This post continues the exploration of the three faces of the Ultimate, which is called by many names in our wonderfully wide variety of spiritual traditions and paths. In my fourth post I introduced the three perspectives (represented in four quadrants) and said that individuals seem to lean toward one perspective, as do the spiritual traditions of the world. Since one of the cornerstones of Integral Theory is that each perspective is true but partial, experiencing the Ultimate from all... Read more

This post begins the exploration of the three faces of the Ultimate, which is called by many names in our wonderfully wide variety of spiritual traditions and paths. In my last post I introduced the three perspectives (represented in four quadrants) and said that individuals seem to lean more heavily toward one perspective, as do the spiritual traditions of the world. One of the cornerstones of Integral Theory is that each perspective is partially true. Therefore experiencing all three gives... Read more

In my last post I introduced one of the five aspects of Integral Theory, “the quadrants,” and explained how they map the three perspectives out of which we look at the world: “I” or first person perspective: the inside of an individual; “You/We” or second person perspective: the inside of a collective and “It” or third person perspective: the exterior of the individual or collective. Naturally these perspectives tell us something about how we relate to Ultimate Reality. In conversations... Read more

There are varieties of ways to understand our perspective on the world and of course, Ultimate Reality. Over the past 35 years, Ken Wilber’s genius for understanding and synthesizing each of our systems of knowledge and experience has resulted in what is called the Integral Framework or the Integral Operating System. It is not enough, for instance, to know how our economic system operates if we want to make sound investment decisions, we need to have some sense of how... Read more

You hear the word bandied about a lot these days, “spirituality.” But what is it? What relevance does it have? In these posts I plan to lay out the Integral Framework, the work of philosopher Ken Wilber, as one way of understanding the broad terrain called spirituality. Many people find Wilber’s work daunting and I certainly understand why. As I said in my first post, I find it exhilaratingly and hopeful. It gives me a way to look at the... Read more

Ken Wilber’s Integral Theory underlies my work so in this first post I’ll explain why it is so important to me, generally. In subsequent posts I’ll discuss various aspects of spirituality from an integral perspective. My journey towards “integral” began in graduate school in the mid 70s when I discovered that human beings have the potential to become so much more than we already are. As I absorbed information coming out of the human potential movement, I developed a fierce... Read more