CONSCIOUSNESS RISING
Consciousness development is the where and how of soul rising - and it is perhaps the most essential aspect of being human. So much has been written on this topic in the past 100 years and there are so many wonderful teachers from which to choose!
Ken Wilbur has researched consciousness as it develops throughout a lifetime and created color-coded stages. His theory is cerebral and can be overwhelming but interesting if you can stick with it. There are YouTube videos available to begin learning his Integral map of human potential and he has authored several books. Consciousness develops along various paths, according to Wilbur. One path Wilbur calls “Growing Up” because all humans go through at least a few of these stages and have the potential to move through all of them. There is another path that he refers to as "Waking Up" but that is a topic for another day. The stages of "Growing Up" are affiliated with specific ages of human development, but adults may become stuck at one stage or another along the path. The stages are permeable and we might function in and out of more than one at a time or fall back into a lower stage when under stress. Following is a brief overview and I recommend reading one of Wilbur’s books for more information. Several of his books will be listed at the end.
Wilbur's Stages of Consciousness
Level 1 (Infrared) The Symbiotic Stage
Age: newborn to 1+ year
Identity: no sense of separate self - one with caregiver and environment
Value: survival
Perspective: void
Level 2 (Magenta) The Magic Stage
Age: 18 months – 3 or 4 years old
Identity: emerging
Value: magic, self as magician, superstitions
Perspective: wonder
Level 3 (Red) The Egocentric Stage
Age: 4-7 but adults can become stuck in this stage
Identity: egocentric, narcissistic
Values: power over others or preventing others from having power over me, safety, protection
Perspective: Me/mine
Additional characteristics: right and wrong is dictated by what they need or want. Incapable of seeing another perspective beyond their own.
Level 4 (Amber) The Tribal Stage
Age: 7-12 but many adults are still in this stage
Identity: ethno-centric
Values: belonging, loyalty, obedience to rules of the group (clan, tribe, family, religion, nation, political group), keeping secrets of the group
Perspective: we/us, capable of seeing other perspectives but typically only within their group
Additional characteristics: urgent need to be right, this stage is often expressed in fundamentalism, right and wrong dictated by group and can not be questioned.
Level 5 (Orange) The Rational Stage
Age: 7 – teen but many adults (most western adults) are at this stage
Identity: world-centric
Values: introspection, universal human needs, reason, rationality, individuality, self-actualization, achievement, success
Perspective: global, capable of seeing many perspectives
Additional characteristics: wants all people to have opportunity to self-actualize and succeed
Level 6 (Green) The Pluralistic Stage
Age: teen to adult
Identity: universal citizen
Values: Truth as subjective (your truth does not have to match my truth), all people are equal, feelings as portals to truth, fighting injustice
Perspective: equality or bracing against inequality
Additional characteristics: fighting against injustice under banner of “all are equal” but disdain for anyone who does not see things the same way (a recent example would be the mindset that all people are equal and their personal truth should be respected - except those who voted for Trump)
Level 7 (Turquoise) The Integral Stage
Age: Adult - only 5% of adults worldwide are at this stage
Identity: Part of the whole
Values: Inclusivity, connections, cosmic patterns, wholeness
Perspective: bird’s eye view, capable of seeing and holding multiple perspectives at once
Additional characteristics: we are one universal family related to all living and non-living things, its all connected, all stages of consciousness development have specific value and should be integrated at this level.
Wilbur continues with a couple more stages that, although quite rare in contemporary culture, he believes will be the cutting edge of consciousness development in the future.
Another interesting way to consider these stages is as perspectives or world views. Each level is a world within itself, with its own rules and values and sense of self. The key to progressing through the stages is self-refection. Noticing where your thoughts fall on the spectrum. If you find yourself at one stage or another, just notice the thoughts that keep you stuck there and begin asking yourself if there might be another filter through which you could see the same issue. Play with different perspectives and look at issues from multiple angles.
The Spectrum of Consciousness by Ken Wilbur
Integral Psychology by Ken Wilbur
Integral Spirituality by Ken Wilbur
A Brief History of Everything by Ken Wilbur
The Essential Ken Wilbur by Ken Wilbur
Other books and authors to consider:
In Search of the Miraculous by P. D. Ouspensky
The Reality of Being by Jeanne de Salzmann
The Ever-Present Origin by Jean Gebser
Seeing Through the World by Jeremy Johnson
The Human Phenomenon by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
Transcending the Levels of Consciousness by David R Hawkins M.D. Ph. D.
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle
Unbinding by Kathleen Dowling Singh
The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer
Immortal Diamond by Richard Rohr
Breathing Under Water by Richard Rohr
Return to Center by Bede Griffiths
|