Awakening Earth
Exploring the Evolution of
Human Culture and Consciousness

Duane Elgin
 
Originally  published  by  William  Morrow  and  Company.  
© Duane Elgin, 1993
ISBN 0-688-11621-3

Creative Commons License 4.0

Awakening Earth by Duane Elgin is licensed under a

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Table  of  Contents  

Introduction:  The  Challenge  of  Planetary  Civilization  
 

Part  I:  Stages  of  Development  

First  Stage:  Contracted  Consciousness  and  the  Arachic  Era  
Second  Stage:  Surface  Consciousness  and  the  Era  of  Awakening  Hunter-­‐Gatherers  
Third  Stage:  Depth  Consciousness  and  the  Era  of  Agrarian-­‐Based  Civilizations  
Fourth  Stage:  Dynamic  Consciousness  and  the  Scientific-­‐Industrial  Era  
Fifth  Stage:  Reflective  Consciousness  and  the  Era  of  Communication  and  Reconciliation  
Sixth  Stage:  Oceanic  Consciousness  and  the  Bonding  and  Building  Era  
Seventh  Stage:  Flow  Consciousness  and  the  Surpassing  Era  
Eighth  Stage:  Integral  Awreness  and  the  Intial  Maturity  of  Planetary  Civilization  
The  Changing  Dynamics  of  Human  Evolution  
 

Part  II:  Dimensional  Cosmology  

The  Perennial  Wisdom  and  Human  Evolution  
Continuous  Creation  of  the  Cosmos  
Co-­‐Evolution  and  the  Meta-­‐Universe  
Sacred  Geometry  and  Stages  of  Growth  
 

Part  III:  Appendices  

Appendix  I:  Correlations  with  Psychological  Theories  and  Spiritual  Traditions  
Appendix  II:  Meditative  Origins  of  Dimensional  Cosmology  
Dedication  and  Acknowledgments  
Footnotes  
Selected  Bibliography  

 
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Introduction:  

THE  CHALLENGE  OF    

PLANETARY  CIVILIZATION  
 
 
Introduction  
    The  Earth’s  biosphere  is  being  severely  wounded,  even  crippled,  by  humanity.    
Yet  through  humanity,  the  Earth  is  awakening  as  a  conscious  global  organism.    These  
two  facts  are  intimately  related:  pushed  by  the  harsh  reality  of  an  injured  Earth,  the  
human  family  is  being  challenged  to  realize  to  a  new  level  of  identity,  responsibility,  and  
purpose.      
  The  human  family  confronts  a  future  of  great  opportunity  and  great  peril.    On  
the  one  hand,  a  communications  revolution  is  sweeping  the  planet,  providing  humanity  
with  the  tools  needed  to  achieve  a  dramatic  new  level  of  understanding  and  
reconciliation  that,  in  turn,  can  support  a  future  of  sustainable  global  development.    On  
the  other  hand,  powerful  countervailing  trends  are  also  at  work—climate  change,  
overpopulation,  dwindling  reserves  of  oil,  the  ruin  of  rainforests,  soil  erosion,  ozone  
depletion,  and  many  more.    In  the  next  few  decades  these  driving  trends  will  either  
devastate  or  transform  the  economic,  cultural,  and  political  fabric  of  the  planet.    It  is  
bewildering  to  see  how  quickly  economic  progress  has  turned  into  ecological  
devastation.    Yet,  with  a  deteriorating  biosphere  already  stretched  past  the  limits  of  its  
ability  to  carry  the  burden  of  humanity,  the  views  and  values  that  have  served  us  so  well  
in  the  past  must  now  be  reconsidered.      
  If  the  Earth  is  to  awaken  in  good  health,  then  we  need  to  stand  back,  look  at  the  
larger  sweep  of  human  evolution,  and  ask  ourselves  basic  questions:    Who  are  we?    
What  are  we  doing  here?    What  is  the  nature  and  purpose  of  human  evolution?    Where  
do  we  go  from  here  as  a  species?      Are  we  destined  to  wander  blindly  into  the  future,  or  
are  there  major  stages  along  the  way  that  we  can  anticipate?    Is  the  universe  coldly  
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indifferent  to  our  struggles,  sufferings,  and  joys—or  is  it  compassionately  non-­‐
interfering?    
  Although  answers  to  these  questions  must  be  conjectural,  there  is  a  story  of  
human  evolution  emerging  from  the  enduring  wisdom  of  the  world’s  spiritual  traditions  
as  well  as  from  new  insights  in  science  that  suggests  we  are  involved  in  a  highly  
purposeful  process  of  development.    Just  as  there  are  recognizable  stages  in  the  
movement  of  an  individual  from  infancy  to  early  adulthood,  so,  too,  do  there  seem  to  be  
stages  of  learning  that  describe  our  maturation  as  a  species.    As  told  in  this  book,  
humanity’s  story  has  seven  distinct  chapters  that  describe  our  evolution  from  
awakening  hunter-­‐gatherers  to  our  initial  maturity  as  a  planetary-­‐scale  civilization.    In  
my  view  humanity  is  roughly  halfway  through  seven  stages  of  development  that  must  be  
realized  if  we  are  to  become  a  planetary  civilization  that  is  able  both  to  maintain  itself  
and  to  surpass  itself  into  the  distant  future.    Describing  these  stages  of  development,  
and  the  cosmology  that  underlies  them,  are  the  two  major  objectives  of  this  book.  
  Discovering  the  story  of  our  evolutionary  journey  is  vital.    Confronted  with  a  
global  crisis  and  lacking  a  vision  of  a  sustainable  future,  we  can  lose  confidence  in  
ourselves,  our  leaders,  and  our  institutions.    A  disoriented  world  civilization  faced  with  
dwindling  resources,  mounting  pollution,  and  growing  population  is  a  recipe  for  
ecological  collapse,  social  anarchy,  religious  fanaticism,  and  authoritarian  domination.  
We  need  to  get  our  bearings  for  the  journey  ahead  if  we  are  to  move  swiftly  towards  
our  early  adulthood  as  a  planetary  civilization.        
 
Sustainability—and  Beyond  
  To  be  sustainable,  a  civilization  must  maintain  the  integrity  of  the  physical,  social  
and  spiritual  foundations  upon  which  it  is  established.    To  seek  only  to  survive—to  do  no  
more  than  simply  exist—is  not  a  sufficient  foundation  for  long-­‐term  sustainability.    An  
insight  from    Simone  de  Beauvoir  clarifies  our  challenge:  “Life  is  occupied  in  both  
perpetuating  itself  and  in  surpassing  itself;  if  all  it  does  is  maintain  itself,  then  living  is  
only  not  dying.”    If  we  do  no  more  than  work  for  a  sustainable  future,  then  we  are  in  
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danger  of  creating  a  world  in  which  living  is  little  more  than  “only  not  dying.”    To  engage  
our  enthusiasm  for  evolution,  we  must  look  beyond  sheer  survival—we  need  a  
compelling  sense  of  purpose  and  potential  for  living  together  as  a  world  civilization.      
  If  industrial  societies  are  to  turn  away  from  materialism  and  commercialism  as  
organizing  values,  then  other  values  and  purposes  are  needed  that  are  at  least  as  
compelling.    The  survival  and  integrity  of  our  biosphere,  the  quality  of  life  for  our  
children  and  friends,  and  the  coevolution  of  culture  and  consciousness—these  are  life  
purposes  that  offer  a  powerful  alternative  to  those  of  the  industrial  era.      There  is  
growing  evidence  that  a  substantial  majority  of  the  human  family  would  support  this  
shift  in  life  orientation.    For  example,  a  Gallup  poll  for  the  first  “Earth  Summit”  in  1992  
surveyed  people  in  twenty-­‐two  diverse  nations  around  the  planet  and  found  that  in  all  
but  three,  a  majority  is  “increasingly  worried  about  the  global  environment  and  gives  its  
protection  priority  over  economic  growth.”1    For  a  majority  of  humans,  representing  a  
wide  range  of  income  levels,  to  place  the  well  being  of  the  Earth  ahead  of  their  personal  
economic  concerns  shows  that  a  dramatic  shift  in  values  and  priorities  is  taking  place  
around  the  world.  
  Although  humanity  is  expressing  growing  concern  for  protecting  the  Earth’s  
environment,  we  do  not  yet  have  a  shared  vision  of  how  to  build  an  advanced,  global  
civilization  while  simultaneously  restoring  the  health  of  the  biosphere.    We  do  not  have  
a  vision  of  the  future  that  is  sufficiently  realistic,  comprehensive,  and  compelling  to  be  
able  to  coalesce  the  enthusiasm  of  the  human  family  into  a  process  of  sustainable  and  
surpassing  development.    We  have  economic  forecasts,  but  these  are  bloodless  
projections  that  do  not  inspire  civilizations  to  reach  new  heights.    We  have  projections  
for  single  issues—the  prospects  for  the  rainforests,  AIDS,  education,  health  care,  and  so  
on—but  we  don’t  have  comprehensive  visions  of  the  whole  planetary  system  that  
portray  how  humanity  can  live  together  successfully.    We  have  technological  forecasts—
trends  for  computers,  cars,  air  travel,  nuclear  technology,  and  so  forth—but  we  have  
few  integrative  views  that  combine  technology,  psychology,  spirituality  and  sociology  
into  persuasive  scenarios  of  a  diverse,  creative  and  sustainable  future.  
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  When  we  can  collectively  envision  a  sustainable  and  satisfying  pathway  into  the  
future,  then  can  we  begin  to  construct  that  future  consciously.    We  need  to  draw  upon  
our  collective  wisdom  and  discover  images  of  the  future  that  awaken  our  enthusiasm  for  
evolution  and  mobilize  our  social  energies.    By  drawing  upon  the  world’s  growing  body  
of  wisdom—in  biology,  anthropology,  history,  physics,  systems  theory,  comparative  
religions,  and  so  on—we  can  begin  to  discern  the  overall  direction  of  human  evolution  
that  leads  toward  our  maturity  as  a  planetary  civilization.    With  a  clear  vision  of  a  
positive  future,  we  can  proceed  with  confidence  on  our  evolutionary  journey.      
  If  humanity  is  successful  in  building  an  enduring  civilization  on  the  Earth,  then  it  
will  come  from  the  synergy  of  the  collective  experience  and  wisdom  of  the  entire  human  
family—the  entire  species.    The  world  has  become  so  interdependent  that  we  must  
make  it  together,  transcending  differences  of  race,  ethnicity,  geography,  religion,  
politics  and  gender.    It  is  the  human  species  that  is  devastating  the  planet  and  it  is  the  
entire  species  that  must  learn  to  live  together  as  a  civilized  and  mutually  supportive  
community.    To  focus  on  the  development  of  civility  among  the  human  species  is  not  to  
unduly  to  inflate  the  importance  of  humanity  within  the  ecosystem  of  life  on  Earth;  
rather,  it  is  to  recognize  how  dangerous  humanity  is  to  the  viability  of  the  Earth’s  
ecosystem.    Humanity  must  begin  consciously  to  develop  a  planetary-­‐scale,  species-­‐
civilization  that  is  able  to  live  in  a  harmonious  relationship  with  the  rest  of  the  web  of  
life.          
 
A  New  Paradigm  for  Evolution  
  Two  views  of  evolution—materialism  and  transcendentalism—are  dominant  in  
the  world  today;  but  a  third  view  is  emerging  that  integrates  them  both  into  a  
coevolutionary  perspective.    All  three  paradigms  involve  assumptions  regarding  not  only  
our  material  and  biological  nature  but  also  our  consciousness  and  spiritual  nature.  
 
1)  Materialist  View—In  this  view,  prominent  in  Western  industrial  societies,  matter  
is  considered  the  primary  reality.    Consciousness  is  secondary  and  is  thought  to  
emerge  with  high  levels  of  complexity  in  the  organization  of  brain  matter.    As  the  
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astronomer  Carl  Sagan  writes,  “My  fundamental  premise  about  the  brain  is  that  
its  workings—what  we  sometimes  call  ‘mind’—are  a  consequence  of  its  anatomy  
and  physiology,  and  nothing  more.”2    Philosopher  Daniel  Dennett  compares  
human  consciousness  to  a  “virtual  machine,”  a  sort  of  computer  software  
program  that  shapes  the  activities  of  the  hardware  system,  the  brain.3      The  
materialistic  paradigm  views  evolutionary  progress  in  terms  of  material  
achievements  in  science,  architecture,  art,  literature,  and  so  on.    
 
2)  Transcendentalist  View—In  this  view,  prominent  among  many  ancient  Eastern  
religions  and  contemporary  “new  age”  spiritual  movements,  consciousness  is  
believed  to  be  the  primary  reality  and  matter  is  secondary.    The  material  world  is  
seen  as  being  constructed  from  consciousness,  so  undue  attention  to  material  
things  represents  a  distraction  from,  and  a  substitute  for,  the  unfolding  of  
consciousness.    Evolutionary  progress  is  a  journey  of  transcendence  that  moves  
from  matter  to  body  to  mind  to  soul  to  spirit.4      
 
3)  Co-­‐evolutionary  View—In  this  emerging  view,  which  integrates  East  and  West,  
reality  is  seen  as  being  comprised  equally  of  matter  and  consciousness,  which  are  
in  turn  assumed  to  be  continuously  regenerated  by  the  more  fundamental  
reality—an  infinitely  deep  Life-­‐force  that  is  called  here  the  “Meta-­‐universe.”    The  
evolutionary  journey  involves  the  synergistic  development  and  refinement  of  
both  the  material  and  the  consciousness  aspects  of  life.5      With  their  coevolution  
we  ultimately  discover  that  we  are  identical  with  the  vast  and  subtle  Life-­‐force  
from  which  everything  continuously  arises.        
   
  Each  view  of  evolution  has  a  dramatically  different  social  expression.    The  
materialistic  paradigm  emphasizes  material  growth  and  worldly  expressions  of  
significance,  status,  and  power.    The  transcendentalist  paradigm  emphasizes  rising  
above  the  material  world  with  its  seeming  distractions  and  substitutions  for  the  perfect  
peace  of  ultimate  transcendence.    The  co-­‐evolutionary  paradigm  integrates  the  material  
and  consciousness  aspects  of  life  into  a  mutually  supportive  spiral  of  development  that  
can  produce  a  sustainable,  planetary  civilization  and  a  global  “wisdom  culture.”  
  Basic  to  the  coevolutionary  paradigm  is  the  idea  that,  moment-­‐by-­‐moment,  the  
entire  cosmos  is  being  regenerated  by  an  infinite  field  of  Life-­‐energy  that  is  called  here  
the  Meta-­‐universe.    The  Meta-­‐universe  is  assumed  to  have  been  present  before  the  big  
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bang  and  is  the  generative  ground  out  of  which  our  universe  (including  the  fabric  of  
space-­‐time)  emerges  in  a  flow  of  continuous  creation.    The  Meta-­‐universe  thus  infuses,  
underlies  and  transcends  our  cosmos.  (An  expanded  description  of  the  important  
concept  of  a  Meta-­‐universe  is  presented  on  pages  126-­‐129  and  296-­‐298).    As  a  further  
note  of  definition,  I  will  use  the  term  universe  to  refer  to  the  still-­‐expanding  system  that  
emerged  roughly  fifteen  billion  years  ago  with  the  Big  Bang.    Although  I  will  use  the  term  
cosmos  to  refer  to  the  same  system  as  the  “universe,”  I  often  use  that  word  to  
communicate  an  extra  measure  of  appreciation  for  the  aesthetic  structure  and  
purposeful  harmony  evident  in  the  design  of  the  universe.        
  We  need  to  return  to  these  basics  of  definition  because  the  old  approaches  are  
no  longer  working  in  isolation  from  one  another.    For  the  past  several  thousand  years  
the  materialistic  view  has  been  dominant  in  the  West  and  the  transcendentalist  view  
has  been  dominant  in  the  East.    Our  time  of  planetary  crisis  demonstrates  that  both  
views  have  exhausted  their  evolutionary  potential  in  isolation  from  each  other.    We  
need  to  move  into  a  new  era  of  coevolutionary  development  that  integrates  them  both  
into  an  organic  whole.    The  West  has  pursued  external,  material  growth  without  a  
balanced  regard  for  the  interior  human  potentials  and  the  result  has  too  often  been  a  
life-­‐denying  and  self-­‐serving  social  order  that  is  exhausting  its  vitality  and  sense  of  
direction.    The  East  has  pursued  the  evolution  of  internal  consciousness  without  a  
balanced  regard  for  the  exterior  human  potentials  of  material  and  social  growth  and  the  
result  is  that  the  development  of  consciousness  has  too  often  become  a  spiritual  escape  
for  the  few,  leaving  many  locked  in  a  struggle  for  sheer  survival.    Where  the  West  has  
concentrated  on  the  finite  and  the  momentary,  the  East  has  concentrated  on  the  infinite  
and  the  eternal.    The  Eastern  approach  has  been  world-­‐denying  in  its  excessively  
transcendental  orientation,  while  the  Western  approach  has  been  world-­‐destroying  in  
its  excessively  materialistic  orientation.      
  To  achieve  a  balanced  and  sustainable  way  of  living,  each  perspective  requires  
the  participation  of  the  other.6      Only  if  they  are  joined  together  can  they  reach  beyond  
themselves  to  a  new,  unifying  paradigm,  involving  neither  the  material  passivity  of  the  
 10

transcendentalist  perspective  nor  the  all-­‐consuming  worldly  obsession  of  the  materialist  
perspective.    A  coevolutionary  perspective  fosters  entirely  new  dimensions  of  
development.    If  the  human  family  rises  to  this  integrative  challenge,  we  will  embark  on  
a  breathtaking  evolutionary  journey—one  that  would  not  have  been  possible,  and  could  
not  have  been  imagined,  by  either  perspective  working  in  isolation.    The  energy  and  
creativity  released  by  combining  a  balanced  concern  for  the  material  and  consciousness  
aspects  of  life  are  not  simply  additive,  they  are  synergistic.    In  the  partnership  of  the  
material  and  consciousness  dimensions  are  the  seeds  of  a  new  era  of  human  growth  
that  we  have  only  scarcely  begun  to  envision  and  explore.    A  coevolutionary  perspective  
reveals  an  elevated  pattern  and  purpose  to  human  evolution  that  can  guide  us  toward  a  
future  bursting  with  creative  possibility.  
 
“Knowing  That  We  Know”  or  Humanity’s  Double  Wisdom  
  We  can  get  a  clearer  sense  of  direction  for  humanity’s  evolutionary  journey  by  
considering  the  scientific  name  we  have  given  to  ourselves  as  a  species:  Homo  sapiens  
sapiens.7    We  are  accustomed  to  the  phrase  Homo  sapiens,  but  our  full  designation  is  
Homo  sapiens  sapiens.    To  be  “sapient”  is  to  be  wise  or  knowing.    We  humans  describe  
ourselves  as  being  more  than  sapient  or  wise,  we  are  sapient  sapient  and  have  the  
unique  potential  of  becoming  “doubly  wise”  or  “doubly  knowing.”8      Our  highest  
potential  as  a  species  is  our  ability  to  achieve  full  self-­‐reflective  consciousness  or  
“knowing  that  we  know.”    As  humanity  develops  its  capacity  for  reflexive  consciousness,  
it  enables  the  universe  to  achieve  self-­‐referencing  knowing  of  itself.    Through  
humanity’s  awakening,  the  universe  acquires  the  ability  to  look  back  and  reflect  upon  
itself—in  wonder,  awe  and  appreciation.      
Development  of  our  capacity  for  reflective  knowing  is  a  complex  and  
multifaceted  process.    We  are  moving  through  a  series  of  stages,  each  of  which  draws  
out  different  aspects  of  this  potential.    As  we  develop  our  capacity  for  reflective  
knowing,  we  acquire  new  levels  of  mastery  in  our  personal  and  social  evolution;  for  
example,  an  enhanced  capacity  for  self-­‐determination,  reconciliation,  cooperation  and  
 11

creativity.    With  reflective  knowing  comes  a  double  registering  of  experience  and  the  
ability  to  assess  the  appropriateness  of  our  actions  against  the  guide  of  our  own  
knowing.    With  reflective  consciousness,  we  become  self-­‐directing  agents  of  our  own  
evolution.      
  Reflective  consciousness  is  basic  to  social  as  well  as  to  personal  evolution.    For  
example,  in  a  democracy,  when  we  are  informed  as  individual  citizens,  then  we  “know.”    
However,  when  we  communicate  among  ourselves  as  citizens—publicly  learning  about  
and  affirming  our  collective  sentiments  as  an  extended  community—then  we  “know  
that  we  know.”    In  our  dangerous  and  difficult  time  of  transition,  it  is  not  sufficient  for  
civilizations  to  be  wise,  we  must  become  doubly  wise  through  social  communication  
that  clearly  reveals  our  collective  knowing  to  ourselves.    To  do  this,  we  need  to  
consciously  use  our  mass  media  for  vigorous  public  learning  and  dialogue  regarding  the  
critical  choices  for  our  future.    Developing  our  capacity  for  reflective  consciousness,  
both  personally  and  socially,  is  a  paramount  evolutionary  challenge.      
 
Steps  to  Our  Initial  Maturity  as  a  Planetary  Civilization  
  The  following  chapters  focus  on  the  stages  of  development  involved  in  the  
unfolding  of  human  culture  and  consciousness.    But  first  it  will  be  helpful  to  gain  some  
perspective  by  summarizing  the  broad  outlines  of  human  history  thus  far.    For  roughly  
two  million  years  our  ancestors  struggled  in  the  twilight  of  self-­‐recognition  and  self-­‐
discovery.    Then,  sometime  during  the  rugged  conditions  of  the  last  great  ice  age,  
roughly  35,000  years  ago,  physically  modern  humans  broke  free  from  the  limited  
consciousness  of  the  animal  kingdom.    With  this  initial  awakening  we  entered  an  epoch  
of  growth  lasting  nearly  25,000  years,  during  which  time  we  developed  sophisticated  
language,  art,  trading  networks,  musical  instruments  and  new  tools  of  stone,  wood,  and  
bone.    Then,  roughly  10,000  years  ago,  we  began  another  momentous  transition  by  
gradually  shifting  from  the  nomadic  life  of  gathering  and  hunting  to  a  settled  life  in  small  
villages  that  relied  upon  subsistence  agriculture  for  survival.    A  peaceful  and  simple  
village  life  endured  for  thousands  of  years  when,  with  surprising  abruptness,  the  world’s  
 12

first  large  cities  arose  roughly  5,500  years  ago.    With  the  blossoming  of  agrarian-­‐based  
civilizations,  a  new  level  of  drive  and  dynamism  entered  the  world.    Humanity’s  
evolutionary  journey  moved  out  of  immersion  within  nature  began  to  take  on  a  
character  that  was  uniquely  human.    Major  civilizations  emerged  in  Mesopotamia,  India,  
China  and  the  Americas.    For  nearly  5,000  years  these  agrarian-­‐based  civilizations  
matured,  generating  the  bulk  of  recorded  human  history.    The  next  momentous  leap  
forward  began  roughly  300  years  ago,  when  a  revolution  in  science  and  technology  
propelled  a  portion  of  humanity  into  the  urban-­‐industrial  era.  The  gradual  pace  of  
urbanization  and  material  development  was  transformed  into  an  explosion  of  
technological  progress,  moving  forward  with  such  ferocity  and  speed  that  it  now  
threatens  to  devastate  the  entire  biosphere  of  the  planet.      
    If  we  stand  back  from  these  immensely  complex  historical  dynamics,  there  
seems  to  be  a  relatively  simple  process  of  development  under  way  that  involves  three  
major  phases  in  the  evolution  of  culture  and  consciousness.    The  first  phase  lasts  for  
several  million  years  and  is  the  time  when  our  human-­‐like  ancestors  lived  without  any  
appreciable  degree  of  self-­‐recognition  or  reflective  consciousness.    The  second  phase  
began  roughly  35,000  years  ago  when  humanity  became  decisively  self-­‐aware  and  we  
moved  into  an  era  of  rapid  development.    Since  then  we  have  been  working  through  a  
series  of  developmental  stages,  increasing  our  capacity  for  reflective  consciousness  and  
building  corresponding  forms  of  civilization.    Looking  ahead,  when  we  develop  the  full  
spectrum  of  capacities  associated  with  reflective  consciousness,  we  will  then  move  into  
a  third  phase  of  “post-­‐reflective  consciousness,”  or  integral  awareness  with  the  wisdom  
essential  for  sustaining  ourselves  into  the  distant  future.    Figure  1  depicts  these  three  
major  phases  of  evolution.  
  Humanity  appears  to  be  working  its  way  through  a  relatively  brief  but  critical  
phase  of  development.    Millions  of  years  were  required  to  get  to  this  transitional  phase  
of  evolution,  and  if  we  are  successful  in  realizing  its  potentials,  millions  of  years  can  
follow.    Hopefully  the  intermediate  phase  described  in  this  book  will  be  little  more  than  
a  scratch  on  humanity’s  evolutionary  calendar.      
 13

 
Figure  1:  Three  Major  Phases  of  Human  Evolution  
 

 
   
To  fully  coevolve  our  capacity  for  self-­‐referencing  consciousness  along  with  a  
supportive  planetary  culture,  I  believe  that  humanity  must  work  through  seven  major  
stages  of  development.    Described  simply,  these  are  as  follows:  
 
•  Era  of  Awakening  Hunter-­‐gatherers—Roughly  35,000  years  ago  humanity  
awakened  with  a  distinct  capacity  for  self-­‐reflective  consciousness.    Nonetheless  
perceptions  were  extremely  limited,  social  organization  was  on  a  tribal  scale,  and  
life  was  centered  around  a  gathering  and  hunting  existence.    Nature  was  viewed  
as  intensely  alive  and  filled  with  mysterious  forces.  
 
•  Era  of  Agrarian-­‐based  Civilizations—Roughly  10,000  years  ago  human  perception  
expanded  to  include  a  new  sense  of  time—a  wheel  of  existence  that  embraced  
nature’s  seasons  and  cycles—and  a  farming  consciousness  emerged.    With  the  
development  of  systematic  agriculture  and  a  food  surplus,  the  world’s  first  great  
cities  began  to  appear  around  3,500  B.C.  and  developed  all  the  basic  arts  of  
civilization  (for  example,  writing,  division  of  labor,  a  priestly  class,  religion,  city-­‐
 14

state  governments,  and  massive  architecture).    

 
•  Scientific-­‐Industrial  Era—By  the  1700s  in  Europe  nature’s  mystery  and  magic  
were  giving  way  to  impersonal  science  and  the  analyzing  intellect.    A  progressing  
time  sense  coupled  with  a  materialistic  view  of  reality  fostered  an  
unprecedented  emphasis  on  material  progress.    Technical  innovation  brought  
with  it  the  rise  of  mass  production,  the  extreme  division  of  labor,  the  
development  of  massive  urban  centers,  and  the  rise  of  strong  nation-­‐states.    
 
•  Communications  &  Reconciliation  Era—Given  the  pervasiveness  of  television,  
computers  and  satellite  systems  around  the  planet,  people  in  both  agrarian  and  
industrial  societies  are  being  swept  up  in  the  communications  revolution.    The  
opportunity  for  global  communication  provided  by  these  new  technologies  is  
arriving  just  in  time  to  allow  the  human  family  to  enter  into  serious  dialogue  
about  how  to  cope  with  the  intertwined  system  of  problems  that  threaten  our  
collective  future.    With  communication  we  can  discover  a  shared  vision  of  a  
sustainable  future.    With  reconciliation  we  can  build  the  trust  and  sense  of  
human  community  that  will  be  essential  for  creating  a  future  of  mutually  
supportive  development.    
 
•  Bonding  and  Building  Era—After  reconciliation  comes  rebuilding.    In  working  
together  to  translate  the  vision  of  a  sustainable  future  into  tangible  reality,  
humanity  will  naturally  develop  a  strong  sense  of  community,  compassion,  and  
deep  bonding.    Cross-­‐cultural  learning  and  planetary  celebration  will  flourish.    
People  will  also  feel  a  new  depth  of  connection  with  nature  and  will  work  to  
restore  the  integrity  of  the  global  environment.      
 
•  Surpassing  Era—With  the  sustainability  of  the  planet  assured,  a  new  level  of  
human  creativity  will  be  liberated.    Planetary  civilization  will  move  beyond  a  
concern  for  maintaining  itself  to  a  concern  for  surpassing  itself.    This  will  be  an  
era  of  explosive  growth  as  the  creativity  of  billions  of  persons  is  set  free.    Given  
the  creative  tumult,  the  strong  bonding  achieved  in  the  previous  epoch  will  be  
essential  to  keep  the  world  from  swirling  out  of  control  and  tearing  itself  apart.    
Humanity  will  learn  to  balance  the  drive  for  creative  diversity  with  the  need  for  
sustainable  unity.  
 
•  Initial  Maturity  as    Planetary  Civilization—In  reaching  this  stage,  humanity  will  
have  acquired  sufficient  perspective,  wisdom,  creativity,  and  compassion  
 15

necessary  to  sustain  itself  into  the  distant  future.    This  stage  represents  both  the  
completion  of  a  long  process  of  development  and  the  foundation  for  a  new  
beginning,  perhaps  to  participate  in  a  community  of  life  of  galactic  scale.    
 
  In  the  briefest  of  terms,  this  is  the  story  of  humanity’s  evolution  that  is  described  
in  the  following  chapters.    This  is  not  a  linear  view  of  development;  rather,  it  portrays  a  
complex  cycle  of  separation  and  return  that  leads  to  our  initial  maturity  as  a  species:    In  
the  three  beginning  stages  of  awakening,  we  separate  ourselves  from  nature,  develop  
our  sense  of  autonomy  as  a  species,  and  discover  of  our  abilities  for  rebuilding  the  world  
in  accord  with  our  designs.    In  the  following  three  stages,  we  reintegrate  ourselves  with  
nature,  explore  our  deep  bonding  with  one  another  and  with  the  cosmos,  and  develop  
our  capacity  to  act  in  conscious  harmony  with  the  universe.      
  Whether  we  are  successful  in  filling  out  these  evolutionary  stages  or  whether  we  
get  off  track  and  move  into  a  dark  age  of  stagnation  and  collapse  will  depend  on  the  
choices  we  now  make  freely.    Our  evolution  is  similar  to  a  seven-­‐stage  rocket:    Each  of  
the  booster  stages  must  work  properly  if  we  are  to  be  successful  in  launching  a  
sustainable  species-­‐civilization.    If  any  one  of  the  stages  fails,  the  evolutionary  dynamic  
can  veer  off  into  stagnation  or  collapse.    Figure  2  summarizes  these  dynamics  of  growth  
and  portrays  the  optimal  path  for  launching  a  planetary  civilization.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 16

Figure  2:  Seven  Major  Stages  for  Launching  a    

Sustainable  Planetary  Civilization  
 

 
 
  Arnold  Toynbee  spent  a  lifetime  examining  the  emergence  and  decline  of  
civilizations  throughout  history  and  described  civilization  as  “a  movement  and  not  a  
condition,  a  voyage  and  not  a  harbour.”9    He  also  noted  that  the  people  and  events  that  
make  good  headlines  tend  to  float  on  the  surface  of  the  stream  of  life,  whereas  it  is  the  
deeper  changes,  working  below  the  surface  of  popular  culture,  that  ultimately  make  
history.10    Consistent  with  Toynbee’s  insight,  the  seven  stages  of  development  described  
above  are  assumed  to  be  the  organizing  paradigms  that  live  beneath  the  surface  of  
popular  culture  and  whose  potentials  we  are  working  to  realize.    While  this  approach  
bleaches  out  much  of  the  complexity  and  richness  found  in  the  rise  and  fall  of  individual  
civilizations,  it  will  reveal  more  clearly  the  step-­‐by-­‐step  advance  of  culture  and  
consciousness  as  we  work  to  become  a  doubly-­‐wise  species-­‐civilization.    At  the  core  of  
our  history  as  a  species  is  the  story  of  our  movement  through  a  series  of  perceptual  
 17

paradigms  as  we  work  to  achieve  our  initial  maturity  as  a  self-­‐reflective  and  self-­‐
organizing  planetary  civilization.    
 
Sacred  Geometry  and  the  Stages  of  Development  
  At  the  heart  of  this  book  is  a  simple  description  of  reality  based  upon  
fundamental  principles  of  order  and  form—in  other  words,  geometry.    I  believe  that  an  
invisible  geometry  permeates  the  universe  and  provides  a  structural  foundation  for  all  
existence,  both  physical  and  perceptual:    The  same  geometry  that  structures  physical  
space  also  structures  psychological  or  perceptual  space.    This  geometry  is  the  unseen  
organizing  framework  within  which  and  through  which  all  life  evolves.    As  the  underlying  
matrix  for  all  existence  and  evolution,  it  seems  appropriate  to  call  this  pervasive  and  
supportive  geometry  “sacred.”      
  The  concept  of  “dimensions”  is  fundamental  to  this  book.    To  me  a  dimension  is  
far  more  than  a  dry  mathematical  concept  or  simple,  empty  space.    Dimensions  are  akin  
to  the  deep  genetic  code  of  the  cosmos—they  provide  the  organizing  structure  for  
material  reality  as  it  moves  through  countless  billions  of  years  of  evolution.    Nearly  four  
hundred  years  ago  the  renowned  mathematician  and  physicist  Johannes  Kepler  made  
this  penetrating  observation:    “Geometry  existed  before  the  Creation.    It  is  co-­‐eternal  
with  the  mind  of  God...    Geometry  provided  God  with  a  model  for  the  Creation...    
Geometry  is  God  Himself.”11    There  is  no  reality  without  dimensionality.    The  miracle  
that  anything  exists  at  all  depends  upon  dimensions  to  provide  the  context  within  which  
things—including  the  fabric  of  space  and  time—can  become  manifest.    We  exist  within  
an  invisible  ocean  of  dimensional  structure.    An  invisible  organizing  geometry  provides  
not  only  a  supportive  architecture  for  our  cosmos,  but  also  a  nested  series  of  learning  
environments  within  which  and  through  which  evolution  unfolds.  
  Normally  we  view  geometric  dimensions  as  little  more  than  lifeless  mathematical  
concepts  that  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  richness  of  everyday  life  and  the  complexities  
of  evolution.    However,  our  universe  appears  to  be  a  living  organism  of  immensely  
intelligent  design  that  is  able  to  perform  multiple  functions  simultaneously.    The  same  
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dimensional  geometry  that  structures  physical  reality  also  structures  our  perceptions,  
creating  the  environments  that  both  people  and  civilizations  move  through  in  a  learning  
process.    Although  the  universe  comes  with  no  explicit  “operating  manual,”  we  do  not  
need  one,  as  the  fabric  of  reality  has  embedded  within  it  the  evolutionary  insights  that  
we  seek.      
  While  “dimensional  evolution”  can  be  viewed  metaphorically,  I  believe  each  new  
stage  in  human  civilization  is  accompanied  by  a  literal  change  in  dimensional  perspective  
and  experience.    For  example,  the  transition  from  a  hunter-­‐gatherer  society  to  a  farming  
society  occurred  because  people  shifted  from  seeing  reality  as  a  flat  world  of  two  
dimensions  to  seeing  reality  as  a  depth  world  of  three  dimensions.    In  other  words,  by  
experiencing  and  then  acting  from  out  of  a  three-­‐dimensional  view  of  reality,  we  
created  the  agricultural  revolution.    In  a  similar  way,  by  experiencing  and  acting  from  a  
four-­‐dimensional  context  we  are  making  the  transition  from  static,  farming  societies  to  
dynamic,  industrial  societies.    Whether  viewed  metaphorically  or  literally,  if  we  can  
discern  the  broad  outlines  of  the  dimensional  structure  through  which  we  are  evolving,  
we  can  then  make  useful  inferences  about  the  basic  evolutionary  challenges  and  
opportunities  we  will  face  in  the  future.    
  Each  new  dimension  seems  exquisitely  designed  to  call  forth  new  potentials  
from  us.    As  we  perceive  the  possibilities  inherent  in  a  new  dimension,  we  begin  to  
actualize  them.    Said  another  way,  each  new  dimension  provides  a  unique  “opportunity  
space”  or  learning  context  for  people  and  societies  to  fill  out  with  their  actions.    The  
dimensional  nature  of  reality  is  like  a  nested  set  of  Chinese  boxes:  Each  new  dimension  
embodies  an  enlarged  frame  of  reference  within  which  are  nested  all  previous  
dimensions.      
  The  next  eight  chapters  describe  how  each  new  dimension  embodies  a  
distinctive  framework  for  perception  that  draws  out  characteristic  patterns  of  creative  
expression.    Dimensions  are  therefore  invisible  receptacles  that  can  enlarge  the  
experienced  scope  of  our  lives  by  introducing  entirely  new  domains  of  action  and  
learning.    With  every  added  dimension,  new  capacities  are  revealed,  new  perspectives  
 19

are  introduced,  and  new  goals  become  apparent  that  challenge  our  creativity.    A  
dimension  is  a  perceptual  paradigm  that  structures  our  way  of  understanding,  thinking  
and  acting.    When  we  first  enter  a  new  perceptual  paradigm  (such  as  the  agrarian  era  or  
the  industrial  era),  we  experience  great  freedom  and  creative  opportunity.    However,  as  
we  fulfill  the  potentials  of  a  given  paradigm,  it  eventually  becomes  a  constricting  
framework  whose  partial  nature  leads  to  a  crisis  in  human  affairs.    This  crisis  in  turn  
leads  to  a  breakthrough  into  the  next,  more  spacious  perceptual  context,  and  a  new  
level  of  learning  and  creative  expression  is  drawn  out.  
  Freedom  is  fundamental  to  this  cosmology.    The  sacred  geometry  that  infuses  
the  universe  does  not  interfere  with  the  choices  we  make  but  instead  maintains  all  that  
exists  with  unwavering  equanimity.    Our  future  is  not  predetermined.    Within  broad  
limits  of  human  psychology  and  planetary  ecology,  we  can  fill  out  these  stages  of  
development  in  whatever  way  and  with  whatever  timing  we  choose.    Although  the  
dimensional  pattern  does  not  determine  how  we  will  respond,  it  does  create  a  series  of  
powerful  and  resilient  contexts  within  which—and  through  which—evolution  unfolds.    It  
is  up  to  us  to  determine  how  we  will  fill  out  this  sequence  of  evolutionary  environments.    
Just  as  individuals  choose  their  unique  pathway  to  adulthood,  so,  too,  will  the  human  
family  choose  its  unique  pathway  to  maturity.      
  While  the  immense  problems  faced  by  humanity  make  the  short-­‐term  future  
look  bleak  and  distressing,  I  am  confident  in  our  long-­‐run  evolutionary  capacity  as  a  
species.      Humanity  does  have  the  ability  to  communicate  its  way  through  these  
challenging  times  and  to  build  a  future  of  mutually  supportive  development.    It  is  
heartening  to  see  that  we  have  already  begun  the  process  of  building  a  shared  
consciousness  among  the  human  family  regarding  our  responsibility  toward  the  rest  of  
life  on  the  Earth.    With  environmental  “Earth  Days,”  the  “Earth  Summit,”  and  global  TV  
events  such  as  “Live  Aid  for  Africa,”  humanity  has  begun  to  establish  a  collective  
consciousness  and  species-­‐memory.    A  global  culture  is  now  being  born.    We  have  
already  begun  to  create  the  first  glimmerings  of  a  conscious,  planetary  civilization.    The  
Earth  is  awakening.        
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About  the  Rest  of  This  Book  
The  remainder  of  this  book  will  explore  the  critical,  transition  phase  in  the  
evolutionary  life  cycle  of  humanity—the  phase  from  where  humans  first  awaken  at  a  
tribal  scale  to  where  we  first  establish  ourselves  as  a  planetary-­‐scale  civilization  that  is  
able  to  endure  into  the  distant  future.    To  facilitate  the  reader’s  journey,  this  book  is  
divided  into  two  major  sections.    The  first  section  consists  of  nine  chapters  that  present  
the  story  of  human  evolution  from  our  initial  awakening  to  our  initial  maturity  as  a  
planetary  civilization.    To  make  this  story  more  readable,  descriptions  of  the  underlying  
theory  of  “dimensional  evolution”  have  been  kept  to  a  minimum.    The  core  concepts  
and  cosmology  that  provide  the  underpinnings  for  this  theory  of  the  co-­‐evolution  of  
culture  and  consciousness  are  presented  in  the  second  section.      
  Incontrovertible,  scientific  “proof”  does  not  exist  to  validate  the  cosmology  that  
underlies  this  book.    This  theory  extends  beyond  the  dimensional  boundaries  of  most  
current  science  and  consequently  cannot  be  proven  by  that  science  alone.  
Nonetheless  this  theory  is  not  arbitrary—it  draws  upon  knowledge  from  a  wide  range  of  
disciplines  and  is  based  upon  a  straightforward  logic  that  is  described  at  length  in  the  
last  four  chapters  of  the  book.    This  evolutionary  pattern  is  also  highly  congruent  with  
Western  psychology  and  the  perennial  wisdom  of  the  world’s  spiritual  traditions;  and  
these  correlations  are  described  in  the  first  appendix.    Although  the  details  of  this  book  
are  the  product  of  twenty  years  of  broad-­‐ranging  research,  the  organizing  pattern  was  a  
gift  from  the  universe  that  emerged  as  the  culmination  of  half  a  year  of  self-­‐directed  
meditation.    The  meditative  origins  of  this  cosmology  are  described  in  the  second  
appendix.      
  To  know  where  we  are  going,  it  is  useful  to  know  from  where  we  have  come.    
We  begin  this  story  of  human  evolution  by  reaching  into  the  distant  past  and  describing  
stages  of  perceptual  and  cultural  development  through  which  much  of  humanity  has  
already  progressed.    In  seeing  how  human  perceptions  have  already  gone  through  three  
major  transformations—each  time  radically  changing  our  understanding  of  nature,  the  
 21

cosmos,  and  ourselves—we  can  more  readily  anticipate  the  changes  that  will  
accompany  future  evolutionary  transformations.    (If  an  historical  perspective  is  not  of  
interest,  the  reader  can  jump  directly  to  the  modern  era  and  the  challenge  of  global  
reconciliation—  Chapters  4  and  5.)    We  turn,  then,  to  the  phase  of  humanity’s  evolution  
that  leads  from  our  initial  awakening  as  a  species  to  our  initial  maturity  as  a  planetary  
scale  civilization.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Part  I:  Stages  of  Development  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Chapter  1  
First  Stage:  
CONTRACTED    CONSCIOUSNESS  
AND  THE  ARCHAIC  ERA  
 

Summary  
The  first  dimension  is  the  stage  of  embedded  or  contracted  consciousness.    It  is  
symbolized  by  a  black  hole  that  allows  nothing  to  escape,  not  even  light.    Analogously,  in  
this  stage,  the  light  of  reflective  knowing  is  drawn  inward  by  the  gravitational  pull  of  
deep  unconsciousness.    A  pre-­‐reflective  consciousness  was  characteristic  of  our  earliest  
human  ancestors  who  were  largely  running  on  automatic—relying  primarily  on  instinct  
and  habit.    Their  way  of  life  remained  virtually  unchanged  over  thousands  of  
generations.    Some  degree  of  reflective  consciousness  must  have  begun  to  awaken  
more  than  a  million  years  ago  when    Homo  erectus  migrated  out  of  Africa  and,  to  cope  
with  the  harsh  ice-­‐age  climate,  learned  to  make  warm  clothing,  construct  shelters  and  
control  the  use  of  fire.    Nonetheless,  it  is  only  with  the  evidence  of  burials,  dating  from  
roughly  60,000  years  ago,  that  we  find  a  clear  recognition  of  death  and,  presumably,  
conscious  reflection  on  the  “self”  that  lives.      
 

Introduction  
  Because  our  everyday  experience  of  life  seems  so  natural,  and  we  take  it  so  
much  for  granted,  it  is  nearly  impossible  to  imagine  the  perceptual  experience  of  our  
early  ancestors  who,  several  million  years  ago,  struggled  for  survival.    Nonetheless,  we  
can  conduct  an  experiment  in  our  imagination—an  experiment  in  unlearning—to  give  us  
a  taste  of  the  life-­‐experience  of  our  early  human  predecessors.    We  begin  our  journey  by  
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setting  aside  modern  consciousness  and  squeezing  ourselves  into  the  barely  awakening  
reflective  consciousness  of  our  distant  relatives.    To  accomplish  this  challenging  feat  of  
forgetting,  imagine  doing  the  following:    
 
•  Take  all  of  the  chairs,  tables,  beds,  couches,  lamps,  and  other  furniture  out  of  
your  house.        
 
•  Get  rid  of  all  of  your  kitchen  utensils  and  appliances.    From  now  on,  you’ll  be  
doing  your  cooking  directly  over  a  fire,  foregoing  even  the  use  of  clay  pots.    Each  
day,  eat  only  the  berries  and  roots  you  gather—and  the  animals  you  hunt  down.  
 
•  Abandon  all  of  your  fabric  clothes.    Sew  a  set  of  animal  skins  onto  your  body  for  
wearing  throughout  the  winter  months.    In  the  summer,  you  may  simply  choose  
to  do  without.  
 
•  Get  rid  of  your  bathroom,  toilet  paper,  shower,  soap,  shampoo,  toothpaste  and  
toothbrush.    Become  accustomed  to  strong  bodily  smells  as  a  permeating  fact  of  
life.  
   
•  Say  goodbye  to  your  apartment  or  house.    Use  a  skin-­‐covered  tent  as  the  primary  
shelter  for  the  several  families  with  whom  you  live.    Then,  move  away  from  the  
city  or  suburbs  and  into  the  countryside.    Get  used  to  tribal-­‐scale  living—for  the  
rest  of  your  life,  roughly  25  close  relatives  will  comprise  your  primary  
community.    Once  or  twice  a  year  you  may  attend  gatherings  with  several  
hundred  persons  where  you  may  trade  a  few  stone  tools,  hunt  as  a  community,  
and  find  a  mate.  
 
•  Eliminate  your  television  set,  radio,  newspaper,  books,  and  magazines.    Charade-­‐
like  stories  told  about  the  animals,  plants  and  the  two  dozen  people  around  you  
is  now  your  news  and  entertainment.  
     
•  Forget  the  vast  majority  of  your  language—pare  your  vocabulary  down  to  a  few  
dozen  basic  words  and  a  handful  of  verbs.    Learn  to  use  facial  expressions  and  
bodily  gestures  to  convey  much  of  your  meaning.        
 
•  Drastically  shrink  the  scope  of  your  world.    Forget  any  concept  of  “the  Earth”  or  
“the  cosmos”—the  distance  you  can  walk  within  several  days  is  your  entire  arena  
 24

of  knowledge  and  concern.      

 
•  Because  you  move  regularly,  get  rid  of  any  possessions  that  weigh  you  down  or  
slow  you  down.    Take  with  you  only  what  you  can  easily  carry.  
   
•  If  you  are  injured,  or  sick,  or  you  have  a  toothache,  just  ignore  the  pain.    There  
are  no  doctors,  no  dentists,  no  antibiotics,  no  aspirin,  and  no  anesthetics.        
 
•  Subtract  thirty  to  forty  years  from  your  life  expectancy.    If  you  live  to  be  forty,  you  
are  a  fortunate  elder.    Expect  at  least  half  of  your  children  to  die  before  the  age  
of  six.  
 
•  Forget  all  that  you  know  about  gardening.    Obtain  most  of  your  food  through  the  
efforts  of  women  who  forage  for  wild  nuts,  berries,  and  fruits.    A  much  smaller  
proportion  of  food  comes  from  men  who  hunt  for  animals.      
 
•  Forget  all  of  the  animals  that  you  have  domesticated—dogs,  cats,  cows,  goats,  
sheep,  and  horses.    You  are  alone  in  the  world.  
 
•  Except  for  brief  moments  of  insight,  disregard  your  ability  to  stand  back  and  
observe  yourself.    Everything  that  happens  is  up-­‐close  and  immediate.  
 
•  Forget  most  of  your  ability  to  think  through  things—you  have  not  yet  developed  
the  ability  to  analyze  and  plan  beyond  the  most  rudimentary  level.        
 
•  Drop  all  expectations  of  material  progress  or  improving  your  “standard  of  living.”    
Technologically,  you  have  no  more  than  a  few  stone  tools—and  these  you  
manufacture  on  the  spot  as  you  need  them.    
 
•  Put  aside  any  sophisticated  emotions  such  as  romantic  love—you  do  not  have  a  
sufficiently  distinct  sense  of  yourself  and  others  to  support  such  feelings.  
 
•  Ignore  yourself  except  for  your  bodily  impulses  and  instincts.    When  you  are  
hungry,  look  for  food;  when  you  are  sexually  aroused,  look  for  sexual  
gratification.      
 
•  Exclude  an  extended  past  or  future  from  your  awareness.    All  that  is  significant  is  
happening  now.    Do  not  plan  ahead  beyond  the  next  day  or  two.    Forget  your  
 25

knowledge  of  the  regular  migration  of  animals,  birds  and  fish.    As  well,  forget  
your  knowledge  of  the  cycles  of  nature—each  new  season  and  each  new  moon  is  
a  miracle.  
 
•  Exclude  art  from  your  life.    You  have  no  shell  necklaces,  no  carvings,  and  no  
painting  to  express  your  aesthetic  sentiments.    Also,  forget  music.    There  are  only  
the  sounds  of  nature,  the  occasional  human  voice—and  silence.    
   
•  Omit  all  you  know  about  science  and  a  lawful  universe.    Everything  that  happens  
is  the  result  of  invisible  and  unknown  forces.  
 
•  Don’t  dwell  on  death.    Your  experience  of  loss  and  grief  lasts  only  for  a  few  hours  
and  then  passes  into  the  forgetfulness  of  present-­‐centered  demands.    You  live  a  
largely  unexamined  existence  and  feel  only  a  vague  sense  of  anything—or  
anyone—that  is  absent.        
 
•  Don’t  worry  about  the  meaning  of  life.    In  fact,  don’t  think  about  “meaning”  
because  it  is  not  a  meaningful  concept.    Existence    is  an  unquestioned  fact  to  be  
taken  for  granted.  
 
  Only  when  we  have  done  all  of  this—and  have  contracted  our  reflective  
consciousness  to  a  virtual  point—can  we  begin  to  approximate  the  life-­‐experience  of  the  
archaic  hunter-­‐gatherer.    Of  course,  we  cannot  truly  forget  all  these  aspects  of  life,  but  
this  experiment  reveals  how  much  learning  and  development  we  have  already  realized  
and  now  take  for  granted.    For  all  of  the  shortcomings  and  problems  of  our  era,  it  is  
clear  that  humanity  has  already  traveled  an  enormous  evolutionary  distance  towards  
the  goal  of  becoming  a  consciously  self-­‐referencing  and  self-­‐organizing  species—a  
species  that  is  sufficiently  self-­‐aware  to  consciously  choose  what  we  want  to  become.  
 
The  Dawn  of  Reflective  Consciousness  
  The  origins  of  reflective  consciousness  are  so  ancient  that  we  can  only  speculate  
on  when  our  capacity  for  double-­‐wisdom  truly  began  to  emerge.    It  has  often  been  
remarked  that  where  animals  “know,”  only  humans  “know  that  they  know.”    Yet,  
research  shows  that  chimpanzees  (our  closest  animal  relative,  with  whom  we  share  98  
 26

percent  of  our  genes)  can  hold  grudges,  nurse  resentments,  form  strong  family  ties,  and  
experience  grief  over  the  loss  of  a  loved  one.12      Research  also  indicates  that  chimps  
have  the  ability  to  learn  simple  mathematical  skills  and  to  recognize  themselves  in  a  
mirror.13      Because  our  earliest  human  ancestors,  Australopithecus  africanus—the  
“southern  ape  of  Africa”  who  lived  roughly  3  million  years  ago—had  larger  brains  than  
chimps,  it  seems  likely  that  they  had  a  capacity  for  self-­‐recognition  that  was  at  least  
comparable  to  modern  day  chimpanzees.    If  so,  the  dawn  of  reflective  consciousness  
extends  back  more  than  three  million  years!    
  Given  that  Australopithecus  africanus  had  some  capacity  for  self-­‐recognition  (as  
well  as  deliberate  communication,  a  limited  ability  to  look  ahead  and  plan  for  a  hunt,  
some  ability  for  mental  abstraction  in  order  to  build  and  use  stone  tools,  and  some  
degree  of  differentiation  of  self  from  the  environment),  it  seems  plausible  that  the  
potential  for  a  modern  human  consciousness  was  already  present  and  waiting  to  unfold  
to  its  contemporary  level  of  complexity.    In  short,  the  seed  potentials  for  the  full  
awakening  of  reflective  consciousness  have  existed  within  the  human  organism  for  
millions  of  years.    These  abilities  were  not  recently  added  to  our  biogenetic  repertoire;  
rather,  we  arrived  as  proto-­‐humans  with  these  potentials  built  in—they  had  only  to  be  
activated  for  them  to  unfold.    If  this  is  true  of  our  past,  then  it  is  likely  to  be  true  of  our  
future—we  are  already  pre-­‐engineered  for  successful  evolution  to  the  highest  levels  of  
reflective  consciousness  (a  view  of  evolution  that,  admittedly,  assumes  a  high  degree  of  
design-­‐intelligence  is  embodied  within  the  subtle  structure  of  the  universe).    
  The  capacity  for  self-­‐recognition  emerged  ever  so  gradually  over  these  millions  
of  years  and  it  was  not  until  about  35,000  years  ago  that  a  critical  threshold  in  
consciousness  was  reached.    The  capacity  for  fleeting  self-­‐recognition  that  existed  in  the  
first  stage  should  not  be  equated  with  the  stabilized  “I-­‐sense”  that  emerges  in  later  
stages  and  that  enables  individuals  to  reflect  upon  themselves  and  to  consciously  
organize  their  lives.    There  is  an  enormous  psychic  and  evolutionary  distance  between  
the  capacity  for  fleeting  self-­‐recognition  and  a  steady  mirroring  capacity  that  we  can  
consciously  bring  to  bear.    Before  exploring  the  millions  of  years  of  historical  evolution  
 27

leading  up  to  biologically  modern  humans,  it  is  useful  to  pause  and  consider  the  
perceptual  geometry  of  the  first  dimension  with  its  highly  contracted  consciousness.    
 
1st  Dimension:  Contracted  Consciousness  
  Self-­‐reflective  consciousness  requires  some  degree  of  separation  between  
consciousness  and  the  self—there  must  be  some  distance  or  space  between  knowing  
and  the  object  of  knowing,  between  observer  and  observed.    In  most  animals,  there  is  
knowing,  but  there  is  not  the  ability  to  stand  apart  from  the  knowing  process.    When  
there  is  no  separation  between  observer  and  observed,  self-­‐referencing  consciousness  
remains  contracted  into  a  single  point.    With  knowing  so  compressed,  there  is  not  the  
perceptual  distance  to  stand  back  from,  to  reflect  on,  and  be  conscious  of  one’s  
existence  for  more  than  a  brief  moment  at  a  time.    The  first  dimension,  then,  
corresponds  with  the  life-­‐experience  of  our  earliest  human  ancestors.    Except  for  brief  
moments  of  intense,  primal  knowing,  there  was  only  a  vague  recognition  of  a  distinct  
self  that  was  separate  from  the  rest  of  nature.    Most  of  the  time,  our  earliest  ancestors  
were  running  on  automatic—with  their  faculties  for  sensing,  feeling  and  thinking  
working  in  accord  with  biological  givens  and  unquestioned  social  habits.        
  In  the  first  dimension,  existence  would  be  monotonous,  muted,  and  nearly  
invisible  to  itself.    With  almost  no  ability  to  stand  back  from  immediate  existence  and  
see  the  self  as  an  independent  entity  that  can  operate  on  nature,  the  ability  to  build  
tools  and  to  achieve  mastery  over  the  natural  environment  was  extremely  limited.    With  
a  highly  restricted  capacity  for  self-­‐perception,  only  biological  ties  provided  a  strong  
source  of  kinship  and  social  connection.    A  restricted,  tribal  clan  probably  marked  the  
limits  of  one’s  sense  of  personal  empathy  and  affiliation.      Because  feelings  such  as  love,  
guilt  and  hope  require  some  degree  of  double-­‐knowing  that  enables  us  to  acknowledge  
to  ourselves  that  this  is  what  we  are  experiencing,  the  range  of  emotions  of  our  early  
ancestors  must  have  been  relatively  limited.        
 
 28

Our  Ancient  Ancestors  

  It  seems  plausible  that,  more  than  three  million  years  ago,  Australopithecus  
africanus  had  already  begun  the  long  journey  from  the  dim  ember  of  animal  awareness  
to  the  steady  candle-­‐flame  of  consciousness  characteristic  of  the  initial  emergence  of  
reflective  knowing  in  the  second  dimension.    Although  there  is  great  uncertainty  about  
the  course  of  evolution,  it  seems  likely  that  Australopithecus  africanus  evolved  into  the  
first  being  to  whom  we  have  given  the  designation  “homo;”  hence,  the  first  “human”  
was  Homo  habilis  (“the  handy  human”).    Homo  habilis  lived  in  Africa  from  roughly  2.5  
million  years  ago  until  roughly  1.5  million  years  ago,  walked  upright  and  had  roughly  the  
same  level  of  manual  dexterity  as  do  modern  people.    They  made  the  earliest  known  
stone  tools  by  simply  flaking  off  one  side  of  a  cobblestone  to  form  a  jagged  cutting  edge  
(interestingly,  similar  tools  are  made  by  the  contemporary  “stone-­‐age”  Tasaday  tribe  in  
the  Philippines).14    On  the  other  hand,  their  brain  was  only  approximately  half  the  size  of  
modern  humans,  and  their  larynx  was  not  well-­‐developed  for  supporting  speech.    (The  
physical  evolution  of  humans  from  Africanus  to  modern  Homo  sapiens  sapiens  is  shown  
in  Figure  3  on  the  following  page.)  
  By  one  and  a  half  million  years  ago,  Homo  habilis  had  evolved  into  Homo  erectus  
(“the  upright  human”).    While  our  Homo  erectus  ancestors  had  heavy  bones  and  thick  
muscles,  seen  from  a  distance  they  would  have  appeared  to  be  humans,  not  apes.    Only  
up  close  would  physical  differences  be  clearly  evident:  jutting  brows,  a  low  forehead  and  
a  massive  jaw  distinguished  erectus  from  modern  humans.  These  early  ancestors  had  
crude  but  effective  stone  tools,  and  a  sense  of  kinship  and  family.    It  was  Homo  erectus  
that  first  made  the  journey  from  the  tropics  of  Africa  into  the  cooler  climates  of  Europe  
and  Asia.    In  coping  with  the  ice  ages,  Homo  erectus  learned  to  develop  warm  clothing,  
build  tents  for  shelters,  and  to  hunt  with  a  new  level  of  proficiency.    Surviving  the  harsh  
climates  of  the  ice  ages  surely  placed  a  premium  on  intelligence,  inventiveness  and  
social  cooperation.    By  500,000  years  ago,  Homo  erectus  knew  how  to  control  the  use  of  
fire,  although  it  would  not  be  until  much  later  that  humans  would  master  the  art  of  
starting  fires.    With  a  brain  roughly  three-­‐quarters  the  size  of  modern  humans  and  a  
 29

more  developed  larynx,  Homo  erectus  was  probably  capable  of  a  significant  degree  of  
communication—perhaps  using  a  mixture  of  a  few  words,  hand  gestures,  and  facial  
expressions—that  enabled  them  to  hunt  cooperatively.      
 

Figure  3:  Evolution  from  Early  Human  Ancestors  to  the  Modern  Era  

 
 
  All  these  developments  suggest  that  a  growing  degree  of  reflexive  consciousness  
was  emerging.    Hunting  strategies,  family  interactions,  and  community  migration  would  
have  been  greatly  facilitated  by  even  a  rudimentary  ability  for  speech.    Still,  it  was  not  
until  the  emergence  of  anatomically  modern  hunter-­‐gatherers,  roughly  35,000  years  
ago,  that  speech  could  match  contemporary  levels  of  speed  and  facility.    Given  
anatomical  differences,  it  is  estimated  that  Homo  erectus  communicated  much  more  
slowly  than  modern  humans—perhaps  with  only  one-­‐tenth  the  speed  and  with  a  far  
 30

more  limited  range  of  sounds.    Non-­‐verbal  communication  (through  gestures  and  facial  
expressions)  must  have  played  an  important  role  in  enabling  Homo  erectus  humans  to  
express  their  meanings  and  feelings  visually.  
  Although  primitive  stone  tools  enabled  Homo  erectus  to  hunt  a  wide  range  of  
animals,  the  gathering  of  plants  was  probably  the  primary  source  of  food.    The  division  
of  labor  between  the  sexes  was  relatively  unique  to  humans:    In  general,  men  were  
thought  to  have  been  responsible  for  hunting  larger  animals  and  protecting  against  
predators,  and  women  were  thought  to  have  been  responsible  for  gathering  berries,  
fruits,  nuts,  roots  and  smaller  animals  (which  could  comprise  as  much  as  three-­‐quarters  
of  the  average  diet).    This  division  of  roles  was  amplified  by  the  need  to  care  for  the  
young,  who  were  born  with  an  undeveloped  brain  and  required  considerable  attention  
during  the  first  few  years  of  life.    With  infants  dependent  upon  the  mother,  a  pattern  of  
mutual  dependency  emerged:  men  depended  upon  women  to  raise  children  and  gather  
foods,  while  women  depended  on  men  to  do  hunting  and  provide  protection  from  
predators.    Infants,  in  turn,  depended  upon  their  mothers  and  the  strength  of  the  
overall  family  structure  for  their  security.    Tied  together  into  a  web  of  mutual  
interdependence  essential  to  the  survival  of  all,  a  distinctive  social  fabric  based  upon  
family  and  clan  was  probably  emerging  more  than  a  million  years  ago.    Because  women  
gathered  a  majority  of  food,  as  well  as  prepared  the  food  and  cared  for  the  infants,  it  is  
clear  that  their  role  was  not  secondary  to  men.15    Cooperation  between  the  sexes  and  
caring  for  others  were  traits  basic  to  human  survival  as  well  as  the  evolution  of  the  
species.      
  With  the  control  of  fire,  the  development  of  rudimentary  communication  and  
the  growing  dependence  of  children,  Homo  erectus  began  to  develop  temporary  homes  
or  encampments.    These  encampments—estimated  to  be  comprised  of  twenty  to  fifty  
persons  and  perhaps  a  dozen  families—nurtured  our  earliest  experience  of  community.      
  The  sharing  of  food  strengthened  bonds  among  people,  promoted  an  ethic  of  
reciprocity,  and  expanded  the  sense  of  kinship  to  the  scale  of  the  community.    Extensive  
food  sharing  appears  to  be  relatively  unique  to  humans.    Richard  Leakey,  the  noted  
 31

paleoanthropologist,  reports  that  chimpanzees  (our  closest  genetic  relatives)  are  highly  
social,  and  yet  they  almost  never  share  their  food  with  the  entire  band.16    Leakey  goes  
on  to  say  that  when  our  earliest  ancestors  switched  from  individual  feeding  to  extensive  
food  sharing  at  a  home  base,  this  marked  a  profound  shift  in  the  way  of  life.    When  food  
is  extensively  shared  it  increases  feelings  of  mutual  interdependence  and  mutual  regard  
among  people,  and  this  would  further  bind  together  the  family  and  clan.    Accompanying  
food  sharing  was  growing  cooperation  in  both  gathering  and  hunting.    As  Leakey  
concludes,  “the  food-­‐sharing  hypothesis  is  a  very  strong  candidate  for  explaining  what  
set  early  hominids  on  the  road  to  modern  man.”17      
  Hints  of  an  awakening  reflective  consciousness  in  early  humans  are  also  revealed  
in  the  first  glimmerings  of  artistic  sensibility.    Although  we  have  no  cave  paintings,  
carved  ivory,  necklaces  or  other  art  that  demonstrates  an  artistic  consciousness  among  
Homo  erectus,  their  design  of  stone  tools  shows  an  appreciation  for  symmetry  and  
balance  that  exceeds  the  requirements  of  functionality,  and  this  provides  the  first  
tangible  evidence  of  an  aesthetic  sense.18        
  A  popular  misconception  is  that  early  humans  were  highly  aggressive.    While  
archaic  humans  were  meat  eaters  and  skilled  hunters,  it  appears  that  cooperation  
rather  than  aggression  was  the  foundation  for  society.    Given  a  relatively  mobile  
existence  and  lack  of  possessions,  and  given  the  importance  of  food  sharing  for  the  
clan’s  survival,  it  seems  unlikely  that  greed  provided  much  incentive  for  aggression.    
Humanity’s  potential  for  violence  probably  did  not  blossom  until  the  rise  of  settled  
societies  with  clearly  defined  territories,  numerous  possessions,  strong  social  
organizations,  and  a  possessive  consciousness  that  came  from  seeing  others  with  
substantial  material  advantages.      
  Perceptually,  Homo  erectus  continued  to  live  in  the  faint  dawning  of  an  
awakening  reflective  consciousness.    On  one  hand,  to  sustain  a  family  structure,  gather  
and  share  food,  and  hunt  successfully,  men  and  women  had  to  be  able  to  plan  ahead,  
communicate  basic  ideas  and  coordinate  their  actions.    On  the  other  hand,  their  
primitive  tools  show  a  monotonous  sameness  over  an  immense  span  of  time—for  
 32

roughly  10,000  generations,  there  was  no  evidence  of  newness  or  invention!19    A  
reflective  consciousness  was  present,  but  it  was  almost  entirely  collapsed  upon  itself—a  
budding  flower  making  only  the  smallest  opening  to  the  sun.      
  The  origin  of  anatomically  modern  humans  is  a  subject  of  considerable  
controversy.20      On  the  one  hand,  some  geneticists  think  that  physically  modern  humans  
arose  in  Africa  relatively  recently  (roughly  200,000  years  ago)  and  then  spread  around  
the  world,  replacing  all  other  early  human  groups.    On  the  other  hand,  some  
anthropologists  think  there  is  no  single  geographic  origin  for  modern  humans;  instead,  
they  theorize  that  archaic  humans  originated  in  Africa  perhaps  a  million  years  ago  and  
then  gradually  developed  their  modern  physical  characteristics  in  many  separate  regions  
around  the  world.    Whatever  the  origin  of  physically  modern  humans,  the  transition  
from  Homo  erectus  to  early  Homo  sapiens  (the  “wise  human”),  marks  close  of  the  first  
dimension  (and  a  largely  contracted  consciousness)  and  the  opening  of  the  second  
dimension  (and  the  initial  emergence  of  a  reflective  consciousness).      
  The  ancestor  that  seems  to  best  characterize  the  transition  from  the  first  to  
second  perceptual  stage  is  the  “Neanderthal.”    Neanderthal  is  a  term  now  used  to  
describe  the  earliest  Homo  sapiens  who  lived  from  roughly  200,000  years  ago  until  
approximately  35,000  years  ago,  when  they  suddenly  (in  evolutionary  time)  became  
extinct.    They  had  a  brain  capacity  at  least  equal  to  contemporary  humans,  although  
their  skulls  were  not  yet  of  modern  anatomical  form  (they  had  distinct  brow  ridges,  a  
lower  forehead,  a  more  receding  chin,  and  larger  teeth).    Nonetheless,  in  the  words  of  
paleoanthropologist  Richard  Leakey,  Neanderthals  led  a  “complex,  thoughtful,  and  
sensitive  existence.”21        
  It  is  significant  that  Neanderthals  are  the  first  human  ancestors  known  to  bury  
their  dead.    Their  burials  date  from  roughly  60,000  B.C.  and  show  evidence  of  a  belief  in  
a  life  beyond  this  world.    Not  only  are  individuals  found  with  flowers  and  medicinal  
plants,  there  are  also  burials  with  other  goods—stone  tools  and  apparently  food—
presumably  so  the  person  could  make  the  journey  into  the  afterlife  realm.22    Another  
striking  example  of  a  distinctly  human  consciousness  comes  from  the  burial  of  an  older  
 33

man,  roughly  forty  years  of  age,  who  was  found  with  an  undeveloped  arm  that  had  been  
deformed  at  birth.    A  society  governed  by  the  ruthless  law  of  the  jungle  would  never  
have  enabled  a  crippled  individual  to  survive.    That  this  crippled  and  aged  individual  did  
survive  indicates  the  presence  of  a  caring  community  and  a  sense  of  kinship.    With  
Neanderthals,  then,  we  have  the  first  direct  evidence  of  social  compassion.  
  The  burial  practices  of  Neanderthals  are  significant  in  revealing  the  emergence  of  
a  reflective  consciousness.    Although  other  animals  grieve  for  a  fellow  creature  at  the  
time  of  death,  humans  are  the  only  beings  that  consciously  anticipate  the  prospect  of  
death  and  then  imagine  a  life  that  extends  beyond.    The  ability  to  anticipate  death  and  
to  experience  awe  over  its  prospect  is  what  Joseph  Campbell  called  a  “second  mind.”    
He  said  this  second  mind  needs  to  be  reconciled  with  our  “first  mind,”  that  of  our  animal  
innocence.23    There  is  no  evidence  of  the  “second  mind”  with  its  anticipation  of  the  
awesome  reality  of  death  until  relatively  recently  in  human  evolution  (again,  
approximately  60,000  B.C.).    Despite  the  awakening  of  an  aesthetic  consciousness  
expressed  through  the  symmetry  of  stone  tools  of  Homo  erectus,  there  is  no  evidence  of  
a  death  consciousness  demonstrated  through  deliberate  burials  until  Neanderthals.    If  
we  assume  that  it  is  only  with  a  distinct  consciousness  of  death  that  humanity  begins  to  
reflect  intensely  on  the  nature  of  life,  then  the  decisive  awakening  of  reflective  
consciousness  began  in  the  Neanderthal  period.24    In  becoming  conscious  of  the  mystery  
of  death,  humanity  was  thrown  back  upon  itself  and  challenged  to  explore  the  deep  
mystery  of  the  “self”  that  lives  and  dies.        
  A  growing  capacity  for  reflective  consciousness  by  Neanderthals  was  also  surely  
driven  by  the  need  to  invent  ways  to  survive  in  the  harsh  climate  of  the  north.    The  
invention  of  shelters,  the  design  of  clothing,  the  use  of  fire  for  warmth  and  protection—
all  these  required  some  ability  to  stand  back  from  a  challenging  situation  and  observe  
how  it  could  be  improved.    Although  Neanderthals  demonstrated  a  range  of  behaviors  
and  skills  that  indicate  their  awakening,  we  should  not  overestimate  their  level  of  
reflective  consciousness.    They  did  not  understand,  for  example,  how  to  make  bone  
needles  for  sewing  clothes;  they  did  not  know  how  to  weave  baskets  or  construct  
 34

pottery;  nor  did  they  leave  any  paintings.    No  examples  of  portable  art  have  been  found  
(for  example,  carvings  from  bone  or  ivory,  or  necklaces  made  of  sea  shells  or  the  teeth  
of  animals)  that  would  suggest  the  differentiated  sense  of  self  that  accompanies  the  use  
of  bodily  ornamentation.    Indeed,  fewer  than  a  dozen  objects  that  bear  even  the  
simplest  markings  have  thus  far  been  discovered  from  Neanderthal  sites.25    Finally,  
there  is  no  evidence  that  Neanderthals  understood  and  took  advantage  of  seasonal  
migrations  of  fish  and  animals.    For  example,  although  the  highly  predictable  migrations  
of  reindeer  became  very  important  to  modern  hunter-­‐gatherers,  these  were  apparently  
not  exploited  by  Neanderthals.26    
  There  is  still  no  agreement  why  Neanderthals  disappeared  so  rapidly.    Were    
they  so  limited  in  speech  and  reflective  consciousness  that  they  could  not  compete  
effectively  for  food  with  their  successors,  the  Cro-­‐Magnons?      (The  term  Cro-­‐Magnon  
was  taken  from  the  place  in  France  where  the  first  anatomically  modern  humans  were  
found.    The  term  has  since  been  expanded  to  refer  generally  to  the  first  modern  humans  
around  the  world—the  pre-­‐agricultural,  hunter-­‐gatherers.)    Were  Neanderthals  killed  
off  by  Cro-­‐Magnons  in  a  process  of  genocide?    Did  they  die  off  naturally  as  a  result  of  
greater  vulnerability  to  disease  and  inability  to  compete  for  food?    Were  they  absorbed  
by  Cro-­‐Magnons  through  interbreeding?    Whatever  the  process,  by  roughly  35,000  years  
ago,  Neanderthals  had  become  extinct  and  the  world  was  inhabited  exclusively  by  Cro-­‐
Magnons.    With  the  emergence  of  physically  modern  humans,  a  decisive  step  was  made  
into  reflective  consciousness—and  the  Earth  has  not  rested  since.  
 
A  Debt  of  Gratitude  
  The  modern  human  journey  began  in  earnest  roughly  35,000  years  ago  with  Cro-­‐
Magnon  humans.    At  this  time,  the  glacially  slow  development  of  human  culture  and  
consciousness  suddenly  achieved  a  critical  mass  and  began  its  take-­‐off  into  the  
sustained  development  that  leads  directly  to  the  modern  era.    Humanity  had  finally  
broken  free  from  its  contracted  consciousness  and  moved  into  the  world  with  a  
dramatic  burst  of  creative  energy.      
 35

  In  looking  back  at  the  nearly  three  million  years  involved  in  the  initial  awakening  
of  reflective  consciousness,  we  can  honor  an  ancient  lineage.    An  immensity  of  time  and  
effort  has  brought  us  to  where  we  are  now.    We  owe  an  enormous  debt  of  gratitude  to  
our  archaic  ancestors  whose  efforts  enabled  us  to  mount  an  agrarian  revolution,  then  
an  industrial  revolution,  and  now  a  communications  revolution.    We  stand  on  the  
perceptual  foundations  developed  by  our  predecessors  from  the  deep  past.    In  the  same  
way  that  we  are  invisibly  supported  by  their  monumental  efforts  to  awaken  and  
advance,  future  generations  will  stand  on  the  civilizational  foundations  that  we  build  at  
this  critical  juncture  in  the  evolution  of  life  on  Earth.      

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 36

Chapter  2  
Second  Stage:  
SURFACE  CONSCIOUSNESS  AND  THE    
ERA  OF  AWAKENING  HUNTER-­‐GATHERERS  
 
Summary  
     The  second  dimension  is  the  stage  of  surface  consciousness.    Early  hunter-­‐gatherers  
experienced  the  world  as  immediate  and  up  close.    Judging  from  archaeological  
evidence  such  as  increasingly  sophisticated  stone  tools,  cave  art,  Venus  figurines,  and  
elaborate  burials,  the  decisive  awakening  of  hunter-­‐gatherers  began  roughly  35,000  
years  ago.    A  two  dimensional  consciousness  enabled  humans  to  make  the  first  “step  
back”  to  observe  themselves  and  the  simple  fact  of  material  existence.    Because  life  was  
experienced  with  such  directness  and  closeness,  the  world  seemed  governed  by  magical  
and  mysterious  forces.    Social  organization  was  on  a  tribal  scale,  and  people’s  sense  of  
identity  came  from  affiliation  with  the  tribe  and  a  sense  of  intimate  connection  with  
nature.    This  stage  continued  until  the  transition  to  the  agricultural  era  roughly  10,000  
years  ago.  
 
Introduction  
  Fossil  records  leave  only  indirect  evidence  of  the  perceptions  and  behaviors  of  
our  ancestors.    We  can  make  educated  guesses,  but  we  cannot  know  with  certainty  how  
human  consciousness  and  culture  evolved.    What  is  clear  from  archeological  evidence  is  
that  humanity  was  finally  able  to  break  free  from  the  cocoon  of  contracted  
consciousness  approximately  35,000  years  ago.    After  dozing  for  more  than  three  million  
years  in  a  faint  dawn  of  conscious  awareness,  we  humans  finally  awakened  into  the  
stark  sunlight  of  life  and  discovered  the  simple  fact  that  we  were  here—the  “flat  fact”  of  
 37

our  existence.    What  a  remarkable  transition  this  must  have  been  as  individual  
awakenings  were  shared  with  others  through  simple  gestures  of  mutual  recognition.    
Although  still  shaking  loose  the  ancient  slumber,  early  humans  used  the  power  of  
reflective  consciousness  to  achieve  an  unprecedented  scale  of  social  cooperation  and  
creativity.    The  first  awakening  of  the  capacity  for  “knowing  that  we  know”  expanded  
the  human  character  and  brought  into  the  world  new  feelings  of  mystery  and  awe,  
laughter  and  tears,  love  and  fear.      
  There  is,  of  course,  no  recorded  history  of  these  transitional  times,  so  we  will  
never  know  the  heroic  struggles  and  accomplishments  of  the  countless  women  and  men  
who  worked  to  awaken  humanity  to  the  possibilities  of  this  stage.    However  
accomplished,  this  is  the  time  when  humanity  reached  a  critical  mass  in  our  capacity  for  
self-­‐recognition.    We  began,  in  earnest,  our  developmental  journey  towards  full  self-­‐
referencing  knowing.      
  Physically,  these  ancestors  were  modern  humans.    Dressed  in  contemporary  
clothes,  a  Cro-­‐Magnon  could  walk  down  a  city  street  today  and  blend  into  the  crowd  
unnoticed.    Unlike  Neanderthal  predecessors  who  had  heavy  bones,  thick  muscles,  
massive  jaws  and  brow-­‐ridged  skulls,  Cro-­‐Magnons  had  much  lighter  bone  structures  
and  were  missing  the  characteristic  brow  ridges.    And  they  were  gracefully  slender  
compared  to  their  heavy-­‐boned  and  stocky  Neanderthal  predecessors.27    In  fact,  if  a  Cro-­‐
Magnon  child  were  raised  in  a  modern  society  and  given  a  good  education,  there  is  
every  reason  to  believe  that  she  or  he  could  fully  adapt  to  modern  conditions.      
  Among  other  accomplishments,  Cro-­‐Magnons  were  the  first  humans  to  create  
art,  bake  pottery,  make  music  and  undertake  great  migrations  into  North  and  South  
America.    They  also  created  new  tools  and  developed  expanded  trading  networks  and  
social  relationships.    These  outward  changes  signal  a  profound  inner  change  in  
consciousness.    Overall,  Cro-­‐Magnons  were  intelligent,  sophisticated,  and  complex  
people  with  a  rich  culture  and  a  mythical  sensibility.    Their  emergence  roughly  35,000  
years  ago  marks  the  point  when  the  imperceptibly  slow  development  of  human  
consciousness  finally  ignited  and  launched  a  process  of  growth  that  leads  directly  to  the  
 38

current  era.    The  spark  of  consciousness  struck  during  the  time  of  Australopithecus  
africanus  grew  into  a  glowing  ember  under  the  care  of  Homo  erectus,  and  then  burst  
into  the  flame  of  reflective  consciousness  with  Cro-­‐Magnon  humans.        
 
2nd  Dimension:  Surface  Consciousness  
  The  great  divide  separating  archaic  humans  from  awakening  hunters  and  
gatherers  is  the  opening  of  a  two-­‐dimensional  view  of  reality.    The  architecture  of  the  
human  psyche  blossomed  as  the  second  dimension  created  a  context  with  sufficient  
mental  space  to  enable  our  ancestors  to  stand  back  and  to  acknowledge  the  simple  fact  
of  existence.28    Still,  this  was  a  “thin”  and  compacted  consciousness  as  the  reflective  
capacity  was  turned  back  upon  the  bare  fact  of  physical  existence  and  little  more.    The  
world  was  experienced  as  up  close  and  very  immediate—a  magical  place  filled  with  
unknown  and  uncontrollable  forces,  unexpected  miracles,  and  strange  happenings.    
Nature  was  known  as  a  living  field,  an  animated  and  vital  presence  without  clear  edges  
or  boundaries  between  the  natural  and  supernatural.    Daily  life  was  an  interwoven  
mixture  of  unseen  forces  and  unexplained  events  for  people  had  neither  the  concepts  
nor  the  perceptual  framework  to  describe  rationally  how  the  world  worked.      
  The  classic  1946  study  by  Henri  Frankfort,  et.  al.,  The  Intellectual  Adventure  of  
Ancient  Man,  describes  how  for  modern  humans  in  a  scientific  age,  the  surrounding  
world  is  seen  primarily  as  an  “It,”  whereas  for  early  humans  it  was  seen  as  a  “Thou.”29    
Where  contemporary  humans  see  a  world  filled  with  separate  and  lifeless  things,  the  
awakening  hunter-­‐gatherer  saw  a  world  of  living  and  interconnected  beings.    Again,  
according  to  Frankfort,  et.  al.,  for  early  humans,  every  thing,  every  place  and  every  
event  was  filled  with  life,  including:  “...the  thunderclap,  the  sudden  shadow,  the  eerie  
and  unknown  clearing  in  the  woods,  the  stone  which  suddenly  hurts  him  when  he  
stumbles  while  on  a  hunting  trip.”30    The  sacred  nature  of  life  was  not  contemplated  
with  intellectual  detachment;  it  was  experienced  as  an  immediate  reality,  engaging  
every  faculty  simultaneously.    Thoughts,  feelings,  and  sensations  coalesced  at  each  
moment  into  an  experience  that  was  direct,  unique  and  largely  inarticulate.      
 39

  For  early  humans,  space  was  not  seen  as  the  empty,  neutral  and  lifeless  
container  of  modern  science;  instead,  space  was  personal,  and  each  space  had  a  
characteristic  feeling-­‐tone  and  identity.    Space  vibrated  with  energy,  uniquely  alive  at  
each  location  and  in  each  specific  situation.    Instead  of  a  neutral  context,  space  was  a  
numinous  field  of  living  energy  that  could  be  either  familiar  or  alien,  friendly  or  hostile.31      
  Time,  like  space,  was  not  objectified  by  our  ancestors.    Few  were  able  to  stand  
back  far  enough  from  their  experience  to  see  time  “happening.”    With  two  dimensions,  
the  experience  of  reality  was  so  immediate  and  so  up  close  that  early  humans  did  not  
have  the  perceptual  depth  to  stand  back  and  characterize  the  unfolding  of  existence  as  
“time.”    Without  an  objectified  sense  of  time—without  being  able  to  name  it  or  describe  
its  workings—there  was  little  sense  of  the  future;  instead,  most  things  happened  in  the  
simple,  passing  present.32      Every  recurring  season  and  flow  must  have  been  a  unique  
miracle:  the  return  of  springtime  after  a  long  winter,  the  annual  migration  of  animals,  
the  waxing  and  waning  of  the  moon—all  were  mysterious  wonders.    For  most  people,  
time  was  sensed  as  disconnected  “snap  shots”  of  existence—as  a  series  of  episodic  
pulses  or  momentary  gestalts  barely  tied  together.    There  was  not  a  secure  sense  of  
faith  in  the  predictable  cycles  of  return  in  nature.    As  humans  had  only  a  vague  rational  
understanding  of  the  forces  causing  seasonal  cycles,  the  use  of  ceremony  and  magic  
would  have  seemed  critical  for  assuring  the  rebirth  of  spring  and  a  bountiful  supply  of  
plants  and  animals  for  food.    Because  a  two-­‐dimensional  perceptual  geometry  does  not  
support  forward-­‐looking  behavior,  early  humans  were  probably  like  many  modern  day  
hunter-­‐gatherers:  seldom  saving  for  the  future,  and  trusting  in  nature  and  their  skills  to  
provide  for  the  present.  
 
The  2-­‐Dimensional  Self  
  Two-­‐dimensional  sense  of  self  was  a  compressed  mixture  of  instincts,  bodily  
sensations,  emotions  and  barely-­‐formed  concepts.    For  most  people,  life  was  largely  
unexamined  and  taken  for  granted.      Despite  an  emerging  reflective  capacity,  there  was  
generally  only  diffuse  attention  given  to  one’s  self.    Most  of  the  time,  people  were  
 40

running  on  automatic,  responding  through  habitual  patterns  to  familiar  drives  for  
meeting  basic  needs  for  security  and  survival.      
  People  also  saw  themselves  as  inseparable  from  their  immediate  family  or  tribal  
group  which,  in  turn,  was  immersed  within  and  inseparable  from  the  living  presence  of  
nature.    An  Indian  from  the  west  coast  of  North  America  described  colorfully  how  he  did  
not  feel  himself  to  be  an  individual  who  could  exist  apart  from  the  network  of  family  
and  tribe.    He  asked  rhetorically,  “What  is  a  man?,”  and  replied:  “A  man  is  nothing.    
Without  his  family  he  is  of  less  importance  than  a  bug  crossing  the  trail,  of  less  
importance  than  spit  or  dung.”33    
  Accompanying  this  intense  connection  with  family  and  tribe  was  a  limited  
reflective  consciousness  and  language  to  objectify  reality.    Most  thinking  was  oriented  
towards  specific  goals  and  concrete  projects—organizing  a  hunting  venture,  cooperating  
to  harvest  seasonal  nuts  and  berries.    Abstract  reasoning—the  level  of  thinking  that  
enables  us  to  make  sophisticated  comparisons  and  conduct  mental  experiments—was  
almost  entirely  undeveloped.  
 
The  2-­‐Dimensional  Society  
  Awakening  hunter-­‐gatherers  lived  in  small  groups.    Best  estimates  are  that  the  
typical  size  of  hunter-­‐gatherer  groupings  was  on  the  order  of  two  or  three  dozen  
persons,  or  roughly  six  family  groups—an  optimal  size  for  social  cooperation.34      Judging  
from  the  social  organization  of  modern  hunter-­‐gatherers,  the  family  was  probably  the  
basic  social  unit  around  which  the  larger  group  or  tribe  was  organized.    A  household  unit  
is  both  flexible  and  efficient;  depending  on  the  available  food  supply,  the  size  of  the  
tribal  group  can  be  expanded  or  contracted  by  adding  or  subtracting  family  units.35        
  Like  contemporary  hunter-­‐gatherers,  our  ancestors  probably  participated  in  
large  gatherings  once  or  twice  a  year,  perhaps  involving  roughly  twenty  bands  or  500  
people.36      These  gatherings  gave  people  an  opportunity  to  socialize,  look  for  a  
prospective  mate,  exchange  tools  and  art  objects,  and  perhaps  engage  in  the  large-­‐scale  
hunting  of  migrating  herds.    
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  The  “flatness”  of  perception  in  two  dimensions  is  consistent  with  the  non-­‐
hierarchical  or  flat  social  structure  that  characterizes  hunter-­‐gatherer  societies.    
Although  there  was  differentiation  of  labor  based  upon  sex,  generally,  everyone  shared  
relatively  equal  status.    Because  most  tasks  were  simple  and  repetitive,  there  was  little    
basis  for  status  differences  and  this  fostered  an  equalitarian  social  structure.    
Competitiveness  and  status  seeking  were  probably  seen  as  vices  rather  than  virtues.    As  
in  many  contemporary  hunter-­‐gatherer  societies,  the  greatest  recognition  and  honor  
probably  went  to  those  who  showed  the  most  skill  in  maintaining  the  community,  and  
who  shared  most  generously  with  others.      Nonetheless,  Cro-­‐Magnon  burials  do  show  
evidence  of  status  differences  emerging  as  some  persons  were  buried  with  ivory  beads,  
valuable  spears,  rings  and  other  items.    Elaborate  burials  for  a  few  individuals  coupled  
with  increasing  use  of  body  ornaments  indicate  that  differences  in  social  position  were  
growing  despite  a  general  emphasis  on  social  equality.    
  A  vital  ingredient  of  culture  during  this  period  was  the  feminine  principle  or  
archetype  which  was  the  ruling  spirit  or  mythos  of  cultural  life.    While  the  masculine  
archetype  tends  to  be  action-­‐oriented,  goal-­‐directed,  competitive,  and  aggressive,  the  
feminine  archetype  tends  to  be  relationship-­‐oriented,  nature-­‐connected,  receptive,  and  
nurturing.    Joseph  Campbell  writes  that,  “in  the  neolithic  village  stage...the  focal  figure  
of  all  mythology  and  worship  was  the  bountiful  goddess  Earth,  as  the  mother  and  
nourisher  of  life  and  receiver  of  the  dead  for  rebirth.”37    The  powerful  role  of  the  
feminine  archetype  is  expressed  in  the  great  quantities  of  the  so-­‐called  “Venus  
figurines”  that  were  produced  during  a  time  of  increasing  cold  and  advancing  glaciers,  
between  20,000  and  30,000  years  ago.38    Most  striking  is  the  fact  that  so  many  appear  
to  have  been  crafted  according  to  an  accepted  convention  or  design—most  are  only  a  
few  inches  high,  with  exaggerated  breasts,  wide  hips,  tapering  legs,  and  a  head  without  
facial  features.    Because  these  figures  have  been  found  across  a  wide  band  stretching  
from  the  Atlantic  coast  of  France  and  Spain  across  Asia  to  the  borders  of  China,  it  has  
been  suggested  that  they  are  evidence  of  a  widely  shared  Earth-­‐Goddess  mythology.39      
Because  there  is  growing  evidence  of  trade  networks  across  this  same  region,  it  is  
 42

possible  these  figurines  symbolize  the  emergence  of  a  shared  mythical-­‐spiritual  

consciousness  that  served  to  connect  people  with  nature  and  with  one  another.        
 

Archaic  Spirituality:  Shamans  and  Ceremonies  

  The  natural  and  supernatural  were  intimately  connected  for  early  hunter-­‐
gatherers.    Where  contemporary  humans  might  see  a  rainstorm  and  say  it  was  caused  
by  changing  wind  currents  and  air  temperatures,  an  early  hunter-­‐gatherer  might  
attribute  the  storm  to  a  god,  or  to  a  shaman’s  intervention,  or  see  it  as  an  omen  of  good  
or  ill.    In  a  two-­‐dimensional  world-­‐view  there  was  not  the  spaciousness  to  stand  back  
and  see  causal  relationships  among  events  separated  in  time.    Every  thing,  every  place  
and  every  situation  was  infused  with  a  mysterious  presence  that  worked  in  unseen  
ways,  with  a  magical  logic.    Each  situation,  place  and  thing  was  understood  as  having  a  
unique  life,  will  and  personality  of  its  own.    Even  common  objects  were  seen  as  alive  
with  their  own  intelligence  and  power.    In  his  book  about  native  American  Indians,  The  
Ohlone  Way,  Malcolm  Margolin  describes  how  for  tribal  peoples  everything  demanded  
a  personal  relationship:  “...people,  animals,  plants,  bows,  arrows,  cradles,  pestles,  
baskets,  springs,  trails,  boats,  trees,  feathers,  natural  objects  and  manufactured  objects  
as  well.    Everything  was  alive,  everything  had  character,  power,  and  magic  and  
consequently  everything  had  to  be  dealt  with  properly.”40      Our  ancestors  invented  
innumerable  rites  and  rituals  to  acknowledge  and  gain  favor  with  the  powers  of  nature,  
as  well  as  important  objects  and  places.    The  relationship  to  this  infusing  intelligence  
and  power  was  so  close,  so  strong,  and  so  intimate  that  “nature”  was  barely  recognized  
or  named  as  a  separate  aspect  of  life.    
  With  nature  seen  as  alive  with  forces,  each  event  or  being  or  place  was  seen  as  
unique,  unprecedented,  and  with  an  individual  character  that  could  only  be  known  
through  a  direct  encounter—not  by  comparison  to  other  things  and  experiences.41      In  
the  immediacy  of  two  dimensions,  various  types  of  experiences  blended  together,  so  
there  were  no  sharp  distinctions  between  the  worlds  of  dreams,  altered  states  of  
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consciousness,  and  “ordinary”  reality;  nor  was  there  a  clear  division  between  the  realm  
of  the  living  and  the  realm  of  the  spirits.42    Here  is  how  the  American  Indian,  Ishi—a  man  
from  a  stone  age  culture  who  stumbled  into  the  twenty-­‐first  century  in  1911  as  the  last  
survivor  of  his  tribe—approached  life:  “He  lived  at  ease  with  the  supernatural  and  the  
mystical  which  were  pervasive  in  all  aspects  of  life.    He  felt  no  need  to  differentiate  
mystical  truth  from  directly  evidential  or  ‘material’  truth,  or  the  supernatural  from  the  
natural:  one  was  as  manifest  as  the  other  within  his  system  of  values  and  perceptions  
and  beliefs.”43          
  Because  people  did  not  understand  how  nature  worked  and  saw  the  world  as  
governed  by  unseen  forces,  it  seemed  a  matter  of  survival  to  learn  how  to  control  these  
forces—and  this  brings  in  the  vital  role  of  the  shaman.    The  shaman  was  the  man  or  
woman  able  to  reach  behind  the  veil  of  the  visible  world  and  engage  the  life-­‐force  
behind  all  things  in  order  to  serve  the  community—healing  the  sick,  assuring  a  good  
hunt,  preserving  the  ceremonies  and  rituals  of  the  groups,  and  much  more.44    The  
shaman  was  a  very  powerful  person  in  a  community  where  life  was  filled  with  unknown,  
mysterious  and  magical  events,  and  where  superstitions  and  taboos  flourished.    For  
nearly  every  aspect  of  life,  from  birth  to  death,  it  was  important  to  call  upon  the  
assistance  of  favorable  life-­‐energies.    Understandably,  then,  a  special  role  was  given  to  
those  individuals  who  claimed  they  could  journey  into  the  realm  of  hidden  forces  and  
affect  them  beneficially.    Although  people  viewed  the  spirit  world  as  blending  into  a  
seamless  whole  with  everyday  reality,  still,  for  purposes  of  healing  and  other  important  
rituals,  one  needed  a  shaman  to  facilitate  the  connection  between  the  life-­‐energy  of  the  
community  and  the  subtle  spiritual  realm.    
  Collective  rituals  of  drumming,  chanting  and  trance  dancing  were  important  for  
giving  persons  a  direct  experience  of  union  with  the  life-­‐force  behind  all  manifest  
existence.    By  dancing  or  drumming  or  chanting  together,  a  community  acknowledged  
its  collective  participation  in  a  process  that  would  take  them  into  the  world  of  spirits.    
The  scholar  of  Hindu  culture,  Heinrich  Zimmer,  says  that,  “...dance  induces  trance,  
ecstasy,  the  experience  of  the  divine,  the  realization  of  one’s  own  secret  nature,  and,  
 44

finally,  merging  into  the  divine  essence.”45    From  the  Native  American  culture  is  this  
description  of  the  power  of  trance  dancing  for  the  Ohlone  Indians  of  California:      
 
The  dance  went  on  for  hours,  sometimes  for  a  whole  day  or  even  longer.    The  
dancers  stamped  and  stamped.    They  stamped  out  all  sense  of  time  and  space,  
stamped  out  all  thoughts  of  village  life,  even  stamped  out  their  own  inner  voices.    
Dancing  for  hour  after  hour  they  stamped  out  the  ordinary  world,  danced  
themselves  past  the  gates  of  common  perception  into  the  realm  of  the  spirit  
world,  danced  themselves  toward  the  profound  understanding  of  the  universe  
that  only  a  people  can  feel  who  have  transcended  the  ordinary  human  condition  
and  who  find  themselves  moving  in  total  synchronization  with  everything  around  
them.46    
 
  The  ceremonies  of  the  awakening  hunter-­‐gatherers  involved  sympathetic  magic  
and  ritual  sacrifice  to  influence  the  powerful  forces  and  spirits  that  animated  material  
events.47      In  the  early  conception  of  causality  as  magical  reciprocity,  you  got  something  
by  giving  something.    If  something  precious  were  sacrificed—an  animal,  a  finger  from  
one’s  own  hand,  or  even  another  human  being—then  something  equally  precious  might  
be  given  in  return.        
 
The  Seasons  of  a  Perceptual  Paradigm  
  The  unfolding  of  a  perceptual  paradigm  moves  through  an  organic  cycle,  not  
unlike  the  change  of  seasons.    First,  a  new  dimensional  stage  sprouts  into  an  exuberant  
springtime  of  growth.    Second,  there  is  a  season  of  blossoming,  where  the  potentials  of  
a  given  stage  reach  their  fullest  expression  and  flowering  in  a  summertime  of  
development.    The  third  stage  is  an  autumn  of  initial  decline,  during  which  time  the  
potentials  of  the  paradigm  are  harvested  by  the  person  or  civilization.    Finally,  the  
perceptual  paradigm  reveals  its  limitations  and  moves  into  a  bleak  winter  and  crisis  to  
await  the  transition  into  the  next  dimensional  perspective.  
  The  seasons  of  growth  for  the  unfolding  of  the  second  perceptual  paradigm  span  
the  period  from  roughly  35,000  B.C.  to  3,500  B.C.    Given  the  scarcity  of  archaeological  
evidence,  we  can  acquire  no  more  than  an  impressionistic  understanding  of  the  
 45

evolution  of  culture  and  consciousness  during  these  30,000  years.    How  wonderful  it  
would  be  to  look  back  through  a  magical  video  camera  to  see  the  customs,  songs,  
games,  ethics  and  attitudes  of  our  ancestors.    Still,  we  can  make  a  number  of  
conjectures  about  their  way  of  life  from  the  tools,  art  and  encampments  that  remain.      
 
  •  Springtime  of  Archaic  Consciousness    (35,000  B.C.  to  15,000  B.C.)—Roughly  
thirty-­‐five  thousand  years  ago,  physically  modern  humans  were  living  in  a  world  still  in  
the  grip  of  the  Ice  Ages.    Mile-­‐deep  glaciers  covered  much  of  England,  Russia,  Eastern  
Europe,  and  large  portions  of  North  America.    It  would  be  another  twenty-­‐five  thousand  
years  before  the  ice  would  fully  recede  to  produce  what  we  now  assume  is  our  “normal”  
warm  climate.    These  massive  sheets  of  ice  captured  enough  of  the  Earth’s  water  to  
cause  ocean  levels  to  drop  as  much  as  several  hundred  feet—creating  land  bridges  
between  what  is  now  England  and  Europe  and  between  Russia  and  Alaska  (the  latter  
land-­‐bridge  enabled  early  humans  to  migrate  into  North  and  South  America).  
  After  roughly  three  million  years,  the  capacity  for  reflective  consciousness  was  
anchored  within  the  human  family,  sparking  an  explosion  of  innovation  in  both  stone  
tools  and  cave  art.    We  can  only  speculate  on  the  reasons  for  this  profound  change.    
Certainly  the  intense  demands  of  living  through  the  Ice  Ages  must  have  been  a  catalyst  
to  get  people  reflecting  on  more  effective  ways  of  surviving.    To  endure  in  the  harsh  
climate  of  northern  and  eastern  Europe,  people  were  pushed  to  improve  their  use  of  
fire,  to  improve  their  design  of  clothing  and  shelters,  and  to  acquire  a  keen  
understanding  of  the  location  and  availability  of  food.    In  contrast  to  the  myth  of  cave  
dwelling  ancestors,  most  Cro-­‐Magnon’s  are  thought  to  have  lived  in  dwellings  
constructed  from  animal  skins,  bone,  and  wood  (although  most  archeological  remains  
are  found  where  they  used  natural  rock  overhangs  as  a  source  of  shelter).    To  adapt  to  
the  radically  different  climates  with  the  changing  seasons  would  have  placed  a  premium  
on  reflective  consciousness  or  the  ability  of  a  person  or  group  to  stand  back  and  view  a  
situation  with  greater  objectivity,  creativity  and  flexibility.        
  The  springtime  of  humanity’s  first  stage  of  reflective  consciousness  was  marked  
 46

by  a  dramatic  increase  in  artistic  activity.    Ornaments  appear  suddenly  and  in  large  
quantities  in  sites  dating  back  perhaps  35,000  years.48    The  presence  of  jewelry  and  
ornaments  (for  example,  necklaces  made  from  seashells  or  from  the  teeth  of  bears  and  
lions)  indicate  that,  early  on,  people  devoted  considerable  time  and  energy  to  
decorating  their  bodies.    It  also  shows  an  awakening  self-­‐recognition  being  expressed  
through  an  aesthetic  consciousness.    We  can  only  speculate  on  the  purpose  of  these  
ornaments:  To  identify  the  clan  to  which  they  belonged?    To  attract  a  mate?    To  express  
their  unique  identity  for  the  sheer  fun  of  it?    Whatever  their  role,  body  ornaments  
provide  some  of  the  clearest  evidence  of  an  awakening  human  consciousness.      
  Cave  art  also  appears  for  the  first  time  in  this  period.    For  approximately  fifteen  
thousand  years  (roughly  35,000  B.C.  to  20,000  B.C.)  cave  art  is  fairly  crude,  consisting  of  
roughly  drawn  animals,  abstract  signs  (groups  of  dots,  grids,  zigzags),  and  vulvas.    The  
full  blossoming  of  cave  art  would  not  come  for  thousands  of  years—until  roughly  15,000  
B.C.    Still,  any  level  of  artistry  represents  an  historic  first  step  in  the  objective  
representation  of  experience  and  the  tangible  anchoring  of  an  awakening  
consciousness.    Although  early  paleoanthropologists  assumed  cave  art  was  primarily  a  
vehicle  for  sympathetic  hunting  magic,  there  is  a  growing  consensus  that  it  probably  
provided  a  shamanistic  context  for  important  rites  and  rituals  such  as  the  initiation  of  
adolescents  into  adulthood.    
  Compared  to  Neanderthals,  Cro-­‐Magnon  tools  show  striking  advances  in  their  
number,  diversity,  and  sophistication  of  design.    Cro-­‐Magnons  were  masters  at  creating  
stone  tools  that  were  as  sharp  and  functional  as  many  of  the  metal  tools  that  we  have  
today  (except  for  being  brittle).    These  tools  could  be  used  for  chopping  wood,  cutting  
meat,  scraping  a  hide,  spearing  a  fish,  or  sewing  a  coat  of  fur.    The  emergence  of  
particular  tools  is  instructive:    A  bone  flute  has  been  found  that  dates  from  roughly  
32,000  B.C.—the  first  evidence  of  musical  instruments.    The  sewing  needle  was  invented  
in  roughly  23,000  B.C.    Often  made  from  ivory  or  antler,  the  needle  spread  rapidly  
throughout  the  world.    An  understanding  of  the  principle  of  the  lever  was  expressed  in  
the  invention  of  a  “spear  thrower”  in  roughly  17,000  B.C.  (this  is  a  short  throwing  arm  
 47

made  of  wood  or  antler  that  connects  with  the  end  of  the  spear  and  greatly  increases  its  
power  and  range).    Overall,  the  combination  of  cave  art,  portable  art,  music,  and  new  
technologies  all  indicate  that  a  distinct,  new  level  of  consciousness  and  culture  was  
emerging.    
 
  •  Summertime  of  Archaic  Consciousness  (15,000  B.C.  to  8,000  B.C.)—The  full  
blossoming  of  this  era  is  strikingly  evident  in  its  cave  art.    The  golden  age  of  Cro-­‐Magnon  
cave  art  occurred  during  the  final  five  thousand  years  of  the  Ice  Ages,  from  about  15,000  
to  10,000  years  ago.    In  this  period  we  find  roughly  80  percent  of  all  the  known  art  of  
the  Upper  Paleolithic—and  what  a  magnificent  and  impressive  heritage  it  represents.49    
In  this  ancient  art  we  find  an  economy  of  expression  and  a  natural  exuberance  equal  to  
that  of  a  Western  Picasso  combined  with  that  of  an  Eastern  Zen  master  skilled  in  
calligraphy.    One  mysterious  aspect  of  cave  art  is  the  contrast  between  the  sophisticated  
artistry  in  painting  animals  and  the  nearly  complete  absence  of  human  images,  or  their  
primitive  rendering  as  little  more  than  crude  stick  figures.    Because  these  were  skilled  
artists,  it  is  not  clear  whether  this  indicates  a  lack  of  self-­‐reflective  consciousness  
regarding  human  existence  or  a  strict  taboo  against  representing  the  human  face  and  
form.      
  There  is  strong  evidence  of  expanding  social  connections  during  these  millennia.    
The  discovery  of  seashells,  ivory  and  specialized  rock  hundreds  of  miles  from  their  place  
of  origin  indicates  an  extensive  trading  network  existed  during  the  last  part  of  the  Ice  
Age.    Rather  than  economic  exchanges,  these  are  thought  to  have  been  social  exchanges  
intended  to  cement  ties  and  relationships  among  groups  so  as  to  create  mutual  
obligations,  and  therefore  a  source  of  aid  in  difficult  times.    By  the  late  Ice  Age,  many  
tribes  were  no  longer  isolated  but  were  trading  stories,  food,  tools,  shells,  and  
ornaments  and  had  a  sense  of  connection  and  community  that  could  extend  for  
hundreds  of  miles.  
 
 
 48

  •  Autumn/Winter  of  Archaic  Consciousness  (8,000  B.C.  to  3,500  B.C.)—It  is  no  
accident  that  the  hunter-­‐gatherer  way  of  life  came  to  a  close  after  the  Ice  Ages  ended.    
When  the  glaciers  retreated,  the  climate  became  warmer  and  more  humid,  the  winters  
were  shorter  and  less  severe,  and  grasslands  were  replaced  by  forests.    In  this  
transformed  world,  a  new  way  of  life  began  taking  root:  the  awakening  gatherers  and  
hunters  were  in  the  process  of  becoming  settled  farmers  and  were  on  the  verge  of  
discovering  the  potentials  of  a  whole  new  dimension  of  perception  and  action.    A  
change  as  momentous  as  the  first  awakening  of  reflective  consciousness  was  taking  
place  with  the  agricultural  revolution.    If  there  is  one  change  that  symbolizes  the  shift  
into  the  autumn  or  even  winter  of  growth  of  the  second  dimension,  it  is  the  end  of  the  
age  of  cave  art  that  had  lasted  for  25,000  years.    By  8,000  B.C.,  we  no  longer  find  
evidence  of  cave  art  and  its  vibrant  renderings  of  animals.      
  Another  indication  of  the  autumn  of  the  second  dimension  can  be  seen  in  the  
transformation  of  the  Earth-­‐Goddess  figurines.    When  they  first  appear  around  26,000  
B.C.,  they  lacked  any  facial  features;  however,  twenty  thousand  years  later,  by  roughly  
6,000  B.C.,  we  find  special  care  being  given  to  creating  their  faces  (see  Figure  4).50      
Particularly  striking  are  the  eyes,  which  were  often  made  of  inlaid  stone.    This  dramatic  
increase  in  the  accuracy  of  human  representation  began  around  8,000  B.C.  and  
corresponds  with  the  widespread  development  of  agriculture.51    The  shift  from  faceless  
and  eyeless  goddesses  to  a  figurine  with  clear  facial  characteristics  and  strong  eyes  
suggests  that  a  new  self-­‐awareness  was  awakening  with  in  humanity  to  accompany  the  
shift  to  a  more  settled,  agrarian  way  of  life.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 49

Figure  4:  The  Growing  Realism  of  Facial  Representation    

between  27,000  B.C.E.  and  8,000  B.CE.,    
Suggesting  an  Expanding  Capacity  for  Self-­‐Reflective  Consciousness  

 
 
  Although  the  beginnings  of  the  agricultural  era  are  often  placed  around  8,000  
B.C.,  there  is  evidence  of  primitive  hoe  cultivation  along  the  Nile  as  early  as  13,000  B.C.    
Richard  Leakey  believes  that  people  of  the  Ice  Age  probably  exerted  more  control  over  
 50

their  food  resources  than  was  previously  thought.    He  suggests  the  agricultural  
revolution  may  have  occurred  by  simply  placing  greater  emphasis  on  an  everyday  
activity  with  which  people  were  already  familiar,  rather  than  through  the  introduction  of  
totally  novel  techniques.52    In  Leakey’s  view,  Cro-­‐Magnons  had  pre-­‐adapted  over  a  
period  of  thousands  of  years  by  systematically  collecting  food  and  establishing  semi-­‐
settled  villages.    Although  its  impact  was  revolutionary,  the  emergence  of  settled  
villages  and  an  agricultural  economy  was  an  adaptation  that  occurred  over  millennia.      
  In  the  period  between  9000  B.C.  and  7000  B.C.,  we  find  dramatic  evidence  of  a  
new  pattern  of  settlement  in  Mesopotamia—a  “village.”    With  sweeping  changes  in  the  
economic  basis  of  life,  human  settlements  changed  from  circular  compounds  (a  tribal  
form  of  equalitarian  organization),  to  rectangular  grids  (a  village  form  of  organization).        
The  traditional  settlement  for  hunter-­‐gatherers  was  a  tribal  scale  society  of  several  
dozen  persons  with  a  group  of  huts  placed  in  a  circle.    A  circular  pattern  mirrors  an  
open,  egalitarian  and  sharing  society.    However,  as  the  population  expands  beyond  a  
few  dozen  persons,  a  circular  compound  grows  to  an  unworkable  size.    By  shifting  from  
a  circular  compound  to  a  rectangular  village  form  of  settlement,  it  was  easy  to  expand  
along  streets  and  thereby  to  include  a  population  of  hundreds.    However,  a  rectangular  
settlement  pattern  implies  the  breakdown  of  the  inward-­‐oriented,  tribal  society  and  
economy,  where  all  is  visibly  open  and  shared.    Instead,  in  a  village  society,  the  basic  
economic  and  social  unit  tends  to  be  the  extended  family  with  an  enclosed  house  and  
place  of  food  storage.53  
  The  spiritual  transition  from  a  hunter-­‐gatherer  way  of  life  to  an  agrarian  
existence  is  symbolized  in  the  shift  from  a  feminine,  Earth-­‐oriented  spirituality  to  a  
masculine,  sky-­‐oriented  spirituality.    In  terms  of  longevity,  it  is  important  to  
acknowledge  that  a  feminine-­‐based,  Earth-­‐oriented  spirituality  persisted  for  more  than  
twenty  thousand  years!  (from  at  least  25,000  B.C.  until  nearly  3,500  B.C.  when  the  first  
large-­‐scale  civilizations  emerged).    By  comparison,  the  masculine-­‐based,  sky-­‐oriented  
spirituality  has  endured  only  one-­‐fifth  as  long—from  roughly  3,500  B.C.  to  nearly  2,000  
A.D,  a  “mere”  five  thousand  years  or  so.54      
 51

  It  is  not  clear  if  the  feminine/Earth-­‐oriented  archetype  developed  unbroken.    

Some  see  a  direct  line  of  development  from  the  paleolithic  Venus  figurines  (perhaps  
representing  a  clan  mother  society)  through  to  the  vegetation  oriented  fertility  goddess  
that  supported  the  emergence  of  a  more  settled,  agrarian  way  of  life.    Others  see  the  
lineage  of  the  feminine  Earth  Goddess  as  more  fragmented  and  view  the  continuity  of  
its  heritage  as  more  uncertain.55    In  either  case,  the  change  from  an  Earth  to  a  sky  
orientation  symbolizes  a  profound  shift  in  perception  that  corresponds  to  the  shift  from  
the  second  to  the  third  dimension.        
 
Figure  5:  Transition  from  Second  to  Third  Stage  
 

 
 
  The  shift  from  an  Earth  to  a  sky  orientation  symbolizes  a  huge  expansion  in  
perceptual  consciousness—a  vast  increase  in  the  depth  of  reality  that  is  consciously  
seen  and  recognized.    With  this  added  perceptual  depth,  humanity  was  given  a  way  to  
stand  back  from  the  Earth  and  begin  to  develop  the  spaciousness  of  perception  needed  
for  imagining,  and  then  building,  the  world’s  first  city-­‐state  civilizations.  
  A  long  and  complex  time  of  transition  extends  from  the  emergence  of  an  
agrarian  way  of  life  around  9,000  B.C.  to  the  rise  of  the  highly  organized  city-­‐states  
around  3,500  B.C.    During  these  millennia  we  see  both  the  fulfillment  of  the  second  
 52

dimension  and  the  opening  of  the  third  dimension.56      This  6,000-­‐year  period  includes  
the  fullest  expression  of  the  feminine/Earth  Goddess  mythos  from  the  paleolithic  era,  
and  it  then  shades  into  an  awakening  masculine/Sky  God  orientation  to  empower  a  
rising  agrarian  revolution.    As  both  the  autumn  and  winter  of  the  second  dimension  and  
the  springtime  of  the  third  dimension,  this  was  a  complex  period  of  transition  between  
two  views  of  reality  and  ways  of  life.  
  An  Earth-­‐Goddess  spirituality  did  not  collapse  with  the  flowering  of  villages  and  
farming  but  apparently  made  a  successful  transition  into  the  beginnings  of  the  
agricultural  era.    Since  farming  is  an  Earth-­‐oriented  activity,  it  seems  a  natural  and  direct  
adaptation  to  apply  Earth-­‐Goddess  symbols  in  the  context  of  a  simple,  agrarian  society.    
More  pointedly,  the  earliest  farmers  were  probably  women.    The  domestication  of  both  
plants  and  animals  in  Southeastern  Asia  (the  cradle  of  earliest  agriculture)  was  
apparently  accomplished  by  women  rather  than  men.    The  earliest  farmed  plants  were  
probably  similar  to  yams  and  bananas  (that  are  propagated  by  cuttings),  and  the  earliest  
domesticated  animals  were  household  animals  such  as  dogs,  pigs,  chickens  and  llamas.    
Carl  Sauer  writes  in  his  book  Agricultural  Origins  and  Dispersals  that,  “In  this  culture,  the  
women  had  domain  over  the  tilled  land  and  the  homes.    Women  were  cooks  and  
cultivators,  domestics  and  domesticators.    These  societies  were  largely  developed  and  
organized  by  their  women.”57    
  When  the  gradual  changes  towards  small-­‐scale  farming  reached  a  critical  mass,  
they  produced  a  food  surplus  sufficient  to  support  the  needs  of  an  urban  minority.      
With  the  rise  of  the  more  complex  city-­‐states,  a  whole  new  level  of  consciousness  and  
cultural  organization  were  required  to  hold  them  together.    Earth-­‐Goddess  symbols  
were  then  replaced  by  the  more  expansive  symbols  of  depth  consciousness  represented  
by  the  Sky-­‐Gods.      
  The  shift  to  a  depth  consciousness  (symbolized  by  the  Sky-­‐Gods)  had  both  
functional  and  dysfunctional  aspects.    On  the  one  hand,  it  opened  a  new  perceptual  
domain  for  humanity  and  revealed  that  enormous  advances  in  civilization  were  possible.    
Depth  consciousness  provided  a  previously  unknown,  “psychic  distance”  from  which  to  
 53

stand  back  and  look  consciously  at  the  Earth  and  see  its  potential  for  being  “farmed.”    It  
also  enabled  humans  to  look  more  consciously  at  human  society  and  see  its  potential  for  
being  organized  into  large-­‐scale  structures.    On  the  other  hand,  the  shift  from  the  
feminine  Earth-­‐Goddess  orientation  to  the  masculine  Sky-­‐God  orientation  was  
dysfunctional  to  the  extent  that  the  feminine  side  of  life  was  not  integrated  into  the  
emerging  masculine  culture  but,  instead,  was  repressed.58        
  The  feminine  archetype’s  appreciation  for  the  fertility  of  nature  and  the  
reverence  for  life’s  regenerative  powers  were  de-­‐emphasized  by  the  male,  priestly  class  
who  saw  in  the  lawful  movements  of  the  heavens  a  more  systematic  and  orderly  
foundation  for  living.    While  the  priestly  premise  worked  well  for  a  number  of  centuries,  
catastrophic  consequences  will  soon  follow  if  humanity  does  not  recover,  restore  and  
reintegrate  the  wisdom  of  the  era  of  the  Earth-­‐Goddess  into  the  process  of  advancing  
civilization.    The  environmental  devastation  of  the  planet  is  due,  in  no  small  part,  to  
humanity’s  lack  of  conscious  appreciation  for  the  limits  of  the  regenerative  powers  of  
nature.    Our  slowness  to  respond  to  mounting  environmental  tragedies  reveals  our  
great  need  to  recover  the  feminine  archetype  with  its  feelings  of  intimate  connection  
with,  and  concern  for,  maintaining  the  health  of  the  biosphere.  
 
 

Summary  
  The  awakening  of  humanity  has  been  explored  through  the  perceptual  lens  of  a  
two-­‐dimensional  view  of  reality  and  the  results  correspond  well  with  the  descriptions  
found  in  archaeology  and  paleoanthropology.    With  the  awakening  of  the  initial  stage  of  
reflective  consciousness  in  Cro-­‐Magnon  times,  the  development  of  “double-­‐wisdom”  
began  in  earnest  and  a  process  of  maturation  was  launched  that  is  continuing  today.    No  
longer  would  humans  live  within  the  dim  consciousness  of  the  first  dimension;  instead,  
they  would  be  able  to  see  the  stark  reality  of  the  bare  fact  of  their  physical  existence  in  
the  world.      Now  the  human  journey  begins  in  earnest.  

Chapter  3  
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Third  Stage:  

DEPTH    CONSCIOUSNESS  AND    THE    ERA  OF  

AGRARIAN-­‐BASED  CIVILIZATIONS  
 
 
Summary  
  The  third  dimension  is  the  stage  of  depth  consciousness  and  includes  most  of  
recorded  human  history.    In  this  epoch  humans  were  able  to  stand  back  from  immersion  
within  nature,  recognize  regular  cycles  and  seasons  (the  wheel  of  time),  and  begin  
deliberate  farming.    With  the  development  of  a  productive  agriculture,  the  first  
agrarian-­‐based  civilizations  emerged  in  roughly  3,500  B.C.  in  Mesopotamia  (and  soon  
after  in  Egypt,  India  and  China).    With  depth  consciousness,  the  domain  of  the  sacred  
shifts  from  the  earth  to  the  heavens—and  religion  shifts  from  an  Earth-­‐Goddess  
spirituality  to  a  Sky-­‐God  spirituality.    All  of  the  basic  arts  of  civilization  blossomed  at  this  
time;  including  writing,  organized  government  and  religion,  massive  architecture,  
division  of  labor,  mathematics,  and  astronomy.    Still,  most  individuals  were  
impoverished  peasants  who  had  no  hope  of  material  progress.  
 
Introduction  
  It  is  hard  to  overstate  the  importance  of  the  invention  of  agriculture.    Many  
would  agree  with  Richard  Leakey  who  calls  it,  “without  exaggeration,  the  most  
significant  event  in  the  history  of  mankind.”59    To  understand  this  revolutionary  
development,  we  will  explore  the  underlying  perceptual  transformation  generated  by  
the  emergence  of  a  “depth  consciousness.”    
  The  agrarian  revolution  began  at  least  twelve  thousand  years  ago,  marked  by  the  
shifting  from  gathering  and  hunting  into  a  settled  existence.    This  shift  radically  changed  
the  nomadic  way  of  life  that  had  been  the  norm  for  our  ancestors  for  several  million  
 55

years.    Once  small-­‐scale  villages  and  subsistence  agriculture  became  established,  it  then  
took  roughly  7,000  years  (from  approximately  10,000  B.C.  to  3,500  B.C.)  before  large-­‐
scale,  city-­‐state  civilizations  emerged.    A  critical  mass  of  development  was  reached  
around  3,500  B.  C.  when,  quite  suddenly,  there  arose  the  first  large-­‐scale,  agrarian-­‐
based  civilizations  in  history.    Beginning  in  ancient  Mesopotamia,  all  of  the  basic  arts  of  
high  civilization  were  rapidly  developed:  writing,  mathematics,  astronomy,  irrigation,  
organized  government,  a  priestly  class  and  organized  religion,  armies,  massive  
architecture,  metal  technology,  the  wheel,  pottery,  weaving,  and  much  more.    For  the  
next  5,000  years  (from  3,500  B.C.  until  the  middle  ages  in  1500  A.D.),  humanity  would  
be  occupied  with  one  overriding  challenge—realizing  the  potentials  of  depth  
consciousness  and  agrarian-­‐based  civilization.    
  The  churning  of  society  should  not  be  equated  with  evolutionary  advance.    The  
social  turbulence  during  this  stage  was  immense,  with  empires  rising  and  falling  through  
innumerable  invasions,  migrations,  and  wars.    Most  of  the  activity  was  a  struggle  to  
conquer  land  and  people  and  usually  ended  where  it  had  begun—with  a  new  division  of  
power  over  land  and/or  people  but  without  any  fundamental  change  in  human  
perception  and  behavior.60    I  will  attempt  to  look  beneath  the  churning  of  history  and  
seek  out  the  deeper  currents  in  the  evolution  of  human  consciousness  and  society.    
There  is  an  advantage  to  taking  such  a  view  of  history—it  bleaches  out  the  “sound  and  
the  fury”  of  countless  wars,  conquests,  territorial  divisions  and  rulers  and  enables  us  to  
see  more  clearly  the  deeper  currents  of  evolutionary  change  at  work.      The  disadvantage  
to  this  approach  is  that,  because  the  era  of  agrarian-­‐based  civilizations  covers  the  bulk  
of  recorded  human  history,  it  is  utterly  impossible  to  do  justice  to  the  immense  range  
and  diversity  of  experience  embraced  by  this  epoch.    Therefore,  the  historical  
descriptions  presented  here  are  intended  to  do  no  more  than  illustrate  the  dynamics  of  
dimensional  evolution.      
 
Transformation:  The  Birth  of  Agriculture  
  The  shift  to  farming  was  a  gradual  and  natural  transformation.    With  the  end  of  
 56

the  Ice  Ages,  a  warmer  climate  increased  the  availability  of  wild  wheat  and  other  grasses  
as  a  source  of  food  and  people  adapted  by  shifting  their  diet  accordingly.    To  discover  
how  difficult  it  would  be  for  a  family  to  survive  on  the  harvest  of  wild  grain,  an  
archaeologist  used  a  9,000  year  old  flint  sickle  to  see  how  efficiently  he  could  cut  grain.    
The  results  were  surprising—he  found  that  a  family  could  probably  harvest  enough  wild  
wheat  and  barley  in  the  space  of  only  three  or  four  weeks  to  feed  themselves  for  a  
year!61    This  experiment  suggests  that  a  settled,  small  village  way  of  life  could  have  been  
established  long  before  systematic  farming  got  underway.    By  combining  the  gathering  
of  wild  cereals  with  seasonal  hunting,  a  gradual  transition  to  a  settled  way  of  life  could  
have  been  readily  accomplished.    People  apparently  made  small,  incremental  
improvements  in  food-­‐raising  that,  over  time,  accumulated  into  a  thorough  revolution  in  
living.    Probably  over  thousands  of  years,  people  learned  to  weed  wild  fields  of  wheat  to  
increase  their  yield,  to  plant  seeds  around  the  margins  of  wild  fields  to  extend  the  size  
of  the  crop,  and  to  protect  the  fields  from  grazing  animals.    From  such  modest  
beginnings  came  one  of  the  most  fundamental  transformations  the  world  has  ever  
known.    The  surplus  of  food  that  farming  produced  made  possible  the  eventual  rise  of  
large-­‐scale,  urban  civilizations.    
  Agriculture  seems  to  have  originated  in  several  major  areas  of  the  world  
independently.    Joseph  Campbell  describes  the  agrarian  revolution  beginning  first  in  
Southeastern  Asia  (in  roughly  11,000  B.C.)  with  the  domestication  of  plants  such  as  
bananas  and  yams  and  household  animals  such  as  dogs,  chickens,  and  pigs.    Agriculture  
emerged  sometime  thereafter  (roughly  9,000  B.C.)  in  Southwestern  Asia  with  the  
farming  of  grains  (wheat  and  barley)  and  herding  animals  (sheep,  goats,  and  cattle).    The  
transition  to  agriculture  is  estimated  to  have  occurred  in  the  New  World  of  Central  and  
South  America  beginning  in  roughly  7,000  B.C.62      
  The  small  village  way  of  life  based  on  rudimentary  agriculture  had  great  stability.    
The  transition  from  the  earliest  successful  farming  to  the  rise  of  city-­‐states  took  roughly  
7,000  years—an  immense  span  of  time.63    Where  we  now  consider  one  generation  to  be  
a  significant  block  of  time  and  a  century  an  enormous  span,  these  small,  agrarian-­‐based  
 57

villages  endured  for  fifty  or  more  centuries  without  any  appreciable  change.    These  
millennia  of  stability  were  important  for  establishing  a  way  of  life  that,  in  turn,  provided  
the  foundation  for  the  eventual  rise  of  the  world’s  first  “high”  civilizations.        
  These  transitional  times  were  a  relatively  peaceful  period  in  human  history—a  
lull  before  the  storm  of  sustained  civilizational  development.    Some  suggest  the  
influence  of  a  feminine  consciousness  and  Earth-­‐Goddess  spirituality  were  responsible  
for  the  absence  of  organized  conflict  during  these  millennia.    There  is  sometimes  the  
further  suggestion  that,  had  the  masculine  consciousness  and  patriarchal  spirituality  not  
become  so  dominant,  human  civilizations  could  have  continued  to  develop  peacefully  
over  the  last  five  thousand  years.    Although  the  patriarchal  herding  cultures  were  more  
aggressive  than  the  matriarchal  planting  cultures,  placing  the  burden  of  peaceful  or  
violent  evolution  primarily  on  the  shoulders  of  either  a  masculine  or  feminine  
consciousness  seems  misdirected.      
  In  her  book  The  Mismeasure  of  Woman,  Carol  Tavris  says  the  view  that  “men  
compete,  women  cooperate;  men  destroy  nature,  women  live  in  balance  with  nature,”  
is  simplistic  and  unproductive.64    In  my  view,  a  more  important  factor  in  the  rise  of  
conflict  was  a  radically  changing  social  psychology  as  people  moved  from  small,  
equalitarian  villages  to  large,  hierarchical  city-­‐states.    Another  important  factor  was  
that,  in  the  period  of  small  village  life,  there  was  a  natural  abundance  of  land  and  food  
and  relatively  few  people  to  compete  for  resources,  and  therefore  little  need  for  
warfare.    At  the  same  time,  a  simple,  village  way  of  life  required  relatively  few  
possessions,  so  there  was  little  to  protect.    Finally,  in  an  equalitarian  society,  there  was  
not  the  strong  social  hierarchy  and  centralized  control  that  is  essential  for  organizing  an  
army.      
  Over  the  millennia,  each  of  these  factors  changed.    With  a  more  settled  way  of  
life,  population  grew  and  put  increasing  pressure  on  available  resources.    With  
development  came  more  elaborate  homes,  tools  and  possessions  to  protect  and  
defend.    With  increasing  specialization  there  emerged  a  social  hierarchy  and  the  
understanding  of  how  to  organize  large-­‐scale  armies  that  could  either  attack  or  defend.    
 58

It  is  these  material,  social  and  psychological  factors,  more  than  the  dominance  of  either  
the  masculine  or  feminine  archetype,  that  created  the  conditions  for  large-­‐scale  social  
conflict.        
   Although  the  origins  of  large-­‐scale  civilizations  are  still  shrouded  in  mystery,  
Joseph  Campbell  suggests  they  may  have  emerged  from  the  interaction  of  the  more  
aggressive,  male-­‐oriented  hunting  and  pastoralist  cultures  with  the  more  peaceful,  
female-­‐oriented  planting  cultures.65    From  the  synergy  of  their  interaction  may  have  
emerged  a  world  view  that  was  completely  new—no  longer  tied  to  either  the  realm  of  
animals  or  that  of  plants,  but  founded  upon  a  recognition  of  the  mathematical  
orderliness  of  the  heavens.    Whatever  the  origins,  patriarchal,  male-­‐oriented  societies  
arose  in  a  number  of  areas  of  the  world  and  gained  power  over  planting  cultures.    The  
labors  of  the  agriculturalists  were  then  used  to  support  the  building  of  celestially-­‐based  
civilizations  that  were  governed  by  a  male-­‐dominated  priestly  class.    Current  estimates  
are  that  the  world’s  first  “high”  civilizations  coalesced  around  3,500  B.C  in  Sumer  (in  
what  is  now  Iraq),  in  Egypt  around  2800  B.C.,  in  India  around  2500  B.C.,  in  China  around  
1500  B.C.,  and  in  Mexico  around  1200  B.C.    These  earliest  civilizations  had  a  number  of  
characteristics  in  common:  
 
•  Each  civilization  had  several  cities  bustling  with  life  and  trade.    Although  only  a  
small  fraction  of  the  overall  population  lived  in  them,  these  cities  were  vital  to  
the  character,  culture,  religion  and  governance  of  the  civilization.  
 
•  All  of  the  early  civilizations  developed  some  form  of  writing,  mathematics,  and  
astronomy.  
 
•  Civilizations  were  organized  around  a  sky-­‐god  spirituality  with  a  powerful  
priestly  class.    A  patriarchal  religion  worked  in  concert  with  a  strong,  
centralized  government.  
 
•  There  was  a  clear  division  of  labor  among  merchants,  rulers,  warriors,  and  
artisans.  
 
•  Each  civilization  developed  well-­‐organized  armies  capable  of  large-­‐scale  
 59

warfare.  
 
•  Sophisticated  communication  networks  were  developed  to  support  trade  and  
governance.      
 
  With  a  half-­‐dozen  or  more  large-­‐scale,  agrarian-­‐based  and  celestially-­‐oriented  
civilizations  blossoming  around  the  world  at  roughly  the  same  time,  major  changes  were  
occurring  in  the  culture  and  consciousness  of  humanity.        
 
3rd  Dimension:  Depth  Consciousness  
  When  our  perceptual  framework  expanded  from  two  to  three  dimensions,  a  new  
depth  and  spaciousness  was  added  to  our  experience  of  the  world.    Our  minds  were  
able  to  encompass  new  vistas,  the  knowledge  of  which  thoroughly  transformed  every  
aspect  of  our  existence—our  view  of  self,  society,  nature,  space,  time  and  religion.    A  
clear  indication  of  the  shift  from  the  surface  consciousness  of  two  dimensions  to  the  
depth  consciousness  of  three  dimensions  was  the  shift  from  an  Earth-­‐Goddess  
orientation  to  a  Sky-­‐God  or  heaven-­‐centered  orientation.    Joseph  Campbell  explains  that  
from  the  time  of  the  earliest  city-­‐states  supported  by  a  priestly  class  (c.  4,000  B.C.)  to  
the  end  of  the  middle  ages,  “...every  known  high  civilization—except,  for  a  time,  the  
Greco-­‐Roman—took  its  spiritual  instruction  from  these  priestly  watchers  of  the  sky...”66      
The  shift  from  an  Earth  to  a  sky  orientation  represents  a  profound  transformation  of  
perception,  and  a  momentous  opening  of  a  new  chapter  in  human  history.  
  Campbell  describes  the  emergence  of  high  civilizations  in  the  ancient  world  as  a  
“highly  conscious  creation...of  a  new  order  of  humanity,  which  had  never  before  
appeared  in  the  history  of  mankind;  namely,  the  professional,  full-­‐time,  initiated,  strictly  
regimented  temple  priest.”67    The  authority  of  the  priest  came,  in  turn,  from  observing  
the  sky  or  heavens.    Unlike  the  Earth-­‐Goddess  spirituality  that  focused  on  the  local  plant  
and  animal  kingdom,  the  priestly  class  focused  on  the  heavens  and  stars  for  their  
insights  and  authority.    The  organization  of  everyday  life  was  based  on  the  idea  that  
worldly  order  should  mirror  the  heavenly  order.68    Campbell  writes:  “As  in  heaven,  so  on  
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Earth.    To  the  priestly  knowers  of  that  cosmic  order  an  absolute,  divinely  directed  moral  
authority  was  attributed...”69    The  earliest  city-­‐states,  then,  were  an  Earthly  expression  
of  a  cosmic  order  that  was  discerned  by  the  priestly  class.    As  Campbell  further  writes:  
“...it  can  be  said  without  exaggeration  that  all  the  high  civilizations  of  the  world  are  to  
be  thought  of  as  the  limbs  of  one  great  tree,  whose  root  is  in  heaven.”70    Ancient  
astronomy,  says  Campbell,  “...led  to  the  realization,  altogether  new  to  the  world,  of  a  
cosmos  mathematically  ordered;  and  with  this  awareness,  the  focus  of  mythic  concern  
radically  shifted  from  the  earlier  animal  and  plant  messengers  to  the  night  sky  and  its  
mathematics...”71      
  Despite  the  power  of  this  new  perceptual  paradigm,  it  was  far  from  the  modern  
view  of  the  cosmos.    For  example,  the  early  Sumerians  viewed  the  Earth  as  a  flat  disk  
that  was  enclosed  by  a  solid  surface,  to  which  were  affixed  the  points  of  light  that  we  
know  as  stars.72    Despite  its  limitations,  the  shift  from  an  Earth-­‐orientation  to  a  sky-­‐
orientation  transformed  humanity.    Instead  of  looking  to  local  plants  and  animals  as  the  
embodiment  of  mystery  and  the  sacred,  the  immensity  of  the  sky  was  now  the  primary  
source  of  reverence  and  awe,  authority  and  power.    This  enlarged  frame  of  reference,  in  
turn,  made  it  possible  to  “stand  back”  and  view  humanity’s  relationship  to  the  Earth  
with  more  distance  and  objectivity.        
  An  excellent  illustration  of  the  role  of  Sky-­‐Gods  in  the  cosmology  of  the  agrarian-­‐
based  civilizations  can  be  found  in  the  book,  The  Intellectual  Adventure  of  Ancient  Man.  
Thorkild  Jacobson  describes  the  central  place  of  the  sky  in  the  Mesopotamian  civilization  
which  gave  birth  to  the  first,  large-­‐scale  city-­‐states:    “Anu,  the  highest  of  the  gods,  was  
god  of  the  sky,  and  his  name  was  the  everyday  word  for  ‘sky.’    The  dominant  role  which  
the  sky  plays—even  in  a  merely  spatial  sense—in  the  composition  of  the  visible  
universe,  and  the  eminent  position  which  it  occupies,  high  above  all  other  things,  may  
well  explain  why  Anu  should  rank  as  the  most  important  force  in  the  cosmos.”73    
Jacobson  describes  the  power  of  the  sky  in  ancient  cosmology:    “The  vast  sky  encircling  
one  on  all  sides  may  be  felt  as  a  presence  at  once  overwhelming  and  awesome,  forcing  
one  to  his  knees  merely  by  its  sheer  being.”74    The  sky  inspires  a  feeling  of  majesty  and  
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greatness—and  a  realization  of  one’s  own  cosmic  proportion,  even  insignificance.    

Attention  to  the  sky  emphasizes  the  vast  distance  between  one’s  self  and  the  power  
that  sustains  this  over-­‐arching  presence.      
  Seeing  a  powerful  presence  and  lawful  order  in  the  heavens  fostered  a  new  
sense  of  detachment  and  separation  from  the  Earth.    With  an  expanded  psychic  
distance  or  perceptual  space  from  which  to  stand  back  and  look  consciously  at  the  
Earth,  humanity  saw  more  clearly  the  potential  for  farming  the  Earth,  for  domesticating  
plants  and  animals,  and  for  organizing  human  affairs  into  urban  and  social  structures  of  
unprecedented  scale.75    Humanity  now  had  the  perceptual  tools  to  begin  to  transform  
the  material  and  social  environment.        
  Organizing  society  around  sky-­‐oriented  laws  that  were  interpreted  by  a  priestly  
class  served  a  vital  social  function.    The  first  city-­‐states  contained  tens  of  thousands  of  
inhabitants  and  were  confronted  with  the  challenge  of  how  to  organize  the  activities  of  
a  large  community  with  an  unprecedented  degree  of  social  differentiation.    Instead  of  
the  equalitarian  social  structure  of  the  small-­‐scale  villages,  city-­‐state  society  was  broken  
up  into  distinctly  different  social  classes:  priests,  kings,  merchants,  soldiers,  peasants,  
artisans,  and  others.    The  diverse  activities  of  these  classes  were  brought  into  an  orderly  
relationship  through  the  overarching  power  of  the  priests,  whose  authority  was  derived  
from  the  heavens  themselves.    The  orderly  movement  of  the  stars  gave  a  model  for  
creating  order  here  on  Earth—in  setting  the  time  for  planting  and  harvesting,  in  the  
scheduling  of  important  events  and  ceremonies,  and  in  the  structuring  of  society.76    We  
now  take  our  capacity  for  large-­‐scale  social  organization  for  granted;  but  at  the  time,  the  
ability  to  organize  city-­‐states  (and  then  the  earliest  nation-­‐states)  represented  a  
trailblazing  transformation  in  human  affairs.  
  In  seeing  the  world  with  more  depth,  the  perception  of  time  was  also  
transformed.    Whereas  in  the  flat,  up-­‐close  world  of  two  dimensions  time  was  barely  
observed,  in  the  in-­‐depth  world  of  three  dimensions,  time’s  ebbs  and  flows  are  clearly  
recognized.    With  depth  consciousness,  people  can  work  with  the  seasons,  cycles  and  
rhythms  of  nature.    In  practical  terms,  a  farming-­‐based  society  has  a  future  orientation  
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of  sufficient  depth  to  know  when  to  plant,  cultivate  and  harvest  crops.        
  Time  in  the  third  dimension  is  in  “dynamic  stasis”—moving  around  in  circles,  
going  from  spring  to  summer  to  winter  and  back  to  spring,  but  it  is  not  “going  
anywhere.”    Like  the  movement  of  the  stars,  time  seems  forever  circular  and  
repetitious.    Although  this  time  sense  was  empowering  to  the  extent  that  it  enabled  an  
agrarian-­‐based  society  to  emerge,  it  did  not  support  the  perception  that  life  itself  was  
“going  somewhere,”  or  that  it  would  substantially  improve  materially.      
  Despite  the  rise  of  city-­‐states,  the  vast  majority  of  persons  were  still  peasant  
farmers  who  felt  that  while  the  fortunes  of  individuals  and  families  might  rise  or  fall,  the  
circumstances  of  the  whole  community  would  not  fundamentally  change.77    Improving  
the  lot  of  everyone  was  not  in  the  scheme  of  circular  time.    There  is  no  “progress.”    Even  
the  Greeks,  revered  for  their  rationalism,  viewed  nature  as  “one  great  organism”  
involved  in  “ever-­‐recurrent  cycles.”78      A  broadly  shared  sense  of  temporal  progression  
(and  thus  material  progress)  would  not  emerge  until  the  birth  of  the  industrial  
revolution  thousands  of  years  later.        
  Although  humanity  was  awakening  in  the  agrarian  era,  people  did  not  perceive  
the  world  in  the  same  manner  we  now  take  for  granted.    For  example,  the  world’s  first  
high  civilization  in  Sumer  did  not  have  an  historical  consciousness.    Despite  their  ability  
to  build  a  large  city-­‐state  civilization  and  invent  tools  that  are  basic  to  a  modern  way  of  
life  (the  wheel,  a  calendar,  and  mathematics),  they  wrote  no  history.    The  respected  
authority  on  Mesopotamian  civilization,  Samuel  Kramer,  explained  that  the  early  
Sumerians  “...possessed  neither  the  essential  intellectual  tools  of  definition  and  
generalization  nor  the  evolutionary  approach  fundamental  to  historical  evaluation  and  
interpretation.”79    Events  were  seen  as  being  planned  and  brought  about  by  powerful  
gods.    The  early  scribes  did  not  yet  have  the  perceptual  capacity  to  stand  back,  
dispassionately  examine,  and  then  record  the  unfolding  flow  of  events.    Kramer  says  
that  the  Sumerians  were  “intellectually  immobilized  by  this  sterile  and  static  attitude”  
toward  history.  
  Some  suggest  that  Christianity,  with  its  apocalyptic  vision  of  the  second  coming  
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of  Christ,  transformed  cyclical  time  into  linear  time.    Although  Christianity  did  develop  a  
forward  looking  time-­‐sense,  it  was  anticipating  a  profound  discontinuity  in  time.    Instead  
of  fostering  a  belief  in  progress  in  this  world,  the  early  Christians  were  expecting  the  end  
of  history.    This  view  of  time  anticipated  a  dramatic  break  from  the  present  to  a  
different  time  altogether,  when  the  current  world  would  end  and  be  transformed  into  
the  new  kingdom  of  God.    The  Christian  view  of  time  did  not  promote  a  linear  view  of  
progress  and  perfection  in  the  here  and  now;  rather,  it  looked  forward  to  a  new  order  
that  would  miraculously  descend  and  sweep  away  the  past.    Although  this  apocalyptic  
view  of  time  helped  awaken  an  historical  consciousness,  it  was  different  from  the  
scientific  view  of  temporal  and  material  progress  that  was  provide  the  underpinning  for  
the  industrial  revolution.    Progress  for  scientists  was  material  and  worldly,  whereas  for  
Christians  it  was  non-­‐material  and  other  worldly.    Where  Christianity  looked  beyond  the  
present  to  the  abrupt  end  of  ordinary  material  existence,  science  looked  at  everyday  life  
and  saw  an  upward  bending  curve  of  material  progress.    Ancient  Christianity  saw  the  
end  of  time  and  life  in  the  material  world;  the  scientific  mind-­‐set  would  see  the  promise  
of  great  progress  in  the  here  and  now.      
   
The  Dawn  of  Emotion  and  the  “Social  Ego”  
  With  the  blossoming  of  the  third  dimension,  the  sense  of  “self”  expands  and  
acquires  a  new  depth  that  is  primarily  emotional  in  nature.    Where  the  individual  in  a  
two-­‐dimensional  perceptual  frame  is  largely  governed  by  instinct  and  bodily  impulse,  
the  person  in  a  three-­‐dimensional  frame  is  largely  governed  by  emotions  and  social  
expectations.    This  does  not  mean  the  capacity  for  rational  thought  was  absent;  rather,  
it  means  that  in  a  preliterate  and  prerational  society,  feeling-­‐based  communications  
were  the  dominant  currency  of  the  culture.      
  In  the  era  of  agrarian-­‐based  civilizations,  the  flow  of  feelings  were  largely  a  given  
and  not  subjected  to  systematic  mental  scrutiny.      Symbols  of  family  and  society  (such  as  
a  flag  or  coat  of  arms)  would  have  great  power  to  focus  allegiance  as  much  of  life’s  
meaning  was  found  through  a  sense  of  social  belonging  and  shared  commitments.  
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More  rational  communication  and  analysis  was  a  capacity  that  would  not  broadly  
emerge  until  the  fourth  dimension  and  scientific-­‐industrial  era.    Therefore,  most  persons  
were  not  highly  articulate  in  describing  their  emotional  experience.    Communication  
was  more  a  matter  of  direct  assertion  of  feelings  without  benefit  of  reflective  inspection  
of  those  feelings.    
  The  emergence  of  emotion  was  essential  for  the  cohesiveness  of  city-­‐state  
civilization.    With  tens  of  thousands  of  persons  brought  together  with  an  unprecedented  
diversity  of  work  roles  and  status  differences,  a  new  kind  of  “social  glue”  was  required  
to  hold  the  complex  social  structure  together—and  that  glue  was  the  bonding  force  of  
emotion.    Where  blood  ties  and  kinship  held  together  the  small  village  society  in  the  
second  dimension,  it  was  the  power  of  emotional  bonds  and  fellowship  that  held  
together  the  civilizations  in  the  third  dimension.    Emotions  are  the  bridging  force  that  
link  together  disparate  individuals  and  occupations  into  a  cohesive  whole.    In  his  book,  
Human  Evolution,  anthropologist  Bernard  Campbell  writes  that  “the  expression  of  
emotions  is  the  basis  of  social  life;  it  creates  and  maintains  both  bond  and  structure  in  
society.”80    Emotional  bonding  was  a  powerful  force  for  social  cohesion  from  the  
beginning  of  city-­‐state  civilizations.    Drawing  again  from  the  work  of  Samuel  Kramer,  we  
learn  that  in  ancient  Sumer,  “The  inhabitants  of  a  city  were  known  as  its  ‘sons’  and  were  
considered  a  closely  related,  integrated  unit.    Normally,  they  took  pride  in  their  city,  
god,  and  ruler  and  were  ever  ready  to  take  up  arms  in  their  behalf.”81    Rather  than  a  
loosely  knit  collection  of  persons,  city-­‐states  were  bonded  into  tight  communities  with  
strong  feelings  of  allegiance.      
  An  emotionally  bonded  society  still  left  ample  room  for  conflicts  and  
competition.    For  example,  the  ancient  Sumerians  had  a  reputation  for  being  ambitious,  
competitive,  and  aggressive.    They  had  a  strong  drive  to  achieve  superiority  over  others  
and  their  enthusiasm  for  prestige  and  victory  deeply  influenced  their  view  of  life  and  
their  education,  politics  and  economics.82    
  Overall,  the  added  depth  of  three  dimensions  created  enough  perceptual  space  
to  enable  people  to  see  themselves  as  separate  from  nature,  separate  from  other  city-­‐
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state  communities,  and  separate  from  other  classes  within  one’s  community.    Seeing  
the  self  as  increasingly  distinct  promoted  greater  personal  autonomy  and  
empowerment.    People  saw  they  could  farm  nature,  tame  animals,  build  houses  and  
monuments,  and  undertake  activities  that  were  uniquely  different  from  the  workings  of  
the  natural  environment.    As  people  acquired  confidence  in  their  ability  to  plan,  
organize,  and  control  their  destiny,  the  “magical”  qualities  of  nature  were  diminished  
commensurately.      
  An  expanded  time  sense  pushed  humans  to  develop  their  ability  for  mental  
abstraction  and  to  develop  new  words  and  concepts  to  orient  the  imagination.    It  also  
brought  a  more  poignant  awareness  of  the  seasons  of  an  individual’s  life  and  the  
inevitability  of  death,  intensifying  people’s  recognition  of  impermanence  and  mortality.      
  The  experience  of  self  was  further  expanded  by  the  dramatic  change  in  material  
circumstances.    With  a  settled  existence,  there  were  far  more  things  for  people  to  
possess  compared  to  the  days  of  a  mobile,  hunter-­‐gatherer  way  of  life.    Even  a  simple  
farmer  could  own  land,  housing,  animals,  farm  tools,  and  personal  adornments.    In  turn,  
the  very  act  of  possessing  things  affirmed  a  person’s  unique  identity  as  the  one  who  was  
doing  the  possessing.    In  being  able  to  possess  objects  “out  there,”  a  reciprocal  
awareness  was  fostered  “in  here,”  and  individuals  acquired  a  growing  sense  of    self-­‐
possession.    With  possessions  came  material  possessiveness,  and  a  material  basis  for  
defining  one’s  self    (“I  am  the  person  who  owns...”).      
  With  the  rise  of  large-­‐scale  cities,  the  cooperative  and  sharing  manner  of  the  
small  village  way  of  life  was  replaced  with  competition  and  possessiveness.    Social  
differentiation  developed  rapidly  as  people  sought  to  possess  things—land,  housing,  
tools,  jewelry,  positions  and  titles—for  their  exclusive  use,  and  that  of  their  heirs.    
People  also  sought  to  possess  (and  oppress)  other  people  for  it  is  during  this  epoch  that  
we  see  the  rise  of  slavery  and  the  oppression  of  women.          
  Although  society  was  becoming  increasingly  divided  into  rich  and  poor  classes,  
the  vast  majority  of  people  were  poor  peasants  who  did  not  expect  their  material  
situation  to  ever  improve  markedly.    A  feeling  of  unquestioned  duty  and  unchanging  
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destiny  dominated  society  as  most  people  lived  out  the  social  roles  into  which  they  had  
been  born.      
 
Of  Peasants,  Citizens  and  Civilizations  
  To  understand  the  mindset  of  civilization  in  the  third  dimension,  it  is  important  
to  appreciate  the  great  extent  to  which  it  remained  connected  with  nature  and  
agriculture.    Although  the  urban  minority  had  a  powerful  influence  on  culture,  the  
overall  society  continued  to  be  organized  around  and  oriented  toward  farming.    Much  
of  the  raw  material  used  in  urban  manufacturing  was  produced  on  the  surrounding  
farms,  and  much  of  the  trade  in  the  cities  was  in  agricultural  products.83    City  dwellers  
also  worshiped  gods  personifying  natural  powers  and  participated  in  rites  that  marked  
the  major  seasons  of  the  year.    Urbanization,  then,  did  not  erase  the  city  dweller’s  
strong  sense  of  connection  with  the  land  and  nature.84      
  On  this  agrarian  foundation  were  constructed  the  first  large  cities,  with  tens  of  
thousands  of  persons.    No  longer  were  communities  small,  isolated,  relatively  self-­‐
sufficient  and  homogeneous;  they  were  large,  interconnected,  interdependent  and  
heterogeneous.    No  longer  could  people  rely  primarily  on  personal  relationships  with  a  
small  tribe  known  intimately;  they  had  to  rely  increasingly  on  more  impersonal  
transactions  with  persons  in  specialized  occupations  (potters,  wheelmakers,  jewelers,  
money  lenders,  butchers,  tailors).    Instead  of  obtaining  food  directly  through  sharing,  it  
was  purchased  by  haggling  over  prices.    Less  and  less  could  people  live  a  simple  
existence,  “running  on  automatic.”    Instead,  they  had  to  become  increasingly  reflective  
and  intentional  in  their  lives  and  interactions  with  others.85    
  Unlike  industrial-­‐based  civilizations,  which  rest  on  the  labor  of  a  large  and  
relatively  affluent  middle  class,  the  agrarian-­‐based  civilizations  rested  on  the  labor  of  a  
large  and  impoverished  peasant  class.    To  understand  the  distinctive  nature  of  agrarian-­‐
based  civilizations,  we  must  therefore  understand  the  nature  of  peasant  society.    In  his  
overview  of  humankind’s  rise  to  civilization,  anthropologist  Peter  Farb  describes  how  an  
impoverished  peasant  class  has  been  the  basis  for  civilizations  for  at  least  5,000  years:    
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“Institutionalized  poverty,  generation  after  generation,  became  the  peasants’  way  of  
life;  it  was  on  the  foundation  of  that  poverty  that  Sumer,  Babylon,  Egypt,  Greece,  Rome  
and  other  empires  were  erected.”86    The  lack  of  expectation  of  material  progress  by  
peasant  society  is  described  simply  and  poignantly  by  a  woman  in  her  30s  from  a  poor  
village  in  contemporary  China.    When  asked  what  she  wanted  from  life,  she  replied:  
“Enough  to  eat  and  drink,  and  that  things  not  get  worse.”87      
  From  ancient  to  modern  times,  peasants  have  not  only  been  physically  trapped  
inside  a  subsistence  way  of  life  but  also  mentally  trapped  inside  a  cocoon  of  customs,  
superstitions  and  limited  expectations.    A  masterful  account  of  peasant  cultures  is  
provided  by  Richard  Critchfield,  who  lived  with  peasants  around  the  world.88    Critchfield  
describes  peasants  as  present-­‐oriented,  fatalistic,  bound  by  tradition  and  custom,  and  
family-­‐centered.    Most  peasant  villagers  have  an  intense  love  for  their  land  and  feel  a  
personal  bond  with  the  soil.    Their  mental  universe  does  not  extend  much  beyond  the  
village,  so  their  outlook  on  life  is  quite  narrow.    They  tend  to  be  fatalistic,  believing  that  
life  is  predestined  and  difficult  to  change.    Most  peasants  tend  to  believe  in  supernatural  
forces,  and  they  often  rely  on  faith  healing,  protective  magic,  and  personal  gods  directly  
concerned  with  their  welfare.    Displays  of  wealth  and  social  status  are  strongly  censured  
by  the  rest  of  the  community,  since  there  is  the  feeling  that  the  advance  of  the  few  can  
take  place  only  at  the  expense  of  the  many.    Overall,  the  way  of  life  and  attitudes  of  the  
peasant  majority  in  agrarian  civilizations  were  very  different  from  those  of  the  middle  
class  majority  of  industrial  civilizations.  
  Compared  to  an  industrial  economy,  the  range  of  occupations  in  an  agrarian-­‐
based  civilization  were  quite  narrow.    People  were  often  expected  to  pursue  the  same  
craft  or  trade  as  their  family  and  were  limited  by  rigid  customs,  illiteracy,  superstition,  
and  poverty.    While  agrarian-­‐based  civilization  represented  a  dramatic  change  from  the  
hunter-­‐gatherer  and  small  village  way  of  life,  it  also  contained  many  primitive  
elements—a  lack  of  social  mobility,  arranged  marriages,  the  oppression  of  women,  
restricted  access  to  formal  education,  and  rule  by  political  and  spiritual  elites.89    A  great  
distance  still  needed  to  be  traveled  to  develop  social  forms  that  would  support  the  full  
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expression  of  our  human  potentials.      

  In  the  hunter-­‐gatherer  stage,  there  was  such  a  high  degree  of  equality  among  
people  that  a  natural  democracy  existed.    This  form  of  democracy  persisted  through  the  
transitional  period  of  small  villages  and  then  into  the  early  stages  of  city-­‐state  
development  in  Mesopotamia.    In  ancient  Sumer,  political  power  initially  rested  in  the  
hands  of  free  citizens  who  met  in  an  assembly  consisting  of  an  upper  house  of  elders  
and  a  lower  house  of  free  men.90    This  early  form  of  democratic  government  did  not  
last,  however.    As  struggles  between  city-­‐states  became  more  violent,  and  as  barbaric  
invasions  increased,  the  kings  that  had  been  temporarily  appointed  by  the  assembly  of  
free  citizens  achieved  hereditary  status.    Early  expressions  of  democracy  devolved  into  a  
long  era  of  kings  and  ruling  elites,  and  it  would  not  be  until  the  urban-­‐industrial  
revolution  that  democracy  would  re-­‐emerge  forcefully.      
  A  distinctive  feature  of  society  in  the  agrarian  era  is  the  shift  to  male  domination.    
Where  the  two-­‐dimensional  society  was  small-­‐scale,  equalitarian,  and  oriented  towards  
the  feminine  archetype,  the  three-­‐dimensional  society  was  large-­‐scale,  socially  
differentiated,  and  oriented  towards  the  masculine  archetype.    Almost  universally,  the  
father  and  the  oldest  male  were  recognized  as  the  head  of  the  family  and  kinship  was  
traced  through  the  father’s  side  of  the  family.    In  almost  every  area  of  life  the  males  
generally  outranked  women,  from  voting  rights  to  property  rights  to  divorce  rights.      
  The  feminine  archetype—with  its  more  receptive,  equalitarian  and  unitive  
orientation—was  well-­‐suited  for  the  hunter-­‐gatherer  and  small  village  way  of  life  
characteristic  of  the  second  dimension.    However,  to  accomplish  the  unprecedented  
task  of  separating  humanity  from  semi-­‐conscious  immersion  within  nature  and  
developing  large-­‐scale  civilizations,  it  seemed  to  require  the  more  active,  aggressive  and  
separative  orientation  of  the  masculine  archetype.    In  turn,  as  the  masculine  principle  
came  to  dominance,  a  new  level  of  hierarchy,  competition  and  striving  was  brought  into  
human  affairs.    The  masculine  archetype  came  to  influence  nearly  every  aspect  of  life—
from  the  gender  of  gods,  priests  and  rulers  to  the  heads  of  households.    Although  some  
measure  of  gender  balance  can  be  found  in  the  strong  emphasis  on  community,  family  
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relationships  and  emotional  bonding,  the  third  dimension  seems  largely  dominated  by  
the  masculine  archetype.    To  point  out  the  functional  role  of  the  masculine  archetype  is  
not  to  approve  of  the  oppression  of  women  over  the  thousands  of  years  when  the  
agrarian-­‐based  civilizations  were  developing;  rather,  it  is  to  see  that  the  emergence  of  
the  masculine  archetype  appears  to  have  been  a  temporary  response  to  the  perceptual  
needs  for  building  early  civilizations.      
  Feminine  mythology  apparently  played  an  important  role  in  bringing  the  
masculine  archetype  into  civilizational  dominance.    According  to  legend,  the  revered  
Goddess  of  ancient  Sumer,  Inanna,  used  trickery  to  acquire  from  a  male  God  the  “gifts  
of  civilization”  that  she  then  brought  to  her  city—one  of  the  first  in  the  world.    Among  
the  many  civilizing  gifts  brought  to  Sumer  by  the  Goddess  Inanna  were  the  rights,  
privileges  and  trappings  of  priesthood  and  kingship;  the  arts  of  warfare  and  
statesmanship;  and  the  arts  of  prostitution,  sacred  and  profane,  of  the  temple  and  
tavern.    Ironically,  some  of  the  attributes  of  the  patriarchal  era  that  most  offend  the  
modern  consciousness  of  sexual  equality  were  the  very  “gifts  of  civilization”  brought  by  
the  Goddess  Inanna.    Although  some  suggest  that  a  male  priesthood  developed  this  
mythology  to  justify  the  oppression  of  women,  it  seems  equally  plausible  that  the  rise  to  
dominance  of  the  masculine  archetype  was  essential  for  the  development  of  city-­‐state  
civilizations.91    
  The  masculine  archetype  brought  the  action-­‐oriented  and  self-­‐starting  energy  
needed  for  humanity  to  differentiate  itself  from  nature  and  to  undertake  the  enormous  
task  of  building  the  city-­‐state  civilizations.    Equality  between  gender  archetypes  was  
apparently  beyond  the  perceptual  capacities  and  psychological  maturity  of  humanity  at  
this  stage  of  development.    An  immense  amount  of  learning—embracing  two  stages  of  
perceptual  development—would  be  required  before  a  level  of  consciousness  and  
culture  could  emerge  where  gender  equality  would  be  viewed  as  both  natural  and  
functional.    Only  after  realizing  the  potentials  of  the  masculine  archetype  would  
civilization  return  to  reclaim  the  lost  aspects  of  the  feminine.    In  his  book,  The  Passion  of  
the  Western  Mind,  Richard  Tarnas  writes  that  while  the  evolution  of  the  Western  mind  
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has  been  founded  on  the  repression  of  the  feminine  archetype,  “...  the  deepest  passion  
of  the  Western  mind  has  been  to  reunite  with  the  ground  of  its  being.    The  driving  
impulse  of  the  West’s  masculine  consciousness  has  been  its  dialectical  quest  not  only  to  
realize  itself,  but  also,  finally,  to  recover  its  connection  with  the  whole,  to  come  to  terms  
with  the  great  feminine  principle  in  life:  to  differentiate  itself  from  but  then  rediscover  
and  reunite  with  the  feminine,  with  the  mystery  of  life,  of  nature,  of  soul.”92    Early  
civilizations  had  a  great  distance  to  travel,  however,  before  they  would  begin  to  realize  
the  goal  of  archetypal  integration  described  by  Tarnas.      
  Like  the  oppression  of  women,  the  development  of  large-­‐scale  warfare  seemed  
an  inevitable  result  of  the  partial  consciousness  and  great  powers  unleashed  by  the  
opening  of  the  third  dimension.    The  same  centralized  authority  and  hierarchy  that  
could  organize  a  city-­‐state  could  also  organize  an  army.    With  the  building  of  city-­‐states,  
there  was  much  to  protect—fertile  fields  and  herds,  homes  and  buildings,  extensive  
tools  and  personal  possessions.    In  the  words  of  anthropologist,  Peter  Farb,  “War  and  
domination  were  built  into  the  ancient  city  as  inescapably  as  the  very  mud-­‐bricks  and  
stone  that  went  into  the  physical  structures  themselves.”93    Humanity  was  leaving  
behind  the  peaceful,  equalitarian  and  small-­‐scale  village  societies  that  characterized  the  
millennia  prior  to  the  transition  to  city-­‐states.94    Henceforth,  peace  would  not  be  an  
unconscious  given;  instead,  it  would  depend  upon  conscious  choice.    
  Andrew  Bard  Schmookler,  in  his  book  The  Parable  of  the  Tribes,  describes  how  
no  one  civilization  could  impose  peace  upon  everyone  else,  but  any  one  civilization  
could  impose  upon  all  the  rest  the  necessity  for  power  seeking  and  warfare.95    Because  
the  civilizations  that  survived  were  those  who  were  most  effective  in  their  exercise  of  
power,  it  created  a  vicious  circle  in  which  civilizations  felt  it  necessary  to  become  power-­‐
oriented  to  defend  themselves  against  other  power-­‐oriented  societies.    Peace  was  a  
condition  that  had  to  be  consciously  chosen  by  all  civilizations  that  impinged  upon  one  
another.    And  for  peace  to  become  a  conscious  choice  of  entire  nations,  a  level  of  
maturity  was  required  that  exceeded  that  of  the  agrarian  era  or  even  industrial  era.    
Humanity  could  eventually  choose  to  live  at  peace,  but  only  after  learning  and  
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relearning  the  painful  lessons  of  conflict  and  war.96  

 
The  Rise  of  the  Sky-­‐Gods  
  In  the  agrarian  era,  spiritual  attention  shifted  from  the  immediacy  of  a  nature-­‐
oriented  Earth-­‐Goddess  in  two  dimensions  to  the  remoteness  of  heaven-­‐oriented  Sky-­‐
Gods  in  three  dimensions.    Nonetheless,  the  Earth-­‐oriented  religion  of  the  second  
dimension  probably  continued  to  be  important  to  the  village  dwellers  and  peasants,  
whose  labors  were  vital  to  the  agrarian-­‐based  civilizations.    Sky-­‐oriented  religions  were  
probably  much  more  important  to  the  city  dwellers  who  experienced  the  depth  
consciousness  characteristic  of  these  first,  large-­‐scale  civilizations.      
  The  differences  in  spirituality  between  the  second  and  third  dimensions  are  
reflected  in  the  psychic  and  psychological  distance  between  humanity  and  the  divine  
implied  by  each  perspective:      
 
•  Hunter-­‐gatherer  spirituality  and  the  role  of  shamans—For  ancient  hunter-­‐
gatherers,  there  was  virtually  no  perceptual  distance  between  the  individual  and  
the  spiritual  forces  in  the  world.    People  felt  the  immediate  presence  of  
mysterious  and  invisible  forces  in  their  lives.    Religious  institutions  were  not  
required  as  people  participated  directly  in  the  supernatural.    The  shaman’s  role  
was  to  participate  with  individuals  and  the  community  in  this  supernatural  
process  through  trances,  magic,  divination  and  other  means  in  order  to  cure  
sickness,  bring  rainfall,  insure  success  in  conflict,  and  meet  personal  needs.      
 
•  Agrarian-­‐based  spirituality  and  the  role  of  priests—In  the  depth  world  of  three  
dimensions,  there  is  a  new  distance  between  the  individual  and  the  spiritual  
realm—a  new  dualism  between  heaven  and  Earth,  between  the  individual  and  
the  transcendent  gods.97    The  sky-­‐Gods  represent  the  awesome  and  remote  
powers  of  heaven,  and  the  priest  is  the  intermediary  that  bridges  the  distance  
between  the  individual  and  the  divine.    Where  the  shaman  works  to  facilitate  the  
direct  experience  of  healing  and  the  enlivening  of  spiritual  forces,  the  priest  
tends  to  work  indirectly  through  rituals  and  prayers  that  are  institutionalized  in  
the  authority  of  the  church  and  state.      
 
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  With  the  emergence  of  sky-­‐Gods,  the  distance  between  the  realm  of  humanity  
and  the  realm  of  the  Gods  increased,  and  the  process  of  institutionalized  worship  (which  
implicitly  acknowledges  this  separation)  took  on  greater  importance.    Religious  
institutions  and  the  priestly  class  acquired  great  power  and  authority  as  divine  
intermediaries  in  a  world  still  assumed  to  be  interpenetrated  by  supernatural  forces  that  
could  be  influenced  by  prayer  and  faith.  
  The  perceptual  geometry  of  the  third  dimension  is  consistent  with  a  
transcendental  spirituality.    Because  the  material  world  was  not  seen  as  going  anywhere  
(except  through  endless  rounds  of  repetition),  and  because  the  spiritual  realm  was  seen  
as  transcendent  or  apart  from  this  world,  it  was  only  natural  for  people  to  imagine  that  
the  role  of  religion  was  to  enable  them  to  get  off  the  worldly  wheel  of  death  and  rebirth.    
Many  of  the  great  religions  that  emerged  in  this  stage  (Buddhism,  Hinduism,  and  
Taoism)  were  explicitly  concerned  with  getting  beyond  the  material  world  and  moving  
into  transcendent  spiritual  realms.    Most  of  these  wisdom  traditions  did  not  encourage  
material  and  social  change  but  rather  worked  for  deep  change  in  the  inner  psyche  and  
soul,  so  that  a  person  would  not  be  reborn  into  this  world  of  strife  and  pain.      
 
The  Seasons  of  the  3rd  Dimension  
  The  period  from  roughly  10,000  B.C.  to  3,500  B.C.  was  a  time  of  gradual  
transition  from  a  nomadic,  tribal,  gathering  and  hunting  way  of  life  to  a  settled,  small  
village  way  of  life  that  relied  upon  the  domestication  of  plants  and  animals.    We  could  
view  this  period  as  the  springtime  of  the  agrarian  revolution,  or  as  the  autumn  and  
winter  of  the  second  dimension  (with  the  decline  of  the  hunter-­‐gatherer  way  of  life).    
More  fundamentally,  these  millennia  represent  a  time  of  complex  transition  between  
two  dominant  views  of  reality  and  ways  of  life.    For  that  reason,  I’ll  reserve  the  
designation  of  “springtime”  of  the  third  dimension  for  the  period  when  agrarian-­‐based  
civilizations  emerged  most  decisively—roughly  3500  B.C.      
  The  emergence  of  a  new  kind  of  geometric  art  just  before  the  rise  of  the  city-­‐
state  civilizations  (circa  4500-­‐3500  B.C.)  provides  intriguing  evidence  that  a  shift  in  
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human  consciousness  was  underway  at  this  time.    Joseph  Campbell  describes  this  
dramatic  change  in  aesthetic  consciousness  by  saying  that:  “...with  the  appearance  in  
the  world  of  well-­‐established,  strongly  developing  settled  villages,  there  breaks  into  
view  an  abundance  of  the  most  gracefully  and  consciously  organized  circular  
compositions  of  geometrical  and  abstract  motifs  on  the  pottery...”98    The  abrupt  
appearance  of  these  well  composed,  abstract  geometric  designs  in  the  centuries  just  
preceding  the  development  of  large-­‐scale  civilizations  suggests  that  a  new  aesthetic  
consciousness—and  a  new  objectivity  in  human  perception—was  emerging  rapidly.  
 
  •  Springtime  (3500  B.C.  to  600  B.C.)—During  this  period  the  earliest  high  
civilizations  of  the  world  burst  into  existence.    The  first  civilization  to  emerge  was  
apparently  that  of  Mesopotamia  (in  roughly  3,500  B.C.  in  the  delta  region  formed  by  the  
Tigris  and  Euphrates  rivers),  followed  by  Egypt  (roughly  2800  B.C.  along  the  Nile),  then  
India  (roughly  2500  B.C.  in  the  Indus  Valley),  and  China  (roughly  1500  B.C.  along  the  
Yellow  River).    Civilization  emerged  in  the  Americas  in  the  region  of  Mexico  in  
approximately  1200  B.C.  with  the  Olmec  empire  (although  there  is  evidence  that  an  
advanced  civilization  may  have  developed  in  South  America  in  what  is  now  Ecuador  as  
early  as  3,000  B.C.).    All  of  these  societies  developed  the  constellation  of  activities  we  
now  associate  with  “civilization”—writing,  astronomy,  massive  architecture,  a  division  of  
labor,  a  professional  priesthood,  and  centralized  government.    Because  many  of  these  
civilizations  were  isolated  from  one  another  (particularly  India,  China  and  the  Americas)  
and  because,  despite  their  independence,  they  all  developed  at  roughly  the  same  time  
with  similar  attributes,  it  suggests  that  when  a  critical  threshold  is  reached  in  the  co-­‐
evolution  of  culture  and  consciousness,  civilization  will  inevitably  arise.  
   The  ancient  civilizations  developed  over  a  period  of  roughly  three  thousand  
years  and  then,  around  600  B.C.,  the  pace  of  change  began  to  accelerate  around  the  
world.    Internal  decay  and  repeated  barbarian  invasions  transformed  the  cultures  of  the  
Indus  River,  Mesopotamia  and  Nile  Valley.    Despite  her  relative  isolation,  even  China  
was  going  through  a  major  metamorphosis.    Throughout  the  world,  social  change  was  
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accelerated  by  the  invention  of  the  horse-­‐drawn  chariot,  iron-­‐age  technology,  and  new  
weapons  of  war.      
 
  •  Summer  to  Autumn  (600  B.  C.  to  1500  A.D.)—Around  600  B.C.,  the  world  
entered  what  many  historians  have  called  the  Classical  Age.    New  civilizations  were  
flourishing  in  Greece,  Persia,  Rome,  China  and  India.    Each  made  great  contributions  to  
philosophy,  religion,  art,  science,  and  government.    A  number  of  the  world’s  great  
religions  were  also  founded  at  this  time.      
  Not  all  civilizations  developed  at  the  same  pace  or  in  the  same  direction.    For  
example,  by  500  A.D.,  the  western  or  European  portion  of  the  Roman  Empire  had  
collapsed  and  fallen  into  a  dark  age,  while  the  eastern  portion  (called  Byzantium  and  
located  in  Mediterranean  Asia)  continued  to  keep  the  spark  of  learning  and  culture  alive  
for  another  thousand  years.    During  this  thousand  year  period,  the  most  significant  
contributions  to  civilization  came  from  Byzantium,  the  Moslem-­‐oriented  cultures,  and  
Asian  sources  such  as  China  and  India.99    In  the  Americas,  the  Mayan  Empire  reached  its  
heights  around  800  A.D.  and  then  went  into  decline.    With  the  coming  of  the  Crusades  
around  1100,  Europe  renewed  its  contacts  with  the  prospering  civilizations  of  Byzantium  
and  was  awakened  from  the  stagnation  of  the  dark  ages.    Europe  also  acquired  
technologies  such  as  the  compass  that  would  enable  ocean-­‐going  explorers  to  launch  a  
new  era  of  trade  and  discovery.      
 
  •  Transition  (1500  A.D.  to  1800  A.D.)—By  the  1400s,  the  Crusades  and  other  
explorations  helped  spark  a  Renaissance  in  the  arts  and  sciences  of  Europe.    A  religious  
reformation  also  swept  through  Europe  at  this  time,  affirming  the  role  of  the  individual  
and  bringing  into  question  every  aspect  of  established  Christian  doctrine.    By  the  mid-­‐
1700s,  the  combined  impact  of  the  Renaissance  and  Reformation  brought  Western  
civilization  to  the  brink  of  the  industrial  revolution.    During  this  same  period,  the  vigor  of  
the  Asian  and  African  civilizations  diminished,  shifting  leadership  for  advancing  
civilization  back  to  the  West.    Voyages  by  Europeans  to  the  Americas  (particularly  the  
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Spanish)  resulted  in  massive  destruction  to  the  ancient  civilizations  in  the  Middle-­‐
Americas.    Dominance  shifted  to  the  militarily  powerful  nations  of  England,  Europe  and  
North  America  and  their  economic  growth,  in  turn,  was  propelled  forward  by  economic  
advantages  gained  through  slavery  and  the  ability  to  exploit  the  natural  resources  of  
weaker  nations.    
 
Summary  
  The  story  of  agrarian-­‐based  civilizations  comprises  the  bulk  of  recorded  human  
history.    During  these  millennia,  humanity  experienced  enormous  social  turbulence—
the  rise  and  fall  of  empires,  the  growth  and  decline  of  institutional  religions,  and  shifts  in  
cultural  dominance  between  different  areas  of  the  world.    Yet,  underlying  this  ferment  
was  the  stability  of  the  perceptual  geometry  of  the  third  dimension  with  its  more  
expansive  and  yet  circular  view  of  reality,  identity  and  society.    This  perceptual  paradigm  
supported  the  unfolding  of  an  immensely  complex  and  rich  epoch  marked  by  
tremendous  social  upheaval,  much  of  which  should  not  be  equated  with  true  social  
evolution  as,  when  wars  of  conquest  were  over,  little  more  had  changed  than  a  
redistribution  of  power  over  land  and  people.      
  It  was  not  until  the  transitional  period  in  Europe  in  the  period  from  
approximately  1500  to  1700  that  the  world  would  see,  not  another  eddy  in  the  surface  
currents  of  history,  but  a  sea  change  in  culture  and  consciousness.    A  number  of  
powerful  revolutions  blossomed  in  Europe  that  continue  to  reverberate  around  the  
world:  a  scientific  revolution  challenged  the  belief  in  the  supernatural  and  the  authority  
of  the  church;  a  religious  reformation  questioned  the  role  and  function  of  religious  
institutions;  the  renaissance  brought  a  new  perspective  into  the  arts;  an  industrial  
revolution  brought  unprecedented  material  progress;  an  urban  revolution  brought  
masses  of  people  together  in  new  ways,  breaking  apart  the  feudal  pattern  of  living;  and  
a  democratic  revolution  fostered  a  new  level  of  citizen  empowerment  and  involvement.    
These  powerful  revolutions  were  expressions  of  the  opening  of  a  new  perceptual  
paradigm  and  they  mark  a  dramatic  break  with  the  era  of  agrarian-­‐based  civilization.    
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Chapter  4  
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Fourth  Stage:  

DYNAMIC  CONSCIOUSNESS  AND    THE  

SCIENTIFIC-­‐INDUSTRIAL  ERA  
 
 
Overview  
The  fourth  dimension  is  the  stage  of  dynamic  consciousness  and  is  an  epoch  of  
explosive  material  growth  driven  by  revolutions  in  science  and  technology.    The  wheel  
of  time  opens  into  a  progressing  spiral  and  people  perceive  the  potential  for  broad  
material  progress.    Material  development  becomes  a  primary  measure  of  success  as  the  
mystery  of  nature  gives  way  to  science  and  an  analyzing  intellect.    People  strongly  
identify  themselves  with  their  intellect  and,  in  this  predominantly  materialistic  and  
existential  reality,  people  feel  relatively  unique  and  alone.    A  new  sense  of  personal  
autonomy  and  freedom  fosters  greater  citizenship  in  government,  entrepreneurship  in  
economics,  and  self-­‐authority  in  spiritual  matters.    This  era  is  also  characterized  by  
massive  urbanization  and  the  development  of  an  affluent  middle-­‐class.    
 
Introduction  
  The  scientific-­‐industrial  revolution  marks  the  beginning  of  the  modern  era  of  
development.    After  thousands  of  years  of  subservience  to  nature,  humanity  reached  a  
level  of  knowledge  and  a  critical  mass  of  power  that  enabled  entire  civilizations  to  stand  
apart  from,  and  seemingly  achieve  dominion  over,  nature.    Because  we  now  see  the  
many  problems  generated  by  the  scientific-­‐industrial  era,  it  is  difficult  to  appreciate  the  
enormous  promise  it  held  when  viewed  from  its  springtime  of  growth  just  a  few  
hundred  years  ago.    For  the  masses  of  people,  the  agrarian  era  represented  an  
unbroken  cycle  of  poverty,  disease  and  drudgery.    People  saw  that,  with  practical  
inventions,  their  bleak  way  of  living  could  be  improved  dramatically.    With  ingenuity  and  
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entrepreneurship,  great  material  advances  were  possible  in  the  here  and  now.  
 
  As  with  other  epochs,  it  is  impossible  to  state  with  precision  when  the  fourth  
dimension  opened.    In  Europe,  a  renaissance  of  thought  got  underway  in  the  1400s.    
Small  currents  merged  into  a  flood  of  industrial  activity  in  England  and  Europe  by  the  
late  1700s.    By  the  late  1900s,  this  revolution  was  generating  at  least  as  many  problems  
as  it  was  intended  to  solve  (toxic  wastes,  the  greenhouse  effect,  rainforest  destruction,  
nuclear  proliferation,  alienation,  crime,  etc.)  and  its  autumn  of  growth  had  arrived.    
Within  a  scant  three  hundred  years,  an  entire  perceptual  epoch  had  emerged,  
blossomed  and  begun  to  disintegrate—a  remarkable  acceleration  in  the  pace  of  
civilizational  evolution.  
  The  phrase  “scientific-­‐industrial”  era  is  no  more  than  a  short-­‐hand  description  for  
a  sweeping  change  in  culture  and  consciousness  that,  in  the  experience  of  Europe  and  
the  United  States,  involved  the  intertwined  impact  of  at  least  seven  distinct  revolutions:    
 
•  The  scientific  revolution  transformed  our  way  of  looking  at  the  world  and  our  
approach  to  knowledge.    Scientists  assume  we  live  in  a  universe  governed  by  
natural  laws  that  can  be  discovered  through  reason  and  rigorous  testing  of  
hypotheses.    The  scientific  method  proved  so  powerful  that  it  challenged  the  
supremacy  of    supernatural  explanations  and  undermined  the  authority  of  the  
church.  
 
•  The  religious  reformation  questioned  whether  the  churches  were  essential  
intermediaries  between  people  and  the  divine.    By  challenging  the  role  of  
religious  institutions,  the  reformation  undermined  the  divine  right  of  kings  and  
helped  create  a  secular  foundation  for  government.      
 
•  The  Renaissance  was  expressed  in  a  new  attitude  of  skepticism,  self-­‐criticism,  
individual  empowerment,  and  a  rebirth  of  interest  in  Greek  and  Roman  
thought  that  had  been  submerged  during  the  dark  ages.    It  was  also  expressed  
in  a  new  worldliness  and  appreciation  of  human  beings  as  ordinary  people  with  
strengths  and  weaknesses.      
 
•  A  second  agricultural  revolution  was  made  possible  by  improvements  in  
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technologies  for  planting,  cultivating,  transporting  and  storing  food.  These  

innovations  greatly  increased  agricultural  productivity  and  made  it  possible  for  
a  steadily  increasing  proportion  of  the  population  to  live  and  work  in  an  urban  
environment.      
 
•  The  industrial  revolution  brought  unprecedented  material  progress  as  human  
and  animal  energy  were  replaced  by  the  artificial  power  of  coal,  natural  gas,  
gasoline,  and  electricity.    With  the  steam  engine  came  mechanization  of  fields  
and  factories  and  the  mass  production  of  food  and  goods.    New  economic  
structures  emerged  as  money  was  substituted  for  barter  and  trade  barriers  
were  reduced.    Economic  integration  fostered  political  and  social  integration.  
 
•  An  urban  revolution  accompanied  the  industrial  revolution  and  brought  an  
unprecedented  proportion  of  the  population  together  in  cities  of  immense  
scale  and  complexity.    Gradually,  the  impoverished  peasant  class  developed  
into  a  more  affluent  middle-­‐class.  
 
•  A  democratic  revolution  emerged  as  an  expression  of  the  new  degree  of  
citizen  freedom  and  empowerment.    Based  on  a  growing  belief  in  the  integrity  
and  ability  of  the  individual,  the  rights  of  Kings  were  progressively  limited  and  
democratic  rights  expanded.      
 
  The  combined  impact  of  these  powerful  revolutions  constituted  a  new  
perceptual  paradigm  that  emerged  first  in  Europe  and  the  United  States,  and  that  
eventually  radiated  out  to  transform  the  world.        
 
Experiencing  Dimensionality  
  Before  describing  the  perceptual  paradigm  of  the  fourth  dimension,  it  is  
important  to  distinguish  between  our  ability  to  think  dimensionally  and  our  ability  to  
experience  dimensionally.      We  are  multi-­‐dimensional  beings  who  are  able  to  directly  
experience,  and  then  learn  from,  the  multi-­‐dimensional  nature  of  reality.100    We  can  
experience  directly  many  more  dimensions  than  we  can  grasp  conceptually.    
  The  invisible  geometry  that  upholds  our  existence  is  present  everywhere.    
Dimensions  are  not  simply  mathematical  abstractions;  they  are  the  pervasive  matrix  for  
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our  very  existence,  as  intimate  and  close  as  the  air  we  breathe.    Because  the  
dimensional  nature  of  reality  is  so  close,  so  subtle  and  so  intimate,  it  is  easy  to  overlook.    
Yet,  because  we  live  within  and  move  through  a  vast  range  of  dimensions,  it  is  only  
natural  that  we  can  directly  know  and  experience  the  multi-­‐dimensional  nature  of  
reality.    We  can  experience  far  more  than  three  dimensions,  even  if  we  cannot  
conceptualize  the  nature  of  those  further  dimensions.      For  example,  to  experience  and  
then  realize  the  potentials  of  the  agrarian  revolution  and  third  dimension  did  not  
require  people  to  understand  the  physics  of  three  dimensional  space  and  time.    Instead,  
it  required  people  to  directly  appreciate  the  cyclical  and  in-­‐depth  nature  of  reality  and  
then  work  to  actualize  the  potentials  inherent  within  that  felt  experience.    Likewise,  to  
appreciate  and  live  out  of  the  fourth  dimension  does  not  require  people  to  understand  
the  mathematics  of  relativity  theory;  rather,  it  requires  that  people  develop  their  
intuitive  grasp  of  the  dynamic  and  relativistic  nature  of  self  and  material  reality—
essentially,  an  existential  and  materialistic  understanding  of  ourselves  and  the  world.      
 
4th  Dimension:  Dynamic  Consciousness  
  As  with  other  dimensional  epochs,  the  pattern  of  perception  characteristic  of  the  
fourth  stage  did  not  open  up  in  one  fell  swoop  but  emerged  gradually  over  centuries.    
This  new  perspective  was  first  expressed  by  artists  and  then  later  spread  to  religion,  
economics,  politics  and  physics.        
  The  opening  of  the  fourth  dimension  brought  a  new  degree  of  spaciousness  and  
dynamism  into  people’s  experience  of  life.    The  world  was  no  longer  seen  as  locked  into  
unchanging  cycles  that  were  not  going  anywhere;  instead,  there  was  a  new  “roominess”  
within  which  people  could  live  and  move.    It  appears  that  the  spatial  aspects  of  
dimensions  are  perceived  long  before  the  temporal  aspects.    For  example,  in  the  earliest  
Buddhist  teachings,  the  experience  of  space  was  basic  to  meditation  instructions  and  it  
was  not  until  a  thousand  years  later  (in  the  tenth  century  A.D.)  that  Buddhist  thinkers  
realized  the  profound  mystery  and  experience  hidden  within  conventional  notions  of    
“time.”101      An  important  expression  of  the  expanded  spaciousness  of  this  epoch  is  
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found  in  the  development  of  an  accurate  three-­‐dimensional  perspective  in  art—a  
perception  that,  remarkably,  did  not  arrive  in  the  world  until  roughly  the  1300s  during  
the  Renaissance  in  Europe,  the  time  of  initial  transition  to  the  scientific-­‐industrial  era.    
Although  the  pioneering  Florentine  artist,  Giotto,  is  credited  with  being  the  first  person  
to  fully  conceive  of  a  flat  canvas  in  three  dimensional  terms  (where  things  closer  are  
larger  and  things  further  away  are  proportionately  smaller  and  disappear  into  a  
vanishing  point  on  the  horizon),  it  was  not  until  the  early  1500s  that  Leonardo  da  Vinci  
brought  perspectivity  forcefully  into  the  world  of  art  and  popularized  it.102      
  Despite  the  fact  that  we  now  take  perspectivity  for  granted,  it  was  almost  
entirely  absent  from  human  consciousness  until  this  time.    Cultural  historian  Jean  
Gebser  writes,  “there  is  no  evidence  of  an  awareness  of  qualitative  and  objectified  
space  in  early  antiquity  or  in  the  epoch  preceding  the  Renaissance.”103    Surprisingly,  
then,  an  understanding  perspectivity  is  a  perceptual  capacity  of  recent  origins.    As  
Gebser  explains,  “Crucial  to  perspectivity  is  the  ‘vanishing  point’  at  the  horizon  of  one’s  
field  of  vision.    Yet  that  vanishing  point  is  only  the  opposite  to  the  point  of  origin,  which  
is  the  eye  of  the  spatially  conscious  subject.”104    To  see  how  we  see  requires  that  we  
stand  back  from  immersion  in  the  process  of  seeing  and  look  at  both  the  scene  and  the  
seer  simultaneously  so  as  to  put  them  into  accurate  relationship.    Three  dimensional  
depth  perspective,  then,  requires  a  new  step  back  in  consciousness.    A  person  must  
move,  in  their  consciousness,  from  inside  the  three  dimensional  reference  frame  to  
outside  of  it  in  order  to  see  the  relationship  between  the  observer  and  the  scene.105      
We  began  to  see  things  in  an  accurate  three  dimensional  perspective  only  when  our  
experienced  context  for  approaching  the  world  began  to  expand  into  four  dimensions.  
  Although  Eastern  artists  did  not  develop  an  objectified  perspectivity,  they  made  
their  unique  contribution  to  our  way  of  seeing.    In  his  book,  Art  and  Physics,  Leonard  
Shlain  explains  that  “Instead  of  establishing  a  point  of  view  somewhere  off  and  in  front  
of  the  canvas,  as  in  the  West,  the  central  point  was  within,  inside  the  landscape.  ...The  
Chinese  landscape  painter  assumed  that  the  beholder,  along  with  the  artist  himself,  was  
in  the  landscape,  not  looking  at  it  from  the  outside.”106    Although  Eastern  artists  did  not  
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develop  the  science  of  three  dimensional  perspectivity,  they  did  express  a  sophisticated  
appreciation  of  the  aliveness  and  generative  power  of  space—a  view  that  the  West  is  
only  beginning  to  accept  as  quantum  theory  describes  particles  suddenly  coming  into  
existence  from  out  of  seemingly  empty  space.    The  intuitions  of  both  Western  and  
Eastern  artists  were  far  in  advance  of  the  formalisms  of  science.    It  would  take  physics  
nearly  four  hundred  years  to  catch  up  with  and  begin  to  explain  the  transformation  in  
perceptual  experience  portrayed  by  artists  in  the  East  and  West.        
  The  ability  to  stand  back  from  immersion  within  a  three  dimensional  world  was  a  
decisive  step  in  the  evolution  of  humanity’s  perceptual  paradigm.    With  disidentification  
from  the  unvarying  spatial  framework  of  three  dimensions,  people  were  liberated  
perceptually  and  began  to  look  with  fresh  and  critical  eyes  at  those  institutions  that  
embodied  confining  norms  and  absolutist  values—primarily  the  church  and  state.    
Ultimately,  in  a  four  dimensional  reality,  each  point  occupies  a  unique  and  distinct  place  
in  the  fabric  of  space-­‐time.    All  is  relative.    There  is  no  favored  position.    Because  each  
person  and  place  has  its  valid  status  and  standing  in  a  relativistic  universe,  the  basis  for  
absolute  authority  is  profoundly  undermined.    Each  person’s  point  of  view  is  valid  and  
distinct.    Each  person  is  a  legitimate  source  of  authority  for  their  unique  point  of  view  
and  perspective.      
  Because  each  person  has  a  singular  place  in  the  universe,  there  is  a  perceptual  
foundation  that  gives  authority  for  the  rise  of  a  new  level  of  individualism—and  this  
transformed  religion,  science,  culture  and  economic  life.    In  religion,  the  church  could  no  
longer  claim  that  it  occupied  a  favored  position  in  the  universe  and  this  fostered  greater  
freedom  in  belief  and  worship.    In  science,  there  was  greater  freedom  from  superstition  
and  religious  dogma  and  the  ability  to  more  openly  to  explore  the  nature  of  the  
universe.    In  culture,  there  was  greater  freedom  for  intellectual  inquiry  and  creative  
expression.    In  economic  affairs,  there  was  greater  opportunity  for  persons  to  work  
freely  as  entrepreneurs  and  to  market  their  skills  as  free  agents  to  the  highest  bidder.      
  The  new  perceptual  geometry  fostered  a  new  sense  of  time  as  well.    In  the  three-­‐
dimensional  framework,  time  was  seen  as  a  wheel  moving  round  and  round  in  endlessly  
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repetitive  cycles,  not  going  anywhere.    With  the  new  spaciousness  provided  by  four  
dimensions,  time  was  no  longer  compressed  into  a  flat  wheel  and  locked  into  endless  
cycles  but  could  move  outwards—time  opened  into  an  evolving  spiral  of  development  
that  could  progress  without  apparent  limit:  
 
Figure  6:  Time  as  an  Open  and  Progressing  Spiral  
 

 
   
 
  Because  reality  was  seen  as  material  and  time  as  progressing,  a  powerful  
perceptual  foundation  was  established  that  enabled  people  to  visualize  the  potential  for  
material  progression  or  progress.    Indeed,  the  drive  to  material  development  is  the  most  
basic  expression  of  the  time  experience  of  the  fourth  dimension.    An  expectation  of  
perpetual  novelty  and  innovation  became  widespread  in  popular  consciousness.    Along  
with  the  ability  to  imagine  material  progress  came  a  new  facility  for  practical  invention  
and  projecting  plans  into  the  future.    No  longer  was  progress  something  to  be  achieved  
by  the  few  at  the  expense  of  the  many;  now  it  was  possible  for  everyone  to  advance.    
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(Although  this  new  perception  of  progress  emerged  initially  in  a  Western  European  
context,  it  is  rapidly  becoming  a  global  norm  as  the  communications  revolution  diffuses  
the  psychology  of  materialism  and  rising  expectations.)  
  One  particular  aspect  of  the  changing  sense  of  time  had  a  profound  impact  on  
physics—namely,  the  shift  from  the  notion  of  a  “cosmic  now”  in  three  dimensions,  to  
the  “relativity  of  simultaneity”  in  four  dimensions.    With  four  dimensions,  the  universe  
was  no  longer  viewed  as  having  a  single  time  that  applies  throughout;  instead,  every  
point  in  space-­‐time  was  seen  as  unique.    Time  for  any  point  could  only  be  defined  
relative  to  some  other  point  because  there  was  assumed  to  be  no  discernible,  
underlying  time  that  could  integrate  these  relative  times  into  a  cosmic  whole.    While  
relativity  theory  does  not  prohibit  the  possible  existence  of  a  cosmic  now  in  higher  
dimensions,  it  assumes  there  is  no  “place”  or  accessible  frame  of  reference  from  which  
to  stand  back  from  the  relativity  of  space-­‐time  in  order  to  verify  the  existence  of  a  
grand-­‐scale  simultaneity.        
  The  perceptual  paradigm  of  the  fourth  stage  had  a  powerful  impact  upon  
religion.    Because  this  mechanistic  view  of  reality  seemed  to  be  so  effective  in  describing  
how  nature  worked,  it  undermined  explanations  that  relied  on  supernatural  forces.    If  
the  material  universe  obeys  natural  laws  and  science  is  the  method  that  enables  these  
laws  to  be  discovered,  then  the  universe  is  a  lawful  place  and  humanity  no  longer  needs  
to  fear  that  some  capricious  and  wrathful  God  will  intervene  arbitrarily  in  their  lives.    If  
the  universe  runs  in  accord  with  objective  laws  and  mathematically  describable  
principles,  then  it  seems  improbable  that  an  unpredictable  and  fickle  deity  will  intrude  
into  worldly  affairs.    In  the  scientific  view,  it  is  through  the  power  of  the  intellect,  rather  
than  the  power  of  prayer,  that  we  can  discover  the  laws  of  the  universe  and  become  
masters  of  our  own  fate.    The  more  we  can  learn  about  the  master  machine  that  is  our  
universe,  the  more  power  and  control  we  can  acquire  and,  in  turn,  the  more  comfort  
and  convenience  we  can  add  to  our  lives.      
  With  science  describing  the  universe  as  a  masterfully  constructed  machine,  the  
aliveness  infusing  nature  so  characteristic  of  earlier  dimensional  epochs  was  replaced  
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with  a  view  that  the  cosmos  is  comprised  largely  of  empty  space,  dead  matter,  and  
autonomous  human  beings.    Humanity  now  stood  isolated  at  the  pinnacle  of  evolution  
in  a  nearly  lifeless  universe.    With  human  beings  occupying  such  a  unique  and  elevated  
position,  it  seemed  appropriate  for  people  to  use  their  power  to  exploit  nature  to  serve  
their  own  well-­‐being.    Predictably,  then,  the  great  power  of  the  intellect  was  used  to  
exploit  the  seemingly  diminished  aliveness  of  nature  on  behalf  of  those  most  intensely  
alive—human  beings.  
 
The  Separated  Self  
  The  perceptual  geometry  of  the  fourth  stage  has  produced  the  most  
differentiated  and  encapsulated  beings  that  the  world  will  ever  know.    The  self  of  the  
scientific-­‐industrial  era  was  assumed  to  be  locked  inside  a  biological  body  and  cut  off  
from  direct  experience  of  other  people  and  the  rest  of  the  universe.    Having  experienced  
this  extreme  separation—as  both  psychological  alienation  and  as  technological  
superiority—humanity  can  begin  the  long  journey  to  reconnect  with  the  deep  Life-­‐force  
that  animates  our  cosmos.    Despite  the  anxiety  generated  by  being  so  far  removed  from  
the  nurturing  Life-­‐force,  this  is  a  highly  purposeful  stage  of  development.    In  this  era  we  
acquire  our  most  distinct  and  empowered  sense  of  “self”  as  biological-­‐material  beings,  
communities  and  nations.    In  knowing  our  biological  uniqueness,  we  can  then  begin  to  
explore  more  subtle  connections  with  all  of  existence.        
  The  perceptual  geometry  of  the  fourth  dimension  naturally  fosters  an  existential  
sense  of  self.    To  reiterate,  in  a  four-­‐dimensional  reference  frame,  there  is  no  special  
status  to  any  position  or  any  place—all  is  relative.    If  no  place  has  a  favored  position,  
then  no  person  or  institution  can  claim  special  knowledge  or  privilege;  each  person’s  
point  of  view  becomes  equally  legitimate  and  valid.    No  longer  are  people  subservient  to  
the  authoritarian  views  of  church  or  state  or  dominant  culture;  instead,  they  see  
themselves  as  empowered  individuals  who  are  capable  of  acting  in  their  own  self-­‐
interest:  economically,  politically,  socially  and  spiritually.      
  The  rise  of  the  autonomous  individual  in  industrialized  society  was  a  
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revolutionary  social  invention.    Even  the  early  Greek  city-­‐states,  despite  their  professed  
concern  for  the  individual  citizen,  did  not  invent  the  degree  of  autonomy  found  in  the  
industrial  era.    Joseph  Campbell  writes  that  in  early  Greece,  “The  individual  derived  his  
importance  from  his  relation  to  the  state;  he  was  viewed  as  a  citizen  who  depends  on  
the  state  and  who  can  contribute  to  its  welfare.    But  it  is  the  state  that  is  
omnipotent.”107      
  What  most  distinguishes  individuals  in  the  scientific-­‐industrial  era  is  their  use  of  
the  intellect  as  a  potent  tool  for  discovering  the  laws  underlying  the  universe  and  for  
mastering  nature.    Given  the  power  of  the  intellect,  people  naturally  tend  to  equate  
their  identity  with  their  thinking  process.    The  ability  to  reflect  consciously  on  the  
thinking  process  itself  has  not  yet  emerged  decisively.    Instead,  consciousness  is  
assumed  to  be  a  by-­‐product  of  bio-­‐electrical  activity  in  the  brain  and  without  any  
independent  status.    In  not  thinking  consciousness  can  provide  a  bridge  beyond  the  
apparent  fact  of  our  physical  separateness,  we  don’t  subject  our  self-­‐experience  to  
rigorous  scrutiny  and  a  self-­‐reinforcing  and  self-­‐fulfilling  process  of  identity  formation  
develops.    The  self  of  the  fourth  dimension,  then,  is  a  thought  thinking  about  itself—a  
self-­‐referencing  mental  loop.    Were  it  not  for  the  penetrating  reality  of  death,  the  
encapsulated  thinking  ego  could  continue  indefinitely  as  a  thought  system  continually  
reconfirming  its  own  existence.    
  When  we  think  we  are  material  beings,  it  is  only  natural  that  we  search  for  
satisfaction  of  our  wants  through  material  sources.    We  substitute  temporary  pleasures  
for  the  deeper  satisfaction  of  genuine  union  with  the  Meta-­‐universe.    Instead  of  
discovering  eternity  at  the  core  of  our  being,  we  project  our  search  outward  into  the  
substitute  “immortality  projects”  of  acquiring  a  house  and  car,  building  a  business,  
establishing  a  social  reputation,  and  acquiring  other  expressions  of  power  and  
prominence.108    The  urge  to  possession  is  driven  by  more  than  the  desire  for  these  
things;  it  is  an  unconscious  drive  to  overcome  death  by  using  our  tangible  acquisitions  to  
demonstrate  the  significance  of  our  lives.    In  not  recognizing  the  artesian  well  of  eternity  
forever  bubbling  up  from  within  the  core  of  our  being,  the  search  for  that  which  has  
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lasting  value  becomes  misdirected.      

  After  attaining  the  unprecedented  autonomy  and  material  power  of  the  
scientific-­‐industrial  era,  gnawing  issues  remain:  Why  do  we  have  this  freedom  and  this  
power?    What  is  the  purpose  of  life?    Is  our  ability  to  possess  and  consume  the  primary  
measure  of  meaning  and  worth?    These  questions  cannot  be  answered  satisfactorily  
within  the  perceptual  paradigm  of  the  fourth  dimension.    Nonetheless,  despite  its  
limitations,  the  fourth  stage  is  an  important  epoch  as  it  enables  humanity  to  develop  an  
unprecedented  degree  of  personal  autonomy  and  capacity  for  self-­‐determining  
behavior.    In  developing  our  existential  identity,  we  plant  the  seeds  for  our  further  
transformations.    After  fulfilling  the  potentials  of  this  stage,  we  find  diminishing  
satisfaction  from  a  consumerist  approach  to  life,  alienation  from  our  core  sense  of  self,  
separation  from  the  natural  environment,  and  loss  of  an  enduring  sense  of  community.    
In  short,  after  completing  this  stage,  we  are  fully  ready  to  begin  our  journey  of  reunion  
with  the  universe.  
 
Urban-­‐Industrial  Society  
  The  most  striking  evidence  of  social  change  in  the  industrial  era  is  the  massive  
shift  of  people  from  a  rural  to  an  urban  setting.    When  this  era  began  in  Europe  and  the  
United  States  in  the  late  1700s,  more  than  90  percent  of  the  population  lived  and  
worked  on  farms.    By  its  conclusion  two  hundred  years  later  in  the  late  1900s,  more  
than  95  percent  of  the  population  lived  and  worked  in  cities  and  suburbs.    In  these  bare  
statistics  is  the  story  of  an  extraordinary  social,  political  and  economic  transformation.      
  Prior  to  the  industrial  revolution,  the  amount  of  surplus  food  from  farming  was  
marginal,  supporting  only  a  fraction  of  the  population  in  an  urban  lifestyle.    But  
improved  plows,  the  mechanical  tractor  and  reaper,  and  other  technological  advances  
created  a  huge  increase  in  agricultural  productivity,  and  food  surpluses  soared.    For  the  
first  time  in  history,  it  was  possible  for  a  majority  of  the  population  to  move  from  the  
farms  to  the  cities  and  engage  in  manufacturing  and  related  activities.    This  opened  the  
floodgates  to  a  sweeping  pattern  of  changes—a  middle  class  emerged  to  replace  the  
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peasant  class,  a  belief  in  material  progress  replaced  the  expectation  of  scarcity,  free  
markets  replaced  feudal  control,  and  a  psychology  of  self-­‐determination  replaced  a  
spirit  of  subservience.      
  For  thousands  of  years,  most  people  had  lived  as  peasant  farmers,  subservient  to  
the  absolute  power  of  church  and  state,  and  with  very  little  control  over  their  destiny.    
Industrialization,  however,  set  in  motion  a  dramatic  change  in  class  structure.    The  
center  of  gravity  in  industrial  society’s  shifted  from  impoverished  peasants  to  a  
relatively  well-­‐to-­‐do,  economic  middle-­‐class,  thereby  transforming  politics,  religion  and  
business.    Although  these  changes  required  centuries  to  accomplish  and  were  
accompanied  by  enormous  abuses,  still,  the  fact  and  direction  of  change  was  clear.    The  
industrial  revolution  brought  a  much  more  affluent,  educated,  and  empowered  middle  
class  to  the  center  of  civilization.      
  Material  affluence  was  gained  at  considerable  social  cost.    The  urbanizing  and  
industrializing  process  tore  individuals  from  their  traditional  communities  and  extended  
families  and  made  them  autonomous  workers—cogs  in  the  great  machine  of  industry.    
Instead  of  small-­‐scale,  emotionally  bonded  communities  nurtured  by  many  generations  
of  families  and  relationships,  people  moved  into  impersonal  cities  with  few  ties  to  an  
extended  family.    As  cities  grew  ever  more  massive,  they  became  primarily  economic  
engines  to  power  the  mega-­‐machine  of  industrial  civilization.    These  human-­‐created  
environments  were  divorced  from  contact  with  nature’s  wildness,  as  well  as  its  rhythms  
and  cycles.    Cities  were  not  organized  to  serve  a  feeling  of  community  and  sense  of  
beauty;  rather,  they  were  oriented  to  serve  economic  efficiency.    Urban  environments  
concretized  the  paradigm  of  the  industrial  era  and  mirrored  back  to  their  inhabitants  
only  human-­‐generated  patterns  and  perceptions—the  straight  edges  of  rectangular  
buildings  and  grids  for  traffic,  the  impersonal  corporations  and  factories,  and  the  
overwhelming  mass  of  humanity  that  crowds  out  a  diverse  ecology  of  plants  and  
animals.      
  Basic  to  an  urban-­‐industrial  society  is  the  existence  of  psychologically  
autonomous  individuals  who  have  the  self-­‐confidence  and  self-­‐authority  to  enter  into  
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economic  contracts.    This  respect  and  trust  for  individuals  in  economic  affairs  spills  over  
into  social  relations  and  strengthens  the  foundation  for  democracy  and  self-­‐
government.    While  a  free  market  economy  liberated  people  from  centuries  of  
oppression  by  a  landed  aristocracy,  it  also  transformed  the  primary  purpose  of  life  into  
the  pursuit  of  material  gain.    Free  market  principles  promoted  a  narrow  expression  of  
personal  freedom,  fostered  unprecedented  competition,  and  produced  a  mass  
marketplace  of  alienating  scale  and  complexity.    Overall,  the  development  of  an  
autonomous  sense  of  self  in  a  materialistic  world  has  been  purchased  by  rewarding  
some  of  the  most  anti-­‐social  impulses  of  humanity—raw  greed,  unbridled  competition,  
and  the  drive  to  acquire  unlimited  money  and  power.      
  The  flowering  of  democratic  forms  of  governance  was  a  natural  expression  of  the  
perceptual  paradigm  of  the  fourth  dimension.    The  rise  of  science  undermined  those  
who  made  supernatural  claims  to  political  power  or  rule  by  divine  right.    At  the  same  
time,  a  relativistic  universe  is  a  democratic  universe:  just  as  every  spatial  position  has  
equal  validity  in  the  physical  universe,  so  too  does  each  person  have  equal  validity  in  the  
social  universe.    Further,  in  a  paradigm  where  the  wheel  of  time  opens  to  reveal  a  spiral  
of  worldly  progression  or  progress,  it  encourages  the  perception  that  both  material  
conditions  and  social  institutions  can  evolve  and  progress.    Finally,  success  with  
technological  invention  tended  to  foster  a  corresponding  faith  in  a  capacity  for  social  
invention.    People  felt  empowered  to  invent  new  forms  of  government  (for  example,  
the  United  States  with  its  complex  pattern  of  checks  and  balances,  which  insures  that  no  
single  branch  of  government  can  exercise  absolute  control).  
  Another  characteristic  of  the  scientific-­‐industrial  era  is  how  strongly  it  embodies  
the  masculine  archetype.    Until  the  industrial  revolution,  no  civilization  had  pursued  the  
goal  of  material  progress  so  relentlessly,  or  worked  so  intently  to  organize  and  shape  
nature  according  to  its  will,  or  had  been  so  driven  by  the  competitive  and  aggressive  
urges  of  its  citizens.    While  these  masculine  qualities  may  be  viewed  by  some  with  
disfavor,  they  were  nonetheless  vital  to  social  evolution.    It  seems  unlikely  that  
humankind  could  have  advanced  from  agrarian-­‐based  civilizations  to  industrial-­‐based  
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civilizations  by  relying  primarily  upon  on  the  ancient  feminine  archetype  of  the  Earth-­‐
Goddess  (the  second  dimension  or  stage).    To  extract  ourselves  from  immersion  within  
nature,  we  needed  the  empowerment,  separation,  and  action-­‐orientation  characteristic  
of  the  male  archetype.    It  further  seems  unlikely  that  we  could  move  into  the  epochs  of  
global  reconciliation  and  bonding  (the  fifth  and  sixth  dimensions)  with  primary  reliance  
on  the  masculine  archetype.    We  need  the  nature-­‐connected  and  relationship-­‐oriented  
qualities  of  the  feminine  archetype  to  respond  to  the  challenges  of  these  later  stages.        
 
Science  and  Spirituality  
  Like  every  other  facet  of  life,  spirituality  in  the  industrial  era  was  dominated  by  
themes  of  secularism,  individualism,  relativism,  and  expectations  of  worldly  progress.    
We  have  already  noted  how  the  scientific-­‐industrial  paradigm  empowered  the  individual  
at  the  expense  of  the  institutional  churches.    Joseph  Campbell  summarized  it  this  way:    
“In  the  broadest  view  of  the  history  of  world  mythology,  the  chief  creative  development  
in  the  period  of  the  waning  Middle  Ages  and  approaching  Reformation  was  the  rise  of  
the  principle  of  individual  conscience  over  ecclesiastical  authority.”109    
  The  cosmology  of  the  fourth  dimension  had  a  revolutionary  impact  on  our  view  
of  spirituality.    From  a  scientific  perspective,  once  our  cosmos  came  into  existence  with  
the  big  bang,  nothing  more  was  assumed  to  be  required  to  keep  it  going—the  cosmos  
was  “just  here”  and  continued  to  exist  of  its  own  accord.    The  Earth  and  all  of  its  
creatures  were  assumed  to  be  made  from  debris  left  over  from  the  big  bang.    Particles  
of  matter  floating  through  vast  reaches  of  empty  and  lifeless  space  coalesced  into  a  
planet  which  now  provides  a  platform  on  which  life  has  arisen  and  evolved.    
Consciousness  was  not  assumed  to  be  present  until  beings  developed  a  very  high  level  
of  biological  complexity  and  social  organization.    Humans  were  ultimately  isolated—
constructed  entirely  from  matter  and  encapsulated  by  their  skin.        
  Because  the  cosmos  was  viewed  as  a  gigantic  machine  that  functioned  in  accord  
with  lawful  processes,  there  was  no  need  for  participation  by  a  divine  Life-­‐force.    The  
way  to  know  God  was  by  knowing  the  nature  of  the  cosmos  that  ‘he’  created;  and  the  
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way  to  know  the  cosmos  was  through  the  power  of  science  and  the  analyzing  intellect.    
We  can  call  this  form  of  spirituality  Scientific  Humanism  on  the  premise  that  science  is  
the  tool  for  knowing  God  and  humanity  is  at  the  pinnacle  of  God’s  creation.      
  In  the  universe  of  Scientific  Humanism,  little  true  mystery  remains—mostly  just  
unanswered  scientific  questions.    Matter  is  dead,  and  space  is  simple  emptiness,  so  the  
universe  is  almost  entirely  lifeless  except  for  a  few,  special  islands  of  life  such  as  Earth.  
The  overall  universe  is  assumed  to  be  indifferent  to  human  endeavors  and  without  an  
organizing  consciousness  of  its  own.    Because  the  universe  is  assumed  to  have  no  
apparent  purpose  and  no  particular  concern  for  the  human  agenda,  our  strategy  in  life  
should  be  to  get  by  as  best  we  can,  recognizing  that,  ultimately,  the  meaning  and  
purpose  we  create  upon  our  little  island  of  existence  is  dwarfed  by  an  immensity  of  
indifference.    Overall,  this  is  a  bleak  and  intimidating  cosmology  whose  logic  produces  a  
profound  alienation  from  the  divine  Life-­‐force.    
  In  the  perceptual  paradigm  of  the  fourth  dimension,  science  replaces  religion  as  
the  primary  source  of  explanation.    A  theology  that  “God  is  dead”  (or,  perhaps  more  
accurately,  a  theology  that  “God  is  no  longer  directly  involved”)  emerges  during  this  era.    
An  unknown  and  seemingly  unknowable  Life-­‐force  seems  to  have  set  this  extraordinary  
machine-­‐cosmos  into  motion  and  then  to  have  stood  back  and  allowed  “natural  laws”  to  
take  their  course.                
  The  scientific  view  of  reality  places  humanity  at  the  pinnacle  of  evolution.    
Because  no  other  advanced  life-­‐forms  are  known,  and  because  the  universe  itself  seems  
to  be  a  relatively  lifeless  entity,  humans  are  assumed  to  be  the  most  evolved  beings  in  
existence.    With  humanity  at  the  cutting  edge  of  conscious  evolution,  it  may  seem  
appropriate  for  the  most  intensely  living  use  this  largely  lifeless  material  reality  to  
further  their  own  evolutionary  ends.    The  outcome  from  this  world-­‐view  is  summarized  
by  the  Zen  scholar,  D.T.  Suzuki:  “Man  is  against  God,  Nature  is  against  God,  and  Man  
and  Nature  are  against  each  other.”110    
  The  cosmology  of  the  fourth  dimension  bleeds  the  mystery  from  nature  and  
replaces  it  with  rational  laws  and  machine-­‐like  processes.    Because  the  “grand  machine”  
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of  the  universe  can  be  understood  through  the  analyzing  intellect,  there  is  the  
assumption  that,  in  time,  all  questions  about  the  cosmos  will  vanish  before  the  
dissecting  power  of  science.    Awe  is  replaced  with  agnosticism.    In  assuming  we  are  
material  beings  that  are  cut-­‐off  from  meaningful  connection  with  the  larger  universe  
and,  in  further  assuming  that  we  can  only  rely  upon  our  intellect  and  physical  senses  to  
acquire  useful  information,  the  role  and  value  of  intuition,  prayer,  dreams  and  other  
subjective  sources  of  knowing  are  discounted  and  even  denied.      
  The  materialistic  and  intellectual  orientation  of  the  fourth  stage  is  a  double-­‐
edged  sword.    On  the  one  hand,  it  promotes  unprecedented  economic  growth  and  
scientific  understanding.    On  the  other  hand,  the  rational  orientation  negates  the  
validity  of  many  subjective  or  “spiritual”  experiences.    Although  this  era  is  often  called  
the  age  of  “enlightenment,”  ironically,  it  diminished  our  access  to  enlightening  
experiences.111      The  four-­‐dimensional  frame  of  reference:    
 
1)  Is  profoundly  relativistic  and  denies  the  existence  of  a  grand-­‐scale  simultaneity  of  
time  or  a  cosmic-­‐now,  thereby  negating  the  experience  of  “cosmic  
consciousness,”    
 
2)  Views  the  individual  as  entirely  encapsulated  within  a  biological  body  and  thus  
cut  off  from  direct  experience  of  a  divine  Life-­‐force,  and    
 
3)  Considers  consciousness  to  be  a  product  of  biochemical  processes  and  
neurological  complexity,  thereby  negating  consciousness  as  an  infusing  presence  
in  the  cosmos.      
 
  The  biologically-­‐based,  materialistic  cosmology  of  the  fourth  stage  reduced  
enlightening  experiences  to  an  “altered  state  of  consciousness”—an  experience  of  
biological  well-­‐being  that  occurs  when  there  is  harmonious  functioning  between  the  
body  and  brain.    The  language  of  materialism—altered  states  of  consciousness—  
indicates  this  perceptual  paradigm  approaches  reality  by  taking  static  mental  snap-­‐shots  
of  a  world  that  is  forever  moving.    Yet  these  mental  snap-­‐shots  are  second-­‐hand  
representations  of  reality  and  are  not  themselves  the  real  thing,  because  the  universe  
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being  “mentally  photographed”  is  never  at  rest.    The  pervasive  dynamism  of  reality  is  
invisible  to  a  materialistic  and  intellectual  view  which  sees  a  stable  world  of  concrete  
objects.112      
 
The  Seasons  of  the  4th  Dimension  
  With  each  successive  dimensional  epoch,  we  have  seen  a  dramatic  reduction  in  
the  amount  of  time  required  to  move  through  it.    The  industrial  era  conforms  to  that  
pattern.    A  skeletal  overview  of  the  major  seasons  of  growth  involved  in  the  unfolding  of  
the  scientific-­‐industrial  paradigm  is  described  below.      
   
  •  Transition  from  the  Agrarian  Era  (1500  A.D.  1800  A.D.)—There  is  evidence  that  
the  scientific-­‐industrial  revolution  began  to  emerge  in  Europe  as  early  as  1200;  however,  
it  did  not  become  a  dominant  force  in  England  and  Europe  until  four  hundred  years  later  
in  the  mid-­‐1600s.    The  experience  of  England  provides  a  useful  way  to  summarize  and  
illustrate  the  industrializing  process.    In  1200,  England  was  still  dominated  by  the  feudal  
system.    By  the  1400s,  it  was  a  sea-­‐faring  nation  with  a  mixture  of  commercial  and  
feudal  characteristics.    By  the  1600s,  England  was  rapidly  becoming  a  more  commercial  
and  capitalist  society  than  feudal  society  and,  by  the  1700s,  the  commercial  economic  
sector  and  capitalists  had  gained  national  influence.113    Although  the  vast  majority  of  
persons  still  lived  on  farms,  by  the  1700s  a  mechanized  sector  was  developing  rapidly  in  
the  expanding  cities  where  the  basic  labor  was  paid  labor,  and  the  ruling  class  was  the  
capitalist  class.114    As  this  example  illustrates,  the  industrial  revolution  was  actually  a  
gradual  transformation  that,  in  the  case  of  England  (generally  regarded  as  the  pioneer  
for  the  industrial  era),  spread  out  over  a  period  of  five  centuries.      
  An  interesting  example  of  the  new  degree  of  reflective  consciousness  in  Europe  
in  the  renaissance  is  provided  by  Morris  Berman  in  his  book,  Coming  To  Our  Senses.    
Berman  describes  how  after  the  1600s  there  was  a  rise  of  self-­‐consciousness  in  table  
manners.    In  etiquette  books  there  was  “...a  preoccupation  with  how  one  will  appear  to  
an  external  observer—a  preoccupation  that  requires  taking  a  position  on  yourself  as  a  
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‘specimen,’  an  object  of  contemplation.”115      The  upper  and  middle  classes  “...came  to  
be  detached  observers  of  their  own  behavior,  in  contrast  to  the  more  spontaneous  and  
‘blurry’  behavior  of  the  Middle  Ages.”116        
  The  scientific-­‐industrial  world  view  is  summarized  elegantly  by  Richard  Tarnas  
who  writes  that  in  the  period  between  the  fifteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries,  “...the  
West  saw  the  emergence  of  a  newly  self-­‐conscious  and  autonomous  human  being—
curious  about  the  world,  confident  in  his  own  judgments,  skeptical  of  orthodoxies,  
rebellious  against  authority,  responsible  for  his  own  beliefs  and  actions...conscious  of  
his  distinctness  from  nature,  aware  of  his  artistic  powers  as  individual  creator,  assured  
of  his  intellectual  capacity  to  comprehend  and  control  nature,  and  altogether  less  
dependent  on  an  omnipotent  God.”117      
 
  •  Springtime  (1750  to  1900)—The  1700s  were  a  time  of  decisive  breakthrough  in  
science  with  stunning  advances  in  chemistry,  astronomy,  physics  and  biology.    However,  
it  is  the  revolution  in  technology  represented  by  James  Watt’s  first  commercially  
successful  steam  engine  in  1765  that,  for  many,  marks  the  take-­‐off  period  for  industrial  
development.    The  steam  engine  was  used  to  power  locomotives  and  boats  as  well  as  
factories.    With  this  invention,  mass  production—and  mass  urbanization—proceeded  in  
earnest,  particularly  in  England,  Europe  and  the  United  States.    Many  other  
technological  innovations  converged  to  further  advance  the  industrial  revolution;  for  
example,  the  McCormick  reaper,  developed  in  the  mid-­‐1800s,  helped  to  further  
revolutionize  agriculture  with  mass  harvesting  techniques.    With  new  technologies  
increasing  agricultural  efficiency,  the  proportion  of  the  population  living  in  cities  and  
working  in  factories  increased  steadily  and  a  peasant  class  was  being  transformed  into  a  
middle  class.      
 
  •  Summertime  (1900  to  1970)—The  full  blossoming  of  industrial  activity  did  not  
occur  until  the  early  1900s  (again,  initially  in  the  United  States  and  Western  Europe).    
The  gasoline-­‐powered  automobile,  airplane,  widespread  use  of  electricity,  lightbulbs,  
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telephones,  and  many  other  key  innovations  emerged  in  the  early  1900s.    The  pace  of  
invention  accelerated  dramatically  during  the  two  world  wars,  which  put  a  premium  on  
new  technologies  of  transportation,  communication  and  destruction.    Early  in  this  
century,  Einstein  developed  the  theory  of  relativity  and  brought  our  intellectual  
understanding  of  space  and  time  into  harmony  with  the  felt-­‐experience  of  the  past  
several  centuries.    By  the  1960s,  industrial  societies  in  the  West  had  radio,  television,  
the  nuclear  bomb,  jet  engines,  suburban  cultures,  and  “future  shock.”    The  pace  of  
material  and  social  change  was  accelerating  exponentially.    
 
  •  Autumn  and  Transition  (1970  to  2000)—Placing  a  man  on  the  moon  in  1969  
seems  to  symbolize  the  fullest  blossoming  of  the  scientific-­‐industrial  era—not  only  was  
this  a  stunning  technological  achievement,  it  also  symbolized  the  opening  of  a  new  era  
of  reflective  consciousness.    Humanity  was  now  able  to  stand  back  and  see  the  Earth  as  
a  living  biosphere  hanging  in  deep  space.    Simultaneously,  the  problems  of  
environmental  pollution  and  resource  depletion  were  becoming  a  widespread  public  
concern  and  this  was  symbolized  by  the  first  “Earth  Day”  in  1970.    Finally,  1972  marks  
the  beginning  of  the  global  debate  over  the  issue  of  “limits  to  growth.”    Consequently,  
1970  seems  a  useful  demarcation  for  the  beginnings  of  the  autumn  of  growth  for  the  
industrial  era,  and  the  for  the  transition  into  a  new  dimensional  perspective.  
  By  the  early  1990s,  we  can  see  a  number  of  forces  at  work  that  promise  to  
generate  fundamental  changes  in  how  we  see  ourselves,  the  universe  and  nature.    Once  
again,  these  represent  far  more  than  surface  turbulence—they  foreshadow  deep  
changes  in  our  perceptions  of  reality,  identity  and  society  that  have  already  begun  to  
create  a  new  culture  and  consciousness:    
 
1)  Television,  satellites  and  computers  are  merging  into  an  integrated,  multi-­‐media  
system  and  creating  a  central  nervous  system  for  the  planet  that  is  transforming  
virtually  every  aspect  of  life.  The  global  communications  revolution  is  just  
getting  underway  but  is  already  having  a  profound  impact  on  world  politics  and  
is  awakening  a  new  consciousness  among  the  people  of  the  Earth.    
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2)  A  global  shift  towards  democratic  forms  of  government  and  greater  citizen  
participation  in  decision-­‐making  indicates  that  a  new  level  of  conscious  self-­‐
determination  is  emerging.  
 
3)  A  global  environmental  movement  is  emerging  that  is  deeply  concerned  with  
the  health  of  the  Earth’s  ecology.    This  movement  also  has  a  strong  concern  for  
other  life-­‐forms  and  future  generations  as  well  as  sustainable  development    at  
a  global  scale.    
 
 4)  A  “Gaian  perspective”  has  emerged  that  views  the  Earth  as  a  self-­‐regulating  
system  that  works  through  complex  feedback  mechanisms  to  maintain  itself  
within  fairly  close  parameters  of  climate  and  chemistry.    Extrapolating  from  the  
wisdom  of  natural  systems,  humanity  can  begin  to  see  its  need  to  become  a  
consciously  self-­‐regulating  and  self-­‐governing  global  community.      
 
5)  A  feminist  movement  is  challenging  the  masculine  orientation  that  has  
dominated  the  scientific-­‐industrial  era.    The  new  feminine  archetype  is  bringing  
a  concern  for  relationships,  a  reverence  for  nature,  and  an  appreciation  for  
community.      
 
6)  There  is  widespread  interest  in  a  new  physics  that  is  seeking  to  unify  the  
fragmented  and  materialistic  view  of  the  universe  that  underlies  the  industrial-­‐
era  paradigm.    Unification  in  physics  has  its  parallels  in  a  concern  for  whole-­‐
systems  thinking  in  biology,  ecology,  psychology  and  elsewhere.      
 
7)  There  is  growing  interest  in  humanity’s  diverse  spiritual  traditions.    Wisdom  that  
has  developed  slowly  over  thousands  of  years  in  isolated  spiritual  traditions  is  
now  suddenly  available  to  people  around  the  world.    A  new  global  spirituality  is  
emerging  that  respects  the  common  wisdom  at  the  heart  of  all  the  world’s  
religious  traditions.  
 
8)  Research  into  biofeedback,  the  healing  power  of  the  psyche,  parapsychology,  
etc.  suggest  consciousness  is  a  phenomenon  whose  potentials  transcend  those  
recognized  by  the  scientific  paradigm  of  the  industrial  era.    Consciousness  
research  will,  in  turn,  foster  a  co-­‐evolutionary  view  of  reality.  
 
  The  blossoming  of  these  and  other  developments  indicates  that  a  new  
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perceptual  paradigm  is  coalescing,  particularly  in  Western  industrial  cultures.    A  

significant  fraction  of  humanity  is  making  the  transition  from  a  mentalistic  and  
materialistic  view  of  reality,  to  one  that  includes  a  transpersonal  dimension  and  a  co-­‐
evolutionary  view  of  culture  and  consciousness.    A  new  springtime  of  growth  in  the  
dimensional  evolution  of  the  planet  is  already  beginning  to  emerge.    
 
 
Summary  
  The  perceptual  paradigm  of  the  scientific-­‐industrial  era  generated  an  epoch  of  
unprecedented  social  dynamism,  moral  relativism,  intellectual  absolutism,  nation-­‐state  
egotism,  and  technological  giantism.    Both  humans  and  the  rest  of  life  on  the  planet  
have  paid  a  very  high  price  for  the  learning  realized  during  this  era.    Although  people  in  
industrialized  societies  are  more  intellectually  sophisticated  and  psychologically  
differentiated,  they  are  also  more  isolated—feeling  separated  from  the  divine  Life-­‐force,  
nature  and  other  persons.    The  life  and  mystery  of  the  cosmos  have  been  bleached  out  
by  analytical  science,  leaving  us  adrift  in  a  universe  that  seems  indifferent  to  our  
struggles.    Feelings  of  companionship  and  community  have  been  stripped  away  as  many  
live  nearly  alone  in  vast  urban  regions  of  alienating  scale  and  complexity.    
Unprecedented  economic  and  political  freedom  have  been  won,  but  at  great  cost  when  
life  seems  to  have  little  meaning  or  sense  of  purpose  beyond  ever  more  consumption.    
The  perceptual  paradigm  of  the  scientific-­‐industrial  era  has  immense  drive  but  virtually  
no  sense  of  direction  beyond  sheer  accumulation.    It  is  a  dynamic  with  no  moral  anchor  
or  guiding  ethic—an  economic  engine  with  no  idea  where  it  is  going  beyond  its  drive  to  
acquire  material  things  and  material  power.      
  The  perceptual  paradigm  of  the  industrial  era  will  take  humanity  as  far  from  our  
connection  with  the  divine  Life-­‐force  as  we  will  ever  experience.    Feeling  alone  and  
disconnected  from  the  universe,  this  is  an  era  of  both  alienation  and  empowerment  for  
humanity.    In  seeing  the  fragility  of  our  planet’s  ecosystems  and  the  damage  we  have  
already  done,  our  attention  must  shift  to  discovering  how  the  human  family  can  live  
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sustainably  on  the  Earth.        

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Chapter  5  
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Fifth  Stage:  

REFLECTIVE  CONSCIOUSNESS  AND    

THE  ERA  OF  COMMUNICATION    
AND  RECONCILIATION  
 
 
Overview  
The  fifth  dimension  will  be  the  stage  where  the  observing  capacity  is  turned  back  
upon  the  self  and,  with  a  witnessing  or  reflective  consciousness,  people  will  be  able  to  
approach  life  with  a  new  measure  of  detachment.    This  will  be  an  epoch  of  global  stress  
and  challenge  as  humanity  must  cope  with  an  intertwined  pattern  of  critical  problems  
generated  by  the  scientific-­‐industrial  era,  including  resource  depletion,  climate  change,  
pollution  and  overpopulation.    A  more  detached  perspective  will  support  the  process  of  
local  to  global  communication  that  can  lead  to  reconciliation  around  a  shared  vision  of  a  
sustainable  future.    New  multi-­‐media  systems  that  integrate  television,  satellites,  and  
computers  will  provide  the  “social  brain”  for  world  civilization  to  know  its  own  mind  and  
communicate  its  way  through  this  stressful  stage.      
 
Introduction  
  On  entering  the  fifth  stage  we  move  into  the  unknown.    Caught  within  a  rapidly  
closing  circle  of  problems,  the  human  family  is  challenged  to  reconcile  its  many  
differences  and  actively  cooperate  in  building  a  sustainable  future.    Humanity  has  never  
had  to  work  together  to  preserve  a  habitable  planet,  so  we  should  not  be  surprised  that  
this  is  unfamiliar  territory.    We  are  pioneers  in  a  new  dimension  of  perception  and  
action.    
  Global  reconciliation  requires  global  communication.    It  seems  no  accident  that  
the  same  generation  of  technology  that  brought  humanity  tools  of  mass  destruction  
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also  brought  counterbalancing  tools  of  mass  communication.    We  are  caught  up  in  a  
worldwide  race  between  communication  and  catastrophe.    We  need  no  miraculous  new  
technologies  in  order  to  win  this  race.    Humanity  is,  if  anything,  already  overendowed  
with  tools  of  mass  communication  that  can  rapidly  transform  our  drift  toward  calamity  
into  an  exciting  and  purposeful  process  of  reconciliation  around  a  pathway  of  
sustainable  development.        
  No  one  can  predict  which  pathway  we  will  choose  during  the  second  half  of  our  
journey  of  civilizational  awakening.    If  humanity  remains  divided  against  itself  and  pitted  
against  nature,  our  future  is  bleak.    Whether  we  realize  our  potentials  for  integration  
into  a  synergistic  planetary  civilization  is  a  matter  of  our  own  choosing.    It  has  taken  
nearly  forty  thousand  years  for  us  humans  to  pull  ourselves  free  from  absorption  in  
nature  and  stand  apart  in  our  uniqueness.    Now  our  hard-­‐won  separation  threatens  our  
survival.    We  have  reached  a  pivotal  time  in  our  species  evolution  when  we  must  make  a  
momentous  turn  to  reconnect  with  the  natural  world  from  which  we  struggled  so  
mightily  to  escape  and  to  heal  the  separations  that  divide  us  as  a  human  family.      
 
A  Bittersweet  Epoch  
  The  era  of  reflective  consciousness  and  planetary  reconciliation  will  likely  be  a  
bittersweet  epoch—one  that  will  initially  bring  a  bitter  spring  and  summer  in  the  form  of  
unprecedented  suffering  for  all  of  life  on  Earth.    Later  it  may  bring  a  sweet  autumn  of  
harvest  if  humanity  is  successful  in  achieving  authentic  global  reconciliation  around  a  
sustainable  future.        
  We  will  learn  many  lessons  in  the  coming  epoch,  primarily  those  that  concern  
our  capacity  for  psychological,  cultural,  and  spiritual  reconciliation  as  a  global  family.    
Before  we  achieve  reconciliation  in  that  now-­‐distant  autumn,  we  will  first  have  to  learn  
how  to  live  together  cooperatively  on  this  planet.    We  will  have  to  discover  how  to  
actively  listen  to  one  another  as  a  diverse,  global  culture.    We  will  have  to  develop  a  
deep  and  genuine  capacity  for  mutual  understanding  and  mutual  appreciation.    These  
changes  will  not  occur  without  a  profound  transformation  in  how  we  see  one  another  as  
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a  human  family.    Fortunately  this  transformation  in  consciousness  is  already  in  progress  
and  appears  to  be  gaining  momentum  roughly  in  proportion  to  the  pace  with  which  the  
world  moves  into  the  full  blossoming  of  the  communications  era.  
  Powered  by  a  communications  revolution,  a  significant  threshold  in  species  
awareness  and  evolution  is  already  being  crossed:  We  are  beginning  to  know  ourselves  
as  an  entire  human  family.    A  few  hours  of  species-­‐awakening  occurred  in  1969  when  
people  around  the  world  paused  to  watch  the  moon  landing.    A  few  more  hours  
occurred  with  the  “Live  Aid”  television  broadcast  in  1985  to  raise  famine-­‐relief  funds  for  
Africa—a  program  that  was  seen  by  roughly  two  billion  persons  around  the  planet.    For  
many  people,  much  of  the  significance  of  these  two  events  came  from  knowing  that  
many  other  people  around  the  Earth  were  sharing  in  this  same  experience  all  at  the  
same  moment.        
  The  ability  collectively  to  witness  our  own  knowing  represents  a  powerful  
evolutionary  advance  because  it  enables  us  to  take  charge  of  our  social  development  
with  a  new  level  of  clarity  and  intentionality.    When  we  can  see  our  actions  in  the  mirror  
of  reflective  knowing,  we  can  become  self-­‐directing  agents  of  our  own  evolution.    Our  
knowing  becomes  undeniably  self-­‐evident,  and  this  promotes  accountability,  
responsibility,  and  follow-­‐through  in  personal  and  social  action.      
  We  are  acquiring  the  capacity  for  reflective  consciousness  at  the  civilizational  
scale  just  in  time.    The  problems  generated  by  our  semiconscious  material  evolution  are  
becoming  so  severe  that  a  witnessing  consciousness  is  crucial  if  we  are  to  avoid  either  
feudal  stagnation  or  biospheric  collapse.        
 
Planetary  Compression  and  Transformation  
  A  painful  reality  seems  to  lie  at  the  heart  of  the  evolutionary  process:  We  seem  
to  grow  only  through  the  push  of  dire  necessity.    If  that  is  so,  then  the  formidable  
challenges  we  face  in  the  decades  ahead  seem  designed  to  provide  the  crises  needed  to  
awaken  the  capacity  for  reflective  consciousness  so  that  we  can  employ  this  capacity  to  
secure  our  long-­‐term  survival  as  a  species.    Although  each  stage  of  development  has  
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been  immensely  demanding,  the  coming  stage  may  be  the  most  painful  and  difficult  
humanity  will  ever  face.    Massive  famine,  civil  unrest,  and  ecological  devastation  may  be  
necessary  to  motivate  humanity  to  genuinely  unite  in  a  shared  effort  to  live  together  
cooperatively  on  the  planet.    If  so,  we  will  not  choose  a  path  of  sustainability  without  
first  looking  directly  into  the  abyss  of  a  new  dark  age  of  planetary  feudalism  that  
reaches  into  an  endless  future  of  suffering  and  sorrow.    Only  after  humanity  comes  face-­‐
to-­‐face  with  its  destructive  potentials  and  divided  past  will  we  begin  to  build  a  unified  
future.      
  We  are  moving  into  a  time  of  steel-­‐gripped  necessity—a  time  of  intense,  
planetary  compression.    Within  a  generation  the  world  will  become  a  superheated  
pressure  cooker  in  which  the  human  family  is  crushed  by  the  combined  and  unrelenting  
forces  of  an  expanding  world  population,  a  dramatically  destabilized  global  climate,  
dwindling  supplies  of  nonrenewable  energy,  and  mounting  environmental  pollution.    
The  circle  has  closed,  and  there  is  nowhere  to  escape.    These  forces  are  so  unyielding,  
and  the  stresses  they  will  place  on  our  world  are  so  extreme,  that  human  civilization  will  
either  descend  into  chaos  or  ascend  in  a  spiraling  process  of  profound  transformation.    
On  the  one  hand,  if  humanity  is  unwilling  to  work  for  the  advance  of  all,  then  the  world  
will  collapse  into  resource  wars,  and  misery,  poverty,  and  calamity  will  descend  on  the  
planet.    On  the  other  hand,  unprecedented  suffering  may  awaken  humanity  by  burning  
through  the  unconscious  denial,  greed,  and  fear  that  now  divide  us.    A  new  human  alloy  
may  emerge  from  the  furnace  of  these  superheated  decades.    Fiery  compression  may  
fuse  the  human  family  together  with  a  new  sense  of  identity  that  is  strong  enough  to  
support  the  building  of  a  sustainable  global  civilization.    
  It  seems  only  natural  that  humanity  would  reach,  and  then  extend  beyond,  its  
limits  to  growth.    Because  nearly  every  organism  will  work  to  exploit  its  ecological  niche  
to  the  fullest  extent,  overshoot  and  collapse  is  a  common  occurrence  in  natural  systems.    
Since  we  have  never  before  had  such  powerful  access  to  the  entire  planet  as  our  
“ecological  niche,”  we  have  no  experience  in  exercising  restraint  as  a  species  and  caring  
for  the  overall  biosphere.    We  learn  through  experience,  and  we  have  never  
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encountered  this  situation  before;  so  we  should  not  be  surprised  if  a  great  tragedy  is  
necessary  to  awaken  the  evolutionary  intelligence  of  humanity.    Great  compassion  will  
be  needed  to  cope  with  the  immense  suffering  that  will  result  from  the  combination  of  
our  technological  powers  and  our  limited  experience.        
  The  suffering  of  the  coming  era  will  not  be  without  value  or  purpose.    The  
immense  hardship  of  these  transitional  times  will  liberate  humanity  from  its  narrow  
concerns  and  restricted  sense  of  community  and  will  generate  instead  a  strong  sense  of  
species-­‐identity.    Despite  all  our  good  intentions,  without  this  coming  era  of  collective  
distress  and  adversity,  the  human  family  is  unlikely  to  awaken  to  its  global  identity  and  
evolutionary  responsibility.    It  is  the  immense  suffering  of  millions—even  billions—of  
precious  human  beings  coupled  with  the  widespread  destruction  of  many  other  life-­‐
forms  that  will  burn  through  our  complacency  and  isolation.    Needless  suffering  is  the  
psychological  and  psychic  fire  that  can  awaken  our  compassion  and  fuse  individuals,  
communities,  and  nations  into  a  cohesive  and  consciously  organized  global  civilization.  
 
Global  Reconciliation:  A  Multiple  Challenge  
  A  world  divided  against  itself  is  a  recipe  for  global  collapse.    Reflective  
consciousness  provides  the  vehicle  for  getting  beyond  a  competitive  stalemate  and  for  
reconciling  the  polarities  that  divide  the  world  and  keep  it  from  working  as  an  
integrated  system.    Reconciliation  does  not  mean  that  past  injustices  and  grievances  are  
erased;  rather,  by  being  publicly  acknowledged  and  accepted,  they  no  longer  stand  in  
the  way  of  our  collective  progress.    When  injustices  are  mutually  acknowledged,  it  
releases  both  parties  from  the  need  to  continue  the  process  of  blaming  and  feeling  
resentful;  instead  they  can  focus  on  cooperative  actions  for  building  a  sustainable  
future.    Humanity  needs  to  bring  a  spirit  of  reconciliation  to  many  areas:        
 
•  Economic  reconciliation—Enormous  disparities  exist  between  the  rich  and  the  
poor.    Reconciliation  requires  narrowing  these  differences  and  establishing  a  
world  minimum  standard  for  economic  well-­‐being  that  supports  people  in  
realizing  their  potentials.    Economic  reconciliation  also  suggests  that  wealthier  
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people  and  nations  would  begin  to  voluntarily  simplify  their  participation  in  the  
material  side  of  life  and  to  shift  increasing  amounts  of  energy  into  psychological,  
cultural,  and  spiritual  growth  while  at  the  same  time  assisting  developing  
nations.    
 
•  Ecological  reconciliation—Living  in  sacred  harmony  with  the  Earth’s  biosphere  is  
essential  if  we  are  to  survive  and  evolve  as  a  species.    We  need  to  restore  the  
Earth’s  ecological  system  and  recognize  that  humanity  is  but  one  among  millions  
of  species  of  plants  and  animals.    Our  future  depends  on  the  integrity  of  the  
overall  ecological  system,  whose  strength,  in  turn,  depends  on  the  presence  of  a  
broad  diversity  of  plants  and  animals.    To  move  from  indifference  and  
exploitation  to  reverential  stewardship  will  require  reconciliation  with  the  larger  
community  of  life  on  the  Earth.    
 
•  Political  reconciliation—Assuming  democracy  is  the  natural  political  expression  
of  a  mature  society  of  self-­‐determining  individuals,  we  must  reconcile  ourselves  
to  working  with  diverse  expressions  of  democracy  and  with  the  different  views  
and  values  among  the  people  of  the  world.    With  reconciliation  we  can  sustain  a  
vigorous  conversation  among  the  citizens  of  the  Earth  regarding  our  collective  
pathway  into  the  future.  
 
•  Spiritual  reconciliation—Religious  intolerance  has  produced  some  of  the  
bloodiest  wars  in  human  history.    Vital  to  humanity’s  future  is  reconciliation  
among  the  world’s  spiritual  traditions  (for  example,  Catholics  and  Protestants  in  
Northern  Ireland,  Arabs  and  Jews  in  the  Middle  East,  Muslims  and  Hindus  in  
India).    We  need  to  learn  to  appreciate  the  core  insights  of  each  tradition  and  to  
see  each  as  a  different  facet  in  the  common  jewel  of  human  spiritual  wisdom.  
 
•  Racial,  ethnic  and  gender  reconciliation—Racial,  ethnic,  and  sexual  
discrimination  profoundly  divide  humanity  against  itself.    To  work  together  for  
our  common  future,  we  must  build  a  global  culture  of  mutual  respect  that  
enables  us  to  work  together  as  equals.    This  does  not  mean  that  we  will  ignore  
sexual,  racial,  and  ethnic  differences;  rather  they  will  no  longer  generate  the  
social  gridlock  that  prevents  us  from  building  a  sustainable  and  satisfying  future.      
 
•  Generational  reconciliation—Sustainable  development  has  been  described  as  
that  which  meets  the  needs  of  the  present  without  compromising  the  ability  of  
future  generations  to  meet  their  needs.118      Because  many  industrial  nations  are  
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consuming  nonrenewable  resources,  such  as  oil  and  natural  gas,  in  a  way  that  
will  diminish  the  ability  of  subsequent  generations  to  meet  their  needs,  we  must  
begin  to  reconcile  ourselves  consciously  with  generations  yet  unborn.    A  wise  
example  of  reconciliation  across  generations  is  provided  by  the  Iroquois  Indians  
who  made  major  decisions  based  upon  their  expected  impact  seven  generations  
into  the  future.    
 
  Although  we  can  already  see  the  broad  outlines  of  what  is  required  to  build  a  
sustainable  future,  the  human  family  is  a  long  way  from  being  ready  to  work  together  to  
create  such  a  future.    We  need  an  unprecedented  level  of  communication,  
understanding  and  reconciliation  before  we  can  work  together  cooperatively.    Yet  it  is  
often  very  difficult  for  a  person,  community,  or  nation  to  accept  responsibility  for  their  
past  excesses  and  to  seek  new  and  healthy  relationships.    The  world  is  filled  with  
instances  of  genocide,  religious  intolerance,  racial  and  gender  discrimination,  
oppression  of  ethnic  minorities,  abuses  of  political  and  economic  power,  environmental  
destruction,  and  the  extinction  of  other  species.    Some  of  these  tragedies  have  festered  
for  many  generations  and  this  makes  the  bridging  of  differences  very  difficult.    
Nonetheless  without  deep  and  authentic  communication  across  these  barriers  of  
suffering,  humanity  will  remain  divided  and  mistrustful—and  our  collective  future  will  
be  gravely  imperiled.119        
  Each  dimensional  epoch  challenges  us  to  realize  a  new  level  of  human  maturity.    
There  is  no  doubt  that  great  personal  and  social  maturity  will  be  required  in  order  for  
people  to  give  up  their  claims  of  resentment  for  past  abuses  and  to  make  a  good  faith  
effort  to  resolve  injustices  and  injuries  so  that  the  human  family  can  work  together  for  
its  common  good.    Bringing  legitimate  grievances  into  public  awareness,  mourning  the  
mistakes  of  the  past,  taking  responsibility  for  participation  in  them,  and  then  seeking  
just  and  realistic  remedies—these  difficult  actions  are  at  the  heart  of  the  era  of  
reconciliation.    We  need  unprecedented  communication  to  discover  our  common  
humanity  from  a  place  of  uncommon  humility.    With  reconciliation,  social  energy  that  
was  immobilized  in  resentment  will  be  freed  up  and  become  available  for  productive  
working  relationships.        
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The  Fifth  Dimension:  Reflective  Consciousness  
  It  is  important  to  differentiate  the  reflective  consciousness  of  awakening  hunter-­‐
gathers  from  that  of  modern  humans  entering  the  fifth  stage.    The  reflective  
consciousness  of  the  hunter-­‐gatherer  was  extremely  limited  and  was  focused  primarily  
on  the  bare  fact  of  physical  existence  in  the  here  and  now.    Consciousness  (or  the  
knowing  faculty)  was  not  sufficiently  developed  to  be  able  deliberately  to  reflect  on  
much  more  than  the  simple  reality  of  bodily  existence  and  sensations.    Thousands  of  
years  of  development  were  required  before  most  humans  were  able  to  reflect  
knowingly  upon  an  emotional  life  (so  fundamental  to  the  agrarian  era),  and  additional  
thousands  of  years  were  required  before  humans  were  able  to  reflect  upon  a  mental  or  
intellectual  life  (so  basic  to  the  scientific-­‐industrial  era).    With  the  fifth  stage  or  
communications  era,  the  capacity  for  self-­‐reflective  functioning  takes  another  quantum  
leap  forward  as  humanity  consciously  recognizes  the  existence  of  consciousness.    
Evolution  and  learning  begin  to  embrace  realms  beyond  those  of  the  physical  senses  as  
consciousness  is  seen  as  a  unique  aspect  of  the  universe  whose  trans-­‐material  
potentials  involve  far  more  than  brain  chemistry  and  biology.    As  the  distinctive  nature  
and  evolutionary  importance  of  consciousness  (or  the  witnessing  capacity)  become  
firmly  established,  the  validity  and  reality  of  the  polarity  of  observer  and  observed  (or  
knower  and  known)  will  become  anchored  in  mass  social  consciousness.    In  turn  it  is  the  
detachment  and  perspective  provided  by  this  polarity  that  will  support  the  process  of  
communication  and  reconciliation  that  is  unique  to  the  evolutionary  unfoldment  of  the  
fifth  stage.      
  Where  the  four-­‐dimensional,  scientific  view  of  reality  bleached  the  life  from  
nature  and  left  a  machine-­‐like  cosmos  filled  mostly  with  dead  matter  and  empty  space,  
the  experience  of  the  fifth  dimension  awakens  the  intuition  that  a  living  presence  
permeates  the  universe.    In  the  spacious  mirror  of  reflective  consciousness  we  begin  to  
catch  glimpses  of  the  unity  of  the  interwoven  fabric  of  the  cosmos  and  our  intimate  
participation  within  the  living  web  of  existence.    No  longer  is  reality  broken  into  
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relativistic  islands  or  pieces.    If  only  for  a  brief  moment  at  a  time,  existence  is  glimpsed  
and  known  as  a  seamless  totality.    To  explore  our  gradual  awakening  to  the  aliveness  
and  unity  of  the  universe,  it  is  important  to  introduce  five  basic  concepts:    
 
1)  There  is  a  deep  symmetry  in  the  geometry  of  the  cosmos;  consequently,  the  
attributes  of  the  next  three  stages  of  development  mirror  important  aspects  of  
the  previous  three  stages.      
 
2)  A  trinity  of  constituents  comprise  our  reality:  matter,  consciousness  and  the  
Meta-­‐universe.    Matter  and  consciousness  are  co-­‐equal  and  mutually  revealing  
of  one  another  whereas  the  Meta-­‐universe  is  fundamental  and  is  the  Life-­‐energy  
that  infuses  and  sustains  our  cosmos.      
 
3)  The  totality  of  the  cosmos  is  being  continuously  re-­‐created  at  each  moment.      
 
4)  We  are  involved  in  a  process  of  coevolution,  or  the  synergistic  unfolding  of  both  
the  material  and  the  consciousness  aspects  of  existence.  
 
5)  A  primary  evolutionary  goal  is  to  fulfill  our  unique  potential  for  self-­‐referencing  
consciousness  and  thereby  to  experience  our  core  nature.  
 
  By  combining  these  five  ingredients  of  symmetry,  trinity,  continuous  creation,  
coevolution,  and  double-­‐wisdom,  we  can  describe  the  next  three  stages  as  we  work  to  
develop  our  full  capacities  as  self-­‐referencing  beings  and  civilizations.    Because  these  
core  aspects  of  dimensional  cosmology  are  discussed  at  length  in  the  second  section  of  
this  book,  I  will  give  here  only  a  brief  overview  of  the  first  three  of  these  assumptions  
(the  latter  two  were  discussed  in  the  introduction).      
 
  •  Symmetry—The  first  three  perceptual  paradigms  were  straightforward:  The  
second  dimension  revealed  the  flat  fact  of  material  existence;  the  third  dimension  
revealed  depth  qualities  of  that  existence;  and  the  fourth  dimension  revealed  the  
dynamism  of  material  existence.      Given  the  deep  symmetry  of  the  cosmos,  I  assume  
these  three  attributes  are  repeated  again  at  a  higher  level  to  reveal  the  simple  fact,  
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depth,  and  dynamism  of  the  consciousness  aspects  of  existence  (while  continuing  the  
co-­‐evolutionary  unfolding  with  the  material  aspects  of  existence).    This  symmetry  is  
essential  if  life-­‐forms  are  to  know  themselves  accurately  and  fully  and  thereby  pull  
themselves  together  into  self-­‐referencing  and  self-­‐directing  organisms.    Extrapolating  
from  principles  of  symmetry,  where  the  second  dimension  revealed  the  simple  fact  of  
form,  I  assume  the  fifth  dimension  reveals  the  simple  fact  of  consciousness.    In  turn,  
where  the  third  dimension  revealed  the  depth  of  form,  I  assume  the  sixth  dimension  
reveals  the  depth  of  consciousness.    Finally,  where  the  fourth  dimension  revealed  the  
dynamism  of  form,  I  assume  the  seventh  dimension  reveals  the  dynamism  of  
consciousness.      
 
  •  Trinity—In  the  first  chapter  matter  and  consciousness  were  described  as  
coequal  aspects  of  reality  that  emerge  and  develop  together.    Matter  and  consciousness  
are  mutually  supportive  and  enabling  of  one  another  in  the  process  of  coevolution.    
They  arise  together  from  an  infinitely  deep,  generative  ground  of  pure  awareness  that  I  
call  the  Meta-­‐universe.    Our  evolutionary  journey  unfolds  as  we  identify  first  with  our  
material  aspects  (the  second  through  fourth  dimensions)  and  then  with  our  
consciousness  aspects  (the  fifth  through  seventh  dimensions).    Finally  we  discover,  in  
freedom,  that  our  deepest  nature  is  unbounded,  pure  awareness  (the  eighth  dimension  
and  beyond).    To  help  clarify  these  important  distinctions,  the  following  diagram  (Figure  
7)  shows  the  synergistic  relationship  between  matter  and  consciousness  and  the  
underlying  generative  ground  or  Meta-­‐universe:  
 
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Figure  7:  The  Relationship  Between  Matter,    
Consciousness  and  the  Meta-­‐universe    
 
  The  entire  universe  (matter  and  consciousness  as  well  as  the  fabric  of  space  and  
time)  is  a  single  “standing  wave”  or  resonance  pattern  that  is  regenerated  continuously  
by  the  Meta-­‐universe.    The  continuing  existence  of  the  universe  around  us  depends  
upon  the  unbroken  generative  power  of  the  Meta-­‐universe.    Because  all  that  exists  
continuously  arises  anew,  each  person,  object,  and  place  has  a  characteristic  resonance  
that  is  produced  in  the  process  of  continuous  creation.    Every  person  and  place  has  a  
unique  personality,  or  “song,”  that  is  intrinsic  to  its  nature.      
  Neither  the  material  nor  the  consciousness  aspects  of  life  are  primary,  as  both  
continuously  arise  from  the  underlying  Meta-­‐universe.    Basic  to  this  view  of  reality  is  a  
subtle,  though  crucially  important  distinction  between  “consciousness”  and  
“awareness:”  
 
 Consciousness—This  is  the  “knowing  faculty”  and  is  always  connected  with  an  
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object  of  knowing.    Elementary  consciousness  as  well  as  rudimentary  matter  
both  emerged  with  the  Big  Bang.    Matter  and  consciousness  then  coevolve  to  
reveal  their  underlying  source,  the  Meta-­‐universe,  whose  nature  is  pure  
awareness.      
 
Awareness—This  is  the  ability  to  “know  that  we  know.”    Because  awareness  does  
not  depend  upon  reference  to  anything  to  be  self-­‐confirming,  it  is  “pure”  or  
“unconditioned.”    Awareness  is  an  intrinsic  property  of  the  Meta-­‐universe  and  is  
the  clear  Life-­‐energy  out  of  which  both  matter  and  consciousness  arise.    
 
  Our  thinking  capacity  is  associated  with  the  biological  brain,  the  reflective  
capacity  is  associated  with  consciousness,  and  the  ability  to  know  that  we  know—the  
capacity  for  direct  awareness—is  associated  with  the  generative  ground  or  Meta-­‐
universe.    The  Meta-­‐universe  is  the  Life-­‐force  whose  creative  intelligence  underlies,  
sustains,  and  transcends  the  self-­‐bounding  system  that  is  our  cosmos.    Stephen  Levine,  a  
seasoned  meditator  and  counselor  to  the  dying,  makes  this  clear  distinction  between  
awareness  and  consciousness:  
 
Awareness  is  like  a  beam  of  light  that  shines  endlessly  into  space.    We  only  
perceive  that  light  when  it  is  reflected  off  some  object  and  consciousness  is  
produced.  ...Awareness  is  the  light  by  which  we  see  the  world.  ...We  mistake  the  
clear  light  of  pure  awareness  for  the  shadows  that  it  casts  in  consciousness.  ...We  
forget  that  we  are  the  light  itself  and  imagine  that  we  are  the  densities  that  
reflect  the  light  back  to  us.120    
 

Levine  also  explains  that  while  consciousness  depends  on  awareness  for  its  existence,  
awareness  depends  on  nothing,  for  it  is  the  ground  of  existence.121        
  Although  we  are  created  from  the  transparent  energy  of  the  generative  
ground—pure  awareness—we  may  not  recognize  this  is  our  true  nature.    We  are  like  
clouds  that  do  not  realize  that  we  are  made  from  the  sky.    It  is  the  gift  of  this  world  to  
provide  us  with  innumerable  opportunities  to  encounter  ourselves  so  that  we  can  
discover  the  remarkable  nature  of  our  being.    When  our  knowing  so  knows  itself  that  it  
can  recognize  itself  even  without  our  physical  body  to  provide  an  aligning  structure  for  
knowing,  then  we  are  identical  with  the  Meta-­‐universe,  whose  nature  is  infinite  and  
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eternal.        
 

  •  Co-­‐Evolution—Consciousness  and  matter  are  inseparable:  Matter  always  arises  

with  the  mirroring  potential  of  consciousness,  and  consciousness  always  arises  with  the  
expressive  potential  of  matter.       Matter  and  consciousness  have  an  instrumental  
nature,  that  is,  they  mutually  serve  each  other  in  revealing  the  origins  from  which  both  
arise.    Awareness  has  an  intrinsic  nature  and  is  identical  with  the  deep  ground  of  Life-­‐
energy,  which  is  both  infinite  and  eternal.    The  ultimate  function  of  matter  and  
consciousness  is  to  provide  a  learning  context  whereby  we  can  freely  discover  our  
infinite  and  eternal  nature.    
  I  assume  that  every  material  manifestation  of  whatever  form  and  scale—from  an  
atom  to  a  human  being  to  a  galaxy  to  the  entire  cosmos—has  a  reflective  capacity  
appropriate  to  its  nature.122    This  does  not  mean  that  an  atom  reflects  on  existence  in  
the  same  manner  as  a  human;  rather  it  means  that  for  an  atom  to  hold  itself  together,  it  
has  a  reflective  capacity  consistent  with  its  nature  and  structure.    In  the  words  of  
physicist  Freeman  Dyson,  “Matter  in  quantum  mechanics  is  not  an  inert  substance  but  
an  active  agent,  constantly  making  choices  between  alternative  possibilities...  It  appears  
that  mind,  as  manifested  by  the  capacity  to  make  choices,  is  to  some  extent  inherent  in  
every  electron.”123      While  it  is  stunning  to  consider  that  every  level  of  the  cosmos  has  
some  degree  of  consciousness,  it  is  no  more  extraordinary  than  the  hypothesis  that  our  
cosmos  emerged  as  a  pinpoint  from  nothing  some  fifteen  billion  years  ago.    If  anything,  
it  seems  less  of  a  miracle  to  propose  the  cosmos  contains  a  pervasive  self-­‐referencing  
capability  than  it  does  to  propose  (as  does  quantum  physics)  that  the  cosmos  was  made  
from  a  “vacuum  fluctuation”—where  nothing  pushes  on  nothing  to  create  everything.      
  Given  its  translocal  potentials,  consciousness  is  not  confined  within  the  physical  
body  or  brain.    As  a  property  of  the  fifth  dimension,  reflective  consciousness  extends  
beyond  the  material  world  of  the  first  four  dimensions.    Because  reflective  
consciousness  transcends  (but  interpenetrates)  the  material  realm,  it  is  able  to  stand  
back  and  mirror  it.    It  is  this  enlarged  capacity  of  consciousness  that  enables  the  
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observer  to  look  at  the  world  with  a  greater  degree  of  detachment  or  objectivity.    In  the  
fifth  dimension,  then,  the  polarity  of  observer  and  observed  (or  knower  and  known)  is  
established  unmistakably.    Because  identity  is  no  longer  totally  confined  within  a  
materialistic  mind-­‐set,  the  fifth  dimension  provides  a  perceptual  paradigm  within  which  
we  can  work  toward  personal  and  planetary  reconciliation.      
 
  •  Continuous  Creation—Another  core  premise  is  that  the  entirety  of  our  
universe  is  a  single  living  organism  that  is  being  regenerated  in  a  flow  of  continuous  
creation.    Metaphorically  we  inhabit  a  cosmos  whose  visible  body  is  billions  of  light  
years  across,  whose  organs  include  billions  of  galaxies,  whose  cells  include  trillions  of  
suns  and  planetary  systems,  and  whose  molecules  include  an  unutterably  vast  number  
and  diversity  of  unique  life-­‐forms.    The  entirety  of  this  great  body  of  being,  including  the  
fabric  of  space-­‐time,  is  being  continuously  regenerated  as  a  self-­‐consistent  whole  at  
each  instant.    This  is  not  a  new  insight.    All  of  the  world’s  spiritual  traditions  affirm  in  
different  ways  that  we  exist  within  a  continuing  miracle  of  creation.    The  fact  that  
anything  exists  at  all  is  an  ongoing  miracle—moment  by  moment,  the  entire  cosmos  is  
being  sustained  by  the  flow-­‐through  of  a  vast  amount  of  energy.    The  Life-­‐force  that  
sustains  this  extraordinary  process  is  the  infinitely  deep  Meta-­‐universe.    If  the  Meta-­‐
universe  were  to  halt  the  flow-­‐through  of  Life-­‐energy  for  even  a  moment,  the  entire  
physical  universe  born  with  the  Big  Bang  would  disappear.    
  Continuous  creation  cosmology  is  not  deterministic.    At  the  quantum  level,  
physicists  describe  our  universe  as  a  set  of  probabilities,  not  certainties.    Quantum  
uncertainty  reveals  that  a  basic  ingredient  of  our  universe  is  freedom  of  choice.  The  
Meta-­‐universe  will  uphold  a  Hitler  or  a  Mother  Teresa  equally,  a  society  at  peace  or  a  
society  at  war,  a  society  living  in  excess  or  one  in  poverty.    The  Meta-­‐universe  is  
compassionately  open-­‐handed  and  immensely  patient.    We  can  choose  how  our  lives  
will  unfold  without  arbitrary  interference  or  manipulation.    We  are  born  in  a  context  of  
great  freedom  and  can  choose  how  we  will  respond  to  the  evolutionary  opportunities  
before  us.    
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  Given  the  core  concepts  of  symmetry,  trinity,  coevolution  and  continuous  
creation,  we  can  now  describe  the  perceptual  paradigms  of  the  fifth  through  seventh  
dimensions.    Simply  stated,  in  the  fifth  stage  we  discover  that:  a)  consciousness  mirrors  
matter  (symmetry);  b)  aliveness  and  flow  characterize  all  that  exists  (continuous  
creation);  c)  behind  the  momentary  flux  of  this  world  there  is  a  deep  and  eternal  reality  
(a  trinity  that  includes  the  Meta-­‐universe);  and  d)  our  challenge  is  to  cooperate  with  the  
instrumental  nature  of  matter  and  consciousness  in  order  to  realize,  in  freedom,  our  
true  nature  as  eternal  beings  (coevolution  leading  to  double-­‐wisdom  or  pure  
awareness).    
  As  with  movement  into  other  dimensional  stages,  the  experience  of  time  in  the  
fifth  dimension  is  again  transformed.    The  fragmented  and  relativistic  time  of  the  fourth  
dimension  is  now  unified  into  snapshots  of  cosmic-­‐scale  manifestation.    Although  the  
many  qualities  of  continuous  creation  are  not  fully  evident  until  the  seventh  stage,  in  
the  fifth  stage  people  can  experience  the  subtle  though  simple  fact  of  holistic  
regeneration  of  the  cosmos.    In  knowing  the  universe  is  being  regenerated  as  a  self-­‐
consistent  whole,  the  relativistic  activity  in  four  dimensions  is  bridged,  at  least  
momentarily,  into  an  embracing  unity  in  five  dimensions.    
 
Reflective  Identity  
  With  the  trustworthy  mirror  of  reflective  consciousness,  we  can  see  ourselves  as  
if  from  a  distance.    From  this  perspective  we  see  that  while  our  bodily  experience  is  one  
part  of  ourselves,  we  are  more  than  our  body  and  its  sensations,  desires,  pleasures,  and  
pains.    We  also  recognize  that  while  our  emotional  experience  is  one  part  of  ourselves,  
we  are  more  than  our  experience  of  anger,  joy,  happiness,  and  sorrow.    Additionally  we  
see  that  while  our  mental  experience  is  one  part  of  ourselves,  we  are  more  than  our  
lightning-­‐fast  flow  of  thoughts,  ideas  and  images.    By  identifying  with  the  conscious  
observer  or  witnessing  self,  we  find  a  new  degree  of  freedom,  as  we  are  no  longer  
identified  exclusively  with  bodily  sensations,  emotions,  and  the  inner  stream  of  mental  
dialogue.124    We  are  able  to  disidentify  from  sensations,  emotions,  and  thoughts  
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sufficiently  to  recognize  that  our  identity  also  includes  a  witnessing  consciousness.      
  In  a  process  of  immense  simplicity  requiring  the  utmost  self-­‐acceptance,  we  
discover  that,  to  the  extent  that  we  can  see  our  habitual  patterns  of  sensation,  emotion,  
and  thought,  we  are  less  bound  to  repeat  them.    We  must  become  intimate  friends  with  
ourselves  and  reconcile  ourselves  with  who  we  really  are—embracing  even  those  
aspects  we  may  want  to  forget  or  deny  (for  example,  lustful  desires,  angry  feelings,  and  
harsh  mental  judgments).    We  cannot  move  beyond  the  habitual  pushes  and  pulls  of  
these  forces  until  we  can  consciously  see  them  operating  in  our  lives.      
  An  analogy  suggests  how  reflective  consciousness  can  function  in  our  lives.    
Imagine  that  you  are  driving  your  car  on  a  very  rainy  day.    While  driving,  a  moment  of  
conscious  attention  is  akin  to  a  single  sweep  of  the  wiper  blades  that  clear  the  
windshield  and  show  the  road  ahead.    The  consciousness  of  the  industrial  era  is  akin  to  
having  the  wipers  turned  off  much  of  the  time,  allowing  the  rain  to  pour  in  sheets  across  
the  windshield,  blurring  our  vision  of  the  road.    With  reflective  consciousness,  or  
metaphorically  when  the  windshield  wipers  are  running,  the  features  of  the  road  
become  crisp  and  sharp.    Nothing  changes  except  the  ability  to  see  more  clearly.    With  
attention,  then,  the  contents  of  our  lives  remain  the  same,  but  the  capacity  to  see  those  
contents  is  sharpened  and  expanded.    Instead  of  a  confined  and  blurred  vision,  an  entire  
panorama  is  opened  up.    Our  existence  becomes  more  spacious,  and  we  can  respond  
more  quickly  and  skillfully  to  all  manner  of  changes  along  life's  way.    As  this  analogy  
suggests,  living  more  consciously  brings  with  it  a  range  of  enabling  qualities.    We  
become  more:      
 
•  Responsive—If  we  are  paying  attention,  then  we  don’t  have  to  be  bludgeoned  by  
a  personal  crisis  before  we  recognize  the  need  for  adaptive  change.    In  watching  
more  carefully,  we  can  respond  more  quickly  to  subtle  feedback.  
 
•  Creative—If  we  are  noticing  our  habitual  patterns  of  response,  then  we  are  not  
so  locked  into  them  and  we  can  respond  with  more  creativity  and  freedom.    
 
•  Self-­‐determining—In  paying  attention  to  our  passage  through  life,  we  can  rely  
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increasingly  on  our  own  judgment  and  take  responsibility  for  our  decisions.  
 
•  Accepting—In  seeing  the  cosmos  as  a  learning  system  intending  our  evolution  in  
freedom,  we  can  embrace  our  mistakes  along  the  way  as  valuable  feedback.    
Instead  of  insisting  on  always  being  right,  we  can  acknowledge  our  errors  and  
learn  to  move  through  life  with  increasing  skill.  
 
•  Balanced—In  being  able  to  stand  back  from  an  obsessive  attachment  to  ideas,  
people  and  actions,  we  are  able  to  respond  with  greater  equanimity  and  not  be  
pulled  off  center  or  off  balance.      
 
•  Connected—In  identifying  with  consciousness,  we  begin  to  see  ourselves  as  an  
integral  part  of  the  universe,  and  we  experience  greater  caring  for  the  life  of  
which  we  know  we  are  an  inseparable  part.      
 

  Humanity  must  be  as  awake,  responsive,  error-­‐embracing,  reflective,  balanced,  

creative,  forgiving,  and  engaged  as  possible  if  we  are  to  move  through  the  time  of  
perilous  transition  represented  by  the  fifth  stage  of  development.    These  enabling  
factors  illustrate  how  the  awakening  of  double-­‐wisdom  is  not  a  mystical  capacity  
divorced  from  the  hard  realities  of  life.    To  the  contrary,  it  is  an  immensely  practical  
faculty  whose  development  is  central  to  achieving  planetary  reconciliation  around  a  
sustainable  future.    
  A  practical  example  of  the  impact  of  living  more  consciously  is  how  it  changes  
our  relationship  with  the  material  side  of  life.    By  identifying  with  the  observer  part  of  
ourselves,  we  have  more  perceptual  distance  and  can  choose  more  consciously  where  
we  want  to  invest  our  precious  life  energy.    In  seeing  more  clearly  which  activities  truly  
bring  deep  satisfaction—conversing  with  a  friend,  playing  with  children,  making  music,  
cooking  and  sharing  food,  walking  in  nature—many  aspects  of  the  high-­‐consumption  
lifestyle  of  the  industrial  era  begin  to  lose  their  appeal  and  glamour.    With  reflective  
consciousness  we  can  build  a  foundation  in  experiential  riches  that  frees  us  from  the  
single-­‐minded  obsession  with  material  riches.      
 
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Reflective  Consciousness  and  a  Cooperating  Society  

  In  its  barest  terms  the  social  challenge  of  the  fifth  dimension  is  to  achieve  
sufficient  long-­‐term  cooperation  among  the  human  family  to  insure  the  survival  and  
basic  health  of  the  species  and  planet.    The  question  of  questions  is  whether  humanity  
will  actually  reconcile  itself  to  working  together  to  build  a  sustainable  future.    In  a  
testament  to  the  exquisite  design  of  the  learning  stages  embodied  in  the  sacred  
geometry  of  the  cosmos,  the  reflective  consciousness  of  the  fifth  dimension  contains  
the  very  qualities  that  are  most  needed  to  overcome  the  shortcomings  of  the  fourth  
dimension.    Reflective  consciousness  provides  the  transpersonal  glue  that  can  bond  the  
human  family  into  a  mutually  appreciative  whole  while  simultaneously  honoring  our  
differences.    All  beings  share  a  common  ground  that  transcends  differences  of  gender,  
race,  wealth,  religion,  and  political  orientation.    Reflective  consciousness  supports  a  
powerful  process  for  rebuilding  human  relationships,  for  reconnecting  with  nature,  and  
for  knowing  our  communion  with  life.  
  The  detached  nature  of  reflective  consciousness  will  bring  a  new  tenor  and  feel  
into  cultures.    Instead  of  an  aggressive,  materialistic,  and  self-­‐promoting  orientation,  
there  will  be  a  more  receptive,  transmaterial,  and  relationship-­‐building  orientation—a  
shift  from  masculine  to  feminine  qualities.    Embracing  the  feminine  archetype  (which  
tends  to  be  more  open,  allowing,  forgiving,  bodily  sacrificing,  and  integrating)  will  
enable  humanity  to  move  beyond  the  aggressive,  competitive  mind-­‐set  of  the  industrial  
era  and  to  promote  the  caring  and  cooperation  that  are  the  vital  foundation  for  a  
sustainable  future.      
  The  emergence  of  a  strong  feminine  archetype  does  not  mean  that  women  will  
come  to  gender  dominance  over  men;  instead  a  healthier  balance  of  archetypes  will  
develop.    The  masculine  role  model  can  evolve  beyond  the  competitiveness  and  status  
seeking  of  the  industrial  era  and  can  provide  leadership  for  the  coevolution  of  culture  
and  consciousness.    The  masculine  archetype  can  expand  to  include  a  “husbanding”  
intention.    To  be  a  “husband”  means  more  than  simply  being  a  married  man;  it  also  
means  to  be  a  frugal  manager  and  steward.125    Husbandry  refers  to  the  judicious  use  of  
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resources—the  ability  consciously  to  conserve,  economize,  and  safeguard  the  land  and  
other  resources.    It  is  a  way  of  describing  a  responsible  relationship  with  nature  that  will  
enable  us  to  build  a  sustainable  future.    Overall,  in  the  fifth  stage  a  strengthened  
feminine  archetype  could  join  with  a  revitalized  masculine  archetype  to  create  a  new  
ecological  mind-­‐set.  
  An  important  aspect  of  the  strong  feminine  archetype  is  symbolized  in  the  
willingness  of  a  woman  to  make  bodily  sacrifices  for  the  sake  of  another.    Just  as  a  
pregnant  woman  makes  bodily  sacrifices  for  the  child  that  grows  within  her,  so,  too,  is  
humanity  called  upon  in  this  stage  of  evolution  to  sacrifice  our  bodily  comforts  and  
conveniences  to  ensure  the  success  of  an  enduring  global  civilization.    We  are  asked  to  
accept  the  physical  discomfort,  insecurity,  stress,  and  trouble  of  giving  birth  to  a  
planetary  civilization  and  to  work  toward  a  new  level  of  cooperation,  caring,  and  
creativity.    To  give  of  ourselves  in  this  way  requires  a  nurturing  and  compassionate  
approach  that  is  nearly  unthinkable  in  the  competitive,  achievement-­‐oriented  mind-­‐set  
of  the  industrial  era.    It  is  the  feminine  archetype—with  its  emphasis  on  relationships,  
reflective  listening  and  nurturing—that  supports  the  trust  and  understanding  that  are  
the  true  foundation  for  an  enduring  global  civilization.      
  To  be  responsive  to  the  radically  changing  conditions  on  the  planet,  the  feminine  
archetype  will  need  to  evolve  beyond  the  ancient  Earth  Goddess  to  a  more  expansive  
expression  of  the  feminine.    The  universe  could  perhaps  be  symbolized  as  a  “Cosmic  
Goddess”  that  provides  a  nurturing  home  for  trillions  of  planetary  systems.    By  
expanding  the  feminine  archetype  to  a  cosmic  scale,  the  universe  is  seen  as  a  single,  
living  organism.    Instead  of  an  impersonal  machine  that  is  devoid  of  consciousness  and  
purpose,  the  cosmos  is  seen  as  a  living  entity  infused  with,  and  animated  by,  a  subtle  
Life-­‐energy.    Within  this  respiritualized  framework,  it  is  natural  to  view  the  Earth  as  a  
sacred,  self-­‐regulating  organism.        
  Turning  from  archetypal  to  worldly  concerns,  an  era  of  global  reconciliation  is  
also  an  era  of  global  communication.    Electronic  technologies  will  play  a  pivotal  role  in  
achieving  the  breadth  and  depth  of  human  communication  necessary  for  discovering  a  
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shared  vision  of  a  sustainable  future.    With  instantaneous  computer  translation  of  
languages  coupled  with  inexpensive  and  easy  communications,  a  vast  array  of  
connections  will  be  established  with  persons  and  institutions  around  the  planet—in  
business,  scholarship,  play,  political  action,  spiritual  community,  cultural  progress,  and  
friendship.    These  multimedia  communication  networks  will  constitute  a  vital  ingredient  
in  the  social  glue  essential  for  a  strong  global  culture.    An  electronic  intimacy  will  infuse  
the  planet  as  people  increasingly  work,  play,  and  govern  themselves  as  citizens  of  a  
global  society.    These  diverse,  overlapping,  and  intertwined  communication  networks  
will  enable  a  level  of  global  social  cohesion  and  sense  of  community  to  emerge  that  has  
never  before  existed.    
  In  the  fifth  stage  the  Earth-­‐centered  view  of  the  universe  will  be  further  
loosened  by  satellites  positioned  in  deep  space  that  send  back  live  pictures  of  the  Earth  
and  give  humanity  a  new  perspective  on  our  place  in  the  universe.    With  wall-­‐sized  TV  
screens  showing  with  stunning  clarity  live  pictures  of  a  slowly  turning  Earth  suspended  
in  the  immensity  of  space,  the  human  family  will  see  that  we  really  do  inhabit  a  tightly  
interconnected  biosphere—that  we  are  all  part  of  a  single,  living  organism.    The  
transformative  impact  of  being  able  to  view  the  Earth  from  afar  was  described  by  
astronaut  Rusty  Schweickart  as  he  was  returning  from  the  moon:  
 
[the  Earth]is  so  small  and  so  fragile  and  such  a  precious  little  spot  in  that  
universe  that  you  can  block  it  out  with  your  thumb,  and  you  realize  on  that  small  
spot,  that  little  blue  and  white  thing,  is  everything  that  means  anything  to  you—
all  of  history  and  music  and  poetry  and  art  and  death  and  birth  and  love,  tears,  
joy,  games,  all  of  it  on  that  little  spot  out  there  that  you  can  cover  with  your  
thumb.    And  you  realize  from  that  perspective  that  you’ve  changed,  that  there’s  
something  new  there,  that  the  relationship  is  no  longer  what  it  was.126    
 
  With  a  continuous  view  of  Earth  from  deep  space,  humanity  will  see  that  we  
must  choose  between  mutually  supportive  development  and  destructive  competition.    
A  view  of  Earth  from  deep  space  will  help  us  reveal  to  ourselves  the  preciousness  of  our  
planet  and  will  motivate  people  to  find  solutions  that  respect  the  fact  that  we  are  united  
in  a  single  biosphere.  
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Conscious  Democracy  
  A  conscious  democracy  pays  attention.    Recognizing  that  “the  price  of  freedom  is  
eternal  vigilance,”  a  conscious  democracy  is  vigilant,  watchful  and  wide  awake.      A  
semiconscious  democracy  was  characteristic  of  the  fourth  dimension  and  industrial  era:  
Leaders  and  citizens  wandered  through  the  social  landscape  half  asleep,  inattentive  to  
critical  trends  and  events,  and  only  momentarily  awakened  by  the  shock  of  some  
catastrophe.    A  great  tragedy,  triumph,  or  scandal  was  required  to  break  through  the  
complacency  and  distractedness  of  the  masses.    Once  the  public  was  aroused  into  
momentary  wakefulness,  it  was  not  long  before  a  new  issue,  emergency,  or  scandal  
would  dominate  social  consciousness,  pushing  aside  or  obscuring  previous  concerns.    
Because  the  body  politic  was  not  in  charge  of  its  own  consciousness,  industrial  era  
civilizations  often  stumbled  into  the  future—forgetful  of  the  past,  fearful  of  and  reacting  
to  enemies  often  more  imagined  than  real,  and  aggressively  pursuing  short-­‐run  interests  
even  when  they  conflicted  with  long-­‐run  well-­‐being.    A  semiconscious  democracy  is  no  
match  for  the  new  global  challenges.    We  must  cultivate  the  double-­‐wisdom  at  the  heart  
of  our  species-­‐potential  if  we  are  to  take  charge  of  our  evolution  and  negotiate  the  
narrow  passageway  of  the  near  future.        
   Just  as  the  evolution  of  consciousness  is  highly  adaptive  for  an  individual,  so,  
too,  is  an  evolving  consciousness  highly  enabling  for  entire  civilizations.    The  following  
are  some  of  the  important  enabling  qualities  of  a  reflective  society  and  conscious  
democracy:      
   
•  Self-­‐Determining—One  of  the  most  basic  expressions  of  a  maturing  
consciousness  is  an  enhanced  capacity  for  self-­‐determination—the  social  
expression  of  which  is  democracy.    A  conscious  society  is  able  to  stand  back  and  
look  at  its  choices  as  well  as  observe  itself  in  the  choosing  process.    A  reflective  
democracy  is  able  to  observe  itself  “from  the  outside,”  much  as  one  nation  can  
stand  back  and  view  another  from  a  distance.    A  conscious  society  knows  its  own  
mind  and  does  not  blindly  trust  in  a  particular  ideology,  leader,  or  political  party;  
instead  it    regularly  reorients  itself  by  looking  beyond  superficial  slogans  and  
vague  goals  to  choose  anew  its  preferred  pathway  into  the  future.        
 
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•  Informed—A  conscious  society  is  well  informed.    Instead  of  moving  through  life  
half-­‐asleep  and  ignorant  of  the  challenges  it  faces,  a  conscious  citizenry  is  
disciplined  in  learning  about  important  trends  and  issues.      
 
•  Confident—Because  a  conscious  society  knows  its  own  mind,  it  can  move  ahead  
with  greater  confidence  and  assurance.    Because  social  policies  are  developed  
with  public  input,  a  conscious  bond  is  formed  among  citizens  who  support  those  
policies,  and  this  promotes  the  social  strength  necessary  to  implement  them.      
 
•  Error-­‐Embracing—A  conscious  society  recognizes  that  social  learning  inevitably  
involves  making  mistakes.    Therefore  errors  are  not  automatically  rejected  or  
denied  as  being  “bad”;  rather  they  are  accepted  as  useful  feedback  and  
recognized  as  grist  for  the  mill  in  the  process  of  social  learning.127        
 
•  Detached—A  conscious  democracy  is  objective,  impartial,  and  reacts  calmly  to  
the  stressful  pushes  and  pulls  of  trends  and  events.    A  society  with  a  witnessing  
consciousness  has  an  evenness,  detachment,  levelheadedness,  and  confidence  
that  is  not  pulled  off  center  by  the  passions  of  the  moment.      
 
•  Inclusive—A  conscious  society  continually  searches  for  the  synergy  of  the  
highest  common  denominator.    Differing  ethnic  and  racial  groups,  geographic  
regions,  and  ideological  perspectives  are  actively  invited  into  dialogue  as  vital  
ingredients  for  a  society  that  seeks  a  vigorous  common  ground.        
 
•  Anticipatory—In  viewing  the  world  more  objectively  and  from  a  larger  
perspective,  alternative  pathways  into  the  future  are  considered  consciously.        
 
•  Creative—Because  a  conscious  democracy  is  able  to  stand  back  and  look  at  its  
choices,  it  is  not  locked  into  habitual  patterns  of  thinking  and  behaving.    A  
conscious  democracy  does  not  respond  with  preprogrammed  solutions,  but  
explores  options  and  priorities  with  a  fresh  and  flexible  frame  of  mind.      
 
•  Responsive—A  conscious  society  does  not  wait  passively  until  some  crisis  forces  
action;  instead  it  is  already  energized  and  actively  engaged.    A  self-­‐reflective  
society  does  not  have  to  be  shocked  into  remedial  action  by  some  catastrophe;  
instead  more  subtle  warning  signals  of  danger  (and  opportunity)  are  sufficient  to  
lead  towards  self-­‐corrective  action.  
 
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  These  straightforward  attributes  of  a  conscious  democracy  are  of  immense  

functional  value,  as  they  support  an  empowered,  active,  and  capable  process  of  self-­‐
governance.    We  need  all  our  strength  as  a  species  if  we  are  to  build  a  future  of  mutually  
assured  development.    Most  of  all  we  need  conscious  democracies  if  we  are  to  take  
charge  of  our  evolution,  negotiate  our  way  through  the  crises  of  the  future,  and  remain  
on  a  path  of  ever-­‐surpassing  development.      
 
Global  Communications  and  the  Social  Brain  
  Humanity  cannot  make  the  sweeping  changes  that  are  required  for  a  sustainable  
future  (for  example,  in  consumption  patterns,  energy  and  transportation  policies,  the  
redesign  of  communities,  international  relations,  and  much  more)  without  a  dramatic  
increase  in  the  intensity  and  quality  of  human  communications.    Only  after  a  cathartic  
process  of  communication  will  people  be  ready  to  act  with  the  level  of  energy,  creativity  
and  cooperation  that  our  circumstances  demand.    Initially  people  will  need  to  express  
their  anger  that  the  ecology  of  the  planet  has  been  so  devastated,  their  resentments  for  
broken  dreams  of  material  prosperity,  and  their  unwillingness  to  make  sacrifices  unless  
there  is  greater  fairness.    However,  once  people  have  worked  through  their  anger,  
sorrow,  and  fear  and  have  developed  a  working  consensus  in  support  of  a  sustainable  
future,  then  both  citizens  and  their  representatives  in  government  can  act  with  
authority.    When  citizens  can  tell  their  leaders,  with  confidence,  where  they  want  to  go  
and  how  fast  they  want  to  get  there,  then  leaders  can  do  their  job.    The  first  
requirement,  however,  is  an  unprecedented  increase  in  human  communication.  
  Fortunately  a  communications  revolution  is  already  sweeping  the  planet.    The  
most  prominent  technology  in  this  revolution  is  television  (although  it  is  rapidly  evolving  
into  a  computer-­‐integrated,  interactive  multimedia  system).    Because  we  are  a  visually  
oriented  species  (“seeing  is  believing,”  “one  picture  is  worth  a  thousand  words”),  the  
visual  power  of  television  creates  a  common  language  that  makes  it  humanity’s  primary  
source  of  shared  information  and  understanding.    As  of  1990,  roughly  60  percent  of  the  
world  had  access  to  television,  and  this  percentage  is  growing  rapidly.    In  the  United  
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States  98  percent  of  all  homes  have  a  TV  set,  the  average  person  watches  more  than  
four  hours  per  day,  and  a  majority  of  people  get  a  majority  of  their  news  about  the  
world  from  this  medium.    Just  as  consciousness  is  not  “just  another  human  capacity,”  
television  not  “just  another  technology.”    Television  is  at  the  very  heart  of  our  capacity  
for  self-­‐reflective  consciousness  at  a  civilizational  scale.    Television  is  our  social  
witness—our  vehicle  for  “knowing  that  we  know”  as  nations  and  as  a  human  family.    
Television  is  more  powerful  than  either  the  schools  or  the  workplace  in  generating  our  
collective  view  of  reality  and  social  identity.    If  issues  or  trends  do  not  appear  regularly  
on  television,  then  for  all  practical  purposes  they  do  not  exist  in  mass  social  
consciousness.          
  The  closeness  and  intimacy  of  television’s  window  onto  the  world  can  give  people  
a  feeling  of  connection  with  the  fate  of  the  Earth.      With  the  speed  of  light,  television  
can  extend  our  experience  of  involvement  to  the  entire  planet.    Through  the  eyes  of  
television  we  can  see  the  reality  of  a  starving  villager  in  Africa,  the  destruction  of  rain  
forests  in  Brazil,  urban  decay  in  New  York  City,  the  effects  of  acid  rain  in  Germany,  and  
fighting  in  the  streets  of  Northern  Ireland  and  Israel.    Television  makes  every  viewer  an  
active  witness—a  knowing  and  feeling  participant  in  what  is  being  shown.    Television  
has  become  the  “social  brain”  or  “central  nervous  system”  of  the  human  family.    Given  
the  power  and  pervasiveness  of  television,  we  already  possess  the  tools  of  local-­‐to-­‐
global  communication  that  can  transform  our  semiconscious  drift  toward  catastrophe  
into  conscious  actions  to  build  a  sustainable  future.    A  direct  measure  of  our  social  
intelligence  as  a  species  is  the  intelligence  with  which  we  use  our  social  brain—the  
rapidly  evolving  telecommunications  system.      
  All  of  the  major  challenges  of  the  current  era  are,  at  their  core,  communications  
challenges.    The  human  family  will  not  respond  to  the  global  warming,  ozone  depletion,  
toxic  pollution,  rain-­‐forest  destruction,  and  other  environmental  problems  until  we  can  
visualize  their  impact  through  the  mass  media  and  thereby  mobilize  the  will  of  the  body  
politic  to  bring  about  changes.    Humanity  will  not  respond  to  homelessness,  hunger,  and  
poverty  around  the  world  unless  we  continue  to  see  compelling  and  persistent  images  
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of  suffering  and  need.    The  visual  power  of  television  can  lull  us  into  complacency  or  it  
can  stir  us  to  action.      
  Television  (or  the  fast-­‐emerging,  interactive,  multimedia,  telecomputer  system)  
will  play  a  pivotal  role  in  creating  a  more  conscious  democracy.    Three  ingredients  are  
critical  to  a  conscious  democracy—an  informed  citizenry,  a  dialoguing  citizenry,  and  a  
citizenry  that  gives  regular  feedback  to  its  leaders.  
 
  •  An  Informed  Citizenry—A  first  requirement  for  creating  a  more  conscious  
democracy  is  a  quantum  leap  in  the  quantity  and  diversity  of  televised  communication  
concerning  issues  vital  to  our  common  future.    Currently  the  vast  majority  of  
commercial  television  time  is  devoted  to  entertainment  (typically  95  percent  or  more  of  
prime  time  on  network  TV  in  the  United  States.).    We  are  entertainment  rich  and  
knowledge  poor.    By  programming  television  for  commercial  success,  the  television  
industry  is  programming  our  civilizational  consciousness  for  ecological  failure.    Our  
situation  seems  similar  to  that  of  a  long-­‐distance  runner  who  prepares  for  a  marathon  
by  eating  junk  food.    We  are  trying  to  run  modern  democracies  almost  exclusively  on  a  
diet  of  TV  entertainment  at  the  very  time  that  we  confront  challenges  of  marathon  
proportions.      
  We  desperately  need  a  hearty  and  robust  diet  of  socially  relevant  television  
programming  that  informs  us  about  the  critical  trends  and  choices  facing  communities,  
nations,  and  the  planetary  society.    We  need  far  more  documentaries  and  investigative  
reports  that  give  citizens  an  in-­‐depth  understanding  of  the  challenges  we  face.    We  need  
scenarios  of  the  future  that  vividly  portray  what  life  will  be  like  within  a  generation  if  
nothing  is  done  to  alter  current  trends.    We  need  positive  visions  of  what  life  could  be  
like  if  we  begin  designing  ourselves  into  a  sustainable  future.    We  need  to  balance  the  
onslaught  of  aggressively  proconsumerist  commercials  with  a  regular  diet  of  “Earth  
commercials”  that  awaken  an  ecological  consciousness  and  encourage  us  to  live  more  
compassionately.    
  Commercial  television  makes  money  by  delivering  a  mass  audience  to  corporate  
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advertisers.    Understandably,  then,  this  industry  is  reluctant  to  devote  air  time  to  
programs  or  commercials  that  question  the  appropriateness  of  high-­‐consumption  
lifestyles.    Because  an  ethic  of  sustainability  runs  counter  to  the  aggressively  
proconsumerist  mentality  of  commercial  television,  a  major  increase  in  government  
funding  for  public  television  seems  essential  in  order  to  generate  the  level  and  quality  of  
communication  needed  to  support  a  conscious  democracy  in  its  process  of  choosing  a  
sustainable  future.        
 

  •  A  Dialoguing  Citizenry—Beyond  an  adequate  diet  of  information,  a  conscious  

democracy  must  also  know  its  own  mind.    If  democracy  is  the  “art  of  the  possible,”  then  
we  don’t  know  what’s  possible  until  we  have  an  accurate  sense  of  what  the  overall  
community  of  citizens  thinks  and  feels  about  different  issues  and  priorities.    Without  an  
accurate  understanding  of  what  other  citizens  think  about  key  issues,  we  drift  aimlessly  
in  a  sea  of  ambiguity  and  are  powerless  to  mobilize  ourselves  into  collective  action.      
  Power  in  a  democracy  is  the  power  to  communicate  and  build  a  working  
consensus.    Only  when  the  public  knows  what  it  thinks  as  a  whole  can  it  confidently  
communicate  a  working  consensus  back  to  its  elected  representatives.    An  informed  
public  can  be  trusted.    After  reviewing  half  a  century  of  polling  public  opinion  in  the  
United  States,  George  Gallup,  Jr.,  found  “the  collective  judgment  of  the  people  to  be  
extraordinarily  sound.”128    Often,  he  said,  “people  are  actually  ahead  of  their  elected  
leaders  in  accepting  innovations  and  radical  changes.”129        
  To  know  its  own  views  and  values,  a  citizenry  must  go  beyond  the  information  
revolution  (with  its  one-­‐way  flow  that  enables  us  “to  know”  as  individuals),  to  the  
communications  revolution  (with  a  two-­‐way  flow  that  enables  us  to  “know  that  we  
know”  as  entire  communities).    As  computers,  satellites,  fiber  optics,  telephones  and  
high-­‐definition  television  technology  merge  into  globally  interconnected  multi-­‐media  
systems,  the  potential  for  interactive  citizen  communication  will  grow  exponentially.    
With  weekly  or  monthly  electronic  town  meetings  held  locally,  nationally,  and  globally,  
an  entirely  new  level  of  accountability  can  be  established  between  the  public  and  
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decision  makers.        
 
  •  A  Feedback  Democracy—Once  a  citizenry  knows  its  own  mind  and  has  
confidence  in  its  views  and  values,  then  it  can  use  electronic  forums  to  give  feedback  to  
elected  leaders.    Assuming  citizen  feedback  is  advisory  or  nonbinding,  it  respects  the  
responsibility  of  representatives  to  make  decisions  and  the  responsibility  of  the  citizen  
to  make  inputs  to  those  that  govern.    In  a  conscious  democracy  a  working  consensus  
among  citizens  would  presumably  guide  (but  not  compel)  elected  representatives.    The  
practical  role  of  electronic  town  meetings  is  not  to  provide  a  vehicle  for  citizens  to  
micro-­‐manage  government;  rather,  it  is  to  provide  a  forum  for  citizens  to  build  a  
working  consensus  on  the  major  issues  of  the  day.    For  example:    Do  citizens  want  an  
alternative  energy  future  (relying  primarily  on  solar  power,  wind  generation,  and  
increased  efficiency  as  well  as  conservation?)  or  do  they  want  an  energy  future  that  
relies  heavily  on  nuclear  power?      Do  citizens  want  to  commit  themselves  to  a  dramatic  
reduction  in  greenhouse  gases?    Do  citizens  want  to  make  major  cutbacks  in  military  
expenditures  in  favor  of  social  and  infrastructure  expenditures,  or  do  they  want  to  
maintain  a  strong  military?    As  citizens  refine  their  views  on  these  kinds  of  issues  
through  regular,  electronic  dialogues,  elected  representatives  can  then  move  decisively  
to  do  their  part  in  building  a  sustainable  future.      
 
  A  conscious  democracy  requires  the  active  consent  of  the  governed,  not  simply  
their  passive  acquiescence.    Involving  citizens  does  not  guarantee  that  the  “right”  
choices  will  always  be  made;  however,  it  does  assure  that  citizens  will  feel  involved  and  
invested  in  those  choices.    Rather  than  feeling  cynical  or  powerless,  citizens  will  feel  
engaged  and  responsible  for  society  and  its  future.    A  conscious  democracy  that  is  
empowered  by  the  creative  use  of  its  tools  of  mass  communication  can  respond  
wholeheartedly  to  the  momentous  challenges  facing  our  planet.    Perhaps  the  biggest  
challenge  facing  humanity  in  the  communications  era  is  to  evolve  the  art  and  practice  of  
conscious  democracy.      
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Equity  and  Economics  

  At  the  close  of  the  twentieth  century—a  time  when  industrial  era  views  and  
values  are  still  paramount  within  economically  developed  nations—it  is  nearly  
impossible  to  imagine  a  shift  toward  equity  and  justice  in  the  use  of  the  world’s  
resources.    People  in  economically  developed  nations  are  now  so  focused  on  
safeguarding  their  gains  that,  achieving  a  new  global  ethic  of  economic  justice  and  
sharing  will  first  require  a  transforming  experience  of  global  proportions.    Given  the  
unyielding  trends  whose  iron  grip  now  tightens  around  the  planet,  there  is  little  doubt  
that  we  will  soon  get  the  wrenching  experience  required  to  awaken  us  to  the  need  for  
new  approaches  to  global  economic  development.    The  alternative  is  bleak:    If  wealthy  
nations  seek  their  well-­‐being  at  the  expense  of  those  who  are  poorer,  it  will  produce  
chronic  wars  over  resources,  massive  migrations  of  people  in  search  of  food  and  work,  
and  devastating  ecological  damage.      
  With  the  window  of  global  television  opening  ever  more  widely,  differences  in  
wealth  and  well-­‐being  around  the  world  will  soon  become  glaringly  and  persistently  
evident  to  all.    We  are  entering  a  superheated  and  supercharged  world  where  issues  of  
economic  justice  will  be  paramount.    Global  reconciliation  requires  that  the  basic  
material  needs  of  the  entire  human  family  be  met,  and  achieving  this  goal  will  require  a  
profound  shift  in  the  levels  and  patterns  of  consumption  in  developed  nations.    Minor  
adjustments  will  not  suffice.        
  With  equity,  simplicity,  and  efficiency,  the  world  has  adequate  resources  to  
sustain  humanity  into  the  foreseeable  future.130        In  the  words  of  Gandhi,  “We  have  
enough  for  everyone’s  need,  but  not  for  everyone’s  greed.”    We  cannot  achieve  our  
maturity  if  humanity  remains  divided  into  a  minority  with  great  wealth  and  a  majority  
consigned  to  the  prison  of  absolute  poverty.    Each  individual  has  a  basic  right  to  a  
reasonable  share  of  the  world’s  resources.    Achieving  this  revolution  in  fairness  will  
require  an  unprecedented  increase  in  human  communication  and  reconciliation.    We  
need  to  work  for  a  future  of  “mutually  assured  development”  or  economic  progress  that  
 127

leaves  no  one  behind  but  instead  strengthens  the  entire  human  family  and  the  
ecosystem  on  which  our  common  future  depends.    If  all  people  and  nations  work  to  
promote  the  development  of  everyone  else,  the  world  will  move  beyond  passive  co-­‐
existence  to  active  mutual  assistance.      
  Adopting  a  “golden  rule  of  consumption”—consume  as  you  would  want  others  
to  consume  if  you  were  in  their  situation—will  take  on  increasing  importance  as  global  
communications  reveal  vast  inequities  in  material  well-­‐being.    Economic  justice  does  not  
imply  replicating  the  industrial-­‐era  manner  of  living  around  the  world;  instead  it  means  
that  every  person  has  a  right  to  a  fair  share  of  the  world’s  wealth  adequate  to  ensure  
him  or  her  a  “decent”  standard  of  living—enough  food,  shelter,  education  and  health  
care  to  be  considered  sufficient  by  a  reasonable  standard  of  human  decency.131      Given  
intelligent  designs  for  living  lightly  and  simply,  a  decent  standard  and  manner  of  living  
could  vary  significantly  depending  on  local  customs,  ecology,  resources,  and  climate.    
  In  the  fifth  stage  of  evolution  we  will  invent  new  patterns  of  living  that  transform  
every  facet  of  life—the  work  that  we  do,  the  communities  and  homes  in  which  we  live,  
the  food  that  we  eat,  the  transportation  we  use,  the  clothes  we  wear,  the  symbols  of  
status  that  shape  our  consumption  patterns,  and  so  on.    We  could  call  this  new  way  of  
living  “voluntary  simplicity”  or    “creative  simplicity”  or  “ecological  living.”132      However  
defined,  we  need  more  than  a  change  in  our  style  of  life.    A  change  in  style  implies  a  
superficial  or  exterior  change—a  new  fad,  craze,  or  fashion.    We  require  a  far  deeper  
change  in  our  way  of  life.    We  could  call  this  an  ecological  way  of  living  that  recognizes  
the  Earth  is  our  home  and  must  be  maintained  for  the  long-­‐range  future.    Ecological  
living  begins  with  the  understanding  that  we  all  live  in  mutual  contingency  and  that  we  
create  the  safety,  comfort,  and  compassion  in  our  lives  together.      
  An  aesthetic  simplicity  of  living  is  a  direct  expression  of  civilizational  growth  as  well  
as  a  requirement  for  a  sustainable,  planetary  civilization.    After  a  lifetime  of  studying  the  
growth  and  decline  of  the  world’s  civilizations,  historian  Arnold  Toynbee  concluded  that  
the  conquest  of  land  and/or  people  was  not  the  true  measure  of  civilizational  growth;  
instead  he  said  the  essence  of  civilizational  growth  could  be  summarized  in  what  he  
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called  the  “Law  of  Progressive  Simplification.”133    True  growth  occurs  as  civilizations  
transfer  an  increasing  proportion  of  energy  and  attention  from  the  material  side  of  life  
to  the  non-­‐material  side  and  thereby  develop  their  culture,  capacity  for  compassion,  
sense  of  community,  and  strength  of  democracy.    Toynbee  said  that  authentic  growth  
consists  in  a  “progressive  and  cumulative  increase  both  in  outward  mastery  of  the  
environment  and  in  inward  self-­‐determination  or  self-­‐articulation  on  the  part  of  the  
individual  or  society....In  other  words,  the  criterion  of  growth  is  a  progress  towards  self-­‐
determination;  and  progress  towards  self-­‐determination  is  a  prosaic  formula  for  
describing  the  miracle  by  which  life  enters  its  Kingdom.”134      
  A  more  conscious  economy  will  shift  its  emphasis  from  sheer  physical  expansion  
to  more  qualitative  growth.    Products  will  be  designed  with  increasing  efficiency  (doing  
ever  more  with  ever  less)  while  simultaneously  increasing  their  beauty,  strength,  and  
ecological  integrity.    Economic  justice  need  not  imply  a  life  of  poverty,  deficiency,  and  
deprivation  when  living  can  be  transformed  through  intelligent  design  into  an  elegant  
simplicity.135    The  level  of  satisfaction  and  beauty  in  living  can  be  increased  while  
lowering  the  quantity  of  resources  consumed  and  the  amount  of  pollution  produced.      
  By  learning  to  maintain  ourselves  ever  more  efficiently  and  aesthetically,  greater  
increments  of  energy  and  attention  will  be  available  to  develop  along  the  psychological,  
cultural  and  spiritual  dimensions  of  life.    In  turn,  by  creating  living  and  working  
environments  that  are  sustainable,  aesthetic,  and  nurturing,  we  can  live  more  
consciously.    In  living  more  consciously,  we  will  feel  less  attached  to  material  
possessions  and  more  able  to  live  more  lightly  and  simply.    In  living  more  simply,  there  
are  fewer  distractions,  and  we  are  more  able  to  bring  our  undivided  attention  into  the  
process  of  living.    Each  aspect  builds  upon  the  other.    A  self-­‐reinforcing  spiral  is  set  into  
motion  that  promotes  the  coevolution  of  both  the  material  and  the  consciousness  
aspects  of  life.    As  theologian  Matthew  Fox  writes,  “Luxury  living  is  not  what  living  is  
about.    Living  is  what  living  is  about!    But  living  takes  discipline  and  letting  go  and  doing  
with  less  in  a  culture  that  is  overdeveloped.    It  takes  a  commitment  to  challenge  and  
adventure,  to  sacrifice  and  passion.”136        
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Reflective  Spirituality  and  Reconciliation  
  Thus  far  the  foundation  for  spirituality  has  evolved  from  the  nature  religions  and  
Earth  Goddess  orientation  of  the  second  dimension  to  the  Sky  God  orientation  of  the  
third,  the  Scientific  Humanism  of  the  fourth,  and  now  the  Reflective  Knowing  of  the  fifth  
dimension.    A  reflective  spirituality,  with  its  capacity  for  detachment  and  objective  
witnessing,  seems  uniquely  suited  to  meeting  the  primary  challenge  of  this  epoch  of  
evolution—the  global  reconciliation  of  the  human  family.      
  Whatever  one’s  spiritual  path,  in  the  fifth  stage  there  will  be  a  broad  recognition  
that  the  experience  of  insight  cannot  be  given  by  another  person  or  institution  but  
ultimately  must  be  acquired  through  one’s  own  efforts.    We  are  each  responsible  for  
developing  our  potential  for  “knowing  that  we  know.”    While  spiritual  traditions  and  
teachers  are  valuable,  the  final  responsibility  for  insight  rests  with  the  individual  and  his  
or  her  relationship  with  the  Meta-­‐universe,  or  “God,”  or  whatever  name  we  give  to  this  
ultimately  unnameable  presence.    In  the  fifth  stage  the  individual  recognizes  that  there  
is  no  substitute  for  one’s  own  process  of  self-­‐discovery.    The  great  value  of  spiritual  
teachers  and  traditions  is  to  provide  insights  about  coming  into  rapport  with  the  living  
universe  and  to  bolster  our  confidence  in  the  most  challenging  search  life  has  to  offer.        
  Given  the  vital  role  of  reflective  spirituality,  a  science  of  consciousness  will  
blossom  in  the  fifth  stage  that  will  include:  exploring  the  mind-­‐body  connection  with  
sophisticated  biofeedback;  improving  peak  performance  in  sports,  business,  and  other  
aspects  of  life;  learning  how  to  restore  health  using  ancient  healing  traditions;  studying  
the  nature  of  mystical  or  peak  experiences;  exploring  ways  to  enhance  creativity  and  
intuitive  insights;  collecting  cross-­‐cultural  insights  into  the  nature  of  near-­‐death  
experiences;  studying  parapsychology  or  the  mind-­‐cosmos  connection;  and  exploring  
interspecies  communication.    As  scientific  research  progresses,  a  new  view  of  
consciousness  will  emerge.      
  Instead  of  viewing  consciousness  as  a  by-­‐product  of  biochemical  processes  in  the  
brain,  consciousness  will  be  seen  by  most  as  a  natural  force  that  infuses  the  cosmos  and  
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transcends,  but  interpenetrates,  the  material  and  biological  realms.    Many  will  accept  
that,  via  our  knowing  faculty,  everyone  connects  with  the  larger  universe.    With  the  
development  of  this  subtle  science,  consciousness  will  no  longer  be  relegated  to  a  
secondary  position  but  will  be  seen  as  a  coequal  partner  in  evolution,  and  we  will  
integrate  that  understanding  into  our  visions  and  plans  for  our  future  as  a  species.    
 
Seasons  of  Growth  
  The  fifth  stage  of  human  evolution  (and  beyond)  has  yet  to  be  realized  at  the  
scale  of  entire  civilizations.    We  can  therefore  only  speculate  about  the  future.    What  
follows  is  not  a  prediction,  but  only  one  plausible  scenario.    As  I  will  discuss  in  Chapter  9,  
there  are  many  pitfalls  on  the  path  to  species-­‐maturity,  and  the  people  of  the  Earth  
could  choose  any  number  of  civilizational  detours  that  would  take  us  far  from  the  
pathway  outlined  here.    With  that  caveat,  here  are  the  seasons  of  growth  that  I  
anticipate  for  the  fifth  stage.      
 
  •  Springtime—As  we  approach  the  turn  of  the  century,  we  are  already  
experiencing  the  labor  pains  that  mark  the  birth  of  a  more  conscious  species-­‐civilization.    
We  are  enclosed  within  an  ailing  and  traumatized  ecosystem.    There  is  no  escape  from  
critical  problems  such  as  growing  population,  spreading  pollution,  dwindling  resources,  
changing  climate,  massive  famines,  civil  unrest,  ozone  depletion,  soil  erosion,  rain-­‐forest  
destruction,  drug  addiction,  urban  crime,  and  wars  over  access  to  resources.    Caught  in  
the  grip  of  these  forces,  the  springtime  of  growth  will  bring  a  protracted  conflict  
between:  rich  and  poor,  Northern  and  Southern  hemispheres,  environmentalists  and  
industrialists,  fundamentalists  and  liberation  theologists,  advocates  of  military  solutions  
and  those  favoring  nonviolence,  advocates  of  strong  government  and  those  seeking  
decentralization  and  greater  citizen  participation,  and  many  more.      
  The  tensions  between  the  Northern  and  Southern  hemispheres  seems  
particularly  problematic.    The  North  wants  the  South  to  halt  the  destruction  of  
rainforests,  to  preserve  biodiversity,  and  to  reduce  population  growth,  and  conversely  
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the  South  wants  the  North  to  reduce  the  pollution  that  is  producing  climate  change  and  
to  moderate  high-­‐consumption  lifestyles  that  are  wasting  precious  resources.    Because  
each  hemisphere  must  make  major  changes  to  create  a  planet  habitable  for  all,  it  may  
be  very  difficult  in  the  short  run  to  achieve  reconciliation  around  a  common  agenda  for  
action.    The  springtime  of  the  fifth  dimension  will  be  a  hard  time  for  the  human  family,  
filled  with  conflict,  confusion,  and  despair.    While  the  ideal  of  a  new  covenant  and  
commitment  among  the  human  family  will  remain  alive,  the  reality  will  likely  be  the  
continued  disintegration  of  the  global  economy,  society,  and  ecology.      
  A  destabilized  global  climate  may  undermine  the  ability  of  the  Earth  to  feed  
humanity.    In  turn,  with  world  population  approaching  ten  billion,  the  possibility  of  
overshoot  and  collapse  with  a  great  die-­‐off  in  human  numbers  could  become  a  shocking  
and  terrible  reality.    However,  before  such  an  awful  Malthusian  conclusion  is  reached,  
hundreds  of  millions  of  desperate  persons  will  seek  to  migrate  into  resource-­‐favored  
areas  such  as  Europe  and  North  America.    Leaders  in  these  regions  will  be  so  busy  trying  
to  maintain  faltering  cities  and  nations  that  they  will  have  little  time  to  look  ahead  and  
think  creatively  about  the  future.    The  world  will  seem  to  be  going  insane.    Alienation  
and  cynicism  will  escalate  as  a  growing  number  of  people  feel  utterly  helpless  and  that  
our  situation  is  hopeless.      
  Particularly  in  industrial  nations,  a  deep  psychological  crisis  will  develop  as  
people  feel  enormous  guilt  and  shame  for  the  devastation  of  the  planet  and  the  
diminished  opportunities  for  future  generations.    Many  will  be  in  mourning  for  the  Earth  
and  feel  that  humanity  has  failed  in  its  grand  experiment  in  evolution.    After  tens  of  
thousands  of  years  of  slow  development,  many  will  feel  that  within  the  span  of  a  single  
generation  we  have  ruined  our  chance  at  evolutionary  success.    While  many  are  grieving  
this  lost  opportunity,  some  will  refuse  to  accept  personal  responsibility  for  this  crisis  and  
instead  look  for  others  to  blame.    Only  gradually  will  deep  soul-­‐searching  begin  among  
the  larger  human  family.    Only  gradually  will  people  recognize  that  this  is  evolution  in  
the  raw—that  we  all  face  a  future  of  unending  bleakness  and  despair  unless  we  
collectively  rise  to  this  time  of  challenge.      
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  The  suffering,  distress,  and  anguish  of  these  times  will  become  a  purifying  fire  
that  burns  through  ancient  prejudices  and  hostilities  to  cleanse  the  soul  of  our  species.    I  
expect  no  single,  golden  moment  of  reconciliation  to  suddenly  descend  upon  the  planet;  
instead  waves  of  ecological  calamity  will  reinforce  periods  of  economic  crisis,  and  both  
will  be  amplified  by  massive  waves  of  civil  unrest.    Instead  of  a  single  crescendo  of  crisis  
and  conflict,  there  will  likely  be  momentary  reconciliation  followed  by  disintegration  and  
then  new  reconciliation.    In  giving  birth  to  a  sustainable  species-­‐civilization,  humanity  
will  probably  move  back  and  forth  through  cycles  of  contraction  and  relaxation  until  we  
utterly  exhaust  ourselves  and  burn  through  the  barriers  that  separate  us  from  our  
wholeness  as  a  human  family.    Eventually  we  will  see  that  we  have  an  unyielding  choice  
between  a  badly  injured  (or  even  stillborn)  species-­‐civilization  and  the  birth  of  a  bruised,  
but  relatively  healthy,  human  family  and  biosphere.    In  seeing  and  accepting  
responsibility  for  this  inescapable  choice,  we  will  enter  the  summertime  of  the  fifth  
dimension.    
 
  •  Summertime—In  the  summertime  of  growth  humanity  will  discover  a  new  
sense  of  reality,  identity,  and  social  purpose  held  in  common.    Finding  this  new  common  
sense  while  we  are  in  the  midst  of  major  crises  will  be  a  messy,  demanding,  and  drawn-­‐
out  process.    The  summertime  of  growth  will  be  an  immensely  trying  season  in  which  
we  will  learn  and  relearn  lessons,  again  and  again,  until  they  are  anchored  in  the  soul  of  
our  species.    In  life-­‐and-­‐death  dramas  played  out  around  the  planet,  the  human  family  
will  begin  to  build  mutual  understanding,  begin  to  communicate  its  genuine  desire  for  
reconciliation,  and  begin  to  coalesce  a  simple  though  compelling  vision  for  a  sustainable  
world  future.    Only  after  we  have  exhausted  all  hope  of  partial  solutions  will  we  be  
willing  to  move  forward  with  an  open  mind  and  open  heart  toward  a  future  of  mutually  
supportive  development.    
  It  was  communication  that  enabled  humans  to  evolve  from  early  hunter-­‐
gatherers  to  the  verge  of  planetary  civilization,  and  it  will  be  communication  that  
enables  us  to  become  a  bonded  human  family  that  is  committed  to  the  well-­‐being  of  all.    
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Because  virtually  all  of  the  world’s  problems  are  human-­‐caused,  they  are—at  their  
core—communication  problems.    At  the  very  time  that  we  need  an  unprecedented  
capacity  for  local-­‐to-­‐global  communication,  we  find  that  we  have  the  necessary  tools  in  
abundance.    Electronic  town  meetings  will  blossom  from  the  local  to  national  to  global  
scale  and  make  the  sentiments  of  the  body  politic  highly  visible  to  itself.    Less  and  less  
will  citizens  feel  they  are  helpless  victims  of  policies  developed  by  remote  
bureaucracies.        
  The  telecommunications  revolution  will  become  a  powerful  force  for  promoting  
reconciliation.    Martin  Luther  King,  Jr.,  said  that  to  realize  justice  in  human  affairs,  
“injustice  must  be  exposed,  with  all  of  the  tension  its  exposure  creates,  to  the  light  of  
human  conscience  and  the  air  of  national  opinion  before  it  can  be  cured.”137    Injustice  
and  inequities  flourish  in  the  darkness  of  inattention  and  ignorance,  but  when  the  
healing  light  of  public  awareness  is  focused  on  them,  it  creates  a  new  consciousness  
among  all  involved.    When  everyone  knows  that  the  “whole  world  is  watching”—when  
economic,  ethnic,  ideological,  and  religious  violence  is  brought  before  the  court  of  world  
public  opinion  through  the  mass  media—then  it  will  bring  a  powerful  corrective  
influence  into  human  relations.    The  global  media  will  soon  have  the  ability  to  provide  
the  world  with  access  to  news  and  information  about  virtually  any  place,  person,  issue,  
or  event  on  the  planet  within  a  matter  of  seconds.    In  a  communications-­‐rich  world,  old  
forms  of  political  repression,  human  rights  violations,  and  warfare  will  be  extremely  
difficult  to  perpetrate  without  having  a  massive  avalanche  of  world  public  opinion  
descend  upon  the  oppressors.138        As  people  and  nations  see  their  actions  scrutinized  
and  judged  by  the  rest  of  the  world  community,  they  will  become  more  inclined  to  
search  for  more  ethical  and  nonviolent  approaches  for  both  domestic  affairs  and  
international  relations.    
  With  intense  global  communication,  economic  restructuring,  and  conscious  
redesign  of  our  living  and  working  environments,  small  successes  will  grow  into  larger  
victories,  and  we  will  see  the  real  potential  for  achieving  a  future  where  the  engines  of  
the  world’s  economy  work  in  harmony  with  the  ecosystem  of  the  planet.    People  will  be  
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designing  themselves  back  into  nature  by  creating  sustainable  ways  of  living  that  are  
adapted  to  the  unique  ecology,  resources,  and  cultures  of  each  bioregion.    Prototype  
microcommunities  will  flourish  that  place  a  premium  on  living  in  ways  that  are  
ecologically  conscious  and  nurturing  of  the  human  family,  community,  psyche,  and  
spirit.      
 
  •  Autumn/Winter—Numerous  times  we  may  go  to  the  very  edge  of  ruin  as  a  
species,  hopefully  to  pull  back  in  time  with  new  levels  of  maturity  and  insight.    
Eventually  we  will  realize  there  is  no  final  truce  and  lasting  harmony  and  that,  instead,  
goodwill  and  cooperation  must  be  won  freshly  each  day—forever.    When  we  realize  
there  is  no  final  rest  and  that  we  have  the  skills  and  stamina  for  an  ongoing  journey,  we  
will  then  rise  to  a  new  level  of  responsibility.    Because  people  must  work  through  the  
adversities  of  this  stage  together,  it  will  foster  feelings  of  global  community  and  a  
shared  commitment  to  a  sustainable  future.        
  If  humanity  is  successful  in  realizing  the  evolutionary  potentials  of  this  era  of  
communication  and  reconciliation,  we  will  have  achieved  a  foothold  in  building  a  
planetary  civilization.    Our  long-­‐term  future  will  be  far  from  secure.    We  will  have  
established  little  more  than  the  collective  intention  to  create  a  sustainable  future  and  
the  capacity  for  mass  communication  necessary  to  realize  that  intention.    It  will  be  the  
task  of  the  next  major  stage  of  human  development—the  sixth  dimension—to  make  this  
hard-­‐won  possibility  a  reality.    With  reconciliation  comes  not  the  guarantee  of  success  
but  the  realistic  opportunity  to  try  to  succeed.    However,  if  “a  problem  recognized  is  a  
problem  half-­‐solved,”  then  in  recognizing  the  sweeping  changes  required  to  build  a  
sustainable  future,  we  will  have  come  a  long  way  toward  realizing  such  a  future.    
  After  the  intense  feelings  of  guilt  and  self-­‐doubt  experienced  during  the  
springtime  of  this  epoch,  we  will  feel  a  new  self-­‐esteem  as  a  species.    We  will  feel  as  
though  we  have  “paid  our  dues”—the  price  of  admission  into  the  first  stage  of  global  
maturity—through  our  immense  suffering.    Great  anxiety  as  to  whether  our  species  
would  survive  will  be  replaced  by  intense  feelings  of  global  community,  solidarity,  and  
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kinship.    “We  made  it  through  together,”  we  will  say.    “Our  species  moved  through  the  
time  of  greatest  danger  that  we  could  imagine,  and  we  survived.    We  have  truly  begun  
to  know  ourselves  as  a  human  family,  with  all  of  our  faults  and  idiosyncrasies.    We  have  
begun  to  realize  our  potential  for  double-­‐wisdom—to  know  our  own  mind  as  a  global  
family.    We  know  there  will  be  no  rest—that  forever  we  must  work  to  reconcile  
ourselves  with  ourselves—but  we  also  know  that  we  are  equal  to  the  challenge.”    
 
Summary  
  It  is  the  power  of  a  witnessing  or  reflective  consciousness  that  provides  the  
practical  basis  for  building  a  sustainable  future.    Reflective  consciousness  will  enable  
humanity  to  stand  back  from  counterproductive  behavior  and  to  choose  more  ecological  
ways  of  living.    With  reflective  consciousness  we  can  objectively  witness  environmental  
pollution,  religious  intolerance,  poverty,  overconsumption,  racial  injustice,  sexual  
discrimination,  and  other  conditions  that  have  divided  us  in  the  past.    With  a  more  
detached  perspective  combined  with  the  skills  of  conflict  resolution  and  the  tools  of  
mass  communication,  we  can  achieve  a  new  level  of  human  understanding.    With  
understanding  we  can  discover  an  authentic  vision  of  a  sustainable  future  that  serves  
the  well-­‐being  of  all.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Chapter  6  
Sixth  Stage:  

OCEANIC  CONSCIOUSNESS  AND  THE  

 BONDING  &  BUILDING  ERA  
 
 
Overview  
The  sixth  dimension  will  be  a  stage  where  consciousness  seeks  to  know  its  own  
origins  and  discovers  its  connection  with  the  deep  ecology  of  the  universe.    In  
experiencing  an  intimate  connection  with  the  underlying  universe,  our  sense  of  identity  
will  move  beyond  the  polarity  of  observer  and  observed  to  the  experience  of  
unbounded  Beingness.    An  oceanic  consciousness  fosters  feelings  of  love  for  all  life  and  
this  will  promote  bonding  among  the  human  family.    Social  compassion  will  become  a  
practical  basis  for  organizing  and  building  a  sustainable  future.    With  a  deep  sense  of  
bonding  and  community,  humanity  will  work  to  build  a  sustainable  future  premised  on  
mutually  supportive  development.    This  will  be  an  era  of  intense  cross-­‐cultural  learning,  
global  celebration  and  species-­‐bonding.      
 
Introduction  
  In  our  current  era  of  scientific  skepticism  and  social  cynicism,  it  strains  credibility  
to  describe  a  future  time  when  we  might  achieve  a  “golden  age”  of  compassionate  
understanding  and  deep  bonding  among  the  human  family.    Legitimate  skepticism  is  
tempered  with  the  recognition  that  immense  suffering  will  be  required  to  burn  through  
age-­‐old  hostilities  and  achieve  an  authentic  feeling  of  community  among  the  human  
species.    Evolution  towards  our  initial  maturity  as  a  planetary  civilization  is  not  an  
abstract  philosophical    concept—it  is  a  reality  of  the  flesh  that,  at  each  stage,  must  be  
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paid  for  in  the  blood  and  lives  of  countless  individuals.    There  are  no  free  gifts  in  
evolution.    We  must  genuinely  earn  access  to  each  new  stage  of  development.      
  Where  the  fifth  stage  will  surely  represent  one  of  the  most  difficult  and  painful  
stages  of  human  development,  the  blossoming  of  the  sixth  stage  will,  I  believe,  
represent  one  of  the  most  joyful  and  satisfying.    Assuming  we  have  not  damaged  
irreparably  the  ecological  foundations  for  life,  in  the  sixth  stage  we  will  work  in  earnest  
to  build  a  sustainable  future.    While  reconciliation  must  still  be  renewed  continuously,  
the  sixth  stage  begins  with  great  confidence  in  knowing  we  made  it  through  a  perilous  
transition  and  now  share  a  common  vision  of  a  workable  future.    The  world  will  blossom  
with  a  new  enthusiasm  for  life  and  learning.    We  will  take  pride  in  building  human  scale,  
sustainable  communities  that  are  nested  within  larger  urban  areas.    Innumerable  
projects  will  get  underway  to  restore  the  ecosystems  of  the  Earth.    A  compassionate  
consciousness  will  infuse  the  world,  bringing  a  new  sense  of  caring  and  hope.          
  The  same  love  that  binds  together  an  ordinary  family  is  the  unifying  force  that  
makes  global  reconciliation  and  commitment  possible.    It  is  this  love  that  transcends  the  
contentious  and  quarrelsome  behavior  of  humanity  and  that  can  bind  us  into  an  
authentic  world  community.    It  is  love  that  enables  us  to  join  together  consciously  in  a  
purposeful  marriage  of  global  scope  in  order  to  insure  a  sustainable  home  for  all  life.    
Teilhard  de  Chardin  described  the  essential  role  of  love  in  building  a  mature  species-­‐
civilization  in  his  prophetic  book,  The  Future  of  Man.    He  said  that  love  is  “the  
fundamental  impulse  of  Life...the  one  natural  medium  in  which  the  rising  course  of  
evolution  can  proceed.    With  love  omitted  there  is  truly  nothing  ahead  of  us  except  the  
forbidding  prospect  of  standardization  and  enslavement—the  doom  of  ants  and  
termites.    It  is  through  love  and  within  love  that  we  must  look  for  the  deepening  of  our  
deepest  self,  in  the  life-­‐giving  coming  together  of  humankind.”139    
  In  the  sixth  stage  of  evolution,  humanity  will  recognize  that  a  broad  spectrum  of  
choice  exists  for  how  we  will  live  together:    At  one  extreme,  we  can  become  a  
dysfunctional  and  abusive  global  family  that  fails  to  support  its  members  in  rising  to  
their  individual  and  collective  potentials.    At  the  other  extreme,  we  can  become  a  highly  
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functional,  nurturing  and  loving  family.    Like  a  family,  the  amount  of  love  we  bring  to  the  
process  will  have  a  direct  bearing  on  the  outcome—we  can  either  grow  together  
through  compassion  or  descend  into  conflict  together  through  greed  and  fear.      
  The  intense  crises  of  the  fifth  stage  will  be  necessary  to  awaken  the  power  of  
love  as  a  binding  force  for  planetary  civilization.    These  crises  will  push  people  to  realize  
that  technical  solutions  are  inadequate  to  remedy  our  situation  and  that,  
fundamentally,  we  face  a  crisis  of  compassion.    Only  by  building  upon  our  shared  
spiritual  experience  as  a  species—the  enduring  wisdom  found  across  cultures  and  
through  history—can  we  hope  to  make  a  successful  turn  towards  a  sustainable  and  
meaningful  future.    It  will  be  the  task  of  the  fifth  dimension  to  squarely  confront  this  
crisis  of  spirit  and  it  will  be  the  task  of  the  sixth  dimension  to  then  rebuild  human  
civilization  from  a  soulful  foundation.    A  compassionate  society  will  no  longer  be  seen  as  
a  spiritual  luxury  for  a  contemplative  few;  rather,  it  will  be  viewed  as  a  social  necessity  
for  the  entire  human  family.    The  perceptual  geometry  of  the  sixth  dimension  is  basic  to  
this  transformation  of  consciousness  and  culture.    
 
6th  Dimension:  Oceanic  Consciousness    
  Where  the  fifth  dimension  draws  out  the  potential  for  reflective  consciousness,  
the  sixth  dimension  draws  out  the  potential  for  a  compassionate  or  oceanic  
consciousness.    We  do  not  enter  the  sixth  stage  with  our  capacity  for  compassion  fully  
developed;  instead,  it  will  be  through  our  day-­‐to-­‐day  work  together  as  a  human  family  
that  we  evolve  our  capacity  for  loving  engagement  with  the  world.    Over  generations,  
we  will  build  a  caring  and  nurturing  planetary  community.    In  turn,  it  will  be  the  strength  
of  this  union  that  will  enable  us  to  withstand  the  enormous  stresses  that  will  be  
unleashed  by  the  creativity  of  the  seventh  dimension—our  last  stage  of  growth  before  
we  achieve  our  initial  maturity  as  a  species-­‐civilization.    Where  the  dispassionate  
consciousness  of  the  fifth  stage  was  sufficient  to  enable  us  to  achieve  embryonic  
reconciliation,  it  is  the  compassionate  consciousness  of  the  sixth  stage  that  enables  us  
to  move  ahead  to  actually  build  a  global  civilization.      
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  To  describe  the  foundations  of  compassionate  consciousness,  we  need  to  recall  a  
basic  premise  of  this  cosmology;  namely,  that  our  cosmos  is  a  living  organism  that  is  
being  regenerated  in  its  entirety  in  a  continuous  flow  of  creation  (a  theme  discussed  at  
length  in  Chapter  11).    Oceanic  knowing  emerges  naturally  when  we  penetrate  beneath  
the  surface  of  life  and  experience  the  underlying  ecology  of  Life-­‐energy  out  of  which  all  
is  continuously  arising.    This  expansion  in  knowing  occurs  when  the  object  of  
consciousness  is  consciousness  itself—when  knowingness  seeks  to  know  its  own  origins.    
With  knowing  centered  upon  knowing,  we  begin  to  penetrate  into  the  realm  of  pure  
awareness  whose  intrinsic  nature  is  love—an  experience  always  available  to  us  at  the  
center  of  our  moment-­‐to-­‐moment  existence.      
  When,  through  disciplined  effort,  we  learn  the  skills  of  quieting  our  mind  and  
turning  the  knowing  faculty  squarely  back  upon  itself,  a  profound  transformation  in  
consciousness  occurs—the  distance  between  observer  and  observed  is  gradually  
reduced  to  nothing.    Knowingness  ultimately  becomes  identical  with  and  transparent  to  
the  deep  generative  ground  that  continuously  gives  rise  to  all  that  exists.    To  describe  
this  crucial  though  subtle  process  in  visual  terms,  recall  Figure  7  from  the  previous  
chapter  that  portrayed  the  trinity  of  matter,  consciousness  and  the  underlying  Life-­‐force  
of  the  Meta-­‐universe.    Figure  8  suggests  how  the  experience  of  “self”  moves  from  the  
back  and  forth  dynamic  of  the  observer  and  observed  (or  bodily  existence  and  reflective  
consciousness),  to  that  of  being  identical  with  the  underlying  Meta-­‐universe  whose  
nature  is  compassionate  awareness:  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Figure  8:  The  Evolution  of  Identity  from    

the  Polarity  of  Observer/Observed  to  Oceanic  Awareness  
 

 
 
  With  highly  focused  attention  to  our  moment-­‐by-­‐moment  experience,  the  
distance  between  the  observer  and  observed  gradually  diminishes  until  they  become  a  
single  flow  of  experience  that  continuously  arises  anew.    As  the  knower  and  that  which  
is  known  become  one  in  experience,  we  become  identical  to  the  infinite  Life-­‐energy  
from  which  all  continuously  emerges.    When  we  are  fully  present  in  the  precise  center  
of  our  moment-­‐to-­‐moment  experience,  we  automatically  come  into  a  living  relationship  
with  the  unbounded  Life-­‐force—an  experience  that  is  intrinsically  pleasurable  and  
satisfying.    At  the  center,  we  find  the  simple  joy  and  contentment  of  being  alive.    Our  
intimate  connection  with  all  of  creation  naturally  awakens  feelings  of  wholeness,  
aliveness  and  compassion.      
  Our  experience  of  time  is  again  transformed  with  entry  into  the  spaciousness  of  
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the  sixth  dimension.    Time  moves  beyond  the  momentary  snap-­‐shots  of  holistic  
manifestation  in  the  fifth  dimension  to  the  abiding  fullness  of  creation  in  the  sixth  
dimension.    Instead  of  skipping  along  the  surface  of  consciousness  and  catching  brief  
glimpses  of  reflective  knowing,  we  move  into  the  oceanic  depths  of  consciousness,  
experiencing  the  ebbs  and  flows  of  a  larger  life,  and  tasting  the  experience  of  great  
Being.    Yet,  the  boundless  experience  of  Being  in  the  sixth  stage  does  not  complete  the  
evolution  of  our  self-­‐referencing  capacity—we  still  have  to  close  the  loop  and  bring  the  
boundless  ocean  of  compassionate  knowing  back  into  the  everyday,  material  world  of  
the  here  and  now.    The  oceanic  experience  of  Being  in  the  sixth  stage  has  yet  to  become  
fully  transformed  into  the  flow  consciousness  of  “Being-­‐Becoming-­‐Being”  characteristic  
of  the  seventh  stage.      
 
Oceanic  Identity  
  Many  paths  can  lead  to  the  discovery  of  the  oceanic  scope  of  our  being;  for  
example,  meditation,  prayer  and  service  in  the  world.    A  common  challenge  in  all  paths  
is  to  develop  the  skills  of  coming  to  our  centered  sense  of  self.    As  we  become  practiced  
in  opening  to  this  larger  body  of  Being,  our  sense  of  self  expands  commensurately.    We  
no  longer  see  ourselves  as  contained  entirely  within  a  physical  body—we  recognize  that  
the  true  scope  of  our  being  extends  into  the  deep  ecology  of  the  underlying  Meta-­‐
universe  and  that  we  have  an  identity  of  vast  magnitude.    We  know  from  direct  
experience  that  we  are  inseparable  from  the  unbounded  Meta-­‐universe  and  that  we  are  
infused  by  a  silent  hurricane  of  Life-­‐energy  that  moves  through  and  sustains  all  things.    
With  penetrating  attention,  we  recognize  that  a  subtle  fact  of  cosmic  proportions  has  
been  everpresent  in  our  experience  but  largely  overlooked.    In  our  previous  state  of  
mental  distraction—thinking  about  the  past  and  worrying  about  the  future—we  did  not  
appreciate  the  importance  of  the  subtle  self-­‐experience  that  was  always  available  to  us.    
In  the  sixth  stage,  however,  a  knowingness  that  was  initially  almost  imperceptible  grows  
in  strength  and  clarity.    Just  as  a  nearly  universal,  written  literacy  would  have  seemed  
almost  impossible  during  the  agrarian  era  but  the  norm  in  the  industrial  era,  so  too  can  
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a  “literacy  of  consciousness”  seem  almost  unimaginable  today  but  become  widely  
accessible  only  a  few  generations  into  the  future.    
  Although  awakening  to  an  expanded  sense  of  self  can  be  marked  by  profound  
mystical  experiences,  this  does  not  mean  people  in  the  sixth  stage  move  through  life    
“blissed  out”  or  in  a  state  of  rapture  that  is  disconnected  from  our  bodily  and  worldly  
existence.    To  the  contrary,  by  being  fully  present  within  our  bodily  experience,  we  
settle  into  the  miracle  of  existence  and  discover  the  subtle  aliveness,  delight  and  joy  of  
sheer  being.    While  powerful  and  transformative  experiences  may  mark  our  passage  
into  an  oceanic  self-­‐sense,  the  everyday  experience  and  expression  of  this  
compassionate  mode  of  being  tends  to  be  down-­‐to-­‐Earth  and  practical.        
  An  important  aspect  of  the  conscious  learning  of  the  sixth  dimension  comes  as  
people  to  stray  from  their  centered  experience  and  seemingly  “lose”  themselves,  only  to  
rediscover  themselves  again  and  again  until  they  have  unshakeable  confidence  in  their  
capacity  for  “knowing  that  they  know.”    Many  times  a  day  we  will  forget  the  fact  of  our  
oceanic  Being  but—with  a  few  moments  of  focus,  intention  and  grace—we  can  take  a  
breath,  notice  the  smile  and  love  that  arises  spontaneously  in  our  hearts,  and  re-­‐affirm  
our  capacity  for  approaching  the  world  with  loving  kindness.    Through  diligent  practice  
we  learn  that,  once  we  discover  the  oceanic  dimension,  we  are  not  cut  off  from  this  
experience  of  reality.    Even  though  we  may  move  up  and  down  the  spectrum  of  
dimensional  stages  many  times  during  the  course  of  a  day,  we  can  be  confident  that  we  
know  where  to  look  within  our  felt  experience  to  discover  freshly  the  oceanic  nature  of  
our  Being.    In  a  self-­‐reinforcing  spiral  of  development,  we  become  increasingly  secure  in  
knowing  this  ordinary  miracle,  and  we  recognize  that  we  are  beings  of  cosmic  
dimension,  connection  and  purpose.        
 
A  World  of  Friends        
  With  a  compassionate  consciousness  as  a  widely  shared  foundation  for  human  
relations,  a  feeling  of  community  will  naturally  expand  to  a  global  scale.    Most  people  
will  feel  they  are  among  friends,  no  matter  where  they  are  in  the  world.    A  common  
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bond  will  exist  beneath  the  outward  differences  of  culture,  race,  gender,  age  and  
occupation.    Everywhere,  people  will  be  working  to  craft  their  individualized  art  of  living  
more  consciously.    In  a  grocery  store,  walking  along  a  street,  working  in  an  office,  driving  
along  the  road,  wherever—a  majority  of  people  will  be  found  going  about  their  lives  
more  consciously  and  intentionally.    A  world  culture  that  values  the  potential  for  
double-­‐wisdom  will  be  everywhere  evident.        
  Entirely  new  levels  of  community  will  be  generated  by  the  electronic  networks  
with  their  complex  array  of  overlapping  associations  and  connections  among  people.    
Communication  networks  will  be  so  inexpensive  to  use  that  it  will  be  nearly  as  easy  to  
connect  with  someone  on  the  other  side  of  the  planet  as  someone  down  the  street.    
Electronic  communities  and  cultures  will  flourish,  transforming  research,  friendship,  
arts,  education,  business,  play  and  governance.    Electronic  networks  will  leap  over  
traditional  organizational  and  social  boundaries  to  move  knowledge  through  the  global  
society  like  water  passing  through  a  sponge.    A  strong  feeling  of  global  family  will  
emerge  from  the  collective  influence  of  these  diverse  electronic  communities.    With  
communication  networks  enveloping  the  world,  humanity  will  have  the  “global  brain”  it  
needs  to  build  a  future  of  mutually  supportive  development.      
  With  the  rise  of  a  compassionate  consciousness,  humanity  will  be  so  busy  
creating  sustainable  communities  and  restoring  the  ecosystems  of  the  Earth  that  
physical  warfare  will  lose  much  of  its  potency  and  purpose.    All  war  will  be  seen  as  civil  
war.    With  a  commitment  to  non-­‐violent  means  of  resolving  conflicts,  the  world  will  shift  
its  resources  away  from  military  arsenals  and  focus  on  critical  needs  for  world  health,  
environmental  restoration,  rebuilding  cities,  global  literacy,  life-­‐long  education,  and  
expanding  the  communications  infrastructure.    
  In  the  sixth  stage,  the  differences  that  previously  divided  humanity—in  religion,  
politics,  ethnicity,  race  and  gender—will  now  be  what  brings  us  together.    This  is  an  era  
for  celebrating  diversity  within  a  context  of  overarching  unity.    In  the  sixth  stage,  a  rich  
and  diverse  global  culture  will  emerge  as  music,  theater,  literature,  dance  and  other  arts  
proliferate.    With  a  flood  of  exchange  among  the  cultures  of  the  planet,  there  will  be  a  
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world-­‐wide  interest  in  understanding  and  preserving  the  deep  historical  roots  of  every  
culture  to  insure  that  we  do  not  forget  the  unique  origins  and  contributions  made  by  
various  peoples  throughout  history.    There  will  be  widespread  interest  in  archaeology  
and  paleoanthropology  as  humanity  makes  a  systematic  effort  to  discover  its  roots  and  
to  protect  knowledge  of  the  unique  genealogy  and  history  of  all  the  world’s  cultures.      
  In  the  sixth  stage,  a  fermenting  global  culture  will  emerge  that  is  pulsing  with  life  
and  activity.    The  richness  of  the  global  culture  will  be  vital  to  compensate  for  severe  
material  limitations.    Regular  rites  and  rituals  will  celebrate  the  recurring  cycles  of  the  
planet.    “Earth  Days”  will  acknowledge  our  bonding  as  a  human  family  and  our  
connection  to  the  living  planet,  “Gaia.”    In  global  concerts  and  gatherings,  people  will  
celebrate  their  reverence  for  life  and  affirm  their  solidarity  with  the  planet.    Regions  and  
nations  will  take  turns  hosting  gatherings  that  celebrate  our  covenant  with  the  Earth  
and  our  commitment  to  one  another.  
  World  games  will  become  increasingly  popular  as  spirited  competition  replaces  
armed  conflict  as  an  important  way  of  working  through  tensions  and  aggressions.    New  
games  will  be  invented  with  challenges  and  refinements  that  push  contestants  towards  
ever  higher  levels  of  excellence—from  the  cerebral  (for  example,  highly  sophisticated  
electronic  simulation  games  where,  in  virtual  reality,  players  undertake  challenges  more  
dangerous  and  difficult  than  they  could  in  real  life)  to  the  more  physical  (perhaps  racing  
advanced  forms  of  solar,  wind  and  human-­‐powered  airplanes).        
  The  culture  of  the  sixth  stage  will  embody  a  balance  between  masculine  and  
feminine  archetypes.    The  feminine  archetype  will  be  expressed  in  the  priority  given  to  
building  nurturing  relationships  among  the  members  of  the  human  family  and  in  
restoring  the  global  ecology.    The  masculine  archetype  will  be  expressed  in  the  priority  
given  to  practical  projects  required  to  build  the  new  planetary  infrastructure.    Overall,  
there  will  be  a  life-­‐serving  intention  as  most  persons  seek  to  serve  the  well-­‐being  of  the  
living  planet.      A  culture  of  kindness  will  become  the  social  norm  as  more  and  more  
people  become  “guerrillas  of  goodness”  and  spontaneously  express  their  caring  for  one  
another  and  for  the  Earth  in  countless  small  actions.  
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  A  compassionate  or  life-­‐serving  intention  will  have  practical  impacts  on  how  
social  relationships  are  structured  and  managed.    During  the  industrial  era,  people  were  
expected  to  behave  in  a  self-­‐serving  manner  and  external  forms  of  regulation  (intrusive  
bureaucracies,  laws  and  monitoring  systems)  were  needed  to  moderate  the  negative  
impacts  of  actions  taken  without  regard  to  their  impact  on  the  world.    However,  in  this  
era  of  compassionate  consciousness,  many  people  will  bring  a  life-­‐serving  intention  to  
the  affairs  of  everyday  life  and,  consequently,  the  need  for  intrusive  bureaucracies  will  
be  diminished  and  human  freedom  will  be  enhanced.        
  One  practical  expression  of  designing  ourselves  into  a  sustainable  future  will  be  
the  rebuilding  of  massive  cities  with  neighborhoods  in  the  form  of  intentional  micro-­‐
communities.    By  creating  economically  and  socially  integrated  micro-­‐communities  at  
the  scale  of  roughly  a  city  or  suburban  block,  new  forms  of  living  and  working  
environments  will  emerge  that  utilize  local  space  far  more  intensively  and  creatively.    A  
suburban  block  may,  for  example,  be  transformed  into  an  aesthetic  and  organic  
clustering  of  buildings,  gardens  and  areas  for  living  and  working.    Because  the  
population  of  many  of  these  “eco-­‐villages”  would  roughly  approximate  the  tribal  scale  
of  living  (with  several  dozen  to  a  hundred  or  so  persons),  this  design  and  scale  of  living  
will,  for  many,  feel  very  comfortable  and  “fitting.”    With  an  architecture  sensitive  to  the  
psychology  of  modern  “tribes,”  a  new  sense  of  community  will  begin  to  replace  the  
alienation  of  massive  urban  regions.    Micro-­‐communities  will  also  be  designed  with  
gardens,  trees  and  courtyards  that  invite  nature  back  into  the  living  environment.    
  Each  micro-­‐community  might  specialize  in  a  particular  area  of  interest  to  provide  
fulfilling  work  for  many  persons  (for  example,  crafts,  health  care,  child  care,  gardening,  
education,  publishing,  etc.).    Common  to  all  eco-­‐villages  could  be  a  community  garden  
for  local  food  production,  solar  collectors  or  some  other  source  of  energy  production,  an  
efficient  system  of  recycling  and  waste  disposal,  and  a  telecommuting  center.    Instead  of  
isolating  people  in  single-­‐family  dwellings  or  apartments,  people  could  find  a  satisfying  
sense  of  place  within  an  immense  variety  of  different  eco-­‐villages  designed  to  reflect  the  
values  and  interests  of  various  communities  of  people.    Sustainability  would  be  achieved  
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through  different  designs  that  are  uniquely  adapted  to  the  culture,  economy,  interests  
and  environment  of  each  neighborhood  and  region.    These  micro-­‐communities  will  have  
the  feeling  and  cohesiveness  of  a  small  town  and  the  sophistication  of  a  big  city  as  they  
are  nested  within  a  communications-­‐rich  setting.    One  vision  of  a  sustainable  
community  is  shown  in  Figure  9  on  the  following  page.  
  Revitalization  at  the  micro-­‐scale  would  be  accompanied  by  the  growth  of  other  
institutions  that  expand  the  sense  of  belonging  and  meaningful  association—voluntary  
groups,  churches,  clubs  and  other  organizations  will  flourish  and  give  people  a  strong  
sense  of  connection  and  community.      In  a  spirit  of  local  self-­‐help,  grass  roots  
organizations  will  take  charge  of  many  activities  formerly  preempted  by  centralized  
bureaucracies:  education,  health  care,  child  care,  crime  prevention,  job  training,  and  
much  more.  With  a  strong  sense  of  community  at  the  scale  of  the  neighborhood  and  
local  bioregion,  there  will  exist  a  resilient  and  sturdy  foundation  upon  which  to  build  a  
planetary-­‐scale  civilization.    A  compassionate  society  that  is  organized  and  largely  
governed  at  the  local  scale  has  another  high  social  payoff:  it  will  enable  people  to  
maintain  their  freedoms  and  avoid  impersonal  control  by  remote  bureaucracies—the  
“the  doom  of  ants  and  termites.”140          
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Figure  9:  Envisioning  a  Sustainable  Community  

 
141
Illustration  by  Bill  Mastin,  Urban  Ecology,  Berkeley,  California  
 
 
An  Ocean  of  Voices  
  Democracy  will  be  highly  participatory  in  this  communications-­‐rich  global  
society.    The  alienation  and  cynicism  of  the  past  will  be  transformed  as  people  are  
offered  innumerable  ways  to  participate  in  dialogue  and  decisions  at  every  level—local,  
regional,  national  and  global.      Where  the  fourth  stage  (or  industrial  era)  was  
characterized  by  massive  citizen  withdrawal  from  civic  duties,  and  where  the  fifth  stage  
(or  communication  and  reconciliation  era)  will  be  characterized  by  bursts  of  intense  
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public  dialogue  and  consensus-­‐building  followed  by  periods  of  relative  quiet  and  
distraction,  the  sixth  stage  will  be  characterized  by  an  ocean  of  voices  that,  with  ebbs  
and  flows,  gives  ongoing  feedback  vital  to  building  a  sustainable  future.    As  the  global  
village  comes  of  age,  the  conversation  of  democracy  will  broaden  and  deepen  through  
the  powerful  electronic  networks  that  surround  the  planet.  
  Because  competition  between  nation-­‐states  that  is  unrestrained  by  any  effective  
form  of  overarching  governing  process  will  produce  continuing  conflict,  a  more  
democratically  organized  world  governing  body  will  emerge  in  the  sixth  stage.    A  natural  
progression  in  the  scale  of  government  seems  to  accompany  each  stage  of  dimensional  
evolution:    
 
•  2nd  Stage—In  the  era  of  the  awakening  hunter-­‐gatherer,  humanity  moved  from  
tribes  to  the  small  village  scale  of  activity.      
 
•  3rd  Stage—In  the  agrarian  era,  we  moved  from  the  scale  of  city-­‐states  to  loosely  
connected  empires.      
 
•  4th  Stage—In  the  industrial  era,  we  moved  from  strong  nation-­‐states  and  
confederations  of  nations  into  a  weak  form  of  international  governance.      
 
•  5th  Stage—In  the  communications  era,  we  are  seeing  the  emergence  of  strong  
economic  alliances  among  groups  of  nations,  creating  important  transnational  
entities  as  well  as  a  strengthened  United  Nations.          
 
  As  the  scale  of  social  organization  enlarges,  issues  of  domination  and  sovereignty  
must  be  overcome  at  each  stage  of  evolution.    A  strong  system  of  global  governance  is  
unlikely  to  be  accepted  easily  or  quickly.    The  historical  progression  from  villages  to  city-­‐
states  to  nation-­‐states  to  regional  alliances  and  beyond  has  been  accompanied  by  
terrible  wars  and  human  suffering.    It  took  the  horror  of  World  War  I  to  generate  
support  for  the  ineffective  League  of  Nations.    It  took  the  millions  of  lives  lost  during  
World  War  II  to  generate  support  for  the  largely  symbolic  and  relatively  weak  United  
Nations.    If  history  is  our  guide,  it  may  require  another  great  tragedy  before  a  global  
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consensus  emerges  that  supports  a  system  of  effective  global  governance.        

  A  system  of  global  governance  could  be  developed  with  appropriate  checks  and  
balances,  so  that  it  has  adequate  power  to  enforce  laws  but  not  enough  to  become  a  
global  dictatorship.    It  could  be  modeled,  for  example,  after  the  design  of  the  United  
States  government,  where  a  democratically  elected  legislature  develops  laws,  an  
appointed  court  interprets  those  laws,  and  an  elected  executive  agency  enforces  those  
laws.    With  a  democratically  constituted  vehicle  of  global  governance,  the  world  could  
move  from  peace  achieved  through  threat  (mutually  assured  destruction)  to  peace  
achieved  through  promise  (mutually  assured  development).    Despite  a  compassionate  
orientation,  it  seems  unlikely  that  conflict  will  be  eliminated  entirely;  instead,  other  
forms  of  violence  will  persist  (for  example,  information  wars,  eco-­‐terrorism,  economic  
injustice,  and  racial  discrimination)  that  will  create  the  need  for  ongoing  conflict  
resolution.      
  Non-­‐violent  action  will  become  increasingly  important  as  a  way  to  awaken  the  
conscience  of  a  community,  corporation  or  nation.    For  example,  a  majority  of  persons  
in  an  entire  city,  region  or  nation  might  engage  in  a  hunger  strike  to  awaken  other  
people  of  the  Earth  to  a  particular  human  need  or  injustice.    Previously  unthinkable  
levels  of  compassionate  mass  action  and  national  self-­‐sacrifice  might  blossom  in  efforts  
to  raise  the  world’s  consciousness  and  achieve  life-­‐enhancing  ends.    As  people  make  
successful  use  of  the  principles  of  non-­‐violence  it  will  further  soften  the  heart  of  
humankind  and  wean  us  from  violence.          
  The  actions  of  governments  around  the  globe  will  be  scrutinized  intensely  by  
people  around  the  planet.    The  constant  flow  of  information  and  dialogue  will  create  a  
palpable  global  consensus.    The  body-­‐politic  will  increasingly  know  its  own  mind  and  
grow  ever  more  sophisticated  in  its  collective  thought  processes.    Regions,  nations  and  
trans-­‐national  alliances  will  work  to  forge  understandings  that  can  be  injected  into  the  
global  decision-­‐making  process.    Given  the  overlapping  nature  of  communication  
networks  and  the  strength  of  a  highly  decentralized  global  economy,  it  is  unlikely  that  
any  single  group  or  nation  will  be  able  to  dominate.      In  this  new  world,  everyone  will  be  
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in  charge—and  no  one  will  be  in  charge.    We  will  have  a  mature,  self-­‐organizing  system  
where  no  one  nation,  group  or  leader  dominates  and  yet  everyone  participates.      
 
Coming  Home  to  the  Earth  
  The  root  meaning  of  the  word  economy  is  “home-­‐management,”  and  it  is  in  the  
sixth  stage  that  we  will    learn  to  manage  our  affairs  as  a  species  in  a  way  that  truly  
makes  the  Earth  our  home.    To  prevent  the  Earth  from  going  into  catastrophic  decline  
and  failure,  we  will  recognize  that  we  must  maintain  the  Earth’s  capacity  for  self-­‐repair.    
We  will  understand  that  if  we  don’t  safeguard  the  natural  healing  ability  of  the  planet,  
the  long-­‐term  costs  will  far  outweigh  short-­‐term  advantages.      After  the  trauma  of  the  
last  epoch,  people  will  understand  that  there  are  no  quick  fixes  and  that  restoration  of  
the  ecosystem  will  require  the  patient  effort  of  billions  of  individuals  over  many  
generations.    A  primary  goal  of  will  be  to  develop  ways  of  life  that  insure  the  planetary  
biosphere  can  support  the  weight  and  pressure  of  humanity’s  civilizing  activity.      
  In  the  sixth  stage,  humanity  will  continuously  adjust  its  overall  levels  and  
patterns  of  consumption  to  keep  within  the  carrying  capacity  of  the  Earth.    Voluntarily  
paring  back  on  consumption  will  not  be  done  in  a  spirit  of  sacrifice  as  people  will  
recognize  that  we  are  here  for  reasons  far  beyond  consuming  and  being  entertained.    In  
the  oceanic  era,  there  will  be  widespread  understanding  that  we  are  here  to  experience  
life  fully,  to  engage  the  world  purposefully,  and  to  contribute  to  life  wholeheartedly.    
There  will  be  broad  recognition  that  an  unquenchable  spark  of  life  burns  within  each  of  
us  and  that  we  cannot  satisfy  the  drive  of  our  inner  life-­‐force  for  soulful  engagement  
with  the  world  by  simply  consuming  more  stuff.    People  will  understand  that  the  feeling  
of  wholeness  comes  from  authentic  union  with  the  world—when  our  inner  aliveness  
comes  into  conscious  and  fulfilling  connection  with  the  miracle  of  everyday  existence.    
 
A  Spirituality  Named  Compassion    
  The  spirituality  of  the  sixth  stage  is  grounded  in  the  transpersonal  experience  
that  emerges  when  consciousness  is  turned  back  upon  itself.    As  consciousness  seeks  to  
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know  its  own  origins  and  nature,  we  penetrate  into  the  realms  underlying  a  sentient  
universe.    Cosmic  consciousness—or  knowing  our  connection  with  the  consciousness  of  
the  living  cosmos—becomes  a  widely  shared,  experiential  foundation  for  the  global  
culture.      
  Oceanic  knowing  provides  a  new  common  sense  for  a  more  compassionate  
society.    A  core  meaning  of  the  word  “passion”  is  “to  suffer.”    Therefore,  the  word  
“com-­‐passion”  literally  means  “to  be  with  suffering.”    In  the  sixth  dimension,  we  will  
directly  experience  our  connection  with  the  suffering  of  the  rest  of  life  in  its  struggle  for  
existence  and  liberating  awareness.    Where  the  fifth  stage  is  marked  by  a  dispassionate  
distance  between  the  observer  and  that  which  is  being  observed,  the  sixth  stage  is  
marked  by  feelings  of  intimate  connection  between  the  self  and  the  rest  of  reality.    It  is  
this  experience  of  connection  that  enables  us  to  respond  naturally  with  a  more  open  
mind  and  heart  to  the  suffering  of  the  world.      
  The  lives  of  Martin  Luther  King,  Jr.  and  Mother  Teresa  provide  two  examples  of  
the  practical  expression  of  a  compassionate  consciousness  and  suggest  how  it  might  
transform  life  in  the  sixth  stage.    King  would  sometimes  quote  Gandhi,  who  said:  “Rivers  
of  blood  may  have  to  flow  before  we  gain  our  freedom,  but  it  must  be  our  blood.”    King  
also  said  that  the  willingness  to  bear  suffering  transforms  resister  and  oppressor  alike  
and  avoids  the  bitterness  that  comes  from  hate.    “Along  the  way  of  life,  someone  must  
have  sense  enough  and  morality  enough  to  cut  off  the  chain  of  hate.    This  can  only  be  
done  by  projecting  the  ethic  of  love  to  the  center  of  our  lives.”142    Mother  Teresa  has  
devoted  her  life  to  working  with  the  poorest  of  the  poor  around  the  world  and  is  a  
powerful  example  of  the  practical  expression  of  compassion.    She  says,  “Love  is  a  fruit  in  
season  at  all  times,  and  within  reach  of  every  hand.    Anyone  may  gather  it  and  no  limit  is  
set.”143          
  The  oceanic  consciousness  of  the  sixth  stage  will  enable  humanity  to  see  beyond  
the  differences  in  religious  dogma  that  were  so  divisive  in  the  past.    Each  spiritual  
tradition  will  be  appreciated  for  how  it  invites  people  to  experience  a  different  facet  of  
the  divine  Life-­‐force:    Christianity  inviting  us  to  bring  love,  forgiveness  and  a  concern  for  
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social  justice  into  our  community  life.    Judaism  inviting  us  to  appreciate  the  divine  force  
that  is  not  aloof  from  this  world  but  lives  in  and  through  human  history  and  society.    
Islam  inviting  us  to  appreciate  the  great  value  of  the  awakened  individual  whose  life  is  
surrendered  to  God.    Buddhism  inviting  us  to  discipline  our  thinking  minds  and  to  
develop  the  capacity  for  penetrating  insight  that  reveals  the  core  nature  of  our  Being  as  
an  unbroken  flow  of  pure  awareness.    Hinduism  inviting  us  to  appreciate  the  absolute  
reality  behind  all  appearances  and  the  moment-­‐to-­‐moment  dance  of  creation  and  
destruction  of  the  cosmos.    Taoism  inviting  us  to  appreciate  the  subtle,  unceasing  flow  
of  reality  and  the  wisdom  of  yielding  to  that  flow.    American  Indians  and  other  native  
people’s  throughout  the  world  inviting  us  to  experience  the  living  presence  infusing  all  
of  nature’s  expressions—plants,  animals,  Earth,  wind,  fire  and  water.    Each  of  the  
world’s  wisdom  traditions  reveals  a  different  facet  of  humanity’s  experience  of  the  
divine  Life-­‐force.        
  An  oceanic  spirituality  emerges  when  knowingness  seeks  to  know  its  own  source  
and  we  discover  that  our  core  nature  is  the  unbounded  Life-­‐force  or  “God,”  the  “Tao,”  
“Brahman”  and  other  names  for  this  ultimately  unnameable  presence.    Modern  physics  
hints  at  this  deeper  nature  and  describes  our  seemingly  solid  bodies  as  whirlwinds  of  
subtle  energy  that  are  orchestrated  with  exquisite  harmony  so  as  to  dynamically  sculpt  a  
living  presence.    The  creative  power  of  this  invisible  Life-­‐energy  is  obscured  by  its  
transparent  nature.    We  can  easily  overlook  the  fact  that  at  the  center  of  the  flow  of  
thoughts,  feelings,  and  sensations  there  is  a  clear,  “knowing-­‐resonance”—an  artesian  
well  of  pure  Life-­‐energy  that  continuously  pours  into  existence.    Yet,  just  as  when  the  
clear  light  of  the  sun  is  passed  through  a  prism  and  blossoms  into  a  bright  rainbow  of  
colors,  so  too,  when  the  clear  light  of  our  centered  existence  shines  through  the  prism  
of  this  material  world  and  our  unique  persona,  we  each  manifest  a  broad  spectrum  of  
textures  and  qualities  of  being.    To  experience  ourselves  as  a  unique  expression  of  this  
infinite  Life-­‐energy,  we  must  learn  the  skills  of  quieting  our  mentally  constructed  I-­‐sense  
so  the  spontaneously  given  I-­‐sense  may  become  evident  in  awareness.    
  The  opportunity  to  develop  our  inborn  capacity  for  double  wisdom  is  the  most  
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precious  gift  that  this  world  offers.    In  knowing  that  we  know,  we  discover  the  gateway  
into  the  unbounded  Meta-­‐universe—into  eternity.    Because  a  supreme  evolutionary  
imperative  is  to  support  life  in  its  ascent  towards  self-­‐referencing  knowing,  to  die  before  
coming  to  self-­‐referencing  consciousness  represents  a  profound,  lost  opportunity.    
  To  discover  the  subtle  Life-­‐energy  at  the  center  of  our  being  requires  periods  of  
undistracted  attention  and  contemplation.    Our  world  of  busy  schedules,  distractions,  
noise,  and  conflicting  purposes  makes  it  very  difficult  to  cultivate  the  refinement  of  
attention  needed  to  discover  the  presence  of  eternity.    In  the  culture  of  oceanic  
consciousness,  people  will  consciously  simplify  their  lives  to  create  the  time  and  space  
to  contemplate  and  celebrate  the  subtle  but  unmistakable  Life-­‐force  at  the  core  of  our  
being.    Increasingly,  people  will  recognize  that  our  greatest  satisfaction  comes  from  
experiencing  the  aliveness  at  the  center  of  our  existence  and  in  sharing  that  experience  
with  others.        
 
The  Seasons  of  the  Sixth  Dimension  
  As  a  compassionate  consciousness  infuses  our  worldly  actions,  restoration  of  the  
Earth  becomes  a  project  as  compelling  as  was  the  domination  of  the  Earth  in  the  
industrial  era.    Here  are  the  seasons  of  growth  involved  in  building  a  sustainable  
planetary  culture  and  bonding  ourselves  into  a  global  family.        
 
  •  Spring—In  the  springtime  of  the  sixth  stage,  we  will  be  challenged  to  realize  
the  visions  of  a  sustainable  future  that  were  developed  at  the  close  of  the  fifth  stage.    
Humanity  will  have  one  overriding  world  project  in  the  opening  of  this  new  epoch:  
achieving  basic  minimums  of  well-­‐being  for  all  people  with  regard  to  food,  shelter,  
health  care,  education,  environmental  quality,  and  access  to  communication  systems.    
Although  great  disparities  may  persist  for  several  generations,  these  could  be  tolerable  
if  there  is  a  clear  plan  and  intention  to  achieve  ethical  minimums.    In  order  for  humanity  
to  live  within  the  ecological  limits  of  the  biosphere,  enormous  goodwill  and  self-­‐
discipline  will  be  required  to  restrain  the  engines  of  economic  growth  in  both  developed  
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and  developing  nations.    Overall,  the  human  family  will  need  the  powerful  bonding  force  
of  love  to  hold  itself  together  during  these  challenging  times.      
 
  •  Summer—The  summer  of  growth,  will  be  a  season  of  intense  activity  and  
determined  invention.    After  several  generations  of  work  on  restoring  the  integrity  of  
the  Earth’s  ecosystem,  a  feeling  of  satisfaction  and  accomplishment  will  infuse  the  
planet—the  people  of  the  Earth  will  know  that  they  are  capable  of  creating  a  civilization  
in  harmony  with  the  biosphere,  one  that  can  endure  into  the  far  future.      
  With  the  Earth  recognized  as  a  living  organism,  an  ecological  ethic  will  continue  
to  develop  that  recognizes  the  rights  of  all  life-­‐forms.    We  will  accept  responsibility  for  
the  well-­‐being  of  all  creation—from  the  trees,  dolphins  and  whales  to  the  microbes  and  
plankton.    Because  the  strength  of  an  ecosystem  depends  upon  a  diverse  biosphere  with  
a  broad  spectrum  of  life  forms,  many  people  will  adopt,  and  seek  to  protect,  a  particular  
bioregion  or  particular  species  of  plants  or  animals  as  part  of  their  life  work.  
  The  growing  breadth  and  depth  of  world  communications  will  continue  to  
awaken  a  global  consciousness.    World  festivals,  fairs,  Olympics  and  observances  will  
abound.    Cycles  of  celebration  will  mark  out  the  year  and  infuse  the  world  with  a  
perceptible  consciousness.    World  meditations  and  mass  rituals  will  deepen  the  sense  of  
global  cohesion  and  union.    Local  to  global  rites  and  rituals  will  flourish  with  innovative  
music,  theater,  and  ceremony  that  celebrate  the  solidarity  and  bonding  of  the  human  
family.          
 
  •  Autumn/Winter—As  the  golden  summer  and  abundant  autumn  of  this  epoch  
move  towards  winter,  there  will  be  a  growing  recognition  that  the  evolutionary  journey  
is  not  yet  complete.    Although  the  dream  of  species-­‐bonding  and  a  sustainable  future  
will  have  been  realized,  the  global  civilization  that  once  looked  so  appealing  will  now  
show  another  face:    Bonding  turns  to  bondage.    Union  turns  to  uniformity.    
Cohesiveness  turns  to  constraint.    Increasingly,  people  will  feel  suffocated  and  
controlled—on  a  leash  of  love,  bound  by  the  golden  chains  of  a  compassionate  society.    
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Having  learned  to  maintain  ourselves,  a  billion  or  more  creative  individuals  will  now  
want  to  explore  the  possibilities  for  surpassing  themselves.    
  Until  we  reach  our  initial  maturity  as  a  species-­‐civilization  in  the  eighth  stage,  we  
will  find  that,  after  we  harvest  the  potentials  of  each  of  the  preceding  stages  of  growth,  
there  emerges  revealed  a  dark  side  that  leads  to  a  civilizational  crisis  which,  in  turn,  
pushes  us  to  a  new  stage  of  development:    
 
•  4th  Dimension—We  realized  the  potential  for  material  development  only  to  find  
that  we  were  destroying  the  ecosystem  on  which  our  existence  depends.    
 
•  5th  Dimension—We  may  realize  the  potential  for  a  lawful  world  order  only  to  
find  our  freedoms  threatened  by  a  global  computer  and  communications  
network  that  tightly  monitors  and  controls  human  affairs.  
 
•  6th  Dimension—We  may  realize  the  potential  for  a  compassionate  and  
sustainable  world  only  to  sink  into  a  stagnant  society  where  living  becomes  “only  
not  dying.”          
 
  In  communities  around  the  planet,  empowered  and  capable  persons  will  seek  to  
move  beyond  maintaining  themselves  to  surpassing  themselves.    Acting  from  love,  they  
will  push  creativity  to  its  limits  with  an  unprecedented  range  of  projects  (for  example:  
genetic  engineering  that  creates  hybrid  forms  of  animals  and  plants;  developing  
superintelligent  computer  systems  that  are  set  free  to  advance  learning  into  uncharted  
areas;  “uplifting”  other  species  into  new  levels  of  consciousness  and  competence;  and  
building  communities  of  genetically  augmented  humans  with  vastly  increased  
brainpower  and  physical  capacities).  
  At  the  close  of  this  epoch,  a  psychic  entropy  will  begin  to  pervade  the  planet.    
World  civilization  will  become  a  loving  but  lukewarm  amalgam.    Many  people  will  still  
have  vivid  memories  of  the  opening  of  the  traumatic  fifth  stage  when  reconciliation  was  
achieved  only  after  the  most  horrible  suffering  and  will  fear  moving  towards  chaos  
again.    A  majority  may  be  content  with  a  compassionate  civilization  and  not  want  to  
jeopardize  the  welfare  of  the  world  for  the  sake  of  seemingly  fringe  experiments.    The  
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world  will  be  locked  into  the  subtle  shackles  of  mass  consensus.    As  mass  celebrations  
drown  out  the  voices  and  visions  of  creative  individuals  and  communities,  a  division  in  
dimensional  perspective  will  grow  between  a  contented  majority  and  creative  minority.    
Ultimately,  even  the  golden  chains  of  a  compassionate  civilization  must  be  broken  as  
people  recognize  that,  if  we  are  not  able  to  liberate  the  soulful  creativity  of  individuals,  
then  we  will  not  discover  the  potentials  of  our  species  and  we  will  be  consigned  to  live  
out  our  future  in  fearful  self-­‐restraint.      
 
Summary  
  The  perceptual  paradigm  of  the  sixth  dimension  provides  a  spacious  context  for  
people  and  civilizations  to  experience  their  oneness  with  the  universe.    In  turn,  it  will  be  
the  compassionate  consciousness  of  this  stage  that  will  enable  humanity  to  make  the  
sweeping  changes  required  to  build  a  sustainable  world  civilization.    Most  people  will  
find  a  sense  of  community  and  connection  that  more  than  compensates  for  material  
limitations.    People  will  feel  bonded  with  one  another  through  their  biological  family  
and  psycho-­‐spiritual  families;  through  their  micro-­‐community  or  neighborhood  eco-­‐
village;  through  voluntary  associations,  churches,  schools  and  other  local  organizations;  
through  the  many  communication  networks  to  which  they  belong  (learning,  politics,  
play,  research,  and  so  on);  and  through  their  common  task  of  building  a  workable  
future.      
  In  the  sixth  stage,  we  will  look  outward  to  understand  the  cosmos,  and  inward  to  
understand  the  depths  of  our  own  experience.    We  will  look  back  to  understand  our  
ancestors  and  origins,  and  we  will  look  around  ourselves  to  appreciate  the  diversity  of  
people  and  cultures.    Above  all,  we  will  celebrate  the  fact  that  we  are,  at  last,  home.

 
 
 
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Chapter  7  
Seventh  Stage:  

FLOW  CONSCIOUSNESS  AND    

THE    SURPASSING  ERA  
 
 
Summary  
The  seventh  dimension  will  be  the  stage  where  the  diffuse,  oceanic  
consciousness  returns  to  its  center  and  becomes  flow  consciousness—and  a  force  for  
concentrated  and  creative  expression  in  the  world.    The  planetary  civilization  will  move  
beyond  a  concern  with  maintaining  itself  to  surpassing  itself.    The  strength  of  human  
bonding  and  the  sense  of  global  community  achieved  in  the  sixth  stage  will  be  critical  for  
enabling  the  world  to  liberate  its  creativity  without  tearing  itself  apart.    The  oceanic  
consciousness  of  the  sixth  dimension  will  be  focused  into  practical  action  as  people  
delight  in  the  process  of  fully  engaged  participation  in  the  world.      World  civilization  will  
seek  to  continuously  balance  creative  diversity  with  the  need  for  a  sustainable  unity.  
 
Introduction  
  Despite  the  elevated  experience  of  oceanic  consciousness  in  the  sixth  dimension,  
this  is  not  the  end  of  our  journey  of  personal  and  civilizational  awakening.      Our  next  
challenge  will  be  to  bring  the  knowing  of  the  sixth  stage  fully  back  into  the  world.    
Opening  into  the  spaciousness  of  the  sixth  stage  will  still  leave  us  with  the  task  of  
“closing  the  loop”—of  achieving  full  self-­‐possession.    Metaphorically,  in  the  sixth  stage  
the  drop  dissolves  into  the  ocean  and,  in  the  seventh  stage,  the  ocean  returns  to  the  
drop.      In  more  practical  terms,  when  global  civilization  moves  into  the  seventh  stage,  
we  will  be  challenged  to  liberate  the  creativity  of  our  species  without  destroying  
ourselves.    A  growing  proportion  of  the  world’s  people  will  be  increasingly  frustrated  
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with  the  lukewarm  civilization  that  emerges  in  the  sixth  stage,  and  will  be  busy  
discovering  ways  to  surpass  themselves,  both  personally  and  cooperatively.          
  Examples  of  some  of  the  creative  ventures  that  might  be  unleashed  in  this  epoch  
include:  large-­‐scale  genetic  engineering  to  create  new  types  of  superhumans  or  other  
dramatically  altered  life-­‐forms;  extensive  use  of  self-­‐replicating  nanotechnologies  
(microscopic  machines)  that  have  the  potential  of  growing  like  a  virus  and  getting  out  of  
control;  extreme  forms  of  sexual  behavior  that  become  widespread  and  threaten  social  
norms;  so-­‐called  sporting  events  that  appeal  to  the  dark  side  of  the  human  psyche  and  
that  go  beyond  testing  ordinary  human  endurance  and  skill.    To  open  this  overflowing  
Pandora’s  Box  of  possibilities  is  to  invite  both  destructive  as  well  as  creative  potentials  
into  the  world  with  consequences  that  are  nearly  impossible  to  imagine.    
  In  the  seventh  stage,  we  are  challenged  to  achieve  centered  self-­‐possession  as  a  
planetary  civilization.    In  coming  to  the  center  of  our  experience  as  a  species,  we  will  
inevitably  encounter  many  disowned  or  shadow  aspects  of  ourselves  (the  violent,  
bizarre,  or  extreme)  that  we  may  want  to  forget  or  to  diminish.    Humanity  will  take  an  
important  step  toward  the  early  adulthood  of  our  species  when  we  learn  how  to  remain  
open  to  the  creative  ferment  of  flow  consciousness  without  losing  our  balance  and  
spinning  out  of  control  (for  example  into  destructive  warfare  or  species  neurosis).      
  Given  a  global  marketplace,  and  the  ability  to  connect  instantly  through  electronic  
networks  with  like-­‐minded  persons  around  the  planet,  innovations  that  would  have  
taken  decades  to  move  from  idea  to  implementation  in  the  industrial  era  will  now  move  
through  the  world  culture  in  years  or  even  months.    The  speed  of  change  will  be  so  
great  that  differences  of  culture,  religion,  aesthetics,  politics,  etc.  will  need  to  be  
reconciled  continuously  to  maintain  the  integrity  of  the  Earth  as  a  sustainable  system.    
The  Earth  will  seem  impossibly  small  for  containing  the  ever  mounting  diversity.    To  
align  and  harmonize  the  dynamism  and  creativity  of  this  stage,  humanity  will  have  to  
move  beyond  compassionate  consciousness  to  flow  consciousness  and  learn  the  skills  of  
moving  through  life  with  an  integrated  awareness  that  supports  a  new  level  of  self  and  
social  mastery.  
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   The  difference  between  the  compassionate  consciousness  of  the  sixth  dimension  
and  the  flow  consciousness  of  the  seventh  dimension  is  akin  to  the  difference  between  
the  diffuse  light  that  comes  from  a  reading  lamp  and  the  focused  light  which  comes  
from  a  laser.    Just  as  laser  light  can  be  focused  with  enough  intensity  to  even  cut  
through  steel,  the  compassionate  consciousness  of  the  sixth  stage  can  be  focused  with  
enough  intensity  to  even  cut  through  the  golden  chains  of  a  compassionate  culture.  
  The  power  of  the  seventh  stage  will  not  be  unleashed  blindly  on  the  world—it  will  
be  guided  by  whatever  degree  the  learning,  love  and  insight  that  developed  in  the  
preceding  epochs.    This  wisdom  will  provide  an  important  moderating  influence  for  the  
creative  energy  liberated  in  the  seventh  stage.    The  Earth  will  have  become  so  small,  
and  the  surpassing  projects  so  many,  that  there  will  be  a  constant  need  to  rediscover  
the  balance  between  planetary  unity  and  human  diversity,  between  enterprising  action  
and  compassionate  restraint.      
  Not  everyone  will  be  pushing  the  edges  of  their  creative  potentials—many  will  
be  content  to  be  supportive  sustainers  who  provide  a  nurturing  context  within  which  
the  creativity  of  others  can  prosper.    Nonetheless,  instead  of  a  relatively  few  powerful  
innovators  and  entrepreneurs,  this  will  be  a  world  with  billions  of  empowered  and  
capable  people—each  extremely  strong  and  inventive.    In  this  epoch,  humanity  will  
break  free  from  the  compassionate  stability  that  characterized  the  sixth  dimension  and  
enter  a  final  time  of  testing  and  learning  before  reaching  the  dynamic  stability  of  a  self-­‐
organizing,  planetary  civilization.  
 
7th  Dimension:  Flow  Consciousness  
  A  basic  premise  of  this  cosmology  is  that  the  geometry  of  the  universe  is  neither  
indifferent  nor  arbitrary  but  represents  an  exquisitely  designed  structure  and  highly  
purposeful  framework  through  which  we  can  grow  and  progressively  develop  our  
capacity  for  double-­‐wisdom.    Just  as  it  required  three  dimensions  to  develop  the  
material  aspects  of  life  (the  second,  third  and  fourth),  it  requires  three  additional  
dimensions  to  co-­‐evolve  the  consciousness  aspects  of  life:      
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•  Fifth  Dimension—Reveals  the  simple  fact  of  the  profound  interconnection  of  the  
universe  and  this  is  experienced  through  reflective  consciousness.    The  primary  
challenge  of  this  epoch  is  to  build  a  world  consensus  around,  and  commitment  
to,  a  shared  vision  of  a  sustainable  future  through  mass  communication  and  
global  reconciliation.  
 
•  Sixth  Dimension—Reveals  the  infinitely  deep  Life-­‐force  that  infuses  the  universe  
and  this  is  experienced  through  oceanic  consciousness.    The  primary  challenge  is  
to  build  a  sustainable  world  community  and  culture  with  a  deep  sense  of  
belongingness  and  bonding.    
 
•  Seventh  Dimension—Reveals  the  dynamism  of  the  universe  in  its  process  of  
continuously  arising  anew  and  this  is  experienced  through  flow  consciousness.    
The  primary  challenge  is  to  liberate  the  creative  potentials  of  the  species  without  
destroying  the  foundation  of  global  unity  and  sustainability  developed  in  the  
previous  stages.  
 
  With  the  opening  of  the  seventh  dimension,  we  will  take  the  final  step  in  the  
evolution  of  perceptual  geometry  by  embracing  the  full  dynamism  of  the  cosmos.    The  
last  vestiges  of  the  passive  observer  will  be  transformed  into  the  fully  engaged  
participator.    The  loop  of  self-­‐knowing  will  close,  and  the  full  capacity  for  dynamically  
“knowing  that  we  know”  will  be  realized.    By  coming  to  the  center  of  the  oceanic  
consciousness  of  “great  Being”  (the  sixth  stage),  we  discover  the  flow  of  the  living  
cosmos  in  its  process  of  “great  Becoming”  (the  seventh  stage).    Being  and  Becoming  are  
both  true.    To  complete  our  learning  we  must  learn  the  skills  of  movement,  of  flow,  of  
riding  the  wave  of  time’s  integrated  flow,  of  “reality  surfing,”  of  Being  Becoming  
Being—discovering  the  stillness  within  motion  and  the  motion  within  stillness.144    
Enlightening  experiences  emerge  naturally  when  attention  rides  the  precise  edge  of  the  
endless,  cresting  wave  of  continuous  creation.    (Continuous  creation  cosmology  is  
discussed  at  length  in  Chapter  Eleven.)    
  What  does  flow  consciousness  feel  like?    Here’s  an  analogy:    Imagine  you  are  
riding  a  bike  along  a  road  with  a  twenty  mile  per  hour  wind  blowing  directly  at  your  
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back.    When  you  are  pedaling  slower  than  twenty  miles  per  hour  you  feel  the  wind  
pushing  from  behind.    When  you  are  pedaling  faster  than  twenty  miles  per  hour,  you  
feel  the  wind  pushing  from  the  front.    But  at  perfect  speed—when  the  speed  of  your  
bike  matches  the  speed  of  the  wind—the  world  suddenly  becomes  very  still  and  your  
movement  along  the  road  becomes  nearly  effortless.    In  a  similar  way,  when  our  flow  of  
awareness  comes  into  precise  synchronization  with  the  arising  of  the  cosmos,  then,  the  
world  suddenly  becomes  very  quiet  and  our  passage  through  life  becomes  calm  and  
easeful.    When  we  are  aware  of  the  stillness  within  motion,  we  are  in  the  center  of  the  
flow  of  continuous  creation.      In  flow  consciousness,  we  experience  a  deep  harmony  as  
the  personal  and  the  universal  move  together  in  mutual  synchrony.145      Because  any  
activity  done  with  fullness  of  attention  offers  an  opportunity  to  connect  with  the  cosmic  
flow,  this  experience  is  always  available  to  us.      
  Our  bodily  existence  is  alive  with  the  motion  of  continuous  creation.    The  trillions  
of  atoms  that  comprise  our  body  are  each  phantoms  of  energy  that  cohere  into  a  single  
symphony  of  expression  that  is  our  unique  material  form.    At  each  moment,  we  are  a  
unique  manifestation  of  the  music  of  creation.    We  have  a  paradoxical  existence:  We  
are  stable  entities  (as  macro-­‐level  biological  beings),  and  completely  dynamic  entities  
(as  ungraspable  whirlwinds  of  energy  at  the  quantum  level);  as  well,  we  are  totally  
unique  (everything  that  exists  is  a  singular  expression  of  a  flowing  Meta-­‐universe),  and  
totally  integrated  (we  are  interior  to  and  inseparable  from  the  dynamically  arising  
universe  and  the  sustaining  Meta-­‐universe).  
  The  perception  of  time  also  evolves  a  step  further  in  the  seventh  dimension.    The  
Buddhist  sage,  Coomaraswamy,  described  the  flow  of  reality  this  way:  “We  are  deceived  
if  we  allow  ourselves  to  believe  that  there  is  ever  a  pause  in  the  flow  of  becoming,  a  
resting  place  where  positive  existence  is  attained  for  even  the  briefest  duration  of  
time.”146    Time  moves  from  the  “abiding  Beingness”  of  the  oceanic  experience  to  the  
“Being-­‐Becoming-­‐Being”  of  the  flow  experience.147      Here  is  how  this  culminating  
experience  of  time  is  described  in  the  Buddhist  tradition  by  Lama  Govinda,  an  artist,  
philosopher  and  meditator:    [in  the  precise  present]  “the  ‘one-­‐after-­‐another’  is  
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transformed  into  ‘the-­‐one-­‐within-­‐the-­‐other,’  a  relationship...in  which  all  things  reflect  

and  penetrate  each  other  as  well  as  the  experiencing  subject,  without  losing  their  
respective  individuality.    Thus  the  universe  and  the  experiencer  of  the  universe  are  
mirrored  in  every  phenomena...”148    This  is  not  an  insight  exclusive  to  the  East.    The  
Greek  philosopher  Heraclitus  made  the  same  point  when  he  said,  “No  one  can  step  
twice  into  the  same  stream,  nor  touch  a  living  object  twice  in  the  same  condition.    In  
swift  and  repeated  change,  things  disperse  and  gather  again....So  it  is  that  becoming  
never  ends  in  being.”149      
  With  flow  consciousness,  we  engage  the  natural  time  of  continuous  creation.    
Natural  time  has  its  own  pacing  and  can  be  experienced  as  moving  either  faster  or  
slower  than  mechanical  or  clock  time.    For  example,  it  is  not  unusual  for  top  athletes  to  
report  that,  with  intense  concentration,  time  slows  down  considerably.    Former  pro  
football  quarterback,  John  Brodie,  described  how  in  the  most  intense  moments  of  a  
football  game,  “time  seems  to  slow  way  down,  in  an  uncanny  way,  as  if  everyone  were  
moving  in  slow  motion.    It  seems  as  if  I  had  all  the  time  in  the  world  to  watch  the  
receivers  run  their  patterns.”150    Time  can  also  seem  to  move  along  more  quickly  than  
clock  time,  particularly  when  an  activity  loses  any  sense  of  drudgery  and  becomes  an  
engaging  and  satisfying  experience.    A  chess  master  described  his  experience  of  play  as  
almost  dreamlike  because,  “Time  passes  a  hundred  times  faster.”151    With  flow  
consciousness,  the  experience  of  time  can  also  seem  to  stop.    Practitioners  of  the  
Chinese  art  of  Tai  Chi—a  form  of  moving  meditation—report  there  is  a  common  
experience,  “...of  seemingly  falling  through  a  hole  in  time.    Awareness  of  the  passage  of  
time  completely  stops,  and  only  when  you  catch  yourself,  after  five  or  ten  minutes,  or  
five  or  ten  seconds  is  there  the  realization  that  for  that  period  of  time  the  world  
stopped.”152    Immersion  in  the  moment-­‐to-­‐moment  flow  opens  a  window  onto  new  
dimensions  of  time  experience.      
  Overall,  each  dimension  has  revealed  a  different  facet  of  time.    With  the  
culmination  of  the  seventh  dimension  (or  the  beginning  of  the  eighth)  time  achieves  its  
fullness  of  expression.    The  word  “timelessness”  has  often  been  used  to  describe  the  
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nature  of  time  at  the  center  of  experience.    However,  “time-­‐less-­‐ness”  implies  that  time  
is  somehow  “lessened”  or  even  absent.    A  more  accurate  word  is  “time-­‐full-­‐ness.”    At  
the  center  of  the  flow  of  creation,  all  aspects  of  time  are  fully  revealed—the  simple  
present,  natural  cycles,  relativistic  dynamics,  the  pulses  of  cosmic-­‐scale  manifestation,  
the  expansiveness  of  oceanic  time,  and  the  focused  thread  of  creational  time.    All  the  
time  we  could  ever  want  and  need  is  experienced  as  being  fully  present  in  the  center  of  
existence.    No  time  is  missing.    All  time  is  available.    Therefore,  in  “timefullness”  we  can  
relax  fully  into  the  NOW  without  any  sense  of  temporal  loss  or  omission.    At  the  center,  
in  timefullness,  we  experience  wholeness.    Time  is  not  going  beyond  itself  but  is  
unfolding  from  within,  forever  new,  like  an  artesian  spring  that  bubbles  up  and  over  
itself.              
 

The  Flow  Self:  Balancing  Unity  and  Creativity  

  The  pace  of  change  in  the  seventh  stage  will  be  breathtaking  as,  whatever  limits  
existed  in  the  past,  people  will  seek  to  reach  “beyond  the  beyond  the  beyond.”    In  
athletics,  the  arts,  ecology,  biology,  business  and  more,  people  will  continuously  work  to  
expand  the  envelope  of  accepted  human  potentials.    This  will  be  an  epoch  of  continuous  
transformation  as  people  and  groups  seek  to  discover  the  immense  power  at  the  center  
of  consciously  lived  existence.    The  previous  era  of  compassionate  conformity  will  be  
surpassed  as  billions  of  individuals  dare  to  be  original—to  be  as  fully  themselves  as  they  
are  capable—and  to  bring  their  unique  life-­‐expression  into  the  world.    
  Flow  identity  can  be  experienced  anywhere:  while  running,  making  a  cup  of  tea,  
listening  to  music,  dancing,  driving  a  car,  watching  a  sunset,  washing  dishes,  walking,  or  
relating  to  another  person.    No  matter  how  subtle  or  slight,  every  activity  presents  an  
opportunity  to  combine  our  experience  of  being  and  the  process  of  doing  into  a  single  
flow.    Because  everything  we  do  is  involved  in  the  flow  of  creation,  with  wholehearted  
involvement  in  any  of  life’s  activities,  we  can  discover  our  flow  identity  as  a  unique  hum  
of  resonance—a  singular  symphony  characteristic  to  each  being  that  is  forever  new  and  
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alive.        
  Flow  consciousness  has  long  been  recognized  by  athletes  when  they  achieve  a  
high  level  of  concentration  and  synchronization.    The  long-­‐distance  runner,  Dr.  George  
Sheehan,  states  that  after  a  half-­‐hour  of  running,  “...I  see  myself  not  as  an  individual  but  
as  part  of  the  universe.”153    Flow  consciousness  is  paradoxical  in  that  it  often  requires  
great  effort  and  concentration  to  achieve  a  result  that  is  seemingly  effortless  and  
spontaneous.    With  effort  we  move  beyond  effort  and  find  stillness.    Here  is  how  Steve  
McKinney  described  his  experience  of  breaking  the  world  downhill  ski  record:  “I  
discovered  the  middle  path  of  stillness  within  speed,  calmness  within  fear,  and  I  held  it  
longer  and  quieter  than  ever  before.”154      
  Work  also  provides  important  opportunities  for  flow  experiences.    All  kinds  of  
manual  labor—whether  that  of  a  farm  hand  or  a  surgeon—are  an  invitation  to  the  flow.    
During  difficult  operations,  surgeons  sometimes  have  the  experience  that  “...the  entire  
operating  team  is  a  single  organism,  moved  by  the  same  purpose;  they  describe  it  as  a  
‘ballet’  in  which  the  individual  is  subordinated  to  the  group  performance,  and  all  
involved  share  in  a  feeling  of  harmony  and  power.”155    
  A  personal  example  illustrates  how  the  flow  experience  can  be  encountered  in  
even  the  most  seemingly  mundane  circumstances.    While  growing  up  on  a  farm  in  
Idaho,  I  spent  many  years  working  in  the  fields  doing  manual  labor—weeding  crops  by  
hand,  digging  furrows,  and  so  on.    For  a  long  while,  I  found  this  work  boring  and  painful  
drudgery.    Only  gradually  did  I  learn  important  secrets  about  work  (and  life)  from  a  few  
old-­‐time  farm  hands  (mostly  women)  who  taught  me  how  to  find  joy  and  satisfaction  in  
any  task  at  hand.156      Each  day  they  demonstrated  that  every  task,  no  matter  how  
menial,  offered  an  opportunity  for  experiencing  the  joy  of  working  well,  at  perfect  
speed,  with  disciplined  spontaneity.    Minute  by  minute  and  hour  by  hour,  we  would  
work  through  the  sun  and  dust,  pushing  our  capacities  in  an  unspoken  ballet  of  supreme  
effort—neither  frantically  fast  nor  ploddingly  slow,  but  a  pace  that  could  be  sustained  at  
the  limits  of  one’s  ability.    Casual  comments  and  playful  teasing  disguised  the  great  
intensity  that  filled  the  rhythmic  flow  as  we  worked,  side  by  side,  through  the  fields.    
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The  unspoken  purpose  was  to  experience  our  maximum  capacity  to  work  with  
excellence.    In  pressing  the  limits  of  our  ability,  tasks  were  transformed  into  an  intensely  
satisfying  meditation.    No  one  had  to  philosophize  about  this—it  was  a  self-­‐evident  
experience  for  all  who  came  to  the  fields  and  approached  work  in  this  manner.    
Although,  for  many,  farm  work  continued  to  be  drudgery,  I  learned  that  even  the  most  
simple  tasks  can  be  deeply  satisfying  and  express  the  inherent  dignity  of  flow  
consciousness.    
  These  few  examples  illustrate  a  basic  insight:  everything  we  do  is  an  occasion  for  
flow  experience—working,  walking,  relating,  driving,  dancing,  playing,  contemplating.    In  
the  seventh  stage,  therefore,  the  dominant  attitude  will  be  that  anything  worth  doing  is  
worth  doing  well.    Mastery  of  the  art  of  daily  living  will  be  paramount.    People  will  seek  
to  experience  and  express  their  mastery  of  everyday  life  by  investing  each  moment  with  
attention  and  love.    Even  the  most  mundane  task  will  be  seen  as  an  opportunity  for  self  
mastery  and  fullness  of  living.      In  countless  small  ways  the  emotional  climate  and  social  
character  of  the  world  will  be  transformed—in  the  smile  and  care  of  a  grocery  clerk,  in  
the  help  and  courtesy  of  a  stranger,  in  the  joyful  movement  of  an  athlete,  in  the  
compassionate  choices  of  a  businessman,  or  in  the  loving  attention  of  a  teacher.    Quietly  
and  unpretentiously,  people  will  be  integrating  flow  consciousness  into  their  everyday  
lives.      
  Flow  experience  will  be  viewed  as  its  own  reward,  its  own  purpose.    Although  
some  people  may  continuously  seek  the  “runner’s  high,”  most  will  be  satisfied  with  
small  and  subtle  experiences  of  resonant  presence  as  sufficient  feedback  from  the  
cosmos  that  they  are  living  with  union  and  harmony.    Finding  fulfillment  in  life’s  simpler  
pleasures  will  provide  an  important  counterforce  to  the  excesses  that  will  result  from  
the  liberation  of  the  creative  imagination  of  the  seventh  dimension.    
  Flow  consciousness  requires  balancing  concentration  and  mindfulness.    
Concentration  is  the  ability  to  focus  on  the  precise  center  of  our  unfolding  experience.    
Mindfulness  is  the  ability  to  continuously  embrace  the  panoramic  totality  of  life.  The  
flow  experience  is  somewhat  analogous  to  riding  a  unicycle—we  must  concentrate  on  
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where  the  rubber  hits  the  road  and,  at  the  same  time,  be  mindful  of  the  surrounding  
environment  within  which  we  are  riding.    We  can  maintain  our  equilibrium,  poise  and  
stability  by  balancing  the  particular  and  the  whole—by  harmonizing  concentration  and  
mindfulness.    Concentration  without  the  balancing  influence  of  mindfulness  results  in  
the  mind  sinking  into  an  activity  and  getting  lost  in  the  details,  losing  perspective.    
Mindfulness  without  the  balancing  influence  of  concentration  results  in  the  mind  
becoming  so  diffuse  and  expansive  that  the  person  is  “spaced-­‐out”  and  unable  to  be  
present  within  the  precise  center  of  the  flow  experience.    With  a  dynamic  balance—the  
part  and  the  whole,  the  center  and  the  context—both  come  into  wholesome  alignment,  
each  acting  as  a  corrective  against  the  excesses  of  the  other.    Mindfulness  awakens  the  
experience  of  cosmic  connection  and  thus  compassion.    Concentration  grounds  the  
spaciousness  of  mindfulness  with  a  center  of  focus  and  intention,  and  thus  creative  
expression.    In  concert,  they  support  a  healthy  flow  of  balanced  participation  in  the  
world.      
 
Flow  Society:  Taming  Explosive  Creativity  
  With  continuous  global  communication,  the  human  family  can  begin  to  evolve  
with  unprecedented  openness,  energy  and  dynamism.    However,  if  sheer  vibrancy  is  not  
to  degenerate  into  violence,  then  the  planetary  culture  will  have  to  reconcile  itself  with  
the  full  range  of  humanity’s  potentials,  both  creative  and  destructive.    Only  by  
acknowledging  both  the  light  and  the  dark  side  of  our  species  character  will  we  be  able  
to  achieve  ongoing  reconciliation.    A  new  level  of  social  maturity  and  mastery  will  be  
required  to  prevent  society  from  tearing  itself  apart.    By  integrating  and  harmonizing  
the  growing  social  diversity  into  an  overarching  unity,  purposeful  and  spirited  evolution  
will  infuse  every  area  of  life.  
  There  will  be  a  double-­‐edged  nature  to  life  in  the  seventh  stage:    On  the  one  
hand,  flow  consciousness  will  enable  people  to  find  satisfaction  in  the  smallest  details  of  
life.    On  the  other  hand,  flow  consciousness  will  also  enable  people  to  bring  their  
highest  level  of  intentionality  into  their  creative  expressions.    While  many  will  seek  to  
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achieve  mastery  through  unpretentious  work  in  the  world  (feeling  the  experience  of  the  
moment  to  be  its  own  reward),  many  others  may  seek  the  fullest  expression  of  their  
creative  potentials.    The  compassionate  consciousness  nurtured  in  the  sixth  stage  will  
be  crucial  for  maintaining  a  healthy  society  in  the  seventh  stage.    Most  people  will  
recognize  that,  in  serving  life,  we  serve  ourselves,  and  so  will  attempt  to  express  their  
creativity  in  ways  that  contribute  to  the  well-­‐being  of  the  world.    
    Although  the  cultivation  of  flow  consciousness  does  not  guarantee  that  actions  
will  be  ethical,  it  will  incline  persons  (and  societies)  in  an  ethical  direction  consistent  
with  the  admonition  of  “Do  unto  others  as  you  would  have  them  do  unto  you.”    
Because  the  flow  experience  emerges  from  our  transpersonal  connection  with  the  
cosmos  in  its  process  of  regeneration,  it  naturally  fosters  a  sense  of  felt  union  with  all  
that  exists.    In  knowing  that  we  are  inseparable  from  the  universe,  we  know  that  
whatever  we  do  to  the  world  we  do  to  ourselves.    In  feeling  the  Earth  is  a  part  of  our  
extended  body,  we  will  tend  to  act  in  ways  that  express  our  care  for  its  well-­‐being.    Flow  
consciousness  tends  to  be  naturally  harmonizing  and  ethical,  for  people  understand  
intuitively  that  their  actions  are  constantly  being  written  into  the  deep  structure  of  
Meta-­‐universe.    The  subtle  hum  of  knowing-­‐resonance  that  is  our  core  identity  and  
character  (our  so-­‐called  “conscience”)  indicates,  moment  by  moment,  whether  we  are  
living  in  ways  that  are  serving  the  well-­‐being  of  the  universe.        
   Flow  consciousness  is  a  pro-­‐evolutionary  force  as  it  promotes  honesty.    When  
our  greatest  satisfaction  and  happiness  is  found  in  the  direct  experience  of  the  process  
of  living,  then  to  be  dishonest  is  to  be  out  of  alignment  with,  or  out  of  accurate  
relationship  with,  the  stream  of  life.    Dishonesty  is  felt  as  dis-­‐comfort  and  dis-­‐ease.    The  
more  we  appreciate  the  comfort  and  ease  of  aligned  living,  the  more  we  will  seek  to  
bring  honesty  and  integrity  into  our  passage  through  life.  
  Although  the  flow  experience  emerges  from  authentic  connection  with  the  living  
cosmos,  this  does  not  guarantee  “positive”  results,  even  at  this  stage  of  development.    
The  seventh  dimension  will  not  bring  a  magical  transformation  of  human  nature  that  
eliminates  misperception,  error,  and  misapplication.    We  are  here  to  learn  a  series  of  
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lessons  and  the  seventh  dimension  will  have  its  share.    The  heightened  creativity  of  this  
stage,  coupled  with  our  unavoidable  humanity,  will  make  this  an  epoch  always  on  the  
verge  of  going  out  of  control.    Individual  self-­‐purpose  will  constantly  need  to  be  brought  
into  compassionate  alignment  with  unfolding  social  purpose.    Because  the  vast  majority  
of  people  in  the  seventh  stage  will  value  synergy  and  creative  harmony,  physical  
warfare  will  be  viewed  as  profoundly  destructive  to  flow  civilization.    Conflicts  will  still  
exist,  but  people  will  feel  an  evolutionary  responsibility  to  resolve  them  in  ways  that  
preserve  the  continuity  and  synergy  of  life  on  the  planet.    
  An  avalanche  of  creative  expression  will  need  to  be  harmonized  continuously  with  
the  requirements  for  sustainability.    A  complex  process  of  local  to  global  communication  
and  communion  will  be  required  to  hold  together  the  fabric  of  a  maturing  world  
civilization:      
 
•  Electronic  Town  Meetings  on  critical  social  issues;    
•  World  Olympic  games  and  other  athletic  contests;    
•  World-­‐wide  musical  events  and  dramatic  productions;    
•  Historical  remembrances  of  people  and  civilizations  to  bond  with  the  past;    
•  Shared  visualizations  of  the  planetary  future  through  drama  and  ritual;    
•  Planetary  rituals  that  celebrate  the  ineffable  and  mysterious  nature  of  life;    
•  Communal  efforts  in  support  of  major  world  projects  (for  example,  unique  
“world  cities”  or  the  regeneration  of  the  biosphere  of  Mars).    
 
  With  nearly  continuous  opportunities  for  cultivating  and  celebrating  the  flow  
consciousness  of  the  planet,  the  world  will  develop  innumerable  overlapping  networks  
of  association  and  connection.    These  diverse  networks  (cultural,  political,  spiritual,  
ecological,  and  economic)  will  be  a  vital  ingredient  in  the  social  glue  that  binds  the  
human  ecosystem  into  a  coherent  and  dynamically  stable  community  that  lives  in  
harmony  with  the  larger  ecosystem  of  the  Earth.    
 
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The  Thinking  Earth  

  The  world  of  the  seventh  stage  will  be  so  volatile  and  changing  so  rapidly  that  it  
will  be  imperative  for  the  body-­‐politic  to  continuously  pay  attention  to  where  it  is  going.    
To  cope  with  the  ferment  of  creativity,  there  must  be  a  level  of  social  attention  that  is  
equal  to  the  complexity  and  enormity  of  the  challenges  generated  by  that  creativity.    
The  alternative  to  conscious  self-­‐regulation  by  the  global  citizenry  will  be  control  by  a  
computerized  global  bureaucracy  that  suffocates  creativity  and  drains  the  vitality  from  
world  civilization.        
  A  flow  democracy  will  require  ongoing,  local  to  global  electronic  gatherings  that  
support  a  vigorous  expression  of  the  views  and  values  of  the  body  politic  and  maintain  a  
unified  thread  of  social  awareness  and  intention.    Flow  democracy  will  also  require  
continual  envisioning  of  the  long-­‐range  future.    Because  actions  in  this  era  (such  as  
extreme  genetic  engineering),  can  have  such  far  reaching  consequences,  it  will  be  
essential  that  the  world  make  an  unrelenting  effort  to  explore  their  future  implications.    
This  will  be  a  futures-­‐responsive  world  civilization  that  places  a  premium  on  making  
visions  of  the  future  explicit,  anticipating  their  impacts,  and  choosing  preferred  
pathways  ahead  consciously.  
  By  the  seventh  stage,  a  palpable  feeling  of  conscious  self-­‐possession  will  infuse  
the  planet  and  the  Earth  will  effectively  become  a  thinking  entity.      From  the  vantage  
point  of  the  industrial  era  (where  there  exists  only  a  glimmer  of  a  planetary  
consciousness  and  decision-­‐making  capacity),  it  is  very  difficult  to  imagine  the  breadth  
and  depth  of  the  global  mind  that  will  emerge  to  consider  the  ongoing  interests  of  the  
Earth.    Centuries  after  the  communications  revolution  began,  the  Earth  will  have  
become  an  integrated,  reflective  organism  with  thought  processes  that  have  a  life  of  
their  own  and  that  transcend  any  individual  or  nation.157      Massive  flows  of  information  
and  communication  will  envelope  the  Earth  and  will  include  every  imaginable  human  
concern.    Quite  literally,  a  new  order  and  kind  of  life-­‐form  will  emerge—the  Earth  will  
have  become  a  planetary  scale,  self-­‐reflective  organism.  
 
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The  Economics  of  Fulfillment  

  In  the  sixth  stage,  the  human  family  will  develop  the  skills  and  tools  needed  to  
maintain  ourselves  into  the  deep  future.    By  the  seventh  stage,  those  who  live  frugally  
will  be  confident  that  their  material  needs  will  be  met,  and  that  they  can  live  within  a  
nurturing  community  with  many  opportunities  to  contribute  to  the  well-­‐being  of  the  
world.    For  most  people,  work  will  be  balanced  between  serving  the  local  micro-­‐
community  (through  gardening,  child-­‐care,  teaching,  maintenance,  etc.)  and  serving  the  
larger  world  (through  cultural,  political,  scientific  and  other  activities).    Highly  
decentralized  micro-­‐communities  or  eco-­‐villages  (of  several  dozen  to  several  hundred  
persons)  will  be  nested  within  larger  urban  settings  and  offer  a  diversity  of  living  and  
working  environments  sufficient  to  suit  nearly  every  interest  and  personality.    
Intentional  communities  will  provide,  along  with  the  family,  the  basic  building  blocks  of  
global  society.      
  In  the  seventh  stage,  process  will  be  seen  as  its  own  reward.    The  experience  of  
life  in  the  moment  will  be  its  own  satisfaction.    By  living  more  simply  people  will  be  able  
to  engage  life  more  directly  and  fully.    In  experiencing  life  more  fully,  people  will  have  
less  desire  for  non-­‐essential  possessions.    Flow  is  fulfillment.    The  tenor  of  economic  life  
will  be  transformed  as  people  increasingly  look  for  fulfillment  in  flow  experiences  rather  
than  through  the  consumption  of  things.    Other  sources  of  satisfaction—food,  sex,  
entertainment,  drugs,  and  so  on—will  be  recognized  as  secondary  to  “flow”  as  the  
primary  source  of  satisfaction.    We  know  that  until  we  learn  the  skills  of  directly  
encountering  the  Life-­‐force  at  the  core  of  our  being,  we  will  feel  empty  and  hollow.      
  The  economy  of  the  seventh  stage  will  be  distinguished,  not  only  by  what  it  does,  
but  also  by  what  it  does  not  do.    This  economy  will  not  seek  to  amplify  and  exploit  
human  insecurities  by  aggressively  working  to  divide  people  from  themselves  like  the  
manipulative  advertising  and  marketing  of  the  industrial  era.    Instead  of  working  to  split  
us  apart  from  ourselves  with  substitute  longings  that  are  not  relevant  to  our  core  
journey  in  life,  an  economy  will  emerge  that  intends  our  wholeness  as  persons  and  
civilizations.    Instead  of  a  high-­‐tech  world  filled  with  endless  inventions  and  labor-­‐saving  
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gadgets,  this  will  be  a  world  of  aesthetic  simplicity  with  highly  sophisticated  designs  that  
are  sustainable  for  the  long-­‐haul.    Although  the  material  circumstances  of  everyday  life  
will  be  unassuming—even  modest—this  disciplined  way  of  living  will  enable  humanity  
to  mobilize  an  enormous  amount  of  social  and  creative  energy  for  an  unprecedented  
range  of  global  projects.    
   One  long-­‐envisioned  world  project  that  seems  likely  to  develop  in  this  epoch  is  
the  terraforming  of  Mars.    To  awaken  Mars  from  its  prison  as  an  icy,  lifeless  planet  and  
transform  it  into  a  flourishing  biosphere  will  require  a  concerted  effort  over  centuries.    
Terraforming  Mars  presents  the  people  of  the  Earth  with  the  kind  of  creative  challenge  
that  will  be  the  hallmark  of  the  seventh  stage.    Theoretically,  by  introducing  greenhouse  
gases  to  produce  an  atmosphere,  the  planet  can  be  warmed  gradually,  melting  trapped  
ice  that,  in  turn,  will  produce  rivers  and  lakes  and  allow  hardy  plants  to  be  introduced.    
They,  in  turn,  will  further  accelerate  warming  and  the  production  of  oxygen.    After  
several  centuries,  the  biosphere  will  presumably  develop  to  where  it  could  support  a  
population  of  several  hundred  thousand  persons.      
  With  the  terraforming  of  Mars,  our  solar  system  could  acquire  a  new  society  with  
its  own  views,  values,  culture  and  history.    For  example,  Mars  may  need  plants  and  
animals  that  are  genetically  adapted  to  living  conditions  with  significantly  less  gravity  
and  oxygen.    If  plants  and  animals  were  genetically  engineered  to  prosper  in  this  unique  
environment,  an  evolutionary  trajectory  could  be  set  in  motion  that  may  increasingly  
diverge  from  that  on  Earth.    Our  solar  system  will  then  have  a  second  planetary  
civilization  that  could  interact  with  and  influence  the  development  of  life  on  Earth  in  
ways  we  cannot  now  imagine.      
 
Flow  Spirituality:  Riding  the  Wave  of  Continuous  Creation  
  In  the  seventh  dimension,  spirituality  will  be  everywhere.    Every  act  of  living  will  
be  seen  as  “spiritual”  as  it  connects  with  the  universe  in  its  flow  of  continuous  creation.    
Spirituality  will  become  a  matter  of  fact  and  practical  aspect  of  life.    People  will  not  be  
self-­‐absorbed  in  mystical  consciousness;  rather,  they  will  recognize  that  every  situation  
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presents  an  opportunity  for  directly  experiencing  the  living  universe  of  which  they  are  
an  inseparable  part—cooking,  eating,  walking,  taking  a  shower,  talking,  driving,  etc.      
  People  will  understand  that,  although  they  may  lose  the  thread  of  knowing  many  
times  each  day  and  move  up  and  down  the  spectrum  of  dimensional  experience,  they  
know  where  to  return.    There  is  never  an  end,  but  there  is  always  a  middle.    And  the  
middle  will  be  known  so  intimately  that  it  will  never  be  forgotten  completely.    People  
will  be  confident  that  they  can  always  look  within  the  center  of  their  moment  to  
moment  experience  and  re-­‐member,  or  become  whole  with  the  flow  of  creation.    There  
will  be  no  need  for  existential  anxiety  when  the  Life-­‐force  is  known  directly  as  an  
artesian  spring  that  continuously  bubbles  up,  bringing  the  entire  cosmos  into  existence.    
  A  simple  but  demanding  practice  is  found  at  the  heart  of  the  awakening  of  double  
wisdom.    Whatever  our  path  may  be—meditation,  prayer,  devotion,  service,  and  so  
on—there  is  one  essential  requirement:  cultivating  a  continuous  flow  of  attention.    If  we  
are  to  live  in  the  flow  of  continuous  creation,  then  we  must  be  awake  to  the  living  
present—and  the  present  is  extremely  precise,  as  “sharp  and  thin  as  a  razor’s  edge.”158      
In  being  precisely  present,  the  distance  between  the  observer  and  observed  is  
progressively  lessened  until  both  merge  into  a  single  flow  and  disclose  the  underlying  
Life-­‐force  as  direct  awareness.    Enlightenment  will  no  longer  be  seen  as  a  different  state  
of  consciousness  (happening  inside  our  brain),  it  will  be  seen  as  a  whole-­‐being  flow-­‐
experience  that  naturally  emerges  when  we  come  into  dynamic  alignment  with  the  
universe  in  its  process  of  continuous  creation.    There  will  be  contentment  in  riding  the  
wave  of  creation  with  an  open  heart  whose  warmth  expands  in  proportion  to  the  
continuity  of  consciousness.  This  experience  has  been  beautifully  described  by,  for  
example,  the  monk  Theophan  the  Recluse  (1815-­‐1894):    
 
“[F]or  so  long  as  the  mind  remains  in  the  head,  where  thoughts  jostle  one  
another,  it  has  no  time  to  concentrate  on  one  thing.    But  when  attention  
descends  into  the  heart,  it  attracts  all  the  powers  of  the  soul  and  body  into  one  
point  there.    This  concentration  of  all  human  life  in  one  place  is  immediately  
reflected  in  the  heart  by  a  special  sensation  that  is  the  beginning  of  future  
warmth.    This  sensation,  faint  at  the  beginning,  becomes  gradually  stronger,  
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firmer,  deeper.    At  first  only  tepid,  it  grows  into  warm  feeling  and  concentrates  
the  attention  upon  itself.    And  so  it  comes  about  that,  whereas  in  the  initial  stages  
the  attention  is  kept  in  the  heart  by  an  effort  of  will,  in  due  course  this  attention,  
by  its  own  vigor,  gives  birth  to  warmth  in  the  heart.    This  warmth  then  holds  the  
attention  without  special  effort.    From  this,  the  two  go  on  supporting  one  
another,  and  must  remain  inseparable:  because  dispersion  of  attention  cools  the  
warmth,  and  diminishing  warmth  weakens  attention.”159        
 
  At  the  center  of  creation’s  flow,  individuality  and  wholeness  are  not  competing  
but  complementary  aspects  of  the  universe.    With  the  culmination  of  the  seventh  
dimension,  I  do  not  believe  individuals  will  dissolve  into  a  formless  ALL;  instead,  we  will  
have  achieved  a  stage  of  healthy  self-­‐possession  and  self-­‐connection  with  the  Meta-­‐
universe—ready  to  begin  an  entirely  new  cycle  of  discovery  and  learning.          
  When  we  are  in  dynamic  and  conscious  accord  with  the  always  emerging  cosmos,  
then  there  is  an  opening,  and  our  beingness  becomes  the  “lens”  through  which  reality  is  
appreciated  and  celebrated.    Philosopher  Ken  Wilber  said,  “A  person  is  an  opening  or  
clearing  through  which  the  Absolute  can  manifest.”160      No  other  individual  being  in  all  
the  corners  of  creation  has  the  same  view  or  perspective  through  which  the  clear  light  
of  existence  pours  continuously.    Just  as  there  is  no  limit  to  the  wholeness  of  reality,  so  
too  is  there  no  limit  to  the  uniqueness  of  each  being.    We  are  each  creative  musicians,  
artists  cultivating  an  eternally  living  body  of  harmonious  resonance,  infusing  it  with  a  
singular  texture,  presence,  and  vitality.  
  In  the  seventh  dimension,  we  will  know  that  we  are  learning  to  live  in  eternity.    By  
consciously  coming  to  our  center  and  realizing  our  inborn  potentials  as  homo  sapiens  
sapiens  for  “knowing  that  we  know,”  we  will  recognize  that  we  no  longer  require  the  
aligning  structure  of  a  physical  body  to  realize  our  capacity  for  double  wisdom.  When    
our  knowingness  so  knows  itself  that  it  knows  itself  without  reference  to  the  material  
body,  then  we  discover  that  we  are  identical  with  the  Meta-­‐universe  and  realize  that  
our  true  nature  is  eternal,  unbounded  and  infinite.        
 
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Summary  
  The  seventh  stage  is  so  far  into  the  future  that  I  hesitate  to  even  speculate  on  its  
seasons  of  growth.    Nonetheless,  it  seems  likely  that  only  after  much  trial  and  error  will  
humanity  learn  the  skills  of  both  maintaining  and  surpassing  itself  in  a  balanced  flow  of  
evolution.    The  launching  of  a  planetary  scale,  high  synergy,  flow  civilization  will  be  a  
challenging  undertaking.    Like  a  person  learning  to  ride  a  bicycle,  we  will  need  to  move  
beyond  the  mechanics  of  global  functioning  and  experience  the  poetry  of  the  global  
lows  as  our  guide  to  appropriate  action.    Only  after  humanity  acquires  a  capacity  for  
unflappable  self-­‐possession  will  the  world  body-­‐politic  learn  to  neither  rush  ahead  of  
itself,  nor  to  lag  behind,  but  to  engage  in  a  conscious  dance  of  unfolding  that  can  be  
sustained  for  the  long-­‐haul.    
  An  explosion  of  innovation  will  occur  in  the  seventh  stage.    This  will  be  a  
dangerous  and  vulnerable  time  as  humanity’s  collective  consensus  could  dissipate  
quickly  and  bring  social  chaos.    Yet,  having  established  a  compassionate  consciousness  
as  the  social  norm  in  the  sixth  stage,  humanity  will  be  ready  for  a  new  degree  of  
freedom  and  experimentation  in  the  seventh  stage.    The  challenge  will  be  to  liberate  
this  creativity  while  simultaneously  maintaining  planetary  unity—no  small  task  given  the  
many  pitfalls  that  lie  ahead  on  our  evolutionary  journey.161    
  In  the  culmination  of  the  seventh  dimension,  consciousness  emerges  fully  from  
the  oceanic  depths  to  a  dynamic  center  and  achieves  focused  expression  in  the  world.    
The  observer  no  longer  stands  apart  from  any  aspect  of  reality,  but  instead  is  the  fully  
involved  participator.    Meaning  is  found  in  the  process  of  creative  and  conscious  living.    
The  more  diffuse,  life-­‐sensing  and  life-­‐serving  orientation  of  the  sixth  dimension  will  
coalesce  into  creative  and  conscious  expression  in  the  seventh  dimension.    The  strength  
and  integrity  of  prior  learning  will  be  essential  to  keep  this  immensely  powerful  stage  of  
expression  from  tearing  itself  apart.    
  With  the  culmination  of  the  seventh  stage,  all  aspects  of  double-­‐wisdom  will  be  
developed  and  internalized:    
 
 175

  •  The  bodily  or  sensory  experiences  of  the  second  dimension;    

 
  •  The  emotional  or  feeling  qualities  of  the  third  dimension;    
 
  •  The  mental  or  intellectual  capacities  of  the  fourth  dimension;    
 
  •  The  reflective  or  dispassionate  knowing  characteristic  of  the  fifth  dimension;    
 
  •  The  oceanic  or  compassionate  knowing  of  the  sixth  dimension;      
 
  •  The  flow  consciousness  and  liberated  creativity  of  the  seventh  dimension.      
 
  When  the  potentials  of  all  stages  have  been  sufficiently  fulfilled,  humanity  will  
have  the  scope  of  learning  and  experience  needed  to  make  wise  choices  for  the  long  
term  future.    We  can  then  begin  our  next  cycle  of  discovery  as  a  newly  mature,  
planetary  civilization.    
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Chapter  8  
Eighth  Stage:  

INTEGRAL    AWARENESS  AND  THE    

MATURITY  OF  PLANETARY  CIVILIZATION  
 
 
Summary  
The  eighth  dimension  will  be  the  stage  where  humans  acquire  the  perspective,  
wisdom  and  compassion  to  sustain  themselves  into  the  deep  future.    A  dynamically  
stable,  self-­‐referencing  and  self-­‐organizing  species-­‐civilization  will  emerge  that  has  the  
maturity  to  become  a  participant  in  the  larger  arena  of  galactic-­‐scale  evolution.    This  
stage  represents  both  the  completion  of  a  long  process  of  development  (from  pre-­‐
reflective  to  post-­‐reflective  consciousness  or  integrative  awareness),  and  the  foundation  
for  a  new  beginning.    A  wisdom-­‐culture  will  emerge  with  sufficient  maturity  to  be  able  
to  endure  into  the  distant  future  by  balancing  across  polarities  of  being  and  becoming,  
unity  and  diversity,  the  eternal  and  the  momentary.      
 
Introduction  
  The  eighth  stage  represents  the  completion  of  a  long  process  of  learning—and  a  
new  beginning.    By  integrating  the  full  range  of  potentials  made  possible  by  reflective  
consciousness  into  the  heart  and  soul  of  human  civilization,  we  will  establish  the  
foundation  for  an  entirely  new  phase  in  the  human  adventure.    Just  as  reaching  
adulthood  marks  the  beginning  of  creative  work  in  the  world  for  individuals,  so  too  will  
attaining  our  early  adulthood  as  a  planetary  civilization  mark  the  beginning  of  a  new  
phase  in  humanity’s  exploration  and  learning.          
  For  an  aligning  majority  of  the  Earth  to  arrive  at  the  eighth  stage  will  require  
humanity  to  travel  an  enormous  evolutionary  distance.    Nonetheless,  the  essence  of  this  
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stage  is  already  familiar  to  many.    The  words  of  the  Buddha  after  his  enlightenment  
suggest  what  we  might  find  in  a  future  era  of  “social  enlightenment.”    When  other  
monks  saw  his  newly  discovered  radiance  and  knowing,  they  asked  him,  “Are  you  a  
God?”    He  replied  “No.”    They  then  asked  if  he  were  an  angel?    Again,  he    answered  
“No.”    “Then  what  are  you?”  they  asked.    The  Buddha  replied  simply:  “I  am  awake.”162    
In  a  similar  way,  when  we  establish  ourselves  as  a  sustainable  and  creative  planetary  
civilization,  we  will  not  have  become  gods  or  angels  or  saints;  we  will  simply  be  awake  
to  the  fullness  of  who  and  what  we  already  are.    Even  the  most  awakened  master  of  
integral  awareness  will  still  experience  the  full  range  of  emotions:  sorrow  and  joy,  hope  
and  fear.163      However,  these  emotions  will  arise  within  the  spacious  awareness  of  the  
Meta-­‐universe—a  context  whose  vastness  welcomes  the  full  experience  of  feelings  
without  generating  undue  reactivity,  whether  grasping  or  aversion.    
  To  appreciate  the  eighth  stage,  we  need  to  demystify  the  mystical  and  see  life  in  
its  unpretentious  wakefulness.    The  unassuming  character  of  everyday  life  in  the  eighth  
stage  is  illustrated  by  the  culminating  image  in  a  series  of  Zen  paintings  that  describe  the  
stages  of  enlightenment.164    In  these  paintings,  the  spiritual  aspirant  is  depicted  as  
moving  through  ten  stages,  each  of  increasing  refinement  and  depth  of  insight.    In  the  
final  stage  of  enlightenment,  he  is  not  shown  as  lost  in  meditation  but,  instead,  as  a  
potbellied  and  happy  man  who  returns  to  the  marketplace  and,  without  ceremony  or  
pretense,  lends  a  helping  hand  wherever  he  can.    With  little  concern  that  his  clothes  are  
ragged  and  dusty,  he  carries  a  broad  smile  for  all  that  he  meets.    His  primary  intention  is  
to  bring  the  joy  and  great  treasure  of  awakening  to  others.    In  a  similar  way,  once  we  
know  the  creative  aliveness  and  wonder  of  the  universe,  great  satisfaction  can  be  found  
in  the  ordinary  activities  of  daily  life.    An  awakened  person  or  species-­‐civilization  is  
happy  to  live  unpretentiously  and  return  to  the  everyday  world  to  assist  others.        
  The  wisdom  culture  of  the  eighth  stage  is  more  “ordinary”  and  accessible  to  us  
than  we  may  think.    Analogously,  during  the  stage  of  the  awakening  hunter-­‐gatherers,  
our  ancestors  would  have  been  incredulous  if  someone  suggested  that  millions  of  
persons  could  learn  to  live  and  work  in  the  manner  now  considered  ordinary  in  
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advanced  industrial  nations:  living  in  massive  cities,  driving  cars  on  freeways,  operating  
computers,  television  sets,  and  working  in  organizations  with  tens  of  thousands  of  
persons.    We  now  take  our  urban-­‐industrial  way  of  perceiving,  living  and  working  for  
granted.    But,  to  the  ancient  hunter-­‐gatherer  who  had  yet  to  establish  a  settled  village  
way  of  life  with  a  productive  agriculture,  the  thought  of  people  being  able  to  function  in  
a  manner  common  to  the  industrial  era  would  have  seemed  utterly  impossible.    In  a  
similar  way,  attaining  our  initial  maturity  as  a  species  may  appear  equally  unachievable;  
however,  we  seem  to  be  designed  with  the  potential  for  successful  evolution.    
  Our  innate  evolutionary  potentials  are  apparent  when  we  consider  persons  who  
have  been  born  into  stone-­‐age  cultures  (for  example,  as  hunter-­‐gatherers  in  New  
Guinea)  and  see  how  quickly  they  have  been  able  to  adapt  to  the  perceptual,  emotional  
and  intellectual  demands  of  living  in  a  modern  urban-­‐industrial  society.    Within  a  single  
generation  many  have  made  the  transition  from  a  stone  age  culture  and  now  drive  cars,  
operate  computers,  and  help  govern  a  large  society.    Their  example  suggests  that  
humanity  is  already  biologically  endowed  with  all  the  perceptual  capacities  necessary  to  
rise  to  the  highest  levels  of  maturity  described  by  the  theory  of  dimensional  evolution.    
Individuals  in  today’s  world  can  acquire  learning  within  a  few  years  that,  previously,  had  
taken  civilizations  tens  of  thousands  of  years  to  accumulate.    The  point  is  that  we  should  
not  place  our  initial  maturity  as  a  planetary  civilization  any  further  beyond  our  current  
reach  than  we  should  place  the  urban-­‐industrial  experience  beyond  the  reach  of  now  
stone-­‐age  peoples.      
  While  it  could  take  many  centuries  to  reach  our  initial  maturity,  it  seems  
plausible  that  a  majority  of  persons  could  move  rapidly  to  this  stage  if  there  already  
existed  an  advanced  civilization  that  could  instruct  us  on  our  next  steps.    However,  
because  we  are  our  own  teachers—pulling  ourselves  up  by  our  own  bootstraps—  
learning  will  necessarily  be  slow  and  haphazard.    But,  like  a  highway  built  over  many  
years  through  dangerous  and  difficult  terrain,  as  our  learning  is  realized,  there  will  be  a  
pathway  for  succeeding  generations  to  follow  that  can  convey  them  swiftly  to  this  
further  destination.      
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  In  completing  the  seventh  stage  we  will  come  into  self-­‐referencing  alignment  
with  the  cosmos.    As  our  descendants  emerge  into  the  eighth  stage,  the  people  of  the  
Earth  will  know  that,  through  our  own  efforts,  humanity  has  established  a  wisdom-­‐
culture  with  the  potential  of  enduring  and  learning  into  the  distant  future.    The  gift  of  
life  is  freely  given,  but  our  ability  to  develop  into  the  deep  future  as  a  species  must  be  
earned.    We  will  have  acquired  our  maturity  through  an  immensity  of  struggle  and  
suffering.    Humanity  will  have  a  feeling  of  self-­‐assurance  and  planetary  self-­‐esteem  that  
could  not  have  developed  except  through  the  merit  of  honest  labor  across  many  
generations.    After  epochs  of  great  self-­‐doubt,  we  will  have  gained  a  steadfast  belief  in  
ourselves  as  a  species.    We  will  recognize  our  place  within  the  web  of  life.    An  immensity  
of  time  will  stretch  out  before  us,  welcoming  our  creativity  with  opportunities  of  galactic  
proportions.      
  In  the  eighth  dimension,  the  polarities  of  life  will  be  integrated  continuously  into  
a  higher  synthesis:    Being  and  becoming,  unity  and  diversity,  the  eternal  and  the  
momentary,  transcendence  and  immanence—the  ongoing  integration  of  these  
polarities  will  produce  a  strong  and  dynamically  stable  world  civilization.    Life  in  the  
eighth  dimension  will  be  comparable  to  a  controlled  chain  reaction  in  a  nuclear  reactor.    
Always  on  the  verge  of  going  critical  and  exploding  destructively,  global  civilization  will  
be  forever  pulsing  with  creative  life  energy.    In  this  culminating  stage,  humanity  will  
have  developed  the  wisdom,  acquired  from  hard-­‐earned  experience,  to  act  in  ways  that  
maintain  an  ever-­‐evolving  planetary  equilibrium.      
 
8th  Dimension:  Integral  Awareness  
  In  the  eighth  stage,  the  cosmos  will  be  viewed  as  a  single  living  organism  that  is  
being  regenerated  by  the  constant  flow-­‐through  of  an  infinitely  deep  and  unfathomably  
intelligent  Life-­‐force  (which  I  have  called  the  generative  ground,  or  the  Meta-­‐universe).*      
In  seeing  the  entire  universe  as  continuously  woven  together  as  a  single,  flowing  
creation,  space  will  no  longer  be  viewed  as  the  simple  absence  of  form  but  as  an  
intensely  active  process  that  continuously  opens  to  make  room  for  matter  to  present  
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itself.    Consciousness  will  be  viewed  as  a  natural  property  of  the  cosmos  that,  to  varying  
degrees,  is  present  everywhere.    Whether  an  atom,  microbe,  animal,  galaxy  or  the  
entire  cosmos,  every  aspect  of  the  universe  will  be  recognized  as  having  a  knowing  
capacity  that  is  consistent  with  its  nature.      
  Although  the  universe  is  a  completely  flowing  system,  it  is  able  to  manifest  itself  
as  stable  forms  at  every  scale.    There  is  one  particularly  useful  way  of  visualizing  a  
flowing  process  that  is  able  to  manifest  itself  as  a  dynamically  stable  form:    The  “torus”  
or  doughnut-­‐like  shape  is  the  simplest  geometric  form  of  a  completely  flowing,  self-­‐
referencing  system.165      
 
Figure  10:  The  Torus  as  the  Simplest  Geometry    
of  a  Self-­‐referencing  System  
 

 
 
The  characteristic  toroidal  shape  of  self-­‐referencing  systems  is  perhaps  the  most  
common  structure  found  throughout  nature  and  can  be  seen  everywhere—from  the  
structure  of  atoms,  tornadoes,  whirlpools,  and  planetary  magnetic  fields  to  the  shape  of  
galaxies  and  quasars.166        Figure  11  illustrates  how  this  characteristic  shape  is  found  
throughout  nature.      
 
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Figure  11:  The  Torus  as  the  Most  Common  Shape    

Found  Throughout  Nature  
 

 
 
 
  As  a  simple  geometric  form,  the  torus  can  help  us  visualize  and  gain  insight  into  
the  nature  of  self-­‐referencing  and  self-­‐organizing  systems.    Like  a  tornado—where  two  
 182

air  flows  mutually  contain  and  focus  one  another—the  torus  seems  to  symbolize  the  
ability  of  matter  and  consciousness  to  work  together  to  create  a  dynamic  structure  with  
a  reflective  capacity  and  great  power  to  persist  despite  its  completely  flowing  nature.    
To  create  a  dynamic  torus,  two  flows  that  would  otherwise  rapidly  dissipate  become  
self-­‐containing  of  one  another:    
 
Figure  12:  Cross-­‐Section  of  a  Torus  Illustrating    
its  Self-­‐holding  and  Self-­‐referencing  Nature    
 

 
 
  Each  flow  brings  focus  and  coherence  to  the  other,  and  together  they  create  a  
self-­‐perpetuating,  flow-­‐through  process  that  has  the  ability  to  endure  as  a  stable  
system.    In  a  similar  way,  the  material  and  consciousness  aspects  of  life  are  mutually  
focusing  and  reinforcing  of  one  another  in  a  dynamic  process.    Human  beings  are  
flowing  systems  designed  to  achieve  full  “self-­‐possession”  or  the  double-­‐wisdom  of  
“knowing  that  we  know”  by  becoming  dynamically  centered  in  the  Life-­‐force  from  which  
we  continuously  arise.    Our  challenge  is  to  “get  ahold  of  ourselves”  by  integrating  the  
material  and  consciousness  aspects  of  life  into  a  self-­‐bounding  process  that  is  
dynamically  drawn  from,  and  exists  within,  the  Meta-­‐universe.    The  cosmos  and  Meta-­‐
 183

universe  mutually  serve  one  another:  the  cosmos  is  made  from  and  sustained  by  the  
Life-­‐energy  that  is  the  Meta-­‐universe,  and  this  Life-­‐energy  achieves  creative,  self-­‐
referencing  expression  through  the  living  systems  continuously  growing  within  the  self-­‐
bounding  cosmos.      
  Despite  the  seeming  simplicity  of  its  structure,  the  torus  embodies  two  
paradoxical  attributes  consistent  with  our  complex,  flow-­‐through  nature—we  are  both  
dynamically  closing  (as  self-­‐organizing  and  self-­‐bounding  systems)  and  dynamically  
opening  (directly  connecting  with  the  Meta-­‐universe).    The  torus  symbolizes  this  self-­‐
referencing  closure  while  simultaneously  remaining  open  to  the  flow-­‐through  of  infinite  
Life-­‐energy.  
  The  universe  appears  to  be  a  flowing  system  comprised  of  dynamically  stable  
and  interconnected,  toroidal  structures.    At  its  center,  each  toroidal  form  draws  energy  
from  the  underlying  Life-­‐force,  so  each  is  a  system  existing  within  and  connected  to  the  
grand  system  of  the  Meta-­‐universe.    Because  each  toroidal  system  is  open  at  its  center  
to  the  Meta-­‐universe,  despite  separation  in  space  and  time,  at  their  center,  all  toroidal  
structures  are  open  to,  and  connected  with,  all  others.  
 
Figure  13:  Toroidal  Structures  as  the  Building  Blocks  of  the  Universe  
Connected  With  One  Another,  Center-­‐to-­‐Center.  
 

 
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  At  the  center,  we  are  each  completely  open  and,  in  this  openness,  we  connect  
with  the  Meta-­‐universe.    When  we  meet  another  person,  center  to  center,  we  call  the  
experience  “love.”    In  his  book  The  Future  of  Man,  Teilhard  de  Chardin  writes  that  an  
integration  of  the  human  spirit  can  only  be  achieved  through  the  meeting,  center  to  
center,  of  all  human  beings.    He  says  that  the  only  way  for  billions  of  diverse  individuals  
to  love  one  another  is  “...by  knowing  themselves  all  to  be  centered  upon  a  single  ‘super-­‐
center’  common  to  all...”167    Teilhard  asks  what  is  the  highest  work  of  humanity  “...if  not  
to  establish,  in  and  by  each  one  of  us,  an  absolutely  original  center  in  which  the  universe  
reflects  itself  in  a  unique  and  inimitable  way?”168    An  elegant  and  evocative  rendering  of  
a  toroidal  view  of  reality  is  portrayed  in  Figure  14  by  the  artist  Alex  Grey,  in  his  painting  
entitled  the  Universal  Mind  Lattice.      
  The  flowing  construction  of  the  torus  enables  us  to  explore  the  crucial  distinction  
between  “consciousness”  and  “awareness.”    When  the  self-­‐referencing  process  is  fully  
centered  upon  itself,  the  experience  at  the  center  is  one  of  pure  awareness  or  “knowing  
that  we  know,”  or  “consciousness-­‐without-­‐an-­‐object.”    Therefore  the  term  “awareness”  
is  used  here  to  describe  direct  knowing  while  the  term  “consciousness”  is  used  to  refer  
to  a  reflective  process  that  stands  apart  from,  and  has  some  object  of,  knowing.    
Awareness  is  unconditional  and  self-­‐validating  while  consciousness  always  arises  with  an  
object  of  reference.    Awareness  exists  at  the  center  of  the  torus  and  does  not  require  
self-­‐confirming  feedback  from  any  external  source.    
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Figure  14:  “Universal  Mind  Lattice”  by  Alex  Grey  169  

 
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  A  toroidal  geometry  also  provides  a  way  to  visualize  the  convergence  of  Eastern  
and  Western  views  of  reality.    On  the  one  hand,  because  the  individual  is  seen  as  a  
dynamic  being  that  is  fully  open  at  the  center,  the  symbol  of  the  torus  supports  the  
Eastern  view  which  holds  there  is  no  fixed  or  concrete  identity.    On  the  other  hand,  
because  each  individual  is  seen  as  a  unique,  self-­‐referencing  system,  the  toroidal  
metaphor  also  supports  the  Western  view  which  sees  each  being  as  distinct  and  real.        
  In  the  past  eight  chapters,  we  have  traveled  from  a  condition  of  pre-­‐reflective  
knowing  through  seven  stages  of  filling-­‐out  the  capacity  for  reflective  consciousness  
and,  finally,  to  full  self-­‐referencing  knowing  or  integral  awareness.    Prior  to  the  eighth  
stage,  humanity’s  future  was  in  grave  doubt.    In  “knowing  that  we  know”  as  an  entire  
Earth  community,  we  will  have  the  double-­‐wisdom  essential  for  taking  charge  of  our  
evolution  and  enduring  into  the  distant  future.    We  will  understand  our  great  power  as  a  
species  and  we  also  understand  the  power  of  restraint.    Knowing  the  difference,  we  will  
have  confidence  in  our  ability  to  participate  in  a  journey  that  extends  outwards  to  a  
galactic  scale.    
 
Integral  Society  and  Aesthetic  Simplicity  
  Although  the  eighth  stage  will  surely  be  distinguished  by  an  elevated  
consciousness  and  great  technological  advances,  it  will  not  be  unimaginably  remote  
from  contemporary  experience.    A  Zen  saying  states  that,  “After  awakening,  we  sweep  
the  floor.”    After  awakening  in  the  eighth  dimension,  we  will  recognize  the  extraordinary  
nature  of  the  reality  that  surrounds  us.    In  appreciating  the  ordinary  miracles  of  
everyday  life,  “sweeping  the  floor”  will  be  sufficient.    We  will  be  far  more  content  with  
life  as  it  is  and  not  seek  manufactured  miracles  to  entertain  us.        
  “Simplicity  reveals  the  master”  says  an  old  adage.    When  we  become  masters  in  
the  art  of  living  on  Earth,  our  mastery  will  be  evident  in  the  simplicity  of  our  way  of  
living.    If  we  could  look  ahead  in  time  and  see  life  in  the  eighth  stage,  its  simplicity  might  
deceive  us  into  thinking  that  relatively  little  change  had  occurred.    Given  outward  
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appearances,  life  may  seem  so  unassuming  that  we  could  overlook  the  conscious  
sophistication  of  design  required  to  create  a  mode  of  living  that  is  sustainable  into  the  
distant  future.      
  Recall  from  Chapter  5  that  historian  Arnold  Toynbee  said  the  most  fundamental  
expression  of  civilizational  growth  was  neither  the  conquest  of  land  nor  people,  but  
rather  the  process  of  “progressive  simplification.”    Toynbee  described  this  as  a  process  
whereby  the  material  side  of  life  is  progressively  simplified  so  that  increasing  amounts  
of  energy  and  attention  are  freed  up  to  develop  the  cultural  and  spiritual  aspects  of  life.    
The  aesthetic  refinement  of  the  material  side  of  life  (learning  to  do  ever  more  with  ever  
less)  develops  in  concert  with  the  refinement  of  the  consciousness  side  of  life  (learning  
to  touch  every  aspect  of  life  ever  more  lightly  and  gently).    Through  this  co-­‐evolutionary  
process  we  will  be  able  to  create  a  true  wisdom  culture  that  is  rich  in  beauty,  nurturing  
relationships,  caring  communities,  and  other  arts  of  elevated  living.    
  Despite  all  the  wonders  and  breakthroughs  of  intervening  stages  of  growth,  I  do  
not  expect  us  to  become  superhumans,  vastly  different  from  who  we  are  today.    
Granted,  we  will  surely  have  extraordinary  capacities  for  global  communication  (and  
community).    We  will  also  have  vastly  expanded  our  knowledge  about  the  Earth  and  the  
universe  and  we  will  have  a  much  clearer  understanding  of  the  evolutionary  journey  in  
which  we  are  involved.    Nonetheless,  I  think  we  would  be  surprised  by  the  outwardly  
unassuming  nature  of  life  as  this  new  phase  of  evolution  begins.    Life  in  the  eighth  
dimension  will  exhibit  an  unpretentiousness  that  expresses  a  deep  wisdom,  and  
disciplined  enthusiasm,  for  life.      
  To  see  the  eighth  stage  as  characterized  by  a  progressive  simplicity  of  living  does  
not  mean  there  will  be  little  technological  advance.    To  the  contrary,  the  universe  is  
filled  with  emergent  potentials  that  are  not  apparent  until  a  perceptual  stage  is  
achieved  that  can  recognize  and  develop  those  potentials.    For  example,  until  recently,  
few  would  have  guessed  that  silicon  could  be  transformed  into  tiny  computer  chips  that  
could  contain  an  entire  library,  or  that  we  could  send  moving  pictures  through  the  air  
via  television,  or  that  we  could  jam  together  fifteen  pounds  of  a  metal  called  plutonium  
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and  release  the  explosive  force  of  the  atomic  bomb.    These  extraordinary  possibilities  
have  always  been  embedded  within  the  structure  of  reality,  waiting  for  us  to  discover  
them.    In  a  similar  way,  there  are  surely  countless  additional  surprises  now  hidden  
within  the  universe,  waiting  to  be  found.    The  cosmos  embodies  an  extraordinarily  high  
level  of  design  and  subtlety,  so  it  seems  likely  that  we  will  continue  to  discover  
extraordinary  new  potentials.    We  may,  for  example,  find  unexpected  ways  to  traverse  
the  fabric  of  space-­‐time  and  connect  with  other  civilizations  beyond  Earth.  
 
Cosmic  Community    
  We  can  put  the  human  journey  in  perspective  by  considering  the  possibility  of  
life  evolving  elsewhere  throughout  the  cosmos.    Given  the  remarkable  level  of  creative  
intelligence  that  has  gone  into  the  design  of  our  cosmos,  there  seems  to  be  a  high  
probability  that  life-­‐forms—including  mature  civilizations  of  planetary  scale—are  
flourishing  throughout  the  universe.    Astronomers  estimate  there  are  hundreds  of  
billions  of  galaxies,  and  each  galaxy  is  estimated  to  contain  a  hundred  billion  or  more  
star  systems  like  our  sun.    One  galaxy  was  recently  found  that  contains  an  estimated  100  
trillion  stars!    Our  cosmos  could,  therefore,  easily  contain  thousands  of  trillions  of  
planetary  systems  upon  which  life  could  potentially  evolve.    With  such  an  overflowing  
abundance  of  planetary  systems,  the  universe  appears  designed  to  seed  innumerable  
life  experiments.    It  seems  likely  that  sprinkled  throughout  our  cosmos  there  are  
countless  other  civilizations  that  are  struggling  to  secure  a  sustainable  and  surpassing  
future  for  themselves.    
  I  do  not  think  humans  are  special  creatures;  rather,  we  are  probably  run  of  the  
mill  miracles—relatively  commonplace  beings.    In  our  vast  cosmos,  with  its  trillions  of  
planetary  systems,  the  Earth  is  probably  only  one  among  innumerable  places  where  the  
capacity  for  reflective  knowing  is  now  evolving.    Encountering  other  beings  and  
civilizations,  sharing  our  stories  about  the  journey  of  awakening,  and  cooperating  in  
creating  a  community  of  galactic  scale  seems  likely  to  be  part  of  our  evolutionary  
journey.    Each  world  civilization  will  surely  take  pride  in  adding  its  unique  story  to  the  
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larger  cosmic  drama  that  describes  the  emergence  and  unfolding  of  life  in  the  universe.    
  Because  an  encounter  with  a  much  older  and  more  advanced  civilization  could  
distort  humanity’s  trajectory  of  development  and  undermine  our  self-­‐concept  as  a  
species,  it  seems  unlikely  that  a  wiser  civilization  would  make  overt  contact  with  the  
Earth  until  we  have  achieved  our  initial  maturity—the  eighth  stage.    We  will  need  this  
level  of  social  integration  and  ego-­‐strength  as  a  species-­‐civilization  to  be  able  to  
withstand  the  shock  of  encounter  with  advanced  civilizations  beyond  Earth.    The  human  
family  could  doubt  its  capacity  to  ever  achieve,  in  its  own  right,  the  level  of  reflective  
consciousness  and  self-­‐organization  achieved  by  civilizations  beyond  Earth.    Therefore,  it  
seems  improbable  that  we  will  have  substantial  contact  with  extra-­‐terrestrial  
civilizations  until  we  have  developed  a  self-­‐organizing  planetary  culture  that  is  able  to  
tolerate  and  assimilate  the  learning  of  other  civilizations  without  devastating  the  fabric  
of  Earthly  civilization.  
   Importantly,  the  theory  of  dimensional  evolution  gives  hope  that  we  may  be  able  
to  relate  to  civilizations  beyond  Earth.    Because  dimensionality  is  a  fundamental  
characteristic  of  all  existence,  dimensional  evolution  has  universal  relevance.    Despite  
wide  differences  in  chemistry,  biology  and  culture,  all  life  in  the  universe  shares  in  the  
same  geometric  framework  as  it  works  to  become  self-­‐aware  and  self-­‐determining.    The  
fabric  of  reality  is  a  rich  and  purposeful  pattern  that  provides  an  evolutionary  
framework  for  life-­‐forms  to  achieve  self-­‐referencing  knowing.    If,  throughout  the  
universe,  beings  and  civilizations  are  moving  through  a  common  structure  that  produces  
a  similar  pattern  of  learning,  then  countless  variations  on  a  general  evolutionary  theme  
will  be  repeated  again  and  again  as  life-­‐forms  work  through  a  shared  dimensional  
context  that  supports  the  co-­‐evolution  of  culture  and  consciousness.    Totally  alien  
psychologies  may  not  exist  if  all  life  moves  through  the  same  learning  pattern  to  achieve  
its  maturity  as  self-­‐organizing  and  self-­‐referencing  organisms.  
Some  think  contact  with  civilizations  beyond  Earth  is  unlikely.    They  argue  there  are  
great  odds  against  finding  another  mature  civilization  in  the  vicinity  of  Earth  within  the  
same  time  frame  in  which  we  achieve  our  maturity  (and  before  we  go  into  decline  and  
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eventual  extinction).    Given  our  historical  record  of  devastating  warfare,  this  seems  a  
reasonable  conjecture.    For  example,  Teilhard  de  Chardin  has  stated  that,    “Unless,  as  
seems  infinitely  improbable,  we  are  destined  by  contact  with  other  thinking  planets,  
across  the  abysses  of  space  and  time,  some  day  to  become  integrated  within  an  
organised  complex  composed  of  a  number  of  Noospheres,  humanity,  having  reached  
maturity,  will  remain  alone,  face  to  face  with  itself.”170    [emphasis  added]  Nonetheless,  I  
am  optimistic  that  if  we  achieve  our  species-­‐maturity,  we  can  have  a  very  long  life  as  a  
planetary  civilization.    I  suspect,  as  well  that  the  emergence  of  civilized  life-­‐forms  is  not  a  
random  process,  but  a  purposeful  part  of  the  elegant  design  of  the  cosmos.171      If  so,  the  
development  of  a  galactic-­‐scale  community  could  be  as  natural  as  the  development  of  
reflective  life  on  Earth.    
  Would  we  trust  extraterrestrial  civilizations  if,  in  their  evolutionary  history,  they  
had  not  moved  through  the  same  kinds  of  trials  and  tests  that  humanity  has  
experienced?    Probably  not.    However,  if  we  all  have  had  a  similar  pattern  of  experience  
and  learning  produced  by  the  same  dimensional  environment,  then  we  could  relate  to  
one  another  and  develop  feelings  of  trust  and  kinship.    Dimensional  evolution  may  
describe  a  common  pathway  for  all  expressions  of  life.    If  so,  no  matter  what  forms  of  
life  we  meet  in  future  journeys  throughout  the  cosmos,  we  could  each  reminisce  about  
our  ancestor’s  struggles  to  work  through  these  stages  of  growth.    A  sacred  geometry  
may  provide  a  universal  framework  and  language  for  the  evolution  of  life  throughout  
the  cosmos,  and  therefore  a  common  basis  for  understanding.    
  If  every  life-­‐form  throughout  the  cosmos  must  move  through  seven  dimensional  
stages  to  achieve  its  maturity  as  a  planetary  scale  organism—including  the  sixth  
dimension  and  the  development  of  a  compassionate  consciousness—then  all  are  
obliged  to  achieve  a  basic  level  of  ethical  conduct.    The  dimensional  structure  of  the  
cosmos  seems  to  provide  a  pressure-­‐cooker  for  learning  with  a  fail-­‐safe  mechanism  to  
weed  out  civilizations  that  are  unsustainable  and  unethical.    If  we  humans  devastate  
ourselves  with  nuclear  war,  or  pollute  ourselves  into  near  extinction,  or  stagnate  in  an  
authoritarian  bureaucracy,  or  genetically  cripple  ourselves  through  inappropriate  self-­‐
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mutation,  then  it  is  unlikely  that  we  will  have  the  strength,  endurance,  and  creativity  to  
reach  very  far  beyond  the  Earth.    The  cosmos  seems  to  have  been  designed  to  provide  
the  greatest  degree  of  freedom  while  limiting  the  degree  of  damage  that  any  one  
planetary  civilization  can  do  at  the  galactic  or  cosmic  scale.      
  It  is  instructive  to  consider  that  the  potential  for  developing  nuclear  weapons  is  
inherent  within  the  atomic  structure  of  reality  and  is  pervasive  throughout  the  cosmos.    
Any  species  that  reaches  a  rudimentary  level  of  scientific  and  technological  
development  will  discover  the  nuclear  potential  and  the  ability  to  destroy  civilization  at  
a  planetary  scale.    Was  this  potential  deliberately  designed  into  the  cosmos,  both  as  a  
way  of  weeding  out  unethical  civilizations,  and  as  a  catalyst  to  stimulate  rapid  
evolution?    The  cosmos  appears  to  be  a  self-­‐regulating  system  with  built-­‐in  safeguards  
to  prevent  civilizations  from  extending  their  technical  reach  excessively  beyond  the  
scope  of  their  ethics.        
  What  might  lie  beyond  initial  contact  with  other  planetary  civilizations?    Perhaps  
a  new  kind  of  conscious  community  can  emerge  in  the  distant  future—a  galactic-­‐scale  
mind  consisting  of  all  the  individuals  and  planetary  civilizations  who,  in  telepathic  
sympathy,  bond  together  in  knowing  fellowship.    Beyond  a  galactic-­‐scale  mind,  we  may  
ultimately  join  in  a  cosmic-­‐scale  community  consisting  of  all  the  reflective  minds  in  the  
billions  of  galaxies.    A  single  field  of  cosmic  knowing  may  then  be  woven  together  in  
telepathic  communion.172      And  then?    Would  an  awakened  cosmos  exhaust  the  
potentials  of  the  underlying  Meta-­‐universe?    I  think  not.    Assuming  we  live  in  a  Meta-­‐
universe  of  infinite  dimensionality,  our  immense  cosmos  may  be  no  more  than  one  
small  island  of  self-­‐organizing  activity  that  is  dynamically  suspended  within  a  boundless  
ocean  of  Life-­‐energy  containing  innumerable  cosmic  systems.      
  Humanity  is  immersed  within  a  flowing  Life-­‐force  whose  depth,  subtlety,  creative  
intelligence,  and  power  utterly  dwarf  our  imagination.    This  we  can  celebrate.    We  can  
accept  where  we  are—confident  in  the  design-­‐intelligence  of  the  Life-­‐force  that  sustains  
us,  no  longer  thinking  we  inhabit  an  indifferent  and  random  universe,  but  recognizing  
we  live  in  a  cosmos  of  immense  sophistication,  subtlety  and  support  for  our  evolution.    
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We  can  return  home  and  “sweep  the  floor”—satisfied  to  move  ahead,  one  step  at  a  
time.        
 
Integral  Spirituality    
  In  the  eighth  stage,  the  cosmos  will  be  known  as  a  unified,  living  organism.    The  
universe  will  be  seen  as  a  holographic  entity  where  all  is  contained  within  all—at  each  
instant,  the  totality  is  fully  present  within  and  expressed  through  each  part,  and  each  
part  is  fully  connected  with  the  whole.    People  will  be  inclined  to  live  ethically  because  
they  understand  that  everything  we  do  is,  moment-­‐by-­‐moment,  woven  into  the  infinite  
depths  of  the  Meta-­‐universe.    Mikhail  Nimay  describes  this  insight  beautifully  in  his  
Book  of  Mirdad:    
 
So  think  as  if  your  every  thought  were  to  be  etched  in  fire  upon  the  sky  for  all  and  
everything  to  see.    For  so,  in  truth,  it  is.  
 
So  speak  as  if  the  world  entire  were  but  a  single  ear  intent  on  hearing  what  you  say.    
And  so,  in  truth,  it  is.  
 
So  do  as  if  your  every  deed  were  to  recoil  upon  your  head.    And  so,  in  truth,  it  is.  
 
So  wish  as  if  you  were  the  wish.    And  so,  in  truth,  you  are.173    
 
  Our  spiritual  perfection  is  in  our  wholeness.    Our  self-­‐completion  without  any  
omissions—  embracing  both  the  light  and  dark  aspects  of  our  being—is  what  gives  the  
unique  energy,  character  and  texture  to  our  lives.    The  Corpus  Hermeticum,  dating  back  
at  least  two  thousand  years,  gives  a  stunning  description  of  the  scope  of  the  spiritual  
challenge  awaiting  us  in  these  further  stages  of  dimensional  unfolding:  
 
Unless  you  make  yourself  equal  to  God,  you  cannot  understand  God:  for  the  like  
is  not  intelligible  save  to  the  like.    Make  yourself  grow  to  a  greatness  beyond  
measure,  by  a  bound  free  yourself  from  the  body;  raise  yourself  above  all  time,  
become  Eternity;  then  you  will  understand  God.    Believe  that  nothing  is  
impossible  for  you,  think  yourself  immortal  and  capable  of  understanding  all;  all  
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arts,  all  sciences,  the  nature  of  every  living  being.    Mount  higher  than  the  highest  
height;  descend  lower  than  the  lowest  depth.    Draw  into  yourself  all  sensations  
of  everything  created,  fire  and  water,  dry  and  moist,  imagining  that  you  are  
everywhere,  on  earth,  in  the  sea,  in  the  sky,  that  you  are  not  yet  born,  in  the  
maternal  womb,  adolescent,  old,  dead,  beyond  dead.    If  you  embrace  in  your  
thought  all  things  at  once,  times,  places,  substances,  qualities,  quantities,  you  
may  understand  God.174    
 
  Material  reality  provides  a  launching  pad  for  eternity.    Because  we  must  live  with  
ourselves  forever,  our  self-­‐awareness  is  of  inestimable  value—it  is  priceless.    Nothing  is  
of  greater  value  than  to  develop  the  capacity  for  double-­‐wisdom  that  enables  us  to  live  
consciously  in  the  Meta-­‐universe,  which  is  our  home  in  eternity.    That  is  the  challenge—
and  the  promise—of  the  eighth  dimension.    Once  we  discover,  in  freedom,  our  true  
nature,  we  can  then  journey  forever  through  perpetually  unfolding  dimensions  without  
losing  ourselves.  
 
Summary  
  The  seven  major  stages  of  growth  can  be  summarized  in  a  single  graphic  so  the  
overall  pattern  of  the  theory  of  dimensional  co-­‐evolution  can  be  seen  more  clearly.    
Although  the  matrix  shown  in  Figure  15  is  largely  self-­‐explanatory,  the  chapters  in  
Section  II  on    “Dimensional  Cosmology”  provide  important  additional  background.  Three  
other  comments  about  this  evolutionary  pattern  are  important.  
 
•  This  geometry  may  seem  too  simple  to  describe  a  process  as  rich  and  miraculous  
as  human  evolution.    Yet  this  sacred  geometry  is  akin  to  the  disciplined  simplicity  
of  a  musical  scale  which  allows  new  levels  and  varieties  of  music  to  emerge  
progressively  as  the  skill,  understanding,  and  creativity  of  the  musician  develops.      
 
•  As  symbolized  by  the  torus,  dimensional  co-­‐evolution  does  not  progress  in  a  
linear  fashion;  instead,  development  proceeds  as  an  arc  that  turns  back  upon  
itself.    In  the  initial  stages,  humanity’s  evolutionary  challenge  is  to  separate  from  
nature  and  discover  our  capacities  as  a  relatively  autonomous  species.    In  the  
later  stages,  our  challenge  is  to  reintegrate  ourselves  with  nature  and  to  learn  to  
act  in  conscious  harmony  with  the  cosmos.    Evolution  moves  through  a  nested  
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series  of  perceptual  environments,  each  with  new  challenges  and  potentials,  
that  gradually  turn  back  upon  themselves  to  create  self-­‐referencing  beings  and  
civilizations  that  are  intimately  connected  with  the  deep  ecology  of  the  universe.    
 
•  This  is  not  a  deterministic  view  of  evolution.    Although  humanity  is  obliged  to  
evolve  through  a  preexisting  pattern  of  perceptual  paradigms,  we  are  free  to  
respond  to  this  series  of  dimensional  environments  as  we  choose.    This  pattern  
of  dimensional  contexts  provides  an  optimal  sequence  of  perceptual  
environments  for  enabling  us  to  evolve  into  self-­‐referencing  and  self-­‐organizing  
individuals  and  civilizations.    However,  given  human  freedom  and  frailty,  I  do  not  
expect  evolution  to  conform  to  the  neat  boxes  and  boundaries  that  are  
described  in  this  matrix.    The  path  we  actually  take  through  these  various  stages  
will  surely  be  filled  with  many  surprises,  accidents  and  twists  of  fortune  that  will  
make  it  uniquely  human  and  characteristically  unpredictable.        
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Figure  15:  Stages  of  Co-­‐Evolution  for  Individuals  and  Society  

 
 
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Part  II:  Dimensional  Cosmology  

Chapter  9  

THE  CHANGING  DYNAMICS  OF    

HUMAN  EVOLUTION  
 
  To  arrive  at  the  eighth  stage,  we  must  travel  an  enormous  evolutionary  
distance—going  from  our  initial  awakening  as  hunter-­‐gatherers  to  our  initial  maturity  as  
a  planetary-­‐scale  civilization.    Several  questions  naturally  emerge  about  this  journey:    
How  long  will  it  take  us  to  move  through  the  next  three  stages  of  reconciliation,  
bonding,  and  creativity  so  as  to  achieve  our  initial  maturity?    Is  this  a  journey  that  is  so  
long  that  it  is  nearly  meaningless  to  speculate  on  the  pace  of  evolution?    Or  is  a  
planetary-­‐scale,  wisdom-­‐civilization  much  closer  than  we  may  think?    Are  there  major  
pitfalls  along  the  way  that  could  divert  us  from  achieving  our  dynamic  balance  and  
stability  as  a  global  civilization?    What  can  we  do  in  the  near  term—within  this  
generation—to  assist  in  our  own  evolution?    These  are  some  of  the  questions  
considered  in  this  chapter,  and  the  answers  may  be  both  surprising  and  sobering.  
 

The  Accelerating  Pace  of  Evolution  

  How  long  will  it  take  the  human  family  to  reach  its  maturity  in  the  eighth  stage?    
To  explore  this  core  issue,  Figure  16  summarizes  the  dynamics  of  growth  from  our  
awakening  as  hunter-­‐gatherers  through  the  agrarian  and  industrial  eras,  and  then  into  
the  early  stages  of  the  communications  era.    Although  simplistic,  this  chart  reveals  the  
extraordinary  acceleration  that  has  occurred  in  the  pace  of  human  evolution.    With  each  
successive  dimensional  epoch  there  has  been  a  dramatic  collapse  in  the  span  of  time  
required  to  move  through  a  given  stage.    Where  roughly  thirty  thousand  years  were  
required  to  move  through  the  epoch  of  awakening  hunter-­‐gatherers,  roughly  five  
thousand  years  were  needed  to  move  through  the  era  of  agrarian-­‐based  civilizations.    
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With  the  scientific-­‐industrial  era  now  giving  way  to  the  communications  era,  it  is  
possible  to  estimate  that  the  time  span  required  for  civilizations  to  move  through  an  
industrial  stage  of  development  is  no  more  than  three  hundred  years.    Evolution  is  
quickening  at  a  truly  remarkable  pace.  
   
Figure  16:  The  Dynamics  of  Dimensional  Evolution  
 

 
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  The  extraordinary  compression  in  the  amount  of  time  needed  to  move  through  
successive  stages  of  dimensional  development  indicates  that  humanity  has  reached  a  
critical  mass  in  perceptual  evolution  and  could  move  very  rapidly  through  the  stages  of  
growth  essential  for  realizing  our  initial  maturity  as  a  planetary  civilization.    Because  the  
pace  of  change  is  accelerating  enormously,  we  should  not  assume  that  thousands  or  
even  millions  of  years  will  be  required  for  us  to  achieve  our  initial  maturity  as  a  species.    
We  have  entered  a  time  of  explosive  development,  and  historical  experience  does  not  
provide  an  accurate  guide  for  the  span  of  time  required  to  move  through  the  
dimensional  transformations  that  lie  just  ahead.    In  my  judgment  humanity  has  the  
potential  to  reach  its  initial  maturity—the  eighth  stage—within  another  dozen  
generations  or  roughly  five  hundred  years.    This  appraisal  of  the  pace  of  the  coevolution  
seems  to  be  a  middle-­‐of-­‐the-­‐road  estimate—it  is  a  far  longer  period  than  is  expected  by  
some  and  far  shorter  than  is  expected  by  others.      
  Illustrative  of  the  view  that  humanity  has  the  potential  for  awakening  very  
rapidly  are  the  estimates  of  Peter  Russell.    In  his  book  exploring  the  future  of  human  
evolution  The  White  Hole  In  Time,  he  states  that  “if  we  do  survive  our  present  
challenges,  and  if  our  evolution  does  continue  to  accelerate,  we  could  see  the  whole  of  
our  future  evolution...compressed  into  a  century  or  so.”175    Russell  concludes,  “We  are  
in  the  last  moments  of  our  50,000-­‐year  dash  from  emerging  consciousness  to  full  
enlightenment.”176        
  In  striking  contrast  are  the  views  of  other  keen  observers  of  human  evolution  
who  think  that  the  evolution  of  culture  and  consciousness  is  a  very  slow  process  and  
that  it  will  require  thousands,  and  perhaps  millions,  of  years  for  humanity  to  achieve  our  
initial  maturity:    
 
•  Teilhard  de  Chardin  states  in  his  book  The  Future  of  Man  that  “humanity  will  have  
completed  itself  and  fully  achieved  its  internal  equilibrium  only  when  it  is  
psychically  centered  upon  itself  (which  may  yet  take  several  million  years).”177          
 
•  Ken  Wilber  states  in  his  book  on  the  evolution  of  transpersonal  awareness  Up  
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From  Eden  that  “it  will  probably  be  thousands,  maybe  millions,  of  years  before  
mankind  as  a  whole  evolves  into  superconsciousness.”178    Wilber  also  states  “the  
next  stage  of  growth  is  the  beginning  of  the  trans-­‐personal....  I  don’t  see  this  
happening  on  a  large  scale  for  at  least  another  century,  if  then.”179      
 
•  Alan  Watts  explains  in  his  book  The  Spirit  of  Zen  that  “in  the  East  the  
effectiveness  of  a  religion  is  judged  by  its  success  in  producing  a  comparatively  
small  number  of  thoroughly  enlightened  men,  for  it  is  not  believed  possible  
fundamentally  to  alter  the  lives  of  vast  numbers  of  people  within  the  span  of  a  
thousand  years  or  so.    Great  social  changes  are  not  expected;  the  religions  of  the  
East  are  more  concerned  with  the  enlightenment  of  some  few  individuals  than  of  
society  as  a  whole...”180    
 
•  In  his  book  Civilization  on  Trial,  Arnold  Toynbee  considers  the  future  of  humanity  
in  thousand-­‐year  increments  and  it  is  not  until  roughly  three  thousand  years  
hence  that,  he  suggests,  humanity  will  find  a  new,  common  life  springing  out  of  
the  wreckage  of  the  old  civilizations.181      
 

  While  these  estimates  of  slow  evolution  may  be  convincing  when  considered  
from  the  perspective  of  the  past,  they  overlook  at  least  two  critical  facts  about  the  
future:    First,  exponential  growth  in  electronic  communications  is  providing  humanity  
with  the  tools  to  support  a  witnessing  or  reflective  consciousness  at  a  planetary  scale.    
Second,  global  crises  are  pushing  the  human  family  to  evolve  far  more  rapidly  than  we  
would  have  ever  expected  from  looking  back  at  historical  dynamics.    If  we  had  neither  
the  enabling  pull  of  communications  technologies  nor  the  empowering  push  of  
necessity,  it  would  be  realistic  to  assume  that  the  further  stages  in  the  coevolution  of  
consciousness  and  culture  would  take  many  thousands  of  years.        
  An  example  illustrates  how  our  species  evolution  is  moving  ahead  far  more  
rapidly  than  is  assumed  by  the  conventional  spiritual  wisdom.    Instead  of  requiring  a  
century  or  more  before  a  substantial  fraction  of  humanity  moves  into  the  realm  of  
transpersonal  consciousness,  in  my  estimation  a  majority  of  humanity  is  already  
beginning  to  move  into  a  transpersonal  domain  where  people  are  cognizant  of  having  a  
witnessing  or  reflective  capacity.    Specifically,  with  the  explosive  growth  of  
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telecommunications  technologies,  we  are  developing  a  new  capacity  for  a  witnessing  or  
observing  consciousness  as  a  species.    Telecommunication  technologies  are  
transforming  our  perceptions  of  ourselves  and  the  world  with  breathtaking  speed.    
Rather  than  requiring  a  century  or  longer,  a  majority  of  humanity  is  already  immersed  in  
a  rudimentary,  transpersonal  reality  via  the  witnessing  capacity  of  television.    A  
seemingly  profane  medium  is  unavoidably  transmitting  the  sacred  message  of  reflective  
consciousness!    As  the  saying  goes,  “It’s  a  rare  fish  who  knows  he  swims  in  water.”    The  
world  is  already  swimming  in  the  reflective  consciousness  generated  by  global  
television.    By  osmosis  we  are  acquiring  a  new  way  of  looking  at  the  world.    When  
communication  systems  reach  a  critical  mass  of  development  (through  the  integration  
of  computers,  fiber  optics,  video,  satellites,  libraries,  and  electronically  supported  
democracies),  they  will  provide  humanity  with  an  unstoppable  voice  and  unshakable  
conscience  that  is  concerned  with  building  a  sustainable  future.      
  Television  has  already  become  an  unprecedented  force  for  promoting  
transformative  shifts  in  social  consciousness  and  institutions.    Around  the  planet  the  
unblinking  eye  of  television  is  generating  momentous  change  by  creating  a  shared  
perceptual  framework  that  transcends  national  boundaries  and  ideologies.    Television  
does  more  than  report  on  events;  it  produces  change  by  transforming  social  
consciousness,  and  this  in  turn  is  propelling  social  revolutions  forward  at  a  breathtaking  
pace.    For  example,  when  asked  what  had  caused  the  stunning  collapse  of  communism  
in  Eastern  Europe,  Polish  leader  Lech  Walesa  pointed  to  a  nearby  TV  set  and  said,  “It  all  
came  from  there.”182      In  the  words  of  journalist  David  Remnick,  “Information  and  
images  are  the  ultimate  weapon  now.”183        
  The  push  of  necessity  is  combining  with  the  pull  of  opportunity  to  propel  
humanity  forward  to  a  new  level  of  consciousness  and  communication.    If  we  use  the  
experience  of  the  past  as  our  guide  for  estimating  the  pace  of  change  for  moving  into  a  
transforming  future,  our  reaction  time  will  be  so  slow  that  we  will  seriously  misjudge  
our  situation  and  may  suffer  calamitous  consequences.      
  While  I  believe  the  ascent  to  double-­‐wisdom  is  reaching  a  critical  mass  and  
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beginning  a  rapid  takeoff,  I  do  not  believe  that  we  will  inevitably  or  automatically  reach  
our  early  adulthood  as  a  species.    Evolution  must  now  become  conscious  of  itself,  and  
we  must  deliberately  choose  our  pathway  into  the  future.    There  are  many  pitfalls  on  
the  path  to  maturity  that  can  sidetrack  us.    It  is  conceivable  that  various  evolutionary  
detours  could  absorb  our  attention  for  thousands  of  years  and  take  us  far  from  a  
healthy  pathway.    There  is  no  cosmic  requirement  that  we  stay  on  an  optimal  track  of  
development;  instead  we  may  squander  precious  years  in  empty  pursuits  that  produce  
needless  suffering.        
  How  long  might  it  take  for  humanity  to  traverse  the  next  three  dimensional  
epochs?    Assuming  that  at  least  four  generations  will  be  required  to  move  through  each  
of  the  three  fully  remaining  dimensional  epochs  (the  fifth,  sixth,  and  seven  stages),  then  
this  translates  into  roughly  five  hundred  years  as  the  minimum  time  for  achieving  our  
initial,  species-­‐maturity.    This  is  not  a  prediction,  but  an  order-­‐of-­‐magnitude  estimate  of  
the  opportunity  before  us.  To  obtain  this  rough  order-­‐of-­‐magnitude  estimate,  I  assumed  
that  at  least  one  generation  would  be  required  to  work  through  the  unique  demands  of  
each  season  of  growth.    Assuming  three  dimensional  epochs,  or  twelve  “seasons,”  plus  a  
gradually  lengthening  life  span  (with  an  average  generational  span  of  forty  years),  then  
the  minimum  length  of  time  required  to  move  through  these  epochs  to  initial  species-­‐
maturity  would  be  roughly  five  hundred  years.    Again,  this  is  not  a  prediction  but  an  
order-­‐of-­‐magnitude  estimate.  The  important  point  is  that,  compared  with  other  
estimates  of  thousands  and  millions  of  years,  half  a  millennium  is  an  extraordinarily  
brief  period  of  time.    Although  realizing  our  initial  maturity  could  easily  take  far  longer  
than  five  hundred  years,  we  are  nonetheless  moving  into  a  time  of  unprecedented  
compression  and  accelerated  learning.    We  should  not  underestimate  the  potential  for  
rapid  evolution  leading  to  our  embryonic  maturity  as  a  planetary  civilization.      
  Even  if  it  takes  several  thousand  years  to  reach  the  integrated  functioning  of  the  
eighth  stage  with  its  dynamic  stability,  the  entire  span  of  time  required  for  humans  to  
evolve  from  a  prereflective  species  to  a  post-­‐reflective  or  integrated  species-­‐civilization  
will  have  been  roughly  in  the  range  of  forty  thousand  years.    Although  this  may  seem  
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like  an  enormous  length  of  time,  from  a  cosmic  scale  perspective  we  are  making  a  
momentous  transition  in  an  extraordinarily  brief  period—the  blink  of  an  eye  relative  to  
our  potential  life  span  as  a  species.  
  If  we  do  achieve  our  initial  maturity  as  a  species,  how  long  might  we  then  
survive?    We  don’t  have  other  planetary-­‐scale  civilizations  with  which  to  compare  
ourselves,  but  we  can  get  some  perspective  by  looking  at  the  longevity  of  early  humans  
and  other  animal  species.    For  example,  our  early  human  ancestor  Homo  erectus  
survived  more  than  a  million  years  before  becoming  extinct.    The  typical  life  span  of  a  
species  has  been  estimated  to  be  between  1  and  10  million  years.184      Some  species  live  
far  longer.    For  example,  dinosaurs  survived  roughly  140  million  years  before  a  natural  
catastrophe  wiped  them  out.    If  humanity  is  as  capable  of  survival  as  the  dinosaurs,  then  
we  should  be  able  to  endure  for  a  period  equal  to  more  than  25,000  times  the  span  of  
recorded  human  history!    Given  these  illustrations  of  longevity,  there  is  no  reason  why  
Homo  sapiens  sapiens  cannot  endure  for  a  million  years  or  more.    Millions  of  years  of  
evolution  preceded  the  emergence  of  beings  with  reflective  consciousness  and  it  is  
conceivable  that  millions  of  years  of  development—perhaps  even  billions!—could  
unfold  afterwards.    (Recall  the  three  macrophases  of  evolution  portrayed  in  Figure  1  in  
the  Introduction.)      
  Although  there  is  an  immensity  of  time  behind  us  and  an  equal  immensity  of  
evolutionary  potential  before  us,  it  is  important  to  recognize  the  pivotal  period  in  which  
we  now  live.    Humanity  is  making  an  evolutionary  inflection  toward  planetary  
integration  and  sustainability.    Our  choices  during  these  transitional  times  will  
profoundly  influence  human  destiny  into  the  distant  future.      
 
Contemporary  Reality—A  Spectrum  of  Dimensional  Perspectives  
  Although  the  pace  of  evolution  is  accelerating,  humanity  is  now  spread  out  
across  a  wide  range  of  perceptual  paradigms.    We  have  an  immense  amount  of  work  to  
do  if  we  are  to  coalesce  this  diversity  around  a  shared  evolutionary  agenda.    Figure  17  
shows  the  changing  percentage  of  the  world  population  that  is  estimated  to  live  within  
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the  context  of  different  dimensional  paradigms.    These  are  rough  estimates,  but  they  do  
give  a  feel  for  the  dynamics  of  our  evolution  toward  our  species-­‐maturity.185        
  Two  points  stand  out  when  we  consider  a  contemporary  cross-­‐section  of  this  
chart.    First,  although  the  center  of  social  gravity  for  humanity  is  now  oriented  around  
the  perceptual  paradigm  of  the  industrial  era  or  fourth  dimension,  we  are  moving  
rapidly  into  the  fifth  dimension—the  era  of  a  witnessing  consciousness,  mass  
communication,  and  global  reconciliation.      Second,  at  least  five  different  perceptual  
paradigms  or  “dimensional  cultures”  coexist  on  the  planet  as  we  approach  the  twenty-­‐
first  century:  
 
•  2nd  Dimension:  “Hunter-­‐gatherers”—Hunter-­‐gatherers  now  account  for  less  
than  a  fraction  of  one-­‐percent  of  all  people  on  the  Earth.    Until  recently  this  way  
of  life  was  found  in  areas  as  diverse  as  Southeast  Asia,  the  Arctic,  and  
Scandinavia.      
   
•  3rd  Dimension:  “Agriculturalists”—Roughly  half  of  the  world's  population  live  
in  agrarian  civilizations,  but  this  fraction  is  declining  rapidly  with  the  spread  of  
industrialization  and  urbanization.    
 
•  4th  Dimension:  “Industrialists”—Urban-­‐industrial  cultures  are  developing  
swiftly  around  the  planet,  and  by  the  year  2000  an  absolute  majority  of  the  
world's  population  will  live  in  urban  settings.    Although  many  will  live  in  urban  
slums,  they  will  nonetheless  be  separated  from  an  agrarian  setting  and  
challenged  to  survive  in  the  mind-­‐set  of  the  urban-­‐industrial  world.  
 
•  5th  Dimension:  “Communicationists”—A  new  global  consciousness  and  culture  
is  emerging  with  the  explosive  growth  of  mass  communications.    By  the  turn  of  
the  century  a  majority  of  the  world’s  population  will  be  influenced  by  the  mind-­‐
set  of  the  communications  era.    Even  those  who  are  agrarians  or  industrialists  in  
their  daily  work  will  nonetheless  orient  themselves  increasingly  within  the  
perceptual  framework  created  by  the  communications  revolution.        
 
•  6th  Dimension:  “Gaians”—Although  they  constitute  a  very  small  fraction  of  
humanity,  there  is  a  distinct  culture  growing  around  the  world  consisting  of  
people  who  have  a  strong  sense  of  global  family  and  global  bonding.    These  are  
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planetary  citizens  that  are  dedicated  to  human  service  and  celebrating  our  
common  humanity.    Examples  of  Gaians  with  a  compassionate,  planetary  view  
include  many  who  worked  for  “Live  Aid”  for  Africa  (1985),  many  “Earth  Day”  
groups  (1990),  and  many  of  the  “Earth  Summit”  participants  in  Brazil  (1992).  
 
   As  of  the  1990s  the  people  of  the  Earth  are  spread  across  five  different  
perceptual  paradigms.    Yet  by  midway  through  the  twenty-­‐first  century  a  majority  of  
humanity  could  begin  to  coalesce  within  the  5th  dimensional  perceptual  context  as  a  
common  organizing  paradigm.    For  the  half  century  or  so  in  between,  there  lies  a  time  of  
unprecedented  transitioning  among  multiple  perceptual  frameworks.    This  will  be  a  
complex  process  as,  for  example,  developing  societies  may  seek  to  avoid  the  pitfalls  of  
the  past,  “leap  over”  the  economic  infrastructure  of  a  traditional  industrial  society,  and  
instead  build  the  infrastructure  for  a  sophisticated  amalgam  of  agriculture,  selective  
industrialization,  and  advanced  communications.    With  complex  patterns  of  change  
occurring  simultaneously  and  with  no  overarching  perceptual  paradigm  previously  
established  to  orient  human  activities,  the  early  decades  of  the  twenty-­‐first  century  
seem  likely  to  be  a  time  of  intense  conflict  over  which  paradigm  holds  the  greatest  
promise  as  an  aligning  vision  for  a  sustainable  future.      
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Figure  17:  Percent  of  World  Population  by  Perceptual  Stage  

 
Technological  Advance  and  Evolutionary  Advance  
  In  Western  societies  there  is  a  tendency  to  equate  technological  advance  with  
civilizational  development.    However,  for  a  number  of  reasons  it  is  misleading  to  apply  
this  limited  criterion  to  the  complex  process  of  the  coevolution  of  culture  and  
consciousness.    First,  I  do  not  automatically  equate  the  use  of  advanced  technology  with  
an  advanced  civilization.    Civilizations  can  be  overdeveloped  on  the  technological  side  
and  underdeveloped  on  the  psychological,  social,  and  spiritual  side  of  life.    Less  
technically  advanced  cultures  may,  for  example,  have  an  extremely  sophisticated  
understanding  and  appreciation  of  nature  and  the  cosmos.    Native  American  Indians  
have  an  intimate  and  subtle  sense  of  nature  that  seems  far  more  advanced  and  wise  
than  the  commercialized  and  materialistic  American  culture  that  is  rapidly  destroying  its  
ecological  heritage.    Second,  scientific  evidence  suggests  that  people  around  the  world  
are  born  with  the  same  levels  of  cognitive  ability  and  capacities  for  achieving  self-­‐
referencing  consciousness.    Third,  this  is  not  a  linear  view  of  development—dimensional  
evolution  proceeds  in  an  ever-­‐bending  arc  that  turns  back  on  itself  so  as  to  produce  self-­‐
referencing  beings  and  civilizations.    In  the  poetry  of  T.  S.  Eliot:    
 
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And  the  end  of  all  our  exploring    

Will  be  to  arrive  where  we  started    
And  know  the  place  for  the  first  time.186      
 
Any  judgment  of  “lower”  or  “higher”  is  much  less  meaningful  in  this  self-­‐referencing  
evolutionary  dynamic.    Fourth,  the  “law  of  the  retarded  lead”  suggests  that  societies  
that  prosper  in  one  evolutionary  epoch  often  find  themselves  unable  to  adapt  flexibly  to  
the  potentials  of  subsequent  epochs,  and  civilizing  leadership  may  then  pass  to  others.    
Given  that  we  are  only  roughly  half  way  through  the  stages  of  growth  that  lead  to  our  
initial  maturity,  it  is  far  too  soon  to  make  value  judgments  regarding  the  relative  
contribution  and  status  of  any  civilization.      
  While  the  innate  abilities  of  people  around  the  world  are  the  same,  and  the  
wisdom-­‐culture  we  seek  will  draw  upon  the  insights  of  all  cultures,  there  do  seem  to  be  
significant  differences  in  the  character  and  structure  of  the  perceptual  environments  
generated  by  different  stages  of  civilization  growth.187    For  example,  I  do  not  think  the  
perceptual  framework  of  agrarian-­‐based  civilizations  would  be  able  to  coalesce  and  
sustain  a  democratically  constituted,  compassionate,  technically  advanced  global-­‐scale  
civilization.    The  point  is  not  to  devalue  the  wisdom  of  earlier  civilizations;  rather,  it  is  to  
see  more  clearly  the  perceptual  paradigm  that  is  needed  to  support  a  planetary-­‐scale  
civilization.    For  humanity  to  build  a  technically  advanced,  democratically  constituted,  
sustainable,  compassionate,  and  creative  civilization  at  a  global  scale,  I  believe  we  will  
need  the  perceptual  capacities  of  the  seventh  stage  of  dimensional  evolution.      
  Although  the  world  needs  a  shared  perceptual  framework  from  which  to  build  a  
sustainable  world  economy  and  civilization,  this  does  not  mean  we  should  seek  
homogeneity  and  uniformity.    After  surveying  the  growth  and  decline  of  the  world’s  
civilizations,  Arnold  Toynbee  found  a  master  process  at  work  in  the  disintegration  of  
societies,  which  he  called  a  “tendency  towards  standardization  and  uniformity:  a  
tendency  which  is  the...opposite  of  the  tendency  towards  differentiation  and  diversity  
which  we  have  found  to  be  the  mark  of  the  growth  stage  of  civilizations.”188    As  we  seek  
global  reconciliation  around  a  sustainable  future,  we  need  simultaneously  to  support  a  
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broad  range  of  cultural  diversity.    Each  country  needs  to  be  free  to  develop  in  ways  that  
are  uniquely  suited  to  that  country’s  culture,  ecology,  climate,  and  so  on.        
  While  valuing  diversity,  it  is  important  to  anchor  world  civilization  in  the  highest  
dimensional  perspective  possible,  as  this  will  provide  the  most  inclusive,  tolerant,  and  
productive  framework  for  peaceful  reconciliation.    The  fifth  stage  and  communications  
era—with  its  natural  emphasis  on  social  witnessing  and  reconciliation—provides  a  
mediating  and  moderating  influence  to  what  otherwise  could  become  intense,  survival-­‐
oriented  competition  among  egoistic  nation-­‐states  seeking  to  preserve  their  power  and  
status  relative  to  the  rest  of  the  world.  
 
Evolution  Elsewhere:  A  Tour  of  the  Cosmos  
  Given  our  great  freedom,  the  future  is  genuinely  uncertain.    There  is  no  
guarantee  that  humanity  will  choose  to  climb  the  steep  ascent  to  our  initial  maturity.189    
Viewed  as  a  whole  system,  our  cosmos  may  produce  an  overabundance  of  life-­‐forms,  
understanding  that  many  will  not  reach  their  full  blossoming.    A  similar  evolutionary  
strategy  seems  to  operate  for  plants  that  produce  hundreds  of  seeds,  perhaps  implicitly  
recognizing  that  only  a  very  few  will  take  root  in  nurturing  soil  and  develop  fully.    
Astronomers  estimate  there  are  more  stars  in  the  visible  universe  (and  thus  potential  
planetary  systems  to  support  life)  than  there  are  grains  of  sand  on  all  of  the  Earth’s  
beaches!    Although  there  seems  to  be  a  wealth  of  opportunity  for  life  to  develop,  many  
planetary-­‐scale  civilizations  may  not  succeed  in  moving  beyond  a  rudimentary  stage.    
Instead  they  may  stagnate  psychologically,  devastate  their  ecosystem,  and  physically  
collapse,  or  be  wiped  out  by  natural  disasters  (as  were  the  dinosaurs).    There  are  many  
twists  and  turns  on  the  path  to  our  species-­‐maturity,  and  we  cannot  take  our  future  for  
granted.      
  If  we  had  a  spacecraft  that  could  take  us  through  the  cosmos  at  great  speed,  
here’s  what  I  think  we  would  see:    On  most  planets  the  experiment  in  life  would  have  
never  gotten  under  way  or  else  failed  early  on.    Like  our  neighbor  Mars,  these  planets  
would  be  barren  and  incapable  of  supporting  the  complex  ecosystem  needed  for  life-­‐
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forms  to  grow.    As  we  continued  our  journey  through  the  cosmos,  on  a  small  percentage  
of  planets  we  would  find  habitable  ecosystems  and  see  a  variety  of  life-­‐forms  struggling  
to  reach  an  elementary  stage  of  reflective  consciousness.    Finally,  on  a  very  small  
percentage  of  planets  we  would  find  civilizations  of  global  scale  that  have  acquired  the  
wisdom,  stability,  and  compassion  needed  to  sustain  themselves  into  the  distant  future.        
  Although  the  probability  of  life  arising  on  other  planets  is  intensely  debated,  it  is  
useful  to  make  this  assumption  in  order  to  bring  greater  perspective  to  our  current  
challenges.    We  live  within  a  relatively  young  star  system.    Because  there  are  many  stars  
much  older  than  our  sun,  it  is  reasonable  to  speculate  that  there  may  be  many  planets  
with  civilizations  far  older  than  our  own.      Astronomer  Carl  Sagan  and  Russian  scientist  I.  
S.  Shklovskii  estimate  that  there  are  between  fifty  thousand  and  one  million  civilizations  
in  our  galaxy  that  are  in  advance  of  our  own!190    If  there  are  mature  species-­‐civilizations  
scattered  throughout  the  billions  of  galaxies  of  our  cosmos,  then  the  daunting  challenge  
of  achieving  a  sustainable  planetary  future  must  have  been  met  successfully  
innumerable  times  before  by  other  civilizations.      
  Still,  each  world  civilization  is  unique.    For  better  or  for  worse—on  a  small  planet  
circling  a  relatively  young,  moderate-­‐sized  star  located  at  the  outer  edge  of  a  swirling  
cloud  of  a  billion  stars  that  comprises  an  average-­‐sized  galaxy—we  are  involved  in  the  
birth  of  a  unique  global  civilization.    Will  we  become  one  of  the  planets  where  life  
struggles  forward  only  to  fall  back  before  achieving  its  full  measure  of  development,  our  
environment  crippled  by  pollution,  our  abundant  resources  squandered,  and  humanity  
torn  apart  by  chronic  conflict?    Or  will  we  become  one  of  the  gems  of  the  Milky  Way  
galaxy,  the  Earth  a  place  of  great  beauty  and  humanity  choosing  a  path  of  mutually  
assured  development?    If  we  do  not  muster  the  social  will  and  creativity  to  choose  our  
pathway  into  the  future  consciously,  we  may  well  become  one  of  the  unfortunate  
cosmic  seeds  that  has  taken  root  but  is  so  crippled  by  unconscious,  self-­‐destructive  
actions  that  it  never  flowers  into  the  fullness  of  its  potential.    These  are  pivotal  times  for  
our  species.    
 
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Dangers  Ahead:  Pitfalls  on  the  Path  to  Maturity  

  Although  humanity  is  on  a  path  of  exponential  development  that  could  lead  
rapidly  to  our  initial  maturity,  there  are  a  number  of  pitfalls  on  the  way  that  could  
deflect  our  development  onto  an  evolutionary  detour,  or  even  into  a  dead  end.    
Opportunity  is  not  destiny.    There  are  no  guarantees  of  success.    We  have  entered  a  
time  of  great  testing  of  our  evolutionary  intelligence.    It  remains  an  open  question  
whether  we  will  develop  the  cosmic  wisdom  needed  to  survive.    In  addition  to  the  
widely  recognized  threats  of  nuclear  war,  overpopulation,  and  pollution,  there  are  many  
other  ways  in  which  we  can  sabotage  our  own  evolution.    An  illustrative  sampling  of  the  
pitfalls  on  the  evolutionary  path  reveals  how  precarious  and  uncertain  is  our  pathway  
into  the  future.  
 
  •  Inflexibility  and  Delay—Arnold  Toynbee  concluded  that  civilizations  are  
particularly  vulnerable  to  disintegration  after  they  have  achieved  a  time  of  great  
success.191    He  said  it  is  difficult  for  a  successful  civilization  to  let  go  of  approaches  that  
have  worked  well  in  the  past;  instead  there  is  a  tendency  to  deny  the  need  for  
fundamental  change  and  to  redouble  efforts  along  old  lines  that  previously  had  been  
highly  successful.    Therefore  one  major  pitfall  is  the  inflexibility  and  delay  produced  by  
seeking  to  perpetuate  the  status  quo.    In  Toynbee’s  words,  civilizational  growth  requires  
“perpetual  flexibility  and  spontaneity.”192    By  waiting  too  long  to  adapt,  humanity  may  
lose  a  precious  window  of  opportunity  and  find  that  the  chance  for  creative  change  has  
been  lost.    For  example,  by  delaying  the  inevitable  need  to  respond  to  the  combined  
impact  of  the  depletion  of  world  oil  reserves,  climate  change,  and  world  population  
growth,  we  will  find  our  options  increasingly  limited  and  the  challenge  of  adaptation  
increasingly  difficult.    The  opportunity  for  creative  evolution  could  turn  into  a  scramble  
for  survival.    
 
  •  Lack  of  Vision—We  cannot  consciously  create  a  future  that  we  have  not  
imagined.    When  our  collective  visualization  is  weak  and  fragmented,  then  our  ability  to  
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build  a  workable  and  meaningful  future  is  commensurately  diminished.    To  consciously  
evolve,  we  require  a  clear  vision  of  a  compassionate  future  that  draws  out  our  
enthusiastic  participation  in  life.    The  richness  and  reach  of  our  social  vision  is  a  direct  
measure  of  our  civilizational  maturity.    To  evolve  consciously  as  a  global  civilization,  it  is  
imperative  that  we  extend  our  social  imagination  into  the  deep  future  and  anticipate  
our  development  as  a  species.    Looking  only  a  few  years  into  the  future  at  a  time  when  
our  decisions  have  long-­‐run  consequences  is  like  trying  to  drive  a  car  on  a  winding  road  
at  high  speed  while  looking  only  a  few  feet  ahead.    To  keep  our  bearings  in  a  changing  
world  where  the  pace  of  evolution  is  accelerating,  we  must  consciously  look  multiple  
generations  into  the  future.      
  Humans  can  bear  many  hardships  when  they  are  seen  as  purposeful.    Futility  and  
despair  will  grow,  however,  when  people  encounter  a  period  of  great  material  hardship  
and  psychological  stress  that  has  no  end  in  sight  and  that  serves  no  meaningful  purpose.    
Civilizations  can  disintegrate  when  forced  to  respond  to  overwhelming  stress  without  a  
guiding  vision  for  the  future.    Without  a  broad  public  consensus  around  a  compelling  
vision  of  the  future,  cynicism  can  overwhelm  trust  and  we  can  lose  confidence  in  
ourselves,  our  leaders,  and  our  institutions.    A  disheartened  and  disoriented  world  
civilization  is  a  recipe  for  social  unrest,  religious  fanaticism,  and  authoritarian  
domination.    
 
  •  Ecosystem  Disruption—A  combination  of  ecological  trends  may  undermine  or  
even  collapse  the  biosphere  on  which  life  depends,  pushing  the  world  into  chaos;  for  
example:    
 
•  Rapid  ozone  depletion  may  cause  critical  damage  to  the  entire  food  chain,  both  
in  the  oceans  (from  the  plankton  upward  to  the  fish  that  feed  on  the  plankton)  
and  on  land  (from  plants,  to  the  bees  that  pollinate  plants,  and  upward  to  the  
higher  animals  that  depend  on  the  integrity  of  the  overall  ecosystem).    
 
•  Increasing  quantities  of  greenhouse  gases  will  likely  produce  major  shifts  in  the  
climate  and  result  in  marked  changes  in  rainfall  patterns  and  growing  seasons  
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that  in  turn  could  produce  drought  and  famine  throughout  the  world.      
 
•  Loss  of  genetic  diversity  in  agriculture  through  reliance  on  a  few  strains  of  rice,  
corn,  and  grain  could  make  the  world’s  agriculture  highly  vulnerable  to  disease  
and  result  in  crop  failures  of  catastrophic  proportions.      
 
  Disruptions  to  the  ecosystem  are  exacerbated  when  people  must  struggle  each  
day  just  to  survive.    For  example,  the  growing  population  in  many  Southern  Hemisphere  
countries  desperately  needs  land  to  grow  food—so  they  are  cutting  down  the  rain  
forests  for  farm  land,  even  when  most  people  know  this  will  produce  an  even  greater  
calamity  in  the  long  run.    Given  survival  pressures,  it  is  conceivable  that  the  global  
ecosystem  could  become  so  devastated  that  it  could  sustain  only  a  fraction  of  the  
world’s  population,  and  this  in  turn  could  lead  to  massive  famines  and  severe  civil  
unrest  and  push  the  world  toward  an  authoritarian  form  of  civilization.      
 
  •  Resource  Wars—Within  a  generation,  we  will  deplete  a  significant  amount  of  
critically  important,  natural  resources;  for  example:  a)  easily  accessible  and  thus  
inexpensive  supplies  of  oil  are  expected  to  be  nearly  exhausted  within  thirty  years,  b)  
major  ground  water  aquifers  are  being  pumped  dry  to  support  a  high-­‐intensity  
agriculture,  and  c)  widespread  soil  erosion  is  depleting  precious  topsoil.    As  our  situation  
grows  ever  more  critical,  those  areas  that  have  essential  resources  (such  as  oil,  water,  
and  arable  land)  will  become  the  focus  of  protracted  conflict.    The  world  could  then  
disintegrate  into  warfare  rather  than  coalesce  into  a  process  of  mutually  sustainable  
development.    Easter  Island  provides  a  powerful  warning  about  the  impact  of  resource  
wars.193    When  the  island  was  first  populated  in  the  twelfth  century,  it  was  covered  with  
trees.    These  were  eventually  all  cut  down,  which  allowed  the  soil  to  erode,  which  in  
turn  greatly  diminished  crop  yields.    Ultimately  the  food  supply  became  so  limited  that  
warfare  and  cannibalism  became  widespread  and  the  island’s  estimated  population  of  
eight  thousand  was  reduced  to  a  few  hundred.    There  is  the  frightening  possibility  that,  
with  resource  depletion,  some  variation  of  this  scenario  could  be  repeated  at  a  global  
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scale.    
 
  •  Unsustainable  Gap  Between  Rich  and  Poor  Nations—In  the  media-­‐rich  world  
of  the  future,  glaring  differences  between  rich  and  poor  nations  will  be  painfully  and  
persistently  evident.    People  in  the  poorest  regions  will  want  a  decent  standard  of  living  
and  may  not  tolerate  chronic  extremes  of  material  inequity  that  result  in  conspicuous  
consumption  for  a  relative  few  and  starvation  and  misery  for  a  billion  or  more  others.  
The  prosperity  of  wealthy  nations  is  vulnerable  to  disruption  by  people  of  the  
impoverished  nations  who  have  nothing  to  lose  by  expressing  their  discontent.      
  Thomas  Aquinas  taught  that  when  people  have  more  than  they  require  for  
meeting  the  necessities  of  life,  they  have  an  obligation  to  give  away  the  rest  to  the  poor.      
Whatever  people  have  in  superabundance,  he  said,  is  owed,  as  a  natural  right,  to  the  
poor  for  their  survival.    “The  bread  which  you  withhold  belongs  to  the  hungry,  the  
clothing  you  shut  away,  to  the  naked;  and  the  money  you  bury  in  the  Earth  is  the  
redemption  and  freedom  of  the  penniless.”194    If  a  fairness  ethic  grows  among  poorer  
nations  while  wealthy  nations  attempt  to  maintain  their  privileged  status  and  isolate  
themselves  from  the  needs  of  desperate  billions,  it  could  produce  a  world  that  is  so  
ethically  and  morally  divided  that  it  cannot  achieve  reconciliation  around  a  common  
future.        
 
  •  Authoritarianism—Ecosystem  breakdown  and  resource  wars  could  deplete  the  
trust  essential  for  democratic  governance  among  nations  and  push  the  world  into  such  
chaos  that,  to  restore  order,  authoritarian  forms  of  government  could  emerge  at  a  
national  or  even  global  scale.    People  may  so  mistrust  others  and  so  disbelieve  in  the  
potential  for  a  compassionate  future  that  instead  of  working  for  humanity’s  collective  
well-­‐being,  they  may  take  a  survivalist  approach  and  work  only  for  their  own  interests,  
thereby  making  authoritarian  forms  of  government  more  necessary.    Four  ingredients  
seem  to  be  likely  elements  in  a  new  era  of  authoritarianism:  a  strong  military  or  police  
force  to  secure  borders  and  maintain  law  and  order;  a  strong  religious  foundation  to  
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bring  moral  legitimacy  to  nondemocratic  government;  extensive  use  of  computer  
networks  to  monitor  and  control  people;  and  a  land  and  resource-­‐based  orientation  as  
each  community,  region,  or  nation  seeks  to  maintain  its  particular  material  advantage.    
 
  •  Information  Wars—Humanity  may  forgo  physical  violence  only  to  embrace  
other  forms  of  violence  that,  in  the  communications  era,  could  be  extremely  
destructive.    Warfare  may  shift  to  an  electronic  battleground  where  conflicts  range  from  
terrorist  skirmishes  to  all-­‐out  assaults  on  the  electronic  integrity  of  the  information  
systems  of  a  corporation,  nation  or  the  entire  planet.    Terrorists  may  resort  to  
communication  wars  (propaganda  and  disinformation)  or  information  wars  (scrambling  
or  damaging  data  critical  to  vital  computer  systems  in  government  and  business).    To  
counter  this  threat,  an  electronically  supported  authoritarian  government  could  emerge  
that  uses  superintelligent  computers  to  scan  global  communications  continuously,  
looking  for  abnormal  flows  or  “communications  storms”  that  indicate  a  threat  against  
those  in  power.    Chronic  information  wars  could  develop  between  authoritarian  leaders  
and  dedicated  hackers  seeking  to  restore  democracy.      
 
  •  Genetic  Challenges  and  Catastrophes—Unlocking  insights  into  the  genetic  
structure  of  both  plants  and  animals  will  have  profound  consequences.    Whether  by  
accident  or  by  intention,  our  interventions  will  have  reverberations  of  immense  
proportions.    Three  major  possibilities  suggest  the  range  of  impacts:  
 
1)  Extreme  Genetic  Augmentation:  We  may  soon  find  that  we  can  enhance  
people’s  physical  strength,  resistance  to  disease,  longevity,  and  intellectual  
capacity.    Genetic  intervention  and  augmentation  will  then  raise  immensely  
difficult  questions:  Are  genetically  enhanced  individuals  still  “humans”?    Should  
individuals  be  required  to  disclose  their  family’s  history  of  augmentation  so  that  
there  are  no  undue  advantages  in  sports,  work,  education  and  relationships?    
Should  a  caste  system  be  established  to  differentiate  between  those  who  are  
highly  augmented  and  the  “normals.”?    Should  those  who  are  significantly  at  risk  
in  their  genetic  factors  be  identified  as  a  “biological  underclass”  or  even  as  
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“untouchables?”    As  these  questions  suggest,  once  our  genetic  foundation  is  
made  explicit  and  accessible  to  conscious  manipulation,  it  may  lead  us  in  entirely  
unforeseen  directions.    
 
2)  Hybrid  Species:  We  may  learn  to  create  hybrid  species  of  animals  with  an  
enhanced  intelligence  and  consciousness.    For  example,  by  genetically  modifying  
already  advanced  species—such  as  dolphins  and  chimpanzees—we  may  be  able  
to  engineer  life-­‐forms  that  have  an  increased  capacity  for  self-­‐reflective  
consciousness.    In  addition,  we  may  be  able  to  create  a  new  type  of  being  that  
has  just  enough  intelligence  and  consciousness  to  be  able  to  dutifully  perform  
menial  and/or  dangerous  tasks,  such  as  working  with  hazardous  pollutants  and  
nuclear  wastes.    In  being  able  to  “uplift”  other  species  to  a  new  level  of  
intelligence  and  consciousness,  humanity  will  be  forced  to  learn  a  new  measure  
of  ethicality  for  inhabiting  the  planet  alongside  with  relatively  conscious  life-­‐
forms  whose  evolutionary  direction  may  diverge  from  that  of  humans.195    Once  
set  into  motion,  the  development  of  hybrid  species  may  have  consequences  that  
are  impossible  to  foresee  or  to  reverse.  
 
3)  Genetic  Warfare:    A  nightmarish  possibility  is  that  biological  warfare  will  
become  the  poor  terrorist’s  nuclear  weapon.    Biotechnologies  may  allow  
scientists  to  create,  for  example,  a  “black-­‐plague  flu”  that  could  devastate  the  
world’s  population.    An  outbreak  of  an  unknown  virus  with  deadly  potentials  
could  bring  the  world  to  a  halt,  creating  a  quarantine  condition  where  all  
physical  movement  and  contact  among  people  virtually  stops.    Groups  could  
also  hold  the  biosphere  hostage  by  threatening  to  release  genetically  
engineered  and  biologically  damaging  plants  and  animals  into  the  ecosystem.    
Terrorists  from  desperately  impoverished  nations  could  demand  that,  unless  
their  citizens  were  able  to  share  equitably  in  the  economic  well-­‐being  of  the  
larger  world,  they  would  act  to  prevent  the  rest  of  humanity  from  enjoying  
those  benefits.  
 
  As  these  extreme  examples  suggest,  immense  repercussions  could  flow  from  
genetic  interventions  and  could  divert  the  people  of  the  Earth  onto  a  long  and  
convoluted  evolutionary  journey.      
 
  •  Misuse  of  Advanced  Behavior  Control  Devices—By  combining  advanced  
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computer  technology  with  nanotechnology,  or  microscopic-­‐scale  machines,  it  is  

conceivable  that  “criminals”  could  be  implanted  with  sophisticated  biocomputer  
systems  to  control  the  limits  of  their  behavior.    A  biocomputer  could  monitor  a  person’s  
brain-­‐wave  and  hormonal  activity  and,  if  it  detected  “antisocial”  patterns  and  levels,  it  
could  automatically  inject  a  tranquilizing  chemical  or  electrical  stimulus.    In  the  context  
of  an  authoritarian  society,  the  definition  of  a  “criminal”  could  include  social  dissidents  
who  challenge  the  legitimacy  of  those  in  power.    Even  the  threat  of  using  these  
biotechnologies  could  greatly  inhibit  social  criticism  and  creativity.  
 
  •  Religious  Fanaticism—Because  so  many  of  humankind’s  wars  have  been  
fought  between  people  with  differing  religious  views  and  because  the  world  is  entering  
a  time  of  growing  compression  and  proximity  among  people,  religious  differences  will  
present  enormous  challenges  for  humanity.    Under  conditions  of  great  planetary  stress,  
different  historical  religions  could  coalesce  around  charismatic  spiritual  leaders  and  
come  into  conflict.    The  planet  could  then  descend  into  religious  wars,  perhaps  with  a  
new  era  of  crusades  intended  to  liberate  the  world  from  unbelieving  infidels.    Religious  
fanaticism  could  lead  to  spiritual  tyranny  and  undermine  trust  in  a  compassionate  and  
broadly  shared  spiritual  ethic  that  can  bind  humanity  into  a  single  family.  
  Another  possibility  is  that  a  significant  fraction  of  the  world  may  view  extreme  
planetary  distress  as  a  sure  indication  of  a  coming  apocalypse  and  feel  relatively  little  
concern  for  starvation,  pollution,  and  resource  depletion.    If  these  are  seen  as  the  last  
days  before  a  miraculous  spiritual  transformation,  then  people  may  assume  that  “God”  
will  intervene  and  clean  up  the  mess.      Instead  of  mounting  a  vigorous  and  creative  
response  to  the  challenge  of  sustainability,  people  may  simply  wait  for  the  apocalyptic  
end,  or  abrupt  transformation,  of  the  world.  
 
  •  Planetary  Psychosis—Another  pitfall  is  that  the  world  could  “go  crazy,”  
experiencing  such  divergent  views,  voices,  and  paradigms  of  perception  that  it  is  unable  
to  come  together  in  meaningful  dialogue  and  agree  on  the  nature  of  a  sustainable  
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future.    Instead  of  converging  around  a  common  agenda,  the  world  could  drift  into  ever  
more  confusing  and  chaotic  rhetoric  and  conflicting  ideology.    Unable  to  discover  a  
shared  consensus  beneath  the  discord  and  pandemonium,  the  conversation  of  the  
planet  could  collapse  to  the  lowest  common  denominator  consistent  with  security  and  
survival.    With  no  transcendent  and  trusted  source  of  perspective,  the  collective  psyche  
of  the  human  family  could  disintegrate,  and  the  people  of  the  Earth  could  descend  into  
chronic  conflict  for  the  indefinite  future,  never  achieving  the  species-­‐understanding  and  
consensus  necessary  to  build  a  sustainable  and  surpassing  civilization.      
  In  the  face  of  monumental  stress—cultural,  political,  economic,  ecological  and  
spiritual—the  collective  human  psyche  may  disintegrate  and  split  into  multiple  and  
conflicting  sub  personalities.    Some  people  may  move  into  denial,  refusing  to  
acknowledge  the  tenuousness  of  our  situation  and  fantasizing  that  somehow  things  will  
return  to  “normal.”    Others  may  feel  such  a  profound  sense  of  helplessness  that  they  
slip  into  fatalistic  resignation.    Others  may  look  for  ways  to  escape  or  to  insulate  
themselves  and  their  family  from  the  deteriorating  situation  (for  example,  wealthy  
families  may  create  walled-­‐in  enclaves  in  order  to  try  to  ride  out  the  storm,  while  some  
poorer  families  may  choose  to  develop  survivalist  skills  and  seek  out  less  populated  
areas  in  an  effort  to  get  by  on  their  own).    Others  may  assume  that  some  powerful  
group  must  be  deliberately  causing  things  to  go  awry;  feeling  angry  and  resentful,  they  
may  look  for  people  to  blame.      
  If  these  kinds  of  responses  predominate  and  a  majority  is  unable  to  cope  
constructively  with  a  deteriorating  world  over  generations,  the  conviction  could  grow  
that  humanity  is  an  ill-­‐fated  and  luckless  species  that  never  had  a  chance  to  succeed.    
Each  new  generation  could  reconfirm  the  suspicion  that  we  live  in  a  hostile  universe,  
that  we  do  not  share  a  coherent  view  of  reality,  and  that  humanity  cannot  work  
together.    The  human  race  could  become  so  preoccupied  and  depressed  with  its  guilt  for  
the  devastation  of  the  planet  that  we  could  take  self-­‐fulfilling  actions  to  confirm  that  we  
are  a  doomed  species.      
   The  difficulty  of  achieving  a  stable  and  integrated  sense  of  collective  identity  for  
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humanity  could  further  be  compounded  by:  a)  a  significant  subculture  of  genetically  
augmented  beings  who  feel  alienated  from  the  dominant  culture;  b)  a  significant  
subculture  of  virtual  reality  fanatics  who  live  in  artificial,  electronic  worlds  that  diverge  
radically  from  consensual  reality  (and  perhaps  come  into  conflict  with  it);  and,  c)  a  
significant  subculture  of  religious  fanatics  who  believe  theirs  is  the  only  “true  way”  to  
insight  or  salvation.    Multiple  subcultures  such  as  these  could  amplify  the  splits  in  our  
planetary  personality  and  make  our  integration  into  a  coherent  species-­‐culture  
extremely  difficult.  
 
  •  Progress/Regress  Confusion—Another  pitfall  is  that  movement  to  a  higher  
stage  of  dimensional  functioning  may  be  misperceived  as  evolutionary  regress  instead  
of  progress.    For  example,  a  shift  from  passionate  engagement  with  the  world  in  the  
fourth  stage  to  the  more  detached  perspective  of  the  observer  in  the  fifth  stage  may  be  
viewed  as  a  loss  of  passion  and  a  turning  away  from  material  development.    Instead  of  
seeing  the  obsessive  material  attachments  of  the  fourth  stage  as  ultimately  
dysfunctional  and  needing  to  be  transformed  through  a  witnessing  consciousness,  the  
detachment  of  the  fifth  stage  could  be  interpreted  as  indifference  and  disengagement.    
Instead  of  seeing  the  biological,  brain-­‐encapsulated  view  of  consciousness  characteristic  
of  the  fourth  stage  as  excessively  limiting,  the  translocal  view  of  consciousness  (which  
accepts  the  potential  for  psychic  functioning)  may  be  misinterpreted  as  a  return  to  the  
superstitions  of  an  earlier,  prescientific  age.    A  similar  process  of  misperceiving  the  
nature  of  evolutionary  advance  can  operate  at  the  transition  between  each  stage.196    
People  may  frustrate  or  divert  the  evolutionary  process  by  misinterpreting  evolutionary  
progress  as  a  step  backward  to  a  previous  level  of  functioning.    Progress/regress  
confusion  could  produce  enormous  barriers  to  evolutionary  advance.  
  This  brief  review  illustrates  the  dangers  and  pitfalls  that  lie  ahead.  Humanity  can  
get  sidetracked  many  different  ways  on  the  path  to  species-­‐maturity.    These  detours  are  
not  mutually  exclusive;  for  example,  ecosystem  breakdown  could  generate  resource  
wars  that  lead  to  global  anarchy  and  promote  the  rise  of  religious  and  political  
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fanaticism,  which  in  turn  could  lead  to  the  emergence  of  a  new  feudalism  that  produces  
a  long  dark  age  for  the  Earth.    These  diverse  and  intertwined  pitfalls  illustrate  how  truly  
uncertain—and  precarious—is  our  evolutionary  journey.      
  While  it  is  conceivable  that  we  could  achieve  our  early  adulthood  as  a  species-­‐
civilization  within  half  a  millennium,  this  does  not  seem  easily  attainable.    It  is  very  
plausible  that  our  maturation  could  take  vastly  longer.    Given  our  great  freedom  to  
choose  different  pathways  into  the  future,  we  could  move  swiftly  toward  our  species-­‐
maturity  or  we  could  spend  thousands  of  years  wandering  off  on  long  detours.    If  we  are  
to  keep  from  getting  sidetracked,  we  will  have  to  keep  our  wits  about  us  and  act  with  
intelligence,  compassion,  and  creativity.      
  Although  there  are  many  pitfalls  on  our  path  to  maturity,  we  should  not  despair.    
It  is  true  that,  looking  back  through  history,  we  can  see  that  our  development  from  
wandering  tribes  of  food  gatherers  to  a  species  with  global  impact  has  been  filled  with  
mistakes  and  crises.    Just  as  every  growing  child  makes  many  missteps  along  the  path  to  
adulthood,  so,  too,  has  humanity  made  many  painful  mistakes  along  its  way  to  its  early  
adulthood  as  a  planetary  society.    Entire  civilizations  have  collapsed,  or  have  wandered  
off  into  a  stagnant  dead  end,  or  have  made  horrendous  use  of  newfound  powers.    Still,  
we  humans  have  learned  through  our  mistakes,  and  step  by  step  we  have  moved  
ahead—ever  more  experienced,  ever  more  seasoned,  and  ever  more  mature.    Although  
our  future  is  deeply  uncertain  and  at  risk,  we  should  not  be  paralyzed  with  despair,  as  
we  have  all  the  resources  and  capacities  we  need  for  our  journey.    I  agree  with  the  
biologist  Lewis  Thomas  that  our  species  has  great  promise:  
 
     We  may  all  be  going  through  a  kind  of  childhood  in  the  evolution  of  our  kind  of  
animal.    Having  just  arrived,  down  from  the  trees  and  admiring  our  thumbs,  
having  only  begun  to  master  the  one  gift  that  distinguishes  us  from  all  other  
creatures,  it  should  perhaps  not  be  surprising  that  we  fumble  so  much.    We  have  
not  yet  begun  to  grow  up.    What  we  call  contemporary  culture  may  turn  out,  
years  hence,  to  have  been  a  very  early  stage  of  primitive  thought  on  the  way  to  
human  maturity.    What  seems  to  us  to  be  the  accident-­‐proneness  of  statecraft,  
the  lethal  folly  of  nation-­‐states,  and  the  dismaying  emptiness  of  the  time  ahead  
may  be  merely  the  equivalent  of  early  juvenile  delinquency.  .  .  .  If  we  can  stay  
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alive,  my  guess  is  that  we  will  someday  amaze  ourselves  by  what  we  can  become  
as  a  species.    Looked  at  as  larvae,  even  as  juveniles,  for  all  our  folly,  we  are  a  
splendid,  promising  form  of  life  and  I  am  on  our  side.197    
 
Alternative  Futures  for  Humanity  
  Pulling  back  from  the  deep  future  to  the  nearer  term,  there  already  exists  
sufficient  information  about  emerging  trends  to  get  a  useful  sense  of  what  lies  ahead.    
Briefly,  by  2025  two  powerful  sets  of  trends  will  converge:  unprecedented  material  
adversity  will  meet  equally  unprecedented  communications  opportunity.    Because  we  
evolve  most  rapidly  when  the  push  of  necessity  coincides  with  the  pull  of  opportunity,  
this  will  likely  be  a  time  of  dramatic  change  for  the  human  family.    To  explore  this  
further,  consider  these  two  sets  of  trends:  
 
•  Material  Adversity—Current  levels  and  patterns  of  growth  in  developed  nations  
are  not  sustainable.    Three  driving  trends  illustrate  our  predicament:    Within  a  
generation  (by  roughly  2025),  world  reserves  of  easily  accessible  oil  are  expected  
to  be  depleted,  we  will  add  another  three  billion  persons  to  the  planet,  and  the  
climate  is  expected  to  become  more  variable  due  to  global  warming.198    Without  
inexpensive  petroleum  to  provide  the  pesticides  and  fertilizers  for  a  high-­‐yield  
agriculture,  and  with  the  prospect  of  disruption  of  food  production  due  to  
climate  instability  at  the  very  time  we  have  added  another  three  billion  persons  
to  the  planet,  the  likelihood  of  massive  famines  and  global  civil  unrest  looms  
large.    When  many  other  trends  are  factored  into  this  equation  (ozone  depletion,  
rainforest  destruction,  soil  erosion,  acid  rain,  and  so  on),  it  is  no  longer  a  
probability  but  a  certainty  that  we  face  an  immensely  difficult  and  challenging  
time  in  human  affairs.      
 
•  Communications  Opportunity—The  world  will  make  a  quantum  leap  forward  in  
its  level  of  communication  when,  by  roughly  2025,  a  whole  series  of  potent  
technologies  will  be  in  place  that  together  will  produce  an  unprecedented  
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capacity  for  local-­‐to-­‐global  communication.199    Nearly  every  home  and  business  

in  developed  countries  will  be  wired  with  high-­‐capacity  fiber-­‐optic  systems  that  
can  transmit  the  equivalent  of  entire  libraries  of  information  within  seconds.    
Fiber  optics  will  also  support  highly  sophisticated  forms  of  interaction  (not  only  
banking,  shopping,  learning,  and  entertainment  but  also  near-­‐instantaneous  
citizen  feedback  to  decision-­‐makers).    Computer  systems  will  continue  to  make  
quantum  leaps  forward  in  their  “intelligence”  (for  example,  they  will  have  voice-­‐
recognition  capabilities  and  universal  translators  that  will  make  it  possible  to  
network  easily  and  inexpensively  with  persons  around  the  Earth).    High-­‐definition  
television  systems  with  flat,  wall-­‐sized  screens  will  be  integrated  with  the  fiber-­‐
optic  and  computer  systems  to  provide  vivid,  interactive  connections  with  the  
rest  of  the  planet.    Massive  data-­‐base  systems  will  be  translated  into  formats  
that  are  universally  accessible,  creating  a  further  knowledge  revolution.    
Powerful  satellite  systems  will  link  rural  areas  and  developing  nations  into  the  
global  communications  network.    As  all  these  revolutionary  technologies  merge  
into  a  single  system,  they  will  produce  a  global  telecommunications  network  of  
stunning  depth,  breadth  and  sophistication.    In  short,  our  “global  brain”  will  burst  
forth  and  “turn  on”  during  the  first  two  decades  of  the  twenty-­‐first  century.  
 
  Although  greatly  simplified,  Figures  18  and  19  portray  the  meeting  of  these  
trends  of  adversity  and  opportunity.    Even  though  these  curves  are  more  symbolic  than  
literal,  they  do  illustrate  a  very  promising  fact:  The  communications  curve  is  growing  at  
a  rate  that  seems  to  match  the  growth  in  the  adversity  curve.    While  it  is  hopeful  to  see  
that  humanity  is  acquiring,  just  in  time,  the  communication  tools  necessary  to  respond  
to  a  global  crisis,  it  is  unclear  whether  we  will  make  effective  use  of  these  tools.      
  By  2025  we  will  begin  to  encounter  the  full  challenge  and  potential  of  the  era  of  
communication  and  reconciliation.    We  have  no  historical  precedent  for  the  intensity  of  
experience  that  lies  roughly  a  generation  into  the  future.    On  the  one  hand,  material  
trends  will  converge  to  create  megacrises  that  will  roll  around  the  planet,  producing  
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chains  of  actions  and  counterreactions  that  will  leave  untold  death,  sorrow,  misery,  and  
civil  unrest  in  their  wake.    On  the  other  hand,  the  telecommunications  revolution  will  
provide  the  human  family  with  an  extraordinary  capacity  to  communicate  its  way  
through  these  difficulties  and  into  a  sustainable  future.    For  example,  if  food  is  needed  
in  Africa,  the  entire  world  will  be  able  to  communicate  and  discover  where  surpluses  
exist  that  can  be  shared.    If  medicine  is  needed  in  Brazil,  hospitals  around  the  planet  can  
be  notified  in  a  matter  of  minutes  and  the  responses  monitored  day  by  day.200    If  torture  
and  human  rights  abuses  are  occurring  in  Iraq,  for  example,  within  hours  or  days  the  
people  of  the  Earth  can  put  its  government  on  notice  that  the  whole  world  is  watching  
their  behavior  and  will  respond  accordingly.    In  sum,  a  quantum  increase  in  
communication  will  make  it  possible  to  develop  a  cooperative,  efficient,  ecologically  
conscious,  and  democratically  governed  world  civilization.        
  Our  collective  future  depends  directly  upon  our  level  of  communication  and  
cooperation  as  a  human  family.    We  face  an  invisible  crisis  of  civilizational  consciousness  
and  communication  that  is  as  critical  as  any  of  the  material  challenges  we  confront.    If  
the  world  continues  to  drift  along  half  awake  and  humanity  fails  to  communicate  about  
critical  choices,  we  are  effectively  choosing  a  future  of  great  calamity  for  ourselves  and  
our  children.    If  we  awaken  to  our  situation  and  diligently  communicate  our  way  
through  these  dangerous  times,  there  is  a  real  opportunity  to  build  an  exciting  and  
promising  future  of  mutually  supportive,  global  development.          
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Figure  18:  Material  Trends  

 
 
   

Figure  19:  Communication  Trends  

 
 

 
 
Although  I  am  hopeful  about  the  long-­‐range  future,  realism  demands  
acknowledgment  of  the  great  uncertainty  about  the  decades  just  ahead.    Even  with  
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swift  reconciliation  among  the  human  family,  it  seems  likely  that  the  world’s  ecosystems  
will  soon  be  so  damaged  that  it  will  require  two  or  three  generations  for  significant  
renewal  and  restoration.    There  will  be  no  quick  technological  fixes  that  can  solve  our  
many,  interconnected  problems.    Here  are  the  three  major  scenarios  that  portray  the  
most  likely  alternative-­‐future  possibilities  for  the  coming  decades:  
 
1)  Collapse  and  Rebuild  from  a  Devastated  Base—If  humanity  fails  to  respond  to  
current  challenges,  the  results  could  be  catastrophic:  ozone  depletion  might  
ravage  the  Earth’s  biosphere,  runaway  population  growth  might  far  outstrip  the  
carrying  capacity  of  the  planet,  climate  change  might  devastate  the  Earth’s  
agricultural  base,  and  all  of  these  forces  might  result  in  chronic  and  destructive  
wars  over  access  to  resources.    There  is  no  guarantee  that  humanity  will  achieve  
the  level  of  cooperation  required  for  long-­‐term,  sustainable  development.    We  
may  first  need  to  “hit  bottom”  and  experience  the  reality  of  a  devastated,  mean-­‐
spirited,  and  dangerous  world  created  through  some  combination  of  massive  
famines,  civil  unrest,  and  economic  breakdown.    Having  tasted  the  bitter  
consequences  of  our  short-­‐sighted  behavior,  we  may  then  be  ready  to  work  
cooperatively  for  sustainable  development.    The  danger  is  that  we  may  so  
profoundly  devastate  the  ecological  base  upon  which  world  civilization  depends  
that  we  will  be  unable  to  rise  to  our  potentials.  
 
2)  Dynamic  Stagnation—It  is  conceivable  that  humanity  could  muddle  along  with  
destructive  trends  balanced  by  constructive  trends.    We  would  then  neither  
advance  nor  collapse  but  dynamically  stagnate  by  making  severe  adaptations  
that  enable  us  just  to  maintain  the  status  quo.201    All  available  social  creativity  
and  economic  energy  would  be  used  up  in  the  effort  to  prevent  world  civilization  
from  falling  backwards,  resulting  in  arrested  growth.    Despite  a  dynamic  balance,  
this  would  be  a  highly  stressful  future  as  enormous  efforts  would  be  required  to  
keep  world  civilization  from  collapsing.    By  making  extreme  adjustments,  
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humanity  might  be  able  to  maintain  itself  almost  indefinitely,  but  would  lack  the  
energy  and  creativity  to  surpass  itself.      
     
3)  Mutually  Assured  Development—Humanity  could  mobilize  itself  and  
communicate  its  way  through  to  a  future  of  sustainable  development.    Through  
intense  communication  the  world  economy  could  become  much  more  
cooperative  and  efficient.    As  standards  of  living  are  raised  in  poorer  nations  and  
the  birthrate  declines,  survival-­‐oriented  pressures  that  cause  environmental  
damage  (such  as  slash  and  burn  agriculture  that  destroys  rainforests)  would  
lessen.    As  the  human  family  learns  how  to  resolve  conflicts  through  peaceful  
means,  investments  in  weapons  and  armies  could  be  reduced  dramatically  and  
investments  in  learning  and  development  increased  commensurately.    Overall,  a  
future  of  mutually  assured  development  could  emerge  by  restoring  the  integrity  
of  the  Earth’s  ecosystem,  narrowing  the  gap  between  rich  and  poor  nations,  and  
respecting  human  diversity.  
 
  The  human  family  faces  at  least  these  three  starkly  different  pathways  into  the  
future—unyielding  calamity  (collapse  scenario),  unrelieved  stress  and  boredom  
(stagnation  scenario),  or  unprecedented  development  (communication  and  
reconciliation  scenario).    These  three  pathways  are  illustrated  simply  in  Figure  20  as  
outcomes  from  a  traditional  growth  curve.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Figure  20:  Three  Pathways  into  the  Future  for  the  People  of  the  Earth  
 

 
 
  The  choices  made  in  the  next  few  decades  will  profoundly  shape  the  direction  
and  character  of  human  evolution.    Just  as  the  birth  experience  and  first  few  years  of  life  
have  a  profound  impact  on  the  development  of  a  child,  so,  too,  will  the  manner  in  which  
our  global  civilization  is  born  have  a  lasting  imprint  on  the  long-­‐term  evolution  of  the  
human  family.    Many  centuries  from  now  people  will  look  back  at  these  pivotal  decades  
as  the  time  when  the  people  of  the  Earth  made  fateful  choices  that  determined  whether  
we  were  able  to  move  swiftly  and  without  needless  detours  toward  a  sustainable  
planetary  civilization.  
 
Building  a  Sustainable  Future  
  The  sustainability  crisis  is  now  viewed  largely  in  terms  of  dwindling  resources,  
mounting  pollution,  population  growth,  and  other  physical  indicators  that  measure  the  
Earth’s  ability  to  support  the  burden  of  humanity.    Although  these  are  of  critical  
importance,  they  do  not  go  to  the  heart  of  our  situation.    More  basic  is  an  invisible  crisis  
in  the  consciousness  and  culture  of  humanity.    Until  we  come  to  terms  with  the  
nonmaterial  aspects  of  our  crisis,  we  will  not  be  able  to  make  the  many  material  
changes  required  to  build  a  sustainable  future.    Drawing  on  the  insights  of  previous  
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chapters,  here  are  six  priority  needs  for  building  a  sustainable  and  satisfying  future:      
 
•  Breaking  the  Cultural  Hypnosis  of  Consumerism—The  mass  media  are  aggressively  
promoting  a  consumerist  mentality  in  developed  nations.    In  the  United  States  the  
average  person  sees  more  than  35,000  commercials  a  year,  most  of  which  are  ads  
for  a  high-­‐consumption  lifestyle  as  well  as  a  pitch  for  a  product.    We  need  a  new  
social  ethic  that  holds  the  mass  media  accountable  for  its  programming  of  our  
civilization’s  consciousness  with  antisustainability  messages.    We  need  to  counter  
this  cultural  hypnosis  with  programming  and  advertising  that  foster  a  sustainability  
consciousness.    From  documentaries  to  dramas  to  “Earth  commercials,”  we  need  
to  use  the  mass  media  to  awaken  and  sustain  a  new  understanding  and  caring  for  
the  planet  and  for  the  future.    
 
•  Ecological  Ways  of  Living—We  need  actively  to  envision  new  ways  of  living  that  
reflect  our  understanding  that  the  Earth  will  be  humanity’s  home  for  countless  
generations  into  the  future.    We  need  to  invent  new  patterns  of  ecological  living  
that  moderate  our  impact  on  the  Earth—from  the  design  of  our  homes  and  
neighborhoods  to  the  food  we  eat,  the  clothes  we  wear,  the  transportation  we  
use,  the  work  we  do,  and  much  more.    To  design  our  way  into  the  future  
consciously  offers  an  inspiring  challenge—an  exciting  experiment  in  intentional  
living  that  can  bring  forth  our  most  creative  potentials.  
 
•  Compelling  Visions  of  a  Sustainable  Future—We  cannot  build  a  future  consciously  
that  we  have  not  first  imagined.    Many  people  can  visualize  a  future  of  worsening  
crisis—ecological  destruction,  famines,  civil  unrest,  and  material  limitation—but  
few  have  a  positive  vision  of  the  future.    Without  a  hopeful  future  to  work  toward,  
people  will  tend  to  withdraw  into  a  protected  world  for  themselves  and  focus  on  
the  short  run.    We  need  to  see  that  with  new  patterns  of  consumption,  housing  
and  community,  work  and  livelihood,  we  can  create  a  sustainable  and  a  satisfying  
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future.    These  visions  of  the  future  need  to  involve  more  than  “only  not  dying”—
we  need  to  see  how  we  can  both  maintain  and  surpass  ourselves  and  thereby  
continue  our  evolution  toward  our  initial  maturity  as  a  planetary  civilization.      
 
•  Conscious  Democracy—To  choose  a  sustainable  future,  we  need  a  revitalized  
democracy  that  engages  citizens  in  a  whole  new  level  of  dialogue  and  decision  
making  through  innovative  use  of  our  tools  of  mass  communication.    We  need  to  
energize  the  conversation  of  democracy  by  developing  regular  electronic  town  
meetings  with  effective  forms  of  feedback  from  citizens.    As  citizens  come  to  know  
their  own  minds  on  issues  and  priorities,  representatives  in  government  can  work  
with  greater  confidence  to  develop  policies  for  a  sustainable  future.    With  active  
communication  we  can  achieve  the  level  of  mass  consensus,  cooperation,  and  
coordination  needed  to  adapt  our  patterns  of  living  to  the  new  global  realities.      
 
•  Nurturing  a  Reflective  Perceptual  Paradigm—We  need  to  cultivate  a  witnessing  
consciousness  that  is  able  to  stand  back  and  directly  experience  the  Earth  as  a  
tightly  interconnected  and  living  system  that  deserves  great  care  and  respect.    In  
seeing  the  Earth  as  alive  and  worthy  of  reverence,  we  will  cultivate  a  mind-­‐set  that  
naturally  promotes  the  frugal  and  judicious  use  of  resources  and  that  safeguards  
all  life  on  the  planet.        
 
•  Reconciliation—Humanity  is  profoundly  divided  between:  the  rich  and  the  poor,  
racial  groups,  ethnic  groups,  religious  groups,  men  and  women,  current  and  future  
generations,  and  many  other  polarities.    We  need  to  use  face-­‐to-­‐face  
communication,  as  well  as  our  tools  of  electronic  communication,  to  achieve  a  
new  level  of  reconciliation  as  a  human  family  that  gives  us  a  fresh  start  for  moving  
ahead.    The  communications  revolution  will  leave  no  place  on  the  planet  to  hide  
from  these  realities.    Nearly  every  dwelling  will  have  an  intelligent  and  interactive  
“picture  window”  that  opens  with  stark  clarity  onto  the  world’s  divisions  and  
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suffering  billions.    If  humanity  is  to  work  together  cooperatively,  we  must  learn  to  
accept  our  diversity—racial,  ethnic,  generational,  religious,  sexual,  cultural,  
geographic,  and  more.    Without  reconciliation  our  efforts  to  achieve  sustainability  
will  be  stalemated  and  stalled.    
 
  When  we  have  broken  the  cultural  hypnosis  of  consumerism  and  can  envision  
ecological  ways  of  living,  and  when  these  modes  of  living  connect  with  a  clear  vision  of  a  
sustainable  future  for  the  Earth  that  we  cocreate  with  other  citizens  through  the  
ongoing  conversation  of  a  conscious  democracy,  and  when  we  have  the  objectivity  of  a  
witnessing  or  reflective  consciousness  and  can  achieve  reconciliation  among  the  diverse  
members  of  the  human  family,  then  we  have  a  realistic  basis  for  making  the  
technological  and  material  changes  required  for  building  a  sustainable  future.      
 
Summary  
  Although  the  human  family  is  only  roughly  halfway  through  the  stages  of  growth  
required  to  move  from  prereflective  consciousness  to  integrated  awareness,  our  initial  
maturity  as  a  species  may  be  closer  than  we  think.    Summarizing  our  evolutionary  
journey  thus  far:  Roughly  2.5  million  years  were  required  for  our  earliest  ancestors  to  
move  from  the  first  glimmerings  of  self-­‐recognition  to  decisive  awakening  in  the  initial  
stage  of  reflective  consciousness.    It  then  took  about  30,000  years  for  physically  modern  
humans  to  move  through  the  stage  of  awakening  hunter-­‐gatherers;  approximately  
5,000  years  to  move  through  the  stage  of  agrarian-­‐based  civilizations;  and  then  around  
300  years  for  a  number  of  nations  to  move  through  the  stage  of  industrial  civilization.    
Because  the  pace  of  evolution  is  accelerating  enormously,  the  past  is  not  an  accurate  
guide  to  the  future.    If  we  do  not  veer  off  onto  some  evolutionary  detour,  then  it  is  
conceivable  that  within  a  very  brief  period  of  time  (perhaps  five  hundred  years,  or  a  
dozen  generations  or  so)  we  could  build  a  sustainable  and  creative  planetary  civilization,  
that  celebrates  the  many  threads  that  make  up  the  tapestry  of  its  rich  character.  
  We  are  rapidly  approaching  one  of  the  most  momentous  occasions  in  the  
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evolution  of  life  on  any  planet—the  inevitable  "evolutionary  inflection"  where  an  
arduous  process  of  withdrawing  from  nature  makes  a  decisive  shift  toward  an  equally  
demanding  journey  of  returning  to  live  in  harmony  with  nature.  The  inflection  
represents  a  unique  pivot  point  in  human  history  where  evolution  finally  becomes  
decisively  conscious  of  itself  as  a  planetary-­‐scale  process,  begins  to  intentionally  direct  
itself,  and  begins  to  deliberately  shift  from  a  pathway  of  separation  to  a  pathway  of  
reconciliation.  
  The  period  of  inflection  is  reached  when  our  material  powers  become  so  great  
that  they  progressively  destroy  the  ecological  foundations  of  life  on  the  planet  and  
make  it  essential  for  us  to work  together  as  a  species  in  a  common  task  of  survival.  By  
my  reckoning,  humanity  will  likely  "hit  the  wall"—or  run  into  unyielding  limits  to  
material  growth  and  be  forced  to  squarely  confront  the  imperative  for  pervasive  
change—in  roughly  the  decade  of  the  2020s.  
 
Figure 21: The Evolutionary Inflection and
Stages of Development
 

 
 
  How  humanity  prepares  for  this  unique  evolutionary  shift  will  be  a  real  and  
visible  test  of  our  evolutionary  intelligence  as  well  as  our  capacity  for  compassion  and  
creativity.  To  move  onto  a  pathway  of  sustaining  and  surpassing  development  will  
require  the  enthusiastic  involvement  of  billions  of  people.  Therefore  the  concerns  raised  
in  this  broad  review  of  human  evolution  are  ultimately  very  personal.  
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  Who  we  become  as  a  planetary  civilization  will  depend  direcdy  upon  our  actions  
as  a  global  community  of  individuals.  We  each  have  unique  talents—and  
correspondingly  unique  responsibilities—for  participating  in  the  unfolding  of  life.  The  
awakening  of  the  Earth  now  depends  direcdy  upon  the  citizens  of  the  Earth  acting  in  
concert  with  one  another  to  build  the  foundations  of  a  sustainable  future.  Each  
individual  needs  to  tithe  a  significant  portion  of  their  time  and  talent  to  the  healthy  
coevolution  of  the  planet.  
  Millions  of  years  lie  behind  us,  bringing  us  to  this  moment  in  human  history;  and  
millions  of  years  could  lie  before  us,  unfolding  a  future  whose  nature  may  well  pivot  
upon  choices  we  make  now.  We  do  not  need  to  belabor  the  stages  of  learning  and  
growth  that  remain.  With  diligent  efforts,  a  sustainable,  compassionate,  and  creative  
world  civilization  could  become  established  within  perhaps  half  a  millennium.    However,  
before  we  reach  that  stage  of  dynamic  stability,  humanity’s  mastery  of  the  dimensional  
complexities  of  the  evolutionary  process  will  be  challenged  repeatedly.    What  an  
exciting,  demanding,  and  rewarding  journey  stretches  out  before  us.    
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Chapter  10  

THE    PERENNIAL    WISDOM  

AND    HUMAN    EVOLUTION  
 
 
  Individuals  are  the  building  blocks  of  society.    No  civilization  can  evolve  further—
nor  reach  any  higher—than  the  citizens  who  comprise  it.    By  understanding  the  highest  
common  denominator  of  individual  human  experience  we  can  gain  insight  into  where  
our  collective  evolution  may  be  headed.    This  common  denominator  is  often  called  the  
“perennial  wisdom”  and  can  be  found  throughout  history,  in  every  part  of  the  world,  
and  in  every  major  spiritual  tradition.202    Although  this  abiding  wisdom  has  many  facets,  
two  aspects  are  important  for  understanding  the  character  of  a  mature  human  
civilization:  first,  the  perception  of  a  deep  unity  underlying  all  that  exists;  and  second,  
the  “Golden  Rule”  as  a  universally  recognized  principle  for  ethical  conduct.        
 
A  Profound  Unity  
  Although  we  live  in  a  world  of  seeming  division  and  multiplicity,  the  perennial  
wisdom  is  unequivocal  in  asserting  that  a  profound  unity  underlies  the  appearance  of  
separation.    Here  are  a  few  examples  of  this  affirmation  of  wholeness,  which  is  found  in  
every  spiritual  tradition,  in  every  culture  and  in  every  age:      
 
 “For  those  who  are  awake  the  cosmos  is  one.”  203    
  -­‐-­‐Heraclitus,  ancient  philosopher  who  lived  in  ancient  Greece.  
 
 “...the  flickering  film  of  the  phenomenal  world  is  an  illusion  which  cannot  
obscure  the  eternal  unity  that  lies  behind  it...”204      
  -­‐-­‐Arnold  Toynbee,  a  scholar  of  the  world’s  civilizations  and  religions.  
 
 “Each  element  of  the  cosmos  is  positively  woven  from  all  the  others....  the  
universe  holds  together,  and  only  one  way  of  considering  it  is  really  possible,  that  
is,  to  take  it  as  a  whole,  in  one  piece.”  205      
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  -­‐-­‐Teilhard  de  Chardin,  Catholic  theologian    

 
“Ultimately,  the  entire  universe...has  to  be  understood  as  a  single  undivided  
whole...”  206    
  -­‐-­‐David  Bohm,  physicist  
 
“Heaven  and  earth  and  I  are  of  the  same  root...are  of  one  substance.”207      
  -­‐-­‐Sojo,  a  monk  and  scholar  from  the  Zen  tradition.  
 
“I  am  in  some  sense  boundless,  my  being  encompassing  the  farthest  limits  of  the  
universe,  touching  and  moving  every  atom  of  existence.    The  same  is  true  of  
everything  else....  It  is  not  just  that  ‘we  are  all  in  it’  together.    We  all  are  it,  rising  
and  falling  as  one  living  body.”208      
  -­‐-­‐Buddhist  scholar,  Francis  Cook,  Hua-­‐yen  Buddhism    
 
“That  which  is  the  finest  essence—this  whole  world  has  that  as  its  soul.    That  is  
Reality.    That  is  Atman  [the  individual  self].    That  art  thou.209    
  -­‐-­‐Hindu  tradition,  Chandogya  Upanishad  
 
When  Jesus  was  asked,  “When  will  the  kingdom  come?”  He  replied:  “It  will  not  
come  by  waiting  for  it....  Rather,  the  Kingdom  of  the  Father  is  spread  out  upon  
the  earth,  and  men  do  not  see  it.”210        Jesus  also  said,  “...the  Kingdom  is  inside  of  
you,  and  it  is  outside  of  you.”211  
  -­‐-­‐Gospel  of  Thomas,  Gnostic  Gospels    
 
 “...the  Self  is  not  reached.    You  are  the  Self;  you  are  already  That.”212  
  -­‐-­‐Ramana  Maharshi,  Hindu  sage    
 
  “God  is  nearer  to  me  than  I  am  to  myself;  He  is  just  as  near  to  wood  and  stone,  
but  they  do  not  know  it.”213        
  -­‐-­‐Christian  mystic  Meister  Eckhart    
 
“The  Absolute...dwells  within  the  flux  of  things:  stands  as  it  were  at  the  very  
threshold  of  consciousness  and  knocks,  awaiting  the  self’s  slow  discovery  of  her  
treasures.”214  
  -­‐-­‐Evelyn  Underhill,  from  her  book  Mysticism  
 
 “We  may  imagine  that  the  One,  since  It  is  absolute,  must  be  distant  from  us  
spiritually  or  even  spatially...  We  forget  that  the  absoluteness  of  the  One  
includes  absolute  immanence,  or  omnipresence.    Thus  the  One  is  here  and  now,  
not  a  stranger,  not  even  an  other,  but  the  very  nature  of  what  we  are.”215    
  -­‐-­‐Lex  Hixon,  from  his  book  Coming  Home    
 
 “Earth’s  crammed  with  Heaven,  and  every  common  bush  afire  with  God.”    
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  -­‐-­‐Elizabeth  Barrett  Browning,  poet    

 
“Not  knowing  how  near  Truth  is,  
People  seek  it  far  away—what  a  pity!  
They  are  like  him  who,  in  the  midst  of  water,  
Cries  in  thirst  so  imploringly.”  
  -­‐-­‐Hakuin,  from  the  Zen  tradition  and  Japan.216    
 
Like  the  empty  sky  it  has  no  boundaries,  
Yet  it  is  right  HERE,  ever  serene  and  clear.  
When  you  seek  to  attain  it,  you  cannot  see  it.  
You  cannot  take  hold  of  it,  
But  neither  can  you  lose  it.217    
  -­‐-­‐  Yung-­‐chia,  Zen  tradition  
 
“Each  being  contains  in  itself  the  whole  intelligible  world.    Therefore  All  is  
everywhere.”218      
  -­‐-­‐Plotinus,  a  Neoplatonic  philosopher  who  lived  in  ancient  Greece  
 
  A  subtle  Life-­‐force  infuses,  sustains  and  unifies  our  cosmos.    The  wholeness  of  
our  reality  is  so  complete  that  we  are  not  separate  from  “God”  or  “Nirvana”  or  
“Brahman”  or  “Tao”  or  the  countless  other  names  given  to  the  unnameable  presence  
that  pervades  the  undivided  universe.    We  don’t  have  to  do  anything  to  become  a  part  
of  the  wholeness  of  reality—we  are  already  completely  at  one  with  it.    We  are  beings  
that  the  universe  inhabits  as  much  as  we  are  beings  that  inhabit  the  universe.    An  
appreciation  of  the  unity  of    existence  is  not  an  experience  to  be  created;  rather,  it  is  an  
always  manifesting  condition  of  our  existence  waiting  to  be  welcomed  into  awareness.      
 
The  Universality  of  the  “Golden  Rule”  
  To  build  a  workable  world  civilization,  the  human  family  needs  to  trust  that  it  can  
live  together  peacefully.    All  spiritual  traditions  in  the  world  affirm  the  same  basic  
ground-­‐rule  for  appropriate  conduct:  treat  others  as  you  would  want  yourself  to  be  
treated.    Despite  our  many  differences,  all  of  the  major  civilizations  of  the  world  have  
arrived  at  this  same  ethic  for  describing  appropriate  human  conduct—a  “Golden  Rule”  
that  proclaims  the  best  way  to  determine  how  to  treat  another  is  to  put  yourself  in  their  
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place  and  act  accordingly:      

 
  As  you  wish  that  men  would  do  to  you,  do  so  to  them.  
    -­‐-­‐Christianity  (Luke  6:31)  
 
  No  one  of  you  is  a  believer  until  he  desires  for  his  brother  that  which  he      
    desires  for  himself.  
    -­‐-­‐Islam  (Sunan)    
 
  Hurt  not  others  in  ways  that  you  yourself  would  find  hurtful.  
    -­‐-­‐Buddhism  (Udanavarga)  
 
  Do  naught  unto  others  which  would  cause  you  pain  if  done  to  you.  
    -­‐-­‐Hinduism  (Mahabharata  5:1517)  
 
  Do  not  unto  others  what  you  would  not  have  them  do  unto  you.  
    -­‐-­‐Confucianism  (Analects  15:23)  
 
    Like  different  facets  of  a  single  jewel  or  different  branches  of  a  single  tree,  the  
human  family  shares  a  common  experience  at  the  core  of  life,  and  this  has  fostered  a  
shared  wisdom  about  how  to  relate  to  others.    This  ethic  makes  good  sense  in  an  
ecological  reality  whose  fundamental  property  is  a  deep  unity—for  whatever  we  do  to  
the  rest  of  the  world,  we  literally  do  to  ourselves.      
 
The  Creative  Tension  of  the  Perennial  Path  
  There  are  two  extremes  in  how  we  might  view  the  perennial  wisdom.    On  the  
one  hand,  we  may  think  this  wisdom  is  unexceptional  because  it  is  so  commonplace.    
We  may  think  that    because  the  “Kingdom  of  heaven  is  spread  out  before  us,”  and  
people  seek  it  far  away,  this  “wisdom”  must  not  be  very  profound  or  transformative.    
We  may  think  that  with  only  slight  effort  we  can  know  these  insights  and  therefore  they  
must  be  inconsequential.    On  the  other  hand,  we  may  go  to  the  other  extreme  and  think  
this  wisdom  is  so  elevated  that  it  is  unattainable.    We  may  assume  these  insights  are  so  
precious,  so  distant,  and  so  removed  from  ordinary  life  that  they  are  unreachable  by  
anyone  except  the  most  exceptional  and  heroic  human  beings.        
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  We  need  to  take  a  middle  path  in  approaching  the  perennial  wisdom.    On  the  
one  hand,  this  wisdom  is  very  close  at  hand:  it  is  at  the  very  center  of  our  moment  to  
moment  existence.    On  the  other  hand,  this  wisdom  is  truly  elevated  and  we  should  not  
deceive  ourselves  as  to  the  immensity  of  the  journey—both  personal  and  social—that  is  
involved  in  discovering  and  then  integrating  it  into  our  lives.    Either  extreme  seems  ill-­‐
advised:    To  dismiss  the  perennial  wisdom  as  irrelevant  because  it  seems  ordinary  and  of  
little  value  is  as  unwise  as  to  dismiss  it  because  it  seems  extraordinary  and  unattainable.      
  The  eminent  anthropologist  A.  L.  Kroeber  said  that  the  ideal  condition  for  any  
person  or  society  is  “...the  highest  state  of  tension  that  the  organism  can  bear  
creatively.”  219    The  perennial  wisdom  reflects  this  principle:  it  presents  us  with  a  middle  
path  between  two  extremes—with  wisdom  neither  too  close  nor  too  far,  neither  too  
easy  to  obtain  nor  too  difficult  to  discover.    Our  path  as  individuals  and  societies  is  one  
of  high  tension  and  great  potential—the  most  that  we  can  bear  creatively.    
  Again,  the  universe  appears  to  be  an  elegantly  designed  and  highly  purposeful  
learning  system.    The  cosmos  intends  our  awakening.    Nothing  is  withheld  or  hidden—
all  is  present  for  our  learning.    The  universe  does  not  impose  upon  us.    We  have  
immeasurable  freedom  to  learn  as  we  choose.    The  universe  presents  its  miracles  with  
an  open  hand  and  infinite  patience.  
 
Democratizing  the  Natural  Heritage  of  Mysticism  
  The  initial  awakening  to  the  unity  of  the  universe  is  often  accompanied  by  
feelings  of  great  joy,  boundless  love,  and  the  sense  that  objects  are  somehow  infused  
with  a  subtle,  radiant  light.    Here  is  how  F.C.  Happold  described  a  transformative  
mystical  experience  in  1913  while  he  was  an  undergraduate  student:    
 
“There  was  just  the  room,  with  its  shabby  furniture  and  the  fire  burning  in  the  
grate  and  the  red-­‐shaded  lamp  on  the  table.    But  the  room  was  filled  by  a  
Presence,  which  in  a  strange  way  was  both  about  me  and  within  me,  like  light  or  
warmth.    I  was  overwhelmingly  possessed  by  Someone  who  was  not  myself,  and  
yet  I  felt  I  was  more  myself  than  I  had  ever  been  before.    I  was  filled  with  an  
intense  happiness,  and  almost  unbearable  joy,  such  as  I  had  never  known  before  
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and  have  never  known  since.    And  over  all  was  a  deep  sense  of  peace  and  
security  and  certainty.”220    
 
  Harvard  psychiatrist  John  Mack  writes  that:  “What  we  call    mystical  experiences  
occur  when  there  is  a  sense  of  oneness  or  harmony  between  the  energy  or  power  in  our  
bodies,  minds  and  spirits  and  the  energy  of  other  beings  and  the  universe  itself.”221      A  
survey  conducted  by  the  National  Opinion  Research  Center  at  the  University  of  Chicago  
asked  a  sampling  of  persons  in  the  United  States  whether  they  had  ever  had  
experiences  that  could  be  interpreted  as  “mystical.”    They  discovered  that  among  the  
random  sample,  55%  said  they  had  experienced  “a  feeling  of  deep  and  profound  peace,”  
43%  said  they  felt  “love  is  at  the  center  of  everything,”  29%  described  an  experience  “of  
the  unity  of  everything  and  my  own  part  in  it,”  and  25%  had  the  “sense  that  all  the  
universe  is  alive.”222    This  poll  indicates  that  the  experience  of  intimate  union  with  all  of  
creation  is  far  more  widespread  than  commonly  acknowledged.    Other  national  surveys  
have  shown  that  roughly  40%  of  the  public  have  had  the  experience  of  being  unified  
with  “God”  or  the  Meta-­‐universe.223      
  These  polls  suggest  that  the  unitive  experience  is  becoming  democratized.    For  
example,  they  indicate  that,  in  the  United  States  in  the  early  1990’s,  roughly  eighty  
million  adults  have  experienced  some  degree  of  integrative  or  mystical  awareness.    
These  experiences  of  profound  union  are  strongly  connected  with  high  levels  of  mental  
health.    Studies  have  shown  that  no  other  factor  is  so  highly  correlated  with  
psychological  balance  as  previously  having  had  a  mystical  experience.224    For  good  
reason,  then,  Western  psychiatry  is  beginning  to  recognize  the  validity  and  value  of  
mystical  experiences.    
 
The  Spiritual  Foundations  of  Advanced  Civilization  
  In  1901,  the  physician  Richard  M.  Bucke  published  his  classic  study  of  
enlightening  experiences,  Cosmic  Consciousness.    Bucke  wrote  that,  just  as,  long  ago,  
self-­‐consciousness  appeared  for  the  first  time  and  gradually  became  universal,  so  too  
will  “cosmic-­‐consciousness”  continue  to  develop  and  become  ever  more  common.    He  
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reasoned  that,  because  self-­‐consciousness  now  appears  at  the  average  age  of  three  
years,  so  too  will  cosmic  consciousness  “...become  more  and  more  common  and  show  
itself  earlier  in  life,  until  after  many  generations  it  will  appear  in  each  normal  individual  
at  the  age  of  puberty  or  even  earlier;  then  go  on  becoming  still  more  universal,  and  
appearing  at  a  still  earlier  age,  until,  after  many  thousands  of  generations,  it  shows  itself  
immediately  after  infancy  in  nearly  every  member  of  the  race.”225      Bucke’s  positive  
outlook  was  influenced  by  his  own  experience  of  cosmic  consciousness  in  which  he  “saw  
and  knew  that  the  Cosmos  is  not  dead  matter  but  a  living  Presence,  that  the  soul  of  man  
is  immortal,  that  the  universe  is  so  built  and  ordered  that...all  things  work  together  for  
the  good  of  each  and  all,  that  the  foundation  principle  of  the  world  is  what  we  call  love  
and  that  the  happiness  of  every  one  is  in  the  long  run  absolutely  certain.”226      
  Bucke  was  not  alone  in  his  views.    His  contemporary,  the  poet  Walt  Whitman,  
foresaw  that  an  appreciation  of  the  aliveness  of  our  universe  would  become  more  and  
more  widespread  until  a  time  would  come  when  hundreds  of  millions  of  “superb  
persons”  would  live  in  this  consciousness.227    From  Whitman’s  perspective,  the  
awakening  and  spread  of  cosmic  consciousness  is  entirely  normal.    Just  as  self-­‐reflective  
consciousness  emerged  as  an  extraordinary  faculty  roughly  35,000  years  ago  and  has  
gradually  become  the  norm  for  our  species  today,  so  too  will  an  integrative  awareness  
become  more  and  more  prevalent,  accessible  and  perfected  with  each  passing  
generation  until  it  becomes  the  norm  for  our  species.      
  However  described—as  an  experience  of  subtle  radiance  infusing  the  world,  as  a  
feeling  of  deep  peace  and  connection  with  all  life,  as  the  exhilarating  experience  of  
riding  in  the  center  of  time’s  flow,  as  the  direct  intuition  of  the  aliveness  of  the  universe,  
as  a  feeling  of  being  reborn  into  new  dimensions  of  existence,  and  so  on—enlightening  
experiences  tend  to  produce  day-­‐to-­‐day  behaviors  that  are  immensely  beneficial  to  an  
evolving  planetary  civilization.    Here  is  how  two  religious  scholars  describe  the  worldly  
expression  of  what  some  call  “cosmic  consciousness:”  
 
 “It  is  not  rare  to  meet  people  who  appear  to  have  attained...cosmic  
consciousness....One  will  observe  a  certain  detachment...an  absence  of  
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‘grasping’;  a  scrupulous  attention  to  any  task  in  hand;  a  capacity  for  listening,  
and  a  talent  for  answering  sensibly  and  objectively;  a  liking  for  silence...and  
above  all,  an  absolute  reliability,  a  consistency  from  day  to  day  which  is  lacking  in  
people  at  large,  who  are  swayed  by  a  succession  of  moods  and  desires.”228      
 
  While  the  awakening  of  unitive  consciousness  does  not  produce  flawless  beings,  
it  does  enhance  our  ability  to  participate  in  life  with  a  more  open  mind  and  open  
heart—both  immensely  valuable  qualities  for  nurturing  the  genuine  flowering  of  world  
civilization.    In  addition,  the  perennial  wisdom  provides  an  anchor  for  aligning  human  
evolution,  both  personal  and  social.    This  wisdom  affirms  that  human  evolution  is  going  
somewhere—that  we  are  growing  towards  ever  higher  levels  of  integrative  awareness  
that  will  enable  us  to  express  our  appreciation  for,  and  participation  in,  the  unity  and  
creative  aliveness  of  the  universe.    This  wisdom  is  profoundly  relevant,  not  only  for  
individual  growth,  but  also  for  social  evolution.      
  While  some  may  view  the  perennial  wisdom  as  so  esoteric  that  it  is  not  relevant  
to  society  at  large,  others  see  this  wisdom  as  fundamental  to  human  evolution.    Indeed,  
some  of  the  most  esteemed  historians  and  social  philosophers  of  our  age  see  humanity  
growing  toward  a  unitive  awareness.    Few  persons  have  studied  the  long  sweep  of  
human  history  so  thoroughly  as  Arnold  Toynbee,  Lewis  Mumford,  and  Joseph  Campbell.    
Each  has  concluded  in  his  own  way  that  the  perennial  wisdom  is  central  to  
understanding  the  human  journey.      
 
  •  Arnold  Toynbee—As  a  distinguished  historian  who  made  a  thorough  study  of  
twenty-­‐one  civilizations  covering  the  bulk  of  recorded  human  history,  Arnold  Toynbee  
was  unequivocal  in  describing  the  relevance  of  the  perennial  wisdom  to  human  
evolution.    He  said  that  the  cause  of  “suffering  and  sorrow  is  the  separation  of  sentient  
beings...from  the  timeless  reality  behind  the  phenomena,  and  a  reunion  with  this  reality  
is  the  sole  but  sovereign  cure  for  our  ailing  world’s  ills.”229    Toynbee  described  the  need  
for  “higher  religions”  that  would  enable  humans  “to  find  a  direct  personal  relation  with  
the  transcendent  reality  in  and  behind  and  beyond  the  Universe...”230    After  reviewing  
the  world’s  major  religions,  he  concluded  they  all  agree  that  humanity’s  goal  is  “to  seek  
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communion  with  the  presence  behind  the  phenomena,  and  to  seek  it  with  the  aim  of  
bringing  the  self  into  harmony  with  this  absolute  spiritual  reality.”231    For  Toynbee,  the  
ultimate  function  of  civilizational  development  was  to  serve  the  unfolding  of  ever  
deeper  spiritual  insights  and  understanding.    He  said  that  “civilizations  are  the  
handmaids  of  religion,”  and  that  civilizations  will  have  “fulfilled  their  function  when  they  
have  brought  a  mature  higher  religion  to  birth.”232    In  describing  the  central  role  of  
spiritual  growth  in  the  journey  to  a  mature  civilization,  Toynbee  made  it  clear  that  he  
was  not  forsaking  the  needs  of  the  world.    The  goal  he  said,  “is  the  kingdom  of  God;  and  
this  omnipresent  Kingdom  calls  for  service  from  its  citizens  on  Earth  here  and  now.”  233        
 
  •  Lewis  Mumford—As  a  world-­‐renowned  historian  and  social  theorist,  Mumford  
wrote  on  a  wide  range  of  topics  concerning  human  evolution.    In  his  book  exploring  the  
underpinnings  of  human  civilization,  The  Transformations  of  Man,  he  stated:  “No  theory  
of  human  development  is  adequate  that  does  not  include  this  widening  of  the  province  
of  love;  it  is  this,  rather  than  intelligence  and  the  division  of  labor...that  marks  man’s  full  
emergence  into  the  human  estate.”234    Consistent  with  the  perennial  wisdom,  he  
declared:  “If  life,  in  its  fullness  and  wholeness,  is  to  furnish  our  criterion  for  all  
development,  then  our  philosophy  must  respect...above  all,  the  tendency  to  self-­‐
actualization  and  self-­‐transcendance.”235    Like  Toynbee,  Mumford  saw  the  great  need  
for  developing  our  capacity  to  love:  “Without  a  positive  concentration  upon  love  in  all  
its  phases,  we  can  hardly  hope  to  rescue  the  earth  and  all  the  creatures  that  inhabit  it  
from  the  insensate  forces  of  hate,  violence,  and  destruction  that  now  threaten  it.”  236    
 
  •  Joseph  Campbell—As  a  scholar  and  teacher,  Campbell  is  recognized  around  
the  world  for  his  study  of  the  stories,  myths  and  ideas  that  have  shaped  the  human  
interpretation  of  life.    After  spending  a  lifetime  looking  at  the  basic  stories  of  humanity  
throughout  history  and  across  cultures,  he  concluded  they  all  focused  on  a  single,  
dominant  theme:    discovery  of  the  underlying  ground  of  being,  the  perennial  wisdom.    
When  asked  what  was  being  sought  through  the  vehicle  of  mythology,  Campbell  stated,  
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“I  think  what  we  are  looking  for  is  a  way  of  experiencing  the  world  that  will  open  to  us  
the  transcendent  that  informs  it,  and  at  the  same  time  forms  ourselves  within  it.  ...to  
find  [the  transcendent]  actually  in  our  environment,  in  our  world—to  recognize  it.    To  
have  some  kind  of  instruction  that  will  enable  us  to  experience  the  divine  presence.”237    
Understandably,  for  Campbell,  the  first  function  of  mythology  was  to  “waken  and  
maintain  in  the  individual  a  sense  of  wonder  and  participation  in  the  mystery  of  this  
finally  inscrutable  universe...”238    
  Some  will  argue  that  to  align  human  evolution  with  the  perennial  wisdom  
represents  a  return  to  an  earlier  age  of  superstition  and  wishful  fantasy.    In  my  view—
and  that  of  respected  scholars  such  as  Toynbee,  Mumford,  and  Campbell—this  wisdom  
represents  our  highest  knowledge  as  a  human  family  and  is  the  strongest  foundation  we  
have  upon  which  to  build  a  planetary  civilization.      
 
Common  Ground  for  a  Planetary  Civilization  
  Fundamental  to  building  a  sustainable  future  is  finding  a  common  ground  of  
human  experience  and  a  shared  vision  of  evolutionary  potential  that  transcends  the  
differences  that  now  divide  humanity.    If  we  cannot  find  a  universal  and  familiar  ground  
of  experience,  we  will  not  be  able  to  develop  a  vision  of  healthy  social  evolution  that  
draws  out  our  energy  and  enthusiasm.    Importantly,  the  perennial  wisdom  affirms  that,  
beyond  all  of  our  political,  social  and  cultural  differences,  there  is  an  experience  that  
underlies  the  world’s  wisdom  traditions  and  that  transcends  religious  dogma  and  
political  differences.      
  We  don’t  need  to  be  forever  divided  as  a  species.    The  reason  we  can  understand  
one  another,  despite  the  differences  of  language,  culture,  custom,  geography,  race,  
ideology,  theology,  and  history  is  that  we  all  share  a  sense  of  reality  held  in  common  
that  is  much  deeper  than  those  things  that  divide  us.    After  his  sweeping  review  of  the  
world’s  major  religions,  Huston  Smith  concluded  that,  “in  religion  all  the  peoples  of  the  
world  are  fundamentally  alike.    The  differences  are  but  dialects  of  a  single  spiritual  
language  that  employs  different  words  but  expresses  the  same  ideas.”239    The  common  
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core  to  human  experience  derives  from  the  fact  that  we  all  share  equally  in  the  
aliveness  and  unity  of  the  universe.    Our  differences  are  many  and  to  be  celebrated,  but  
our  shared  wisdom  is  profound  and  offers  the  hope  that  humanity  can  become  united  in  
a  common  evolutionary  enterprise.      
 
Summary  
  There  is  a  perennial  wisdom—a  highest  common  denominator—found  across  
cultures,  across  history,  and  in  every  major  spiritual  tradition  of  the  world.    This  wisdom  
tells  us  that  the  universe  is  profoundly  unified  and  that  we  are  an  integral  part  of  its  
subtle  and  vast  body  of  being.    As  we  come  to  see  the  living  cosmos  as  a  unified  
organism,  we  recognize  that  whatever  we  do  to  the  world  we  do  to  ourselves.      
  In  looking  across  the  span  of  history,  subtle,  though  profound  changes  have  been  
occurring  as  humanity  has  developed  its  capacity  for  self-­‐reflective  consciousness.    Just  
as  the  awakening  of  a  witnessing  consciousness  was  remarkable  some  35,000  years  ago  
but  is  now  normal,  so  too  will  the  development  of  cosmic  consciousness  eventually  be  
considered  normal  for  the  human  species.  
   
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
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Chapter  11  

CONTINUOUS  CREATION    
OF  THE  COSMOS  
 
  To  understand  the  highest  levels  to  which  we  might  evolve,  we  need  to  ask  basic  
questions  about  the  cosmos  within  which  we  live.    How  can  each  of  us  be  intimately  
connected  with  the  totality  of  existence  at  each  moment?    How  can,  as  Jesus  stated,  the  
“Kingdom  of  Heaven”  be  continuously  present  within  and  around  us?    How  can  our  vast  
cosmos  function  as  a  unified  system?    How  can  the  gift  of  eternity  already  be  present  in  
our  lives?    The  singular  answer  given  to  these  questions  by  sages  over  the  centuries  is  so  
remarkable,  so  breathtaking,  and  so  astonishing  that  it  is  nearly  impossible  to  conceive:    
Our  vast  cosmos  is  a  unified  organism  that—in  its  totality  of  matter-­‐energy,  space-­‐time,  
and  consciousness—is  being  recreated  anew  at  each  moment.    We  cannot  take  our  
existence  for  granted.    Our  cosmos  is  a  dynamically  maintained  system  of  matter  and  
consciousness  that  lives  within  and  is  sustained  by  an  unbounded  field  of  Life-­‐energy—
an  infinitely  deep  ecology  that  I  have  called  the  Meta-­‐universe  or  the  generative  ground.        
  Continuous-­‐creation  cosmology  contrasts  sharply  with  the  dominant  cosmology  
in  contemporary  physics,  which  assumes  that  creation  ended  with  the  Big  Bang  some  
fifteen  billion  years  ago  and  that,  since  then,  only  the  cosmic  furniture  has  been  
rearranged.    Because  we  are  many  billions  of  years  removed  from  what  traditional  
science  views  as  the  original,  onetime  miracle  of  creation  from  “nothing,”  the  
surrounding  trees,  rocks,  people,  and  so  on  are  regarded  as  being  constituted  from  
ancient  matter.    Overall,  our  universe  is  viewed  as  being  billions  of  years  from  the  
generative  explosion  that  spewed  out  lifeless  material  debris  into  equally  lifeless  space  
and  that  has,  by  random  processes,  organized  itself  into  life-­‐forms  on  the  remote  
planet-­‐island  called  Earth.      
  In  striking  contrast,  continuous-­‐creation  theory  views  our  cosmos  as  a  unified  
system—a  living  organism—that  is  being  completely  re-­‐created  at  each  moment.    
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Instead  of  creation  ending  with  the  miraculous  birth  of  our  cosmos  from  a  pinpoint  
some  fifteen  billion  years  ago,  the  cosmos  continues  to  be  maintained,  moment  by  
moment,  by  an  unbroken  flow-­‐through  of  energy  from  the  Meta-­‐universe.240      Like  the  
vortex  of  a  tornado  or  whirlpool,  our  cosmos  is  a  completely  dynamic  structure  
maintained  by  the  continuous  flow-­‐through  of  energy.    Being  thoroughly  dynamic,  our  
cosmos  has  no  freestanding  material  existence  of  its  own  but  depends  entirely  on  the  
continuing  flow-­‐through  of  energy.    Continuous  creation  is  even  more  remarkable  when  
we  consider  that  it  includes  not  only  matter  but  also  the  fabric  of  seemingly  “empty”  
space.  It  is  important  to  differentiate  this  theory  of  "continuous  creation  of  the  entire  
cosmos"  from  another  theory  describing  the  "continual  creation  of  atomic  matter."  The  
latter  theory  was  developed  by  astrophysicist  Fred  Hoyle  and  describes  a  steady-­‐  state  
cosmos  where  atoms  are  generated  at  a  rate  just  sufficient  to  ofiset  the  dispersion  
produced  by  the  expansion  of  the  universe,  thereby  producing  a  cosmos  with  a  
relatively  even  density  of  matter  throughout.  In  contrast,  the  theory  of  continuous  
creation  of  the  cosmos  refers  to  a  process  whereby  the  totality  of  the  universe  is  
continuously  regenerated  at  a  rate  that  is  assumed  to  be  revealed  by  the  constancy  of  
the  speed  of  light.  
  Like  a  cloud  that  is  drawn  from  and  exists  within  the  atmosphere,  our  cosmos  is  
drawn  from  and  exists  within  the  Meta-­‐universe  of  unbounded  dimensionality.    Our  
cosmos  is  a  self-­‐bounding  system,  a  “cloud”  of  matter-­‐energy-­‐space-­‐time  that  
continually  coalesces  from  the  “atmosphere”  of  the  dimensionally  unbounded  Meta-­‐
universe.    Because  every  aspect  of  our  cosmos  is  immersed  within  and  made  from  the  
Meta-­‐universe,  it  means  that  all  things  share  fully  in  the  deep  ocean  of  creative  Life-­‐
energy.  The  Meta-­‐universe  is  the  source  from  which  everything  originates  and  is  the  
unimaginably  powerful,  creative  intelligence  that  is  able,  moment  by  moment,  to  
sustain,  with  unerring  precision  and  patience,  our  seemingly  “ordinary”  life  world.    
  The  Meta-­‐universe  is  profoundly  democratic.    All  things  in  the  cosmos  are  lifted  
into  existence  at  each  instant  in  a  single  symphony  of  expression  that  unfolds  from  the  
most  minute  aspects  of  the  subatomic  realm,  through  the  middle  ground  of  human  
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existence,  then  on  to  the  vast  reaches  of  the  larger  cosmos  with  its  thousands  of  billions  
of  galactic  systems.    The  entire  cosmos,  all  at  once,  is  the  basic  unit  of  creation.      
  When  we  consider  the  size  and  complexity  of  our  cosmos  with  its  billions  of    
galaxies  and  trillions  of  planetary  systems,  we  see  a  flow  of  creation  of  such  awesome  
scope,  subtlety,  precision,  and  power  that  it  overwhelms  the  imagination.    It  is  this  
astounding  image  of  the  whole  cosmos  being  continuously  re-­‐created,  moment  by  
moment  that  awakens  an  entirely  new  level  of  appreciation  for  the  world  around  us.  
Our  very  bodies  are  a  continuing  miracle  of  creation,  and  by  settling  into  our  immediate  
experience  of  “self”  we  are  automatically  immersing  ourselves  in  the  miracle  of  cosmic-­‐
scale  creation.      
  The  popular  television  series  Star  Trek  provides  a  useful  analogy  for  visualizing  
continuous  creation.    In  nearly  every  episode  people  are  shown  being  dematerialized  
and  then  “beamed  aboard”  the  spaceship  Enterprise.    The  image  of  a  person  being  
materialized—where  a  vague,  shimmering  presence  coalesces  into  a  solid  entity—is  very  
suggestive  of  the  process  of  continuous  creation.    However,  continuous  creation  occurs  
at  an  entirely  different  scale—the  Meta-­‐universe  is  beaming  the  entire  cosmos  into  
existence  at  every  instant.    Again,  this  is  not  a  new  insight:  the  theme  of  continuous  
creation  can  be  found  in  all  of  the  world’s  major  spiritual  traditions.    Yet  this  view  is  so  
astounding  in  its  scope  that  it  has  often  been  dismissed  as  a  flight  of  the  mystic  
imagination.    Recent  findings  from  the  frontiers  of  modern  science  appear  consistent,  
however,  with  this  process  view  of  reality.        
 
Continuous  Creation  and  the  New  Physics      
  The  eminent  mathematician  Norbert  Weiner  writes,  “We  are  not  stuff  that  
abides,  but  patterns  that  perpetuate  themselves;  whirlpools  of  water  in  an  ever-­‐flowing  
river.”241      The  view  that  all  existence  is  pervasively  in  motion  has  deep  roots  in  modern  
science.    Although  continuous-­‐creation  cosmology  is  consistent  with  a  number  of  
findings  from  modern  science,  consistency  does  not  constitute  proof.    So,  without  
claiming  scientific  validation,  I  will  consider:  1)  the  dynamism  of  matter  in  the  subatomic  
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realm,  2)  the  dynamism  of  space  at  the  microscopic  scale,  and  3)  evidence  that  the  
dynamism  of  matter  and  space  are  fully  unified  into  one  grand  system  or  “uni-­‐verse.”  
  Beneath  the  solid  surface  of  material  objects  an  extraordinary  flow  of  activity  is  
occurring  that  is  almost  beyond  comprehension:    “Should  you  glance  for  just  one  
second,  for  example,  upon  an  ordinary  yellow  dress,  the  electrons  in  the  retinas  of  your  
eyes  must  vibrate  about  500,000,000,000,000  times  during  the  interval,  registering  
more  oscillations  in  that  second  than  all  the  waves  that  have  beat  upon  all  the  shores  of  
all  the  earthly  oceans  in  ten  million  years.”242    Physicist  Max  Born  writes,  “We  have  
sought  for  firm  ground  and  found  none.    The  deeper  we  penetrate,  the  more  restless  
becomes  the  universe;  all  is  rushing  about  and  vibrating  in  a  wild  dance.”243    In  other  
words,  the  farther  we  look  into  the  heart  of  matter,  the  less  substantial  it  seems.    
Matter  appears  to  be  nothing  more  than  ephemeral  energy  that  flows  together  with  
exquisite  coherence  to  produce  waveforms  with  a  dynamic  stability  and  the  appearance  
of  solidity.  
  Intriguing  evidence  that  material  reality  is  being  continuously  coalesced  from,  
and  sustained  by,  a  deep  energy  field  comes  from  the  work  of  physicist  Harold  
Puthoff.244    He  has  tried  to  understand  why  the  electrons  spinning  around  atoms  don’t  
radiate  away  their  energy  and  collapse  into  the  nucleus.    He  concluded  that  atoms  are  
sustained  by  constantly  drawing  energy  from  the  background  “vacuum”  so  as  to  
compensate  exactly  for  the  energy  that  radiates  from  the  electron.    Basic  to  Puthoff’s  
theory  (and  quantum  theory)  is  the  idea  that  even  a  small  area  of  empty  space  contains  
a  uniform  sea  of  enormously  powerful  background  energy.    Puthoff  suggests  that  as  the  
electron  radiates  away  energy,  it  absorbs  a  compensating  amount  of  energy  from  the  
background  field  so  as  to  exactly  balance  the  loss  and  thereby  maintain  dynamic  
stability.    He  concludes  that  the  dynamic  stability  of  matter  verifies  the  presence  of  an  
underlying  sea  of  immensely  powerful  energy  that  is  universally  present.          
  Continuous-­‐creation  cosmology  suggests  that  seemingly  static  material  objects  
are  actually  dynamically  constructed  resonance  patterns  that  exist  within  the  larger  
resonance  pattern  or  “standing  wave”  that  is  our  cosmos.    All  material  forms  are    
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dynamically  stable,  flowing  processes.    At  the  atomic  scale,  matter  is  almost  entirely  
empty  space  in  ceaseless  motion.    If  a  typical  atom  were  expanded  to  the  size  of  a  
football  field,  the  seemingly  “solid”  portion  (the  nucleus)  would  be  no  larger  than  a  
baseball.    Then,  if  we  were  to  probe  into  the  heart  of  the  nucleus,  we  would  find  quarks  
which  are  unimaginably  tiny  bundles  of  energy.    Despite  being  almost  entirely  empty,  at  
the  human  scale,  matter  has  the  appearance  and  feel  of  solidity  because  of  its  precise,  
dynamic  consistency.    The  precision  and  speed  with  which  the  cosmos  coalesces  
produces  the  appearance  of  persisting  and  solid  structures.    When  two  objects  meet  as  
precisely  matched  waveforms  they  interact  as  if  they  were  “hard.”    We  interpret  the  
dynamic  consistency  of  energy  flows  as  the  static  solidity  of  matter.      
  The  analogy  of  an  airplane  propeller  roughly  illustrates  this  principle:  When  a  
propeller  is  spinning,  it  creates  a  circular  area  that  appears  to  be  a  nearly  solid  
surface.245    If  we  try  to  put  something  in  its  path,  it  gives  us  dramatic  feedback  that  
seems  to  confirm  its  apparent  density,  even  though  the  propeller  actually  occupies  only  
a  small  percentage  of  the  overall  space.    In  a  similar  way,  matter  is  mostly  space,  but  the  
energy  that  comprises  it  is  so  highly  orchestrated  that  it  functions  as  if  it  were  solid.    
Given  the  high  speed  of  continuous  creation,  it  is  easy  to  see  why  we  think  we  live  in  a  
world  of  solid  objects.    However,  to  view  matter  as  solid  and  motionless  is  an  illusion.    
This  is  not  to  say  that  material  reality  is  an  “illusion”;  rather,  if  we  think  matter  is  static,  
we  are  allowing  the  swift  flow  of  manifestation  to  fuse  into  an  illusory  concreteness.  
  The  fabric  of  space-­‐time  is  also  involved  in  this  dance  of  creation.    So-­‐called  
empty  space  is  no  longer  viewed  as  a  featureless  vacuum,  as  it  was  in  classical  physics.    
Space  is  not  the  simple  absence  of  form,  waiting  to  be  filled  out  by  matter;  instead  
space  is  a  dynamic  presence  that  is  filled  with  an  incredibly  complex  architecture.    In  his  
book,  Patterns  In  Nature,  Peter  Stevens  makes  the  following  observations  about  the  
modern  view  of  space:  
 
The  idea  that  space  has  structure  may  sound  strange,  since  we  usually  think  of  
space  as  a  kind  of  nothingness  that  is  the  absence  of  structure.    We  think  of  
space  as  the...passive  backdrop  for  the  lively  play  of  material  things.    It  turns  out,  
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however,  that  the  backdrop,  the  all-­‐pervading  nothingness,  is  not  so  passive.    
The  nothingness  has  an  architecture  that  makes  real  demands  on  things.    Every  
form,  every  pattern,  every  existing  thing  pays  a  price  for  its  existence  by  
conforming  to  the  structural  dictates  of  space.246    
 
  Not  only  does  space  have  “structure,”  it  is  also  infused  with  intense  dynamism.    
Quantum  physicists  now  theorize  that,  at  an  extremely  small  scale,  the  relatively  
smooth  structure  of  space-­‐time  becomes  an  intensely  turbulent  field  that  is  continually  
undergoing  violent  fluctuations  and  may  contain  “wormholes”  that  connect  together  
distant  portions  of  the  universe.247    Space  is  not  static  emptiness,  but  a  continuous  
opening  process  that  provides  the  context  for  matter  to  manifest  itself.    Because  space-­‐
time  is  inseparable  from  motion,  and  motion  is  another  way  of  describing  energy,  it  
follows  that  vast  amounts  of  energy  must  be  required  to  generate  the  openness  of  the  
enormous  volume  of  space-­‐time  that  exists  in  our  cosmos.    Physicist  David  Bohm  
estimated  the  power  of  this  underlying  sea  of  energy  and  concluded  that  a  single  cubic  
centimeter  of  so-­‐called  empty  space  contains  the  energy  equivalent  of  many  atomic  
bombs!248      
   The  pervasive  dynamism  of  reality  is  a  view  increasingly  confirmed  by  modern  
physics.    Physicist  Fritjof  Capra  explains,  “Relativity  theory...has  made  the  cosmic  web  
come  alive  by  revealing  its  intrinsically  dynamic  character,  and  by  showing  that  activity  
is  the  very  essence  of  its  being....The  universe  is  seen  as  a  dynamic  web  of  interrelated  
events.    None  of  the  properties  of  any  part  of  this  web  is  fundamental;  they  all  follow  
from  the  properties  of  the  other  parts,  and  the  overall  consistency  of  their  mutual  
interrelations  determines  the  structure  of  the  entire  web.”249      
  Another  recent  finding  in  physics  indicates  that  our  immense  cosmos  is  unified  
to  a  degree  previously  thought  impossible.    Bell’s  theorem  is  concerned  with  whether  
faster-­‐than-­‐light  communication  is  possible.    This  would  be  a  profound  violation  of  
relativity  theory,  which  assumes  the  speed  of  light  to  be  the  ultimate  speed  limit  in  our  
universe.    However,  striking  results  from  experiments  indicate  that  faster  than  light  
communication  does  occur!    This  finding  is  consistent  with  the  hypothesis  that  our  
cosmos  is  being  re-­‐created  at  each  instant  and  that  the  Meta-­‐universe  provides  the  
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context  within  which  all  relativistic  differences  are  bridged  and  reconciled  into  a  unified  
whole.      
  The  deep  unity  of  the  universe  has  been  described  by  physicist  David  Bohm  by  
using  the  analogy  of  a  hologram.    If  a  piece  is  cut  off  from  a  hologram  and  illuminated,  it  
will  still  show  the  entire  picture  encoded  in  its  structure.    Analogously,  if  the  universe  is  
holographic  in  nature,  then  it  means  that  at  each  instant  every  part  contains  or  involves  
the  whole.    Bohm  has  described  the  cosmos  “as  a  single  undivided  whole,  in  which  all  
parts  of  the  universe...merge  and  unite  in  one  totality.”250    Because  a  hologram  is  static  
and  the  universe  is  everywhere  in  motion,  he  has  coined  the  word  holomovement  to  
describe  our  universe  as  “undivided  wholeness  in  flowing  movement.”    Bohm’s  view  of  a  
holodynamic  reality  emerging  from  an  unmanifest  domain,  or  “implicate  order,”  is  fully  
congruent  with  continuous-­‐creation  theory.  
  A  dynamic,  holographic  analogy  not  only  makes  the  important  assertion  that  
every  part  of  the  universe  is  interconnected;  it  makes  the  much  stronger  assertion  that  
at  each  moment  the  entirety  of  the  universe  is  fully  involved  in  and  revealed  through  
each  part.    Erwin  Schroedinger,  an  eminent  physicist,  stated  it  this  way:  “Inconceivable  
as  it  seems  to  ordinary  reason,  you...are  all  in  all.    Hence  this  life  of  yours  which  you  are  
living  is  not  merely  a  piece  of  the  entire  existence,  but  is  in  a  certain  sense  the  
whole.”251  
  A  grand-­‐scale,  cosmic  “Now”  is  essential  to  achieve  the  precise  weaving  of  reality  
into  a  seamless  whole—a  now  that  embraces  the  entire  cosmos  and  is  the  same  now  for  
all  entities  and  all  places.    While  relativity  theory  rightly  dismissed  simultaneity  in  four  
dimensions,  continuous-­‐creation  theory  reintroduces  a  cosmic  now  as  a  basic  property  
of  higher  dimensions.    A  cosmic  now  serves  a  vital  purpose—it  provides  the  temporal  
context  for  orchestrating  all  changes  happening  throughout  the  universe,  thereby  
keeping  its  dynamic  structure  in  equilibrium  and  harmony  with  itself.252      With  
simultaneity  no  interval  of  material  time  is  required  to  factor  changes  into  the  flow  of  
overall  manifestation,  thereby  enabling  the  cosmos  to  maintain  its  coherence  and  
integrity  as  an  organism.      
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  To  summarize:    All  is  in  motion.    Matter  is  not  a  static  substance  but  is  a  flowing  
pattern  of  energy.    Space  is  not  simple  emptiness,  but  is  an  opening  process  that  
contains  an  exquisite  architecture.    If  everything,  including  the  fabric  of  space-­‐time,  is  a  
dance  of  motion,  then  all  motion  must  be  orchestrated  into  a  unified  whole  to  produce  
the  unbroken  consistency  and  seamless  structure  of  our  universe.      Because  all  is  flowing  
movement,  the  unfailingly  precise  correlation  of  all  motion—large  and  small,  near  and  
far—is  essential  to  establish  and  maintain  stable  material  forms  with  lawful  patterns  of  
interaction.    From  the  movements  within  the  smallest  atoms  to  that  of  the  largest  
galaxies,  every  aspect  of  the  cosmos  must  be  precisely  synchronized  and  coordinated  to  
achieve  the  steady  manifestation  of  the  world  about  us.    If  all  is  in  motion  at  every  level,  
and  all  motion  presents  itself  as  a  coherent  and  stable  pattern,  then  all  that  exists  must  
be  profoundly  orchestrated.    All  flows  must  comprise  one  grand  symphony,  a  single  
creative  expression—a  uni-­‐verse!      
  If  the  entire  universe  is  being  continuously  re-­‐created,  then  what  is  the  pace  of  
this  flow?    The  speed  of  creation  is  impossible  to  determine  objectively  because  we  
cannot  stand  outside  the  cosmos  in  its  process  of  becoming  and  measure  it  coming  into  
existence.    Because  we  are  inside  and  integral  to  this  flow,  we  can  only  make  inferences  
regarding  the  pace  of  continuous  creation;  in  turn,  this  points  toward  one  of  the  most  
fundamental  attributes  of  the  cosmos—the  constancy  of  the  speed  of  light.    Continuous  
creation  cosmology  suggests  that  the  constancy  of  the  speed  of  light  is  a  result  of  the  
precise  consistency  with  which  the  fabric  of  reality  is  dynamically  woven  together.    In  
other  words,  the  constancy  of  the  speed  of  light  is  produced  by  and  is  a  result  of  the  
evenness  with  which  the  cosmos  is  being  generated  as  a  unified  system.    The  precise  
consistency  of  continuous  creation  at  the  cosmic  scale  has  been  interpreted  as  the  
constancy  of  the  speed  of  light    at  the  local  scale.    Continuous-­‐creation  theory  suggests  a  
straightforward  reason  for  the  physical  compression,  time  dilation,  and  increase  in  mass  
predicted  by  relativity  theory  as  an  object  approaches  light  speed.    Assuming  the  
cosmos  is  being  generated  at  a  pace  revealed  by  the  constancy  of  the  speed  of  light,  
then  when  an  “object”  (as  a  flow-­‐through,  standing  wave)  approaches  the  speed  of  
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light,  it  will  necessarily  run  into  itself  in  the  process  of  becoming  itself,  and  this  will  
produce  a  literal  compression  of  its  dynamic  structure  in  its  direction  of  motion.    No  
object  (as  a  standing  wave)  can  move  ahead  of  the  flow  that  continuously  regenerates  
both  the  object  and  the  surrounding  cosmos.    As  an  object  (or  flow-­‐through  subsystem  
of  the  larger  standing-­‐wave  cosmos)  tries  to  move  ahead  of  the  pace  at  which  it  is  
becoming  manifest,  it  will  progressively  run  into  itself  becoming  itself—a  self-­‐limiting  
process  that  produces  the  increasing  physical  compression,  time  dilation,  and  mass  
predicted  by  relativity  theory.    Although  these  scientific  speculations  do  not  constitute  
proof  for  continuous  creation  cosmology,  they  do  suggest  it  may  be  highly  congruent  
with  new  findings  emerging  from  physics.    (For  a  further  discussion,  see  my  article,  “The  
Living  Cosmos:  A  Theory  of  Continuous  Creation,”  ReVision,  Summer  1988.)      
 
Continuous  Creation  and  the  Perennial  Wisdom  
  As  mentioned  earlier,  the  idea  of  continuous  creation  is  not  new.    Over  the  
centuries  individuals  from  spiritual  traditions  around  the  world  who  have  penetrated  
deeply  into  the  nature  of  reality  have  described  the  universe  around  us  as  being  re-­‐
created  anew  at  each  instant.    Here’s  a  sampling  of  these  insights:        
 
The  teachings  of  Jesus  burst  with  new  meaning  when  considered  from  the  
view  of  a  continually  arising  cosmos.    To  say  “the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  is  spread  
out  before  us”  makes  sense  if  the  cosmos  is  being  ceaselessly  regenerated  from  
out  of  the  infinite  depths  and  power  of  the  Meta-­‐universe.    The  great  Christian  
mystic  Meister  Eckhart  gives  this  striking  description  of  continuous  regeneration  
of  the  cosmos:  “God  is  creating  the  entire  universe,  fully  and  totally,  in  this  
present  now.    Everything  God  created...God  creates  now  all  at  once.”253    From  
the  modern  Christian  tradition  we  have  the  related  insights  of  Matthew  Fox  and  
his  “creation  spirituality.”    Fox  says  that  creation  spirituality  considers  the  ever-­‐
moving  center  of  the  historical  moment—the  Eternal  Now—as  the  precise  
center  of  an  actual,  ongoing  process  of  cosmic-­‐scale  creation.254        
 
The  highly  respected  Zen  scholar  and  teacher,  D.  T.  Suzuki,  writes,  “My  
solemn  proclamation  is  that  a  new  universe  is  created  every  moment.”255    
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Elsewhere,  he  writes  the  following,  “All  things  come  out  of  an  unknown  abyss  of  
mystery,  and  through  every  one  of  them  we  can  have  a  peep  into  the  abyss.”256    
Also  from  the  Zen  tradition  we  have  this  unequivocal  statement  from  Alan  
Watts:  “The  beginning  of  the  universe  is  now,  for  all  things  are  at  this  moment  
being  created,  and  the  end  of  the  universe  is  now,  for  all  things  are  at  this  
moment  passing  away.”257        
   
The  acclaimed  scholar  of  the  world’s  mythical  traditions,  Joseph  Campbell,  
writes,  “Things  are  coming  to  life  around  you  all  the  time.    There  is  a  life  pouring  
into  the  world,  and  it  pours  from  an  inexhaustible  source.”  258  
 
From  the  ancient  Greek  philosopher  and  mystic  Heraclitus  we  hear,  “All  
things  are  in  a  state  of  flux.”    “Reality  is  a  condition  of  unrest.”259    He  also  states  
that  because  one  aspect  of  life  is  an  eternal  Becoming,  the  universe  may  be  
viewed  as  continually  “flowering  into  deity.”260    In  addition,  he  says,  “This  world  
[is]...  an  ever-­‐living  fire,  with  measures  of  it  kindling,  and  measures  going  out.”261    
 
In  her  classic  study  of  mystical  experiences  Evelyn  Underhill  concludes  that,  
“mystics  declare,  as  science  does,  that  the  universe  is  not  static  but  dynamic;  a  
World  of  Becoming.”    She  also  stated  that  “this  universe  is  free,  self-­‐
creative....divine  action  floods  it”262    
 
Buddhism  describes  the  world  as  a  flickering  film  being  generated  at  a  high  
rate  of  speed  by  an  underlying  Life-­‐force.    From  the  Tibetan  Buddhist  tradition  
the  teacher,  scholar,  and  artist,  Lama  Govinda,  writes,  “The  world  is  in  a  
continuous  state  of  creation,  of  becoming,  and  therefore  in  a  continuous  state  of  
destruction  of  all  that  has  been  created.”263    He  also  states  that  “this  apparently  
solid  and  substantial  world  [is]...  a  whirling  nebulous  mass  of  insubstantial,  
eternally  rotating  elements  of  continually  arising  and  disintegrating  forms.”264    
Namkhai  Norbu,  another  esteemed  teacher  in  the  Tibetan  Buddhist  tradition,  
states,  “All  phenomena...no  matter  how  solid  they  may  seem,  are  in  fact  
essentially  void,  impermanent,  only  temporarily  existing....From  the  enormously  
large,  to  the  infinitely  small,  and  everywhere  in  between,  everything  that  can  be  
seen  to  exist  can  be  seen  to  be  void.”265        
 
Islamic  spirituality  has  a  view  called  “occasionalism”  that  describes  the  
universe  as  being  continuously  reborn  in  a  series  of  unique  occasions  or  
events.266    Al-­‐Ghazzali,  the  great  synthesizer  of  Muslim  thought  who  lived  in  the  
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1100s,  did  not  view  our  universe  as  an  ancient  structure,  but  rather  saw  it  as  
being  born  anew  at  each  moment—created  out  of  nothing  in  a  series  of  events  
by  the  will  of  Allah.267    In  this  view  nothing  continues  to  exist  unless  God  
constantly  re-­‐creates  it.    This  book  that  you  are  holding  now  will,  in  another  
instant,  not  be  the  same  book  but  will  be  a  new  “occasion”  of  the  book  that  
went  before  it.    
 
From  China  and  Taoism  we  find  that  existence  is  viewed  as  an  unfathomable  
mystery  that  is  always  arising  anew.    The  Tao  is  the  sustaining  Life-­‐force  and  the  
mother  of  all  things;  from  it,  all  “things  rise  and  fall  without  cease.”268    In  Taoism  
the  highest  wisdom  is  to  come  into  harmony  with  this  flow.    Alan  Watts  says,  
“The  general  idea  behind  Tao  is  that  of...the  perpetual  movement  of  life  which  
never  for  a  moment  remains  still....  The  highest  form  of  man  is  he  who  adapts  
himself  to  and  keeps  pace  with  the  movement  of  Tao.”  269          
 
The  Aborigines  of  Australia  believe  the  universe  has  two  aspects.    One  aspect  
is  ordinary  reality  and  the  other  aspect  is  the  “Dreamtime”  reality  from  which  
the  physical  world  is  derived.    In  Aboriginal  cosmology  the  everyday  reality  of  
people,  trees,  rocks,  and  animals  is  “sung  into  existence”  by  the  power  of  the  
Dreamtime—and  the  Dreamtime  needs  to  continue  unabated  if  the  ordinary  
world  is  to  be  upheld  and  maintained.270        
 
In  Hinduism  reality  is  viewed  as  being  continuously  upheld  by  a  divine  Life-­‐
force.    In  the  words  of  Huston  Smith,  scholar  of  the  world’s  religions,  “All  Hindu  
religious  thought  denies  that  the  world  of  nature  stands  on  its  own  feet.    It  is  
grounded  in  God;  if  he  were  removed  it  would  collapse  into  nothingness.”271    The  
respected  scholar  of  Indian  art  and  civilization  Heinrich  Zimmer  provides  a  
similar  description  of  the  Hindu  cosmology:  “There  is  nothing  static,  nothing  
abiding,  but  only  the  flow  of  a  relentless  process,  with  everything  originating,  
growing,  decaying,  vanishing.”  272    Hindu  mythology  says  the  cosmos  is  born  
anew  at  each  moment  through  the  cosmic  dance  of  the  God  Shiva:  “All  the  
features  and  creatures  of  the  living  world  are  interpreted  as  momentary  flashes  
from  the  limbs  of  the  Lord  of  the  dance.”273    Shiva  is  the  cosmic  dancer  who  
“embodies  in  himself  and  simultaneously  gives  manifestation  to  Eternal  Energy.    
The  forces  gathered  and  projected  in  his  frantic,  ever-­‐enduring  gyration,  are  the  
powers  of  the  evolution,  maintenance,  and  dissolution  of  the  world.    Nature  and  
all  its  creatures  are  the  effects  of  his  eternal  dance.”274    Finally,  a  revered  Hindu  
teacher,  Sri  Nisargadatta  Majaraj,  taught,  “The  entire  universe  contributes  
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incessantly  to  your  existence.    Hence  the  entire  universe  is  your  body.”275    
 
   Christians,  Buddhists,  Hindus,  Muslims,  Taoists,  mystics,  tribal  cultures,  and  
Greek  philosophers  have  all  given  remarkably  similar  descriptions  of  the  deep  and  
pervasive  dynamism  of  reality.    These  are  more  than  poetic  and  metaphorical  
explanations:  The  world’s  wisdom  traditions  are  clearly  describing  a  literal  process  of  
continuous  creation.    Because  we  find  this  insight  across  cultures  and  across  the  
millennia,  it  provides  compelling  evidence  that  humans  have  the  ability  to  experience  
directly  the  continuous  regeneration  of  the  cosmos.        
 
Flow  Consciousness  and  Reality  Surfing  
  Continuous-­‐creation  cosmology  views  enlightening  experiences  not  as  an  altered  
psychological  state  that  happens  inside  our  brain  but  as  a  flow-­‐experience  that  involves  
our  whole  being  and  occurs  when  we  come  into  dynamic  alignment  with  the  cosmos  in  
its  process  of  continuous  manifestation.    When  our  moment  to  moment  flow  of  
awareness  comes  into  dynamic  alignment  with  the  flow  of  the  cosmos  as  it  is  being  
created,  then  we  become  identical  with,  and  transparent  to,  that  larger  process.    An  
enlightening  awareness  emerges  naturally  as  we  settle  into  our  centered  self-­‐experience  
while  simultaneously  being  mindful  of  the  world  around  us.    As  we  become  quiet  within  
ourselves  and  mindfully  synchronized  with  the  subtle  flow  of  creation,  we  recognize  that  
we  are  identical  with  the  flow  of  Life-­‐energy  that  gives  rise  to  all  that  exists.    Because  we  
and  the  cosmos  arise  together,  when  both  are  embraced  in  awareness,  the  two  are  
naturally  one  in  experience.      
  An  analogy  suggests  the  nature  of  flow  consciousness:  When  a  boat  is  pushing  
against  a  river,  a  pressure  wave  rises  up  and  stands  between  the  boat  and  the  flowing  
movement  of  the  river.    However,  when  the  boat  and  the  river  are  moving  in  the  same  
direction  and  at  the  same  speed,  then  there  is  no  pressure  wave,  no  interference  
pattern  to  mark  out  a  boundary  between  the  boat  and  the  river.    Similarly,  when  we  
quiet  the  pushes  and  pulls  of  our  thinking  mind  and  come  into  dynamic  alignment  with  
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the  flowing  cosmos,  then  the  pressure  wave  subsides  that  marks  out  a  boundary  
between  the  experience  of  the  larger  cosmos  and  the  experience  of  ourselves.    With  no  
interference  pattern  to  stand  between  the  experience  of  self  and  the  experience  of  a  
flowing  cosmos,  we  experience  directly  that  we  are  an  unbounded  flow  of  awareness  of  
cosmic  proportions—hence  the  phrase  cosmic  consciousness.        
  The  mentally  constructed  I-­‐sense  or  ego  or  “thinking  self”  is  generally  so  strong  
that  it  masks  our  awareness  of  the  spontaneously  given  I-­‐sense  that  is  always  bubbling  
up  at  the  center  of  our  experience.    Through  meditation  we  can  learn  the  skills  of  
reducing  the  distance  between  knower  and  known  so  that  gradually  we  become  
transparent  to  our  true  nature  as  the  Meta-­‐universe.    We  cannot  stand  back  and  
objectively  know  the  Meta-­‐universe,  because  that  is  what  we  are  already.    The  only  way  
to  know  it  is  to  BE  it.    And  when  we  come  to  the  precise  center  of  ourselves  in  the  flow  
of  continuous  creation,  we  discover  that  our  nature  is  eternal.    In  the  words  of  Goethe:        
 
  For  what  the  center  brings    
  Must  obviously  be    
  That  which  remains  to  the  end    
  And  was  there  from  eternity.”276    
 
  There  is  never  an  end  to  looking  for  ourselves  “out  there.”    But  there  is  always  a  
middle,  “in  here”  at  the  very  center  of  our  moment  to  moment  experience.    At  the  
center  a  knowing  presence  arises  with  no  need  for  confirming  thoughts  or  external  
validation.        
 
Implications  of  Continuous  Creation  Cosmology  
  There  is  no  island  of  stasis  where  we  can  stand  apart  from  the  flow  of  creation.    
We  are  totally  in  it  and  of  it.    As  we  awaken  to  the  subtle  presence  of  continuous  
creation,  its  all-­‐inclusive  nature  touches  and  transforms  every  facet  of  life.        
 
  •  A  Rebirth  of  Mystery  in  Nature—American  Indian  lore  speaks  of  three  
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miracles:  the  miracle  that  anything  exists  at  all,  the  miracle  that  living  things  exist,  and  
the  miracle  that  living  things  exist  that  are  conscious  of  their  existence.    Because  we  
humans  are  conscious  of  our  existence,  we  tend  to  focus  on  the  third  miracle  and  take  
the  other  two  for  granted.    However,  continuous-­‐creation  cosmology  invites  us  freshly  
to  appreciate  the  first  miracle.    The  wonder  that  anything  exists  at  all  is  not  a  one  time  
miracle  but  a  continuously  renewed  gift,  forever  alive  with  mystery.  
  In  recognizing  the  first  miracle  we  can  begin  to  reclaim  the  wisdom  of  our  
ancestors.    Luther  Standing  Bear  said  that  for  the  Lakota  Sioux  “there  was  no  such  thing  
as  emptiness  in  the  world.    Even  in  the  sky  there  were  no  vacant  places.    Everywhere  
there  was  life,  visible  and  invisible,  and  every  object  gave  us  a  great  interest  to  life.    The  
world  teemed  with  life  and  wisdom,  there  was  no  complete  solitude  for  the  Lakota.”277    
With  a  cosmology  of  continuous  creation,  nature  again  comes  alive:    A  shining  miracle  
exists  everywhere.  There  are  no  empty  places  in  the  world.    Everywhere  there  is  life,  
both  visible  and  invisible.    All  of  reality  is  infused  with  wisdom  and  a  powerful  presence.      
  We  can  glimpse  the  flow  of  creation  in  small  ways—perhaps  in  the  shimmering  
radiance  of  the  golden  light  of  a  late  afternoon  or  in  the  luster  of  an  old  wooden  table  
that  shines  with  an  inexplicable  depth  and  glow.    We  can  also  witness  the  buzzing  
aliveness  of  creation  in  places  that  may  seem  far  removed  from  nature—even  a  room  
filled  only  with  plastic,  chrome  steel,  and  glass  can  display  the  flow  of  creation  in  the  
raw.    In  the  gentle  contemplation  of  any  part  of  ordinary  reality  we  can  catch  glimpses  
of  the  great  hurricane  of  energy  that  blows  with  silent  force  through  all  things.    Even  
empty  space  will  sometimes  disclose  that  it  is  an  ocean  of  dancing  aliveness—a  subtle  
symphony  of  liquid  architecture  that  has  traveled  an  eternity  to  provide  a  context  for  
matter  at  each  moment.      
 
  •  An  Expanded  Sense  of  the  Spiritual—Instead  of  seeing  “God”  as  a  
grandfatherly  being,  continuous-­‐creation  cosmology  sees  the  divine  as  an  exquisitely  
creative,  inexhaustibly  intelligent,  and  infinitely  aware  Life-­‐energy  that  is  both  
immanent  (manifestly  present  throughout  the  cosmos)  and  transcendent  (present  in  
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ecologies  that  extend  far  beyond  our  cosmos).    To  view  “God”  as  the  divine  Life-­‐force  
that  is  manifest  in  all  things  brings  a  sense  of  the  sacred  into  the  immediate  
circumstances  of  all  life.    To  also  view  “God”  as  the  Meta-­‐universe  that  transcends  and  
sustains  our  material  existence  fosters  a  sense  of  the  deep  spiritual  ecology  from  which  
our  world  originates  and  into  which  it  returns,  moment  by  moment.  The  traditional  
Western  image  of  God  as  a  separate  Being  “out  there”  is  transformed  into  a  creative  
and  powerful  Life-­‐force  that  is  simultaneously  personal  (upholding  the  most  minute  
aspects  of  our  physical  existence  at  each  instant),  impersonal  (giving  all  of  creation  great  
freedom  to  learn  and  grow  in  ways  of  its  own  choosing),  and  transpersonal  
(simultaneously  transcending  the  dimensional  boundaries  of  the  cosmic  system  we  
inhabit).      
  Our  spiritual  challenge  is  not  to  reach  beyond  this  world;  rather  it  is  to  come  into  
dynamic  alignment  with  the  world  as  it  is  and  thereby  to  come  into  a  living  relationship  
with  the  divine  Life-­‐force.    No  matter  how  mundane  the  circumstance,  no  matter  how  
seemingly  trivial  the  situation,  we  can  always  become  directly  aware  of  the  subtle  hum  
of  creation  happening  within  and  around  us.    When  we  discover  that  all  beings  are  part  
of  the  seamless  fabric  of  creation,  it  naturally  awakens  a  sense  of  connection  with,  and  
compassion  for,  the  rest  of  life.    We  automatically  broaden  our  scope  of  empathy  and  
concern  when  we  realize  that  we  are  inseparable  from  all  that  exists.    We  no  longer  see  
ourselves  as  isolated  entities  whose  being  stops  at  the  edge  of  our  skin.    We  see  that  
because  we  all  arise  simultaneously  from  a  deep  ocean  of  Life-­‐energy,  a  vital  connection  
is  continuously  present  among  all  things.    
 
  •  The  Spontaneously  Given    Self—We  are  standing  on  nothing  but  the  flow-­‐
through  of  the  Meta-­‐universe.    Like  a  person  floating  in  an  ocean  that  is  millions  of  miles  
deep,  we  are  dynamically  suspended  within  a  living,  dimensional  space  that  is  infinitely  
open.    If  we  trust  that  we  will  always  be  actively  supported,  then  we  can  let  go,  releasing  
our  mentally  constructed  self  and  relaxing  into  our  spontaneously  given  beingness.    We  
can  then  be  nurtured  by  the  flow  of  continuous  creation  rather  than  cut  off  from  the  
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Life-­‐energy  of  eternity  that  is  our  original  nature  and  true  home.    In  the  words  of  the  
fourteenth-­‐century  English  mystic  Julian  of  Norwich,  “We  have  been  loved  from  before  
the  beginning.”278      We  are  created  from  love,  in  freedom,  for  love.  
  For  each  of  us  there  is  only  one  still  point  in  this  ever-­‐returning  world,  and  that  is  
the  spontaneously  given  self  at  the  very  center  of  our  unfolding  existence.    By  coming  to  
the  precise  center  of  our  flow  of  experience,  we  become  the  flow  of  continuous  creation  
and  encounter,  as  direct  awareness,  the  Meta-­‐universe.    When  the  moving  center  of  the  
self  and  the  moving  wholeness  of  the  cosmos  become  centered  in  experience,  then  a  
window  opens  to  reveal  the  All.        
  Our  spontaneously  given  self  comprises  two,  seemingly  opposite,  but  actually  
complementary,  aspects  of  reality.    On  the  one  hand,  we  and  the  cosmos  are  continually  
arising  anew  so  that  one  aspect  of  our  nature  is  a  continual  flow  of  Becoming.    On  the  
other  hand,  we  and  the  cosmos  arise  from  the  perfect  wholeness  and  unconditional  love  
of  the  transcendent  Being  that  is  the  Meta-­‐universe.    It  is  the  paradox  of  ourselves  as  
embodying  both  Being  and  Becoming  that  makes  it  impossible  for  us  to  limit  and  
concretize  our  sense  of  self.        
 
  •  A  New  Sense  of  Human  Significance—Humanity’s  powers  are  put  into  
perspective  when  we  realize  that  despite  all  of  the  technology  we  have  developed,  we  
do  not  know  how  to  create  from  nothing  a  single  flower,  or  a  piece  of  rock,  or  a  cubic  
inch  of  space.    In  contrast  the  Meta-­‐universe  continuously  creates  not  only  the  structure  
of  space-­‐time,  but  billions  of  galaxies  and  trillions  of  planetary  systems!    This  is  creation  
on  such  a  vast  scale  and  with  such  elegance  of  design  that  it  is  utterly  beyond  our  
mental  comprehension.    We  are  simultaneously  exalted  and  humbled  when  we  see  that,  
far  grander  than  the  scope  of  “Gaia’s  body”  or  the  Earth  as  a  self-­‐regulating  system,  is  
the  “Meta-­‐Gaia”  of  the  cosmos  as  a  unified,  living  organism.    To  see  the  entire  cosmos  
as  an  integrated,  living  organism  brings  a  new  sense  of  reverence  and  perspective  to  
human  life  and  civilization.    Awakening  to  the  miraculous  nature  of  our  universe  can  
help  us  to  overcome  the  species-­‐arrogance  and  limited  vision  that  now  threaten  our  
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survival.    There  is  such  a  subtle  and  purposeful  intelligence  in  the  design  of  the  universe  
that  it  is  only  natural  to  think  that  humanity  has  an  evolutionary  purpose  that  is  equally  
exalted.    Our  evolutionary  potentials  as  a  species  are  as  magnificent  and  as  subtle  as  the  
Meta-­‐universe  that  continuously  sustains  our  cosmos.  
 
  •  A  New  View  of  Society—Society  mirrors  our  views  of  self  and  reality.    On  the  
one  hand,  if  we  think  we  live  in  a  material  universe  that  was  set  adrift  billions  of  years  
ago  and  is  governed  by  impersonal  forces  and  accident,  and  that  we  have  no  higher  
purpose  than  physical  survival,  then  it  seems  logical  to  view  the  accumulation  of  
material  wealth  and  power  as  the  primary  measures  of  meaning  and  success.    If  we  view  
ourselves  as  purely  biological  beings  and  the  world  around  us  as  lifeless  matter  and  
empty  space,  then  it  is  only  rational  that  we  would  be  primarily  concerned  with  the  
material  aspects  of  life.    If  we  don’t  expect  more  from  life,  we  won’t  look  for  more.    And  
when  many  people  share  our  expectations,  it  sets  up  a  self-­‐fulfilling  pattern  of  feedback.    
Social  life  then  settles  into  a  self-­‐confirming  process  that  overlooks  the  subtle  miracle  of  
continuous  creation  always  pushing  at  the  edges  of  our  perceptions.    On  the  other  hand,    
if  we  view  ourselves  as  beings  of  infinite  scope  that  are  intimately  involved  in  a  flow  of  
cosmic  creation,  then  our  behavior  will  naturally  shift  to  come  into  accord  with  this  view  
of  reality.    We  are  participants  in  an  unceasing  miracle,  and  as  we  come  to  see  this,  we  
will  tend  to  view  all  life  as  increasingly  sacred  and  worthy  of  great  respect.    A  new  
pattern  of  self-­‐confirming  expectations  and  behaviors  will  infuse  society,  and  an  upward  
spiral  of  coevolution  will  unfold.    
 
Summary  
   In  keeping  with  the  perennial  wisdom,  I  do  not  believe  the  miracle  of  creation  
ceased  the  moment  our  cosmos  came  into  existence.    Since  the  Big  Bang  our  universe  
has  been  continuously  regenerated.    For  the  entire  span  of  evolution  our  cosmos  has  
been  sustained  as  a  self-­‐consistent  and  unbroken  whole  in  an  unutterably  vast  and  
intensely  alive  process  of    unimaginable  precision  and  power.    The  cosmos  is  a  single  
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flowering  of  spontaneous  creation,  a  gift  that  is  continuously  given  anew.    Awakening  
naturally  occurs  when  our  moment-­‐to-­‐moment  flow  of  knowing  comes  into  dynamic  
alignment  with  the  flow  of  the  cosmos  as  it  is  reborn  at  each  instant.      
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Chapter  12  

CO-­‐EVOLUTION  AND    
THE  META-­‐UNIVERSE    
 
 
  The  pathways  taken  by  civilizations  are  profoundly  influenced  by  their  views  of  
reality.    Western  civilizations  have  generally  viewed  matter  as  the  primary  reality  and  
have  tended  to  pursue  material  growth,  with  diminished  attention  to  the  non-­‐material  
side  of  life.    Eastern  civilizations  have  generally  viewed  consciousness  as  the  primary  
reality  and  have  tended  to  pursue  spiritual  growth,  with  diminished  attention  to  social  
and  material  development.    As  we  approach  the  turn  of  the  century,  it  is  evident  that  
these  two  separate  streams  of  development  have  exhausted  their  potentials.    We  now  
need  the  synergy  and  creativity  of  their  combined  powers.    An  integrative  approach  
holds  great  promise  for  fostering  the  development  of  a  mature,  planetary  civilization.            
 
Co-­‐Evolution  and  Synergy  
  From  a  co-­‐evolutionary  perspective,  civilizational  development  involves  the  
simultaneous  refinement  of  the  material  side  of  life  (learning  to  do  ever  more  with  ever  
less)  and  the  consciousness  side  of  life  (learning  to  touch  life  ever  more  lightly  and  
gently):      
 
•  Material  Evolution—By  progressively  refining  the  material  side  of  life,  we  touch  
the  Earth  ever  more  lightly  with  our  material  demands;  we  learn  to  touch  others  
ever  more  gently  and  responsively  with  our  social  institutions,  thereby  
promoting  self-­‐determination  and  self-­‐governance;  and  we  learn  to  live  our  daily  
lives  with  less  material  complexity  and  clutter,  thereby  freeing  energy  and  
attention  for  the  cultural  and  spiritual  dimensions  of  life.  
 
•  Consciousness  Evolution—By  progressively  refining  the  consciousness  side  of  
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life,  we  learn  to  release  habitual  patterns  of  thinking  and  behaving  that  make  our  
passage  through  the  world  weighty  and  cloudy  rather  than  light  and  spacious;  
we  learn  how  to  “touch  and  go”  and  not  hold  on,  allowing  each  moment  to  arise  
with  newness  and  freshness;  and  we  learn  to  be  in  the  world  with  a  quiet  mind  
and  an  open  heart  that  appreciates  the  miracle  of  existence.  
 
  The  synergy  achieved  through  the  simultaneous  development  of  the  material  
and  the  consciousness  aspects  of  life  is  enormous.    Material  evolution  provides  the  
physical  necessities  of  life  that  support  the  wide-­‐spread  realization  of  psychological  and  
spiritual  potentials.    Consciousness  evolution  provides  the  insight,  compassion  and  
creativity  needed  to  orient  material  development  into  a  sustainable  pathway  for  the  
future.    Co-­‐evolution  is  a  balanced,  middle  path  that  integrates  matter  and  
consciousness  into  a  co-­‐evolving  spiral  of  mutual  refinement.    Rather  than  competing  
with  one  another,  the  material  and  the  consciousness  aspects  are  mutually  enabling  of  
one  another.      
  The  co-­‐evolution  of  the  material  and  consciousness  sides  of  life  is  intensely  
synergistic.    Like  the  double  helix  in  the  DNA  molecule,  these  two  aspects  spiral  around  
and  support  one  another  in  their  mutual  ascent  toward  an  ever  wider  scope  of  
integration  and  differentiation,  unity  and  diversity.    Each  time  the  spiral  returns  to  its  
former  position  at  a  higher  level,  self  and  world  are  known  and  realized  more  fully.    By  
bringing  these  two  powerful  streams  of  human  learning  together  into  a  synergistic  
whole,  we  can  embark  on  an  evolutionary  journey  that  would  not  have  been  possible,  
and  could  not  have  been  imagined,  by  focusing  on  either  one  in  isolation.  
  From  a  co-­‐evolutionary  view,  the  purpose  of  life  is  not  to  dissolve  into  an  
undifferentiated  unity  of  consciousness,  nor  is  it  to  fragment  into  competing  forms  of  
material  diversity;  rather,  it  is  to  continuously  unfold  an  ever  more  diverse  and  
simultaneously  unified  whole.    Unity  seeks  diversity  of  expression  as  much  as  diversity  
seeks  unity  of  connection.      
 
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Matter  and  Consciousness:  A  Mutually  Supportive  Partnership  

  Matter  and  consciousness  are  the  vehicles  through  which  the  clear  Life-­‐energy  of  
the  Meta-­‐universe  reveals  itself  to  itself.    In  the  same  way  that  introducing  smoke  into  a  
room  can  disclose  the  presence  of  otherwise  invisible  air  currents,  so  too  does  the  
dynamic  interaction  of  matter  and  consciousness  reveal  the  otherwise  invisible  Life-­‐
force.    Matter  and  consciousness  are  mutually  supportive  of  one  another:  matter  can  
only  know  itself  through  its  interaction  with  consciousness  and,  conversely,  
consciousness  can  only  know  itself  through  interaction  with  matter.    Just  as  a  mirror  
reveals  the  presence  of  an  object  and,  conversely,  the  reflection  of  the  object  reveals  
the  existence  of  the  mirror,  so  too  do  matter  and  consciousness  mutually  illuminate  one  
another.      
 
•   Without  matter  to  push  against,  consciousness—or  the  self-­‐referencing  
potentials  of  life—would  remain  undisturbed  and  unknown.    Matter  makes  life  
specific,  tangible  and  undeniable.    The  subtle  feedback  or  mirroring  qualities  of  
consciousness  are  anchored  by  the  concrete  reality  of  the  material  dimensions.    
 
•   Without  the  self-­‐referencing  capacity  that  consciousness  provides,  matter  
would  remain  undisturbed  and  unknown.    Without  an  observing  potential,  
matter  would  never  know  of  its  own  existence  and  would  not  have  the  ability  
to  pull  itself  together  into  an  organic  system  and  evolve  to  higher  levels  of  self-­‐
referencing  and  self-­‐organizing  functioning.  
 
  A  meaningful  reality  requires  the  interaction  of  both  matter  and  consciousness.    
Matter  is  blind  in  its  evolutionary  ascent  without  the  knowingness  that  consciousness  
provides,  and  consciousness  is  blind  in  its  evolutionary  ascent  without  the  grounding  
and  aligning  potential  that  matter  provides.    Evolution,  then,  is  a  mutually  supportive  
process  whereby  matter  seeks  reflective  affirmation  of  its  presence  through  
consciousness  as  much  as  consciousness  seeks  clarity  of  expression  through  matter.    The  
goal  of  evolution  is  not  to  move  from  matter  to  consciousness;  rather,  it  is  to  integrate  
matter  and  consciousness  into  a  co-­‐evolving  spiral  of  mutual  refinement  that  ultimately  
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reveals  the  generative  ground  from  which  both  continuously  arise.    Matter  and  
consciousness  support  one  another  in  their  mutual  ascent  towards  an  ever  wider  scope  
of  integration  and  differentiation,  unity  and  diversity.    At  very  high  levels  of  mutual  
refinement  and  dynamic  alignment,  the  deep  Meta-­‐universe  from  which  both  arise  
continuously  is  directly  evident  as  non-­‐dual  or  unified  awareness.  
  This  cosmology  is  congruent  with  philosopher  Georg  Hegel’s  view  of  a  dialectical  
process  that  culminates  in  revealing  our  transcendent  nature.    In  terms  of  dimensional  
cosmology,  the  dialectical  interplay  of  culture  and  consciousness  or  of  matter  and  spirit  
ultimately  reveals  the  generative  ground  from  which  both  arise.    Hegel’s  view  is  
summarized  succinctly  by  Richard  Tarnas:  “God  is  not  beyond  the  creation,  but  is  the  
creative  process  itself.    Man  is  not  the  passive  spectator  of  reality,  but  its  active  co-­‐
creator...    The  universal  essence,  which  constitutes  and  permeates  all  things,  finally  
comes  to  consciousness  in  man.    At  the  climax  of  his  long  evolution,  man  achieves  
possession  of  absolute  truth  and  recognizes  his  unity  with  the  divine  spirit  that  has  
realized  itself  within  him.”279  
 

The  Meta-­‐Universe  
  When  our  cosmos  blossomed  into  existence  from  an  area  smaller  than  a  
pinpoint  some  15  billion  years  ago,  it  emerged  out  of  an  infinitely  deep  domain  of  vast  
intelligence,  creativity  and  energy.    Modern  physics  is  beginning  to  acknowledge  and  
speculate  on  the  nature  of  this  generative  ground.    For  example,  the  distinguished  
Princeton  astrophysicist,  John  Wheeler,  views  space  as  the  basic  building  block  of  
reality.    He  states  that  material  things  are  “composed  of  nothing  but  space  itself,  pure  
fluctuating  space...that  is  changing,  dynamic,  altering  from  moment  to  moment.”    He  
goes  on  to  say  that,  “Of  course,  what  space  itself  is  built  out  of  is  the  next  
question....The  stage  on  which  the  space  of  the  universe  moves  is  certainly  not  space  
itself....The  arena  must  be  larger:  superspace...  [which  is  endowed]  with  an  infinite  
number  of  dimensions.”  280      It  is  this  underlying  and  transcending  “superspace”  that  is  
termed  here  the  Meta-­‐universe.      
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  The  idea  of  a  “superspace”  has  ancient  roots.    More  than  twenty  centuries  ago,  
the  Taoist  sage,  Lao-­‐tzu  described  it  this  way:  
 
There  was  something  formless  and  perfect  
before  the  universe  was  born.  
It  is  serene.    Empty.  
Solitary.    Unchanging.  
Infinite.    Eternally  present.  
It  is  the  mother  of  the  universe.  
For  lack  of  a  better  name,  
I  call  it  the  Tao.281    
 
   The  perennial  wisdom  agrees  that  the  nature  of  the  Meta-­‐universe  is  ultimately  
beyond  description.    Still,  attempts  have  been  made  to  describe  it’s  paradoxical  
qualities;  for  example,  by  Zen  Buddhists  who  have  penetrated  deeply  into  the  nature  of  
reality  through  meditation.282    Interestingly,  their  descriptions  are  surprisingly  similar  to  
those  of  Western  physicists  of  the  late  1800s,  who  were  trying  to  articulate  the  nature  
of  what  then  was  called  the  “ether”  or  the  underlying  structure  of  material  reality.  
Although  the  famous  Michelson  and  Morley  experiment  in  physics  disproved  the  
existence  of  ether  as  a  static  and  external  ocean  that  matter  could  push  against,  there  
are  a  number  of  attributes  of  ether  theory  that  are  highly  dynamic  and  strikingly  similar  
to  the  all  sustaining  “void”  of  Eastern  spiritual  traditions.283    
  Here  are  some  of  the  key  properties  of  the  Meta-­‐universe  that  seem  congruent  
with  insights  from  both  East  and  West:      
 
•   Profoundly  Creative—Because  we  humans  do  not  know  how  to  create  a  single  
flower  or  cubic  inch  of  space,  the  creative  power  of  the  Meta-­‐universe  is  of  
incomprehensible  magnitude,  depth  and  subtlety.      
 
•   Everywhere  Present—The  clear,  unbounded  Life-­‐energy  of  the  Meta-­‐universe  is  
present  in  all  material  forms  as  well  as  in  seemingly  empty  space.      
 
•   Non-­‐obstructing—The  Meta-­‐universe  is  a  living  presence  out  of  which  all  things  
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emerge,  but  it  is  not  itself  filled  in  or  limited  by  these  things.    Not  only  are  all  
things  in  it;  it  is  in  all  things—mutual  interpenetration  without  obstruction.      
 
•   Utterly  Impartial—The  Meta-­‐universe  allows  all  things  to  be  exactly  what  they  
are  without  interference.  We  have  immense  freedom  to  create  either  suffering  
or  joy.  
 
•   Ultimately  Ungraspable—The  power  and  reach  of  the  Meta-­‐universe  is  so  vast  
that  it  cannot  be  grasped  by  our  thinking  mind.    As  the  source  of  our  physical  
existence,  thinking  process,  and  reflective  consciousness,  it  is  beyond  the  ability  
of  our  limited  faculties  to  capture  and  concretize  conceptually.  
 
•   Beyond  Form—The  Meta-­‐universe  is  the  source  of  both  material  forms  and  the  
space-­‐time  within  which  those  forms  present  themselves.    Being  the  source  and  
the  context  of  all  forms,  the  Meta-­‐universe  transcends  the  world  of  form.      
 
•   No  Objective  Measurement—It  is  impossible  to  prove  the  existence  of  the  
Meta-­‐universe  through  objective  measurements  since  it  is  the  source  and  basis  
for  all  objective  phenomena.    The  Meta-­‐universe  is  of  infinite  dimensionality,  so  
we  cannot  limit  it  to  the  few  dimensions  that  we  inhabit  so  as  to  measure  “it.”    
 
•   More  Than  Nothing—Because  the  Meta-­‐universe  can  generate  an  entire  cosmos  
with  billions  of  galactic  systems  and  life-­‐forms,  it  is  much  more  than  simple  
emptiness.      
 
•   Immanent—The  Meta-­‐universe  is  not  separate  from  us,  nor  is  it  other  than  the  
“ordinary”  reality  continuously  present  around  us.      
 
•   Transcendent—The  Meta-­‐universe  is  of  infinite  dimensionality  and  reaches  far  
beyond  our  dimensionally  bounded  cosmos.      
 
•   Compassionate—To  experience  the  subtle  and  refined  resonance  of  the  Meta-­‐
universe  is  to  experience  unconditional  love.    Boundless  compassion  is  the  
essence  of  the  underlying  generative  ground.      
 
  These  extraordinary  characteristics  of  the  Meta-­‐universe  are  useful  in  awakening  
our  everyday  thinking  to  the  profound  miracle  in  which  we  are  immersed.    Here  is  an  
evocative  portion  of  what  the  Chinese  monk,  Shao,  said  in  describing,  what  is  called  
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here,  the  Meta-­‐universe:284    

   
  If  you  say  that  It  is  small,  
  It  embraces  the  entire  universe.  
  If  you  say  It  is  large,  
  It  penetrates  the  realm  of  atoms.  
  Call  It  one;  It  bears  all  qualities.  
  Call  It  many;  Its  body  is  all  void.  
  Say  It  arises;  It  has  no  body  and  no  form.  
  Say  It  becomes  extinct;  It  glows  for  all  eternity.  
  Call  It  empty;  It  has  thousands  of  functions.  
  Say  It  exists;  It  is  silent  without  shape.  
  Call  It  high;  It  is  level  without  form.  
  Call  It  low;  nothing  is  equal  to  It.    
 
  Because  we  tend  to  concentrate  our  attention  on  a  very  thin  slice  of  social  and  
physical  reality,  it  is  helpful  to  contemplate  the  ungraspable  and  ineffable  nature  of  the  
Life-­‐force  that  infuses  every  aspect  of  our  existence  as  a  way  of  expanding  our  
appreciation  of  the  extraordinary  reality  that  is  our  home.    In  philosophical  terms,  this  is  
a  panentheistic  view  which  holds  that  the  being  of  “God”  includes  and  penetrates  the  
whole  universe  but  also  transcends  or  extends  beyond  our  cosmos.285    
 
Discovering  our  Trans-­‐Material  Nature    
  Our  existence  at  each  moment  is  a  priceless  gift  spontaneously  given  by  the  
Meta-­‐universe.    Because  we  are  continuously  created  from  the  unbounded  Life-­‐energy  
of  the  Meta-­‐universe,  our  essence  is  invisible—or  more  accurately,  “trans-­‐material”—
not  because  we  are  of  lesser  significance  than  matter,  but  because  we  are  much  
greater.    To  repeat  an  important  analogy,  just  as  clear  light  can  be  divided  with  a  prism  
to  reveal  a  rainbow  of  colors  hidden  within  its  transparent  nature,  so  too  can  the  clear  
light  of  the  Meta-­‐universe  be  divided  into  matter  and  consciousness  so  as  to  produce  
the  rainbow  of  material  expressions  that  is  our  manifest  existence.        
  Because  our  core  nature  is  infinite  and  eternal,  it  is  very  helpful  to  have  a  limited  
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and  firm  environment  to  push  up  against  to  obtain  impartial  and  clarifying  feedback  
about  who,  and  what,  we  are.    Our  hard  material  world  is  an  unfailing  friend  in  our  
process  of  self-­‐discovery.    Imagine  living  in  a  world  where  the  ground  and  all  footing  was  
made  of  sand.    Because  of  its  soft  and  yielding  qualities,  walking  on  sand  requires  
enormous  energy.    Instead  of  pushing  against  firm  ground  to  jump  and  run,  we  would  
have  to  forever  slog  along,  always  slipping  back  and  digging  in,  moving  unproductively,  
and  tiring  easily.    In  a  similar  way,  if  all  of  life’s  surfaces  were  equally  soft  and  yielding,  
then  existence  would  be  an  endlessly  frustrating,  ambiguous  and  toilsome  struggle.    We  
should  celebrate  the  fact  that  we  can  stand  on  hard  ground  and  interact  with  the  firm  
surfaces  of  life—emotional  and  mental  as  well  as  physical.    The  “solidness”  and  hard  
edges  of  life  provide  us  with  clarity  of  interaction  and  learning.    Assuming  we  are  here  to  
discover  our  basic  nature  as  beings  made  from  eternity,  the  material  world  provides  an  
efficient  and  liberating  environment  where  we  can  develop  our  ability  to  “know  that  we  
know.”          
  The  Meta-­‐universe  seems  fiercely  dedicated  to  the  evolution  of  self-­‐referencing  
beings  that  achieve  self-­‐knowing  in  their  own  time  and  manner.    Because  we  must  each  
live  with  ourselves  for  eternity,  it  is  important  that  we  discover  and  develop  ourselves  in  
true  freedom.    If  we  did  not  freely  choose  our  own  character  and  resonant  identity,  we  
could  forever  be  at  war  with  the  being  that  “God”  chose  for  us.      
  From  a  dimensional  perspective,  there  is  a  natural  sequence  to  the  awakening  of  
our  core  identity.    Initially,  we  tend  to  identify  ourselves  with  the  physical  and  feeling  
aspects  of  existence.    When  we  deplete  the  learning  potentials  of  these,  we  move  on  to  
mentally-­‐oriented  foundations  for  identity  formation.    In  experiencing  the  limitations  of  
an  intellectual  basis  for  our  identity,  we  then  move  on  to  discover  our  capacity  for  
reflective  consciousness.      We  then  identify  ourselves  with  both  the  material  and  the  
consciousness  aspects  of  existence,  and  our  sense  of  self  evolves  into  the  back  and  forth  
dynamic  between  observer  and  observed,  knower  and  known.    As  we  come  to  the  
precise  center  of  the  polarity  of  knower  and  known,  we  discover  that,  ultimately,  we  are  
created  from  the  Meta-­‐universe  whose  nature  is  infinite  and  eternal.        
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Living  in  Eternity  

  Everything  we  do  is  unavoidably  woven  into  the  living  field  of  resonance  that  is  
the  Meta-­‐universe.    We  each  learn  and  act  on  behalf  of  the  totality.    What  we  learn  is  
kneaded  into  the  fabric  of  the  infinite  ecology  of  the  Meta-­‐universe.    In  the  long  sweep  
of  cosmic  evolution,  everything  material  will  eventually  vanish.    However,  the  intensity,  
character  and  texture  of  knowing-­‐resonance  that  we  experience  and  nurture  within  
ourselves  feeds  into  the  deep  fabric  of  the  Meta-­‐universe,  and  thereby  lives  in  eternity.    
  Because  life  can  only  proceed  from  life,  the  Life-­‐force  that  animates  us  has  
existed  since  the  beginning  of  all  beginnings.    This  Life-­‐force  is  inconceivably  ancient—
we  have  existed  forever  as  a  spark  of  life  handed  down  through  an  unbroken  and  
unutterably  vast  chain  of  evolution.    Although  material  forms  pass  through  their  cycles  
of  growth  and  decay,  the  animating  Life-­‐energy  is  passed  along,  without  any  break,  from  
its  unimaginably  remote  beginnings.    Because  we  are,  moment-­‐by-­‐moment,  generated  
by  the  Life-­‐force  of  the  Meta-­‐universe,  our  core  nature  is  already  eternal.    It  is  our  
responsibility  to  nurture  the  glowing  ember  of  life  inside  of  each  of  us  into  a  flame  of  
loving  and  creative  expression.    Eternal  life  cannot  be  earned—it  is  a  priceless  gift  that  
has  already  been  given.    Our  work  is  to  grow  in  recognition  of  who  and  what  we  already  
are.  
  When  we  achieve  self-­‐referencing  knowing—when  we  “know  that  we  know”  —
we  no  longer  require  the  density  of  our  material  world  and  physical  body  to  center  our  
knowing  process  upon  itself.    The  body  that  provided  the  aligning  structure  to  awaken  
self-­‐referencing  knowing  can  then  die,  and  “we”  will  then  endure  as  a  subtle  body  of  
light  and  knowing.    Because  physicists  describe  matter  as  frozen  light,  it  means  that  we  
are  already  living  in  a  world,  and  a  body,  of  light.    Research  into  near-­‐death  experiences  
and  the  perennial  wisdom  both  affirm  that  there  are  many  domains  or  “ecologies  of  
light”  beyond  our  material  cosmos  where  we  can  live.286      As  Jesus  said,  “There  are  many  
rooms  in  my  Father’s  house.”    In  the  infinite  ecologies  of  the  Meta-­‐universe,  there  
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presumably  exist  many  living  and  learning  environments  with  a  vastly  enlarged  
opportunity  for  creative  expression  and  loving  communion.    When  we  “know  that  we  
know,”  we  are  connecting  with  the  deathless  part  of  ourselves.    When  we  acquire  the  
capacity  for  double-­‐wisdom,  we  can  move  into  these  more  subtle  realms  of  being  and  
becoming,  confident  that  we  exist  as  a  thread  of  knowing  that  provides  the  core  
resonance  around  which  an  appropriate  body  of  light  will  coalesce.    
  If  we  don’t  recognize  ourselves  as  knowing-­‐resonance  while  we  live  in  a  physical  
body,  we  can  overlook  ourselves  when  our  body  dies.    In  the  words  of  Jesus,  “Take  heed  
of  the  Living  One  while  you  are  alive,  lest  you  die  and  seek  to  see  Him  and  be  unable  to  
do  so.”287    In  Buddhist  terms,  it  is  precisely  while  we  have  a  physical  body  that  we  need  
to  recognize  our  core  nature  as  pure  awareness  or  as  the  “ground  luminosity.”288    In  the  
words  of  the  15th  century  Hindu  and  Sufi  master,  Kabir:    
 
  The  idea  that  the  soul  will  join  with  the  ecstatic  
  just  because  the  body  is  rotten—  
  that  is  all  fantasy.  
  What  is  found  now  is  found  then.  
  If  you  find  nothing  now,  
  you  will  simply  end  up  with  an  apartment  in  the  City  of  Death.  
  If  you  make  love  with  the  divine  now,    
  in  the  next  life  you  will  have  the  face  of  satisfied  desire.289    
 
  If  we  don’t  use  this  physical  body  and  world  to  discover  our  true  nature,  when  
we  die  we  may  look  out  from  our  subtle  body  of  light  and  awareness  and  not  recognize  
our  refined  existence.    Being  made  from  eternity,  we  already  embody  the  gift  of  
immortality—but  we  may  not  recognize  the  subtle,  resonant  self  that  is  our  trans-­‐
material  nature.    But,  if  we  use  our  time  in  this  precious  body  and  physical  world  to  
come  to  self-­‐referencing  awareness,  we  will  have  anchored  the  gift  of  eternity  in  direct  
knowing.    We  can  then  evolve  through  the  ever  more  subtle  realms  of  the  Meta-­‐
universe  without  forgetting  ourselves.290        
  The  perennial  wisdom—the  deepest  human  insights  across  the  generations  and  
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across  cultures—declares  that  we  are  here  to  learn  of  our  unity  with  all  of  creation  and  
of  the  profound  aliveness  at  the  core  of  our  being.    We  are  free  beings  whose  purpose  is  
to  appreciate  the  miracle  of  life  that  has  been  spontaneously  given  and  contribute  to  its  
creative  expression.    The  Meta-­‐universe  does  not  subject  beings  to  great  suffering  to  
become  self-­‐aware  only  to  have  them  dissolve  into  the  great  ALL.    Instead,  we  are  
learning  the  skills  needed  to  function  as  ethical,  self-­‐referencing  beings  in  the  infinite  
ecologies  beyond  our  material  cosmos.      
  Having  used  the  material  world  to  encounter  and  develop  ourselves,  our  bodies  
(as  aligning  structures  of  matter  and  consciousness)  can  then  die,  enabling  our  non-­‐
material  essence  (as  a  body  of  light)  to  move  into  ever  more  subtle  ecologies  beyond  
this  realm.    In  his  encyclopedic  book  on  the  further  evolution  of  human  potentials,  The  
Future  of  the  Body,  Michael  Murphy  discusses  the  possible  nature  of  postmortem  
existence.    He  says  that  if  there  is  indeed  an  afterlife,  it  must  involve  more  than  
undifferentiated  awareness  and  that  a  wide  range  of  capacities  might  continue  to  
develop  after  bodily  death.    Among  the  “metanormal”  perceptual  abilities  he  describes  
that  do  not  appear  to  depend  upon  our  physical  existence  and  therefore  could  continue  
to  function  in  postmortem  realms,  are:  non-­‐physical  tactile  impressions  and  hearing;  
direct  awareness  of  luminous  beings;  the  telepathic  exchange  of  emotions,  thoughts,  
and  intentions;  the  telepathic  transmission  of  spiritual  illumination;  and  communal  
ecstasies.291    These  few  examples  suggest  a  post-­‐bodily  existence  of  great  richness  of  
experience  and  evolutionary  potential.    Importantly,  Murphy  suggests  that  by  cultivating  
these  metanormal  capacities  in  this  life,  we  may  be  able  to  enrich  and  enhance  our  
spirit-­‐body’s  postmortem  journey.    Once  grounded  in  the  double  wisdom  of  
unconditional  awareness,  we  can  be  self-­‐knowing  in  these  subtle  ecologies  without  fear  
of  forgetting  ourselves.    There  is  no  more  elevated  task  than  to  learn,  of  our  own  free  
will,  to  live  in  eternity.  
  Assuming  we  live  in  an  ecology  of  life  of  infinite  variety  and  depth,  then  our  time  
in  these  physical  bodies  and  this  material  world  is  brief  and  precious.    Regardless  of  the  
specific  potentials  that  might  emerge  in  the  further  realms  of  existence,  it  is  useful  to  
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remember  what  we  might  miss  if  we  never  again  encounter  the  precise  and  vivid  
experiences  offered  by  this  world:  the  rough  bark  of  a  tree;  the  squeaking  aliveness  of  
grass  directly  underfoot;  music  made  from  instruments  of  wood  and  metal;  ocean  
waves  crashing  against  rocks;  the  taste  and  crunchy  texture  of  an  apple;  the  unwavering  
presence  of  a  mountain  landscape;  the  smell  of  freshly  mown  hay;  and  the  sensitivity  
and  yielding  softness  of  human  bodies.    A  countless  number  of  ordinary  miracles  
surround  us.    Often,  we  take  these  miracles  of  clarity,  texture,  taste,  smell  and  sound  for  
granted.    Before  seeking  dimensional  realms  of  greater  ephemerality,  freedom  and  
subtlety,  it  seems  wise  to  appreciate,  and  learn  from,  the  unambiguous  qualities  of  the  
domain  within  which  we  now  exist.  
 

Summary  
  When  the  knower  and  known  become  a  unified  flow  of  direct  awareness,  we  are  
identical  with  the  deep  Meta-­‐universe  from  which  we  continuously  arise.    Upon  realizing  
that  we  and  the  cosmos  arise  together  from  the  Meta-­‐universe,  we  know  that  we  share  
the  same  “body.”    We  become  more  aware  of  life  as  an  ever-­‐renewing  wonder.    No  
longer  seeking  escape  from  or  domination  over  the  world,  but  more  conscious  and  
direct  participation  within  it,  we  move  in  gratitude  through  the  vast  body  of  Being  that  
is  the  Meta-­‐universe.            
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
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Chapter  13  

SACRED  GEOMETRY  AND  

STAGES  OF  GROWTH  
 
  Imagine  that  you  are  well  known  for  your  skilled  and  creative  designs.    The  Meta-­‐
universe  comes  to  you  and  says,  “I  really  like  your  work.    Would  you  like  to  bid  on  a  
project  to  build  a  cosmos?    Think  about  it.”    Then  the  Meta-­‐universe  hands  you  these  
ten  construction  and  design  requirements:  
 
•  First,  you  must  create  a  transparent  field  within  which  to  place  the  cosmos;  fill  
it  with  an  invisible  structure  or  “geometry”  that  will  keep  everything  in  its  
proper  place  and  proper  time  over  billions  of  years.    
 
•  Second,  you  are  required  to  construct  the  cosmos  from  nothing  visible.    You  
must  build  everything  from  what  seems  to  be  nothing  as  a  testament  to  the  
miracle  that  anything  exists  at  all.  
 
•  Third,  instead  of  allowing  the  cosmos  to  emerge  fully  developed,  you  must  
engineer  it  so  that  it  inflates  from  the  size  of  a  pinpoint  and  then  grows  quickly  
to  contain  a  trillion  galaxies,  each  with  a  billion  or  more  stars.  
 
•  Fourth,  design  a  field  called  “space-­‐time”  within  which  to  place  these  vast,  
swirling  clouds  of  billions  of  galaxies  with  their  billions  of  stars  and  planets.    
Simple  emptiness  or  the  absence  of  matter  won’t  do;  the  invisible  fabric  of  
space-­‐time  must  be  an  “opening  process”  that  continually  provides  the  space  
and  time  within  which  matter  can  present  itself.    Guarantee  the  immense  field  
of  space-­‐time  will  work  flawlessly  for  billions  of  years.  
 
•  Fifth,  design  “matter.”    Take  clouds  of  energy  that  are  almost  entirely  empty  
space  and  have  them  flow  through  and  around  themselves  in  order  to  become  
stable,  self-­‐referencing  forms.    Despite  their  totally  dynamic  nature,  give  these  
whirlwinds  of  energy  the  appearance  and  feel  of  “solid”  matter.      
 
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•  Sixth,  design  a  cosmic  information  system  that  connects  across  trillions  of  
miles,  instantaneously.    Anything  that  happens  anywhere  must  be  knowable  
everywhere,  instantly.  
 
•  Seventh,  design  “life.”    Once  you  set  it  free,  ensure  that  life-­‐forms  will  tend  to  
evolve  towards  ever  more  complex  and  conscious  entities.  
 
•  Eighth,  design  planetary-­‐scale  ecosystems  with  billions  of  unique  living  
organisms  that  can  feed  off  each  other  in  a  process  that  can  be  sustained  for  
billions  of  years.  
 
•  Ninth,  design  the  cosmos  with  a  pervasive  capacity  for  reflective  consciousness  
that  ultimately  enables  organisms  to  achieve  full  self-­‐referencing  knowing.    
Connect  this  observing  capacity  directly  into  the  functioning  of  the  Meta-­‐
universe  so  that  it  produces  a  capacity  for  instantaneous,  translocal  knowing.  
 
•  Tenth,  design  a  process  that  enables  the  cosmos  to  be  recreated  in  its  entirety,  
at  every  single  moment.    This  flow  of  continuous  creation  must  include  the  
fabric  of  space-­‐time,  the  capacity  for  reflective  consciousness,  and  all  forms  of  
matter.      
 
  Contemplating  these  design  requirements  deepens  our  appreciation  of  the  
extraordinary  power,  wisdom,  and  subtlety  embodied  in  our  cosmos.    We  live  in  the  
midst  of  great  and  purposeful  wonder.    Our  cosmos  is  a  supremely  elegant  master-­‐work  
of  continuous  creation.    In  recognizing  the  magnificent  feat  of  design  and  engineering  
represented  by  our  cosmos,  we  are  invited  to  look  at  the  world  around  us  with  new  
wonder,  awe,  and  appreciation.        
 
 
Sacred  Geometry  
  The  theory  of  dimensional  evolution  assumes  that  the  universe  is  a  living  system  
held  together  through  the  cohering  influence  of  a  sacred  geometry  that  pervades  the  
cosmos  and  provides  the  organizing  framework  for  the  orderly  manifestation  of  our  
“material”  universe,  as  well  as  the  organizing  context  through  which  life  evolves.    We  
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live  in  a  highly  efficient  universe  of  elegant  design  that  performs  multiple  functions  
simultaneously:    The  same  geometry  that  structures  physical  reality  also  provides  a  
series  of  perceptual  environments  that  people  and  civilizations  move  through  in  a  
systematic  learning  process.    Each  dimension  represents  a  unique  perceptual  space  and  
learning  context  for  personal  and  social  evolution.    Each  new  dimension  awakens  a  new  
set  of  perceptions  and  potentials  that  we  are  free  to  recognize  and  actualize  or  not.    By  
understanding  the  dimensional  structure  within  which  we  are  immersed,  we  can  
understand  more  clearly  the  direction  and  pattern  of  personal  and  social  evolution.  
  Although  modern  science  generally  assumes  there  is  no  deeper  significance  to  
the  dimensional  geometry  of  the  universe  beyond  its  physical  aspects,  a  contrasting  
view  has  ancient  roots  in  human  thought.    In  roughly  500  b.c.  the  Greek  philosopher  and  
mystic  Pythagoras  taught  that  the  discoverable  mathematical  patterns  in  the  universe  
were  expressions  of  divine  intelligence  and  intention.292      He  wrote  that  we  are  infused  
with,  and  surrounded  by,  an  organizing  intelligence  that  is  expressed  most  purely  in  
mathematical  regularities  and  musical  harmonies.    He  felt  that  by  going  to  the  center  of  
our  experience,  we  could  know  the  organizing  patterns  and  principles  that  permeate  the  
universe.    Pythagoras  was  apparently  the  first  person  to  use  the  word  cosmos  to  refer  to  
the  universe  as  a  place  of  “harmonious  and  beautiful  order.”293      Plato  (who  taught  
roughly  a  century  later)  was  familiar  with  Pythagorean  thought,  and  he  too  viewed  the  
universe  as  being  organized  in  accordance  with  transcendent  “ideas”  and  mathematical  
principles:    Above  the  door  to  his  Academy  he  placed  the  words  “Let  no  one  
unacquainted  with  geometry  enter  here.”      
  In  many  other  early  civilizations  around  the  world  there  was  assumed  to  be  an  
intimate  connection  between  everyday  life  and  the  mathematical  orderliness  of  the  
universe.    Therefore  the  view  that  a  highly  purposeful  field  of  geometry  infuses  the  
universe  and  structures  our  perceptions  is  an  idea  with  ancient  roots  in  human  
intuitions  regarding  the  divine  underpinnings  of  reality.      
 
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Deep  Symmetry  
  Although  ”dimensions”  are  generally  viewed  as  referring  to  spatial  extension  (or  
the  height,  breadth,  and  depth  of  the  world  around  us),  dimensionality  includes  
additional  properties.    For  example,  relativity  theory  has  shown  that  there  are  unique  
time  properties  associated  with  each  spatial  point,  so  dimensions  must  contain  
temporal  as  well  as  spatial  properties.    Furthermore,  when  we  go  beyond  purely  
physical  systems  to  living  systems  that  have  a  capacity  for  reflective  consciousness,  
then,  added  dimensions  are  required.    Psychic  research  indicates  that  consciousness  is  
not  localized  within  the  brain  but  can  extend  beyond  the  body.294    Therefore,  additional  
dimensions  beyond  the  four  of  relativity  theory  are  required  to  provide  the  contexts  
within  which  the  translocal  properties  of  consciousness  can  exist  and  function.      
  I  assume  the  reflective  properties  of  consciousness  both  transcend  and  mirror  
the  expressive  properties  of  matter;  in  other  words,  the  fact,  depth,  and  dynamism  of  
the  material  realm  are  mirrored  by  a  corresponding  fact,  depth  and  dynamism  of  
consciousness.    Because  these  two  aspects  are  symmetrical,  a  conscious  organism  has  
the  capacity  to  become  fully  self-­‐referencing  and  self-­‐organizing.    If  the  consciousness  
dimensions  did  not  precisely  mirror  the  material  dimensions,  then  the  overall  system  of  
matter-­‐consciousness  would  not  be  able  to  know  itself  reliably  and  would  not  be  able  to  
pull  itself  together  into  a  coherent,  self-­‐referencing,  and  self-­‐organizing  system  with  the  
ability  to  sustain  itself—presumably  a  primary  evolutionary  drive.      
  Because  one  dimension  represents  the  collapse  of  the  material  and  
consciousness  aspects  of  reality  into  a  point,  at  least  two  dimensions  are  required  for  
matter  to  “open  up”  and  become  explicitly  manifest.    Therefore  this  typology  begins  
with  the  second  dimension  as  the  first  “manifest”  dimension.    Given  symmetry  
principles,  three  consciousness  dimensions  are  assumed  to  reflect  and  connect  the  
activity  occurring  in  the  three  material  dimensions,  and  together  they  work  to  create  
dynamically  stable,  self-­‐referencing  systems.    Given  a  coequal  and  symmetrical  
relationship  between  matter  and  consciousness,  a  “division  of  labor”  can  be  inferred  
between  their  respective  functions  (see  Figure  21).  
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Figure  21:  Symmetry  of  Matter  and  Consciousness  

 
 
  The  geometry  infusing  the  universe  appears  to  be  neither  arbitrary  nor  
superficial—it  is  a  sacred  geometry  of  exquisite  subtlety,  depth  of  design,  and  elegance  
of  purpose.    A  dimensional  geometry  is  extraordinarily  democratic.    It  has  no  political  or  
religious  bias,  it  overtly  favors  no  one,  and  it  is  easily  disclosed  to  all.    Geometry  is  
impartial:  it  is  not  swayed  by  whether  a  person  is  a  Buddhist,  Christian,  or  Muslim.    
Dimensionality  simply  creates  a  spatial,  temporal,  and  reflective  structure  and  allows  
individuals  and  civilizations  to  fill  it  out  as  they  choose.      
 
Dimensional  Evolution  
  The  theory  of  dimensional  evolution  suggests  that  our  primary  task  is  to  move  
through  a  series  of  expanding  dimensional  contexts  that  enable  us  to  develop  our  
capacity  for  self-­‐referencing  knowing,  both  personal  and  social.    Each  dimensional  stage    
represents  an  integrated  pattern  of  technology,  culture,  politics,  perceptions,  
motivations  and  values.    All  the  major  elements  of  each  stage  tend  to  be  internally  
consistent  with  and  supportive  of  one  another.    A  dimensional  stage  can  endure  as  a  
stable,  self-­‐reinforcing  system  for  hundreds  or  thousands  of  years  before  its  success  
creates  conditions  of  crisis  that  push  both  individuals  and  societies  to  a  more  inclusive  
level  of  perception  and  action.    Problems  arise  at  one  dimensional  level  that  can  only  be  
resolved  at  a  more  comprehensive  level,  and  there  is  a  strong  push  to  shift  upwards  to  a  
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more  embracing  perceptual  paradigm.    A  culture  is  not  allowed  rest  with  the  completion  
of  a  given  stage  of  dimensional  development;  it  is  compelled  by  the  crises  generated  by  
its  success  to  move  to  the  next  dimensional  stage  in  order  to  cope  with  its  untenable  
predicament.    A  higher  dimensional  context  then  provides  a  new  way  of  seeing  how  to  
cope  with  the  stresses  created  by  the  exhaustion  of  the  previous  dimension’s  
evolutionary  potentials.    Evolution  is  a  self-­‐driving  process.        
  There  is  an  intimate  connection  between  the  personal  and  the  social  aspects  of  
dimensional  evolution.    As  individuals  we  are  seldom  encouraged  to  advance  in  our  
levels  of  dimensional  understanding  beyond  that  which  is  the  norm  for  the  civilization  in  
which  we  live.    For  example,  in  an  agrarian  civilization  a  three-­‐dimensional  perceptual  
outlook  would  be  required,  but  no  more  would  be  expected  and  a  majority  of  persons  
would  easily  settle  into  this  dimensional  norm.    When  a  more  inclusive  perceptual  
context  becomes  the  common  sense  of  the  culture,  then  a  majority  of  persons  will  work  
diligently  to  become  educated  into  the  perceptions  and  assumptions  common  to  this  
new  frame  of  reference.    As  civilizations  advance  dimensionally,  they  carry  entire  
populations  along  in  a  massive  learning  process.    The  civilizational  context  invisibly  and  
naturally  draws  out  learning  that  individuals  may  not  have  been  motivated  to  
accomplish  on  their  own.    
  Evolution  moves  through  a  nested  set  of  dimensions  that  are  mutually  
interpenetrating  yet  noninterfering  with  one  another.    Each  smaller  or  interior  
dimension  fits  precisely  within  more  embracing  dimensions.    The  interrelation  of  
dimensions  is  analogous  to  a  flat,  two-­‐dimensional  circle  nested  exactly  within  the  
center  of  a  three-­‐dimensional  sphere,  giving  the  circle  total  freedom  to  move  within  the  
context  of  the  sphere.    Similarly,  each  dimension  provides  freedom  of  expression  for  the  
unique  qualities  and  potentials  of  other  dimensions.      
  The  limited  scope  of  each  dimension  or  perceptual  paradigm  produces  graspable  
chunks  of  experience  and  learning.    We  are  not  given  everything  to  learn  all  at  once,  but  
can  instead  acquire  knowledge  in  useful  stages  and  in  environments  that  are  
appropriate  to  what  we  can  reasonably  assimilate.    The  Meta-­‐universe  seems  to  have  
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designed  the  series  of  dimensional  stages  in  order  to  create  an  optimal  flow  of  learning  
for  achieving  self-­‐referencing  beings  and  civilizations.    By  growing  into  each  new  
dimensional  context,  we  come  to  an  increasingly  more  inclusive  sense  of  ourselves  and  
reality.    As  each  dimensional  stage  builds  upon  and  internalizes  the  learning  of  the  
preceding  stage,  it  creates  an  ever  more  integrated  system  in  which  a  person  or  society  
is  able  to  function  ever  more  fully  in  a  self-­‐determining  and  self-­‐aware  manner.      
  The  theory  of  dimensional  evolution  can  be  thought  of  as  a  “paradigm  of  
paradigms”  or  as  a  meta-­‐paradigm,  containing  seven  paradigms  of  perception.    Despite  
its  scope,  this  is  not  a  comprehensive  view  of  evolution.      For  example,  this  theory  does  
not  consider  biological  transformations  achieved  through  natural  selection  or  directed  
mutation.  
 
Freedom  to  Evolve  
  The  freedom  to  make  mistakes  and  to  learn  from  our  actions  is  fundamental  to  
dimensional  cosmology.    The  Meta-­‐universe  does  not  interfere  with  our  actions  and  
learning.    We  humans  can  devastate  the  ecology  of  the  planet,  drive  into  extinction  
millions  of  life-­‐forms,  and  doom  a  billion  or  more  humans  to  lives  of  utter  poverty  and  
desperation—and  still  the  Meta-­‐universe  will  not  intrude.    The  fierce  and  
uncompromising  liberty  we  have  to  make  mistakes  demonstrates  how  much  our  actions  
do  in  fact  matter.    With  no  benevolent  deity  to  intervene  and  soften  the  suffering  of  life,  
or  to  reduce  the  destruction  of  the  environment,  or  to  incline  humanity  in  a  more  
altruistic  direction,  we  are  obliged  to  recognize  the  immense  gift  of  freedom  that  is  
given  to  us.        
  It  is  important  that  we  grow  in  freedom.    If  we  did  not  freely  choose  our  unique  
self  and  societal  existence,  then  we  could  forever  be  in  conflict  with  the  Life-­‐force  that  
selected  our  identity  for  us.    As  we  evolve  through  the  infinite  ecologies  of  the  Meta-­‐
universe,  it  is  important  for  us  to  know  that  our  journey  began  in  freedom.    From  our  
first  awakening  as  self-­‐reflective  beings,  it  is  vital  that  we  know  we  have  woven  our  lives  
together  in  a  manner,  and  with  a  character,  that  is  of  our  own  choosing.    
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  Because  we  have  been  given  the  immeasurable  gift  of  an  unformed  life  in  the  
context  of  great  freedom,  it  is  unavoidable  that  hardship  will  result  from  the  
unconscious  desires  and  fears  that  initially  motivate  many  of  our  actions.    Suffering  is  
the  intimate  partner  of  immense  freedom  combined  with  limited  awareness.    Life  is  a  
package  bargain.    If  we  celebrate  our  freedom,  then  we  should  not  curse  the  pain  and  
distress  of  our  world.    We  are  here  to  grow  in  compassion  and  respond  to  that  suffering.    
Reality  is  not  an  illusion  or  a  game.    It  is  a  process  that  grinds  through  living  systems  in  a  
fierce  and  unrelenting  flow  of  learning.  The  undeniable  reality  of  needless  suffering  
teaches  us  compassion  and  responsibility,  awakening  these  qualities  within  free  
individuals.          
  In  describing  the  nature  of  our  freedom,  it  is  important  to  distinguish  between  
the  impartial  universe  described  by  dimensional  evolution  and  the  indifferent  universe  
described  by  contemporary  science:      
 
•  Traditional  scientific  cosmology—Mainstream  science  generally  assumes  that  
our  universe  is  indifferent  to  the  human  agenda.    Fifteen  billion  years  after  its  
apparent  birth,  the  universe  is  now  viewed  as  a  cold  and  violent  place  that  is  
blind  and  deaf  to  subjective  human  existence  and  needs—a  platform  for  our  
physical  existence  and  little  more.    Our  implied  agenda,  then,  is  to  “do  the  best  
we  can”  to  cope  within  a  cosmos  indifferent  to  our  existence  and  evolution.      
 
•  Continuous  creation  cosmology—Where  traditional  science  sees  a  universe  that  
is  indifferent  and  uncaring,  continuous-­‐creation  cosmology  sees  a  universe  that  
is  impartial  and  noninterfering.    Our  universe  is  deeply  caring  but  intent  upon  
giving  us  the  precious  freedom  we  need  to  develop  our  unique  capacity  for  
reflective  self-­‐determination.    The  universe  exemplifies  a  masterful  and  elegant  
design  throughout  that  seems  entirely  intent  on  supporting  our  process  of  
becoming  self-­‐referencing  beings  and  civilizations.  
 
  After  giving  us  the  priceless  gift  of  existence,  the    Meta-­‐universe  demonstrates  
its  great  compassion  by  not  interfering  in  our  choices,  whether  personal  or  planetary.  
 
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Summarizing  the  Theory  of  Dimensional  Evolution  

  Dimensional  evolution  is  not  a  single  theory  but  an  intertwined  pattern  or  
system  of  theories.    Summarized  below  are  a  dozen  elements  that  are  at  the  heart  of  
this  theory:      
 
1.  Meta-­‐universe—Before  the  Big  Bang  that  gave  birth  to  our  cosmos  there  existed  
an  unimaginably  vast,  incomprehensibly  intelligent,  and  infinitely  creative  Life-­‐
force  that  chose  to  bring  our  cosmos  into  manifest  existence.    It  is  the  Meta-­‐
universe  that  created,  and  now  continuously  sustains,  our  cosmos  as  a  unified  
organism.    It  is  quite  conceivable  that  the  Meta-­‐universe  has  created  an  array  of  
cosmic  systems  of  which  ours  may  be  only  one.      
 
2.  Sacred  Geometry—An  invisible  geometry  provides  the  organizing  framework  for  
physical  reality  and  also  forms  a  nested  series  of  perceptual  environments  
through  which  people  and  civilizations  move  in  a  learning  process.    Each  
succeeding  dimension  presents  a  new  perceptual  space  and  learning  context  for  
personal  and  social  development.    Because  we  live  in  and  are  constructed  from  a  
multidimensional  reality,  it  is  natural  that  we  can  experience  directly  many  more  
dimensions  than  we  can  describe  conceptually.  
 
3.  Double-­‐wisdom—Our  highest  potential  as  a  species  is  embodied  in  our  name  
Homo  sapiens  sapiens.    Humans  have  the  potential  for  double-­‐wisdom  or  
“knowing  that  we  know”  (which  is  pure,  self-­‐validating  awareness).    In  systems  
terms,  this  is  the  ability  to  be  fully  self-­‐referencing  and  self-­‐organizing.        
 
4.  Trinity—Reality  is  composed  of  three  aspects:  matter,  consciousness,  and  pure  
awareness.    Matter  and  consciousness  are  coequal  and  always  arise  together  in  a  
way  that  is  mutually  revealing  of  one  another.    At  high  levels  of  mutual  
refinement  the  matter-­‐consciousness  system  reveals  the  Meta-­‐universe  or  the  
generative  ground  of  pure  awareness  from  which  both  arise.    
   
5.  Co-­‐Evolution—Matter  always  arises  with  the  mirroring  potential  of  
consciousness,  and  consciousness  always  arises  with  the  expressive  potential  of  
matter.    Being  coequal,  matter  and  consciousness  naturally  coevolve.    Our  
challenge  is  to  unfold  both  in  concert  with  each  other  and  to  move  through  a  
series  of  perceptual  paradigms  that  develop  our  unique  character  and  ultimately  
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disclose  that  we  are  continuously  created  from  and  therefore  identical  with  the  
Meta-­‐universe.  
 
6.  Ephemeralization—As  evolution  proceeds,  both  the  material  and  the  
nonmaterial  aspects  of  life  grow  in  refinement  and  complexity.    The  material  side  
of  life  becomes  lighter,  more  aesthetic,  more  articulate  and  more  refined,  and  
simultaneously  the  nonmaterial  side  of  life  (the  capacity  for  love,  musical  and  
artistic  expression,  and  so  on)  also  becomes  more  refined,  cultivated  and  
expressive  of  subtlety.    The  progressive  simplification  of  the  material  side  of  life  
enables  societies  to  shift  an  increasing  proportion  of  attention  to  the  non-­‐
material  side  of  life  (the  domain  of  psyche,  culture,  and  spirit).    With  progressive  
ephemeralization,  basic  needs  (such  as  ensuring  security  and  survival)  can  be  
met  with  proportionately  smaller  increments  of  energy  and  resources,  thereby  
freeing  time,  energy,  and  creativity  for  higher  pursuits  (such  as  self-­‐actualization  
and  cultural  advancement).        
 
7.  Symmetry—Given  a  coevolving  reality,  we  should  expect  to  find  an  intimate  
reciprocal  relationship  between  the  material  and  the  consciousness  aspects.    If  
the  consciousness  dimensions  did  not  precisely  mirror  the  material  dimensions,  
then  the  overall  system  of  matter-­‐consciousness  would  not  be  able  to  know  
itself  fully  and  therefore  would  be  unable  to  pull  itself  together  into  a  coherent,  
self-­‐referencing,  and  self-­‐organizing  system.        
 
8.  Continuous  Creation—The  entire  cosmos  is  a  unified  system—a  living  
organism—that  is  being  continuously  re-­‐created  in  its  entirety  by  the  flow-­‐
through  of  an  unimaginable  amount  of  energy  in  a  process  of  extraordinary  
precision,  patience,  and  power.    The  fact  that  anything  exists  at  all  is  an  ongoing  
miracle  of  creation.    Because  all  is  energy  in  motion,  for  the  world  to  appear  
stable  and  solid,  the  completely  flowing  nature  of  the  universe  must  be  
profoundly  orchestrated  and  coordinated.    All  flows  must  comprise  one  grand  
symphony,  a  single  creative  expression—a  uni-­‐verse.      
 
9.  Holographic  Interpenetration—In  a  holographic  cosmos  a  change  anywhere  
results  in  a  change  everywhere.    With  holographic  interpenetration,  all  is  within  
all.    At  each  instant  the  totality  is  fully  present  within  and  expressed  through  
each  part,  and  each  part  is  fully  connected  with  the  whole.    Beyond  the  local  
causality  of  physical  systems,  an  instantaneous,  nonlocal  causality  functions  to  
connect  the  immensely  vast  cosmic  system  into  a  single,  living  organism.      
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10.  Self-­‐Organizing  Systems—The  torus  is  the  simplest  geometry  of  a  self-­‐
referencing  system  and  suggests  how  the  material  and  consciousness  
dimensions  work  together  to  create  a  stable  system  from  flowing  processes.    The  
torus  also  symbolizes  our  paradoxical  nature:  On  the  one  hand,  at  the  center  we  
are  completely  open  to  and  connected  with  the  flow-­‐through  of  infinite  Life-­‐
energy.    On  the  other  hand,  we  are  each  differentiated,  self-­‐referencing  systems  
that  uniquely  reveal  and  express  that  Life-­‐energy.      
 
11.  Radical  Freedom—The  universe  does  not  interfere  with  the  choices  we  make.    
Within  broad  limits  of  human  psychology  and  planetary  ecology,  we  can  evolve  
in  whatever  way,  and  with  whatever  timing,  we  want.    We  learn  through  our  
mistakes,  and  we  are  free  to  make  mistakes  of  planetary  proportions.    Suffering  
is  the  inevitable  result  of  our  great  powers  combined  with  limited  experience  
and  a  still-­‐maturing  consciousness.    We  are  here  to  learn  how  to  live  ethically  in  
the  infinitely  deep  ecology  of  eternity.  
 
12.  Stages  of  Development—Just  as  there  are  stages  in  the  development  of  a  child  
into  adulthood,  so  too  are  there  stages  along  the  way  as  we  progress  toward  our  
maturity  as  a  planetary  civilization:    1)  For  several  million  years  our  humanlike  
ancestors  lived  in  the  twilight  of  awakening.    2)  Then,  roughly  35,000  years  ago,  
we  became  decisively  aware  of  the  fact  of  our  bodily  existence  and,  with  a  
sensing  consciousness,  we  made  a  dramatic  leap  forward  in  our  ability  
consciously  to  appreciate  our  existence  and,  in  turn,  to  develop  advanced  tools,  
artistic  expressions,  trading  networks,  and  so  on.    3)  Roughly  10,000  years  ago  
we  moved  into  the  agrarian  era  and,  with  an  agricultural  surplus  and  a  feeling  
consciousness,  we  eventually  began  to  build  city-­‐state  civilizations.    In  this  era  
we  developed  astronomy,  writing,  the  priesthood,  kings,  warfare,  mathematics,  
and  so  on.    4)  Approximately  300  years  ago  advances  in  science  and  a  thinking  
consciousness  enabled  humanity  to  achieve  unprecedented  understanding  and  
control  of  nature  and  thereby  the  ability  to  build  urban-­‐industrial  civilizations  
that  are  currently  devastating  the  biosphere  of  the  planet.    5)  In  the  present  
time,  we  are  seeing  the  awakening  of  a  reflective  consciousness  that  is  able  to  
observe  with  detachment  the  crises  created  by  the  industrial  era  and  then  to  
work  for  an  entirely  new  level  of  human  communication  and  reconciliation  
around  a  sustainable  pathway  into  the  future.    6)  Once  we  develop  a  shared  
vision  of,  and  commitment  to,  a  sustainable  future,  we  must  then  actually  build  
that  future,  and  this  will  foster  an  oceanic  consciousness  and  deep  bonding  
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among  the  human  family.    7)  Once  we  are  secure  in  knowing  that  we  can  
maintain  ourselves  into  the  indefinite  future,  we  will  then  be  challenged  to  move  
beyond  maintaining  ourselves  to  continuously  surpassing  ourselves  by  learning  
how  to  liberate  our  creative  potentials  as  a  human  family.    In  this  stage  we  will  
develop  our  capacity  for  flow  consciousness  which  is  able  continuously  to  
balance  creative  diversity  with  a  sustainable  unity.    8)  With  our  creativity  
harnessed  as  a  force  for  synergistic  evolution,  a  wisdom-­‐culture  will  emerge  with  
an  integrative  awareness  and  the  perspective,  compassion,  and  creativity  to  
endure,  perhaps  for  millions  of  years  into  the  future.      By  becoming  established  
in  the  spaciousness  and  harmonious  flow  of  the  eighth  stage,  our  evolutionary  
journey  can  begin  again,  with  new  dimensions  of  learning  to  explore  the  
potentials  of  which  we  can  scarcely  imagine.  
 

Conclusion  
  Throughout  history  human  evolution  has  enjoyed  long  periods  of  stability  
followed  by  accelerated  transitions  that  lead  to  new  levels  of  perception  and  social  
organization.    Now,  at  the  close  of  the  twentieth  century,  we  are  in  the  midst  of  a  
quantum  leap  in  the  coevolution  of  humanity’s  culture  and  consciousness.    We  have  
reached  a  choice-­‐point,  and  the  decisions  we  make  during  this  extraordinary  time  of  
transition  will  reverberate  into  the  distant  future.  
  The  human  family  will  not  reach  its  maturity  automatically.    There  are  no  free  
gifts  in  evolution.    Although  this  book  has  emphasized  the  unfolding  of  entire  
civilizations,  I  believe  the  basic  agent  of  evolution  is  at  every  step  the  individual.    
Humanity  can  reach  no  higher  than  the  social  fabric  that  can  be  woven  together  from  
the  synergy  of  our  individual  lives.    Each  person  is  a  vitally  important  and  unique  agent  
in  the  process  of  planetary  evolution.    Now  is  the  time  to  invest  our  enthusiasm  in  the  
conscious  coevolution  of  life  on  Earth,  for  it  is  only  through  our  individual  awakening  
and  creative  action  that  the  Earth  will  awaken  as  well.  
 
 

 
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Part  III:  Appendices  

Appendix  I:  

Correlations  With  Psychological  Theories  

and  Spiritual  Traditions  
 
 
  Although  the  theory  of  dimensional  evolution  is  grounded  in  a  sacred  geometry  
and  process  view  of  reality,  it  is  highly  congruent  with  stages  of  development  described  
in  Western  psychology  and  Eastern  meditative  traditions.    Because  these  embody  an  
enormous  literature  with  subtle  and  wide-­‐ranging  theories,  it  is  not  my  intention  to  
describe  the  correlations  between  them  and  dimensional  theory  in  any  depth.    
However,  it  is  important  to  describe  briefly  how  the  theory  of  dimensional  evolution  is  
compatible  with  and  informed  by  major  psychological  theories  and  spiritual  traditions.    
For  this  brief  overview,  I  will  draw  upon:  the  Western  psychology  of  Mihaly  
Csikszentmihalyi;  the  spectrum  psychology  of  Ken  Wilber295;  the  philosophy  and  history  
of  human  consciousness  of  Jean  Gebser296;  the  humanistic  psychology  of  Abraham  
Maslow297;  the  Hindu  philosophy  and  meditative  insights  of  Sri  Aurobindo298;  and  a  
range  of  Buddhist  traditions.299    These  will  be  sufficient  to  illustrate  how  the  stages  of  
dimensional  evolution  are  not  arbitrary,  but  are  in  accord  with  well-­‐established  views  
from  both  Western  psychology  and  the  perennial  wisdom  of  the  world’s  spiritual  
traditions.    In  general,  the  initial  stages  (2nd  through  4th  dimensions)  seem  consistent  
with  the  views  of  Western  psychology  and  the  later  stages  (5th  through  8th  dimensions)  
seem  congruent  with  insights  from  major  meditative  traditions.      
  Mihaly  Csikszentmihalyi  is  the  former  chairman  of  the  department  of  psychology  
at  the  University  of  Chicago  and  has  done  extensive  research  on  what  he  has  calls  “the  
psychology  of  optimal  experience.”    He  states  that,  “there  is  a  consensus  among  
psychologists...that  people  develop  their  concept  of  who  they  are...according  to  a  
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sequence  of  steps.”300    Because  this  sequence  so  closely  parallels  the  first  five  stages  
described  by  dimensional  theory,  it  is  useful  to  quote  his  conclusions  directly:  
 

       Each  man  or  woman  starts  with  a  need  to  preserve  the  self,  to  keep  the  body  and  
its  basic  goals  from  disintegrating.    At  this  point  the  meaning  of  life  is  simple:  it  is  
tantamount  to  survival,  comfort,  and  pleasure.    When  the  safety  of  the  physical  
self  is  no  longer  in  doubt,  the  person  may  expand  the  horizon  of  his  or  her  
meaning  system  to  embrace  the  values  of  a  community—the  family,  the  
neighborhood,  a  religious  or  ethnic  group.    This  step  leads  to  a  greater  
complexity  of  the  self,  even  though  it  usually  implies  conformity  to  conventional  
norms  and  standards.    The  next  step  in  development  involves  reflective  
individualism.    The  person  again  turns  inward,  finding  new  grounds  for  authority  
and  value  within  the  self.    He  or  she  is  no  longer  blindly  conforming,  but  develops  
an  autonomous  conscience.    At  this  point  the  main  goal  in  life  becomes  the  
desire  for  growth,  improvement,  the  actualization  of  potential.    The  fourth  step,  
which  builds  on  all  the  previous  ones,  is  a  final  turning  away  from  the  self,  back  
toward  integration  with  other  people  and  with  universal  values.  
 
  The  stages  of  growth  outlined  in  this  book  follow  this  pattern  closely,  but  expand  
the  description  of  later  stages  in  ways  that  seem  consistent  with  insights  from  
meditative  and  contemplative  traditions.    With  this  as  background,  here  are  the  
correlations  between  the  dimensional  stages  of  development  and  those  described  by  
respected  psychologists,  contemplatives  and  philosophers.  
 
•  The  first  stage  is  that  of  a  contracted  or  embedded  consciousness  and  is  
characteristic  of  the  pre-­‐reflective  consciousness  of  our  human  ancestors.    This  
does  not  mean  early  human  ancestors  were  completely  lacking  in  a  sense  of  self  
(animal  research  shows  that  even  chimpanzees  have  a  basic  capacity  for  self-­‐
recognition);  rather,  the  dominant  mode  of  being  and  behaving  was  
characterized  by  a  largely  unconscious  fusion  of  self  and  world.    In  Gebser’s  
terms,  this  is  the  stage  of  “archaic  consciousness”  where  the  reflective  capacity  is  
latent  but  has  not  yet  emerged  as  a  distinct  psychological  structure.    Archaic  
psychology  seems  characteristic  of  the  consciousness  of  pre-­‐sapient  humans  
such  as  Australopithecus  africanus.    In  Wilber’s  typology,  this  is  the  stage  of  an  
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“uroboric”  consciousness  that  is  embedded  within  nature  and  dominated  by  
animal  impulses.    Overall,  a  sense  of  self  has  not  yet  emerged  that  is  clearly  
differentiated  from  the  rest  of  nature.    
 
•  The  second  stage  is  characterized  by  the  surface  consciousness  of  an  awakening  
hunter-­‐gatherer  who  is  flat  up  against  the  world.    This  stage  corresponds  with  
what  Gebser  calls  “magical”  consciousness  where  a  rudimentary  and  child-­‐like  
self-­‐sense  predominates.    With  no  distinct  sense  of  time  or  causality,  there  is  a  
feeling  of  intense  immediacy  to  life-­‐experience—and  this  adds  to  its  magical  
quality.    In  Wilber’s  typology,  the  second  stage  corresponds  with  what  he  calls  
the  “typhonic”  self  whose  identity  is  associated  with  one’s  body  and  physical  
existence.    With  this  stage,  there  is  a  breakthrough  that  enables  the  body-­‐self  to  
stand  back  from  immersion  within  nature  and  to  begin  to  identify  itself  as  a  
differentiated  or  separate  being.    Wilber  generally  associates  the  typhon  with  the  
period  of  the  earliest  Homo  sapiens  (Neanderthal  and  Cro-­‐Magnon).    In  Abraham  
Maslow’s  hierarchy  of  needs,  this  stage  would  correspond  to  the  person  whose  
needs  are  dominated  by  the  search  for  physical  security  and  survival.      
 
•  The  third  stage  is  that  of  the  depth  consciousness  of  the  agrarian-­‐based  
civilizations  and  seems  to  correspond  with  what  Gebser  calls  the  “mythic  
consciousness”  and  what  Wilber  terms  the  “membership  self.”    In  the  mythic-­‐
membership  stage,  there  is  a  growing  capacity  for  imagination,  empathy  and  an  
emotional  life  with  a  language  to  represent  it.    In  being  able  to  describe  
emotional  qualities  and  distinctions,  there  is  growing  depth  of  conscious  
experience  and  a  deepening  sense  of  self  and  community.    With  an  expanding  
verbal  representation  of  the  world,  reality  increasingly  acquires  spatial  and  
temporal  structure  and  extension.    A  sequential  and  cyclical  time  sense  emerges  
gradually  in  both  language  and  consciousness,  thereby  enabling  humanity  to  
farm  nature  and  develop  the  agrarian-­‐based  civilizations.    In  terms  of  Maslow’s  
hierarchy,  this  stage  corresponds  with  meeting  needs  for  “belonging”  through  
family  and  friendships.      
 
•  The  fourth  stage  is  that  of  a  dynamic  consciousness  characteristic  of  the  
industrial  era  and  involves  the  development  of  a  thinking-­‐based  sense  of  self.    
This  stage  seems  to  correspond  with  what  Gebser  calls  “mental  consciousness.”    
Time  expands  beyond  a  sense  of  duration  and  natural  rhythm  to  embrace  an  
open  and  progressing  spiral—a  view  of  time  that  supports  the  perception  of  the  
potential  for  material  progress.    This  is  the  stage  that  Wilber  calls  the  “mental-­‐
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egoic  realm”  and  is  characterized  by  a  strong  ego  with  mental  and  intellectual  
abilities  for  describing  one’s  self  and  world  in  a  logical  manner.    Strengthened  
conceptual  and  mental  abilities  support  a  strong  self-­‐concept  that  is  verbally  
defined.    In  terms  of  Maslow’s  hierarchy  of  needs,  this  is  the  stage  where  needs  
for  self-­‐esteem  and  self-­‐recognition  are  met.    Through  the  power  of  the  intellect  
and  personal  will,  people  seek  respect  and  recognition  for  their  worldly  
accomplishments  in  order  to  differentiate  themselves  from  others.    A  mature,  
existential  ego  (or  highly  integrated  individual)  will  then  move  beyond  self-­‐
recognition  needs  to  self-­‐actualization  needs  and  seek  to  realize  their  unique  
capacities  and  potentials  (what  Wilber  terms  the  “centauric  realm”).        
 
•  The  fifth  stage  is  that  of  reflective  consciousness  and  is  associated  with  an  era  of  
global  reconciliation  and  mass  communication.    In  this  stage,  an  observer-­‐self  
stands  distinctly  apart  from  the  integrated  ego,  thereby  establishing  the  polarity  
of  knower  and  known  or  watcher  and  watched.    The  next  three  dimensional  
stages  seem  to  correspond  with  what  Gebser  has  collapsed  into  one  stage  and  
called  “integral  consciousness.”    Wilber,  however,  continues  his  spectrum  and  
reflective  consciousness  seems  to  correspond  with  what  he  calls  the  “low  subtle  
realm.”    This  realm  marks  the  beginning  of  transpersonal  consciousness  as  the  
individual  now  has  the  psychic  tools  to  begin  to  stand  back  from  complete  
identification  with  bodily-­‐based  desires,  emotions  and  thoughts.    Because  an  
observer  or  witness  is  consciously  present,  it  is  evident  that  one’s  true  self  
extends  beyond  bodily  desires,  feelings  and  mental  activity.    In  Buddhist  terms,  
this  seems  to  correspond  with  the  conscious  witness  or  observing  self  
characteristic  of  Therevadan  teachings.    This  stage  also  seems  to  correspond  with  
what  Aurobindo  calls  an  “illumined  mind”  that  is  able  to  transcend  thought  
through  the  inner  vision  of  consciousness.          
 
•  The  sixth  stage  is  that  of  oceanic  consciousness  and  is  associated  with  an  era  of  
global  human  bonding  and  building  a  future  of  mutually  supportive  
development.    In  this  stage,  consciousness  seeks  to  know  its  origins—and  
consciousness  becomes  the  object  of  consciousness.    As  consciousness  seeks  to  
know  its  own  source,  the  infinitely  deep  and  profoundly  alive  ecology  at  the  
foundation  of  all  existence  becomes  evident.    In  Wilber’s  typology,  this  stage  
seems  to  correspond  with  what  he  calls  the  “high  subtle  realm”  where  the  
experience  of  self  dissolves  into  the  divine  Life-­‐force  and  is  accompanied  by  
feelings  of  great  compassion.    He  also  describes  this  as  a  domain  of  transcendent  
insight  and  absorption.    In  Buddhist  terms,  this  seems  to  correspond  with  the  
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boundless  compassion  and  lovingkindness  of  the  Bodhisattva  in  the  Mahayana  
tradition.    This  stage  also  seems  congruent  with  what  Aurobindo  called  the  
“intuitive  mind”  which  experiences  the  transcendent  realms  and  the  rapture  of  
unbounded  knowing.        
 
•  The  seventh  stage  is  that  of  flow  consciousness  and  is  associated  with  the  
surpassing  era  where  human  creativity  is  liberated.    This  stage  seems  to  
correspond  with  what  Wilber  calls  the  “causal  realm”  where  the  entire  cosmic  
process  is  experienced  as  continuously  arising.    The  eternal  now  is  experienced  
as  always  fresh  and  alive  with  an  abundance  of  time  flowing  through  it  and  from  
it.    In  experiencing  the  self  that  exists  prior  to  the  world  of  forms,  there  is  an  
experience  of  the  unbroken  aliveness  and  eternal  nature  of  one’s  being.    In  
Buddhist  terms,  this  seems  to  correspond  with  the  thread  of  knowing  or  
continuity  of  connection  that  is  characteristic  of  the  Tantric  tradition.    This  stage  
also  seems  to  correspond  with  what  Aurobindo  calls  the  “overmind”  with  its  
capacity  for  direct  and  unobstructed  spiritual  awareness.        
 
•  The  eighth  stage  is  that  of  integral  awareness  and  is  associated  with  a  mature,  
species-­‐civilization  that  has  become  established  in  its  capacity  for  double-­‐
wisdom  or  self-­‐organizing  and  self-­‐referencing  knowing.    This  stage  seems  to  
correspond  with  what  Gebser  calls  realization  of  the  “ever-­‐present  Origin.”    The  
divine  Life-­‐force  is  seen  to  shine  continuously  through  this  world  when,  through  
awakening,  we  become  transparent  to  its  ever-­‐present  reality.    In  Wilber’s  
typology,  this  is  the  “ultimate  realm”  and  emerges  when  a  being  awakens  to  the  
fact  that  they  have  always  been  the  absolute  Spirit  whose  radiance  pervades  all  
existence.    One’s  being  is  experienced  as  existing  beyond  the  world  of  forms  and,  
at  the  same  time,  not  being  other  than  the  entire  world  in  its  process  of  
continual  becoming.    The  unity  of  this  stage  is  so  complete  that  it  embraces  
effortlessly  the  seeming  paradoxes  of    being  and  becoming,  transcendence  and  
immanence.    In  Buddhist  terms,  this  stage  seems  to  correspond  with  the  insight  
of  the  Dzogchen  teachings  that  all  existence  is  a  shining  manifestation  of  the  
original  spiritual  radiance.    Lastly,  this  stage  seems  to  correspond  with  what  
Aurobindo  calls  the  “supermind”  which  absolutely  identifies  with,  and  is  at  one  
with,  spirit.    The  supermind  is  not  a  different  level  but  the  foundation  and  ground  
for  all  levels.        
 
  Although  dimensional  theory  is  not  derived  from  psycho-­‐spiritual  theory,  this  
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brief  survey  shows  there  is  a  strong  correlation  between  dimensional  cosmology  and  
Western  psychology  as  well  as  Buddhist  and  Hindu  spiritual  traditions.    In  exploring  
these  correlations,  it  is  important  to  demystify  the  mystical  and  remember  these  
seemingly  elevated  realms  are  within  our  immediate  experience—they  are  not  
impossibly  distant  or  remote,  but  represent  a  heightened  wakefulness  to  the  miracle  of  
life  as  it  already  is  at  the  center  of  our  “ordinary”  awareness.    The  fact  that  relatively  
few  make  a  sustained  effort  to  reach  beyond  the  perceptual  paradigm  of  their  culture  to  
discover  these  experiences  should  not  blind  us  to  the  immediacy  of  their  presence.    To  
be  a  mystic  is  to  experience  directly  the  mystery  of  life.    In  the  words  of  Matthew  Fox,  
“...mysticism  is  the  awe  we  experience  being  citizens  of  the  cosmos,  who  did  not  make  
ourselves  or  our  habitat  but  were  welcomed  here  with  unconditional  love.”301      To  
illustrate  the  unpretentious  nature  of  ultimate  knowing,  consider  the  teachings  of  
Tibetan  Buddhists  who  are  widely  recognized  for  the  sophistication  of  their  insights  
(nurtured  by  many  centuries  of  physical  isolation  and  undistracted  devotion  to  
meditative  traditions  and  practice).    For  example,  in  the  Dzogchen  tradition,  the  
“supreme  method”  for  recognizing  our  radiant  and  luminous  nature  is  to  concentrate  
continuously  on  “the  ultimate  nature  of  ordinary  mind.”302    If  we  cut  through  the  
complexities  of  language  to  the  core  teachings,  we  find  they  are  very  simple  and  direct.    
To  know  our  unconditional  Being  (“dharmakaya”)  is  to  experience  great  bliss,  
satisfaction  and  pleasure.    When  this  enjoyment  of  being  is  in  harmony  with  
(‘sambhogakaya”)  our  material  self,  it  leads  to  perfect  or  spontaneous  action  
(“nirmanakaya”).303    In  other  words,  when  the  intrinsically  blissful  experience  of  Being  is  
brought  into  harmony  with  the  worldly  process  of  doing,  then  we  spontaneously  
express  the  experience  of  Being  in  our  everyday  lives.    Nothing  more  is  necessary  than  
to  not  interfere  with  our  knowing  capacity  and  to  not  stray  from  that  knowing.    The  
essence  of  even  the  most  sophisticated  path  is  of  utmost  simplicity.  
  Different  psychological  and  spiritual  traditions  reveal  different  facets  of  our  
existence  and  have  different  strengths—each  is  valid  for  what  it  reveals.    Although  the  
theory  of  dimensional  evolution  offers  a  useful  window  onto  the  process  of  human  
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development,  both  personal  and  social;  nonetheless,  it  is  only  one  among  many  useful  
models  of  reality.      
  Although  the  theory  of  dimensional  evolution  is  in  accord  with  insights  from  
both  Western  psychology  and  Eastern  meditative  traditions,  there  are  significant  
differences  that  should  not  be  ignored,  for  example:  
 
•  Potential  for  Social  Change—Historically,  Eastern  traditions  (e.g.,  Hinduism,  
Buddhism,  Taoism,  Zen)  have  tended  to  assume  an  unchanging  material  and  social  
existence  for  a  majority  of  persons;  therefore,  they  tend  to  be  socially  passive  and  
place  their  emphasis  on  supporting  a  relatively  few  individuals  in  getting  off  
thewheel  of  material  existence  through  enlightenment.    In  contrast,  dimensional  
cosmology  assumes  that  development  of  the  material  and  social  aspects  of  life  is  
integral  to  the  unfolding  of  consciousness;  therefore,  it  is  a  socially  engaged  
cosmology  that  emphasizes  the  co-­‐evolution  of  culture  and  consciousness  in  a  
mutually  supportive  spiral.  
 
•  Consciousness/Awareness  Differentiation—Dimensional  cosmology  makes  a  
distinction  between  consciousness  and  awareness.304    Consciousness  is  assumed  to  
arise  in  co-­‐equal  partnership  with  matter  and  to  have  an  instrumental  role  (that  of  
providing  a  reflective  capacity).    Awareness  is  assumed  to  be  identical  with  the  Life-­‐
force  of  the  underlying  Meta-­‐universe  and  is  characterized  by  unconditional  
knowing.    At  high  levels  of  mutual  refinement  of  matter  and  consciousness  (as  the  
experienced  distance  between  observer  and  observed  is  progressively  diminished),  
the  Meta-­‐universe  is  ultimately  disclosed.    We  become  transparent  to  the  reality  
that  our  deeper  nature  is  that  of  the  Meta-­‐universe  or  generative  ground.    These  
clarifying  distinctions  regarding  the  nature  and  role  of  matter,  consciousness  and  
awareness  are  sometimes  not  made;  instead,  consciousness  is  sometimes  
described  as  primary  or  more  fundamental  than  matter  and  then  equated  with  
awareness,  thereby  leading  to  confusion  about  the  nature  of  the  evolutionary  
journey.  
 
  •  Continuous  Creation—Although  each  of  the  world’s  major  spiritual  traditions  
affirms  the  insight  that  all  existence  is  in  continuous  flux,  still,  the  idea  of  
enlightenment  as  a  process  of  bringing  one’s  self  into  dynamic  alignment  with  the  
cosmos  in  its  flow  of  continuous  creation  is  not  a  concept  that  is  strongly  
emphasized  in  many  spiritual  teachings.    Instead,  there  has  been  a  tendency  to  
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implicitly  assume  we  are  biological  beings  who  evolve  through  different  
psychological  and  mental  states  of  consciousness  to  reach  interior  insights  about  
our  connection  with  the  All.    
 
•  Cosmic  Purpose—Dimensional  cosmology  views  each  being  as  a  precious  flowering  
of  awareness  through  which  the  infinite  achieves  creative  and  knowing  self-­‐
expression  in  the  moment.    In  this  view,  we  are  here  to  learn,  in  freedom,  how  to  
live  ethically  and  creatively  in  the  deep  ecology  of  eternity.    When  we  “know  that  
we  know,”  we  are  connecting  with  the  deathless  part  of  ourselves.    As  Jesus  said,  
“There  are  many  rooms  in  my  Father’s  house”—there  is  an  infinite  array  of  
dimensions  and  self-­‐organizing  ecologies,  each  with  increasing  levels  of  freedom  
and  potential  for  communion,  as  environments  of  creative  expression  and  learning.    
Because  matter  can  be  viewed  as  “coalesced  light,”  it  means  we  already  live  in  a  
body  and  ecology  of  light.    Therefore,  it  seems  natural  that,  once  we  acquire  the  
capacity  for  integrative  awareness,  we  may  evolve  forever  through  ever  more  
ephemeral  bodies  and  ecologies  of  light  in  realms  that  extend  beyond  the  density  
of  our  cosmos.    In  contrast  with  this  creative  and  open-­‐ended  view  of  trans-­‐cosmic  
purpose,  some  Eastern  traditions  tend  to  view  the  Meta-­‐universe  as  being  engaged  
in  a  great  game  of  hide-­‐and-­‐seek  where  nothing  evolves  or  changes  in  a  
fundamental  way;  instead,  the  Spirit  is  deliberately  losing  itself  and  forgetting  itself  
only  to  eventually  return  to  itself  by  dissolving  all  distinct  awareness  in  complete  
wholeness  after  an  immensity  of  time  and  play.305    Human  existence  and  suffering  
is  then  seen  as  being  without  any  purpose  beyond  the  endless  cycles  of  Divine  fun  
and  sport.    
 
•  Time  Frames  for  Stages—There  exist  significant  differences  in  how  various  persons  
view  the  stages  of  species  development.    For  example,  Ken  Wilber  describes  the  
“mental-­‐egoic”  stage  as  extending  from  roughly  1500  B.C.  up  to  the  present  and  
then  a  hundred  years  or  more  into  the  future.306    In  sharp  contrast,  I  have  
described  the  stage  of  three  dimensional/depth  consciousness  as  emerging  
decisively  around  3500  B.C.,  followed  by  the  transition  into  the  four  
dimensional/dynamic  stage  of  consciousness  around  1500  A.D.,  which,  in  turn,  is  
now  being  surpassed  by  the  emergence  of  a  five  dimensional/reflective  stage  of  
consciousness  in  the  period  from  roughly  1970  to  2000.    Clearly,  there  are  
significant  differences  in  how  the  dimensional  model  and,  for  example,  Wilber’s  
model  are  anchored  in  historical  experience.    Major  differences  also  exist  between  
the  historical  stages  described  by  Gebser  and  those  described  by  dimensional  
theory.307      
  
293

 
  In  conclusion,  while  there  are  strong  correlations  between  dimensional  evolution  
and  Western  psychology  and  Eastern  meditative  traditions,  still,  there  are  a  number  of  
significant  differences  that  should  not  be  overlooked.    A  widely-­‐shared  consensus  about  
the  specifics  of  an  evolutionary  cosmology  for  the  species  is  still  in  the  process  of  being  
discovered.
 
 

     
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Appendix  II:  

The  Meditative  Origins  of    

Dimensional  Cosmology  
 
   
  This  cosmology  has  its  origins  in  both  extensive  research  and  intensive  
meditation.    I  began  research  for  this  book  in  earnest  in  1973  when  I  worked  with  
Joseph  Campbell  and  other  scholars  to  describe  the  deep,  archetypal  levels  of  social  
evolution,  both  past  and  future.308      This  year-­‐long  project  was  a  catalyst  for  twenty  
years  of  personal  and  professional  exploration  spanning  a  wide  range  of  disciplines:  
anthropology,  history,  psychology,  comparative  religions,  systems  theory,  philosophy,  
physics,  economics,  futures  studies,  sociology  and  more.    My  consuming  interest  was  to  
understand  the  nature  and  direction  of  human  evolution,  both  personal  and  planetary.      
  Despite  years  of  research,  no  matter  where  I  turned  I  found  only  partial  answers.    
I  could  find  no  satisfying  vision  of  human  evolution  that  embraced  both  the  material  and  
spiritual  aspects  of  existence.    Although  these  years  of  scholarly  inquiry  provided  a  great  
deal  of  specific  information  to  flesh  out  the  view  of  evolution  described  here,  the  sacred  
geometry  that  constitutes  the  skeleton  or  organizing  framework  was  a  gift  from  the  
universe  that  emerged  in  May,  1978  as  the  culmination  of  six  months  of  self-­‐directed  
meditation.    Because  this  co-­‐evolutionary  view  of  reality,  identity  and  society  was  born  
from  an  intensive  meditative  experience,  and  because  I  believe  we  all  have  access  to  
comparable  experiences,  I’ve  decided  to  share  the  origins  of  the  organizing  pattern  at  
the  heart  of  this  book.          
  In  late  1977,  I  had  reached  a  crisis  in  my  life  and  I  decided  to  take  a  half-­‐year  
retreat  from  the  work  I  had  been  doing  (primarily  strategic  planning,  futures  research  
and  policy  studies  for  government  agencies)  and  devote  myself  wholeheartedly  to  self-­‐
directed  study  and  meditation.    My  goal  was  to  come  to  the  deepest  understanding  
possible  regarding  insight  into  age-­‐old  questions:    What  are  we  doing  here?    What  are  
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our  highest  potentials?    Where  is  evolution  headed?      

  Intensive  mediation  over  the  previous  ten  years  had  given  me  glimpses  of  insight  
into  these  questions.    This  meditation  practice  was  based  primarily  on  Buddhist  
approaches  but  included  study  of  a  number  of  other  spiritual  traditions—in  particular,  
contemplative  Christianity,  Zen,  Hinduism  and  Taoism.    In  addition,  for  several  years  I  
had  been  a  subject  in  a  range  of  parapsychology  experiments  at  a  major  think  tank  (SRI  
International)  and  had  the  opportunity  to  learn,  first  hand  about  the  nature  of  our  
energetic  connections  with  the  universe.    Finally,  I  accepted  the  Pythagorean  premise  
that  the  aesthetic  structure  of  the  universe  becomes  self-­‐evident  when  we  come  into  
authentic  union  with  it.    As  I  entered  this  self-­‐directed  retreat,  I  was  confident  that  if  I  
approached  the  cosmos  with  purity  of  intent  and  a  one-­‐pointed  desire  “to  know,”  the  
universe  would  meet  me  half-­‐way  with  insights  commensurate  with  my  intention—and  
intensity—to  know.      
  Throughout  the  winter  and  spring  of  1978,  I  spent  weeks  at  a  time  alone  in  my  
home.    Approximately  half  of  this  time  was  invested  in  formal  meditation  and  quiet  
contemplation.    The  remainder  of  the  time  was  invested  in  reading  dozens  of    books  on  
subjects  ranging  from  the  world’s  spiritual  traditions,  physics,  history,  anthropology,  
psychology  and  systems  theory.    Over  a  period  of  months,  I  put  up  notes,  charts,  lists,  
diagrams,  poetry,  and  pictures  on  the  walls  of  my  kitchen,  living  room,  and  bedroom.      
Gradually,  my  entire  home  was  transformed  into  a  single  quest  and  question.  
  By  late  spring,  the  coherent  picture  of  reality,  identity  and  social  evolution  that  I  
was  seeking  had  not  emerged.    Instead  of  clarity,  I  was  more  confused  than  ever.    I  felt  
overwhelmed  with  the  mountain  of  disconnected  information  and  ideas  that  had  
accumulated  over  the  years.    Missing  was  the  wisdom  and  insight  that  could  make  sense  
out  of  all  the  disorganized  knowledge.    Day  by  day  and  week  by  week  I  searched  for  
clarity.    Increasingly,  I  felt  that  I  was  wasting  precious  time  in  a  fruitless,  idealistic  
pursuit.      
  With  my  allotted  time  running  out,  I  finally  made  a  decision  based  on  roughly  
equal  measures  of  unshakeable  confidence  and  utter  desperation.    I  resolved  to  go  to  
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the  end  of  this  path  by  holding  in  consciousness  the  felt  experience  of  all  the  questions  
now  burning  in  my  mind,  body  and  soul  regarding  the  nature  of  reality,  life  and  
evolution.    I  decided  to  hold  fast  to  the  experience  of  these  questions  until  genuine  
insight  and  unifying  awareness  emerged,  no  matter  what.      
  Physically  rested  and  psychologically  settled,  on  the  morning  of  May  first,  I  
proceeded  with  irrevocable  determination  and  concentration.    Moment  by  moment  by  
moment  I  nurtured  the  felt  experience  of  knowing  (and  intending  to  know)  until  it  
became  a  continuous  thread  of  resonant  experience  that  filled  every  aspect  of  my  
consciousness.    With  immense  difficulty—second  by  second,  minute  by  minute,  and  
hour  by  hour—the  pressure  and  sensation  of  this  conscious  intention  “to  know”  was  
nurtured  and  focused.  
  Toward  the  end  of  the  first  day,  my  experience  was  analogous  to  being  inside  a  
lighted  hollow  ball  with  fragments  of  mirrors  covering  the  entire  inner  surface.    
Everywhere  I  looked  there  was  a  mirror  of  consciousness  to  reflect  back  every  aspect  of  
my  life  and  existence.    Mundane  and  profane,  loving  and  indifferent,  caring  and  cruel,  
intellectual  and  emotional—everything  was  equally  suitable  for  reflection  in  the  mirror  
of  consciousness.    Only  with  utmost  determination  and  unconditional  self-­‐acceptance  
could  “I”  stay  with  my  self-­‐experience  and  avoid  endless  distractions  of  judgment  and  
imagination.    Gradually,  the  pressure  of  conscious  intention  began  to  penetrate  through  
layer  after  layer  of  my  mentally  constructed  being.    That  night  I  slept  lightly  and  arose  
early  to  continue  with  meditation.      
  With  single-­‐minded  concentration,  I  moved  ever  deeper  into  this  raw  process  of  
self-­‐inquiry.    Stripping  away  uncountable  layers  of  self-­‐pretense  and  returning,  again  
and  again,  to  the  core  intention,  a  humbled  being  gradually  emerged.    By  the  evening  of  
the  second  day,  all  was  constantly  dissolving—even  the  mirror  of  consciousness  that  
reflected  my  experience  was  dissolving  and  reconstructing  second  by  second.    All  that  
existed  was  an  ocean  of  living  process  in  constant  change.    Nowhere  was  there  anything  
that  I  could  hold  onto,  or  rely  upon,  or  build  upon.    There  was  no  fixed  meaning,  no  
fixed  self  and  no  fixed  reality  to  be  found  anywhere.    Again  and  again  and  again  I  was  
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forced  to  abandon  everything  I  had  formerly  known  and  simply  trust  the  purity  of  my  
intention  to  carry  “me”  through  the  constantly  disassembling  reality.    The  unbroken  
silence  of  these  seconds,  minutes,  hours  and  days  now  penetrated  ever  deeper,  asking  
me  to  yield  ever  more  until  it  felt  as  if  nothing  more  could  be  surrendered.    The  second  
night  seemed  as  if  it  could  be  the  last  of  my  life.    
  By  the  third  day,  the  thread  of  intention  had  grown  into  a  living  field  of  
awareness  with  a  distinct  and  palpable  presence  and  texture.    With  growing  ease,  I  
moved  within  a  flow  of  self-­‐referencing  knowing  that  had  acquired  a  life  and  
momentum  of  its  own.    Eternities  of  time  passed  as  morning  moved  into  early  
afternoon.    Then,  in  a  sudden  and  unexpected  rush,  the  seeking  of  the  past  six  months  
and  the  concentration  of  the  past  three  days  finally  burned  a  hole  through  the  “ego-­‐I.”  
In  an  instant  of  grace,  the  years  of  accumulated  questions  and  yearnings  opened  into  a  
joyful,  sacred  and  crystalline  space  of  Knowing.    Within  a  single,  exhilarating  moment,  
everything  became  transparently  self-­‐evident—throughout  the  entire  range  of  my  
experience,  all  was  in  its  proper  place  and  “made  sense.”    This  knowing  was  direct,  non-­‐
conceptual,  self-­‐evident  and  unmistakably  clear.    Accompanying  this  inner  experience  
was  a  subtle  radiance  that  bathed  all  that  I  could  see  with  a  soft  light—the  furniture,  
plants,  and  walls  were  all  infused  with  a  golden  lustre  and  glow.    
  For  the  next  several  hours  I  stood  virtually  rooted  in  one  place,  physically  
stunned  and  mentally  shocked  to  the  deepest  core  of  my  being.    Everywhere  I  looked,  I  
saw  an  infusing  radiance  of  immense  intelligence,  creativity  and  love.    I  saw,  and  directly  
experienced,  that  everything,  including  “empty  space,”  is  visibly  alive.    Space  was  not  
simply  the  absence  of  form,  but  the  formless  expression  of  infinite  possibility.    I  also  saw  
that  the  entire  fabric  of  material  reality  is  arising  in  a  flow  of  continuous  creation,  that  a  
reflective  capacity  is  present  throughout  the  universe,  that  an  organizing  geometry  of  
elegant  symmetry  and  simplicity  infuses  the  universe,  and  that  our  cosmos  exists  within  
an  ocean  of  boundless  compassion.    From  mid-­‐afternoon  until  early  evening,  with  utter  
simplicity  and  breathtaking  directness,  every  question  about  human  evolution  that  I  had  
ever  imagined  was  effortlessly  answered.    Again  and  again,  I  was  overwhelmed  by  the  
 298

miracle  of  “ordinary  reality”—by  the  immensity  and  depth  of  Life  in  which  we  are  
immersed,  by  the  aesthetic  and  functional  structure  of  existence,  by  the  infinitely  deep  
and  compassionate  Knowing  that  permeates  the  cosmos,  and  by  the  visible  presence  of  
Life-­‐energy  in  the  flow  of  continuous  creation.    This  experience  left  me  feeling  
unshakably  confident  in  the  deep  integrity  of  creation,  profoundly  grateful,  
inexhaustibly  happy—and  finally  home.      
  In  the  days  following  this  experience,  transparent  insights  coalesced  into  
symbolic  patterns  representing  the  major  stages  of  human  evolution,  both  personal  and  
civilizational.    These  symbolic  patterns  became  living  seeds  of  insight  with  a  life  of  their  
own  that  coalesced  into  specific  concepts  and  ideas.    Although  I  realized  these  concepts  
would  never  convey  more  than  a  faint  echo  of  the  original  experience,  during  the  next  
few  weeks  I  wrote  several  hundred  pages  describing  the  theory  of  “dimensional  
evolution”  that  lies  at  the  heart  of  this  book.      
  In  the  years  following  this  experience,  I  have  done  extensive  research  to  find  the  
flesh  of  meaningful  language  to  place  on  these  transparent  dimensional  bones.    
Although  this  book  is  a  blend  of  intuitive  insights  and  many  years  of  wide-­‐ranging  
research,  my  primary  objective  has  been  to  communicate  the  essence  of  the  originating  
experience  as  faithfully  as  possible.  
  Because  knowing  is  uniquely  personal,  this  book  is  no  more  than  an  aligning  
system  or  guiding  pattern  for  inquiry  that  may  point  others  toward  the  truth  of  their  
own  experience.    In  that  spirit,  I  share  this  book—and  the  description  of  its  origins—in  
the  hope  that  it  will  serve  the  path  of  discovery  for  others.          
 

 
 
 
 
 299

Dedication  
 
This  book  is  dedicated  to  the  citizens  of  the  Earth  
who  invest  their  love  and  life  energy  
in  building  a  sustainable,  compassionate,  and  creative    
planetary  civilization.  

 
 
Acknowledgments  
 
For a dozen years I worked on this book whenever I could find time on evenings,
weekends, and holidays. I anticipated another seven years would be needed to finish it
when I received a grant from Mr. Laurance S. Rockefeller that enabled me to devote my
full-time efforts to this work. I appreciate the support of Mr. Rockefeller enormously, as
completing this "life project" has been one of the most challenging and satisfying
experiences of my life. From the start I have appreciated Frances Vaughan for her loving
encouragement and enthusiasm for seeing this book move into the world. Roxanne and
Sidney Lanier provided unwavering encouragement and support which were vital in
helping it reach completion. I want to thank Annie Folger for her loving support and
patient listening as the book took form. Bill Croft was very generous in loaning me his
Macintosh computer as well as generous with his time in keeping all the systems running.
Bob Shuman was an enthusiastic editor, who supported this book all along its journey to
publication. Alan AtKisson provided important feedback as this book was reaching
completion, and to this task he brought the poetic ear of a musician, the discriminating
intellect of a grammarian, and the compassionate consciousness of a world citizen. A
number of other persons gave helpful feedback on this challenging manuscript; their
responses were important for bringing greater clarity and perspective to this wide-ranging
 300

work. In particular I want to thank: Carolyn Anderson, Eleanor Anderson, Fr. Bruno
Barnhart, Ted Becker, Sue Cliff, Georg Feuerstein, Bill Graves, Willis Harman, Peter and
Trudy Johnson-Lenz, Bill Keepin, JoAnn McAllister, Pat Hopkins, Vicki Robin, Brian
Swimme, and Drew Weeks. Hooshang Yashar developed many of the graphics with a
commitment and patience that went beyond the call of duty. Finally I want to express my
appreciation for other persons who have supported this work or touched my life and in
important ways (perhaps unknowingly) have enriched this book: my parents and three
sons (Cliff, Ben, and Matt); Sherry Anderson; Fr. Dan Berrigan; Bob Bushnell, Jr.;
Joseph Campbell; Carolyn Corlett; Ram Dass; Scott Elrod; Foster Gamble; Joseph
Goldstein; Jack Kornfield; Gary Lapid; Coleen LeDrew; Dana Meadows; Bill Moyers;
Michael Murphy; Hal Puthoff; Marie Spengler; Russell Targ; Tarthang Tulku; Mary
Thomas; Tom Thomas; Pearl Thorson; Sylvia Timbers; the U.V. Family; Roger Walsh;
John White; and Ken Wilber.

Duane  Elgin  
Mill  Valley,  California  
May  3,  1993  
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 301

 
 
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_______________,  Creative  Meditation  and  Multi-­‐Dimensional  Consciousness,  
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Gowlett,  John  A.J.,  Ascent  to  Civilization:  The  Archaeology  of  Early  Man,  New  York:  
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_______________,  and  Huston  Smith,  Primoridal  Truth  and  Postmodern  Theology,  
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___________________,  and  Chogyam  Trungpa,  The  Dawn  of  Tantra,  Berkeley,  
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Hadingham,  Evan,  Early  Man  and  the  Cosmos,  University  of  Oaklahoma  Press:  
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Pelton,  Joseph  N.,  “The  Globalization  of  Universal  Telecommunications  Services,”  
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Prosterman,  Roy  L.,  Surviving  to  3000:  An  Introduction  to  the  Study  of  Lethal  
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Puthoff,  Harold  and  Russell  Targ,  “A  Perceptual  Channel  for  Information  Transfer  
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Putnam,  John,  “The  Search  for  Modern  Humans,”  in  National  Geographic,  
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Rader,  Melvin,  The  Enduring  Questions:  Main  Problems  of  Philosophy,  New  York:  
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Radhakrishnan,  S.,  Eastern  Religions  and  Western  Thought,  London:  Oxford  
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________________,  East  and  West,  New  York:  Harper  &  Brothers,  1956.  
 
Ram  Dass,  Journey  of  Awakening:  A  Meditator’s  Guidebook,  New  York:  Bantam  
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Ramana  Maharshi,  Sri,  The  Teachings  of  Ramana  Maharshi,  Arthur  Osborne  (ed.),  
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Rangdrol,  Tsele  Natsok,  The  Mirror  of  Mindfulness:  The  Cycle  of  the  Four  Bardos,  E.  
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Ray,  Benjamin  C.,  African  Religions,  New  Jersey:  Prentice  Hall,  1976.  
 
Redfield,  Robert,  The  Primitive  World  and  its  Transformations,  Ithaca,  New  York:  
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_______________,  The  Little  Community  and  Peasant  Society  and  Culture,  
Chicago:  The  University  of  Chicago  Press,  1960.  
 
Regis,  Edward  Jr.,  (ed.),  Extraterrestrials:  Science  and  Alien  Intelligence,  New  York:  
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Register,  Richard,  Ecocity  Berkeley:  Building  Cities  for  a  Healthy  Future,  Berkeley,  
California,  North  Atlantic  Books,  1987.  
 
Rima,  I.H.,  Development  of  Economic  Analysis,  Homewood,  Illinois:  R.D.  Irwin,  
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Ring,  Kenneth,  Life  At  Death,  New  York:  Quill,  1982.  
 
Robbins,  John,  Diet  for  a  New  America,  Walpole,  New  Hampshire:  Stillpoint  
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Robinson,  James  (ed.),  Nag  Hammadi  Library,  San  Francisco:  Harper  &  Row,  1988  
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Rogers,  Carl,  Carl  Rogers  on  Personal  Power,  Great  Britain:  Constable,  1978.  
 
Roszak,  Theodore,  Person/Planet,  New  York:  Anchor  Press/Doubleday,  1978.    
 
________________,  The  Voice  of  the  Earth,  New  York:  Simon  &  Schuster,  1992.  
 
Rucker,  R.,  Geometry,  Relativity,  and  the  Fourth  Dimension,  New  York:  Dover  
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Russell,  Peter,  The  Global  Brain,  Los  Angeles:  J.P.  Tarcher,  Inc.,  1983.  
 
____________,  The  White  Hole  In  Time,  San  Francisco:  HarperSanFrancisco,  1992.  
 
 314

Saddhatissa,  H.,  Buddhist  Ethics,  New  York:  George  Braziller,  1970.  

 
Sagan,  Carl  and  I.S.  Shklovskii,  Intelligent  Life  in  the  Universe,  San  Francisco:  
Holden-­‐Day,  1966.  
 
Sagan,  Carl,  The  Dragons  of  Eden,  New  York:  Random  House,  1977.  
 
___________,  Cosmos,  New  York:  Book  Club  Associates,  1980.  
 
___________,  and  Ann  Druyan,  Shadows  of  Forgotten  Ancestors,  New  York:  
Random  House,  1992.    
 
Sahtouris,  Elisabet,  Gaia:  The  Human  Journey  from  Chaos  to  Cosmos,  New  York:  
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Satprem,  Sri  Aurobindo  or  The  Adventure  of  Consciousness,  Pondicherry,  India:  Sri  
Aurobindo  Society,  1970.  
 
Sauer,  Carl,  Agricultural  Origins  and  Dispersals,  New  York:  American  Geographical  
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Schaef,  Anne  Wilson,  When  Society  Becomes  An  Addict,  San  Francisco:  Harper  &  
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Schell,  Jonathan,  The  Fate  of  the  Earth,  New  York:  Alfred  A.  Knopf,  1982.    
 
Schindler,  Craig  and  Gary  Lapid,  The  Great  Turning,  New  Mexico:  Bear  &  Co.,  1989.  
 
Schmookler,  Andrew  Bard,  The  Parable  of  the  Tribes:  The  Problem  of  Power  in  
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Schumacher,  E.F.,  A  Guide  for  the  Perplexed,  San  Francisco:  Harper  &  Row,  1977.  
 
Schwenk,  Theodor,  Sensitive  Chaos:  The  Creation  of  Flowing  Forms  in  Water  and  
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Sciama,  D.W.,  The  Unity  of  the  Universe,  New  York:  Doubleday,  1961.  
 
Sekida,  Katsuki,  Zen  Training,  New  York:  Weatherhill,  1975.    
 
Sheldrake,  Rupert,  A  New  Science  of  Life:  The  Hypothesis  of  Formative  Causation,  
Los  Angeles:  J.  P.  Tarcher,  1981.  
 
Shi,  David,  The  Simple  Life,  New  York:  Oxford  University  Press,  1985.  
 
Shlain,  Leonard,  Art  and  Physics,  New  York:  William  Morrow,  1991.  
 
Shostak,  Marjorie,  Nisa:  The  Life  and  Words  of  a  !Kung  Woman,  New  York:  Vintage  
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Singh,  J.,  Great  Ideas  and  Theories  of  Modern  Cosmology,  New  York:  Dover  
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 315

 
Slaton,  Christa,  Televote:  Expanding  Citizen  Participation  in  the  Quantum  Age,  New  
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Smith,  Huston,  The  Religions  of  Mankind,  New  York:  Harper  &  Row,  1958.    
 
Sogyal  Rinpoche,  The  Tibetan  Book  of  Living  and  Dying,  San  Rrancisco:  
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Sorokin,  Pitrim  A.,  The  Ways  and  Power  of  Love,  Chicago:  The  Beacon  Press,  1954  
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Sklar,  Lawrence.,  Space,  Time  and  Spacetime,  Berkeley:  University  of  California  
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Spengler,  Oswald,  The  Decline  of  the  West,  New  York:  Knopf,  Vol.  I,  1926.  
 
Spretnak,  Charlene,  (ed.),  The  Politics  of  Women’s  Spirituality,  New  York:  Anchor  
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Sri  Aurobindo,  The  Life  Divine,  India:  Sri  Aurobindo  Ashram,  1970.    
 
Stapledon,  Olaf,  Star  Maker,  New  York:  Dover  Publications,  1937.  
 
Stavrianos,  L.S.,  The  Promise  of  the  Coming  Dark  Age,  San  Francisco:  W.H.  
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Stevens,  Peter  S.,  Patterns  in  Nature,  Boston:  Little,  Brown  and  Co.,  1974.  
 
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Stromberg,  Gustaf,  The  Soul  of  the  Universe,  North  Hollywood,  California:  
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Suzuki,  D.T.,  Mysticism:  Christian  and  Buddhist,  New  York:  Macmillan,  1957.  
 
___________,  Outlines  of  Mahayana  Buddhism,  New  York:  Schocken  Books,  1963.  
 
___________,    Zen  and  Japanese  Culture,  New  Jersey:  Princeton  University  Press,  
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______________,  and  Thomas  Berry,  The  Universe  Story,  San  Francisco:  Harper,  
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Tavris,  Carol,  The  Mismeasure  of  Woman,    New  York:  Simon  &  Schuster,  1992.  
 
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Teilhard  de  Chardin,  The  Phenomenon  of  Man,  New  York:  Harper  &  Row,  1959.  
 
_________________,  The  Future  of  Man,  New  York:  Harper  &  Row,  1964.    
 
Thera,  Nyanaponika,  The  Heart  of  Buddhist  Meditation,  London:  Rider,  1972.  
 
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Toffler,  Alvin,  The  Third  Wave,  New  York:  Bantam  Books,  1981.  
 
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_______________,  A  Study  of  History,  abridgement  of  Vol’s  I-­‐VI,  (by  D.C.  
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________________,  Surviving  the  Future,  New  York:  Oxford  University  Press,  1971.  
 
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__________________,  The  Myth  of  Freedom,  Berkeley,  California:  Shambhala,  
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Tulku,  Tarthang,  Time,  Space  and  Knowledge,  California:  Dharma  Publishing,  1977.  
 
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VandenBroeck,  Goldian  (ed.),  Less  is  More,  New  York:  Colophon  Books,  1978.  
 
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_______________,  A  Short  History  of  the  Future,  Chicago:  University  of  Chicago  
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Walsh,  Roger  and    Frances  Vaughan,  Beyond  Ego:  Transpersonal  Dimensions  in  
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Watts,  Alan,  The  Spirit  of  Zen,  New  York:  Grove  Press,  Inc.,  1958.    
 
Weber,  Renee,  Dialogues  With  Scientists  and  Sages,  New  York:  Routledge  &  Kegan  
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_____________,  “The  Good,  the  True  and  the  Beautiful,”  in  Main  Currents  in  
Modern  Thought,  New  York:  Center  for  Integrative  Education,  Retrospective  
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Weiner,  Norbert,  The  Human  Use  of  Human  Beings,  New  York:  Avon  Books,  1954.  
 
Welwood,  John,  “On  Psychological  Space,”  Journal  of  Transpersonal  Psychology,  
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______________,  ed.,  Ordinary  Magic:  Everyday  Life  as  Spiritual  Path,  Boston:  
Shambhala,  1992.    
 
Wenke,  Robert  J.,  Patterns  in  Prehistory:  Humankinds  First  Three  Million  Years,  
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Wesson,  Robert,  Cosmos  and  Metacosmos,  La  Salle,  Illinois:  Open  Court,  1989.  
 
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 318

White,  John  (ed.),  The  Highest  State  of  Consciousness,    New  York:  
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__________,  The  Meeting  of  Science  and  Spirit,  New  York:  Paragon  House,  1990.  
 
White,  Randall,  Dark  Caves,  Bright  Visions,  New  York:  W.W.  Norton  &  Co.,  1986.    
 
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Whitrow,  G.J.,  The  Natural  Philosophy  of  Time,  Oxford,  England:  Clarendon  Press,  
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Wilber,  Ken,  The  Spectrum  of  Consciousness,  Wheaton,  Illinois:  Theosophical  
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___________,  The  Atman  Project:  A  Transpersonal  View  of  Human  Development,  
Wheaton,  Illinois:  Theosophical  Publishing  Hourse,  1980.    
 
___________,  Up  From  Eden,  New  York:  Anchor  Press/Doubleday,  1981.  
 
___________,  Eye  to  Eye,  New  York:  Anchor  Press/Doubleday,  1983.    
 
___________,  Quantum  Questions,  Boulder,  Colorado:  Shambhala,  1984.    
 
___________,  and  Jack  Engler  and  Daniel  Brown,  Transformations  of  
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Winkelman,  Michael,  “The  Evolution  of  Consciousness:  An  Essay  Review  of  Up  
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______________,  The  Unfinished  Universe,  New  York:  Simon  and  Schuster,  1986.  
 
______________,  “Easter  Island:  Scary  Parable,”  in  World  Monitor,  August,  1991.  
 
Zihlman,  Adrienne  L.,  “Woman  the  Gatherer:  The  Role  of  Women  in  Early  Hominid  
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American  Anthropological  Association,  1989.  
 
Zimmer,  Heinrich,  Myths  and  Symbols  in  Indian  Art  and  Civilization,  Joseph  
Campbell  (ed.),  Princeton  Princeton  University  Press,  Bollingen  Series,  1972.    
 
Zur,  Ofer,    “The  Psychohistory  of  Warfare,”  Journal  of  Peace  Research,  Vol.  24,  no.  
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 319

Footnotes  
1
 See  poll  by  the  Gallup  Organization  of  Princeton,  New  Jersey,  “World  Poll  Finds  
Concern  About  Earth’s  Health,”  reported  in  the  San  Francisco  Chronicle,  June  10,  1992.        
2
 Carl  Sagan,  The  Dragons  of  Eden,  New  York:  Random  House,  1977,  p.  7.        
3
 Dennet’s  views  are  described  by  Bruce  Bower  in  his  article  “Consciousness  Raising,”  
Science  News,  Vol.  142,  Oct.  10,  1992,  p.  233.    See  also  Daniel  Dennet’s  book,  
Consciousness  Explained,  Canada:  Little  Brown,  1991.    Dennet  is  a  materialist  and  asserts  
that,  “the  mind  is  somehow  nothing  but  a  physical  phenomenon.    In  short,  the  mind  is  
the  brain.”    
4
 Ken  Wilber,  Up  From  Eden,  New  York:  Anchor  Press/Doubleday,  1981,  p.  7.      The  
psychiatrist  and  experienced  meditator,  Roger  Walsh,  gives  this  description  of  the  
Eastern  paradigm  in  an  article  describing  the  world  view  of  Wilber:  “...consciousness  
creates  matter  and  matter  evolves  through  successive  biological,  mental  and  
consciousness  (spiritual)  levels  back  to  self-­‐recognition.”    See:  Roger  Walsh,  “The  World  
View  of  Ken  Wilber,”  Association  for  Humanistic  Psychology  Newsletter,  May  1982,  p.  5.  
5
 Various  expressions  of  this  integrative  view  can  be  found  in  the  works  of  Hegel,  
Bergson,  and  Aurobindo.    For  further  discussion  see,  for  example,  Michael  Murphy,  The  
Future  of  the  Body,  Los  Angeles:  Tarcher,  1992,  pp.  186-­‐188.  
6
 The  strengths  and  weaknesses  as  well  as  the  integration  of  Eastern  and  Western  
views  of  reality  are  discussed  in  greater  length  in  my  book,  Voluntary  Simplicity,  New  
York:  William  Morrow,  1981  (first  edition).    See  Chapter  10  on  “East-­‐West  Synthesis.”  
7
 The  designation  of  modern  humans  as  Homo  sapiens  sapiens  is  widespread;  see,  
for  example:    Joseph  Campbell,  Historical  Atlas  of  World  Mythology,  Vol  I:  The  Way  of  
the  Animal  Powers,  Part  1:  Mythologies  of  the  Primitive  Hunters  and  Gatherers,  New  
York:  Harper  and  Row,  Perennial  Library,  1988,  p.  22.      Richard  Leakey,  The  Making  of  
Mankind,  New  York:  E.P.  Dutton,  1981,  p.  18.    Mary  Maxwell,  Human  Evolution:  A  
Philosophical  Anthropology,  New  York:  Columbia  University  Press,  1984,  p.  294.    John  
Pfeiffer,  The  Creative  Explosion:  An  Inquiry  into  the  Origins  of  Art  and  Religion,  New  
York,  Ithaca:  Cornell  University  Press,  1982,  p.  13.      
8
 The  term  “double-­‐wisdom”  is  now  used  in  popular  language  to  describe  the  core  
potential  of  modern  humans;  see,  for  example,  John  Pfeiffer,  The  Creative  Explosion,  
Ibid,  p.  13  as  well  as  Newsweek  magazine,  Nov.  10,  1986,  p.  62  and  Oct.  16,  1989,  p.  71.      
9
   Arnold  Toynbee,  Civilization  on  Trial,  New  York:  Oxford  University  Press,  1948,  p.  
55.  
10
 Arnold  Toynbee,  Ibid.,  p.  213.  
11
 Johannes  Kepler  quoted  in  Carl  Sagan,  Cosmos,  New  York:  Book  Club  Associates,  
1980,  p.  56.    Paul  Dirac,  one  of  the  modern  theorists  who  developed  the  field  of  
quantum  mechanics,  expressed  similar  sentiments  when  he  wrote  that  “God  is  a  
mathematician  of  a  very  high  order,  and  He  used  very  advanced  mathematics  in  
constructing  the  universe.”    P.  Dirac,  “The  Evolution  of  the  Physicists  Picture  of  Nature,”  
Scientific  American,  May  1963.    
12
 Carl  Sagan  and  Ann  Druyan,  Shadows  of  Forgotten  Ancestors,  New  York:  Random  
House,  1992.    Also  see  the  adapted  article,  “How  Much  Are  We  Like  the  Chimps?    What  
They  Tell  Us  About  Ourselves,”  in  Parade  Magazine,  June  7,  1992.  
13
 See,  for  example:  Donald  Griffin,  The  Question  of  Animal  Awareness:  Evolutionary  
Continuity  of  Mental  Experience,  Los  Altos,  California:  William  Kaufmann,  1981  (revised  
and  enlarged  edition).    Also  see  the  more  recent  article  by  Griffin,  “Animal  Thinking,”  in  
Scientific  American,  November,  1991  where  he  states,  “The  versatility  with  which  
animals  cope  with  the  challenges  they  face  often  suggests  they  are  indeed  thinking  
 320

about  what  they  are  doing.”  (p.  144)    Finally,  see:  Michael  Winkelman,  “The  Evolution  of  
Consciousness:  An  Essay  Review  of  Up  From  Eden  (Wilber,  1981),”  in  Anthropology  of  
Consciousness,  October-­‐December,  1990.        
14
   Joseph  Campbell,  The  Way  of  the  Animal  Powers:  Part  I:  Mythologies  of  the  
Primitive  Hunter-­‐Gatherers,    Op.  Cit.,  pp.  22-­‐23.    For  a  further  discussion  of  Homo  habilis  
as  the  ancestor  of  Homo  erectus,  see  World  Atlas  of  Archeology,  New  York:  Portland  
House,  1985,  pp.  308-­‐309.  
15
 Adrienne  L.  Zihlman,  “Woman  the  Gatherer:  The  Role  of  Women  in  Early  Hominid  
Evolution,”  Sandra  Morgen  (ed.),  Gender  and  Anthropology,  Washington,  D.C.:  American  
Anthropological  Association,  1989.  
16
 Richard  Leakey,  The  Making  of  Mankind,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  89.  
17
 Richard  Leakey,  Ibid.,  p.  94.  
18
 Joseph  Campbell,  Mythologies  of  the  Primitive  Hunter-­‐Gatherers,  Op.  Cit.,  pp.  22-­‐
23.    
19
 John  Pfeiffer,  The  Creative  Explosion,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  11.  
20
 These  two  different  views  are  well-­‐developed  in  these  two  articles:  Allan  Wilson  
and  Rebecca  Cann,  “The  Recent  African  Genesis  of  Humans,”  Scientific  American,  April,  
1982  and  Alan  Thorne  and  Milford  Wolpoff,  “The  Multiregional  Evolution  of  Humans,”  
Scientific  American,  April,  1992.  
21
 Richard  E.  Leakey  and  Roger  Lewin,  Origins,  New  York:  E.P.  Dutton,  Inc.,  1977,  p.  
117.  
22
 Robert  Wenke,  Patterns  in  Prehistory:  Humankind’s  First  Three  Million  Years  
(Second  Edition),  New  York:  Oxford  University  Press,  1984,  p.  114.    Victor  Barnow,  
Anthropology,  Homewood,  Illinois:  The  Dorsey  Press,  1979,  p.  95.    For  an  alternative  
view  see,  Marvin  Harris,  Our  Kind,  New  York:  Harper  &  Row,  1989,  p.  87.    (Harris  
suggests  these  Neanderthal  burials  were  accidental  rather  than  deliberate.)  
23
 Joseph  Campbell,  Mythologies  of  the  Primitive  Hunter-­‐Gatherers,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  25.  
24
 Oswald  Spenger  thought  that  recognition  of  death  was  the  stimulus  for  cultural  
awakening.    See:  Oswald  Spengler,  The  Decline  of  the  West,  New  York:  Knopf,  Vol.  I,  
1926.  
25
 Randall  White,  Dark  Caves,  Bright  Visions,  New  York:  W.W.  Norton  &  Co.,  1986,  p.  
18.  
2626
 Ibid,  p.  19.  
27
 John  Pfeiffer,  The  Creative  Explosion,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  41.  
28
 See,  for  example,  Sherwood  Washburn,  “The  Evolution  of  Man,”  in  Scientific  
American,  September,  1978.    Washburn  states  that,  “...our  ancestors  lived  in  a  world  
that  seemed  to  them  small  and  flat  and  that  they  could  assess  only  in  very  personal  
terms.”  [emphasis  added],  p.  194.        
29
 Henri    Frankfort,  et.  al.,  The  Intellectual  Adventure  of  Ancient  Man,  Chicago:  
University  of  Chicago  Press,  1946  (Phoenix  Edition,  1977),  p.  4.  
30
   Ibid,  p.  6.  
31
 Ibid.,  p.  21.  
32
 For  background  on  the  subtle  topic  of  time  see,  for  example,  Marie-­‐Louise  von  
Franz,  Time:  Rhythm  and  Repose,  New  York:  Thames  and  Hudson,  1978;  Joseph  
Campbell  (ed.),  Man  and  Time,  New  York,  Princeton  University  Press:  Bollingen  Series,  
1957;  and  J.T.  Fraser  (ed.),  The  Voices  of  Time,  New  York:  George  Braziller,  1966.  
33
 Malcolm  Margolin,  The  Ohlone  Way:  Indian  Life  in  the  San  Francisco-­‐Monterey  Bay  
Area,  Berkeley,  California:  Heyday  Books,  1978,  p.  91.  
34
 Richard  Leakey  and  Roger  Lewin,  Origins,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  154.  
35
 Mary  Maxwell,  Human  Evolution,  Op.  Cit.,  pp.  308-­‐309.  
 321

36
 Yearly  gatherings  among  an  extended  clan  indicate  an  awareness  of  seasons  and  
cycles;  however,  this  awareness  was  apparently  not  sufficiently  developed  at  this  time  
to  enable  people  to  anticipate,  for  example,  annual  salmon  runs.  
37
 Joseph  Campbell,  The  Masks  of  God:  Occidental  Mythology,  New  York:  The  Viking  
Press,  1964,  p.  7.  
38
 Ibid.,  p.  202.    
39
 Joseph  Campbell,  Transformation  of  Myth  Through  Time,  New  York:  Harper  &  
Row,  1990,  p.  12.    Marija  Gimbutas,  The  Goddesses  and  Gods  of  Old  Europe,  Berkeley:  
University  of  California  Press,  1982.  
40
 Margolin,  The  Ohlone  Way,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  141.  
41
 Ibid.,  p.  5.  
42
   Frankfort,  Henri,  et.  al.,  Intellectual  Adventure,  Op.  Cit.,    p.  7.    
43
 Theodora  Kroeber,  Ishi  in  Two  Worlds:  A  Biography  of  the  Last  Wild  Indian  in  North  
America,  Berkeley:  University  of  California  Press,  1967,  p.  23.  
44
 Roger  N.  Walsh,  The  Spirit  of  Shamanism,  Los  Angeles:  Jeremy  P.  Tarcher,  Inc.,  
1990,  p.  15.  
45
 Heinrich  Zimmer,  Myths  and  Symbols  in  Indian  Art  and  Civilization,  Joseph  
Campbell  (ed.),  Princeton  University  Press:  Bollingen  Series,  1972,  p.  151.  
46
 Margolin,  The  Ohlone  Way,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  153.  
47
 See,  for  example,  Joseph  Campbell,  Historical  Atlas  of  World  Mythology,  Vol  II:  The  
Way  of  the  Seeded  Earth,  Part  1:  The  Sacrifice,  New  York:  Harper  &  Row,  1988.    
48
 John  Pfieffer,  The  Creative  Explosion,  Op.  Cit.,    p.  64.  
49
 Pfieffer,  Ibid.,  p.  146.  
50
 Randall  White,  Dark  Caves,  Bright  Visions,  Op.  Cit.,  (see  p.  32  for  time  scale  for  
faceless  figurines).    The  World  Atlas  of  Archaeology,  Op.  Cit.,    (see  p.  172  for  figurines  
with  eyes).  
51
 The  World  Atlas  of  Archaeology,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  172.    
52
 Richard  Leakey,  The  Making  of  Mankind,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  184.  
53
 Robert  Wenke,  Patterns  in  Prehistory,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  173.  
54
 Joseph  Campbell,  The  Masks  of  God:  Occidental  Mythology,  Op.  Cit.,  pp.  505-­‐506.  
55
 For  the  less  contemporary  view  that  these  two  aspects  of  the  feminine  archetype  
may  have  developed  separately  see,  for  example,  H.R.  Hays,  In  the  Beginning:  Early  Man  
and  His  Gods,  New  York:  G.P.  Putnam’s  Sons,  1963,  p.  51.      Also  see,  Annemarie  de  Waal  
Malefijt,  Religion  and  Culture,  London:  Macmillan  Company,  1968,  p.  139.    
56
 Some  anthropologists  see  the  period  marked  by  the  emergence  of  agriculture  and  
settled  villages  prior  to  the  rise  of  city-­‐states  as  a  distinctly  separate  stage  of  
development.    Although  this  is  plausible  when  viewed  in  terms  of  physical  forms  and  
activities,  when  viewed  in  terms  of  perceptual  evolution,  this  seems  a  transitional  time  
between  two  major  perceptual  paradigms.        
57
 Carl  Sauer,  Agricultural  Origins  and  Dispersals,  New  York:  American  Geographical  
Society,  1952.    Re-­‐edited  and  republished  as:  Seeds,  Spades,  Hearths,  and  Herds,  
Cambridge:  Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology  Press,  1969.    See,  also:  Joseph  
Campbell,  The  Way  of  the  Seeded  Earth,  Part  1:  The  Sacrifice,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  12.  
58
See,  for  example,  Riane  Eisler,  The  Chalice  and  the  Blade,  San  Francisco:  Harper  &  
Row,  1987;  Elinor  Gadon,The  Once  and  Future  Goddess,  San  Francisco:  Harper  &  Row,  
1989;  and  Ken  Wilber,  Up  From  Eden,  Op.  Cit.    
59
 Richard  Leakey  and  Roger  Lewin,  Origins,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  114.  
60
 Kenneth  Cameron,  Humanity  and  Society:  A  World  History,  Bloomington:  Indiana  
University  Press,  1973,  p.  83.  
61
 Leakey,  The  Making  of  Mankind,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  207.  
62
 Campbell,  The  Way  of  the  Seeded  Earth,  Part  1:  The  Sacrifice,  Op.  Cit.,  pp.  12-­‐17.  
63
 Richard  Critchfield,  Villages,  New  York:  Anchor  Books/Doubleday,  1983,  p.  210.    
 322

64
 Carol  Tavris,  The  Mismeasure  of  Woman,  New  York:  Simon  &  Schuster,  1992,  p.  
77.  
65
 Joseph  Campbell,  Mythic  Images  of  Man,  unpublished  background  material  
prepared  for  the  report,  Changing  Images  of  Man,  Center  for  the  Study  of  Social  Policy,  
SRI  International,  Menlo  Park,  California,  June,  1973,  pp.  14-­‐15.  
66
 Joseph  Campbell,  The  Masks  of  God:  Occidental  Mythology,  Op.  Cit.,  pp.  505-­‐506.  
67
 Joseph  Campbell,  The  Masks  of  God:  Primitive  Mythology,  New  York:  The  Viking  
Press,  1969,  p.  146.  
68
 Joseph  Campbell,  The  Masks  of  God:  Primitive  Mythology,  Ibid.,  p.  147.    Also,  see,  
for  example,  Evan  Hadingham,  Early  Man  and  the  Cosmos,  Norman:  University  of  
Oklahoma  Press,  1984.    He  explains  that,  “The  order  perceived  in  the  heavens  provided  
a  model  that  gave  form  and  meaning  to  the  actions  of  people  on  Earth.    Whether  their  
needs  and  decisions  revolved  around  the  right  time  to  plant  corn  or  the  proper  place  to  
raise...a  pyramid  to  honor  a  dead  lord,  the  cosmic  order  provided  them  with  guidance  
and  justification.”  p.  245      
69
 Joseph  Campbell,  The  Masks  of  God:  Occidental  Mythology,  Op.  Cit.,  pp.  505-­‐506.  
70
 Joseph  Campbell,  The  Masks  of  God:  Primitive  Mythology,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  149.  
71
 Joseph  Campbell,  The  Way  of  the  Animal  Powers:  Part  I:  Mythology  of  the  
Primitive  Hunter-­‐Gatherers,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  10.  
72
   Samuel  Kramer,  The  Sumerians:  Their  History,  Culture,  and  Character,  Chicago:  
University  of  Chicago  Press,  1963,  p.  113.  
73
 Frankfort,  et.  al.,  The  Intellectual  Adventure  of  Ancient  Man,  Op.  Cit.,    p.  137.  
74
 Frankfort,  et.  al.,  Ibid.,  p.  138.  
75
 The  World  Atlas  of  Archaeology,  Op.  Cit.,    “...the  first  agricultural  ‘work’  and  the  
progressive  mastery  of  the  enviroment  by  the  domestication  of  animals  and  plants  
coincides  with  a  human  spirituality  now  expanded  to  include  both  an  “above”  and  a  
“below,”  the  order  of  the  divinity  and  that  of  ordinary  humanity.”  p.  172        
76
 See,  Evan  Hadingham,  Early  Man  and  the  Cosmos,    Op.  Cit.,  p.  245.  
77
 See,  for  example,  Robert  Redfield,  The  Primitive  World  and  Its  Transformations,  
Ithaca,  New  York:  Cornell  University  Press,  1953.  
78
 Campbell,  The  Masks  of  God:  Occidental  Mythology,    Op.  Cit.,    pp.  248-­‐249.  
79
 Kramer,  The  Sumerians,    Op.  Cit.,  p.  33    
80
 Bernard  Campbell,  Human  Evolution,  Chicago:  Aldine  Publishing  Co.,  (Second  
Edition),  1974,  p.  348.    
81
 Kramer,  The  Sumerians,    Op.  Cit.,  p.  260.  
82
 Ibid.,  pp.  264-­‐267.  
83
 Cameron,  Humanity  and  Society,    Op.  Cit.,    p.48.  
   
84
 Frankfort,  et.  al.,  The  Intellectual  Adventure  of  Ancient  Man,    Op.  Cit.,    p.  364.  
85
 Redfield,  The  Primitive  World  and  its  Transformations,    Op.  Cit.,  p.  22.  
86
 Peter  Farb,  Humankind,  Boston:  Houghton  Mifflin  Co.,  1978,  p.  135.  
87
 Reported  in  a  documentary  on  the  CBS  Evening  News,  New  York,  May  15,  1989.  
88
 Critchfield,  Villages,    Op.  Cit.,  pp.  341-­‐345.  
89
 Ibid,  see  pp.  225-­‐226.    
90
 Kramer,  The  Sumerians,  Op.  Cit.,    p.  74.  
91
 For  a  discussion  of  the  Inanna  myth  see,  for  example:  Samuel  Kramer,  The  
Sumerians,  Op.  Cit.,  pp.  116  and  160-­‐161.  Also  see,  Elinor  Gadon,  The  Once  and  Future  
Goddess,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  142.  
92
 Richard  Tarnas,  The  Passion  of  the  Western  Mind,  New  York:  Harmony  Books,  
1991,  p.  442.  
93
 Farb,  Humankind,    Op.  Cit.,    p.  159.  
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94
 See  Ofer  Zur,  “The  Psychohistory  of  Warfare:  The  Co-­‐Evolution  of  Culture,  Psyche  
and  Enemy,”  in  Journal  of  Peace  Research,  Vol.  24,  no.  2,  1987,  p.  128.  
95
 Andrew  Bard  Schmookler,  The  Parable  of  the  Tribes:  The  Problem  of  Power  in  
Social  Evolution,  Berkeley,  California:  University  of  California  Press,  1984,  p.  21.      
96
   
97
 See  Robert  Bellah,  “Religious  Evolution,”  in  American  Sociological  Review,  1964,  
29:358-­‐374;  Also,  Barnouw,    Op.  Cit.,    pp.  334-­‐335.  
98
   Campbell,  The  Masks  of  God:  Primitive  Mythology,  Op.  Cit.,  see  pp.  141,  145,  and  
402.  
99
 Among  the  books  that  were  most  helpful  in  developing  this  chronology  were:    the  
works  of  Joseph  Campbell,  cited  throughout;  Milton  Hessel,  Man’s  Journey  Through  
Time,  New  York:  Simon  &  Schuster,  1974;  and  Crane  Brinton,  et.  al.,  A  History  of  
Civilization,  Volume  I:  Prehistory  to  1715,  New  York:  Prentice  Hall,  1984.  
100
 Ron  Atkin,  Multidimensional  Man,  New  York:  Penguin  Books,  1981.    [Atkin  states:  
“Three  dimensional  space  is  only  a  banal  slice  of  the  multidimensional  structures  we  
really  live  in...”]    For  a  similar  theme,  see  Lama  Govinda,  Creative  Meditation  and  Multi-­‐
Dimensional  Consciousness,  Wheaton,  Illinois:  The  Theosophical  Publishing  House,  1976.  
101
 Govinda,  Op.  Cit.,  pp.  256-­‐258.  
102
 The  Florentine  Giotto  (c.  1267-­‐1337)  was  a  pioneering  painter  of  the  later  Middle  
Ages  and  is  generally  credited  with  being  the  first  person  to  fully  conceive  of  a  flat  
canvas  in  three-­‐dimensional  terms.    See,  for  example:  Leonard  Shlain,  Art  and  Physics,  
New  York:  William  Morrow,  1991,  pp.  48-­‐54;  also,  Edward  Burns,  Robert  Lerner  and  
Standish  Meacham,  Western  Civilizations,  New  York:  W.W.  Norton  &  Co.,  Ninth  Edition,  
Volume  I,  1980,  p.  402.  
103
 Jean  Gebser,  The  Ever-­‐Present  Origin,  Noel  Barstad  with  Algis  Mickumas  (trans.),  
Athens:  Ohio  University  Press,  1985  (English  translation),  p.  10.    There  is  evidence  that  
the  capacity  for  seeing  things  in  perspective  was  not  completely  absent  before  the  
Renaissance.    A  Cro-­‐Magnon  artist,  living  roughly  18,000  years  ago,  produced  a  striking  
drawing  done  with  depth  perspective.    Discovered  in  a  cave  along  the  coast  of  southern  
France,  this  charcoal  drawing  shows  a  bison  in  3/4  profile—with  its  head  partially  turned  
towards  the  artist.    See:  “The  Hand  Of  Time,”  Life  Magazine,  December,  1991,  p.  56.  
104
 George  Feuerstein,  Structures  of  Consciousness:  The  Genius  of  Jean  Gebser—An  
Introduction  and  Critique,  California:  Integral  Publishing,  1987,  p.  114.  
105
 Shlain,  Art  and  Physics,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  161.      
106
 Ibid.,  p.  161.  
107
 I.  H.  Rima,  Development  of  Economic  Analysis,  Homewood,  Illinois:  R.  D.  Irwin  Co.,  
1967,  p.  4.    
108
 See  Ernest  Becker,  The  Denial  of  Death,  New  York:  Free  Press,  1973;  and  Ken  
Wilber,  Up  From  Eden,  Op.  Cit.,  pp.  98-­‐101.  
109
 Campbell,  Occidental  Mythology,    Op.  Cit.,  p.  504.    
110
 Suzuki  quoted  in  Ken  Wilber,  Up  From  Eden,    Op.  Cit.,  p.  251.      
111
 On  the  other  hand,  this  epoch  elevated  the  rational  intellect  and  gave  citizens  a  
healthy  distrust  of  purely  ecstatic  experiences,  thereby  protecting  humanity  from  the  
fascistic,  shadow  side  of  the  ascent  experience.    See:  Morris  Berman,  Coming  To  Our  
Senses,  New  York:  Simon  and  Schuster,  1989,  p.  303.  
112
 Evelyn  Underhill,  Mysticism,  New  York:  Meridian  Books,  1955,  p.  30.    
113
 Cameron,  Humanity  and  Society,    Op.  Cit.,  p.  244.  
114
 Ibid.,  p.  290.        
115
   Berman,  Coming  to  Our  Senses,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  131.    Berman  notes  another  
interesting  example  suggesting  the  growth  of  reflective  consciousness.    From  roughly  
1500  onwards,  the  manufacture  and  distribution  of  mirrors  increased  exponentially—a  
fact  he  associates  with  the  rise  of  individualism  characteristic  of  the  European  
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Renaissance.    “We  find  a  sharp  simultaneous  increase  in  self-­‐consciousness  and  in  the  
quantity  and  technical  quality  of  mirror  production.”    p.  48.  
116
 Ibid.,  p.  131.  
117
 Tarnas,  The  Passion  of  the  Western  Mind,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  282.  
118
 See,  for  example:  Dana  Meadows,  et.  al.,  Beyond  the  Limits,  Post  Mills,  Vermont:  
Chelsea  Green  Publishing  Co.,  1992.    
119
 See,  for  example:  Joseph  V.  Montville,  “Psychoanalytic  Enlightenment  and  the  
Greening  of  Diplomacy,”  Journal  of  the  American  Psychoanalytic  Association,  Vol.  37,  
No.  2,  1989.    Also:  Roger  Walsh,  Staying  Alive:  The  Psychology  of  Human  Survival,  
Boulder  Colorado:  New  Science  Library,  1984.  
120
 Stephen  Levine,  Who  Dies?,  An  Investigation  of  Conscious  Living  and  Conscious  
Dying,  New  York:  Anchor  Press,  1982,  pp.  180-­‐181.  
121
 Stephen  Levine,  “The  Great  Addiction:  A  Case  of  Mistaken  Identity,”  in  The  Quest,  
Wheaton,  Illinois,  Winter,  1991,  p.  27.  
122
 Even  trees,  for  example,  seem  to  have  a  capacity  for  recognizing  “self  and  other”  
in  the  way  their  roots  grow.    See:  “Root  Words,”  Science  News,  Vol.  139,  March  23,  
1991,  p.  188.    
123
 Freeman  Dyson,  Infinite  in  All  Directions,  New  York:  Harper  and  Row,  1988,  p.  
297.  
124
 Roberto  Assagioli  discusses  the  disidentification  process  at  length  in  his  book,  
Psychosynthesis,  New  York:  Viking  Compass  Books,  1965.  
125
 The  contemporary  evolution  of  the  masculine  archetype  is  described  by  Sam  
Keen,  Fire  in  the  Belly:  On  Being  A  Man,  New  York:  Bantam  Publishers,  1991.    
126
 Russell  Schweickart  quoted  in  Frank  White,  The  Overview  Effect,  Boston:  
Houghton  Mifflin  Co.,  1987,  p.  38.    
127
 Donald  Michael,  On  Learning  To  Plan—And  Planning  To  Learn,  San  Francisco:  
Jossey-­‐Bass  Publishers,  1973.  
128
 George  Gallup,  Jr.,  “50  Years  of  American  Opinion,”  San  Francisco  Chronicle,  
October  21,  1985.      
129
 Ibid.,  p.  2.  
130
 See  the  book  by  Meadows,  et.  al.,  Beyond  the  Limits,  Op.  Cit.  
131
 Robert  McNamara,  former  President  of  the  World  Bank,  defined  “absolute  
poverty”  as:  “a  condition  of  life  so  characterized  by  malnutrition,  illiteracy,  disease,  high  
infant  mortality  and  low  life  expectancy  as  to  be  beneath  any  reasonable  definition  of  
human  decency.”    
132
 For  various  definitions,  see,  Elgin,  Voluntary  Simplicity,  Op.  Cit.,  (first  edition,  
1981),  p.  29.  
133
 Arnold  Toynbee,  A  Study  of  History,  (Abridgement  of  Vol’s  I-­‐VI,  by  D.C.  
Somervell),  New  York:  Oxford  University  Press,  1947,  p.  198.  
134
   Arnold  Toynbee,  Ibid,  p.  208.  
135
 Buckminster  Fuller  describes  this  process  as  “ephemeralization.”    However,  
unlike  Toynbee,  Fuller’s  emphasis  was  on  designing  material  systems  to  do  more  with  
less  rather  than  the  co-­‐evolution  of  matter  and  consciousness.    See,  for  example,  his  
book,  Critical  Path,  New  York:  St.  Martin’s  Press,  1981,  p.  234.  
136
 Matthew  Fox,  Creation  Spirituality,  San  Francisco:  HarperSan  Francisco,  1991,  p.  
90-­‐91.  
137
 King  quoted  in:  Stephen  B.  Oates,  Let  the  Trumpets  Sound:  The  Life  of  Martin  
Luther  King,  Jr.,  New  York:  New  American  Library,  1982,  p.  226.    
138
 Joseph  N.  Pelton,  “The  Globalization  of  Universal  Telecommunications  Services,”  
Universal  Telephone  Service:  Ready  for  the  21st  Century?,  U.S.A.:  Institute  for  
Information  Studies,  1991,  p.  146.  
139
 Teilhard  de  Chardin,  The  Future  of  Man,  New  York:  Harper  &  Row,  1964,  p.  57.  
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140
 See:  Robert  Nisbet,  The  Quest  for  Community:  A  Study  in  the  Ethics  of  Order  and  
Freedom,  San  Francisco:  ICS  Press,  1990  (originally  published  in  1953).  
141
 Bill  Mastin,  Urban  Ecology  Inc.,  P.O.  Box  10144,  Berkeley,  CA    94709.  
142
Stephen  B.  Oates,  Let  the  Trumpet  Sound,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  79.    
143
 Malcom  Muggeridge,  Something  Beautiful  for  God:  Mother  Teresa  of  Calcutta,  
New  York:  Harper  &  Row,  1971,  pp.  65  and  69.    
144
 See,  for  example,  Chang,  The  Buddhist  Teaching  of  Totality,  Op.  Cit.,    p.  39  (and  
footnote  #28  on  page  55).            
145
 It  is  important  to  differentiate  the  flow  consciousness  described  here  from  the  far  
more  restricted  definition  of    flow  experience  described  by  Mihaly  Csikszenthmihalyi  in  
his  book,  Flow:  The  Psychology  of  Optimal  Experience,  New  York:  Harper  &  Row,  1990.    
146
 A.K.  Coomaraswamy,  Buddha  and  the  Gospel  of  Buddhism,  New  York:  Harper  
Torchbooks,  1964,  p.  95,    (originally  published  in  1916).    
147
 See  the  important  insights  of  the  Tibetan  Dzogchen  tradition  and  its  process  view  
of  reality;  in  particular,  Longchenpa,  Kindly  Bent  to  Ease  Us,  Part  Three:  Wonderment,  
Herbert  Guenther  (translation  and  annotation),  Emeryville,  California:  Dharma  
Publishing,  1976.    Guenther  writes  that  all  entities  “are  a  process  and  that  apart  from  
process  there  is  no  being.    Being  thus  becomes  synonymous  with  the  experience  of  its  
dynamic  process.”  p.  77.  
148
 Lama  Govinda,  Creative  Meditation  and  Multi-­‐Dimensional  Consciousness,  Op.  
Cit.,  p.  287.  
149
 Heraclitus  quoted  in  Cohen  and  Phipps,  The  Common  Experience,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  140.  
150
 Michael  Murphy  and  John  Brodie,  “I  Experience  a  Kind  of  Clarity,”  Intellectual  
Digest,  January,  1973,  p.  19-­‐20.    (Quoted  in  the  book  by  Michael  Murphy  and  Rhea  
White,  The  Psychic  Side  of  Sports,  Reading,  Mass.:  Addison-­‐Wesley  Publishing  Co.,  1978.)  
151
   William  Furlong,  “The  Fun  in  Fun,”  Psychology  Today,  vol.  10.,  no.  1  (June,  1976),  
p.  36.    (Quoted  in  the  book  by  Murphy  and  White,  The  Psychic  Side  of  Sports,  Op.  Cit.)  
152
   Tom  Horwitz  and  Susan  Kimmelman,  with  H.H.  Lui,  Tai  Chi  Ch’uan:  The  Technique  
of  Power,  Chicago:  Chicago  Review  Press,  1976,  p.  180.  
153
 George  Sheehan,  “Basics  of  Jogging,”  Runner’s  World,  vol.  12  (Aug.  1977),  p.  36.    
(Quoted  in  the  book  by  Murphy  and  White,  The  Psychic  Side  of  Sports,  Op.  Cit.)  
154
 Steve  McKinney,  “How  I  Broke  the  World’s  Speed  Ski  Record,”  Ski  Magazine,  vol.  
39,  no.  7  (Spring,  1975),  p.  77.    (Quoted  in  the  book  by  Murphy  and  White,  The  Psychic  
Side  of  Sports,  Op.  Cit.)  
155
 Mihaly  Csikszenthmihalyi,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  65.  
156
 I  particularly  want  to  acknowledge  Louise  Leadbetter  for  her  example  of  joyful  
work,  technical  mastery  and  enthusiasm  for  life.  
157
 For  more  on  this  theme,  see  the  book  by  Peter  Russell,  The  Global  Brain:  
Speculations  on  the  Evolutionary  Leap  to  Planetary  Consciousness,  Los  Angeles,  
California:  J.  P.  Tarcher,  1983.    
158
 John  Welwood,  Ordinary  Magic:  Everyday  Life  as  a  Spiritual  Path,  Boston:  
Shambhala,  1992,  p.  6.  
159
 I  have  lost  the  original  reference  for  this  beautiful  quotation  although  I’m  
confident  of  its  accuracy.  
160
 Ken  Wilber,  personal  communication,  Tiburon,  California,  1983.    
161
 Although  it  is  an  esoteric  topic  at  present,  one  of  the  pitfalls  that  I  think  we  will  
have  to  work  through  in  the  seventh  stage  is  learning  to  moderate  our  will-­‐to-­‐power  in  
the  area  of  conscious  co-­‐creation  (a  process  now  described  roughly  as  psychokinesis).    I  
assume  that  in  the  era  of  flow  consciousness,  the  process  of  continuous  creation  will  be  
widely  recognized  and,  in  addition,  there  will  exist  highly  sophisticated  biofeedback  and  
consciousness  feedback  devices  that  can  greatly  accelerate  the  pace  of  experiential  
learning  about  the  nature  of  our  energetic  connection  with  the  ever-­‐manifesting  
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cosmos.    Therefore,  I  expect  that  some  persons  will  seek  to  direct  the  flow  of  creation  to  
their  unique  advantage  in  this  epoch.    To  achieve  our  species-­‐maturity,  we  will  have  to  
learn  a  subtle  level  of  ethicality  regarding  how  we  consciously  engage  the  flow  of  
continuous  creation.    For  further  thoughts  on  this  general  theme,  see  my  article,  “The  
Ethics  of  Psi,”  New  Age  Magazine,  March,  1978.  
162
 Huston  Smith,  The  Religions  of  Man,  New  York:  Harper  &  Row,  1958.  
163
 Sogyal  Rinpoche,  The  Tibetan  Book  of  Living  and  Dying,  San  Francisco:  
HarperSanFrancisco,  1992,  p.  165.    
164
 The  final  stages  of  enlightenment  that  are  depicted  in  the  classic  “Oxherding  
Pictures,”  can  be  found,  for  example,  in  Katsuki  Sekida,  Zen  Training,  New  York:  
Weatherhill,  1975,  p.  230.    Also,  see:  Philip  Kapleau,  The  Three  Pillars  of  Zen,  New  York:  
Harper  &  Row,  1966,  p.  311.  
165
 Arthur  M.  Young,  The  Reflexive  Universe,  San  Francisco:  Delacorte  Press,  1976,  p.  
xxi.  
166
 The  geophysicist,  Louise  B.  Young,  makes  the  following  comment  in  her  book,  The  
Unfinished  Universe,  New  York:  Simon  and  Schuster,  1986,    “Today  geochemists  and  
cosmologists  are  finding  characteristics  of  self-­‐organization  in  very  large  units  of  
matter...the  earth,  the  stars,  the  galaxies.    So  the  phenomenon  of  organism  must  not  be  
limited  by  size  or  level  of  complexity.    Each  self-­‐organized  unit  possesses  the  innate  
tendency  to  preserve  and  extend  its  own  existence...”  p.  42.  
167
 Tehilhard,  The  Future  of  Man,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  78.  
168
 Teilhard  de  Chardin,  The  Phenomenon  of  Man,  New  York:  Harper  &  Row,  1959,  p.  
261.  
169
 Alex  Grey,  “Universal  Mind  Lattice,”  (painted  in  1981,  acrylic  on  canvas),  
published  in  Sacred  Mirrors,  Rochester,  Vermont:  Inner  Traditions  International,  1990.    
The  Journal  Revision  described  this  as  showing  the  larger  “self”  as  a  torus-­‐like  energy  
cell,  “a  fountain  of  consciousness  within  an  infinite,  omni-­‐directional  network  of  similar  
cells.”  Vol.  5,  No.  2,  Fall,  1982.  
170
 Tehilhard,  The  Future  of  Man,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  186.  
171
 For  a  discussion  of  the  development  of  extraterrestrial  civilizations,  see  for  
example:  Carl  Sagan  and  I.S.  Shklovskii,  Intelligent  Life  in  the  Universe,  San  Francisco:  
Holden-­‐Day,  Inc.,  1966;  Magoroh  Maruyama  and  Arthur  Harkins,  (eds),  Cultures  Beyond  
the  Earth,  New  York:  Vintage  Books,  1975;    Edward  Regis,  Jr.,  (ed.)  Extraterrerstrials:  
Science  and  Alien  Intelligence,  New  York:  Cambridge  University  Press,  1985;  Frank  
White,  The  Overview  Effect:  Space  Exploration  and  Human  Evolution,  Boston:  Houghton  
Mifflin  Co.,  1987.  
172
 A  breathtaking  scenario  for  this  is  given  in  Olaf  Stapledon’s  classic  book,  Star  
Maker,  New  York:  Dover  Publications,  1937.  
173
 Mihail  Nimay,  Book  of  Mirdad,  Baltimore:  Penguin  Books,  1971.      
174
 Corpus  Hermeticum  XII,  in  Frances  A.  Yates,  Giordana  Bruno  and  the  Hermetic  
Tradition,  Chicago:  University  of  Chicago  Press,  1964.    Quoted  in  Larry  Dossey,  
Recovering  the  Soul,  New  York,  Bantam  Books,  1989,  p.  215.  
175
 Peter  Russell,  A  White  Hole  in  Time,  HarperSanFrancisco,  1992,  p.  204.  
176
   Russell,  Ibid.,  p.  224.  
177
 Teilhard  de  Chardin,  The  Future  of  Man,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  185.  
178
 Wilber,  Up  From  Eden,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  17.  
179
 Ibid.,  p.  325.  
180
 Alan  Watts,  The  Spirit  of  Zen,  New  York:  Grove  Press,  Inc.,  1958,  p.  101.  
181
 Toynbee,  Civilization  on  Trial,  Op.  Cit.,  pp.  215-­‐216.  
182
 John  Lippman,  “Global  TV,”  This  World,    Chronicle/Examiner  Newspaper,  
December  6,  1992,  p.  11.  
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183
 David  Remnick,  “A  Voice  of  Resistance  in  Lithuania’s  Second  City,”  Washington  
Post,  January  25,  1991.    
184
 Kevin  Kelly,  “Deep  Evolution:  The  Emergence  of  Postdarwinism,”  Whole  Earth  
Review,  Sausalito,  California,  Fall,  1992,  p.  15.  
185
 For  statistics  on  population  growth,  see,  for  example,  Farb,  Humankind,  Op.  Cit.,  
p.  94,  166,  and  174.  
186
 T.S.  Eliot,  Four  Quartets,  New  York:  Harcourt  &  Brace,  1943.    
187
 See,  for  example,  Berman,  Coming  To  Our  Senses,  Op.  Cit.,  pp.  180-­‐181,  who  has  
an  interesting  discussion  of  how  a  society  can  either  accelerate  or  arrest  the  
development  of  innate  human  potentials  for  moral  reasoning.      
188
 Toynbee,  A  Study  of  History  (Abridgement  of  Vol’s  I-­‐VI),  Op.  Cit.,    p.  555.      
189
 A  different  view  of  evolution  is  provided  by  Teilhard  de  Chardin  who  had  faith  
that  humanity’s  success  was  not  merely  “...a  probability  but  a  certainty.”  See:  The  
Future  of  Man,  Op.  Cit.,  pp.  246-­‐247.  
190
 See  the  calculations  and  reasoning  of    Carl  Sagan  and  I.S.  Shklovskii,  Intelligent  
Life  in  the  Universe,  Op.  Cit.,  pp.  409-­‐418.  
191
 Arnold  Toynbee,  A  Study  of  History,  New  York:  Weathervane  Books,  (a  new  
edition,  revised  and  abridged  by  the  author  and  Jane  Caplan),  1972,  p.  141.  
192
 Toynbee,  A  Study  of  History  (Abridgement  of  Vol’s  I-­‐VI),  Op.  Cit.,  p.  278.  
193
 Louise  Young,  “Easter  Island:  Scary  Parable,”  in  World  Monitor  magazine,  August,  
1991.  
194
 Summa  Theologica,  II-­‐II,  Question  66,  Article  7,  in  Aquinas,  Selected  Political  
Writings,  ed.,  A.P.  d’Entreves,  trans.  J.G.  Dawson  (Oxford:  Basil  Blackwell,  1948),  p.  171,  
and  quoted  in  William  Aiken  and  Hugh  La  Follette  (eds.),  World  Hunger  and  Moral  
Obligation,  New  Jersey:  Prentice-­‐Hall,  1977,  p.  30.    Also  see  Acquinas  quoted  in  Fox,  
Creation  Spirituality,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  44.  
195
 See,  for  example,  the  fascinating  novel  describing  the  “uplifting”  of  other  species:  
David  Brin,  Startide  Rising,  New  York:  Bantam  Books,  1983.  
196
 Ken  Wilber  gives  an  excellent  summation  of  this  difficulty  in  his  chapter  on  “The  
Pre/Trans  Fallacy,”  in  Eye  to  Eye,  New  York:  Achor  Press/Doubleday,  1983.  
197
 Lewis  Thomas,  The  Fragile  Species,      
198
 With  respect  to  climate  change,  the  United  Nations  sponsored  report,  Our  
Common  Future,  Op.  Cit.,  states  that  if  present  trends  continue,  greenhouse  gases  
would  double  from  preindustrial  levels,  “possibly  as  early  as  the  2030s.”  (p.  175)    
Although  there  is  still  much  uncertainty  as  to  the  ultimate  impact  of  global  warming,  it  
seems  likely  that  it  will  destabilize  previous  climate  patterns.    For  example,  see:  Robert  
Gilman  in  his  overview  article,  “What’s  Wrong  With  the  Climate,”  in  the  journal,  In  
Context,  Summer,  1989,  No.  22.    He  states  that,  “In  the  immediate  future,  the  more  
pressing  concern  is  not  the  average  weather  but  its  variability.”  (p.  15).    Also  see:  Dean  
Abrahamson  (ed.),  The  Challenge  of  Global  Warming,  Washington:  Island  Press/Natural  
Resources  Defense  Council,  1989.    With  respect  to  population  growth,  see  the  report,  
Our  Common  Future,  Op.  Cit.,  where  the  “medium  range”  projections  for  2025  indicate  
a  population  of  8.2  billion  persons.  (p.  101)    These  projections  are  now  generally  
considered  to  be  conservative.    With  respect  to  the  depletion  of  relatively  inexpensive  
oil  reserves,  the  report,  Our  Common  Future,  Op.  Cit.,  states  that  “...oil  production  will  
level  off  by  the  early  decades  of  the  next  century  and  then  gradually  fall  during  a  period  
of  reduced  supplies  and  higher  prices.”  (p.  174).    Also  see,  Norman  Myers  (ed.),  GAIA:  
An  Atlas  of  Planetary  Management,  New  York:  Doubleday  Press,  1984,  who  concludes:  
“If  we  continue  consuming  oil  at  present  rates,  known  reserves  will  be  depleted  in  about  
30  years.  ...Oil,  in  short,  may  run  out  faster  in  terms  of  what  we  can  afford  than  of  what  
is  physically  available.”  (p.  113).    Also  see  the  book,  Beyond  Oil,  by  John  Gever,  et.  al.,  
Cambridge,  Massachusetts:  Ballinger  Publishing,  1986  where  the  authors  conclude  that,  
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in  the  United  States,  “There  are  only  ten  or  twenty  years  of  per  capita  economic  growth  
remaining  before  declining  oil  and  gas  production  begins  to  drag  the  economy  
downhill.”  (p.  248)    Although,  worldwide,  there  is  enough  coal  and  natural  gas  to  last  for  
centuries,  the  greenhouse  effect  makes  use  of  these  non-­‐renewable  resources  very  
costly  in  terms  of  disruption  to  the  global  climate.  
199
 With  respect  to  the  pace  of  change  at  which  various  technologies  will  converge  to  
create  a  universal  telecommunications  system  for  the  developed  nations  see,  for  
example,  Joseph  Pelton,  “The  Globalization  of  Universal  Telecommunications  Services,”  
in  Universal  Telephone  Service,  Op.  Cit.    He  states  that:  “The  universal  global  
telecommunications  network  will  serve  as  the  main...telecommunications  conduit  for  
economic,  social,  cultural,  and  political  exchange  among  the  peoples  of  the  planet  Earth  
in  the  21st  century.    ...this  network  may  start  to  come  into  place  around  the  second  
decade  of  the  21st  century.”  (p.  171,  emphasis  added)    Pelton  concludes:  “The  creation  
of  a  truly  interconnected  planet  that  provides  economic,  technical,  cultural  and  social  
services  with  ease  and  grace—not  to  mention  political  enlightenment—could  be  the  
unique  accomplishment  of  humankind  in  the  21st  century.”  (p.  175)    Also  see  Figure  4,  
p.  154  where  he  estimates  that  access  to  fiber  optics  in  developed  nations  will  reach  
90%  by  2015  even  without  aggressive  deployment.      
200
 I  am  grateful  to  Zack  Lapid  for  suggesting  several  of  these  examples.    
201
 Toynbee,  A  Study  of  History,  (abridged  edition  with  Jane  Caplan),    Op.  Cit.,  1972.    
202
 See,  for  example:  Aldous  Huxley,  The  Perennial  Philosophy,  New  York:  Harper  and  
Row,  1945;  Ken  Wilber,  The  Spectrum  of  Consciousness,  Wheaton,  Illinois:  Theosophical  
Publishing  House,  1977;  Barbara  C.  Sproul,  Primal  Myths,  San  Francisco:  Harper  &  Row,  
1979;    Robert  S.  Ellwood,  Jr.,  Words  of  the  World’s  Religions,  New  Jersey:  Prentice-­‐Hall,  
1977;    S.E.  Frost,  Jr.,  The  Sacred  Writings  of  the  World’s  Great  Religions,  New  York:  
McGraw-­‐Hill,  1943.  
203
 Heraclitus  quoted  in  Timothy  Ferris,  Galaxies,  New  York:  Stewart,  Tabori  &  Chang,  
1982,  p.  87.  
204
 Toynbee,  A  Study  of  History,  (Abridgement  of  Vol’s  I-­‐VI),  Op.  Cit.,  p.  495.  
205
 Teilhard  de  Chardin,  The  Phenomenon  of  Man,  New  York:  Harper  Torchbooks,  
1965,  p.  44.    
206
 David  Bohm,  Wholeness  and  the  Implicate  Order,  London:  Routledge  and  Kegan  
Paul,  1980,  p.  175.  
207
 A  saying  of  Sojo,  quoted  in  D.T.  Suzuki,  Zen  and  Japanese  Culture,  New  Jersey:  
Princeton  University  Press,  1970,  p.  353.  
208
 Francis  H.  Cook,  Hua-­‐yen  Buddhism:  the  Jewel  Net  of  Indra,  University  Park:  The  
Pennsylvania  State  University  Press,  1977,  p.  122.  
209
 Chandogya  Upanishad,  VI.9.4,  The  Thirteen  Principal  Upanishads,  Robert  E.  
Hume,  (trans.),  New  York:  Oxford  University  Press,  1921,  rep.  1975,  p.  246.  
210
 Gospel  of  Thomas,  Nag  Hammadi  Library,  James  M.  Robinson  (general  editor),  
San  Francisco:  Harper  &  Row,  1977,  p.  129-­‐130.  
211
 Ibid.,  p.  118.  
212
 Ramana  Maharshi,  quoted  in  Wilber,  Spectrum,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  301.  
213
 Underhill,  Mysticism  ,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  101.  
214
 Underhill,  Mysticism,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  99.  
215
 Lex  Hixon,  Coming  Home,  New  York:  Anchor  Books,  1978,  p.  112.  
216
 Hakuin,  quoted  in  Wilber,  The  Spectrum  of  Consciousness,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  300.  
217
 Yung-­‐chia,  quoted  in  Wilber,    Spectrum  of  Consciousness,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  299.  
218
 Plotinus  quoted  in  Huxley,  The  Perennial  Philosophy,  Op.  Cit.,    p.  5.  
219
 A.  Kroeber  quoted  in,  Thomas  Berry,  The  Dream  of  the  Earth,  San  Francisco:  
Sierra  Club  Books,  1988,  p.  219.    
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220
 F.C.  Happold  quoted  in:  Andrew  Greeley  and  William  McCready,  “Are  We  A  
Nation  of  Mystics,”  in  the  New  York  Times  Magazine,  January  26,  1975.    [Elsewhere  
Greeley  states  that  “...as  much  as  one-­‐fifth  of  the  population  has  frequent  mystical  
experiences.”  See:  Andrew  Greeley,  Ecstasy  as  a  Way  of  Knowing,  New  Jersey:  Prentice-­‐
Hall,  Inc.,  1974,  p.  57.]  
221
 John  Mack,  Changing  Models  of  Psychotherapy:  From  Psychological  Conflict  to  
Human  Empowerment,  a  paper  published  by  the  Center  for  Psychological  Studies  in  the  
Nuclear  Age,  at  Harvard  Medical  School,  Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  June,  1990,  p.  6.  
222
 Greeley  and  McCready,  Ibid.  
223
 Reported  in  Brain/Mind  Bulletin  12:7  (March,  1987),  p.  1;  and  Andrew  Greeley,  
“The  Impossible:  It’s  Happening,”  Noetic  Sciences  Review,  Sausalito,  California,  Spring,  
1987,  pp.  7-­‐9.    A  regional  poll  conducted  in  the  San  Francisco  Bay  Area  gives  more  
conservative,  but  still  striking,  results.    It  found  that  27%  said  they  had  experienced  
being  “very  close  to  a  powerful  spiritual  force  that  seemed  to  lift  people  out  of  
themselves.”    Reported  in  San  Francisco  Chronicle,  Tuesday,  April  24,  1990.  
224
Greeley,  Ibid.  
225
 Richard  Bucke,  Cosmic  Consciousness,  New  York:  E.P.  Dutton  &  Co.,  1969  
(originally  published  in  1901),  p.  66.  
226
 Bucke,  Ibid,  p.  76.  
227
 Walt  Whitman  quoted  in  Bucke,  Ibid.,  p.  78.    
228
 J.M.  Cohen  and  J.F.  Phipps,  The  Common  Experience,  New  York:  St.  Martin’s  
Press,  1979,  p.  108.  
229
 Arnold  Toynbee,  A  Study  of  History  (abridged  with  Jane  Caplan),  Op.  Cit.,  p.  498.  
230
 Ibid.,  p.  319.  
231
 Arnold  Toynbee,  An  Historian’s  Approach  to  Religion,  New  York:  Oxford  
University  Press,  1956,    p.  275.  
232
 Arnold  Toynbee,  Civilization  on  Trial,  New  York:  Oxford  University  Press,  1948,  p.  
236.  
233
   Toynbee,  A  Study  of  History,  (abridgement  of  Vol’s  I-­‐VI),  Op.  Cit.,  p.  531.  
234
 Lewis  Mumford,  The  Transformations  of  Man,  New  York:  Collier  Books,  1956,  p.  
173.  
235
 Ibid.,  174.  
236
 Ibid.,  176.  
237
 Joseph  Campbell,  The  Power  of  Myth    (with  Bill  Moyers),  New  York:  Doubleday,  
1988,  p.  53.  
238
 Campbell,  Historical  Atlas  of  World  Mythology,  Vol  I:  The  Way  of  the  Animal  
Powers,  Part  1:  Mythologies  of  the  Primitive  Hunters  and  Gatherers,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  8.  
239
 Smith,  The  Religions  of  Man,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  311.  
240
 In  my  article,  “The  Living  Cosmos,”  Revision,  Summer,  1988,  I  discuss  the  
distinction  between  viewing  the  big  bang  as  a  mechanical  explosion  or  as  a  process  of  
organic  growth.    Continuous  creation  cosmology  suggests  that  a  seven-­‐dimensional  
“seed”  of  self-­‐organizing  “cosmic-­‐genetic  material”  may  have  emerged  some  fifteen  
billion  years  ago  with  all  of  the  instructions  necessary  for  growing  a  whole  cosmic  
system.    This  “mini-­‐cosmic  factory”  could  have  grown  into  our  universe  by  continuously  
transforming  ambient,  hyperdimensional  Life-­‐energy  into  manifest  matter-­‐energy  and  
space-­‐time.    In  other  words,  the  cosmos  may  have  developed  by  continuously  feeding  
upon  or  consuming  the  Life-­‐energy  of  the  Meta-­‐universe  and  transforming  it  into  
material  reality.    If  so,  the  development  of  our  cosmos  would  be  more  accureately  
characterized  as  explosive  organic  growth  than  as  a  mechanical  explosion.  
241
 Norbert  Weiner,  The  Human  Use  of  Human  Beings,  New  York:  Avon  Books,  1954.  
242
 Guy  Murchie,  Music  of  the  Spheres,  Cambridge,  Massachusetts:  The  Riverside  
press,  1961,  p.  451.  
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243
 Max  Born,  The  Restless  Universe,  New  York:  Harper  &  Brothers,  1936,  p.  277.  
244
 Harold  Puthoff,  “Why  Atoms  Don’t  Collapse,”  Op.  Cit.    Also  see  his  article,  
“Quantum  Fluctuations  of  Empty  Space:  A  New  Rosetta  Stone  of  Physics?,”  in  Frontier  
Perspectives,  Vol.  2,  No.  2,  Fall/Winter,  1991,  published  by  the  Center  for  Frontier  
Sciences,  Temple  University,  Philadelphia,  PA.  
245
 I  am  grateful  to  Bill  Keepin  for  suggesting  this  analogy  to  me.  
246
 Peter  Stevens,  Patterns  in  Nature,  Boston:  Little,  Brown  &  Co.,  1974,  pp.  4-­‐5.    The  
invisible  architecture  of  space  is  suggestive  of  Rupert  Sheldrake’s  theory  of  “morphic  
resonsance.”  These  fields  may  provide  the  energetic  structure  to  guide  the  flow-­‐through  
of  Life-­‐energy  in  the  process  of  continuous  creation.    
247
 John  Wheeler,  in  University:  A  Princeton  Quarterly,  53,  summer,  1973,  p.  29;  Also,  
quoted  in  Renee  Weber,  “The  Good,  The  True,  The  Beautiful:  Are  They  Attributes  of  the  
Universe?”  in  Main  Currents,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  139.  
248
 David  Bohm,  Wholeness  and  the  Implicate  Order,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  191.  
249
 Fritjof  Capra,  “Modern  Physics  and  Eastern  Mysticism,”  in  Roger  Walsh  and  
Frances  Vaughan,  Beyond  Ego,  Los  Angeles:  J.  P.  Tarcher,  Inc.,  1980,  p.  68.  
250
 David  Bohm,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  11.  
251
 Erwin  Schroedinger,  My  View  of  the  World,  p.  21,  quoted  in  Wilber,  Spectrum,  
Op.  Cit.,  p.  59.      
252
 This  cosmology  assumes  that  while  simultaneity  does  not  exist  within  a  four  
dimensional,  relativistic  context,  it  can  be  a  property  of  higher,  more  embracing  
dimensions.    For  a  helpful  discussion  of  the  impossibility  of  simultaneity  within  four  
dimensions,  see  Milic  Capek,  “Time  in  Relativity  Theory,”  in  J.T.  Fraser  (ed.),  The  Voices  
of  Time,  Op.  Cit.,  pp.  444-­‐447.    
253
 Matthew  Fox,  Meditations  With  Meister  Eckhart,  Santa  Fe,  New  Mexico:  Bear  &  
Co.,  1983,  p.  24.    It  is  useful  to  distinguish  two  major  kinds  of  “creation  cosmology”—
original  creation  and  continuous  creation.    Original  creation  refers  to  the  miracle  that  
there  is  something  here  rather  than  nothing.    Continuous  creation  refers  to  the  miracle  
that  once  our  cosmos  came  into  existence,  it  has  been  upheld  by  the  flow-­‐through  of  
immense  amounts  of  Life-­‐energy.    Although  the  theory  of  dimensional  evolution  is  
compatible  with  both  original  creation  and  continuous  creation,  it  is  most    strongly  
linked  to  the  theory  of  continuous  creation.        
254
 Fox,  Creation  Spirituality,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  8  and  56.    
255
 Suzuki,  Zen  and  Japanese  Culture,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  364.      
256
 Ibid.,  p.  257.      
257
 Alan  Watts,  The  Middle  Way:  Journal  of  the  Buddhist  Society,  February,  1973,  
London,  p.  156.  
258
 Joseph  Campbell,  The  Power  of  Myth,  with  Bill  Moyers,  New  York:  Doubleday,  
1988,  p.  217.  
259
 Underhill,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  28  
260
 Alexander,  “Space,  Time  and  Deity,”  quoted  in  Underhill,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  29.    
261
 Heraclitus  quoted  in  The  Intellectual  Adventure  of  Ancient  Man,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  381.  
262
 Underhill,  Mysticism,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  101.  
263
 Govinda,  Creative  Meditation  and  Multi-­‐dimensional  Consciousness,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  
207  
264
 Govinda,    Ibid,  p.  9  
265
 Namkhai  Norbu,  The  Crystal  and  the  Way  of  Light:  Sutra,  Tantra  and  Dzogchen,  
(compiled  and  edited  by  John  Shane),  New  York:  Routledge  &  Kegan  Paul,  1986,  p.  64.      
266
 See,  for  example,  D.B.  Macdonald,  “Continuous  Recreation  and  Atomic  Time  in  
Muslim  Scholastic  Theology,”  Isis,  9  (1927):  326-­‐344;  also,  Majid  Fakhry,  Islamic  
Occasionalism  and  Its  Critique  by  Averroes  and  Aquinas,  London:  1958.    The  Islamic  view  
of  occasionalism  is  more  inclusive  than  the  Western  philosophy  by  the  same  name  
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developed  by  the  Cartesian  school  (which  saw  mind  and  body  as  absolutely  separate;  
therefore,  bodily  motion  was  dependent  on  the  co-­‐operation  of  God).  
267
 Samuel  Umen,  The  World  of  the  Mystic,  New  York:  Philosophical  Library,  1988,  p.  
178.  
268
 Lao  Tsu,  Tao  Te  Ching,  (Translation  by  Gia-­‐Fu  Feng  and  Jane  English),  New  York:  
Vintage  Books,  1972.  
269
 Alan  Watts,  The  Spirit  of  Zen,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  36.  
270
 David  Maybury-­‐Lewis,  Millennium:  Tribal  Wisdom  and  the  Modern  World,  New  
York:  Viking,  1992,  pp.  197-­‐202.  
271
 Smith,  The  Religions  of  Man,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  73.  
272
 Zimmer,  Myths  and  Symbols  in  Indian  Art  and  Civilization,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  131.  
273
 Zimmer,  Ibid.,  p.  131.  
274
 Zimmer,  Ibid,  p.  152  
275
 Sri  Nisargadatta  Majaraj,  I  Am  That,  Part  I  (translated  by  Maurice  Frydman),  
Bombay,  India:  Chetana,  1973,  p.  289.        
276
 Goethe,  quoted  in  Erich  Neumann,  The  Origins  and  History  of  Consciousness,  
Princeton:  Bollingen  Series,  1970,  p.  5.  
277
 Luther  Standing  Bear,  quoted  in  Joseph  Epes  Brown,  “Modes  of  Contemplation  
Through  Actions:  North  American  Indians,”  Main  Currents  in  Modern  Thought,  New  
York:  Center  for  Integrative  Studies,  November-­‐December,  1973,  p.  194.    
278
 Quoted  in  Matthew  Fox,  Creation  Spirituality,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  28.  
279
 Tarnas,  The  Passion  of  the  Western  Mind,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  381.  
280
 Wheeler,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  29;  also  quoted  in  Renee  Weber,  “The  Good,  The  True,  The  
Beautiful,”  in  Main  Currents  Op.  Cit.,  p.  139.      
281
 Stephen  Mitchell  (trans.),  Tao  Te  Ching:  A  New  English  Version,  Harper  &  Row,  
1988,  Chapter  25.    
282
 John  Welwood,  “On  Psychological  Space,”  Journal  of  Transpersonal  Psychology,  
1977,  vol.  9.,  no.  2.,  p.  106.  
283
 See,  for  example,  The  Duke  of  Argyll,The  Unity  of  Nature,  New  York:  John  Alden  
Publisher,  1884,  p.  18;  and  David  Heagle,  Do  the  Dead  Still  Live?,  Philadelphia:  The  
Judson  Press,  1920.  pp.  4-­‐44.    
284
 The  quote  by  Shao  is  taken  from,  Garma  Chang,  The  Buddhist  Teaching  of  
Totality:  The  Philosophy  of  Hwa  Yen  Buddhism,  University  Park:  The  Pennsylvania  State  
University  Press,  1971,  p.  111.    
285
 Michael  Murphy,  The  Future  of  the  Body:  Explorations  Into  the  Further  Evolution  
of  Human  Nature,  Los  Angeles:  Jeremy  Tarcher,  1992,  p.  193.  
286
 With  respect  to  near-­‐death  research  see,  for  example:  Kenneth  Ring,  Life  at  
Death.  (New  York:  Morrow/Quill,  1982);    Melvin  Morse  and  Paul  Perry,  Closer  to  the  
Light  (New  York:  Villard  Books,  1990);  and  Raymond  Moody,  Life  After  Life,  (Atlanta:  
Mockingbird  Books,  1975).  
  There  is  an  intriguing  convergence  of  views  between  physicists  and  sages  
regarding  the  nature  of  light.    David  Bohm  has  described  matter  as  “condensed  or  
frozen  light”  and  has  said  that  light  is  the  fundamental  activity  in  which  our  existence  is  
grounded.    (See  Renee  Weber,  Dialogues  with  Scientists  and  Sages.    (New  York:  
Routledge  &  Kegan  Paul,  1986,  p.  45.)    From  the  Gospel  of  Thomas,  we  find  Jesus  
making  this  remarkable  statement  about  the  role  of  light  in  describing  his  origins.    When  
asked  by  a  disciple  to  describe  where  he  came  from,  he  said:  “We  came  from  the  light,  
the  place  where  the  light  came  into  being  on  its  own  accord  and  established  itself.”  
(James  Robinson,  ed.  Nag  Hammadi  Library,  1st  edition,  San  Francisco:  Harper  &  Row,  
1977,  p.  123.)    Also  from  Gnostic  sources  (quoting  the  words  of  Jesus  as  given  by  the  
disciple  James),  we  find:  “Search  ever  and  cease  not  till  ye  find  the  mysteries  of  the  
Light,  which  will  lead  you  into  the  Light-­‐kingdom.”  (J.  M.  Cohen  and  J.  F.  Phipps,  The  
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Common  Experience.    New  York:  St.  Martin’s  Press,  1979,    p.  155.)    If,  as  physicists  
indicate,  we  already  live  in  a  universe  of  light,  then  it  seems  quite  plausible  for  mystics  
to  suggest  that  we  both  come  from  and  are  evolving  into  more  subtle  ecologies  of  light.  
287
 Jesus  quoted  in  “The  Gospel  of  Thomas,”  Nag  Hammadi  Library,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  124.  
288
 See,  for  example,  Tsele  Natsok  Rangdrol,  The  Mirror  of  Mindfulness:  The  Cycle  of  
the  Four  Bardos,  E.  Kunsang  (trans.),  Boston:  Shambhala  Press,  1989.    
289
 Robert  Bly  (trans.),  The  Kabir  Book,  Boston:  Beacon  Press,  1977,  p.  24.  
290
 Govinda,  Creative  Meditation  and  Multi-­‐Dimensional  Consciousness,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  
200.  
291
 Michael  Murphy,  The  Future  of  the  Body,    Op.  Cit,  pp.  225-­‐227.    
292
 For  an  overview  of  Pythagorean  thought,  see,  Tarnas,  The  Passion  of  the  Western  
Mind,  Op.  Cit.,  pp.  10-­‐11,  23,  46-­‐47.  
293
 Brinton,  et.  al.,  A  History  of  Civilization,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  58.  
294
 See,  for  example,  H.  Puthoff  and  R.  Targ,  “A  Perceptual  Channel  for  Information  
Transfer  Over  Kilometer  Distances:  Historical  Perspective  and  Recent  Research,”  in  
Proceedings  of  the  IEEE,  Vo.  64,  No.  3,  March  1976.    Also  see:  Russell  Targ  and  Harold  
Puthoff,  Mindreach:  Scientists  Look  at  Psychic  Ability,  New  York:  Delacorte  Press,  1977.    
295
 See  Ken  Wilber,  The  Spectrum  of  Consciousness,  Op.  Cit.;  The  Atman  Project:  A  
Transpersonal  View  of  Human  Development,  Wheaton,  Illinois:  Theosophical  Publishing  
House,  1980;  Up  From  Eden,  Op.  Cit.,  and  Transformations  of  Consciousness,  Boston:  
Shambhala,  1986.  
296
 The  most  useful  and  approachable  overview  of  Gebser’s  work  is  found  in  the  
book  by  Georg  Feuerstein,  Structures  of  Consciousness:  The  Genius  of  Jean  Gebser—An  
Introduction  and  Critique,  Op.  Cit.    Also  see  Gebser’s  book,  The  Ever-­‐Present  Origin,  Noel  
Barstad  with  Algis  Mickumas  (trans.),  Op.  Cit.    Finally,  a  brief  introduction  to  his  thinking  
can  be  found  in  the  booklet  by  Georg  Feuerstein,  Jean  Gebser:  What  Color  Is  Your  
Consciousness?,  San  Francisco,  California:  Robert  Briggs  Associates,  1989.  
297
 See  Abraham  Maslow,  Toward  a  Psychology  of  Being,  New  York:  Van  Nostrand,  
1968.  
298
 See  Satprem,  Sri  Aurobindo  or  The  Adventure  of  Consciousness,  Pondicherry,  
India:  Sri  Aurobindo  Society,  1970.    Also,  see,  Ken  Wilber,  et.  al.,  The  Transformations  of  
Consciousness,  Boston:  Shambhala/New  Science  Library,  1986,  p.  6.  
299
 For  the  Thervadan  tradition,  see,  for  example,  Joseph  Goldstein,  The  Experience  
of  Insight:  A  Natural  Unfolding,  Santa  Cruz,  California:  Unity  Press,  1976;  and,  Chogyam  
Trungpa  (ed.),  Garuda  IV:  The  Foundations  of  Mindfulness,  Berkeley,  California:  
Shambhala,  1976.    With  respect  to  the  Mahayana  tradition  see,  for  example:  D.  T.  
Suzuki,  Outlines  of  Mahayana  Buddhism,  New  York:  Schocken  Books,  1963  and,  The  Holy  
Teachings  of  Vimalakirti:  A  Mahayana  Scripture,  Robert  Thurman  (trans.),  Pennsylvania  
State  University  Press,  1976.    With  respect  to  tantra  see,  for  example:  Herbert  V.  
Guenther  and  Chogyam  Trungpa,  The  Dawn  of  Tantra,  Berkeley,  California:  Shambhala,  
1975.    With  respect  to  Dzogchen  teaching  see,  for  example,  Tsele  Natsok  Rangdrol,  The  
Mirror  of  Mindfulness,  Op.  Cit,  and  Namkhai  Norbu,  The  Crystal  and  the  Way  of  Light:  
Sutra,  Tantra  and  Dzogchen,  Op.  Cit.  
300
 Csikszentmihalyi,  Flow  Consciousness,  Op.  Cit.,  see,  pp.  221-­‐222  and  the  note  on  
p.  278.  
301
 Fox,  Creation  Spirituality,  Op.  Cit.,  p.  56.  
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302
 Tsele  Natsok  Rangdrol,  The  Mirror  of  Mindfulness,  Op.  Cit,  p.  55.  
303
 Herbert  V.  Guenther,  “Fact  and  Fiction  in  the  Experience  of  Being,”  in  Crystal  
Mirror,  Berkeley,  California:  Dharma  Publishing,  Summer  1972,  Number  Two,  pp.  44-­‐51.    
304
 For  examples  of  persons  who  do  not  differentiate  between  consciousness  with  an  
object  and  awareness  (or  consciousness  without  an  object)  see,  for  example,  the  book  
by  Larry  Dossey,  Recovering  The  Soul,  New  York:  Bantam  Books,  1989.    Dossey  states  
that  “it  is  not  possible  to  separate  the  concepts”  of  mind,  soul,  and  consciousness,  pp.  2-­‐
3.    Another  person  who  seems  to  equate  the  “ground  of  being”  with  “consciousness”  is  
David  Griffin,  editor,  The  Reenchantment  of  Science,  New  York:  SUNY  Press,  1988,  see  
pp.  126-­‐127.    Illustrative  of  persons  who  differentiate  between  matter,  consciousness  
and  a  deeper  generative  ground  of  pure  awareness  is  the  work  of  philosopher,  Renee  
Weber  in  her  book,  Dialogues  with  Scientists  and  Sages,  London:  Routledge  &  Kegan  
Paul,  1986.    Weber  searched  for  the  underlying  unity  of  the  universe  in  conversations  
with  both  scientists  and  mystics  and  concluded:  “...neither  matter  nor  consciousness  are  
ultimate.    Both  have  their  source  in  something  beyond  themselves  of  which  they  are  the  
outcome  and  expression,  in  which  they  are  rooted  and  reconciled.”  p.  15.    Recall  also  
the  clear  distinction  between  consciousness  and  awareness  made  by  Stephen  Levine  
(see  p.  103,  Chapt.  6).  
305
 Wilber,  Up  From  Eden,  Op.  Cit.,  pp.  300-­‐301.  
306
   Ibid.,  pp.  179-­‐181.  
307
 Also  see  Feuerstein,  Structures  of  Consciousness,  Op.  Cit.,  where  he  contrasts  and  
compares  his  view  of  Gebser’s  stages  in  history  with  those  of  Ken  Wilber.    
308
 This  research  was  published  as  the  report,  Changing  Images  of  Man,  SRI  
International,  Menlo  Park,  California,  May,  1974;  and  subsequently  republished  under  
the  same  title  by  Pergamon  Press  in  1982  with  Oliver  Markley  and  Willis  Harman  as  the  
editors.