Levels & More
Ordinary
When we operate from a certain level of development in a relatively stable way, we experience it as natural and effortless. It is just what is.
For most of us, thinking - in an everyday sense - is easy. There is nothing to it. For others, including other species, thinking on that level may seem impossible - or at best very hard work.
Healthy
There are healthy and less healthy expressions of each level.
When there is a sense of contraction, the expression tends to be less healthy. When there is a sense of openness and ease, it tends to be more healthy.
Each level has its place and value, and this is most clearly visible when we are at ease with ourselves and the world.
Maturation
The maturation from one level to another has different aspects.
There may be glimpses of how it is to function at a higher level - maybe through social interactions with others that operate from that level.
There may be a sense of dissatisfaction with how we currently operate. It does not give us quite what we are looking for, it seems to not work as well as it used to.
And there are processes at work in the inner/outer world beyond these that also allows us to mature into the next level.
Integral Model
An integral model - applying levels, quadrants, lines, types - seems essential for understanding and even guiding our maturation as individuals, culture and a species.
It allows us to see the value of each approach, to see them in relationship to each other, and to find a more neutral terminology to describe levels and maturation into new levels.
This neutral terminology also helps us experience higher levels as more natural and ordinary. It takes the hype and unnecessary mystery out of it.