JOHN KORNER
The name of this character (as well as all the others in this novel) was just there in my mind. It seemed appropriate to call this character by this name. Even as the name came forward a picture built in my mind of a well built young man of medium height in his 30s, dark olive complexion, brown eyes and brown straight hair; a bit of a dare-devil who always seemed to get himself into trouble of some sort.
I developed this young man from a sanguine/choleric personality type. His character exhibited the traits of an extrovert. He is extremely charismatic, with a mind as sharp as a tack. He believes he can accomplish anything; even what Dr. Mitchener is capable of. Of course, he soon discovers that he is still a student of metaphysics and incapable of saving himself.
His ego gets him into trouble in the end. He disobeys an order from the doctor and gets sucked into the magic globe and finds himself in the clutches of the evil sorcerer, Brother Exeter. Even with all the abilities he has awakened under Dr. Mitchener, he cannot escape from the force field holding him prisoner.
His character does not play a big part in this first novel. Except for the fact of getting sucked through the magic globe, he is hardly mentioned. He does play a larger part in the second part of the trilogy.
STANLEY DENTON
The name of this character originally had a different surname, but as the story 
progressed, the current name started appearing in my mind and I even started writing it instead of the original one I had chosen, so I changed it to the current one.
This young man is also in his early 30s. He is of medium height and build with a pale olive complexion, blue eyes and blonde wavy hair. I used the melancholic/choleric temperament to build this young man’s character as he is more sensitive than John Korner, but he still has the fiery aspect of the choleric to give him the impetus he needs to keep going to complete the task he has set himself. It is the melancholic side of his temperament that gets him into trouble emotionally, especially when he meets the earth zone intelligence, Amouki. He constantly battles with his feelings for her, knowing it is extremely unwise to fall in love with an etheric being.
After John Korner gets sucked through the globe into the fourth dimension, the doctor asks Stanley if he feels up to helping with the rescue. Of course he cannot resist such an invitation, but wonders if he is up to the task.
Stanley is helped on his quest by Amouki after the dark forces temporarily put the doctor out of action. She is responsible for taking him through a series of initiations where he is literally forced to clear his own emotional impediments to allow the raising of his consciousness to increase his spiritual maturity and strength. He has to transmute his own shadow side if he wants to overcome the dark forces he is to meet when he attempts the rescue of John Korner.
Stanley meets many interesting characters when he journeys through the fourth dimension; some pleasant and helpful such as the gnome who activates magic in his hands and shows him how to use it as a protective mechanism; the one who gives him the ring that makes him invisible; the one who almost tempts him into touching the Philosopher’s Stone, the interaction with the fire sprites, his interaction with the mermaids when he is trying to escape from a monster and many more.
Some of the unpleasant beings he meets along the way include the swamp hag, a dark Lord’s minion on a huge steed, the oppressive bats, the seven headed monster, the astrological skeletons, the crumpled grey ones and many more.
Right up till the last minute, Stanley finds he still has some emotional traits to overcome that he thought he had dealt with.
Stanley’s character is one that is taken from a personality who is young upon the Path to one who has passed through a series of initiations to lift his level of consciousness to a different intensity.
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Lyn Asmar's 
John Korner: His lapse in obedience lands him in all sorts of strife and brings home how critical it is for a student of metaphysics NOT to underestimate the power behind those’pretty, fluffy coloured lights’. To put himself in the hands of a trusted teacher/mentor like Dr Mitchenor, and then allow his ego to take over and ignore instructions – not clever! No wonder the importance given to Obedience and Humility on the Pathway of Light.
Stanley Denton: I find his constant battle to control his emotions both courageous and endearing. He obviously has a big heart but lets his enthusiasm run away with him sometimes. The main thing is that he does eventually learn.
Following Stanley’s journey provides a window on how we can actually go about clearing our emotional impediments, to allow the raising of consciousness .
Is it our shadow side that carries all those buttons and triggers that set off our emotional reactive patterns?
Hello Linda, yes the character I wanted to portray through John Korner was to let students know that it is unwise to become egotistical while studying metaphysics because of the hidden dangers not normally observable if faculties are only partially operating.
Yes, Stanley is quite endearing in his efforts to overcome his unchecked emotions and balance his emotional body; but this is one of the lessons a human being must work though via the magical initiatory process. A balance of the elemental principles is imperative if one wishes to attain a higher level of consciousness.
Most buttons and triggers do reside in the subconscious mind, otherwise termed the shadow side. The problem for most is becoming conscious of what is actually happening and learning to respond instread of just reacting.
Thank you for the explanation. I didn’t realise that the shadow self was in fact the subconscious – the negative part, I imagine. Yet another misconception cleared up!
Hello Linda. We could loosely say the shadow self is part of the subconscious. It is the part where the negative emotional experiences, such as anger, greed, resentment, lust and so on, become strong enough to actually form a figure, sometimes called the “Dweller on the Threshold.”
So it is wise to learn to transmute these emotions whilst incarnate, so the Dweller has no effect on you when you pass through transition. Of course, if there are forces attached to any of these negative emotions, people will sometimes find difficulty in overcoming them. However, that could lead to a whole discourse in itself, and not merely a comment such as this.