Are all overleaves in essence?
NO: THEY ARE ALL IN PERSONALITY.
Are they chosen on the basis of karma?
FIRST OF ALL, THE LOCALE, THE SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS, THE PARENTS YOU CHOSE — ALL ARE FORMATIVE IN PROGRAMMING THE BIOCOMPUTER. THESE OVERLEAVES ARE CHOSEN BY THE SOUL TO BE ACTED OUT IN LIFE, INDEPENDENT MOST OF THE TIME OF THE WISHES OF THE ESSENCE. THE SOUL CHOSE THEM TO COMPLETE THE SPECIFIC TASK. THE SOUL DESIRES SIMPLICITY AND FREEDOM, MAKING A SPLIT BETWEEN SOUL AND ESSENCE.
We don’t take the personality with us when we die. Do we leave it here?
THAT IS CORRECT. THE SOUL ON THE ASTRAL PLANE IS DEVOID OF FALSE PERSONALITY.
Why do we choose such things as [the Goal of] Rejection, [the Chief Feature of] Self-destruction, and so forth and so on?
THE SOUL, SANS BODY, TENDS TO FORGET THE INTENSITY OF THE EXPERIENCE AND THE PAIN. THIS IS YOUR OBJECTIVE: DETACHED REVIEW. WE WOULD SUGGEST TO YOU ALL THAT YOU BEGIN TO THINK OF GOALS IN TERMS OF LANDINGS ON THE INFINITE STAIRCASE, AND THAT YOU FIXATE, IF YOU MUST, ON AN INTERMEDIATE GOAL RATHER THAN THE “ULTIMATE GOAL”. WE ARE NOT IN SIGHT OF THAT ONE YET.
SOURCE: Michael Teachings Transcripts