Changes of mind

Here's a little more on the issue addressed in my preceding post - some excerpts from the interesting (albeit dryly technical) book Changes of Mind: A Holonomic Theory of the Evolution of Consciousness, by Jenny Wade.

Wade charts the development of consciousness from birth to death (and before and after, to boot!). The early stages she lists are:

• Reactive consciousness
• Naive consciousness
• Egocentric consciousness
• Conformist consciousness
• Achievement/Affiliative consciousness

Then she considers higher levels of consciousness in ascending order. Here are abbreviated versions of her descriptions of Authentic, Transcendent, and Unity consciousness.

Authentic consciousness

• Primary motivation: Personal growth for its own sake
• Ultimate value: Fulfilling personal mission, even if not understood
• Attitude toward life: Calm, insightful acceptance of existential problems and constant flux; assurance without certainty that life is inherently meaningful
• Perception of death: No fear of death; death is unknown adventure, even if it is nonexistence
• Concept of other: Very little ego-based distortion; true empathy; respect for personal agency, diversity, and autonomy of others; relatively free of enculturation and conformity to social expectations; impatient with people who impede subject's personal growth
• Correct option: The one that works best and feels right at the moment; as circumstances change, a new solution

Transcendent consciousness

• Primary motivation: Transcending the egoic self to grasp the Absolute
• Ultimate value: Unity with the Ground of All Being
• Attitude toward life: Reverence and appreciation for life as the manifestation of the Absolute
• Perception of death: Physical death is unimportant except as an opportunity for greater unity; ego death is ardently pursued through persistent practice
• Concept of other: Appreciated for their participation in the Ground of All Being regardless of outward form; great compassion for and identification with all life forms
• Correct option: One that will enhance unity with the Ground of All Being

Unity consciousness

• Primary motivation: None - simply living in the Ground of All Being
• Ultimate value: None
• Attitude toward life: Non-attachment
• Perception of death: There is no death except cessation of the body; everything is immortal and constantly transmuting, therefore there is no attachment to life or death
  because each contains the other
• Concept of other: There are no others in the Absolute sense; recognition of the bounded selves that exist in the material plane as multiplicities of the One; non-attached appreciation and compassion for, and identification with, others who are perfect as they are but are also suffering from attachment
• Correct option: Only correct options exist

I would say that the position I am arguing for is somewhere between Authentic and Transcendent consciousness, while the position that Matthew is taking is more similar to Unity consciousness. Wade considers Unity consciousness to be a higher level - in fact, the very highest level - of personal development, so it may be that I am just not ready for it, and that's why I can't see it. I will admit that even in reading Wade's summary, I can't see it. How can "only correct options exist"? How can others be "perfect as they are" but also "suffering from attachment"? I don't get it, but this may be a limitation on my part.

Anybody else have any ideas?

Comments

[Matthew Cromer]

I think it basically boils down to this: what are the mistakes in the universe / life? What did God "screw up"? Eventually it is seen that the answer is "none". And also seeing that I am not "Matthew Cromer" but rather the One Consciousness watching the story of "Matthew Cromer" and all the other stories.

When it is seen that there is not really a "self" as it is generally understood, then the rest of it is all seen pretty clearly as being a beautiful story, told by Consciousness to Consciousness.

This is not to say that "Matthew Cromer" lives in this place of seeing all the time. . .

[Matthew Cromer]

I should also mention that each stage of consciousness also "includes" those "beneath" it. Especially true at the Unity stage, which no longer feels the need to "reject" those below it. This even applies to more base levels of consciousness.

[Claudia]

Michael you make me laugh because this post supports Matthew and I.

I think though that the fact that you found this information and that you have read Tolle shows that, as with all of us, the evolution to higher consciousness is active within you and pointing you in a particular direction. If it wasn't ready to move forward in you, you would bypass these particular topics and they would not come into your consciousness.

I'll paraphrase Martha...it's a cool thing.