"I found it!" I exclaimed in 1976 when I was first introduced to psychosynthesis. At that time, I was playing the roles of minister's wife, psychiatric nurse, and mother. What I had found was a beautiful way to integrate spirituality, psychology, and healing.

After my psychosynthesis training in Pasadena, I stepped out of the costumes of wife and nurse, and put on the garb of psychosynthesis educator and counselor. Being an Aquarian, I wanted to help the whole world "find it" too.

In 1991, I decided it was time to relax a bit and lighten up! I reread Assagioli's monograph Life as a Game and Stage Performance, and was inspired to develop the metaphor of the theatre in my work (play). Using the Inner Theatre metaphor, I discovered a language people understand and can use to communicate in ways that are concise and effective. It bypasses prejudices and defenses, and provides a method of personality integration that can be remembered and referred to throughout life.

What I have discovered after six years in the Inner Theatre work, is that the metaphor appeals to people with vastly different levels of mind and spirit. Children and teenagers love it. Polish farmers, coal mine managers, bank presidents, and teachers understand it and want more. Latvian psychology majors are excited to find a clear, fun way to develop the personality. Within the United States, people in the theatre arts, ministry, education, healing, and business all connect easily with the concepts and experiences.

Correlation between Inner Theatre and psychosynthesis terms:

• Actors -- subpersonalities
• Director -- personal self
• Playwright -- transpersonal Self
• Supporting Cast -- archetypes, other people, guides
• Setting -- the backdrop of consciousness
• Stage -- the field of consciousness
• Basement -- the subconscious
• Mysterium -- the superconscious

In the Inner Theatre, participants:

• Find the Director's Sanctum -- quiet inner place
• Claim the Director's Chair -- "centered" position
• Discover the Director's Identity -- "I am a center of awareness, love and will."

In my teaching, I change the "Who am I" exercise to include love. Thus, "I am a center of awareness, love, and will." Love is the heartfelt, cohesive force of the personality and is central in my experience of Self. The development and balancing of these three aspects is what the Inner Theatre play is all about.

As Director, who I am establishes what I do. My task is to recognize, accept, and empower all my actors.

Who I am, what I do, and what I have looks like this:

• I am ----> awareness love will
• I do ----> recognize accept empower
• I have ----> mind heart body

I think the simplicity of this triadic model is one of the most important contributions I offer to psychosynthesis. Every inner actor has a mind, heart, and will of its own. Whenever the three aspects are not aligned, there is suffering. For example, the Inner Critic can cut the legs off someone with its sharp intellect and strong will, but it lacks compassion. To become a star, the Critic needs help from the Director to develop its heart.

Within the heart of each actor, a spiritual quality (star quality) longs to be recognized and expressed. In the Critic's heart, discernment lies dormant. With help from the Director, the Critic can become a Discerning star player. In the personality, actors become true stars only when they express core, divine qualities. Actors such as the Manipulator, Martyr, or Rambo may be key players, but they haven't yet discovered how to be true stars.

Another contribution I offer the psychosynthesis community is a playful way to do important inner work. We don't have to suffer to change! This is not to deny pain. We deal with tragic situations all the time in our daily dramas, but continued suffering only occurs when we identify with, and get stuck in, our tragic roles. The point is this: you are the one behind your masks of pain or pleasure. There will always be tragedies. There will always be comedies. Scenes and scripts keep changing. But who does not change? Who remains steady through it all?

The soul plays a masquerade! The whole Earth Play is about remembering who we are behind all our masks!

• Discover the Director's Tasks -- "I recognize, accept, and empower the parts of my self."
• Develop star qualities -- transpersonal qualities
• Create new scripts -- envision what they may be
• Become World Class Actors -- social psychosynthesis