Your essence is you, in the most expansive possible way. It encompasses your multidimensional nature, your higher self, your past lives, your astral body, and your parallel lives, to name some manifestations. It has tremendous resources, expansive perception and limitless energy. It is truly Who You Are.

The term "Essence" has been used in many traditions, and there are many similar words such as "Atman", "Higher Self" or even just "Self" (with a capital S) that infer the same thing. This page focuses on the term Essence as used by the The Michael Teachings.

On the physical plane, your identity is based around your personality. This is the part of you that has limited perception, that has attached itself to the physical plane and the limitations that are part of the experience of it. It is influenced by childhood experiences, overleaves (in the Michael Teachings, listed below), astrology, genetics, friends, work environment, and every factor we can imagine affecting a human being. Altough we tend to think of personality as separate, there is no real separation from your essence, but there is necessarily the perceptionof separation. Few people remember their past lives, see the unlimited choices available to them, or have clear, conscious connection to their essence along with the communication that goes along with that.

The essence provides the "juice" behind our personalities. It encompasses parallel lives, different planes of existance, and all perceptions available to you that go beyond physical reality. It is flavored by some parts of the overleaves as shown on the sample extended michael chart of overleaves: Role, casting, frequency, male/female energy, and any other aspects that do not change between lifetime. Your essence is not affected by time like you are, because it is beyond time. It is multidimensional and existing, quite literally, everywhere (and every time) at once. It is what remains between lives on the Astral Plane as the experience of your personality is integrated and "downloaded". It is what makes choices for the next lifetime.

When most people talk to "God", or their perception of god, it is most common that they are actually talking to their own essence. That is why the connection is so important. Your essence, being you to the n^th power, without limitations that you can imagine, is filled with enormous perception, energy, and love that can be overwhelming to many people. It is truly a religious experience, one that Jung wrote about prodigiously. At the same time, your essence is truly You. There is no separation, no external quality to your essence. If you were to remove the barriers of perception that you (and your Essence have created) in order to have this experience on the physical plane, you would see with this expansive perception and know you have never been separated.

Just as you can benefit from a more conscious connection to essence, your essence benefits from a more solid connection to your conscious awareness. You are here having experience so that Essence can learn and know itself. Jonathon Living Seagull is an excellent parable of some perceptions of Essence.

Beyond the essence, in your innermost core, is what is termed the "spark". This is quite literally the Tao, God, or All That Is. It is the source of all creation. It is the part of the Tao that "split off" through incarnation in order to ultimately know itself. This is always an act of Love. In many ways, the Essence's relation to the spark is analagous to our personality's relationship to Essence. In other words, the universe - and by extension, you - is more vast than even your imagination can possibly comprehend.

The teachings of Polaris -  which includes Michael - is firmly grounded in helping you connect with your essence on a more conscious level. In other words, helping you Be Who You Are.