes the lower body tones of our Character 3. We must listen carefully to hear our Character 4, and when all the other instruments agree to play more softly, the strong, exquisite tones of the viola’s voice can be heard. Our Character 4, like the viola, is the glue that balances the expression of our Four Characters.
If your Character 1 is having a hard time wrapping its mind around the validity or existence of the consciousness of Character 4, I recognize that it is natural for Character 1 to possibly judge the unfamiliar, unknown, and woo-woo mystical as . Yet throughout the history of man, and in varied cultures around the world, humans have designed techniques, tools, and strategies ranging from religious dogma and prayer to meditation and yoga to access this realm of consciousness and experience their Character 4. Carl Jung spoke of the Self as the archetypal part of ourselves that was the unification of our unconsciousness with our consciousness. We know it is there, but how to access it has been the challenge, and each of the characters goes about this in different ways.
Because our left brain thrives on separating and dividing everything into categories so it can create order and make sense in the external world, it decided that science and spirituality are two subjects that are so polarized that they both cannot exist. As a scientist I never understood this frame of mind, because science is the strategic tool that we use to explore what we do not understand, and clearly we do not understand the realm of our right brain.
Unfortunately the scientific method, which good scientists are supposed to use to perform quality research, is by definition a linear-based method that the left brain has designed so it can measure everything and replicate an experiment in order to test a hypothesis. This is quite limiting, of course, since the scientific method as it currently stands is only available to prove and validate things in the external world of our Character 1. We can only use a linear technique to study linear phenomena.
If something is not measurable or if experimental results cannot be replicated, our left brain will often either choose to deny its existence or negate its value altogether. This gap between what we can study in the conscious realm of our left brain, versus everything else that is neither measurable nor replicable in the realm of our right-brain consciousness, requires that we take a leap of faith if we are going to wrap our minds around understanding it. It is reassuring to note that a lot of really creative research is currently going on that is both stretching the boundaries of the scientific method and building a bridge between the dogma of science and the experience of spirituality.
The consciousness of our Character 4 is our constant companion, as it is the energy within which we exist. This consciousness is woven into every cell of our body and every molecule in the universe. It is the energy ball within which we live and breathe and have our being. It is the source of our life, and it is the experience we yearn to achieve through various practices. Our Character 4’s consciousness is the most distant destination of our Hero’s Journey, and returning to this consciousness is a coming home to our precious and most peaceful self. Our Character 4 is our authenticity, as it is the part of ourselves that we share with the One. Yet that does not negate the understanding that each of our Four Characters is individually authentic.
FROM COSMIC ENERGY TO HUMAN LIFE
Our Character 4 is the original consciousness that we were born with, before our brain and body were neurologically wired up for function. Long before our infant brain could define where the boundaries of our body began and ended, we were just a ball of energy infusing and radiating around a lump of cellular life.
Following our conception when our father’s DNA combined with our mother’s DNA, that single zygote cell would develop into our fetal body. It embarked upon its maturation toward human life, powered by the energetic consciousness of the universe. That individual zygote cell contained the molecular genius necessary for it to metamorphize into who we are today.
Over the course of a nine-month gestation, that ball of cosmic energy (the consciousness of our Character 4) directed the expression of our genes, which contained the blueprint of our molecular profile. As a result, the cells that would make up our form developed at a rate of 250,000 new cells per second. (Yes, per second, not per minute!) As impossible as that may be to imagine, that universal power of our Character 4 consciousness directed our transformation from the single zygote cell into the structure of our emerging body.
By the time we completed a normal nine-month gestation, all of the cells making up our tissues, organs, and organ systems were lined up in perfect formation and ready for our next stage of development that would occur when we left the womb. By the time we were born, although those trillions of cells making up our brain and body were structurally organized and in position, they existed at various levels of function. For example, the cells of our diaphragmatic muscle of respiration were already wired up with our reptilian brain stem cells, so at the time of our birth we were able to breathe. Our skeletal muscles, however, and the rest of our motor system, although set up and in position, would require external stimulation to mature.
At the time of our birth, the ball of energy surrounding the mass of cells that we had developed into while in the womb blended fluidly with the energy of the external world, as they were one and the same. Of course, the journey of our birth from that warm liquid womb into the oxygen-rich gaseous air was by definition not only shocking to our biological system but was also our original separation from our connection with something that had been both protective and nurturing.
In the moment of our birth, we gained our physical individuality, but we would never shed the shared consciousness of the universal energy that infused our every cell. Why do we love babies? Perhaps it has something to do with how easy it is for our Character 4 to be drawn out as we mirror the consciousness of their Character 4. All you have to do is look into the eyes of a new soul and see its beauty. When we unfold their little hands with our fingers and smell the scent of their heads, it transports us into a remembrance of our own innocence, vulnerability, and innate wholeness. With birth we celebrate the miracle of life and this wondrous transformation with an eternal hope for a future of all humanity that is wide open with possibilities.
When we are born, in response to our new environment our infantile brain physiologically shifts to a higher level of information processing, as the consciousnesses of our Characters 2 and 3 come online to process new levels of input. In an instant, our sensory systems are flooded with bold stimulation including bright lights, loud sounds, and direct touch, all of which had been muted by the liquid environment of the womb. Considering that our brain’s wiring is a product of both nature and nurture, stimulation now streaming full force through our sensory systems is initially perceived as chaos because those systems are not yet fully mature. Yet our brain is a masterful tool specifically gifted in its ability to create order from disorder and make sense from nonsense.
At the time we are born, we have no definition of our physical boundaries and our brain cells require stimulation from the external world in order to establish the circuits and future networks necessary for us to define and control our muscles. As a side note, this is why it is so important that infants not be tightly swaddled for hours on end, and instead be allowed to flail their limbs about. When we are infants, every random movement of our limbs sends information from the muscles crossing the joints up to our brain about our position in space. When we are born, we are merely a collection of cells with an undefined and unrefined consciousness. These arbitrary motor movements are critical for normal brain development and should be encouraged. Our brain learns quickly, and as we gain awareness of our physical boundaries, we also achieve a rudimentary control of our limbs.
It is also important to be aware that when we are born our brains are not a blank slate, as our genetic profile carries with it innate and instinctual wisdom. The chromosomes of our DNA are made up of the exact same four molecules as other mammals, which means that we are coded at the level of our genomic inheritance to share patterned responses and insights from our genetic predecessors. Just as an example, we humans share 99.4 percent [2] of our genetic code with the chimpanzee, and a part of that coding includes instinctual and protective insights.
BRAIN CELLS AND CONSCIOUSNESS
As I noted earlier, we are feeling creatures who think rather than thinking creatures who feel. When we are born, the circuitry of our emotional Characters 2 and 3 are far better developed than the higher-thinking circuitry of our Characters 1 and 4. When our two emotional Characters 2 and 3 come fully online, our overall attention becomes focused on filtering the inundation of sensations streaming in from the external world. When we start processing information as our Characters 2 and 3, we become distracted away from the awareness and the more subtle and omnipotent consciousness of our Character 4.
Functionally, the cells of our Character 4 exist at the neuroanatomical junction between the experiential physical life of our Character 3 and the boundless consciousness of the universe. In other words, it is the Character 4 part of our brain that is a spiritual being having a physical experience. And as such our Character 4 is our connection to our Higher Power whereby we exist as a part of the Infinite Being. Use whatever language is comfortable for your belief system, but this character exists as the cosmic consciousness.
With time, this consciousness of our Character 4 energy ball, which is both the life-force power of the universe and the consciousness of our cells, shifts silently into the background of our perception. The easiest way I know of to hook back into this eternal state of peacefulness is to consciously choose to bring my mind to the present moment and then expand my consciousness to embody a deep sense of gratitude. I do this regularly through the practice of the Brain Huddle, which we will focus on in the next chapter.
Inside the expanded consciousness of our Character 4, where we have no physical boundaries or sense of our own individuality, we perceive ourselves to be both as big as the universe and enveloped in the deep, eternal love of the cosmic flow. The feeling of the cosmos, the sensation of an all-pervading experience of deep inner peace and love, is available to us in life and is what we will return to in death. Within this awareness that we are safe regardless of our physical circumstance, we can exhale into this experience of deep inner peace and contentment, where we are perfect, whole, and beautiful. The road to true enlightenment is knowing that this eternal peace is our future, present, and past.
One of my favorite books on this subject is Why God Won’t Go Away by Drs. Andrew Newberg and Eugene d’Aquili. These scientists authored the famous research in which they studied monks and Franciscan nuns by using a SPECT machine to determine what happens in the brain during meditation or prayer. What these scientists learned was that instead of finding an area in the brain that would light up when these folks felt a connection with the eternal, God, or feeling at One with the Universe, they instead found that the language and other left-brain centers became silent.
CHARACTER 4 IN THE WORLD
Our left-brain Characters 1 and 2 interpret the space between any two things to mean that they are separate. Science teaches us that there is an electromagnetic field of atoms and molecules that surrounds us, and that we exist within it and it exists within us. Our left brain is unaware of this sea of energy because a small group of cells in our parietal region defines the boundaries of our body, surmising the separation. How different would our world be if we understood that we have the power through our thoughts and emotions to influence this field of energy? Perhaps gaining this insight into whole-brain living is humanity’s collective Hero’s Journey and how we will evolve as a species to live our lives with purpose.
We humans are energy beings that transmute one form of energy into another. For example, through our sensory systems we transform vibrational patterns into sound or vision, which is completely dependent on the structure and function of those specific neurons. We are energy beings having a physical experience, and we are not simply vibrational receivers or mechanical achievers through the use of our muscles and limbs. Instead we have the power to organize our thoughts and communicate via language using the vibrational tones of our voices, as well as many of the more subtle forms of communication that we discussed as gifts of our Character 3.
The energy that fuels the movements of the planets and stars is the exact same energy that forms the consciousnesses of both the overall universe and our Character 4. There is no division in the particulate matter that makes up everything, and it is all in motion. Because we are neither disconnected nor separate from the universal flow, we humans have the power to focus our minds and emotions and purposely shift that energy. Through the power of prayer and the power of setting our intention, we have the power to consciously change the way that energy flows.
When we purposely focus our intention and send those vibrations out into the great unknown, change happens. We are powerful beyond measure, not just within our brains but in how we can use our brains to influence the energy field and thus the world around us. At its core, this is why the book
and movie The Secret had such mass appeal. Energetically this relationship between us and the space around us is real.
I hook into my Character 4’s consciousness that exists in the eternal flow when I shift my mind into the present moment, focus on my breath, and feel my heart expand to connect with the breeze that both brushes my face and simultaneously rustles the leaves on the trees. When this happens, I shift out of my left brain’s perceived boundaries and meld into the energy. I become the movement of the flow and shift into being that elusive thing. I am not only the leaf, but I am the energy that moves the leaf. I am not just the bird that soars, I am the energy that lifts the wing so the bird can pivot even higher. I am not just the kiss of the breeze upon my face, but I am the warmth within it. I am not just the purr of a kitten, but I am the energy of love that radiates in that vibration.
I connect with my Character 4 by extending myself out into the sparkling colorful light of a rainbow as I remember what it feels like to sparkle. I shift into my Character 4 as I devolve into the energy of that loving gaze between a mother and her nursing infant. My Character 4 is everywhere and in everything, and during these moments I delight in the glorious bliss of just being alive. My Character 4 revels in the bond I’ve grown to know with the great blue heron as it squawks to me “good day” on its morning rounds, and at dusk I empathize with the owl as she calls for her mate to come home for dinner. Together in that shared and sacred consciousness, we are all family here as one ball of energy.
There are so many wonderful poets and musicians who have iterated the bliss of our Character 4: beautiful souls who have seen themselves in the reflection of God, not separate from it, and then shared that with the rest of us. The gift of poetry in the form of music fluidly seeps meaning into the distant crevasses of our being, and nothing has ever more completely summed up the soul of my Character 4 than singer/songwriter Carrie Newcomer’s Bare to the Bone :
Here I am without a message
Here I stand with empty hands
Just a spirit tired of wandering like a stranger in this land
Walking wide-eyed through this world is the only way I’ve known
Wrapped in hope and good intentions and
Bare to the bone
Just as our Character 4 can profoundly influence our use of language to converse in deep and soul-stirring ways, this part of our consciousness is open, aware, and accepting that everything is exactly as it should be. Our Character 4 does not judge, it simply celebrates with wonder the life that it lives. This part of our character teaches our other characters that we are not just worthy of being loved but that we are love. When our left-brain characters open their hearts to the wholeness of their right-brain Character 4, any lack of worthiness instantly disappears. We cannot experience ourselves as unworthy of love and be the love of the universe in the same moment.
Because of the way our brain develops, children are often more comfortable with their Character 4s than adults. As we age and assign higher value to the skills and consciousnesses of our left-brain characters, we become more comfortable in the external reality of our left brain and less comfortable in what becomes unconscious and unknown. This makes sense, of course, because we learn the rules of society and how to focus at the level of things early on. We learn how to pick up our toys, how to not get lost in the grocery store, and how to use our inside voice. We are trained when we are very young how to follow the rules of society and honor the values of the world.
Consequently, for many of us, the mere idea of dropping our left brain’s focus on identity feels like a terrifying death, but it’s really more like wading into a cold mountain stream on a hot summer day. At first it feels shocking, and then you go a little deeper and your body begins to acclimate. Before you know it, the water is waist-high, and although this may be the coldest water in which you have ever been, your body tingles and your whole soul wells up with amazement as you dive in. Taking that first step into the water is heeding the call of your Hero’s Journey. Eventually your ego acclimates to the understanding that it will not die if you simply set it momentarily aside. Your ego remains right there, always available to be immediately brought back online if you choose that. But when you permit yourself to embark upon the journey, both insight and growth await you.
It can be simple for us to step into this consciousness of the unknown when we strip off our judgments, our schedule, and our worries and choose to really enter the realm of the present moment. Go jump into a mud puddle without thinking about the mess or consequences, and encourage that overwhelming sense of jubilee to erupt from your soul. Remember that childlike joy you used to experience? Just thinking about it radiates a smile right down to my core. When we are willing to step out of the properness of our suit, our ego, or our justification of our value, and we let ourselves land in the here and now, life is messy, so let it be what it is and revel in it.
Who are you when you set down your self-doubt, judgment, and criticism? Who might you be if you believed in yourself like your Character 4 believes in you? Who might you be if you identified and embodied this part of you in every moment of every day? How vast would you be if you set yourself free from those left-brain boundaries and limitations? This Character 4 part of you is always right there, connected to everything and loving you perpetually. It is the majesty of the mountains when we pause and breathe it in, and it is in the energy of the ripples as they dance across a surface.
This sacred awareness of your Character 4 is omnipotent and just beyond your focus, and no one else can take you there but you. Although you may be physically alone, this part of you is incapable of loneliness because it is the love that is woven into the consciousness of everything. Our Character 4 is grateful for the gift of life, accepts what is, and delights in the passing of time.
As the poet Rumi so eloquently invited, “Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there. When the soul lies down in that grass, the world is too full to talk about.” Our Character 4 is this part of who we are that resides both at the core of our being and at the edge of the veil of whatever lies beyond. I will meet you in that field . . .
CHARACTER 4 AT WORK AND AT PLAY Character 4 on the Job
Character 4 is the anchor of any corporate ship. Each of the other three characters rocks the boat in their own unique ways, but Character 4 is the predictable, reasonable, big-picture, unbiased perspective of how it all fits together, flows collectively, and works—or not. Character 4 is not afraid of the money situation, no matter what it is, and is not attached to its egocenter because it does not have one. It is aware of the egos of others, of course, but Character 4 is completely available to assess the big-picture performance of the overall machine. It thinks in systems: If we do this, thenthat will happen, so then we need to counter that with this in order to createbalance.
Our Character 4 can juggle nine details at the same time and not be paralyzed with fear or feel overwhelmed by a complex task. Character 4 looks at all the parts as different pieces of the whole, but its strengths and insights are in putting them together to create a systemic flow. As a result, our Character 4 is the beta test of any organization. If I don’t know whether something is going to work, I can take the idea to a Character 4, who will visualize the project and then tell me yes, we can do that or no, that will not work. The Character 4 may also say, yes, we could do that, but I’m not sure that we should. If the Character 4 is not convinced that the gain or addition will add value to the bigger picture, then it will always choose simplicity and clarity over complexity.
When it comes to business practices, our Character 1 wants to make a profit, our Character 2 will squirrel around with the idea and details, our Character 3 wants it to be fun, and our Character 4 wants to serve the greater good.
Character 4 at the Beach
Character 4 can hear the sounds of the beach, the breaking waves and the birds calling long before they get there. Character 4’s heart is so filled with gratitude as they connect with the vast expansiveness of the ocean that ideas of hope and possibility immediately replace any inklings of despair. In this space, in this feeling of connection with something greater than oneself, there is a sense of total abundance and total surrender to an all-knowing awareness that everything is exactly as it should be.
We may be alone at the beach, but our Character 4 is never lonely. We feel innately at home and completely present as we connect with all that is. We watch the birds for longer than we realize as we get lost in their musings. The essence of our being ebbs and flows in rhythm with the waves, and we soar with the birds and exude contentment. As the sun warms our skin, we close our eyes, raising our arms to the heavens in appreciation for our life and all the life around us. We exhale.
Consumed by a feeling of grace, we know at our deepest core that we are perfect, whole, and beautiful just the way we are. We make no comparisons because we are completely here in the present, with a mind that is void of another place or time. We are grateful that we have life, that we are life, and that we share life. We feel humor in the playful dance of the pelicans, we see meaning in the clouds, and we feel the beauty of the magic all around us. We are aware of the tapestry of which we are a part as we move within the flow of it all.
Character 4s at the beach smile easily and share direct eye contact with those passing by. They are in motion energetically, even if their bodies are not in action. They connect in amusement with the wild screams of children at play and smile at the old geezer who is napping. If you open your soul to their wavelength, you can feel their projection of love to everyone and everything. And those dolphins we see today, the ones that bring everyone so much joy, they are here in communion with our Character 4s.
A Snapshot of Our Character 4
Aware: I am connected to all that is. I am aware that I share the sameconsciousness as everything around me and that I am in it, and it is in
me. We influence one another even though we cannot see it. We cantrain ourselves to feel it and know it.
Expansive: I am open to possibilities and value the big picture andwholeness of my existence. I do not fear the absence of my ego-selfbecause I know that I am perfect, whole, and beautiful just the way Iam. We exist in the energy of the One.
Connection: In the consciousness of the cosmic flow I embrace thetimeless, all-knowing part of myself that is connected to all that is. Iresonate in this space when I meditate or pray. Each one of us is aneuron in the network of humanity, and we are intricately connected atthe molecular level as a part of the flow.
Accepting: I can either accept life on its own terms and feel peaceknowing that everything is as it should be, or I can be attached to howI want things to be and suffer when reality does not match mypreconceived vision.
Embraces Change: I love and celebrate what is right here in front ofme, and then when this moment, this life, this love, this experience ispast, I am grateful that I had it at all. Life is a series of moment-by-moment changes, and I embrace them all with an open heart and amgrateful for whatever comes next.
Authentic: When I strip away the details of who I am in the externalworld, when I step beyond the details of my Character 1 Persona,Character 2 Shadow, and even my Character 3 Anima/Animus, I ownmy power and step forward as my best self because this is theconsciousness of the Higher Power that flows through me.
Generous of Spirit: I am a part of the whole. When I give to you, I amgiving to a part of myself. When I help you, I give assistance to us all.When I love you, I accept you as you are and we all thrive.
Clarity: No longer distracted by the workings of the external world, Iam clear in our intention to love and be loved. Our number one job inlife is to love one another. Period.
Intention: I set my intention and trust that everything is connected andin flow. When I use the power of my heart and mind to manifestsomething, I am using the power of myself to shift the arrangement ofthe atoms and molecules in space, and I stay on course.
Vulnerability: Stepping into life as the consciousness of the universe, Ican step into the nakedness of my Character 4 and stand strong in myvulnerability. When I let you see who I am, I empower you to do the
same.
Getting to Know Your Character 4
As with all the other characters, if you prefer to skip these questions for now, feel free to continue reading, and come back for this exploration when you can take some time to really explore this part of yourself.
1. Do you recognize your Character 4? Pause for a moment andimagine yourself being this part of yourself.
I became really familiar with this part of my being on the morning of the stroke, when I shifted completely out of my leftbrain Characters 1 and 2. I felt as though there was nothing left of me, the individual I had known, yet I was still tethered to this body and this life. In the absence of everything that I had grown to be, I felt pure bliss and grace in the all-knowing consciousness of the universe. I knew that although I was not yet dead, I was as disconnected as I could possibly be and still be counted among the living.
2. What does Character 4 feel like inside of your body? Howdoes this character hold your body, and what does your voicesound like?
In the absence of my left-brain characters, the consciousness of my Character 4 was one of uncompromised peacefulness and euphoria, and I purposely return to that state many times every day. When I am embodying the consciousness of my Character 4, my vision blurs, my senses perk up, the feeling in my chest expands, I focus my attention in the present moment, the boundaries and edges of my body slip out beyond my awareness, and the essence of my being swells in a timelessness of intense grace and contentment.
When I speak, my voice drops into a lower register and I enunciate clearly. The consciousness of my Character 4 is an amazingly beautiful awareness that I know one day I will return to full-time, and when I do it will be a true coming home.
3. What if you don’t recognize this character inside you?
If this Character 4 feels completely unfamiliar to you, and you not only cannot recognize this part of yourself but it sounds completely absurd, foreign, or perhaps even dangerous, rest assured that you are not alone. Just as with our Character 3, it can feel very threatening to our left-brain Characters 1 and 2 to step out beyond our sacred individuality. However, offering techniques and tools that are designed to help people find this place of deep inner peace is a thriving multibillion-dollar industry, and if you choose to use tools to help you get there, you have many options from which to pick.
Because we live in a society that is skewed toward the hierarchical, materialistic values of our left brain, which focuses on me, the individual, we are rewarded for what we do rather than for who we are. Our right-brain Character 4 exists simply as life in a peaceful and blissful state of feeling connected to all that is, whereby life itself is the reward and gratitude is the underlying feeling. It is impossible for our Character 1 to linearly rationalize or think its way into our Character 4. Instead we must surrender to it, and that can feel scary.
If your left-brain Characters 1 and 2 are really powerful, it may be difficult for you to step into your Character 4, because in order to do so you must feel safe. Not just physically safe, but safe emotionally from the judgment and criticism of others who don’t value their own Character 4. Many strong left-brain characters will negatively judge the value of their own right brain, as they only believe in the reality that is defined by their five senses. In addition, few things stir as much fear, antagonism, or argument as the subjects of religion, spirituality, and other intangible forms of belief. We have reasons for believing what we believe, and any challenge to what we believe is often interpreted as a personal endangerment.
Having said that, the dogma and stories associated with religions are a function of our left-brain language centers, while our experience of spirituality and our connection with a Higher Power happen in our right brain. Regardless of which religion or practice you might observe, the ultimate goal of prayer, mantra, or meditation (at the neuroanatomical level) is to slip our consciousness out of the confines of our left brain, where we experience ourselves to be individuals, and into our right-brain consciousness of our Character 4, where we experience a fluid connection with our Infinite Being.
If you are a nonbeliever, either an atheist or agnostic, you are not alone. Many of us don’t know what to believe, so we choose to not believe in anything at all except perhaps the power of ourselves and our five senses. Yet regardless of our level or subject of belief, when it comes to our brain, tuning in to the consciousness of our Character 4 can be very healing physically, emotionally, and spiritually. When we choose to team up with the consciousness of the universe for healing, amazing recovery can happen. Just look at my brain. I can guarantee you that it was not the power of my leftbrain characters that brought them back online, it was the power of the universe that worked with the consciousness of my Character 4 to help my cells heal.
If you still cannot identify with your Character 4, consider the moments in your life when you have felt your heart expand or open. For many, the sighting of a rainbow, or fireflies, or even catching a glimpse of the shadow of a leprechaun as he dashes behind a tree at dusk might bring a special thrill to your soul. If you are not aware of ever having any of these feelings, there are tools you can use to help yourself become more aware, more open, and more connected to the all-knowing. If you are willing to expand your experience and practice shifting your attention toward the elusive, it is possible for you to train yourself to “become” the energy around you.
4. Assuming you can identify your right-brain thinkingCharacter 4, how do you let this character express itself? How
much time do you spend in your Character 4, and what is thatlike for you?
This part of me is never far away as I vibrate in the hum of the hummingbirds and coo at the trail of a shooting star, not forgetting to silently make a wish . . . why not? Character 4 is always running just below the radar of the noise that is made by my other characters, and this is my authentic self that is all-knowing, allloving, and connected to all that is.
This portion of my brain knows that we are perfect, whole, and beautiful regardless of what is spiraling around me in this world or what circumstances I find myself in. And a dead giveaway that I am in my Character 4 is when I burst into song with Doris Day singing, “Que Sera, Sera.” For you it might be “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” with Bobby McFerrin or “Hakuna Matata” from The Lion King . Regardless of our age and era, these songs sing the promise of our Character 4.
I step purposefully into my Character 4 when I exhale and allow myself to be held by something that is greater than myself. God is in the exhale. On the inhale are our expectations, our must-dos, our performance, our self-reliance, our self-judgment, and our anxiety. But when we let that go, when we surrender our attachment to what we want as opposed to what is, our Character 4 steps out and celebrates.
With practice, I shift my consciousness out of my normal focus, pushing the constant noise of the world into the background, and bring my attention to that which has no name. When I focus on my breath, I immediately shift my awareness to the present moment. When I think about my breath, I shift out of the past or the future. Once in the present moment, I connect with my sense of gratitude and allow my consciousness to devolve into the babble of the babbling brook and empathically experience the laughter, tears, and fears of others.
I let myself expand, weaving my energy between the blades of wheat in that field over there, and I am in the movement of the grass and trees over here. Matthew 6:28 says, “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They don’t toil, neither do they spin.” They simply are, and they trust that is exactly what they are meant to be and do.
Our Character 4 is our mystic self. It is our knowing that we are not only held by nature but we are the crescendo of the insects as they perform their symphonic cacophony. We are the sunbeams when they explode as glory through the clouds, and it is my Character 4 that reads the Morse code in the surface ripples when they scatter across the water as a love note from our beloveds who are now out and beyond.
5. As you think about your right-brain thinking Character 4,can you assign it an appropriate name?
I lightheartedly and enthusiastically call my Character 4 “Queen Toad.” I refer to her as a queen because, well, she is a queen. She is the part of me that is regal and connected to the almighty. I call her Toad because I am a goofball and I live on a lily pad on the water, a boat named BrainWaves where I spend five months a year. I have learned that it is important for me to not take myself too seriously, since I am both the center of the universe and simply a speck of stardust. My Character 4 is more than my life. She is the part of me that is omnipresent, and she feels like eternal Love.
6. Who are some of the Character 4s who have influenced youover the course of your life, in positive or negative ways? Wasyour Character 4 emboldened by their Character 4 or repressedby it?
Following the stroke, I did not want to give up this awareness that we are truly perfect, whole, and beautiful just the way we are. So I made a vow to myself that I would only recover as much as I had to recover for the rest of humanity to perceive me as normal. By definition, the price I paid to be fully human again was losing my complete connection with the Infinite Being. I made the decision to recover, however, because there was no point in me having this experience with stroke and God if I was not going to come back and share it.
I am often asked if I can return to that space of my Character 4 at will, and most of the time, instead of living here and visiting there, I choose to live there and visit here. I am a Character 4, and I add the skill sets and circuitry of my other Characters, 3, 2, and 1, to function here in this world as a living being. Yet I remain clear that Queen Toad is, in Jung’s language, my Self, and the rest of my consciousnesses are simply the other characters I use to live this human life.
I love meeting other Character 4s. They are truly the icing on this cake of life. Put a couple of Character 4s together and watch the sparks fly, the lightning strike, and the love explode. We are divine.
7. Who in your life appreciates, cares for, identifies with, andwants to hang out with your Character 4? What are thoserelationships like?
Some of the greatest words of wisdom I have ever heard came from my very good friend Dr. Jerry Jesseph when he stated, “We, as humanity, are confused and more confused.” I think it is safe to say that those of us who are most confused are completely unaware of, disrespectful of, or do not value our or anyone else’s Character 4.
Having said that, many of my closest friends live the life of a strong Character 4. These friendships are all accepting, deeply loving, supportive, nurturing, empathic, and kind. Character 4s share a knowing when they meet, and they are some of the most gratifying relationships one will ever find.
Who else likes this part of me? My fellow travelers who seek or know this part of themselves. Those who exist in that realm dance with me among the stars and know there is no separation in space and time, so we never need to meet in this life. Yet when we do, it is a sacred moment of connection and a shared moment of knowing.
8. Who in your life does not get along with your Character 4?
This part of me is pure love and sees the beauty in you no matter your human circumstances. This is the part of a mother who unconditionally loves her child as well as the children of others. This is the part of ourselves that knows no stranger, and the part of the Christ in us when we state, “Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do.” Character 4s love unconditionally, and at all times.
Our Character 4 is a safe place because it is compassionate, kind, and open. When someone else is having a bad day, my Character 4 can be kind and supportive and I can offer you a smile and an appropriate touch, even when you are growling. A Character 2 in distress can feel the strength, courage, and love when a Character 4 holds the space for them. Our Character 4 is the most powerful tool we have to de-escalate either our or another’s pain.
9. What kind of parent, partner, or friend is your Character 4?
It is important for us to help our children develop a strong Character 4 because this is a meaningful healing part of ourselves. More than anything, healthy children want real connection with others, and as their parents or friends we can model for them what it means to have a healthy connection with our Higher Power. When we recognize and value the thread of the One that is in everyone and everything, we open our hearts and soften the edge of our judgment. We have the ability to invite our children into an awareness of the present moment, but more than likely they will probably lead you into that conversation since we are born in the consciousness of our Character 4.
One of the greatest gifts my mother ever gave me when I was a child was to assure me that even in those moments when I upset her, during those times when she may not have liked my behavior very much, she always loved me. In addition, G. G. was always on a path of growth, and throughout my life she let me grow and change and did not limit me to who I was yesterday. She let me grow out of bad behavior and did not hold me back.
When I graduated from college, I drove from Indiana to California to become a guide on the American River. A fantastic woman who was about my physical size volunteered to train me to row the rapids. Ragina, who was a 13-year veteran guide at the time, taught me that because of my size, I had to learn to row with my brain rather than my back. The men could muscle their way out of trouble, but smaller women could not. I grew up that summer on the river by meeting the best part of myself, and the part of me that I wanted to become. I met my Character 4.
When I returned home, my mother recognized that I was now a different woman, and she never held me back to my smaller self. By the time I had my stroke, my mother knew my Character 4, and she completely trusted that her job was to set me up for success by working with me to help me heal myself. My mother was my first and greatest blessing, as she reared me twice.
By modeling for others how we find holiness and sacredness in the simple things in nature, we help others see it more clearly. I had a friend who would always pick worms up off the sidewalk and toss them back into the yard when we went on walks. This was a great practice, of course, except on those rainy days when thousands of worms were unearthed. Then I found my left brain questioning the wisdom of what we were doing, while my right brain thought maybe it was time to go fishing.
10. How kind is the relationship inside your head between yourcharacters? How does your Character 4 relate to your othercharacters?
Queen Toad does not just love everyone, she is love. She respects and supports my Character 1, Helen, and celebrates her efforts to help our life have order. On cue my Queen Toad zips right in to hold and nurture my little Character 2, Abby, when she stumbles into fear or pain. Queen Toad adores my Character 3, Pigpen, but has to remind her often that although we are fine with death and dying, we would appreciate Pigpen’s cooperation in helping us keep ourselves
alive. So far Pigpen has accommodated this request, and we come in out of the thunderous lightning earlier than we used to.
Cheat Sheet: Get to Know Your Character 4
- Do you recognize your Character 4? Pause for a moment and
imagine yourself being this part of yourself.
- What does Character 4 feel like inside of your body? How does
this character hold your body, and what does your voice sound like?
What if you don’t recognize this character inside you?
Assuming you can identify your right-brain thinking Character 4,
how do you let this character express itself? How much time do you spend in your Character 4, and what is that like for you?
- As you think about your right-brain thinking Character 4, can you
assign it an appropriate name?
- Who are some of the Character 4s who have influenced you over
the course of your life, in positive or negative ways? Was your Character 4 emboldened by their Character 4 or repressed by it?
- Who in your life appreciates, cares for, identifies with, and wants
to hang out with your Character 4? What are those relationships like?
Who in your life does not get along with your Character 4?
What kind of parent, partner, or friend is your Character 4?
How kind is the relationship inside your head between your
characters? How does your Character 4 relate to your other characters?
2 Derek E. Wildman et al., “Implications of natural selection in shaping 99.4% nonsynonymous DNA identity between humans and chimpanzees: Enlarging genus Homo,” Proceedings of theNational Academy of Sciences of the United States of America vol. 100, no. 12 (June 10, 2003), 7181–7188. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1232172100.
CHAPTER 8