All the Central Characters (Part 1)
Nehanda, Sheryl Running Horse, Tom Matthews, Carlos Alfaro, Jade, and Saditha Pitekar
Nehanda is probably the least outgoing of them all. She exudes an unfailing quiet confidence. Nehanda is a natural leader, not in the way that the others are leaders, but in a less overt and less expressive way. You want to be like she is, to do as she does. She magnetically draws respect in an under-the-radar kind of way. Whenever I think of the group, usually her name comes to mind first.
The next closest to Nehanda is Carlos. Carlos is the biggest enigma on the team. You’ve heard the expression “still waters run deep.” That phrase describes Carlos to a T. Carlos has the closest connection to the Academy, and he is unobtrusively secretive about that link. “The Academy” is the short form I came up with for the members of the alliance of enlightened human leadership of the world, past and present. “The Academy” is the short form of an order that could be called “The Academy of Great Souls” or “The Academy of Masters.” Without going into great detail at this point, this group includes those individuals throughout history who have demonstrated some level of mastership of the human condition, up to and including full mastery. Full masters are men and women who, for example, can appear and disappear at will, and whose only purpose in being here is to support the development of humanity at large. History contains examples of stories of people in this category.
That makes Carlos highly intriguing, and explains some of his enigmatic aura of mystery.
However, he is not unique in this regard. Even characters who don’t seem like they have anything super special going on, are actually shown, in the book and in the movie script, to be harboring something special. Think mild-mannered Clark Kent, the alter ego of Superman, or Barbara Gordon and Diana Prince, whose secret identities are Batgirl and Wonder Woman, respectively.
Amazing people hiding in ostensibly humdrum human identities. This principle runs throughout the story project and the entirety of this story universe, because it is a fact of life. Every person is a surface projection, or outer image, of a brilliant and luminescent inner self. The outer self can often be a curiously deceptive reflection of the inner self, the amazing inner being.
OK, back to the character study.
So, Carlos is a spokesperson or messenger for the members of The Academy. He has deep ancestral ties to native America. His first name is an homage to Carlos Castaneda, a writer and explorer of the spiritual path. CC’s mentors, “Don” Juan and “Don” Genaro and others, including women members of the Huichol path, are followers of a particular spiritual tradition. Those certain mentor friends to Carlos Castaneda who are mentioned in his books, men and women both, demonstrate full mastery.
As mentioned, after Nehanda, Carlos is the next most quiet member of this eclectic group, “eclectic” in the sense that each member comes out of a completely different cultural heritage.
Nehanda is the people of Africa. Carlos is, loosely speaking, the people of Central and South America. Sheryl is the native heritage peoples of North America. Saditha is the large religious and cultural traditions of Asia, esp. Hinduism and Islam. Jade is the people of East Asia. She has a mixed heritage including China, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia: Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Burma, et al.
Tom Matthews is a bit of an anomaly. Tom is the representative of the European settlers in North America and, by inference, all over the world. A team of characters who embody the entire world would be incomplete without a member of the worldwide order of settlers and invaders.
Tom Matthews has a name which is a multilayered homage to Jim Mattis, Tom Jefferson, and others. He naturally gravitates to police work, security guard work, and military life. The story of his travel to the initial meeting place in the 1970s, where the team members all come together for the first time, is rife with references to the US military and its history and tradition. Tom is a reflection of the cadre which includes the likes of General Mattis, Lucian Truscott and his family heritage, and Thomas Jefferson.
Jade is the most refined individual in the group. She is also the most physically striking. Her name is a reflection of her persona. She speaks in very clear tones, and a special light shines around her and everything she does.
Saditha is probably the most articulate person in the group. She is the most facile with words. Early in the story, it isn’t terribly evident what her career path will be, but later in the story she is revealed as a highly accomplished diplomat and multicultural affairs expert. She is something of a Type 7 in the Enneagram, meaning a lover of life; a “hedonist” is one insufficient label for the Type 7. She is not garrulous, she is not boisterous, but she engages readily with people and loves doing it.
Sheryl is revealed early as a world-class athlete and vocal spokesperson for women’s rights. As clear as Jade is with her words, as exact as Saditha is in expressing herself diplomatically and courteously, Sheryl is honest. She says what she is thinking, and she says it bluntly. Protecting others’ feelings is not her forte. She just puts it right out there. And if the subject is Native American rights or white society’s transgressions in the New World, you better believe she’s going to speak up.
Every one of the characters is ultra classy. Tacky words and tacky behavior are missing from this team. It’s all about integrity, deep respect for self and others, and a great desire to be of service in the world.
I am aware of the warrior clans of the world being called to fight the war to end all wars. Even though it is just a story, it rings true with the events going on around us.