Refining Ourselves
The Chief Features—3 & 4
Inspiration Axis
Self-Deprecation
Self-deprecation is, for better or worse, a favorite among Old Souls. A tendency to recognize the immensity of the universe can cause Olds to shy away from putting themselves forward. While this Chief Negative Feature helps hold people back from creating karma, it can also keep them from developing relationships or manifesting their true talents. As a result, it can restrain them from moving into the tranquility they seek.

Self-deprecation can manifest among people of ethnic groups that are held in disdain by other groups and in the poorer classes of third world countries, as well. It is adopted among those who are downtrodden in the political systems that create large disparities between the haves and the have-nots. Women in those countries in which they are kept behind the veil often use this Chief Feature. It helps them not call attention to themselves in situations where it could, potentially, be dangerous to do so.

In the positive pole, people who use this Chief Feature are humble about their achievments and feel no need to grab the limelight. They aren’t afraid to admit their shortcomings or lack of knowledge about a given topic. A great modesty is often manifested. This is a gentle overleaf, generally speaking. People employing it are usually unassuming and comfortable in the background.

In the negative pole, constant apologizing, self-abasement and a full-blown inferiority complex may show up. These folks don’t feel sufficient self-worth to allow themselves to manifest talents, wealth, relationships, or spiritual growth. Self deprecation may bring forth sloppy habits in dress as well as diet, exercise and, as a result, poor health.

Generally speaking, this Chief Feature can interfere with reaching out for fame. Woody Allen has based a career on Self-deprecation but he is the exception that proves the rule. Dudley Moore also managed it and George Harrison’s difficulty looking at the camera showed his Self-deprecation in action.

Self-deprecation, though it looks innocuous when compared to Self-destruction [see post of 12/21] or Martyrdom [to be profiled next time], can be extremely self-blocking. In order to loosen its grip, people need to learn to perceive themselves realistically— and recognize their own self-worth. After that, they might get hold of some self-help books and practice self-esteem enhancement. This makes it possible to slide into Pride, the positive pole of Arrogance [see below]. Making this change takes persistence and can be scary—but the exercise is worth it [having practiced self-dep, myself, for a number of years, I can attest to that.]

Arrogance
Often taken on at a young age, people with this Feature, tend to think they are a superior breed of human, not subject to the same imperfections as those other "common" people. They have an exaggerated sense of their own importance, perceiving themselves as noble and grand, and feeling they are beyond the average. They believe they will make a significant contribution to the world, and they have an unrealistic evaluation of their own abilities, talents, intelligence— they see themselves as better than they really are.

Ironically, the person in Arrogance may shy away from attention after spending years and enormous amounts of energy courting it. That’s because the fear that drives Arrogance is the fear of vulnerability. Arrogant people will not admit to themselves that they are imperfect and are terrified others will discover that they are. They are likely to avoid situations where they aren’t sure they will excel. They perfect themselves in private before stepping onto the public stage. They’ll stick to the things they do well, and continue to polish them. They tend to look down their noses at others—both literally and figuratively. Fearing the judgment of others, they tend to pass judgment on others first.

In the positive pole there is lots of pride and self-esteem. They dress and groom well. They do good work. By and large, they are comfortable with the image they see in the mirror. When living in the positive pole, there is no comparison with others, just a feeling that they are good people, doing well. They expect a lot of themselves, and work to live up to their self-image

In the negative pole there can be such a fixation on making a good impression that they can never let their guards down. They can’t simply relax and enjoy themselves.
Vanity and snobbery can crop up with the automatic assumption that others are lesser beings than themselves. Everything they do is geared toward proving their superiority. They belittle others and treat them as inferiors. They won’t be caught dead complimenting another person. To do so would acknowledge the other as an equal or even superior. They treat other people in a highhanded way they that says "I'm better than you, I know better than you and don’t you forget it.”

They don’t apologize for their mistakes. In fact, after making a mistake they will look you in the eye and deny it. If another should point out a mistake or some other imperfection, they will find a justification or excuse for it or even turn the tables and claim that the other person is mistaken in his or her judgment.

The way out of the negative pole is to contemplate the positive pole of Self-deprecation—humility, and strive to achieve it.

Despite the push-pull of the Feature, Arrogance can still propel people forward. People with the Role of King will often use Arrogance to help them achieve their goals and you’ll find it in large measure in the fields of law, politics, medicine, acting and other highly visible occupations.