know yourself ch 1and2

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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

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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

Self Quest Know Yourself

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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

introduction

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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

Chapter One e Four Personality Types

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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


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


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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