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Know Yourself
Alex Carberry
Self Quest
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Copyright
Know Yourself Alexander Carberry 2011First Edition published by Bahr Press & Self Quest.
Published by:Bahr Press & Self Quest The Old Bowling
Green, 75 A Rose Hill Street, Derby, Derbyshire,DE23 8FZ, United Kingdom
Website:www.bahrpress.comwww.selfquest.co.uk
Email: [email protected]
All rights reserved. No part of this publication maybe reproduced, stored in any retrieval system ortransmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwisewithout the prior permission of the publishers.
Written by: Alexander Carberry
General Editor: Uthman Ibrahim Morrison
Cover photograph: Baraka Carberry 2010
Cover Design: Khadijah Carberry
A catalogue record of this book is available from the
British Library.
ISBN-13: 978-0-9564513-1-6
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.bahrpress.com/http://www.bahrpress.com/ -
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About the AuthorAlex Carberry was born in London,
England. He was raised in Guyana South
America on the edge of the Amazon. He
returned to the United Kingdom to study
but after meeting with a Sufi teacher chose
instead to embark upon the sufic path. He
has since spent over 20 years studying
Sufism, philosophy, natural medicine, geo-
politics and Daoist martial arts. He currently
resides in Derby, England.
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Contents
Acknowledgements1Introduction 9
Work With Your Self Not AgainstIt 9Discover Your True Self 9Who should read this book? 11What else will you gain? 12How to read this book 12Welcome to the journey 15
Chapter One 19
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The Four Personality Types 19Overview 19Spring 20
The Nature of Spring 20What Happens in Spring 20The Spring Element Air 21The Spring Personality Type Sanguine 21Summer 22
The Nature of Summer 22What Happens in Summer 22The Summer Element Fire 23The Summer Personality Type Choleric 23Autumn 24
The Nature of Autumn 24What Happens in Autumn 24
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The Autumn Element - Earth 25The Autumn Personality Type 25Winter 26
The Nature of Winter 26What Happens in Winter 26The Winter Element - Water 26The Winter Personality Type 27The Three Ways to be Each Personality
Type28Inherent or True Natures 29The Human Struggle 30The Way of Harmony 30
Chapter Two 33Sanguines: Spring & Air 33Overview 33Spot a Sanguine34
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The Sanguine Impulse 34Sanguine Communication 36The Sanguine Nature 36The Sanguines Strengths 38The Sanguines Weaknesses 40
Chapter Three 45Cholerics: Summer & Fire 45Overview
45
Spot a Choleric45The Choleric Impulse 47Choleric Communication 49The Choleric Nature 49The Cholerics Strengths 52The Cholerics Weaknesses 54
Chapter Four 59
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Melancholics: Autumn &Earth 59Spot a Melancholic 59The Melancholic Impulse 60Melancholic Communication 61The Melancholic Nature 63The Melancholics Strengths 64The Melancholics Weaknesses 66
Chapter Five 71Phlegmatics: Winter & Water71Overview 71Spot a Phlegmatic 71The Phlegmatic Impulse 73Phlegmatic Communication 76The Phlegmatic Nature 77The Phlegmatics Strengths 79
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The Phlegmatics Weaknesses 80Chapter Six 85
Surrender 85So which one are you? 85The lessons you have learnt 86
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Introduction
Work With Your Self Not Against It
Discover Your True Self
There are only four basic ways that people
are. You may find this hard to believe, but at
least seven ancient civilisations agree with
this, and in our time psychologists have
increasingly been rediscovering this ancient
view. I am not going to argue the case for
the validity of this view, because my proof is
that I have used this knowledge for over
fifteen years, and it works. Of course, my
fifteen years is only a drop in the ocean of
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the many millennia that mankind has
benefited from this deep and powerful way
of seeing the world.
This book explores this powerful
knowledge so that you may discover which
personality type you are. Discovering your
own personality type will help you to
recognise the personality types of those
around you. By understanding yourself, you
will understand others.
By discovering your personality type you
will have an opportunity to begin the
journey to discover your true self and
accept your own harmony with the
Universe. This will also encourage you to
work with the way that you naturally are,
rather than against yourself. Other things
share your characteristics and you will allow
them to be your teachers. You will begin to
read the book of 'existence' or 'nature', in a
introduction
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way that will open you up to deep insights.
This book can help you to open the door to
this profound knowledge, but once it is
opened, everything that you see and learn
belongs to you, not to the writer.
Who should read this book?
Read this book if you wish to find your true
nature and deep inner balance. Many self-
help books are complicated and seem to
work against the way that you really are, thisbook does not do this. This book will
provide you with a doorway to discover
your true nature and you will be able to use
this to work with your greatest asset
which is yourself. You will be able to avoidmuch conflict with others by understanding
the way that others really are. If you wish to
be free to be who you are and to leave
others free to be who they are, then this
book is for you. However, if you would liketo continue the impossible task of
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attempting to make things what they are
not, then this book is definitely not for you.
What else will you gain?
You will begin the journey to mastering the
four fundamental principles that govern thenature and behavior of everything in the
Universe. As a result you will be more
assured and confident, for you can trust
yourself and everything else to be as they
are. You will be certain why you have thetendency to be as you are and why others
are as they are.
How to read this book
Go through the contents pages, and as you
go, stop and take a quick look at anything
that strikes your attention. This will
stimulate your interest, provide you with an
overview of the structure of the book, as
well as encourage you to read it. It may also
introduction
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be helpful to read the book quickly once
through. Things are easier to understand and
remember if they are in context. After
reading through once, return to the parts
that you feel necessary to re-read and
reflect on.
Discuss some of the concepts with those
around you. One of the easiest ways to
learn and remember is to share what you
know. Question those who have known you
for a long time about the way that they see
you. Observe carefully the way you and
others do things. Remember, you do not
have to like something for it to be true.
Some truths are bitter to begin with but
that is their sweetness, for things can only
be what they are and the energy we spend
in trying to make them what they are not, is
energy wasted.
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You will discover much about yourself that
you like and much that you do not. What we
are working towards is not liking what we
see, but surrendering to the truth or reality
of things as they are. Redness does not
change because we may dislike it! We may
change the shade, tone and hue of red but
redness always remains redness. Our
fundamental nature is analogous to a
colouring in this respect.
So, read the book, make your observations
and once they become truly clear to you,
accept them. Remember, the stories that we
tell ourselves about ourselves and about
everything else, are just stories; the way
things really are transcends our stories.
Over time our dislike and resistance to the
way things are will change to acceptance
and we will be free to work with what is
there, rather than attempting to maintain an
illusion. Over time and with practice our
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need to persist with our stories in the face
of reality diminishes.
Welcome to the journey
If you have got this far then welcome. Let us
make the journey to discover ourselves. Ihope you will be even more amazed and
excited about the discoveries than I was and
continue to be. It is truly a great gift to have
life, knowledge and to be truly human.
The entire Universe is dynamic, it is always
changing. People are being born and others
are dying, leaves fall and others grow, rain
falls and water evaporates, days come and
nights fall. The creation is constantly beingcreated and destroyed. It means that our
journey to self discovery becomes a process
of transformation as we discover what is,
and what is not, changeless about ourselves.
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I have spent 15 to 20 years of my life
traveling, studying and learning the ways in
which the Sufis understand the universe. My
journey has been difficult but in this book I
am sharing in a simple way, my hard earned
study of the deep and powerful insights that
these little known masters have refined for
over four teen hundred years . Thi s
knowledge is powerful, simple and
profound. If I had not been blessed with the
company and teaching of those Sufi masters
then it would have all passed me by. This is a
knowledge that is taught to the learned
practitioner as well as the illiterate
wayfarer. We can all grasp and use this
powerful way of seeing the universe and
ourselves as part of it.
Alex Carberry
introduction
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Chapter One
e Four Personality Types
Overview
There are four seasons, which are the four
states through which our world passes
throughout the course of a year. These four
states are mirrored in everything in our
world including ourselves. This is the key to
simply grasping the four personality types.
Each things fundamental nature is in
harmony with a season Spring, Summer,
Autumn and Winter and each season is in
harmony with an Element Air, Fire, Earth
and Water. This deep harmony allows us to
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see into the nature of ourselves and
everything around us and to understand the
phases through which things pass. This way
of seeing is called ikma (Arabic) Wisdom.
Spring
e Nature of Spring
Spring is hot and wet. At the beginning of
spring the cold of winter begins to
disappear and it becomes progressively
hotter. The wetness of winter remains in
this season, reducing as it moves into
summer. Warm temperatures and wetness
are the characteristics of this season.
What Happens in Spring
In spring plants burst into activity and theanimals that hibernated in the winter
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become active and vigorous. It is a season of
expansion and everything seeks movement,
fullness and expression. It is a season of
growth and becoming. In this season things
seek growth, movement and expression.
This is the season of birth and rebirth and
of sowing seeds and preparing ground.
e Spring Element Air
In spring the Element of Air dominates. Air
or Wind is of the same hot and wet natureas spring. Air seeks height and dispersion; it
expands and seeks the highest points. By its
activity Air, like Water, spreads evenly filling
each space. By reflecting upon spring we
may understand Air and by understandingAir we may understand the nature of spring.
e Spring Personality Type Sanguine
The personality type in harmony with spring
and Air is called Sanguine.
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Summer
e Nature of Summer
Summer is hot and dry. In summer the heat
of spring intensifies and the wet of spring is
replaced by the dry of summer, for in
summer dryness dominates.
What Happens in Summer
The hotness and dryness of summer brings
things to their ripening and fullness. Fruits
ripen and are harvested in summer. This
demands the action of reaping the fruits. Inthe summer fruition is reached and decay
begins. It is the highpoint of the cycle and is
the season of movement, activity and
gathering.
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e Summer Element Fire
The Element of Summer is Fire. Fire seeks
height and movement, it is gathered and
focused. It always moves up and gathers, it
needs fuel and is in danger of exhausting its
supply. By reflecting upon Fire, we may
understand summer and by reflecting upon
summer we may understand Fire.
e Summer Personality Type Choleric
The personality type in harmony with
summer and Fire is called Choleric.
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Autumn
e Nature of Autumn
Autumn is cold and dry. In it the heat of
summer fades and it becomes cold. The
dryness of summer also fades as it moves
towards the wetness of winter. However,
the general nature of this season is dryness.
What Happens in Autumn
It is a time of the gathering of the late fruits
and preparation for the cold stillness of
winter. It is a time of preparation and
movement towards stillness. Thinking,planning and long term preparation are
natural in it, for the seeds that will be born
in spring must be planted. It is the season of
storing, planning, preparation for winter and
relative stillness and thinking.
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e Autumn Element - Earth
The Element that dominates is Earth. Earth
seeks stillness and gathers, it is heavy and
gives form. It gives structure to things that
persist and provides the environment for
the growth and the lives of things. Byreflecting upon Earth, we grasp the nature
of autumn and by reflecting upon the nature
of autumn we grasp the nature of Earth.
e Autumn Personality Type
The personality type in harmony with
autumn and Earth is called Melancholic.
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Winter
e Nature of Winter
Winter is cold and wet. Cold temperatures,
stillness and wetness are its nature.
What Happens in Winter
In it animals hibernate and rivers renew
themselves as water condenses in the
mountains as rain or snow. It is a season ofcontraction. Things in the environment seek
a low point and do not expend much
energy. It is the season of withdrawal and
reflection, inaction, conservation and
renewal.
e Winter Element - Water
I n w i n t e r Wate r do mi na te s an d
characteristically Water is cold and wet.
Water always gathers at the lowest points
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and levels out. Water does not flow uphill it
always flows downhill. By reflecting upon
and understanding winter we may
understand Water. By reflecting upon and
understanding Water we may grasp the
nature of winter.
e Winter Personality Type
The personality type in harmony with
winter and Water is called Phlegmatic.
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e ree Ways to be Each Personality
Type
As three months are contained within each
season there are three other ways for each
of the personality types to be expressed.
There are only four basic personality typesbut because the Elements combine, there
are three appearances for each personality
type. This gives three additional ways to be.
This is, however, beyond the scope of this
book. It is only mentioned because you mayfind that you are not purely one personality
type. If this is the case dont worry, you are
like most of mankind. One Element will
dominate in you and this is the base from
which the other Elements expressthemselves. The purpose of this book is to
help you discover that base.
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Inherent or True Natures
Have you ever seen apples grow on a plum
tree? The idea is an absurd one. Plum trees
only every grow plums and apple trees only
ever grow apples.
When we choose building materials for a
house we apply the same principles
naturally. If we have sand we must recognise
the true nature of sand. We cannot force
sand to behave like stone, it simply will nothappen. If we pretend that sand is stone the
building will collapse. What we must
recognise is that the sand is sand. If we wish
to build with sand we must combine it with
other things, to make a combined materialsuch as cement or adobe. Only then can we
build the house. Things are what they are -
we must recognise their true natures and
work with them.
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e Human Struggle
As human beings we can choose to fight and
struggle against our true natures or submit
to them. This is just the way we are made.
We must consciously make the effort to
journey from our wishes and the way oursocieties shape us, to return to harmony
with our true natures. When we were
babies we did not have a choice, we could
only be what and who we were. However, as
we get older the stories we tell ourselvesabout our place in the world become more
complex. The more complex these stories
become, the more we tend to travel away
from our true natures. We may find
ourselves trapped in the prison of ourstories, oppressing ourselves and others.
e Way of Harmony
Using things according to their true natures
frees us from the insanity of trying to do
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otherw i se . However , i t r equ i r e s
determination and study to recognise this.
The way of harmony is study and
refinement. Seeking this deep harmony frees
us to be ourselves and stops us forcing
others to be what they are not.
You may be calling yourself a failure, not
understanding why you must always keep
doing things or perhaps why you are always
changing direction and the things you do. I
promise you that in the next part of the
book you will discover why and how this
happens. Then, having accepted what you
are, you will be free to journey on, seeking
to make the changes and refinements that
are in harmony with your true nature.
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