A Guide to Integral Theory and Practice - Amazon S3 · A Guide to Integral Theory and Practice By Ken Wilber ... and spirituality, using the Integral Approach has allowed the creation

A Guide to IntegralTheory and Practice

By Ken Wilber

V E R S I O N 1 . 0 B O O K L E T T H R E E

vision-logicformal

rulesconcepts

symbolsemotion

impulseperception

sensation

irritability

prehension

SF3SF2

SF1complex neocortex

neocortex (triune brain)limbic system

reptilian brain stemneural cord

neuronal organismseukaryotes

prokaryotesmolecules

atoms

1312

1110

98

76

54

32

1

1312

1110

98

76

54

32

1

12

34

56

78

910

1112

13

physical-pleromatic

protoplasmicvegetative

locomotive

uroborictyphonic

archaicmagic

mythicrational

centauric

12

34

56

78

foraging 9horticultural 10

agrarian 11

information 13industrial 12

galaxiesplanets

Gaia systemheterotrophic ecosystem

societies with division of labor“

groups/families

“tribes

tribal/villageearly state/empire

nation/stateplanetary

Upper LeftInterior-Individual

(Intentional)

Upper RightExterior-Individual

(Behavorial)

Lower LeftInterior-Collective

(Cultural)

Lower RightExterior-Collective

(Social)

WE ITS

I IT

Introducing theAQAL Framework

A Guide to Integral Theory and Practice

By Ken Wilber

© 2005 Integral Institutewww.integralinstitute.org

All rights reserved.

� Introducing the AQAL Framework

�Introducing the AQAL Framework

Table of Contents

Overview

States of Consciousness

Stages or Levels of Development

Lines of Development

Types

There’s Even Room For Many Bodies

Fitting It All Together

IOS Apps

Summary and Conclusion

6

7

8

10

13

16

18

2�

27

6 Introducing the AQAL Framework

OVERVIEW Duringthelast30years,wehavewitnessedahistoricalfirst:allof theworld’sculturesarenowavailabletous.Inthepast,if youwereborn,say,aChinese,youlikelyspentyourentirelifeinoneculture,ofteninoneprovince,sometimesinonehouse,livingandlovinganddyingononesmallplotof land.Buttoday,notonlyarepeoplegeographicallymobile,wecanstudy,andhavestudied,virtuallyeveryknowncultureontheplanet.Intheglobalvillage,allculturesareexposedtoeach other. Knowledgeitself isnowglobal.Thismeansthat,alsoforthefirsttime,thesumtotalof humanknowledgeisavailabletous—theknowledge,experience,wisdomandreflectionof allmajorhumancivilizations—premodern,modern,andpostmodern—areopentostudybyanyone. Whatif wetookliterallyeverythingthatallthevariouscultureshavetotellusabouthumanpotential—aboutspiritualgrowth,psychologicalgrowth,socialgrowth—andputitallonthetable?Whatif weattemptedtofindthecriticallyessentialkeystohumangrowth,basedonthesumtotalof humanknowledgenowopentous?Whatif weattempted,basedonextensivecross-culturalstudy,touseallof theworld’sgreattraditionstocreateacompositemap,acomprehensivemap,anall-inclusiveorintegralmapthatincludedthebestelementsfromallof them? Soundcomplicated,complex,daunting?Inasense,itis.Butinanothersense,theresultsturnouttobesurprisinglysimpleandelegant.Overthelastseveraldecades,therehasindeedbeenanextensivesearchforacomprehensivemapof humanpotentials.Thismapusesalltheknownsystemsandmodelsof humangrowth—fromtheancientshamansandsagestotoday’sbreak-throughsincognitivescience—anddistillstheirmajorcomponentsinto5simplefactors,factorsthataretheessentialelementsorkeystounlockingandfacilitatinghumanevolution. WelcometotheIntegralApproach.

AN INTEGRAL OR COMPREHENSIVE MAP Whatarethese5elements?Wecallthemquadrants, levels, lines, states, and types. As youwillsee,allof theseelementsare,rightnow,available in your own awareness.These5elementsarenotmerelytheoreticalconcepts;theyareaspectsof yourownexperience,contoursof yourownconsciousness,asyoucaneasilyverifyforyourself asweproceed. Whatisthepointof usingthisIntegralMap?First,whetheryouareworkinginbusiness,medicine,psychotherapy,law,ecology,orsimplyeverydaylivingandlearning,theIntegralMaphelpsmakesurethatyouare“touchingallthebases.”If youaretryingtoflyovertheRockyMountains,themoreaccurateamapyouhave,thelesslikelyyouwillcrash.AnIntegralApproachensuresthatyouareutilizingthefullrangeof resourcesforanysituation,withthegreaterlikelihoodof success. Second,if youlearntospotthese5elementsinyourownawareness—andbecausetheyarethereinanyevent—thenyoucanmoreeasilyappreciatethem,exercisethem,usethem...andthere-byvastlyaccelerateyourowngrowthanddevelopmenttohigher,wider,deeperwaysof being.Asimplefamiliaritywiththe5elementsintheIntegralModelwillhelpyouorientyourself moreeasily

7Introducing the AQAL Framework

andfullyinthisexcitingjourneyof discoveryandawakening. Inshort,theIntegralApproachhelpsyouseebothyourself andtheworldaroundyouinmorecomprehensiveandeffectiveways.Butonethingisimportanttorealizefromthestart.TheIntegralMapisjustamap.Itisnottheterritory.Wecertainlydon’twanttoconfusethemapwiththeterritory—butneitherdowewanttobeworkingwithaninaccurateorfaultymap.DoyouwanttoflyovertheRockieswithabadmap?TheIntegralMapisjustamap,butitisthemostcompleteandaccuratemapwehaveatthistime.

WHAT IS AN IOS? IOSsimplymeansIntegral Operating System.Inaninformationnetwork,anoperatingsystemistheinfrastructurethatallowsvarioussoftwareprogramstooperate.WeuseIntegral Op-erating System or IOSasanotherphrasefortheIntegralMap.Thepointissimplythat,if youarerunningany“software”inyourlife—suchasyourbusiness,work,play,orrelationships—youwantthebestoperatingsystemyoucanfind,andIOSfitsthatbill.Intouchingallthebases,itallowsthemosteffectiveprogramstobeused.Thisisjustanotherwayof talkingaboutthecomprehensiveandinclusivenatureof theIntegralModel. Wewillalsobeexploringwhatisperhapsthemostimportantuseof theIntegralMaporOperatingSystem.BecauseanIOScanbeusedtohelpindexanyactivity—fromarttodancetobusinesstopsychologytopoliticstoecologytospirituality—itallowseachof thosedomainstotalktotheothers.UsingIOS,businesshastheterminologywithwhichtocommunicatefullywithecology,whichcancommunicatewithart,whichcancommunicatewithlaw,whichcancommuni-catewithpoetryandeducationandmedicineandspirituality.Inthehistoryof humankind,thishasneverreallyhappenedbefore. ByusingtheIntegralApproach—byusinganIntegralMaporIntegralOperatingSystem—weareabletofacilitateanddramaticallyacceleratecross-disciplinaryandtrans-disciplinaryknowl-edge,thuscreatingtheworld’sfirsttrulyintegrallearningcommunity.Andwhenitcomestoreligionandspirituality,usingtheIntegralApproachhasallowedthecreationof IntegralSpiritualCenter,wheresomeof theworld’sleadingspiritualteachersfromallmajorreligionshavecometogethernotonlytolistentoeachother,butto“teachtheteachers,”resultinginoneof themostextraordinarylearningeventsimaginable.Wewillreturntothisimportantgathering,andwaysyoucanjoininthiscommunityif youwish. Butitallstartswiththesesimple5elementsinthecontoursof yourownconsciousness.

STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS Wesaidthatallof theaspectsof the5elementsof theIntegralModelareavailable,rightnow,inyourownawareness.Whatfollowsistherefore,inasense,aguidedtourof yourownexpe-rience.Sowhydon’tyoucomealongandseeif youcanspotsomeof thesefeaturesarisinginyour


ownawarenessrightnow? Someof thesefeaturesrefertosubjectiverealitiesinyou,somerefertoobjectiverealitiesoutthereintheworld,andothersrefertocollectiveorcommunalrealitiessharedwithothers.Let’sstartwithstatesof consciousness,whichrefertosubjectiverealities. Everybodyisfamiliarwithmajorstates of consciousness,suchaswaking,dreaming,anddeepsleep.Rightnow,youareinawakingstateof consciousness(or,if youaretired,perhapsadaydreamstateof consciousness).Thereareallsortsof differentstatesof consciousness,includingmeditative states(inducedbyyoga,contemplativeprayer,meditation,andsoon);altered states (suchasdrug-induced);andavarietyof peak experiences,manyof whichcanbetriggeredbyintenseexperi-enceslikemakinglove,walkinginnature,orlisteningtoexquisitemusic. Thegreatwisdomtraditions(suchasChristianmysticism,VedantaHinduism,VajrayanaBuddhism,andJewishKabbalah)maintainthatthe3naturalstatesof consciousness—waking,dreaming,anddeepformlesssleep—actuallycontainatreasuretroveof spiritualwisdomandspiri-tualawakening...if weknowhowtousethemcorrectly.Weusuallythinkof thedreamstateaslessreal,butwhatif youcouldenteritwhileawake?Andthesamewithdeepsleep?Mightyoulearnsomethingextraordinaryinthoseawakenedstates?Howdoyouknowforsurewithouttryingit?Inaspecialsense,whichwewillexploreaswegoalong,the3greatnatural statesof waking,dream-ing,anddeepsleepmightcontainanentirespectrumof spiritualenlightenment. Butonamuchsimpler,moremundanelevel,everybodyexperiencesvariousstatesof con-sciousness,andthesestatesoftenprovideprofoundmotivation,meaning,anddrives,inbothyour-self andothers.Inanyparticularsituation,statesof consciousnessmaynotbeaveryimportantfactor,ortheymaybethedeterminingfactor,butnointegralapproachcanaffordtoignorethem.Whenever you are using IOS,youwillautomaticallybepromptedtocheckandseeif youaretouch-ingbaseswiththeseimportantsubjectiverealities.Thisisanexampleof howamap—inthiscase,theIOSorIntegralMap—canhelpyoulookforterritoryyoumightnothaveevensuspectedwasthere....

STAGES OR LEVELS OF DEVELOPMENT There’saninterestingthingaboutstatesof consciousness:theycomeandtheygo.Evengreatpeakexperiencesoralteredstates,nomatterhowprofound,willcome,stayabit,thenpass.Nomatterhowwonderfultheircapacities,theyaretemporary. Wherestatesof consciousnessaretemporary,stages of consciousness arepermanent.Stagesrepresenttheactualmilestonesof growthanddevelopment.Onceyouareatastage,itisanenduringacquisition.Forexample,onceachilddevelopsthroughthelinguisticstagesof develop-ment,thechildhaspermanentaccesstolanguage.Languageisn’tpresentoneminuteandgonethenext.Thesamethinghappenswithothertypesof growth.Onceyoustablyreachastageof growthanddevelopment,youcanaccessthecapacitiesof thatstage—suchasgreaterconsciousness,moreembracinglove,higherethicalcallings,greaterintelligenceandawareness—virtuallyanytimeyouwant. Passing states have been converted to permanent traits.

�Introducing the AQAL Framework

Howmanystagesof developmentarethere?Well,rememberthatinanymap,thewayyoudivideandrepresenttheactualterritoryissomewhatarbitrary.Forexample,howmanydegreesaretherebetweenfreezingandboilingwater?If youuseaCentigradescaleor“map,”thereare100de-greesbetweenfreezingandboiling.Butif youuseaFahrenheitscale,freezingisat32andboilingisat212,sothereare180degreesbetweenthem.Whichisright?Bothof them.Itjustdependsuponhow you want to slice that pie. Thesameistrueof stages.Thereareallsortsof waystosliceanddicedevelopment,andthereforethereareallsortsof stage conceptions.Allof themcanbeuseful.Inthechakrasys-tem,forexample,thereare7majorstagesorlevelsof consciousness.JeanGebser,thefamousanthropologist,uses5:archaic,magic,mythic,rational,andintegral.CertainWesternpsychologicalmodelshave8,12,ormorelevelsof development.Whichisright?Allof them;itjustdependsonwhatyouwanttokeeptrackof ingrowthanddevelopment. “Stagesof development”arealsoreferredtoas“levelsof development,”theideabe-ingthateachstagerepresentsalevelof organizationoralevelof complexity.Forexample,inthesequencefromatomstomoleculestocellstoorganisms,eachof thosestagesof evolutioninvolvesagreaterlevelof complexity.Theword“level”isnotmeantinarigidorexclusionaryfashion,butsimplytoindicatethatthereareimportantemergentqualitiesthattendtocomeintobeinginadiscreteorquantum-likefashion,andthesedevelopmentaljumpsorlevelsareimportantaspectsof manynaturalphenomena. Generally,intheIntegralModel,weworkwitharound8to10stagesorlevelsof conscious-nessdevelopment.Wehavefound,afteryearsof fieldwork,thatmorestagesthanthataretoocum-bersome,andlessthanthat,toovague.Someof thestageconceptionsweoftenuseincludethoseof self developmentpioneeredbyJaneLoevingerandSusannCook-Greuter;SpiralDynamics,byDonBeckandChrisCowan;andordersof consciousness,researchedbyRobertKegan.ButtherearemanyotherusefulstageconceptionsavailablewiththeIntegralApproach,andyoucanadoptanyof themthatareappropriatetoyoursituation. Aswegetintothespecificslaterinthisbook,youwillseehowincrediblyimportantstagescanbe.Butlet’stakeasimpleexamplenowtoshowwhatisinvolved.

EGOCENTRIC, ETHNOCENTRIC, AND WORLDCENTRIC Toshowwhatisinvolvedwithlevelsorstages,let’suseaverysimplemodelpossessingonly3of them.If welookatmoraldevelopment,forexample,wefindthataninfantatbirthhasnotyetbeensocializedintotheculture’sethicsandconventions;thisiscalledthepreconventional stage. It is also called egocentric,inthattheinfant’sawarenessislargelyself-absorbed.Butastheyoungchildbeginstolearnitsculture’srulesandnorms,itgrowsintotheconventional stageof morals.Thisstageisalsocalledethnocentric,inthatitcentersonthechild’sparticulargroup,tribe,clan,ornation,anditthereforetendstoexcludethosenotof one’sgroup.Butatthenextmajorstageof moraldevelopment,the postconventional stage,theindividual’sidentityexpandsonceagain,thistimetoincludeacareandconcernforallpeoples,regardlessof race,color,sex,orcreed,whichiswhy this stage is also called worldcentric. Thus,moraldevelopmenttendstomovefrom“me”(egocentric)to“us”(ethnocentric)to


“allof us”(worldcentric)—agoodexampleof theunfoldingstagesof consciousness. Another way to picture these 3 stages is as body, mind, and spirit.Thosewordsallhavemanyvalidmeanings,butwhenusedspecificallytorefertostages,theymean: Stage1,whichisdominatedbymygrossphysicalreality,isthe“body”stage(usingbodyinitstypicalmeaningof physicalbody).Sinceyouareidentifiedmerelywiththeseparatebodilyorgan-ismanditssurvivaldrives,thisisalsothe“me”stage. Stage2isthe“mind”stage,whereidentityexpandsfromtheisolatedgrossbodyandstartstosharerelationshipswithmanyothers,basedperhapsonsharedvalues,mutualinterests,commonideals,orshareddreams.BecauseIcanusethemindtotaketheroleof others—toputmyself intheirshoesandfeelwhatitisliketobethem—myidentityexpandsfrom“me”to“us”(themovefromegocentrictoethnocentric). Withstage3,myidentityexpandsonceagain,thistimefromanidentitywith“us”toanidentitywith“allof us”(themovefromethnocentrictoworldcentric).HereIbegintounderstandthat,inadditiontothewonderfuldiversityof humansandcultures,therearealsosimilaritiesandsharedcommonalities.Discoveringthecommonwealthof allbeingsisthemovefromethnocentrictoworldcentric,andis“spiritual”inthesenseof thingscommontoallsentientbeings. Thatisonewaytoviewtheunfoldingfrombodytomindtospirit,whereeachof themisconsideredasastage,wave,orlevelof unfoldingcareandconsciousness,movingfromegocentrictoethnocentric to worldcentric. Wewillbereturningtostagesof evolutionanddevelopment,eachtimeexploringthemfromanewangle.Fornow,allthatisrequiredisanunderstandingthatby“stages”wemeanprogressiveandpermanentmilestonesalongtheevolutionarypathof yourownunfolding.Whetherwetalkstagesof consciousness,stagesof energy,stagesof culture,stagesof spiritualrealization,stagesof moraldevelopment,andsoon,wearetalkingof theseimportantandfundamentalrungsintheunfoldingof yourhigher,deeper,widerpotentials. Whenever you use IOS,youwillautomaticallybepromptedtocheckandseeif youhaveincludedtheimportantstage aspectsof anysituation,whichwilldramaticallyincreaseyourlikeli-hoodof success,whetherthatsuccessbemeasuredintermsof personaltransformation,socialchange,excellenceinbusiness,careforothers,orsimplesatisfactioninlife.

LINES OF DEVELOPMENT Haveyouevernoticedhowunevenlydevelopedvirtuallyallof usare?Somepeoplearehighlydevelopedin,say,logicalthinking,butpoorlydevelopedinemotionalfeelings.Somepeoplehavehighlyadvancedcognitivedevelopment(they’reverysmart)butpoormoraldevelopment(they’remeanandruthless).Somepeopleexcelinemotionalintelligence,butcan’tadd2plus2. HowardGardnermadethisconceptfairlywell-knownusingtheideaof multiple intel-ligences.Humanbeingshaveavarietyof intelligences,suchascognitiveintelligence,emotionalintelligence,musicalintelligence,kinestheticintelligence,andsoon.Mostpeopleexcelinoneortwo


of those,butdopoorlyintheothers.Thisisnotnecessarilyorevenusuallyabadthing;partof in-tegralwisdomisfindingwhereoneexcelsandthuswhereonecanbestoffertheworldone’sdeepestgifts. Butthisdoesmeanthatweneedtobeawareof ourstrengths(ortheintelligenceswithwhichwecanshine)aswellasourweaknesses(wherewedopoorlyorevenpathologically).Andthisbringsustoanotherof our5essentialelements:ourmultiplesintelligencesordevelopmentallines.Sofarwehavelookedatstates and stages;whatarelines ormultipleintelligences? Variousmultipleintelligencesinclude:cognitive,interpersonal,moral,emotional,andaes-thetic.Whydowealsocallthemdevelopmental lines?Becausethoseintelligencesshowgrowthanddevelopment.Theyunfoldinprogressivestages.Whatarethoseprogressivestages?Thestageswejustoutlined. Inotherwords,eachmultipleintelligencegrows—orcangrow—throughthe3majorstages(orthroughanyof thestagesof anyof thedevelopmentalmodels,whether3stages,5stages,7ormore;remember,thesearealllikeCentigradeandFahrenheit).Youcanhavecognitivedevelopmenttostage1,tostage2,andtostage3,forexample. Likewisewiththeotherintelligences.Emotionaldevelopmenttostage1meansthatyouhavedevelopedthecapacityforemotionscenteringon“me,”especiallytheemotionsanddrivesof hunger,survival,andself-protection.If youcontinuetogrowemotionallyfromstage1tostage2—orfromegocentrictoethnocentric—youwillexpandfrom“me”to“us,”andbegintodevelopemotionalcommitmentsandattachmentstolovedones,membersof yourfamily,closefriends,per-hapsyourwholetribeorwholenation.If yougrowintostage-3emotions,youwilldevelopthefur-thercapacityforacareandcompassionthatreachesbeyondyourowntribeornationandattemptstoincludeallhumanbeingsandevenallsentientbeingsinaworldcentriccareandcompassion. Andremember,becausethesearestages,youhaveattainedtheminapermanentfashion.Beforethathappens,anyof thesecapacitieswillbemerelypassingstates:youwillplugintosomeof them,if atall,inatemporaryfashion—greatpeakexperiencesof expandedknowingandbeing,wondrous“aha!”experiences,profoundalteredglimpsesintoyourownhigherpossibilities.Butwithpractice,youwillconvertthosestatesintostages,orpermanenttraitsintheterritoryof you.

THE INTEGRAL PSYCHOGRAPH Thereisafairlyeasywaytorepresenttheseintelligencesormultiplelines.Infigure1,wehavedrawnasimplegraphshowingthe3majorstages(orlevels of development)andfiveof themostimportantintelligences(orlinesof development).Through the major stages or levels of development, the various lines unfold. The3levelsorstagescanapplytoanydevelopmentalline—sexual,cognitive,spiritual,emotional,moral,andsoon.Thelevelof aparticularlinesimplymeansthe“altitude”of thatlineintermsof itsgrowthandconsciousness.Weoftensay,“Thatpersonishighlydevelopedmorally,”or“Thatpersonisreallyadvancedspiritually.” Infigure1,wehaveshownsomebodywhoexcelsincognitivedevelopmentandisgoodatinterpersonaldevelopment,butdoespoorlyinmoralandreallypoorlyinemotionalintelligence.Otherindividualswould,of course,haveadifferent“psychograph.” Thepsychographhelpstospotwhereyourgreatestpotentialsare.Youverylikelyalreadyknowwhatyouexcelinandwhatyoudon’t.Butpartof theIntegralApproachislearningtorefine


considerablythisknowledgeof yourowncontours,sothatyoucanmoreconfidentlydealwithbothyourownstrengthsandweaknessesaswellasthoseof others. The psychographalsohelpsusspotthewaysthatvirtuallyallof usareunevenlydevel-oped,andthushelpspreventusfromthinkingthatjustbecauseweareterrificinoneareawemustbeterrificinalltheothers.Infact,usuallytheopposite.Morethanoneleader,spiritualteacher,orpoliticianhasspectacularlycrashedthroughlackof anunderstandingof thesesimplerealities.

Tobe“integrallydeveloped”doesnotmeanthatyouhavetoexcelinalltheknownintelli-gences,orthatallof yourlineshavetobeatlevel3.Butitdoesmeanthatyoudevelopaverygoodsenseof whatyourownpsychographisactuallylike,sothatwithamuchmoreintegralself-imageyoucanplanyourfuturedevelopment.Forsomepeople,thiswillindeedmeanstrengtheningcer-tainintelligencesthataresoweaktheyarecausingproblems.Forothers,thiswillmeanclearingupaseriousproblemorpathologyinoneline(suchastheemotional-sexual).Andforothers,simplyrecognizingwheretheirstrengthsandweaknesseslie,andplanningaccordingly.Usinganintegralmap,wecanscopeoutourownpsychographswithmoreassurance. Thus,tobe“integrally informed”doesnotmeanyouhavetomasteralllinesof develop-ment,justbeawareof them.If youthenchoosetoremedyanyunbalances,thatispartof IntegralLifePractice,whichactuallyhelpstoincreaselevelsof consciousnessanddevelopmentthroughanintegrated approach. Noticeanotherveryimportantpoint.Incertaintypesof psychologicalandspiritualtraining,youcanbeintroducedtoafullspectrumof statesof consciousnessandbodilyexperiencesrightfromthestart—asapeakexperience,meditativestate,shamanicvision,alteredstate,andsoon.Thereasonthatthesepeakexperiencesarepossibleisthatmanyof themajorstatesof consciousness(suchaswaking-gross,dreaming-subtle,andformless-causal)areever-presentpossibilities.Soyoucanveryquicklybeintroducedtomanyhigher statesof consciousness. Youcannot,however,beintroducedtoallthequalitiesof higher stages without actual growthandpractice.Youcanhaveapeakexperienceof higherstates (likeseeinganinteriorsubtle

Cognitive

Interpersonal

Psychose

xual

Emotional

Moral

MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES

LEVELS OFCONSCIOUSNESS

FirstStage

SecondStage

ThirdStage

Figure 1. Psychograph


lightorhavingafeelingof onenesswithallof nature),becausemanystatesareever-present,andsotheycanbe“peek”-experiencedrightnow.Butyoucannothaveapeakexperienceof ahigherstage (likebeingaconcert-levelpianist),becausestagesunfoldsequentiallyandtakeconsiderabletimetodevelop.Stagesbuildupontheirpredecessorsinveryconcreteways,sotheycannotbeskipped:likeatomstomoleculestocellstoorganisms,youcan’tgofromatomstocellsandskipmolecules.Thisisoneof themanyimportantdifferencesbetweenstatesandstages. However,withrepeatedpracticeof contactinghigherstates,yourownstagesof develop-mentwilltendtounfoldinamuchfasterandeasierway.Thereis,infact,considerableexperimen-talevidencedemonstratingexactlythat.Themoreyouareplungedintoauthentichigherstatesof consciousness—suchasmeditativestates—thefasteryouwillgrowanddevelopthroughanyof thestages of consciousness.Itisasif higher-statestrainingactsasalubricantonthespiralof develop-ment,helpingyoutodisidentifywithalowerstagesothatthenexthigherstagecanemerge,untilyoucanstablyremainathigherlevelsof awarenessonanongoingbasis,whereuponapassingstatehasbecomeapermanenttrait.Thesetypesof higher-statestraining,suchasmeditation,areapartof anyintegralapproachtotransformation. Inshort,youcannotskipactualstages,butyoucanaccelerateyourgrowththroughthembyusingvarioustypesof state-practices,suchasmeditation,andthesetransformativepracticesareanimportantpartof theIntegralApproach.

WHAT TYPE: BOY OR GIRL? Thenextcomponentiseasy:eachof thepreviouscomponentshasamasculineandfemininetype. Therearetwobasicideashere:onehastodowiththeideaof typesthemselves;andtheother,withmasculineandfeminineasoneexampleof types. Typessimplyreferstoitemsthatcanbepresentatvirtuallyanystageorstate.Onecom-montypology,forexample,istheMyers-Briggs(whosemaintypesarefeeling,thinking,sensing,andintuiting).You can be any of those types at virtually any stage of development.Thesekindof “horizontaltypologies”canbeveryuseful,especiallywhencombinedwithlevels,lines,andstates.Toshowwhatisinvolved,wecanuse“masculine”and“feminine.” CarolGilligan,inherenormouslyinfluentialbookIn a Different Voice, pointed out that both menandwomentendtodevelopthrough3or4majorlevelsorstagesof moraldevelopment.Pointingtoagreatdealof researchevidence,Gilligannotedthatthese3or4moralstagescanbecalledpreconventional,conventional,postconventional,andintegrated.Theseareactuallyquitesimilartothe3simpledevelopmentalstagesweareusing,thistimeappliedtomoralintelligence. Gilliganfoundthatstage1isamoralitycenteredentirelyon“me”(hencethispreconven-tional stage or level is also called egocentric).Stage-2moraldevelopmentiscenteredon“us,”sothatmyidentityhasexpandedfromjustmetoincludeotherhumanbeingsof mygroup(hencethisconventionalstageisoftencalledethnocentric,traditional,orconformist).Withstage-3moral

1� Introducing the AQAL Framework

development,myidentityexpandsonceagain,thistimefrom“us”to“allof us,”orallhumanbeings(orevenallsentientbeings)—andhencethisstageisoftencalledworldcentric. I now have care and compassion,notjustforme(egocentric),andnotjustformyfamily,mytribe,ormynation(ethno-centric),butforallof humanity,forallmenandwomeneverywhere,regardlessof race,color,sex,orcreed(worldcentric).Andif Idevelopevenfurther,atstage-4moraldevelopment,whichGilli-gan calls integrated, then.... Well,beforewelookattheimportantconclusionof Gilligan’swork,let’sfirstnotehermajorcontribution.Gilliganstronglyagreedthatwomen,likemen,developthroughthose3or4majorhierarchicalstagesof growth.Gilliganherself correctlyreferstothesestagesashierarchical because each stage has a higher capacityforcareandcompassion.Butshesaidthatwomenprogressthroughthosestagesusingadifferenttypeof logic—theydevelop“inadifferentvoice.” Malelogic,oraman’svoice,tendstobebasedontermsof autonomy,justice,andrights;whereaswomen’slogicorvoicetendstobebasedontermsof relationship,care,andresponsibil-ity.Mentendtowardagency;womentendtowardcommunion.Menfollowrules;womenfollowconnections.Menlook;womentouch.Mentendtowardindividualism,womentowardrelationship.Oneof Gilligan’sfavoritestories:Alittleboyandgirlareplaying;theboysays,“Let’splaypirates!”Thegirlsays,“Let’splaylikewelivenextdoortoeachother.”Boy:“No,Iwanttoplaypirates!”“Okay,youplaythepiratewholivesnextdoor.” Littleboysdon’tlikegirlsaroundwhentheyareplayinggameslikebaseball,becausethetwovoicesclashbadly,andoftenhilariously.Someboysareplayingbaseball,akidtakeshisthirdstrikeandisout,sohestartstocry.Theotherboysstandunmoveduntilthekidstopscrying;afterall,aruleisarule,andtheruleis:threestrikesandyou’reout.Gilliganpointsoutthatif agirlisaround,shewillusuallysay,“Ah,comeon,givehimanothertry!”Thegirlseeshimcryingandwantstohelp,wantstoconnect,wantstoheal.This,however,drivestheboysnuts,whoaredoingthisgameasaninitiationintotheworldof rulesandmalelogic.Gilligansaysthattheboyswillthereforehurtfeel-ingsinordertosavetherules;thegirlswillbreaktherulesinordertosavethefeelings. Inadifferentvoice.Boththegirlsandboyswilldevelopthroughthe3or4developmentalstagesof moralgrowth(egocentrictoethnocentrictoworldcentrictointegrated),buttheywilldosoinadifferentvoice,usingadifferentlogic.Gilliganspecificallycallsthesehierarchicalstagesinwomenselfish(whichisegocentric),care(whichisethnocentric),universal care(whichisworld-centric),andintegrated.Again,whydidGilligan(whohasbeenbadlymisunderstoodonthistopic)saythatthesestageswerehierarchical?Becauseeachstagehasahighercapacityforcareandcom-passion.(Notallhierarchiesarebad,andthisagoodexampleof why.) So,integratedorstage4—whatisthat?Atthe4thandhigheststageof moraldevelopmentthatweareawareof,themasculineandfemininevoicesineachof ustendtobecomeintegrated,accordingtoGilligan.Thisdoesnotmeanthatapersonatthisstagestartstolosethedistinctionsbetweenmasculineandfeminine,andhencebecomeakindof bland,androgynous,asexualbeing.Infact,masculineandfemininedimensionsmightbecomemoreintensified.Butitdoesmeantheindividualsstarttobefriendboththemasculineandfemininemodesinthemselves,evenif theycharacteristicallyactpredominantlyfromoneortheother. Haveyoueverseenacaduceus(thesymbolof themedicalprofession)?It’sastaff withtwoserpentscrisscrossingit,andwingsatthetopof thestaff (seefig.2).Thestaff itself representsthecentralspinalcolumn;wheretheserpentscrossthestaff representstheindividualchakrasmoving

1�Introducing the AQAL Framework

upthespinefromthelowesttothehighest;andthetwoserpentsthemselvesrepresentsolarandlunar(ormasculineandfeminine)energiesat each of the chakras. That’sthecrucialpoint.The7chakras,whicharesimplyamorecomplexversionof the3simplelevelsorstages,represent7levelsof consciousnessandenergyavailabletoallhumanbeings.(Thefirstthreechakras—food,sex,andpower—areroughlystage1;chakrasfourandfive—re-lationalheartandcommunication—arebasicallystage2;andchakrassixandseven—psychicandspiritual—aretheepitomeof stage3).Theimportantpointhereisthat,accordingtothetraditions,each of those 7 levels has a masculine and feminine aspect,type,or“voice.”Neithermascu-linenorfeminineishigherorbetter;theyaretwoequivalenttypesateachof thelevelsof conscious-ness. Thismeans,forexample,thatwithchakra3(theegocentric-powerchakra),thereisamascu-lineandfeminineversionof thesamechakra:atthatchakra-level,malestendtowardpowerexer-cisedautonomously(“Mywayorthehighway!”),womentendtowardpowerexercisedcommunallyorsocially(“DoitthiswayorIwon’ttalktoyou”).Andsoonwiththeothermajorchakras,eachof themhavingasolarandlunar,ormasculineandfemininedimension;neitherismorefundamental,neither can be ignored. Atthe7thchakra,however,noticethatthemasculineandfeminineserpentsbothdisappearintotheirgroundorsource.Masculineandfemi-ninemeetanduniteatthecrown—theyliterallybecomeone.AndthatiswhatGilliganfoundwithherstage-4moraldevelopment:thetwovoicesineachpersonbecomeintegrated,sothatthereisaparadoxicalunionof autonomyandrelationship,rightsandresponsibilities,agencyandcommunion,wisdomandcompassion,justiceandmercy,mascu-lineandfeminine. Theimportantpointisthatwheneveryouuse IOS,youareautomaticallycheckinganysitua-tion—inyourself,inothers,inanorganization,inaculture—andmakingsurethatyouincludeboththemasculineandfemininetypessoastobeascomprehensiveandinclusiveaspossible.If yoube-lievethattherearenomajordifferencesbetweenmasculineandfeminine—orif youaresuspiciousof suchdifferences—thenthatisfine,too,andyoucantreatthemthesameif youwant.Wearesimplysayingthat,ineithercase,makesureyoutouchbaseswithboththemasculineandfeminine,howeveryouviewthem. Butmorethanthat,therearenumerousother“horizontaltypologies”thatcanbeveryhelp-fulwhenpartof acomprehensiveIOS,andtheIntegralApproachdrawsonanyorallof thosetypologiesasappropriate.“Types”areasimportantasquadrants,levels,lines,andstates.

Figure 2. Caduceus


SICK BOY, SICK GIRL There’saninterestingthingabouttypes.Youcanhavehealthyandunhealthyversionsof them.Tosaythatsomebodyiscaughtinanunhealthytypeisnotawaytojudgethembuttounder-standandcommunicatemoreclearlyandeffectivelywiththem. Forexample,if eachstageof developmenthasamasculineandfemininedimension,eachof thosecanbehealthyorunhealthy,whichwesometimescall“sickboy,sickgirl.”Thisissimplyanotherkindof horizontaltyping,butonethatcanbeextremelyuseful. If thehealthymasculineprincipletendstowardautonomy,strength,independence,andfreedom,whenthatprinciplebecomesunhealthyorpathological,allof thosepositivevirtueseitherover-orunder-fire.Thereisnotjustautonomy,butalienation;notjuststrength,butdomination;notjustindependence,butmorbidfearof relationshipandcommitment;notjustadrivetowardfreedom,butadrivetodestroy.Theunhealthymasculineprincipledoesnottranscendinfreedom,butdominatesinfear. If thehealthyfeminineprincipletendstowardflowing,relationship,care,andcompassion,theunhealthyfemininefloundersineachof those.Insteadof beinginrelationship,shebecomeslostinrelationship.Insteadof ahealthyself incommunionwithothers,shelosesherself altogeth-erandisdominatedbytherelationshipssheisin.Notaconnection,butafusion;notaflowstate,butapanicstate;notacommunion,butamelt-down.Theunhealthyfeminineprincipledoesnotfindfullnessinconnection,butchaosinfusion. UsingAQAL,youwillfindwaystoidentifyboththehealthyandunhealthymasculineandfemininedimensionsoperatinginyourself andinothers.Buttheimportantpointaboutthissec-tionissimple:varioustypologieshavetheirusefulnessinhelpingustounderstandandcommunicatewithothers.Andwithanytypology,therearehealthyandunhealthyversionsof atype.Pointingtoanunhealthytypeisnotawaytojudgepeoplebutawaytounderstandandcommunicatewiththemmoreclearlyandeffectively.

THERE’S EVEN ROOM FOR MANY BODIES Let’sreturnnowtostatesof consciousnessinordertomakeafinalpointbeforebringingthis all together in an integral conclusion. Statesof consciousnessdonothoverintheair,danglinganddisembodied.Onthecontrary,everymindhasitsbody.Foreverystateof consciousness,thereisafeltenergeticcomponent,anembodiedfeeling,aconcretevehiclewhichprovidestheactualsupportforanystateof awareness. Let’suseasimpleexamplefromthewisdomtraditions.Becauseeachof ushasthe3greatstatesof consciousness—waking,dreaming,andformlesssleep—thewisdomtraditionsmaintainthateachof uslikewisehas3 bodies,whichareoftencalledthegross body, the subtle body, and the causal body. Ihave3bodies?Areyoukiddingme?Isn’tonebodyenough?Butkeepinmindafewthings.Forthewisdomtraditions,a“body”simplymeansamodeof experienceorenergeticfeeling.Sothereiscoarseorgrossexperience,subtleorrefinedexperience,andverysubtleorcausalexperi-


ence.Thesearewhatarephilosopherswouldcall“phenomenologicalrealities,”orrealitiesastheypresentthemselvestoourimmediateawareness.Rightnow,youhaveaccesstoagrossbodyanditsgross energy, a subtle body and its subtle energy, and a causal body and its causal energy. What’sanexampleof these3bodies?Noticethat,rightnow,youareinawakingstateof awareness;assuch,youareawareof yourgross body—thephysical,material,sensorimotorbody.Butwhenyoudreamatnight,thereisnogrossphysicalbody;itseemstohavevanished.Youareawareinthedreamstate,yetyoudon’thaveagrossbodyof densematterbutasubtle bodyof light,energy,emotionalfeelings,fluidandflowingimages.Inthedreamstate,themindandsoularesetfreetocreateastheyplease,toimaginevastworldsnottiedtogrosssensoryrealitiesbutreachingout,almostmagically,totouchothersouls,otherpeopleandfar-off places,wildandradiantim-agescascadingtotherhythmof theheart’sdesire.Sowhatkindof bodydoyouhaveinthedream?Well, a subtle bodyof feelings,images,evenlight.That’swhatyoufeellikeinthedream.Anddreamsarenot“justillusion.”WhensomebodylikeMartinLutherKing,Jr.,says,“Ihaveadream,”thatisagoodexampleof tappingintothegreatpotentialof visionarydreaming,wherethesubtlebodyandmindaresetfreetosoartotheirhighestpossibilities. Asyoupassfromthedream statewithitssubtlebodyintothedeep-sleeporformless state, even thoughtsandimagesdropaway,andthereisonlyavastemptiness,aformlessexpansebeyondanyindividual“I”oregoorself.Thegreatwisdomtraditionsmaintainthatinthisstate—whichmightseemlikemerelyablankornothingness—weareactuallyplungedintoavastformlessrealm,agreatEmptinessorGroundof being,anexpanseof consciousnessthatseemsalmostinfinite.Alongwiththisalmostinfiniteexpanseof consciousnessthereisanalmostinfinitebodyorenergy—thecausal body,thebodyof thefinest,mostsubtleexperiencepossible,agreatformlessnessoutof whichcreative possibilities can arise. Of course,manypeopledonotexperiencethatdeepstateinsuchafullfashion.Butagain,thetraditionsareunanimousthatthisformless state and its causal bodycanbeenteredinfullawareness,whereuponthey,too,yieldtheirextraordinarypotentialsforgrowthandawareness. Thepoint,onceagain,issimplythatwheneverIOSisbeingutilized,itremindsustocheckinwithourwaking-staterealities,oursubtle-statedreamsandvisionsandinnovativeideas,aswellasourownopen,formlessgroundof possibilitiesthatisthesourceof somuchcreativity.Theim-portantpointabouttheIntegralApproachisthatwewanttotouchbaseswithasmanypotentialsaspossiblesoastomissnothingintermsof possiblesolutions,growth,andtransformation.

CONSCIOUSNESS AND COMPLEXITY Perhaps3bodiesarejusttoo“farout”?Well,rememberthatthesearephenomenologicalrealities,orexperientialrealities,butthereisasimpler,lessfar-outwaytolookatthem,thistimegroundedinhard-headedscience.Itisthis:every level of interior consciousness is accompanied by a level of exterior physical complexity.Thegreatertheconsciousness,themorecomplexthesystemhousingit. Forexample,inlivingorganisms,thereptilian brain stemisaccompaniedbyarudimen-taryinteriorconsciousnessof basicdrivessuchasfoodandhunger,physiologicalsensationsandsensorimotoractions(everythingthatweearliercalled“gross,”orcenteredonthe“me”).Bythetimewegettothemorecomplexmammalian limbic system,basicsensationshaveexpandedand


evolvedtoincludequitesophisticatedfeelings,desires,emotional-sexualimpulsesandneeds(hence,thebeginningof whatwecalledsubtleexperienceorthesubtlebody,whichcanexpandfrom“me”to“us”).Asevolutionproceedstoevenmorecomplexphysicalstructures,suchasthetriune brain with its neocortex,consciousnessonceagainexpandstoaworldcentricawarenessof “allof us”(andthusevenbeginstotapintowhatwecalledthecausalbody.) Thatisaverysimpleexampleof thefactthatincreasinginteriorconsciousnessisaccompa-niedbyincreasingexteriorcomplexityof thesystemshousingit.WhenusingIOS,weoftenlookat both the interior levels of consciousness and the corresponding exterior levels of physical complexity,sinceincludingbothof themresultsinamuchmorebalancedandinclusiveapproach.Wewillseeexactlywhatthismeansinamoment.

FITTING IT ALL TOGETHER IOS—andtheIntegralModel—wouldbemerelya“heap”if itdidnotsuggestawaythatallof thesevariouscomponentsarerelated.Howdotheyallfittogether?It’sonethingtosimplylayallthepiecesof thecross-culturalsurveyonthetableandsay,“They’reallimportant!,”andquiteanothertospotthepatternsthatactuallyconnectallthepieces.Discoveringtheprofoundpatterns that connectisamajoraccomplishmentof theIntegralApproach. Inthisconcludingsection,wewillbrieflyoutlinethesepatterns,allof whichtogetheraresometimesreferredtoasA-Q-A-L(pronouncedah-qwul),whichisshorthandfor“allquadrants,alllevels,alllines,allstates,alltypes”—andthosearesimplythecomponentsthatwehavealreadyout-lined(exceptthequadrants,whichwewillgettomomentarily).AQALisjustanothertermforIOS or the Integral Map,butonethatisoftenusedtospecificallydesignatethisparticularapproach. Atthebeginningof thisintroduction,wesaidthatall5componentsof theIntegralModelwereitemsthatareavailable to your awareness right now,andthisistrueof thequadrantsaswell. Didyouevernoticethatmajorlanguageshavewhatarecalledfirst-person,second-person,andthird-personpronouns?First-personmeans“thepersonwhoisspeaking,”whichincludespronounslikeI, me, mine(inthesingular),andwe, us, ours(intheplural).Second-personmeans“thepersonwhoisspokento,”whichincludespronounslikeyouandyours.Third-personmeans“thepersonorthingbeingspokenabout,”suchashe, him, she, her, they, them, it, and its. Thus,if Iamspeakingtoyouaboutmynewcar,“I”amfirstperson,“you”aresecondperson,andthenewcar(or“it”)isthirdperson.Now,if youandIaretalkingandcommunicating,wewillindicatethisbyusing,forexample,theword“we,”asin,“Weunderstandeachother.”“We”istechnicallyfirst-personplural,butif youandIarecommunicating,thenyoursecondpersonandmyfirstpersonarepartof thisextraordinary“we.”Thussecondpersonissometimesindicatedas“you/we,”or“thou/we,”orsometimesjust“we.” Sowecanthereforesimplifyfirst-,second-,andthird-personas“I,”“we,”and“it.” Thatallseemstrivial,doesn’tit?Boringmaybe?Solet’strythis.Insteadof saying“I,”“we,”and“it,”whatif wesaidtheBeautiful, the Good, and the True?Andwhatif wesaidthattheBeautiful,theGood,andtheTruearedimensionsof yourveryownbeingateachandeverymoment,includingeachandeverylevelof growthanddevelopment?Andthatthroughanintegral


practice,youcandiscoverdeeperanddeeperdimensionsof yourownGoodness,yourownTruth,andyourownBeauty? Hmm,definitelymoreinteresting.TheBeautiful,theGood,andtheTruearesimplyvaria-tionsonfirst-,second-,andthird-personpronounsfoundinallmajorlanguages,andtheyarefoundinallmajorlanguagesbecauseBeauty,Truth,andGoodnessareveryrealdimensionsof realitytowhichlanguagehasadapted.Third-person(or“it”)referstoobjectivetruth,whichisbestinvesti-gatedbyscience.Second-person(or“you/we”)referstoGoodness,orthewaysthatwe—thatyouandI—treateachother,andwhetherwedosowithdecency,honesty,andrespect.Inotherwords,basicmorality.Andfirst-persondealswiththe“I,”withself andself-expression,artandaesthetics,andthebeautythatisintheeye(orthe“I”)of thebeholder. Sothe“I,”“we,”and“it”dimensionsof experiencereallyreferto:art, morals, and science. Orself, culture, and nature.OrtheBeautiful, the Good, and the True.(Forsomereason,phi-losophersalwaysrefertothoseinthisorder:TheGood,theTrue,andtheBeautiful.Whichorderdoyouprefer?Anyorderisfine.) Thepointisthateveryeventinthemanifestworldhas all three of those dimensions.Youcanlookatanyeventfromthepointof viewof the“I”(orhowIpersonallyseeandfeelabouttheevent);fromthepointof viewof the“we”(hownotjustIbutothersseetheevent);andasan“it”(ortheobjectivefactsof theevent). Thus,anintegrallyinformedpathwilltakeallof thosedimensionsintoaccount,andthusarriveatamorecomprehensiveandeffectiveapproach—inthe“I”andthe“we”andthe“it”—orinself andcultureandnature.

If youleaveoutscience,orleaveoutart,orleaveoutmorals,somethingisgoingtobemiss-ing,somethingwillgetbroken.Self andcultureandnatureareliberatedtogetherornotatall.Sofundamentalarethesedimensionsof “I,”“we,”and“it”thatwecallthemthefourquadrants,andwemakethemafoundationof theintegralframeworkor IOS.(Wearriveat“four”quadrantsbysubdividing“it”intosingular“it”andplural“its”).Afewdiagramswillhelpclarifythebasicpoints. Figure3isaschematicof thefourquadrants.Itshowsthe“I”(theinsideof theindividual),the “it”(theoutsideof theindividual),the“we”(theinsideof thecollective),andthe“its”(theoutsideof

I It

We Its

Beauty

Goodness

TruthI It

We Its

Beauty

Goodness

Truth

Figure 3. The Quadrants


the collective).Inotherwords,thefourquadrants—whicharethefourfundamentalperspectivesonanyoccasion(orthefourbasicwaysof lookingatanything)—turnouttobefairlysimple:theyarethe inside and the outsideof theindividual and the collective. Forexample,intheUpper-Leftquadrant(theinteriorof theindividual),youfindyourownimmediatethoughts,feelings,sensations,andsoon(alldescribedinfirst-personterms).Butif youlookatyourindividualbeingfrom the outside,inthetermsnotof subjectiveawarenessbutobjectivescience,youfindneurotransmitters,alimbicsystem,theneocortex,complexmolecularstructures,cells,organsystems,DNA,andsoon—alldescribedinthird-personobjectiveterms(“it”and“its”).TheUpper-Right quadrant isthereforewhatanyindividual eventlookslikefrom the outside.Thisespeciallyincludesitsphysicalbehavior;itsmaterialcomponents;itsmatterandenergy;anditscon-cretebody—forallthoseareitemsthatcanbereferredtoinsomesortof objective,third-person, or“it”fashion. Thatiswhatyouoryourorganismlookslikefromtheoutside,inanobjective-itstance,madeof matterandenergyandobjects;whereasfromtheinside,youfindnotneurotransmittersbutfeelings,notlimbicsystemsbutintensedesires,notaneocortexbutinwardvisions,notmatter-en-ergy but consciousness, all described in first-personimmediateness.Whichof thoseviewsisright?Bothof them,accordingtotheintegralapproach.Theyaretwodifferentviewsof thesameocca-sion,namelyyou.Theproblemsstartwhenyoutrytodenyordismisseitherof thoseperspectives.Allfourquadrantsneedtobeincludedinanyintegralview. Theconnectionscontinue.Noticethatevery“I”isinrelationshipwithotherI’s,whichmeansthatevery“I”isamemberof numerouswe’s.These“we’s”representnotjustindividual but group(orcollective)consciousness,notjustsubjectivebutintersubjectiveawareness—orculture in the broadestsense.ThisisindicatedintheLower-Leftquadrant.Likewise,every“we”hasanexterior,orwhatitlookslikefromtheoutside,andthisistheLower-Rightquadrant.TheLowerLeftisoftencalled the culturaldimension(ortheinsideawarenessof thegroup—itsworldview,itssharedval-ues,sharedfeelings,andsoforth),andtheLowerRightthesocialdimension(ortheexteriorformsandbehaviorsof thegroup,whicharestudiedbythird-personsciencessuchassystemstheory). Again,thequadrantsaresimplytheinside and the outsideof theindividual and the col-lective,andthepointisthatallfourquadrantsneedtobeincludedif wewanttobeasintegralaspossible. Wearenowatapointwherewecanstarttoputalltheintegralpiecestogether:quadrants,levels,lines,statesandtypes.Let’sstartwithlevels or stages. All four quadrants show growth, development, or evolution.Thatis,theyallshowsomesortof stagesorlevelsof development,notasrigidrungsinaladderbutasfluidandflowingwavesof unfolding.Thishappenseverywhereinthenaturalworld,justasanoakunfoldsfromanacornthroughstagesof growthanddevelopment,oraSiberiantigergrowsfromafertilizedeggtoanadultorganisminwell-definedstagesof growthanddevelopment.Likewisewithhumansincertainimportantways.Wehavealreadyseenseveralof thesestagesastheyapplytohumans.IntheUpperLeftor“I,”forexample,theself unfoldsfromegocentrictoethnocentrictoworldcentric,orbody to mind to spirit.IntheUpperRight,feltenergyphenomenologicallyexpandsfromgross to subtle to causal.IntheLowerLeft,the“we”expandsfromegocentric to ethnocentric to worldcentric.Thisexpan-sionof groupawarenessallowssocialsystems—intheLowerRight—toexpandfromsimplegroups


tomorecomplexsystemslikenationsandeventuallyeventoglobalsystems.These3simplestagesineachof thequadrantsarerepresentedinfigure4. Let’smovefromlevels to lines.Developmentallinesoccurinallfourquadrants,butbe-causewearefocusingonpersonaldevelopment,wecanlookathowsomeof theselinesappearintheUpper-Leftquadrant.Aswesaw,thereareoveradozendifferentmultipleintelligencesordevel-opmentallines.Someof themoreimportantinclude:

• the cognitiveline(orawarenessof whatis)• the moralline(awarenessof whatshouldbe)• the emotional or affectiveline(thefullspectrumof emotions)• the interpersonalline(howIsociallyrelatetoothers)• the needsline(suchasMaslow’sneedshierarchy)• the self-identityline(or“whoamI?,”suchasLoevinger’segodevelopment)• the aestheticline(orthelineof self-expression,beauty,art,andfeltmeaning)• the psychosexual line,whichinitsbroadestsensemeanstheentirespectrumof Eros(grosstosubtletocausal)

• the spiritualline(where“spirit”isviewednotjustasGround,andnotjustasthehigheststage,butasitsownlineof unfolding)

• the valuesline(orwhatapersonconsidersmostimportant,alinestudiedbyClareGravesandmadepopularbySpiralDynamics)

Allof thosedevelopmentallinescanmovethroughthebasicstagesorlevels.Allof themcanbeincludedinthepsychograph.If weusestageorlevelconceptionssuchasRobertKegan’s,

SpiritMindBody

MeUs

All of Us

GroupNationGlobal

CausalSubtleGross

SpiritMindBody

MeUs

All of Us

GroupNationGlobal

CausalSubtleGross

Figure 4. AQAL


JaneLoevinger’s,orClareGraves’,thenwewouldhave5,8,orevenmorelevelsof developmentwithwhichwecouldfollowthenaturalunfoldingof developmentallinesorstreams.Again,itisnotamatterof whichof themisrightorwrong;itisamatterof howmuch“granularity”or“complex-ity”youneedtomoreadequatelyunderstandagivensituation. Wealreadygaveonediagramof apsychograph(fig.1).Figure5isanother,takenfromaNotreDamebusinessschoolpresentationthatusestheAQALmodelinbusiness. Asnoted,allof thequadrantshavedevelopmentallines.WejustfocusedonthoseintheUpperLeft.IntheUpper-Rightquadrant,whenitcomestohumans,oneof themostimportantisthebodilymatter-energyline,whichruns,aswesaw,fromgrossenergytosubtleenergytocausalenergy.Asadevelopmentalsequence,thisreferstothepermanentacquisitionof acapacitytocon-sciouslymastertheseenergeticcomponentsof yourbeing(otherwise,theyappearmerelyasstates).TheUpper-Rightquadrantalsoreferstoallof theexteriorbehavior,actions,andmovementsof myobjectivebody(gross,subtle,orcausal). IntheLower-Leftquadrant,culturaldevelopmentitself oftenunfoldsinwaves,movingfromwhatthepioneeringgeniusJeanGebsercalledarchaic to magic to mythic to mental to integral and higher.IntheLower-Rightquadrant,systemstheoryinvestigatesthecollectivesocialsystemsthatevolve(andthat,inhumans,includestagessuchasforaging to agrarian to industrial to informational systems).Infigure4,wesimplifiedthisto“group,nation,andglobal,”butthegeneralideaissimplythatof unfoldinglevelsof greatersocialcomplexitythatareintegratedintowidersystems. Again,forthissimpleoverview,detailsarenotasimportantasageneralgraspof theunfold-ing or flowering nature of all four quadrants,whichcanincludeexpandingspheresof consciousness,

I

It

We Its

Spiritual

MoralPsychosexual

InterpersonalEmotionalCognitive

Figure 5. Another Version of the Psychograph


care,culture,andnature.Inshort,theIandtheweanditcanevolve.Self andcultureandnaturecan all develop and evolve. Wecannowquicklyfinishwiththeothercomponents.Statesoccurinallquadrants(fromweatherstatestostatesof consciousness).Wefocusedonstates of consciousness intheUpperLeft(waking,dreaming,sleeping),andonenergetic statesintheUpperRight(gross,subtle,causal).Of course,if anyof thosebecomepermanentacquisitions,theyhavebecomestages,notstates. Therearetypes inallof thequadrants,too,butwefocusedonmasculineandfemininetypesastheyappearinindividuals.Themasculineprincipleidentifiesmorewithagencyandthefeminineidentifiesmorewithcommunion,butthepointisthateverypersonhasbothof thesecomponents.Finally,aswassaw,thereisanunhealthy typeof masculineandfeminineatallavailablestages—sickboyandsickgirlatallstages. Seemcomplicated?Inasenseitis.Butinanothersense,theextraordinarycomplexityof humansandtheirrelationtotheuniversecanbesimplifiedenormouslybytouchingbaseswiththequadrants (thefactthateveryeventcanbelookedatasanI,we,orit);developmental lines(ormultipleintelligences),allof whichmovethroughdevelopmental levels(frombodytomindtospirit);withstates and typesateachof thoselevels. ThatIntegral Model—“allquadrants,alllevels,alllines,allstates,alltypes”—isthesimplestmodelthatcanhandleallof thetrulyessentialitems.Wesometimesshortenallof thattosim-ply“allquadrants,alllevels”—orAQAL—wherethequadrantsare,forexample,self,culture,andnature,andthelevelsarebody,mind,andspirit,sowesaythattheIntegralApproachinvolvesthe cultivation of body, mind, and spirit in self, culture, and nature.Thesimplestversionof thisisshowninfigure4,andif youhaveageneralunderstandingof thatdiagram,therestisfairlyeasy.

IOS APPS Let’sconcludewhatmightbecalledthis“IntroductiontoIOSBasic”bygivingafewquickexamplesof itsapplicationor“apps”—inmedicine,business,spirituality,andecology.

INTEGRAL MEDICINE NowhereistheIntegralModelmoreimmediatelyapplicablethaninmedicine,anditisbeingincreasinglyadoptedbyhealthcarepractitionersaroundtheworld.Aquicktripthroughthequad-rantswillshowwhytheIntegralModelcanbehelpful. OrthodoxorconventionalmedicineisaclassicUpper-Right quadrant approach. It deals almostentirelywiththephysicalorganismusingphysicalinterventions:surgery,drugs,medication,andbehavioralmodification.Orthodoxmedicinebelievesessentiallyinthephysicalcausesof physi-calillness,andthereforeprescribesmostlyphysicalinterventions.ButtheIntegralModelclaimsthateveryphysicalevent(UR)hasatleastfourdimensions(thequadrants),andthusevenphysicalillnessmustbelookedatfromallfourquadrants(nottomentionlevels,whichwewilladdresslater).The

2� Introducing the AQAL Framework

integralmodeldoesnotclaimtheUpper-Rightquadrantisnotimportant,onlythatitis,asitwere,onlyone-fourthof thestory. Therecentexplosionof interestinalternativecare—nottomentionsuchdisciplinesaspsy-choneuroimmunology—hasmadeitquiteclearthattheperson’sinteriorstates(theiremotions,psy-chologicalattitude,imagery,andintentions)playacrucialroleinboththecauseandthecureof evenphysical illness. In other words, the Upper-Left quadrant isakeyingredientinanycomprehensivemedicalcare.Visualization,affirmation,andconscioususeof imageryhaveempiricallybeenshowntoplayasignificantroleinthemanagementof mostillnesses,andoutcomeshavebeenshowntodependonemotionalstatesandmentaloutlook. Butasimportantasthosesubjectivefactorsare,individualconsciousnessdoesnotexistinavacuum;itexistsinextricablyembeddedinsharedculturalvalues,beliefs,andworldviews.Howaculture(LL)viewsaparticularillness—withcareandcompassionorderisionandscorn—canhaveaprofoundimpactonhowanindividualcopeswiththatillness(UL),whichcandirectlyaffectthecourseof thephysicalillnessitself (UR).TheLower-Left quadrantincludesallof theenormousnumberof intersubjectivefactorsthatarecrucialinanyhumaninteraction—suchasthesharedcom-municationbetweendoctorandpatient;theattitudesof familyandfriendsandhowtheyarecon-veyedtothepatient;theculturalacceptance(orderogation)of theparticularillness(e.g.,AIDS);andtheveryvaluesof theculturethattheillnessitself threatens.Allof thosefactorsaretosomedegreecausativeinanyphysicalillnessandcure(simplybecauseeveryoccasionhasfourquadrants). Of course,inpractice,thisquadrantneedstobelimitedtothosefactorsthatcanbeef-fectivelyengaged—perhapsdoctorandpatientcommunicationskills,familyandfriendssupportgroups,andageneralunderstandingof culturaljudgmentsandtheireffectsonillness.Studiesconsistentlyshow,forexample,thatcancerpatientsinsupportgroupslivelongerthanthosewithoutsimilarculturalsupport.Someof themorerelevantfactorsfromtheLower-Leftquadrantarethuscrucialinanycomprehensivemedicalcare. TheLower-Right quadrant concernsallthosematerial,economic,andsocialfactorsthatarealmostnevercountedaspartof thediseaseentity,butinfact—likeeveryotherquadrant—arecausativeinbothdiseaseandcure.Asocialsystemthatcannotdeliverfoodwillkillyou(asfamine-rackedcountriesdemonstratedaily,alas).Intherealworld,whereeveryentityhasallfourquadrants,avirusintheURquadrantmightbethefocalissue,butwithoutasocialsystem(LR)thatcandelivertreatment,youwilldie.Thatisnotaseparateissue;itiscentraltotheissue,becausealloccasionshavefourquadrants.TheLower-Rightquadrantincludesfactorssuchaseconomics,insurance,socialdeliverysystems,andeventhingsassimpleashowahospitalroomisphysicallylaidout(doesitalloweaseof movement,accesstovisitors,etc.)—nottomentionitemslikeenvironmentaltoxins. Theforgoingitemsrefertothe“all-quadrant”aspectof thecauseandmanagementof illness.The“all-level”partreferstothefactthatindividualshave—atleast—physical,emotional,mental,andspirituallevelsineachof thosequadrants.Someillnesseshavelargelyphysicalcausesandphysicalcures(gethitbyabus,breakyourleg).Butmostillnesseshavecausesandcuresthatinclude emotional, mental, and spiritualcomponents.Literallyhundredsof researchersfromaroundtheworldhaveaddedimmeasurablytoourunderstandingof the“multi-level”natureof diseaseandcure(includinginvaluableadditionsfromthegreatwisdomtraditions,shamanictoTibetan).Thepointissimplythatbyaddingtheselevelstothequadrants,amuchmorecomprehensive—andef-fective—medicalmodelbeginstoemerge.


Inshort,atrulyeffectiveandcomprehensivemedicalplanwouldbeall-quadrant,all-level:theideaissimplythateachquadrantordimension(fig.3)—I,we,andit—hasphysical,emotional,mental,andspirituallevelsorwaves,andatrulyintegraltreatmentwouldtakeallof theserealitiesintoaccount.Notonlyisthistypeof integraltreatmentmoreeffective,itisforthatreasonmorecost-efficient—whichiswhyevenorganizationalmedicineislookingatitmoreclosely. (If you’remoreinterestedinthisapproach,seetheCenterforIntegralMedicineatwww.IntegralUniversity.org.)

INTEGRAL BUSINESS Applicationsof theIntegralModelhaverecentlyexplodedinbusiness,becausetheapplica-tionsaresoimmediateandobvious.Thequadrantsgivethefour“environments”or“markets”inwhichaproductmustsurvive,andthelevelsgivethetypesof valuesthatwillbebothproducingandbuyingtheproduct.Researchintothevalueshierarchy—suchasMaslow’sandGraves’(e.g.,SpiralDynamics),whichhasalreadyhadanenormousinfluenceonbusinessand“VALS”—canbecom-binedwiththequadrants(whichshowhowtheselevelsof valuesappearinthefourdifferentenvi-ronments)—togiveatrulycomprehensivemapof themarketplace(whichcoversbothtraditionalmarketsandcybermarkets). Moreover,Integral Leadershiptrainingprograms,basedonanintegralorAQALmodel,havealsobeguntoflourish.Therearetodayfourmajortheoriesof businessmanagement(TheoryX,whichstressesindividualbehavior;TheoryY,whichfocusesonpsychologicalunderstanding;culturalmanagement,whichstressesorganizationalculture;andsystemsmanagement,whichemphasizesthesocialsystemanditsgovernance).Thosefourmanagementtheoriesareinfactthefourquadrants,andanIntegralApproachwouldnecessarilyincludeallfourapproaches.Addlevelsandlines,andanincrediblyrichandsophisticatedmodelof leadershipemerges,whichiseasilythemostcompre-hensive available today. (If youwouldliketopursuethisapproach,pleaseseetheCenterforIntegralLeadershipandBusinessatwww.IntegralUniversity.org.)

RELATIONAL AND SOCIALLY ENGAGED SPIRITUALITY Themajorimplicationof anAQALapproachtospiritualityisthatphysical,emotional,mental,andspirituallevelsof beingshouldbesimultaneouslyexercisedinself,culture,andnature(i.e.,intheI,we,anditdomains).Therearemanyvariationsonthistheme,rangingfromsociallyengagedspiritualitytorelationshipsasspiritualpath,andweincludeallof thoseimportantcontribu-tionsinIntegralLifePractice(seebelow).Theimplicationsof anIntegralSpirituality(www.Inte-gralSpiritualCenter.org)areprofoundandwidespread,andjustbeginningtohaveanimpact.


INTEGRAL ECOLOGY IntegralorAQALecologyhasalreadybeenpioneeredbyseveralassociatesatIntegralInstitute,andpromisestorevolutionizebothhowwethinkaboutenvironmentalissuesandhowwepragmaticallyaddressandremedythem(SeeTheCenterforIntegralEcologyatwww.IntegralUniversity.org). Thebasicideaissimple:anythinglessthananintegralorcomprehensiveapproachtoenvi-ronmentalissuesisdoomedtofailure.Boththeinterior(orLeft-Hand)andtheexterior(orRight-Hand)quadrantsneedtobetakenintoaccount.Exterior environmentalsustainabilityisclearlyneeded;butwithoutagrowthanddevelopmentintheinterior domainstoworldcentriclevelsof valuesandconsciousness,theenvironmentremainsgravelyatrisk.Thosefocusingonlyonexteriorsolutionsarecontributingtotheproblem.Self,culture,andnaturemustbeliberatedtogetherornotatall.Howtodosoisthefocusof IntegralEcology.

INTEGRAL LIFE PRACTICE Theforegoing“IOSapps”tendtofocusonthesomeof thetheoreticalaspectsof theInte-gralApproach.Butwhatabouttheexperientialandpracticalaspectsof myownawareness,growth,transformation,andawakening? Anymapof thehumanbeinghasanexplicitorimplicitpracticalapproach,andthepractical,first-person,experientialdimensionof theIntegralApproachiscalledIntegral Life Practice, or ILP. Thebasicnatureof ILPissimple.I’llgiveaschematicsummary:if youtakebody,mind,andspirit(aslevels),andself,culture,andnature(asquadrants),andthenyoucombinethem,yougetninepossibleareasof growthandawakening.IntegralLifePracticeisthefirstapproachto

Intentional (I) Behavorial (It)

Cultural (We) Social (Its)

• Mind• Spirit• Shadow• Integral Inquiry• Big Mind• The 1-2-3 of God

• Physical Exercise• Diet• Subtle Energies• 3-Body Workout

• Relationships• Sex• Ethics• Cultural Transformation• Compassionate Exchange

• Nature• Ecology• Social Systems• Institutional Transformation• Kosmic Contemplation

Figure 6. A Place for Everything in Your Life


cross-combineallof thoseforthemosteffectivepersonaltransformationpossible(www.MyILP.org). Togiveaslightlymoreexpandedexample:if youlookatfigure4,youwillnoticethat3levelsin4quadrantsactuallygivesyou12zones.IntegralLifePracticehascreatedpracticalexercisesforthegrowthinall12zones,aradicallyuniqueandhistoricallyunprecedentedapproachtogrowth,development,andawakening.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION Thoseareafewof the“applications”orappsof theIntegralModel.Wecannowconcludewithabrief summaryof themainpointsof themodelitself. AQAL isshortfor“all quadrants, all levels”—whichitself isshortfor“allquadrants,alllevels,alllines,allstates,alltypes,”whicharesimply5of themostbasicelementsthatneedtobeincludedinanytrulyintegralorcomprehensiveapproach. WhenAQALisusedasaguidingframeworktoorganizeorunderstandanyactivity,wealsocall it an Integral Operating System,orsimplyIOS.Moreadvancedformsof IOS are available, but IOSBasichasallof theessentialelements(quadrants,levels,lines,states,types)togetanybodystartedtowardamorecomprehensive,inclusive,andeffectiveapproach. Of course, AQAL or IOS itself isjustamap,nothingmore.Itisnottheterritory.But,asfaraswecantell,itisthemostcomprehensivemapthatwepossessatthistime.Moreover—andthisisimportant—theIntegralMapitself insiststhatwegototherealterritoryandnotgetcaughtinmerewords,ideas,orconcepts.Rememberthatthequadrantsarejustaversionof 1st-,2nd-,and3rd-personrealities?Well,theIntegral Map and IOSarejustthird-personwords,theyareabstrac-tions,aseriesof “it”signsandsymbols.Butthosethird-personwordsinsistthatwealsoincludefirst-persondirectfeelings,experiences,andconsciousnessaswellassecond-persondialogue,contact,andinterpersonalcare.TheIntegralMapitself says:this map is just a third-person map, so don’t forget the other important realities, all of which should be included in any comprehensive approach. That’swherethingslikeIntegralLifePracticecomein.WhenAQALorIOSisusedforreal-lifepersonalgrowthanddevelopment,wespeakof Integral Life Practice, which appears to be the mostcomprehensiveandthereforeeffectivepathof transformationavailable. Here’soneotherimportantconclusion.IOSisaneutralframework;itdoesnottellyouwhattothink,orforceanyparticularideologiesonyou,orcoerceyourawarenessinanyfashion.Forexample,tosaythathumanbeingshavewaking,dreaming,anddeepsleepstatesisnottosaywhatyoushouldthinkwhileawakeorwhatyoushouldseewhiledreaming.Itsimplysays,if youwanttobecomprehensive,besureandincludewakinganddreamingandformlessstates. Likewise,tosaythatalloccasionshavefourquadrants—orsimply“I,”“we,”and“it”dimen-sions—isnottosaywhatthe“I”shoulddo,orthe“we”shoulddo,orthe“it”shoulddo.Itsimplysays,if youaretryingtoincludealltheimportantpossibilities,besuretoincludefirst-andsecond-andthird-personperspectives,becausetheyarepresentinallmajorlanguagestheworldover.


PreciselybecauseIOS is a neutral framework,itcanbeusedtobringmoreclarity,care,andcomprehensivenesstovirtuallyanysituation,makingsuccessmuchmorelikely,whetherthatsuccessbemeasuredintermsof personaltransformation,socialchange,excellenceinbusiness,careforothers,orsimplehappinessinlife. Butperhapsmostimportantof all,becauseIOScanbeusedbyanydiscipline—frommedicinetoarttobusinesstospiritualitytopoliticstoecology—thenwecan,forthefirsttimeinhistory,beginanextensiveandfruitfuldialoguebetweenallof thesedisciplines.Apersonusing IOS inbusinesscantalkeasilyandeffectivelywithapersonusingIOS in poetry, dance, or the arts, simplybecausetheynowhaveacommonlanguage—oracommonoperatingsystem—withwhichtocommunicate.WhenyouareusingIOS,notonlycanyourunhundredsof different“software”programsonit,allof thoseprogramscannowcommunicatewitheachotherandlearnfromeachother,thusadvancinganevolutionaryunfoldingtoevengreaterdimensionsof beingandknowingand acting. Thisiswhythousandsof scholarsandteacherstheworldovercametogetherandstartedIntegralUniversity,theworld’sfirstintegrallearningcommunity.Becauseallof thevarioushumanactivities,previouslyseparatedbyincommensuratejargonandterminologies,caninfactbegintoeffectivelycommunicatewitheachotherbyrunninganIntegralOperatingSystem,eachof thosedisciplinescanbegintoconversewith,andlearnfrom,theothers.Thishasnevereffectivelyhap-pened anywhere in history, which is why, indeed, the Integral adventure is about to begin. Howeverwelookatit,itallcomesdowntoafewsimplepoints.Inyourowngrowthanddevelopment,youhavethecapacitytotakeself,culture,andnaturetoincreasinglyhigher,wider,anddeepermodesof being,expandingfromanisolatedidentityof “me”toanfulleridentityof “us”toanevendeeperidentitywith“allof us”—withallsentientbeingseverywhere—asyourowncapacityforTruthandGoodnessandBeautydeepensandexpands.Ever-greaterconsciousnesswithanever-widerembrace,whichisrealizedinself,embodiedinnature,andexpressedinculture. Thus,to cultivate body, mind, and spirit in self, culture, and nature.Thisistheex-traordinaryaimandgoalof theIntegralApproach,andwewouldlovetohaveyoujoinusinthisexcitingadventure.


ISelf and Consciousness

ITBrain and Organism

WECulture and Worldview

ITSSocial System

and Environment

organic states, l

imbic sy

stem, n

eocortex, e

tc.

postmodern

modern

premodern

foraging agrarian informational

horticultural industrial

turquoise:integral self

teal:holistic self

green:sensitive self

orange:achiever self

amber:mythic self

red:egocentric

magenta:magic

infrared:instinctual

8

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3

2

1

8

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5

4

3

2

1

1

2

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survival clans

ethnic tribes

feudal empires

early nations

corporate states

value communities

holistic commons

integral meshworks

1

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7

8

archaic

animistic-magical

power gods

mythic order

scientific-rational

pluralistic

holistic

integral

1st tier

2nd tier

also:alteredstates

(transpersonal waves)

The Four Quadrants in Human Beings

www.integralinstitute.org

Documents

A Guide to Integral Theory and Practice - Amazon S3 · A Guide to Integral Theory and Practice By Ken Wilber ... and spirituality, using the Integral Approach has allowed the creation