Colors of Faith – Tier Two
In this newsletter I will introduce the entry level of what is called the second tier of the Integral Framework. Please see my previous newsletter if you want to review the levels of the first tier. I previously compared the developmental, integral journey to climbing up a mountain or a large hill and observing that as you circle around to the same view, your perspective changes and you see things differently. It is not a perfect metaphor, of course, and the book, Spiral Dynamics, describes this as more of a moving picture than snapshots, because change in life happens and neither our life conditions nor our human capacities are static or fixed. The path up to the Green, pluralistic level is well-worn, and it is the top of what is called tier one. After tier one the path is steeper, rockier, and harder to climb. The first level of tier two, or the integral stages, is labeled as the yellow level. You and I can understand this jump intellectually but that is not the same as living from the perspectives of Yellow and beyond, which takes dedication and practice.
From the second tier, for the first time you can look back and see the viewpoints of all the tier one levels. You can now see the strengths and weaknesses of each level. The systems of each level are seen as forces that, when healthy, contribute in their own unique ways to the viability of the whole spiral and thus, humanity.
Yellow understands the uniqueness that the values and views of the previous levels create. For example, as Ken Wilber, author of Integral Spirituality, points out, a person at any level or stage can have a peak religious or spiritual experience, like an internal sense of the presence of God, but the person will interpret that state according to the level they are at. Consider the following perspectives for someone in the western Christian religion:
- For someone at the Red, egocentric, magic level, Jesus is experienced as a personal savior who can miraculously alter the world to the satisfy their every whim and desire.
- From the Blue, ethnocentric, mythic level, Jesus is the absolute and eternal bringer of truth, and only those who believe in Jesus Christ as their personal savior can be saved.
- From the Orange, rational, modern perspective, Jesus Christ becomes a fully humanized figure, still fully divine and fully human, and a teacher of the universal love of God.
- When you are at the Green, pluralistic, postmodern level, Jesus Christ and the Christ-experiences are interpreted as being highly individualistic, subjective, and contextual. Postmodern religion can be complex and often struggles to find a healthy balance between relativity on the one hand and the need for universal truth and reality on the other.
- At Yellow, entering the Integral levels, the view is more global. Christ consciousness will be seen as one of, and integrated with, other expressions of the Holy Spirit around the world.
From the Yellow, integral level, one can see that all the various approaches and practices have something important to tell us, but none of them has the whole truth in all its details. The issue becomes less about who is right and who is wrong, and more about how they all can fit together to create a more universal picture. From this vantage point one can begin to appreciate the gifts of each level, transcend them and include the core truths.
Yellow Level: Universal and Integral
Key features, mindset, and vales:
- The integral perspective is more global or world centric and evolves towards a more universal point of view.
- Enjoys personal freedom without harm to others or excesses of self-interest.
- Leads to demand for integrative and open systems.
- Yellow thinks and acts from an inner-directed core.
- Yellow is flexible and can enter the conceptual worlds of the first-tier systems and interact with them, respecting, while not necessarily agreeing with their world views and the behaviors and cultures that follow.
- Yellow is willing to build upon the rich traditions and solutions from the past instead of rejecting them out of hand as other levels tend to do.
- Compulsions and anxieties of previous levels start to drop away. As fear recedes, the quality of good ideas and solutions to problems increases dramatically.
- The good of the whole spiral is factored into problem solving.
Religious characteristics:
- Life experiences show that one can never know or understand everything. With this acceptance comes wonder, awe, humility, unity, and desire for simplicity.
- Belief in some kind of unifying force resurges, along with a set of guiding principles that set the course of the universe.
- Understands truth is not the same as facts. Can embrace and enjoy the truth of biblical stories and not get hung up on being literal. Truth is seen as too big for the literal story.
- Integral spiritual practices are about relationship, connection, intimacy, unity, and being transformed through that relationship with the Divine and one another.
- Spiritual practices often include meditation, centering prayer, and contemplation. May or may not involve group practices or organized religion.
Experiences of religious shame:
- Just because this way of thinking includes perspectives of more of the spiral, that does not mean there will not be any destructive, shame-based ideas and attachments. Humans always manifest their being in both healthy and unhealthy ways.
- Ken Wilber points out that there are different lines of development, as well as different levels. Parts of us can be frozen in Red or Blue levels. For example, one may have a high spiritual IQ and low emotional or interpersonal IQ. Consequently, people who are spiritually at Yellow may still be judgmental or unkind.
- We may have personal shadow stuff not yet transformed. These are old emotional or psychological wounds that we have not worked through and have pushed them out of our awareness to cope.
Reflections:
The yellow perspective may offer new possibilities for those who have lost faith. From this vantage point you can see that most things are not black and white, but not everything is relative either. There are and need to be some absolute realities. You can build an awesome museum and fill it with beautiful modern, abstract, and postmodern art, but the building better be constructed according to the absolute laws of physics, or it will not stand. The integral level sees this is also true for spirituality; there needs to be some foundation. Yellow embraces the reality of universal truths that may be dressed up in different cultural clothing. Many people at the integral level believe that there is an absolute source for all that is, that is in everything and everything is in it. The perfect order of the universe cannot be rationally explained just through natural laws and a random selection process.
Spiritual practices, as noted above, can lead to greater awareness and experiences of awe, oneness, and unity. The integral perspective may lead to choosing to stay within your religious tradition, not out of fear of damnation or because it is the only way, but because you love the traditions, stories, practices, and community and it is the religious path you want to participate in joyfully.
Therapy Tip:
Yellow understands the uniqueness that the values and views of the previous levels offer, and this opens new possibilities for growth, inclusiveness, and community. However, as noted, someone can be at this level in some areas of life and still act in shaming ways towards oneself or others, which can be confusing and hurtful. As you self-reflect, can you see areas of inconsistency in your life? If you are honest with yourself, this may indicate work that needs to be done in areas that are frozen or repressed and in need of your love and attention, or perhaps therapy as well. Going forward I will write more about how the integral perspectives can help us heal some of our religious based shame issues.