Artisans Kings Priests Sages Scholars Servers Warriors
The Server Role
Traits | Description | Purpose | Compatibility
+ Service
– Bondage 30% of the
population Inspiration
Ordinal
Positive Traits: Capable, Caretaker, Caring, Competent, Devoted, Friendly, Inspiring, Loving, Nurturing, Practical, Sweet, Trustworthy, Warm
Negative Traits: Covert, Domineering, Doormat, Enslaved, Frustrated, Martyred, Manipulating, Overworked, Self-Sacrificing, Subservient, Victimized
The Server is naturally inspired to make the world a better place to live in. He derives his primary satisfaction by heartfelt concern for the quality of life. His foremost fulfillment is to make things more comfortable in a material sense for himself and those around him.
This Role was originally called “Slave”, but this word gives a connotation to the Role which is not necessarily valid. In the Negative Pole of -Bondage, a Server can be like a slave in the sense that he feels as if he is carrying the world as a burden on his shoulders. He may feel like he is a lowly drudge who is yoked to a menial job. He may feel that his whole life is filled with one obligatory chore after another, just like a slave in past cultures. But the Positive Pole of Service is one of helping, caring, nurturing, sustaining, attending, aiding, and consoling. Of the Roles, the Server would probably be considered the most “feminine” in our culture, because of these “mothering” qualities.
Of the Roles, the Server is the most just plain human. There are more Servers than any other Role. They are common man, your everyday person. Servers are the “backbone” of society. Metaphorically speaking, they are the back of the body of mankind, bearing up the burdens of the world to make it a better world. Servers identify with mankind because they feel for the sufferings of others — and mankind does indeed suffer. Servers are more aware of this than other Roles. When they manifest their highest nature, Servers want to ease this suffering by taking the problems upon themselves, and doing what is necessary to alleviate the pain. They are neither too proud to ask for help for themselves if they need it nor to give aid to others in need. Servers true to their essence will give “the shirt off their back” if requested by a needy person. They are normally very charitable toward others, even if they themselves are not well off.
And usually Servers are not all that “well off”. Since they feel their own commonality and ordinariness, they are not likely to desire to rise to prominence or wealth. They normally feel undeserving of riches. (If they do gain financial success, they may very likely feel guilty about it, and give away much to humanitarian or charitable causes. After all, are there not so many others who need it more than they?) For this reason, it can be said that Servers lack ambition as a general rule. In the more base or lowly instances, Servers are the most likely of the Roles to be on the receiving end of welfare or other public assistance. This is partly because of the lack of ambition to excel as mentioned above, and partly because a Server is more likely to be willing to subsist on the meager income that welfare provides. Servers feel meager about themselves, and they can live in a meager situation. Paucity and moderation is part of their nature, rather than abundance and excess.
This scarcity applies not only to financial matters, but also to other aspects of living. For instance, Servers are often prone to forego the fancier pleasures of life. They tend to stick to the simple pleasures of modest home and average family. They are usually very serious about life, and so do not easily laugh off the problems they face. Because of their inherently domestic nature, travel is normally not a big need of theirs -they prefer to stay with the familiar and the homey.
According to Michael, Servers make marvelous grandmothers. I know one such and it is a fact. When at her home, she is always solicitous of my welfare. Did I get enough to eat? Is the temperature of the house OK? Is the couch comfortable enough or do I need another throw pillow? Are there enough covers on the bed? And so on. Servers regard it as their duty to look after others. They see the people of the world as their honored guests with themselves as the hosts. They want to raise the comfort level of those who come under their care, and in a more general sense they would like to raise the standard of living of the world.
Servers are on the ordinal axis of inspiration, operating in the universe in a downward motion, so to speak, in the sense of quality. That doesn’t mean that Servers seek lower quality, at least not in the Positive Pole of this Process. But it does mean they seek humanitarian and worldly values as distinct from psychological and spiritual values — so called “higher” values. Servers value the physical amenities and creature comforts of life. This motion is opposed to the upward motion toward the supernatural. That is, the Server identifies strongly with humanity, whereas the Priest (see next section) identifies strongly with the transcendent qualities of life.
The Server’s Natural Overleaves
Servers want to eliminate the superfluous and get right down to the things that are truly essential — the things that make life really worthwhile. To a Server this usually means things like home and family — domestic qualities. A Server feels more “at home” at home than anywhere else in the world. What could be more important and necessary than this? This is what a Server values. Like people in the Reserve Mode, Servers typically hold themselves back from exaggerated, extreme, or wild behavior, feelings, or thoughts. They do not find this becoming. Rather, they seek to do their humanitarian good works in a meek and quiet way, not for praise or show. If the Self-Deprecation Feature makes a person view himself as humble and poor, more so the Server Role. Rarely do Servers seek to gain notoriety in the world.
Since they view themselves as just plain people, the idea of being outstanding or great doesn’t feel right to them. Like the Stoic, a Server feels that life is more or less fated to be the way it is, and there is not much use getting bent out of shape about it. Life is a bitch, but so what? We are all in the same boat. We just have to make the best that we can of the bad situation we find ourselves in. An Emotionally Centered person has emotional reactions to everything in his life, and the Server likewise is attuned to the feeling aspect of existence. What is the quality of this thing he is experiencing? The Emotional Center often induces a person to cry about things, and the Server is also in touch with the pains of life, and seeks to comfort the suffering or eliminate the anguish. Servers can commiserate with the agony that is in the world more than any other Role, because they are also in touch with their own anguish.
It is because of their humanness and sensitivity to the suffering of others that Servers are so good at the healing profession. This is where they feel they belong. This is where their inherent talent for comforting others is best revealed and used to benefit mankind. The quintessential Server occupation is medicine, in such careers as doctoring and nursing. The job here is to make the physical body well again, to ease the pain, to comfort the sick, to sustain the ailing, to dress the wounds, to nurture the ill.
Other suitable occupations for Servers are cook, waiter or waitress. Here is another excellent way to serve mankind in a material sense, caring for his physical needs in terms of food. Another meaningful career is retail sales in something like clothing or household goods, and for the same reasons listed above — these items are valuable for making life more comfortable in the domestic realm. Thus many Server females find their niche in society as housewives or homemakers. This is perfect for them as they normally find children and homemaking genuinely fulfilling. Other appropriate jobs are such things as social worker, maid, day care attendant, and public servant, -anything that has to do with serving or helping the public as an attendant to their physical needs, caring for their welfare or well-being. This is the activity a Server does better than any other Role type. In whatever career a Server finds himself, he will usually apply a measure of caring and assisting to it. Servers regard and perform sex as a service also.
If there is a physical appearance that is common to most Servers it would be that there is a plainness about them. They rarely give the appearance that there is anything particularly outstanding about them. They do not want to seem remarkable in the eyes of their fellow man. Even if they do achieve some status in the world, one would not usually discern this by looking at them. Even if they should dress fancy, their demeanor of commonness shows nevertheless. Their spirit is meek and mild, and this shows in their facial expression and the way they carry their bodies.
Because of their inherent humility, not many Servers rise to prominence in the world, but some have that have been identified as Servers. For instance, Mother Teresa and Queen Victoria.
— Phill Wittmeyer
More About The Server
It has never been a secret in the spiritual community that service to others is the fastest road to evolution. It is of little surprise then that the role of Server comprises the highest percentage of the world’s population.
Servers are practical, competent, and productive workers who perform a valuable service for us all — they fulfill our needs. Placing the needs of others before their own, the Server takes care of us, and in so doing, starts a domino effect that honorably assists in meeting the needs for all of humanity.
Rarely seeking the limelight, Servers love to work behind the scenes and inspire us on a one to one level. They are charitable people who are quick to take on the problems of others if they feel it will ease any suffering. Generally reserved in nature, Servers are not prone to wild behavior or extreme exaggeration, instead seeking those “simple pleasures for simple folks.” Historically the Server might have been best exemplified in the biblical quotation “the meek shall inherit the earth.” But possibly the greatest tribute to the humble Server was accorded by the American composer, Aaron Copland, in his composition, “Fanfare for the Common Man.”
Excelling in any of the service occupations, Servers make good doctors, nurses, teachers, diplomats, and have become indefatigable workers in the retail industry. Servers instinctively know they are gifted in the area of meeting the needs of others, and therefore can feel frustrated if they are not allowed to serve. There is a similarity with the King in the fact that Servers like to “control” a situation, or be in charge of how our needs should be met. It is not unusual then to see a Server adopt a “my way or the highway” attitude if they are not allowed to call the shots in situations related to their services. Frustrated Servers can become angry, or in worst case scenarios, highly manipulative or combative if they are not allowed to control what they feel they do best. In domestic settings, Servers will often secretly brood if their services are unappreciated, lending credence to the stereotypes of lonely, downtrodden housewives so often swept under the societal rug.
Generally sweet in nature and self-effacing in their work, Servers are somewhat disengaged when expressing emotional connections, choosing to demonstrate their love for us by doing things that once again, fulfill our needs. For anyone who has had a Server parent, they know that during childhood their creature comforts were lovingly provided; dental appointments were never forgotten; a favorite refreshment or candy bar was always waiting in the refrigerator after school; and despite heated objections, it was a given that we could expect parental escort to social events during those tumultuous adolescent years. Some of us might wish such parental restrictions had not been so rigidly enforced, and this leads to speculation regarding the percentage of children with Server parents who grew up later to have Stubbornness as a Chief Feature. Of course, there are other roles and combinations of overleaves that can contribute to the creation of the controlling parent, but control will always be an issue for the Server.
Another by-product of the Server parent is that excessive doting and attention can lead some children to grow up thinking their needs will always be met. The well intentioned Server can so effectively shield the child from the realities of the world that the child later struggles in adulthood when faced with issues of self-sufficiency and independence.
Regardless, it’s important to cherish the Server for the well intentioned work they do, and try to avoid the natural inclination to take advantage of their services. Servers can easily start to feel like doormats after awhile, and with their unquestioning willingness to take of care of both our physical and spiritual needs, it is little wonder they have so often been victimized or enslaved by the occasionally less than scrupulous predators that enjoy preying on such noble intentions. Servers are beautiful beings that deserve much praise and gratitude for the wonderful contributions they give to society, and the world.
— David Gregg
Compatibility With Other Soul Roles
Server-Server: Unless, of course, the overleaves or other elements of personality abrade, servers are usually quite comfortable with other servers. There is nothing very exciting about that combination, but servers do not tend to seek excitement anyway.
Server-Artisan: Servers and artisans are a little better together than scholars and artisans, because when artisans are off doing their own thing, servers do not usually mind being temporarily ignored and supporting artisans behind the scenes. This can be useful if artisans are focused on some intense creativity. Also, artisans may be inspired to do better work in the creative process by the solid support of servers.
Server-Warrior: Servers and warriors usually get along very well. Both tend to have much endurance, and it is easy for servers to view warriors’ toil as benefiting the common good, even in the military, if that jibes with the servers’ political beliefs. Warriors tend to like servers because they see servers as being down-to-earth and practical. Servers and warriors do not tend to fight as much as warriors can with most of the other roles. Servers and warriors are especially effective together as a team working together—for example, a server doctor and a warrior nurse would probably be very effective together in a high-stress situation.
The higher the cardinality of the relationship—in other words, the higher the number of the combination’s sum—the more stress there tends to be in the relationship. Sometimes that can be exciting and can make for a lot of energy, but it can sometimes be too much. In a high-stress situation such as a hospital emergency room or a battle front, the server-warrior combination, which adds up to only four, can be a calm center of productive work. The server-artisan combination would even be more calm, but not necessarily more productive.
Server-Scholar: Like scholars and artisans, scholars and servers tend to lack overlap. This combination can also get a little bland—there is not that much spice in servers either, although they often have a great deal of warmth. A scholar-server alliance might be chosen when both want to rest from a lot of stimulation or conflict, to have a safe harbor, to even be able to “zone out.”
Server-Sage: Servers and sages can work quite well as long as the servers are not too much “by-the-book” kinds of people; some servers are, and sages do not tend to be—they like to play with the book, to stretch and expand it, rather than adhere strictly to any sort of pattern. (Sage is the five-position role, and the number five has a positive pole of expansion (positive pole of number five.) Servers who are bureaucratic, who see going by the book as what is best for the common good, tend to irritate sages to no end—and vice versa. However, if the servers are not doing their negative pole in that way, this is generally a good combination, because servers tend to be quite willing to let sages have the spotlight.
Artisans, who also work well with sages, may or may not be willing to do that—they may just go off and do something else. They will not tend to try to stop sages from being in the spotlight, but servers are more likely to really listen and be supportive, fully receiving the expression (positive pole of sage) of sages. Sages can be very grateful for that. Also, sages are often heart people. They may be quite intellectual and verbal, but they rarely become nearly as emotionally dry as scholars can be. Servers in their positive pole can epitomize the good heart, so servers and sages can love each other very deeply, in some ways more than servers and priests, because both servers and priests tend to stay busy taking care of other people. Servers might nurture priests, but priests might be out taking care of three hundred other people. Although sages might be entertaining three hundred other people, that is not as involving as the caretaking that priests engage in.
Server-Priest: Servers and priests are a very good combination, because servers, like scholars, can absorb some of priests’ higher intensity. They also share a quality of thriving on inspiration, so they can keep each other inspired, something that priests and scholars cannot—priests can inspire scholars, but scholars usually do not inspire priests very much, except perhaps if some symbolic information is given that reminds priests of a higher principle. Servers can inspire priests by their positive pole selflessness, goodness, and open heart. Romantically, this combination works especially well if priests are male and servers are female. If servers are male and they adhere to cultural sex “sexual stereotypes” -role imprinting, they may feel threatened by powerful female priests. Priests and servers think along similar lines, but sometimes priests, being so preoccupied with higher concerns, are negligent of the mundane in ways that kings, for example, rarely would be. (Kings notice if the mundane is not done, although they may not do it themselves.) So in those pairings the servers, usually comfortably, handle the mundane, often to the relief of the priests.
Server-King: This is probably the most comfortable pairing for kings. Kings like to be served; they feel that it frees them to serve the masses themselves. The seven and the one are two extremes, but in a sense they are right next to each other, too, if you make a circle out of the seven numbers. Kings serve in an exalted way—they serve the kingdom, looking at what is best for the overall picture. They do not feel that they have time for the mundane. That doesn’t mean that they are lazy; it just means that they are occupied in other ways. So they like being served, and servers are generally thrilled to serve a king. However, in some of these pairings, servers get the short end of the stick. Kings can overwhelm and repress servers, which, of course, is not growthful for either role. Kings need to appreciate and respect the value of the service (positive pole of server) that servers render. Servers do not command respect, and usually do not demand it, either. Ideally, they inspire it. But they can be taken for granted, which is not to anyone’s benefit. It is hard for any role to feel that it can add something to kings; they seem complete—they are already the number seven role. But being in the number one position, servers are the role that comes closest to being able to add something to kings.
— Shepherd Hoodwin
From “The Journey of Your Soul”
Famous Servers:
Doris Day, Queen Elizabeth, Sally Field, Al Gore, jr., John Kerry, Dalai Lama, Ray Liotta, Vladimer Putin, Susan Sarandon, Wesley Snipes, John Steinbeck, Mother Teresa
