In the Neurosoup: A Talk with Krystle Cole

Interview with Krystle Cole from Neurosoup.com at Reality Sandwich.

Ken Wilber - Lucid Dreams and Causal Body

Link to Dedroidify Page on Integral Theory

DMT, Aliens, Elves, & Jungian Archetypes

DMT, Aliens, Elves, & Jungian Archetypes

Kevin Kelly and Ken Wilber - Exploring the Technium

1a: Technology, Evolution, and God

The rest is here at the Integral Naked YouTube channel

Wired magazine's own "Senior Maverick" talks with Ken Wilber about some of the ideas behind Kevin's blog The Technium, which explores the various ways humanity defines and redefines itself through the interface of science, technology, culture, and consciousness.

As he describes in his blog, Technium is a word he coined "to designate the greater sphere of technology—one that goes beyond hardware to include culture, law, social institutions, and intellectual creations of all types. In short, the Technium is anything that springs from the human mind. It includes hard technology, but much else of human creation as well. I see this extended face of technology as a whole system with its own dynamics." The Technium exists at the interface between science, technology, culture, and consciousness, exploring the various ways humanity has defined and redefined itself through the ages. Within the Technium, technology is not regarded merely as the lifeless artifacts created by a particular species, but as a living matrix of innovation—the infusion of consciousness into inanimate matter, which in turn shapes our personal and cultural experience of the world.

The universe, we are told, is winding down. Nothing escapes the remorseless grasp of the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics—and with each passing moment, our world, our solar system, indeed our entire galaxy slowly approaches its inevitable heat-death. But this is not the full story, for while the universe is winding down, it is also winding up, bringing forth new forms from old, adding new layers of complexity where there was once only an empty vacuum. It is what Alfred Whitehead called the "creative advance into novelty," referring to a distinct "tilt" of the universe toward more complexity, more significance, and more wholeness. From atoms, to molecules, to single-cell and multi-cellular organisms, to the reptilian brain, mammalian brain, and the human neocortex—the universe is abound with inexhaustible creativity, pushing deeper and wider towards its own limitless potential. Entropy and evolution: these two "arrows of time" exert their pull upon everything that ever is, was, and will be—one pulling us up toward the eternal light, the other pulling us down toward the infinite black....

GodsOtherDevil: Ken Wilber, One taste of Enlightenment

GodsOtherDevil: Ken Wilber, One taste of Enlightenment

Levels of Consciousness, Spiral Dynamics (& Bipolar Disorder)

Levels of Consciousness, Spiral Dynamics (& Bipolar Disorder)

PsycheTruth has a lot of informative vids on many topics.

Ken Wilber: Integral "Third Way" Politics

Ken Wilber: Integral "Third Way" Politics

Thanks Integral Praxis & TechnOccult

Ken Wilber Quotes

Ken Wilber (b. January 31, 1949, Oklahoma City, U.S.), is an American author who writes on psychology, philosophy, mysticism, ecology, and spiritual evolution. His work formulates what he calls an "integral theory of consciousness." He is a leading proponent of the integral movement and founded the Integral Institute in 1998. While Wilber has practiced Buddhist meditation methods and the teachings of Madhyamika Buddhism, those teachings articulated in the philosophy of Nagarjuna particularly underpin his work, Wilber does not self-identify as a Buddhist.

"The integral approach is committed to the full spectrum of consciousness as it manifests in all its extraordinary diversity. This allows the integral approach to recognize and honor the Great Holarchy of Being first elucidated by the perennial philosophy and the great wisdom traditions in general... The integral vision embodies an attempt to take the best of both worlds, ancient and modern. But that demands a critical stance willing to reject unflinchingly the worst of both as well."

"In fact, at this point in history, the most radical, pervasive, and earth-shaking transformation would occur simply if everybody truly evolved to a mature, rational, and responsible ego, capable of freely participating in the open exchange of mutual self-esteem. There is the 'edge of history.' There would be a real New Age."

"In other words, the real problem is not exterior. The real problem is interior. The real problem is how to get people to internally transform, from egocentric to sociocentric to worldcentric consciousness, which is the only stance that can grasp the global dimensions of the problem in the first place, and thus the only stance that can freely, even eagerly, embrace global solutions."

"Global consciousness is not an objective belief that can be taught to anybody and everybody, but a subjective transformation in the interior structures that can hold belief in the first place, which itself is the product of a long line of inner consciousness development."

"The more we emphasize teaching a merely Right-Hand map of systems theory or a Gaia Web of Life, instead of equally emphasizing the importance of interior development from egocentric to sociocentric to worldcentric, then the more we are contributing to Gaia's demise."

"Saving the biosphere depends first and foremost on human beings reaching mutual understanding and unforced agreement as to common ends. And that intersubjective accord occurs only in the noosphere. Anything short of that noospheric accord will continue to destroy the biosphere."

"In other words, all of my books are lies. They are simply maps of a territory, shadows of a reality, gray symbols dragging their bellies across the dead page, suffocated signs full of muffled sound and faded glory, signifying absolutely nothing. And it is the nothing, the Mystery, the Emptiness alone that needs to be realized: not known but felt, not thought but breathed, not an object but an atmosphere, not a lesson but a life."

"We move from part to whole and back again, and in that dance of comprehension, in that amazing circle of understanding, we come alive to meaning, to value, and to vision: the very circle of understanding guides our way, weaving together the pieces, healing the fractures, mending the torn and tortured fragments, lighting the way ahead - this extraordinary movement from part to whole and back again, with healing the hallmark of each and every step, and grace the tender reward."

"There is arguably no more important and pressing topic than the relation of science and religion in the modern world. Science is clearly one of the most profound methods that humans have yet devised for discovering truth, while religion remains the single greatest force for generating meaning. Truth and meaning, science and religion; but we still cannot figure out how to get the two of them together in a fashion that both find acceptable."

"The Realization of the Nondual traditions is uncompromising: There is only Spirit, there is only God, there is only Emptiness in all its radiant wonder. All the good and all the evil, the very best and the very worst, the upright and the degenerate— each and all are radically perfect manifestations of Spirit precisely as they are. There is nothing but God, nothing but the Goddess, nothing but Spirit in all directions, and not a grain of sand, not a speck of dust, is more or less Spirit than any other."

"Prana is implicate to matter but explicate to mind; mind is implicate to prana but explicate to soul; soul is implicate to mind but explicate to spirit; and the spirit is the source and suchness of the entire sequence."

"The single greatest world transformation would simply be the embrace of global reasonableness and pluralistic tolerance - the global embrace of egoic-rationality (on the way to centauric vision-logic)."

"Gaia's main problems are not industrialization, ozone depletion, overpopulation, or resource depletion. Gaia's main problem is the lack of mutual understanding and mutual agreement in the noosphere about how to proceed with those problems. We cannot rein in industry if we cannot reach mutual understanding and mutual agreement based on a worldcentric moral perspective concerning the global commons. And we reach the worldcentric moral perspective through a difficult and laborious process of interior growth and transcendence."

"There is intersubjectivity woven into the very fabric of the Kosmos at all levels."

more Ken Wilber quotes

Wowza Technoccult

Technoccult has some really great posts up especially (for me, obviously) yesterday, new docu on satanism, interview with Ken Wilber, the British occult secret service and steampunk. Just to name a few.

NeuroSoup: Entheogens and Peak Experiences

NeuroSoup: Entheogens and Peak Experiences

Great vid discussing peak experiences, quoting from Ken Wilber's Integral Psychology - which is highly recommended for an in-depth exploration of the stages of consciousness, entheogens, meditation practice and spirituality.

NeuroSoup.com: Educate Yourself. Your Body is your Temple.

Spiral Dynamics

Great article at ThinkArete.com that explains Spiral Dynamics very simple and effectively, at the link you can also listen to the article!

Ever heard of “Spiral Dynamics”? Very cool stuff put forward by Don Beck and Chris Cowan.

Here’s the quick overview:
People and cultures go through different stages of development. The Spiral guys like to color-code them to make it easier to keep track. It goes like this:

RED. Think: Terrible twos. I’ll blow you up if you piss me off. (Yikes!)
BLUE. Think: Ten Commandments. Fundamentalist anything. Rules are paramount. Literal interpretations of the Bible are absolutely (God damnit!!) correct. Ahem.
ORANGE. Think: Wall Street. Academia. Science and ambition are key here.
GREEN. Think: Environmentalism. Pluralism. All is one. Non-violent.

So, the idea goes that we all evolve through different stages of development. All of those stages above are part of what they call the “first tier.” Here’s the funny thing about those perspectives: they’re all convinced they’re 100% right.

It’s a big food fight.
GREEN looks at ORANGE and says, “You greedy capitalists!!! You’re good for nothing and totally destroying our planet! And, my non-violent self HATES you!”
ORANGE looks at GREEN and says, “You tree-hugging, New Agey hippies!! Get a job and contribute to the economy, will ya?!? And quit looking at those crystals.”
BLUE looks at everyone and says, “You’re all going to hell because you don’t believe in [insert favorite God here], God damnit!!”
RED looks at everyone and says, "I hate you!!! I’m blowing you up.”

Everything is “either, or.”
No one can see the validity of the other perspectives.
Not so good.

The idea?
Let’s consciously evolve as individuals and as a culture to a “second-tier” level of consciousness. Here, for the first time, we can hold multiple perspectives. We can see that, in the words of Ken Wilber, “No one is smart enough to be 100% wrong.” :)

What’s that look like?
Well, you can see the truth in the need to take care of our environment AND the need for a powerful economy AND the need for rules and regulations AND the need to take aggressive action when the situation demands it.

Powerful. VERY powerful.

More Spiral Dynamics links: Dedroidify Integral Theory page
Radical Change Group Podcasts: Reality Tunnels and Adaptive Intelligencies, Graves Model of Bio-Psycho-Social System of Human Development

Daily Dedroidify: Ken Wilber's Integral Theory

Daily Dedroidify: Ken Wilber's Integral Theory

Integral theory refers to the systematic holistic philosophy developed originally by Ken Wilber, and more recently incorporated with the Spiral Dynamics theory of Don Beck. It is an all-encompassing evolutionary theory that addresses all aspects of consciousness studies (as well as such diverse fields as ecology and politics.)

Integral theory builds upon the ideas of previous integral thinkers like James Mark Baldwin, Jürgen Habermas and Jean Gebser, but also contains many new elements. Wilber intends to break away from metaphysics to develop a theory of spiritual evolution that is acceptable to the modern secular world.

What's posted here is only a small excerpt from the Ken Wilber page.

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"There's more to evolution than a little DNA." Stuart Davis

"The mystics ask you to take nothing on mere belief. Rather, they give you a set of experiments to test in your own awareness and experience. The laboratory is your own mind, the experiment is meditation." Ken Wilber

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Fulcrums (comparable to 8 Circuit model)
1 hatching of the physical self
2 birth of the emotional self
3 birth of the conceptual self
4 birth of the role self
5 the worldcentric or mature ego
6 Bodymind integration of the centaur - Realms of the superconscious
7 Psychic - Shamanistic - Animistic
8 Subtle - Saintly - Diety & Archetypes
9 Causal - Sagely - Non-Dual
10 Integrated Reality of all levels, states, conditions, transcends all, includes all (not really seperate of 9)

---

"The integral approach is committed to the full spectrum of consciousness as it manifests in all its extraordinary diversity. This allows the integral approach to recognize and honor the Great Holarchy of Being first elucidated by the perennial philosophy and the great wisdom traditions in general... The integral vision embodies an attempt to take the best of both worlds, ancient and modern. But that demands a critical stance willing to reject unflinchingly the worst of both as well." Ken Wilber

---

Spiral Dynamics is a theory of human development introduced in the 1996 book Spiral Dynamics by Don Beck and Chris Cowan. The book was based on the theory of psychology professor Clare W. Graves and Ken Wilber has popularized these ideas in a series of books. It will help you understand how and why the hell people are acting like they do.

Spiraldynamics.org overview

Spiraldynamics.net overview

Spiraldynamics.info overview (dutch)

Spiral Dynamics wiki

Clare W. Graves.com

wiki

"In other words, the real problem is not exterior. The real problem is interior. The real problem is how to get people to internally transform, from egocentric to sociocentric to worldcentric consciousness, which is the only stance that can grasp the global dimensions of the problem in the first place, and thus the only stance that can freely, even eagerly, embrace global solutions." Ken Wilber

here's one overview, you need to read several links to do the theory justice though

"Global consciousness is not an objective belief that can be taught to anybody and everybody, but a subjective transformation in the interior structures that can hold belief in the first place, which itself is the product of a long line of inner consciousness development." Ken Wilber

---

"We move from part to whole and back again, and in that dance of comprehension, in that amazing circle of understanding, we come alive to meaning, to value, and to vision: the very circle of understanding guides our way, weaving together the pieces, healing the fractures, mending the torn and tortured fragments, lighting the way ahead - this extraordinary movement from part to whole and back again, with healing the hallmark of each and every step, and grace the tender reward." Ken Wilber

---

Lines of Development
Cognitive - Kinesthetic - Spiritual - Aesthetic - Musical - Karmic - Interpersonal - Moral - Worldview - Psychodynamics - Needs - Psychosexual - Values - Affective - Logical-Mathematical - Self-identity - ...

The Lines of development are several areas of intelligence to increase so one evolves towards higher consciousness. Over two dozen have been observed. You don't have to excell in all of the lines, however research has shown some crosstraining accelerates development.
So to say "I don't have time to develop several" isn't correct, actually you should say "I don't have time to NOT develop several." eg. people observed who just did vipassana meditation, did not accelerate as quickly as people who did vipassana combined with bodybuilding.

One can be highly developed cognitively (cerebrally smart) without being highly morally developed (as in the case of Nazi doctors). However, Wilber acknowledges, you cannot be highly morally developed without the pre-requisite cognitive development. So not all of the developmental lines are ontologically equivalent.

These lines are developped at levels pre-conventional (egocentric), conventional (ethnocentric), post-conventional (worldcentric), integrated (cosmocentric)

Recommendations by Wilber
Cognitive: Different points of view, philosophy, etc
Spiritual: Meditation eg. Vipassana
Psychodynamics: Unconscious shadow issues
eg. Psychotherapy, Rebirthing technique, Sedona Method
Kinesthetic: Body Training: eg. Yoga, Bodybuilding, Pilates, Tai Chi
research has proven that a trained body sets back the Aging markers,
not only that but too much running increases the Disease markers of the body
so keep in shape but don't push it.

Some clarification on some Lines
Aestethic: self-expression, beauty, art, felt meaning
Cognitive: awareness of what is
Emotional/affective: full spectrum emotions
Interpersonal: how i socially relate to others
Moral: awareness of what should be
Needs: Maslow's needs hierarchy
Psychosexual: eros (gross to subtle to causal)
Self-identity: who am i, loevinger's ego development
Spiritual: spirit as unfolding, not just as ground or highest stage
Values: what's most important, clare graves & spiral dynamics

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"The Realization of the Nondual traditions is uncompromising: There is only Spirit, there is only God, there is only Emptiness in all its radiant wonder. All the good and all the evil, the very best and the very worst, the upright and the degenerate— each and all are radically perfect manifestations of Spirit precisely as they are. There is nothing but God, nothing but the Goddess, nothing but Spirit in all directions, and not a grain of sand, not a speck of dust, is more or less Spirit than any other." Ken Wilber

---

Read & learn much more at the Ken Wilber page.

Ken Wilber - Spirituality and the 3 Strands of Deep Science

Ken Wilber - Spirituality and the 3 Strands of Deep Science

More on Ken Wilber's Integral Theory here.

"The mystics ask you to take nothing on mere belief. Rather, they give you a set of experiments to test in your own awareness and experience. The laboratory is your own mind, the experiment is meditation." Ken Wilber

Bodhisattvas in Hell

Ken Wilber: Bodhisattvas in Hell

Integral Praxis

Integral Praxis is the offical homepage of the Integral Research Group .

The Integral Research Group (IRG) is an innovative and critically informed non-profit participatory-research and development venture. IRG is dedicated to providing an integrative & critical analysis of the major issues of contemporary life. Our staff & associates conduct research into all aspects of human life and potential - while designing practical applications and projects that address the needs of various organizations, local communities and individuals.

Integral Praxis will provide important information, resources and perspectives - while facilitating a wider dialogue within the integral culture. Integral Praxis will feature original articles, research and leading edge initiatives engaging a wide variety of contemporary issues. Integral Praxis will also continue to be a source for relevant material on integral theory, applications and community.

PLEASE NOTE: Our posts and content reflect the interests of IRG and our associates - independent of any other organization or group.

PLEASE EXPLORE OUR EVOLVING ONLINE DATABASE: The IRG_Matrix

Email us at: integralpraxis@gmail.com - for information, submissions or to LEARN MORE about this project. Thank you.

Dedroidify.com Integral Theory Primer

Ken Wilber: The Eye of the Spirit

An Integral Vision for a World Gone Slightly Mad [Abridged]

Biological and medical scientists are now in the midst of intensive work on the Human Genome Project, the endeavor to map all of the genes in the entire sequence of human DNA. This spectacular project promises to revolutionize our ideas of human growth, development, disease, and medical treatment, and its completion will surely mark one of the great advances in human knowledge.
Not as well known, but arguably more important, is what might be called the Human Consciousness Project, the endeavor, now well under way, to map the entire spectrum of human consciousness (including, as well, realms of the human unconscious). This Human Consciousness Project, involving hundreds of researchers from around the world, includes a series of multidisciplinary, multicultural, multimodal approaches that together promise an exhaustive mapping the entire range of consciousness, the entire sequence of the "genes" of awareness, as it were.

Ken Wilber: Shadow Technologies

Ken Wilber: Shadow Technologies

Ken Wilber: Interpreting the Singularity

Interpreting the Singularity

As science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke has pointed out, any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. The gap between today and tomorrow is closing at a staggering rate, while the future continues to become more and more surreal. A perfect example comes from the work of inventor/futurist Ray Kurzweil, who often talks about a point sometime in the next 50 years when our rate of technological progress begins to approach the infinite—an event he calls "the Singularity."

This essentially represents the event horizon of our own technological evolution, beyond which we simply cannot imagine. Is there actually something to the concept of the Singularity, or is it just a sort of mythical Rapture for tech geeks? What are the implications of such exponential advancement of technology to human consciousness? As data becomes more and more free, and therefore more and more ubiquitous, how can the Integral vision help us navigate the "global brain" currently under construction?

Spiral Dynamics: Theory of Human Development overview

Spiral Dynamics is a theory of human development introduced in the 1996 book Spiral Dynamics by Don Beck and Chris Cowan.
The book was based on the theory of psychology professor Clare W. Graves and Ken Wilber has popularized these ideas in a series of books.
It will help you understand how and why the hell people are acting like they do. It gives a non-conspiratorial view of history which you know, can help keep you somewhat sane :p though it doesn't excluse those theories obviously. It is just a theory, the map is not the territory!

I was gonna make my own table explaining more comprehensively summarizing different summaries (language implosion lol) linked under here, instead I'll wait a little since myspace bulletins doesn't support tables (which bright dude came up with screwing the code of everything in myspace anyway)

Spiraldynamics.org overview
Spiraldynamics.net overview
Spiral Dynamics wiki
Clare W. Graves.com
wiki

Here's one overview, you need to read several links to do the theory justice though, instead I'll give some additional remarks, optimally start reading these images from the bottom:

Here are some examples, I'm not an expert mind you, I'll make a much better overview on my site once I, well, once I feel like it :p
1 beige: This stage has been completely passed, maybe feral children fit in here still.
2 purple: Tribal societies.
3 red: African war states.
4 blue:Deeply religious countries for instance, the conservative American mindset and the Middle East (yes, in the same freaking stage :p). Truthforce is a terrible label in my opinion, Dogmaforce would be better.
5 orange: The materialistic, money over principle & ethics, yuppies, this is capitalist America, the entire West, and now emerging China and Asia. The individual over the group, I loathe this stage :p. Most people we know are probably in this stage.
6 green: Fitting color, hippies! What capitalist countries should strive more to. Really the only country that fits in here would be the Netherlands, more understanding and help for drug addicts, a decent immigration policy and working towards good integration, though recently after the murders of Pim Fortuyn and Theo Van Gogh they have been degrading back to 5. I mean you have a politician of the "Party of Freedom" saying "People are equal, but cultures are not." lol. Let's hope they regain their spiral dynamic Green politics.
7 yellow: Some of the true heroes of history most likely reached this stage, the stage of questioning yet accepting. Flexibility. Change is the norm here and uncertainty an acceptable state of being. It's where the spirit of this blog is mostly located at the moment.
8 turquoise: Holistic, transpersonal, interconnected, collective individuality.
9 coral: Next neurological capacities. The theory is open-ended up to the limits of Homo sapiens' brain.
10? The theory is open-ended, with the possibility of more systems ahead.

More on integral theory at dedroidify.com's ken wilber page