by Discovering positive personality traits with the Soul Mirror Practice
In the final soul practice of Step One, we will repeat the work done in the previous three exercises. However, this time, we will focus on the positive aspects of our nature. We will start by listing the character traits that we consider the most noble and selfless. After that, we will assign these traits to the appropriate Elements and then categorise them into three parts based on their significance, as explained earlier.
As before, the total duration to complete this activity should not exceed five to six weeks, and we should aim for around one hundred traits. This process will create two soul mirrors: one black for the negative aspects and one white for the positive qualities.
We can add new terms during this process or adjust the Element attributions and the order of importance of the traits. As Bardon emphasises, identifying these aspects and qualities is crucial for achieving a future magical balance. If any doubt or obstacle arises while working through the Steps, referring to the mirrors can help clarify which Element we need to focus on to restore the balance of the soul.
Bardon provided an example that presents positive qualities more concisely, which isn’t necessarily a drawback. It’s more beneficial to analyse our actions, thoughts, and feelings before evaluating their placement, rather than simply labelling them. This approach makes the process more personal, intimate, and sincere, allowing for a deeper and more precise understanding of our character traits. However, for guidance, it is helpful to have an indication of these traits, which is the list provided by Bardon:
- Fire: activity, enthusiasm, determination, courage, audacity.
- Air: diligence, joy, promptness, kindness, passion, optimism.
- Water: modesty, temperance, enthusiasm, compassion, tranquillity, tenderness, forgiveness.
- Earth: respect, perseverance, conscientiousness, accuracy, sobriety, punctuality, responsibility.
In our self-exploration, we should clarify the distinction between working with negative and positive mirrors. After the often-arduous process of investigating the depths of our souls, one might assume that examining our qualities would be an easy and pleasant task. However, for many people, this can be pretty challenging. It is hard to pinpoint the exact reason for this; we could attribute it to modesty or upbringing. A deeper explanation may be the fear of unearthing the truth that what we consider our qualities are, in reality, masks that conceal our fundamental self-centeredness and animal instincts, hidden beneath social conventions and feigned indulgence. Ultimately, we deceive ourselves by hiding behind appearances.
This interpretation is plausible because genuine goodness arises spontaneously and doesn’t require labels or recognition. The motivation for identifying positive character traits lies in the necessity to uncover these deeper untruths, which are often the most difficult to admit because they serve as a self-defence mechanism for our ego. After engaging in this intense process of self-reflection and “cleaning,” actual positive personality traits will likely emerge.
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