The Challenge Cycle 0 to 9

Your Challenge is 0:

This is a less demanding challenge. Growth is allowed to take place without one particularly serious obstacle. This does not mean that there will not be challenges on your path, but there is no single and consistent challenge during this period. You are being challenged to stay faithful and focused on your highest ideals. There is an opportunity to go deeper within yourself, and discover the inner being that is you.

Your Challenge is 1:

You must learn to be independent. You will be forced to stand up for yourself and your rights. You will have to learn to be firm and trust your judgment. This whole lesson represents the frontiers of your consciousness. Therefore, you will have to experience much trial and error, sometimes exploding with bursts of aggression, other times being intimidated and letting frustration and anger build within you until you are ready to act on your deepest instincts. You will learn your own set of values.

Your Challenge is 2:

You are overly sensitive and too aware of other peoples' expectations. You suppress yourself to avoid feeling conspicuous. You can be overwhelmed by self-consciousness. You let your own feelings and emotions play too big a role. Your hypersensitivity causes fear, timidity and lack of self-confidence. Little things seem disproportionately difficult to overcome and sometimes have a paralyzing effect. Jealousy can cause much pain and misunderstanding. This challenge makes you understanding and compassionate; you have an enormous empathy for the inner turmoil of others and can do much good for people with emotional problems.

Your Challenge is 3:

You are your own worst critic. You suppress your individuality and creativity. Each time you want to make an impression, you doubt yourself beforehand, and criticize yourself ruthlessly afterward. You often feel alone and lonely. Your fear of social interaction causes you to strain conversation by making too many jokes and forced joviality. The challenge is an effort to bring out your true self. You will learn to truly value your own creative talents above anyone else's judgments. This must be viewed as a process of individuation, in which you become a whole human being, independent and free of the need to conform to others.

Your Challenge is 4:

You tend to be disorderly and disorganized. You are impractical and tend to fantasize about projects or possibilities that have little value for future. You have difficulty finishing projects because your vision becomes chaotic and loses tract of the path ahead. You have to learn to be aware of the details. This is the challenge of building a lasting foundation for your life. You will need perseverance and repeated effort. Get-rich-quick schemes will likely backfire; persistent effort is the key to your future happiness.

Your Challenge is 5:

You are in danger of becoming a rolling stone. Your desire to experience and enjoy life can overwhelm every other priority you have. Your need for freedom dominates you. You want to try everything and go everywhere. You must guard against overindulgence - and even dependence upon - alcohol, food, drugs, and sex. You must work at establishing and maintaining long- lasting relationships. Be tolerant and understanding. You need to discipline your urge to change every situation that does not immediately suit you. Stick with projects, maintain your friendships, don't abandon people or situations the minute they become the slightest bit difficult.

Your Challenge is 6:

Your challenge deals with distorted idealism. Your ideals are unrealistically high, making life difficult for you and others. You have a hard time being satisfied with anything you do, or with what others do for you. You are unable to see a broader view, which makes you think you have all the answers. This keeps away information and perspectives that would be helpful to you. You can be domineering and righteous, often telling others what is right and what is wrong. You often feel a lack of appreciation from others. You have to achieve a balanced perspective between your idealism and your resistance to personal transformation.

Your Challenge is 7:

You are highly skeptical of anything that cannot be proven to you. You are particularly doubtful of anything having to do with spiritual matters. It is, therefore, difficult for you to find a personal philosophy that would give you peace of mind and insight into the purpose of your life. All the characteristics that have to do with the irrational and holistic side of life - spirit, humor, playfulness, and intuition - are being shut out. You have to learn faith. When you consider that most of life is made up of the invisible world - thoughts, emotions, insight, and love - you can begin to appreciate that only a small part of life is within the domain of your senses.

Your Challenge is 8:

You risk making money and power the main priority in your life. Your desire for financial wealth threatens to obscure your other human characteristics and spiritual well being. This Challenge causes financial concerns to overwhelm all other needs, and influences everything you do. This challenge is a danger of becoming so obsessed with materialism that they may be tempted to ruthless and unscrupulous business practices, possibly crossing the borders of the law and causing themselves and others much misery. You must realize that "Man does not live by bread alone." If you overcome this hurdle, you will achieve real spiritual and material balance.