“I don’t get no respect.
No respect at all”

Signature Byline of Comedian Rodney Dangerfield 

Symbols & Color

• Fireman’s Helmet: Server Set
• Dragon’s Head: Chief Feature Group (Has bad breath rather than breathes fire.)
• Penny: Ordinality – Personal, common, narrow.
• Heart: Inspiration Axis
• Border Color: Green – Server Set

Implications in the Upright Position or Positive Pole

Poor old Adam! Devastated by his shameful transgression against God for eating the Fruit of Knowledge of Good and Evil; he sure learned to have a little Humility about the disgraceful prominence of his own nakedness. So, in an effort to hide his private shame, and implied above – his private parts; Adam donned not just a fig leaf, but an entire tree! Yet of course, it is a bonsai version of a fig since no self-respecting Self Deprecator, would ever want to draw undue attention to themselves or would ever consider themselves worthy enough, as to use a full size fig tree. That would be downright conceited! And besides, hadn’t the Almighty just pinned the “arrogant to sin before God” thing on them already? Let’s not forget Eve. She’s been getting the worst part of the stick for eons because of this bad rap. A person in Self Deprecation is challenged within. They can be at war with themselves. Their motto would be “I’m not worthy.” The primary fear surrounds the issue of value, specifically their perception of personal inadequacy and undeservedness. They often feel the need to diminish themselves before others who would otherwise be their equals. In trying to establish a beach head against a lack of self-respect, most favor the strategy of being unassuming, self-effacing, and sometimes fall into outright self-denigration. The primary emotion that a Deprecator suffers is shame. It is an insufferable sense that a flaw in their character is irreparable and somehow they are responsible for it’s cause or failure to repair it. The downward spiral of bitterness (- Card 40) and resignation (-Card 19), both sibling Overleaves to this Server CF, roll downhill until a bottom is crashed into, they hit a-basement.

Card messages in the Illuminated position.

+ Humility

(Self Effacing, modestly, responsible, culpable, demure)

1. Modesty is a good thing when sincere. Try a little of it now and you’ll lessen others resistance toward you.
2. Humility does not require groveling, but it is self-effacing. Realize the illusion of imperfection and self importance and find a deeper dignity.
3. You are a unique expression of the TAO and you might actually be doing your best without acknowledgment. So here it is…acknowledgement.
4. Stop taking yourself so seriously! Put life into proper perspective. Ease up a bit and see the humor here.
5. Being humble means that one is less likely to take offense, because you might even agree with the assessment. But not being reactive to insult is a position of power. Humility is transparent and cannot be torn by outside shredding. 
6. A situation has arisen where you should drop all modesty and state your skills and accomplishments directly and accurately. You have earned your achievements. Be proud of them.
7. You have produced just as well as anyone did. No need to act like a doormat. Believe in yourself.
8. Imposter Syndrome befalls many. Yet, many have unjustly saddled themselves with doubt or fear about pretending when they performed competently and justly. You are no fake! Celebrate your integrity not your fear of imperfection.
9. You know, when a person is calm and suggests that they themselves might have been at fault, even if they were not, the person in fear feels less threatened. If you know you are innocent, then acknowledge responsibility, but do not accept blame.
10. When one acknowledges a universal human struggle, or foible, in themselves, it is often experienced by others as a humanitarian expression of graciousness and peace offering. Remember that everyone has limits. It doesn’t mean it is their/your fault.

Historic Quotes signifying the quality of the Overleaf in this pole

• “It is much harder to humiliate someone who has humility.” Author – Haruki Murakami 
• “It is difficult to be humble. Even if you aim at humility, there is no guarantee that when you have attained the state you will not be proud of the feat.” Bonamy Dobree
• I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own abhorrence. ~ Frederick Douglass
• “I prefer an attitude of humility corresponding to the weakness of our intellectual understanding of nature, and of our own being.” Albert Einstein
• “Humility means that we will not understand all events or occurrences. Acceptance is not passivity but non-positionality. The development of a spiritual ego can be avoided by the realization that spiritual progress is the result of God’s grace and not the result of one’s personal endeavors.” – David Hawkins – Author – Power vs. Force
• “It’s a universal law– intolerance is the first sign of an inadequate education. An ill-educated person behaves with arrogant impatience, whereas truly profound education breeds humility.” ― Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Implications of the Reversed Position or Negative Poles

Arguably, this is the most controversial image on any of the cards. Yes, you discern correctly… it is a fresh pile of canine excrement. It seems my artistic and comedic muses teamed up for a Rorschach moment. The Standard Poodle (no pun intended), squatted ever so gracefully as his master stood by, allowing his pooch, (again no pun – OK, this one), to relieve itself at a most auspicious place: the base of the Eiffel Tower in Paris! Yep, you read correctly. On a 2005 visit to the “city of love” strolling along the graveled paths that flank either side of the grand structure, I witnessed this scene. It struck me even then that leaving the pile of crap out for others to step-in, or have to contend with, was a show of utter disrespect. As it happens, that sort of behavior is a mark of the negative pole of Self-Deprecation – Abasement. One can often justify acts under the mask of vanity saying “too bad, put up with it.” You see, when one abases their own life as shit, then this highly loathing, shame-based, repellant form of self-loathing, (Card 57), views everyone else with the same kind of contempt it has for itself… nothing more than a pile of dog shit! The only difference is, in this pole of Self Dep, one expects to be stepped on. The dog, however, whom left his commentary, was apparently pleased with his accomplishment, as he was walking away briskly with his tail wagging. There it was, the last will and excrement of Masseur le Pooch, gracing the path with his poop de jure. What a grand thing…to let go of shit! Ah, but what a burden to have felt like shit in the first place. Writing about this pole expresses the very tone of terse crudity that the Self-Deprecator fears. That they themselves are nothing more than crap to be disdained. It isn’t true most of the time, for they often compensate with lowly behaviors and apology.

Card messages associated with Shadow position.

– Abasement

(Worthlessness, inferiority, underserving, pathetic, pariah, inadequacy, inept, ineffective, paucity, demure, disgust)

1. Abasing yourself, or anyone else, is only useful for a short burst of realization. After that, it is egoistic mental masturbation. The masochist is feeling sorry for themselves and hating life because of it. Stop it! Not everything is terrible!
2. The bitter soul is haunted by no self-esteem and resorts to abasement of all things as inferior or inadequate.
3. If you perceive no value in yourself, then what you produce is equally abased…by you! You’ll probably not ask enough for your service or exchange. Then you’ll walk away resentful. Value yourself more!
4. Put a stop to shame! This situation reeks of it. It is either being heaped-on or is being stuffed-down and hidden. No need to buy into it.
5. Stop the shaming! This situation reeks of it! It is either being heaped on or shoved down and hidden. Speak to it but don’t buy into it.
6. Inferiority complexes cause doubt and understatement of value. Don’t sell yourself short.
7. Eating Crow and humble pie are a dining experience that those who feel embarrassed often feed upon, unwillingly most times, but it is a repass they have become accustomed to. Pass the salt! (For the wound, of course.)
8. You might as well stop beating up on yourself. The world will present you with many willing candidates with insults, barbs, and accusations. No need to join in. Release whatever shame you suffer from and face them with a neutral gaze. Sometimes they fit, other times they are just projection.
9. Stop the self-denigration and pay attention to the lesson. You might not really be as bad as you think you are. But if you are, then have the dignity to make reparations.
10. Toxic shame removes joy leaving ta person drowning in hopelessness. Resentment is shame smoldering beneath the surface and everyone suffers from the gloom. Address it OUT LOUD!
11. Stupidity is not a lack of intelligence, it is a failure to exercise your intelligence and making excuses for it. Take your mind out for a stimulating jaunt. It will distract you from being so bitter.
12. The bitter soul is hindered with no genuine self-love. They abase all things as inferior or inadequate because their vision has become darkened. There is something in your life that you love. Focus on it and turn on the spigot; even if it is just a drip.
13. Groucho Marx famously revealed the crazy circular logic of the negative pole of Self-Dep when he said, “I wouldn’t want to be a member of a club that would have me as a member.”
14. Really, you might as well stop beating-up on yourself. The world will present many willing candidates throwing barbs, bruises, and bombs, to take you down. Don’t join in. Release whatever shame you suffer.
15. Inferiority complexes cause doubt and understatement of value. Don’t sell yourself short.

Quotations signifying this pole

• “If you had a person in your life treating you the way you treat yourself, you would have gotten rid of them a long time ago…” Cheri Huber, There Is Nothing Wrong with You: Going Beyond Self-Hate
• “I wouldn’t want to be a member of a club that would have me as a member.” Groucho Marx
• “Stupid is as stupid does.” Mrs. Gump from Forrest Gump

Relevance within the Michael Teaching 

The Ordinal/Inspirational ego defense is a part of the Server Set. It represents the belief of deep inadequacy and even unworthiness that a person might experience feeling they are at the bottom of a hierarchy of value, competence or deservedness. Though the OMT doesn’t consider ‘low self-esteem’ or ‘high self esteem’ in the same context that popular psychology might, it does acknowledge the struggle of an individual to find value in themselves. Such hindrances are lessons engaged by a  when an Essence is looking to hinder a Personality’s/Ego bluster, while at the same time, raise the threshold that a person has to reach to experience the self-love that can flow when real accomplishment or deservedness is earned.

Common to many an Old Soul, whose sense of fatigue equates with a difficulty mustering perhaps the courage, motivation let alone ambition to deem their achievements “success” rather than simply adequate or having “squeezed under the wire unnoticed”; or more self critically having gotten away with a fraud that otherwise they might be embarrassed by or called out for.

If there is a remedy for this sub-valuing it is using the Stoic attitude to quiet the Emotional Center which produces any number of debilitating feelings, the most limiting of which is shame.

Famous Examples

Rodney Dangerfield, Jesse Eisenberg, Olivia Coleman, John Goodman

Cultural Relevance

Self -esteem has become an enchanting concept to consider and pay lip service to, but all too often, behind their breath, many disparage this concept as soft, or flakey, or somehow unworthy of a rational ‘grown-up’; especially in modern macho men. It is too bad because within the Michael Teachings and many other spiritual disciplines, it is a core notion speaking to the condition of actual – love of Self (Card 57). 

The often misconstrued notion is seen by religionist as the elevation of self above God, i,e. approaching narcissism might indeed deserve some criticism. But arrogance, hubris, and vanity, and even overly demure acts of plebism, is more a show of the Ego . It acts through some distortion of fear (Chief Feature) and compensates for some internal imbalance by manipulating the impression of others, or one’s own self-image.

You might struggle with the Ego Defense called Self Deprecation if…

Coming Soon

 by Stephen Cocconi ©2011, Updated 2024

For a Motivation Cards Reading or Channeled Consultation call: 209.768-4956 or email Stephen at channeling@themichaelteaching.com