My talk at the Science and Nonduality conference (SAND) in October has firmed up. I’ll be speaking after Rick Archer on Friday morning, Oct 23 at 11:50. I have a midrange time slot of 40 min, better than expected.
The theme of our talk track is The Unveiling of Consciousness to Itself.
Here’s my abstract for the talk:
Our Natural Potential
Using the Alexander model from psychology, David will illustrate that normal human development takes us progressively within. However, without suitable understanding and support, most people stall development part way along. Correct that and the inward development progresses. Once we reach consciousness beyond ego, we shift into the Transpersonal stages of development that psychology has begun to explore.
Using the approach from the Yog Vasishtha of the Ramayana and from Ayurveda, David will outline the two main processes of Transpersonal development that unfold our natural potential. On the one side, we have the 3 primary stages of consciousness unfolding to itself through an apparent individual. This includes a more complete context for Nonduality. On the other side is the unfolding heart and refinement. These two process are often referred to as the masculine and the feminine. It is together that there is a complete unfolding and embodiment.
This approach offers a framework for understanding the vast variety in how an unfolding shows up and a way to put descriptions from throughout the ages into a larger context.
Our track is up against a rare talk by Bernadette Roberts and 7 other tracks. But over 1,000 have registered to date, and I should get some spill-over from Ricks talk. It also looks like my talk will be videotaped.
Should be quite the adventure.
Davidya
Last Updated on October 2, 2017 by Davidya
Wonderful news, Davidya.
Thanks, Rose.
It is shaping up to be quite the fall.
Congratulations David! The brief gives me a fuller idea of the splitting out you have spoken of regarding Maharishi’s linear path through higher states of consciousness. More specifically that GC doesn’t belong as a linear progression, but instead as the flowering of the feminine. I can see why MMY didn’t teach it that way, as the gender references would have added a layer of confusion, although yours is a more accurate model of the development of consciousness. The linear track sure confused the heck out of us for awhile though.:-)
Thanks, Jim.
Alexander was a prof at MUM and separated states from stages, which allowed demonstrating the transpersonal stages grow out of normal human development. But the approach didn’t spread.
Then experience, and seeing the descriptions in Ayurveda and the Yog Vasishtha made it very clear for me how distinct the stages in consciousness are from the process of refinement. Certainly intertwined but also distinct. Seeing them this way brings a great deal more understanding to the variations in how people experience the unfolding.
You and I vs someone like Tolle, for example.
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Really enjoyed the ‘Our Natural Potential’ PowerPoint presentation you delivered David. For those like myself embarking on a spiritual journey of self realisation, your entire presentation maps everything out quite clearly.
The way you were able to demonstrate the bridges between the behavioural Alexander model, the psychological Piaget model and Kosha model, at various ages of development, was fascinating.
This all went on to link very well with the second part of the presentation on Post-Personal Stages and the emphasis of re-integration and growth – rather than loss – from stage to stage, sets a comforting vision of expectancy for that next higher level if ever we are fortunate enough to reach it!
Thank you.
Thanks, Paul.
I’m glad I was able to share it beyond the room on that day.
Part of the point of putting it into the context of normal growth and development was to make it clear, somewhat like Rick does with his BATGAP interviews, that higher stages are normal.
From the perspective of the philosophy from which that model comes, everyone will reach these levels at some point in their growth. We’re not constrained just to this lifetime. There are way more people stepping into post-personal stages in the last decade. This has been a good part of the motivation of myself for presenting that model and this blog. Many people who have made the initial shift don’t know there is more and that can get in the way of progress, just like our concepts about it can get in the way of the initial awakening.
Having a decent map can make the journey much smoother.