All the Central Characters (Part 1)

Nehanda Charwe Nyasakitana, Sheryl Running-Horse (aka Horse-Running-Free, Horse-Running-Wild) Onondaga, Tom Matthews, Carlos Alfaro Realmuto, Jade Li, 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 Alfaro Realmuto 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/Mahatmas” 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 is replete with stories of people in this category, so-called miracle workers.

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.  Provisionally a type 5 in the Enneagram - Student, Teacher, Introvert-Hermit.

Nehanda is the people of Africa. Carlos is, loosely speaking, the people of Central and South America. Sheryl is the native heritage peoples of the world. Saditha is the people of South Asia and the Middle East, her paternal heritage prob. Muslim/Jewish/Christian, maternal heritage prob. Hindu and the remaining large religious and cultural traditions of Asia (Sikh, Rohingya, Zoroaster, et al). Jade is the people of East Asia. She has a mixed heritage including China, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia: Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Indonesia, et al. Likely a Type 8 in the Enneagram, Leader.

Tom Matthews is a bit of an anomaly. Tom is the local 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.  Provisionally a Type 2 in the Enneagram, a Server in the Michael system. Humble. Service is the motto.

Jade Li 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. She is the spiritual leader of the group, the inspirational leader, the one people look to for guidance on higher moral questions and issues. Impeccable integrity. Likely a Type 3 in the Enneagram, the Achiever..

Saditha Pitekar is probably the most articulate person in the group, as well as the organizer and de facto prime mover and shaker. 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 inadequate label for the Type 7. She is not garrulous, she is not boisterous, but she engages readily with people and loves doing it. Perhaps a blend of Type 7 and Type

Sheryl Running-Horse (aka Horse-Running-Free, Horse-Running-Wild) Onondaga 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. a Type 1 in the Enneagram

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.

To make it easier to write book material, and dialogue, I use people I actually know as stand-ins in my mind’s eye. Gives each of the characters a lot more depth, and makes it easier to predict what they would say and how they would act in particular situations.