Many historians, philosophers, and spiritual teachers see that history itself is going through an evolution of consciousness. A regular practice of meditation reinforces the neural pathways that bring wholeness, while also refusing to strengthen any toxic, self-destructive, or negative pathways. Without such changing of our "software" real and sustained change is almost impossible. When the external life and the inner life are working together, we always have beauty, symmetry, and actual transformation of persons—lives and actions that inherently sparkle and heal, in part because they can integrate the negativity of failure, sin, and rejection.
Richard Rohr's Daily Meditation
"The Evolving Journey"
"Evolving Consciousness"
Tuesday, 26 August 2014
Many historians, philosophers, and spiritual teachers now agree that collective history itself is going through an evolution of consciousness. We can readily observe stages of consciousness or stages of “growing up” in the world at large (e.g. today Christians do not believe that slavery is acceptable, but many at one time did). The individual person tends to mimic these stages, and they seem to be sequential and cumulative.
You have to learn from each stage, and yet you can’t completely throw out previous stages, as most people unfortunately do. In fact, a fully mature person appropriately draws upon all earlier stages. “Transcend and include” is Ken Wilber’s clever aphorism here. Most people immensely overreact against their earlier stages of development, and earlier stages of history, instead of still honoring them and making use of them (e.g. liberal, educated Christians who would be humiliated to join in an enthusiastic “Jesus song” with their Evangelical brothers and sisters even though they would intellectually claim to believe in Jesus, or adults who can no longer play, or rational people who completely dismiss the good of the non-rational).
C. S. Lewis believed it was undemocratic to give too much power to the present generation or one’s own times. He called this “chronological snobbery,” as if your own age was the superior age and the final result of evolution. I would say the same about one’s present level of consciousness. Our narcissism always tends to think our own present stage of consciousness is the ultimate stage! People normally cannot understand anybody at higher stages (they look heretical or dangerous) and they look upon all in the earlier stages as superstitious, stupid, or naïve. We each think we are the proper reference point for all reality. G. K. Chesterton stated: “Tradition is democracy extended through time.” And I would say that enlightenment is the ability to include, honor, and make use of every level of consciousness—both in yourself and in others. To be honest, such humility and patience is rather rare, yet it is at the heart of the mystery of forgiveness, inclusivity, and compassion.
Adapted from The Dean's Address, Living School Symposium, August 2013
Gateway to Silence: Show me your ways; teach me your paths.
____________________________
Richard Rohr's Daily Meditation
"The Evolving Journey"
"Stages of Consciousness"
Wednesday, 27 August 2014
We clearly see the fluctuating nature of our journey in stages of consciousness. There is great wisdom within each stage, and also an inherent trap. Only as we trust and practice the task of each stage are we prepared to move forward.
There are different ways to name the stages of consciousness. “Spiral Dynamics” or Wilber’s “Integral Theory” is one of the most helpful for me, and it states the historical and common stages up to now in this way: the archaic (infant), the magical (child), the powerful (heroic stage), absolute truth (and conformity to the group that has it), individual success (organized rational world), pluralism (modern liberalism).
If we can get through these stages and are still ready to face the big death to our individualism and our superiority, we are poised to advance to what some call second tier consciousness (really the mystical levels) where we finally see the importance and usefulness of EACH of these stages and yet also transcend all of them at the same time! This could be described as the necessary path toward any greater capacity for love, freedom, and enlightenment.
For me, contemplation is a natural conveyor belt for moving us through each stage, learning from each stage, yet never stopping at mere conformity or rational thinking or even pluralistic thinking as the final and full goal, or what Jesus would call “the Reign of God.” Divine Love is bigger and more expansive than any of these. (Sometimes the pluralistic stage has the hardest time seeing this—they are quite happy and content with their advanced liberal thinking! Ken Wilber cleverly names this postmodern trap "Boomeritis" since it characterizes so much of the cultural elite today.)
A regular practice of meditation will reinforce the neural pathways that bring us to wholeness, while also refusing to strengthen any toxic, self-destructive, or negative pathways. Without such changing of our “software” real and sustained change is almost impossible. We might have new information, but it will be the old self processing that information.
Adapted from The Dean's Address, Living School Symposium, August 2013
Gateway to Silence:
Show me your ways; teach me your paths.
____________________________
Richard Rohr's Daily Meditation
"The Evolving Journey"
"The Dance of Action and Contemplation"
Thursday, 28 August 2014
I believe that the combination of human action from a contemplative center is the greatest art form. It underlies all those other, more visible art forms that we see in great sculpture, music, writing, painting, and most especially, in the art form of human character development. When the external life and the inner life are working together, we always have beauty, symmetry, and actual transformation of persons—lives and actions that inherently sparkle and heal, in part because they can integrate the negativity of failure, sin, and rejection and they can spot their own shadow games.
With most humans, the process begins on the action side; in fact, the entire first half of life for most of us, even introverts, is all about external action. We begin with crawling, walking, playing, speaking. We learn, we experiment, we try, we stumble, we fall. Gradually these enactments grow larger and more “mature,” but we remain largely unaware of our inner and actual motivations or purpose for any of it.
Yes, there are feelings and imaginings during this time, maybe even sustained study, prayer, or disciplined thought, but do not yet call that contemplation. These reflections are necessarily and almost always self-referential, both for good and ill. At this point, life is still largely about “me” and finding my own preferred and proper viewing platform. It has to be. But it is not yet the great art form of the calm union between our inner and outer lives. We must go further.
You cannot grow in the integrative dance of action and contemplation without a strong tolerance for ambiguity, an ability to allow, forgive, and contain a certain degree of anxiety, and a willingness to not know—and not even need to know. This ever widens and deepens your perspective. This is how you allow and encounter Mystery and move into the contemplative zone.
Adapted from Dancing Standing Still: Healing the World from a Place of Prayer, pages 1, 2, 4
Gateway to Silence: Show me your ways; teach me your paths.
____________________________
Center for Action and Contemplation
1705 Five Points Rd SW
Albuquerque, NM 87105 United States (physical)
PO Box 12464
Albuquerque, NM 87195-2464 United States (mailing)
(505) 242-9588
cac.org
____________________________
No comments:
Post a Comment