Integral Basics

 

What I would like to do in this thread is provide resources to those who are new to the Integral approach and AQAL framework and seeking introductory level material. In this forum there are threads discussing the Integral approach in regards to many different subjects but there is no central repository of Integral basics. There is no primer.

 

I realize that like me some of you will be here hoping to learn more about Integral, in particular perhaps how to apply Ken’s theories to your own careers or personal interests and would like to begin doing so in a timely manner. I will include initially a suite of links to some information I have found useful in my search for the same. I will post each of these groups of resources in separate posts with text explaining why a particular resource might be of value or interest to a new student.

 

Like you, I am not an advanced student however I have been reading Ken’s books for around three to five years and I am now taking steps to walk the Integral talk. Thus I recently joined I-I and purchased the Integral Life Practice Starter Kit.

 

I have some idea of what kind of materials new students find useful as I was a college instructor for three years teaching software applications to adults. I had to create my own courses and write the workbooks. I am currently Vice President of Operations & Human Resources at an eLearning company, so I have a continuing role in education and systems, particularly distance education systems.

 

For those of you who have been involved in the Integral community for a while, I realize all of this material is posted elsewhere and perhaps old hat to you but to a new student this centralized resource of basic information will be helpful. I certainly welcome you pitching in with this effort if you see an opportunity to do so. For example one area I can think of immediately is a glossary of terms. Integral has its own “living language” and there are always new terms and concepts being used in the forum. It would be handy to define them somewhere. I realize there are attempts at this already on other sites, and I will link to them, but they are not comprehensive or interactive in the sense this approach can be.  

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Rick Bateman
Founder
Social Circles Canada - A New Kind Of Health Club
socialcirlces.ca
+48° 25' 43.45", -123° 20' 10.20" (hint: Google Maps)

Here are links to a couple of related glossaries. The first is from Ken's Speaking of Everything CD released in 2024 and so is not up to date but is still useful.

http://www.enlightenment.com/wilberglossary.html

The second is a Wiki type glossary similar to the style of entries on Wikipedia.com

http://integralwiki.net/?title=Integral_Wiki:Index

Neither of these resources is comprehensive or current. If you wish to have a word or phrase defined just make your request in reply to this post and I trust someone will step up to the challenge.

 

The interesting thing is that the definition will likely result in debate and that will further clarify the meaning for all of us.

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Rick Bateman
Founder
Social Circles Canada - A New Kind Of Health Club
socialcirlces.ca
+48° 25' 43.45", -123° 20' 10.20" (hint: Google Maps)

The AQAL Color Scheme (also known as "Altitude")

Here is a very good quick overview of the colors referred to in the forums. If you have only read Ken's older books, and have any familiarity with the colors mentioned there, those were the Spiral Dynamic colors which are no longer used. This page shows you the current color scheme and provides useful explanatory text.

http://www.holons-news.com/altitudes.html

 

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Rick Bateman
Founder
Social Circles Canada - A New Kind Of Health Club
socialcirlces.ca
+48° 25' 43.45", -123° 20' 10.20" (hint: Google Maps)

A good basic overview of the Four Quadrants i.e. UL, LL, UR, LR etc., is at

 http://www.holons-news.com/fourquadrants.html

Note there is a link to a free PDF, "Introduction to Integral Theory and Practice" at the bottom of the Four Quadrants page.

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Rick Bateman
Founder
Social Circles Canada - A New Kind Of Health Club
socialcirlces.ca
+48° 25' 43.45", -123° 20' 10.20" (hint: Google Maps)

Here is a link to a 40 page PDF which provides a very simple introduction to the overall Integral approach and AQAL model.

http://www.holons-news.com/free/whatisintegral.pdf

You will find an older overview by Ken at

http://www.imprint.co.uk/Wilber.htm

This overview is of interest because here Ken is just beginning to flesh out the ideas.

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Rick Bateman
Founder
Social Circles Canada - A New Kind Of Health Club
socialcirlces.ca
+48° 25' 43.45", -123° 20' 10.20" (hint: Google Maps)

The Integral Institute newsletter, Holons, provides you with a number of insights. Not only is the current news intersting but the sections of sites and news by quadrant and items listed by color also help get a better idea of how the quadrant and color scheme work.

http://www.holons-news.com/

 

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Rick Bateman
Founder
Social Circles Canada - A New Kind Of Health Club
socialcirlces.ca
+48° 25' 43.45", -123° 20' 10.20" (hint: Google Maps)

 

This link from kenwilber.com includes PDFs such as IOS (Integral Operating System) Basics and an overview of Wilber's psychological model.

 

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"With whom or with what are you in communion at this moment?"
. . ."I?" he replied, almost mechanically. "Why not with anyone or anything."
"You must be a marvel . . . if you are able to continue in that state for long."
-Constantin Stanislavsky

 

This is a related thread started a couple of weeks ago.

 

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"With whom or with what are you in communion at this moment?"
. . ."I?" he replied, almost mechanically. "Why not with anyone or anything."
"You must be a marvel . . . if you are able to continue in that state for long."
-Constantin Stanislavsky

Big Mind is a training method developed by Zen Master Genpo Roshi. It is now one of the main Integral Life Practices. You will find a short history and overview of the process at this link:

http://www.delos-inc.com/Reading_Room/Articles/16/16.html

See Genpo talk about the process at this link:

http://isalons.net/the-awakening-of-everyone-video-by-genpo-roshi

At the main Big Mind site you will find more information as well as media clips:

http://www.kzci.org/Big%20Mind/Big_mind_home.html

A good video of the process is here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zT9y1YEUjy0

See also Ken discussing Big Mind on the YouTube network:

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=802205265

 

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Rick Bateman
Founder
Social Circles Canada - A New Kind Of Health Club
socialcirlces.ca
+48° 25' 43.45", -123° 20' 10.20" (hint: Google Maps)

 

I highly recommend the writings of Susanne Cook-Greuter who's important work on the development of taking perspectives (1st Person, 2nd Person, 3rd Person, 4th Person, 5th Person, etc.*) is an important part of the Integral Psychological Model.

Please click on "White Papers" for two related PDFs

The link "Papers and Resources" also has useful comparative charts with Spiral Dynamics, Wilber, etc.

Again, Highly recommended.

 

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"With whom or with what are you in communion at this moment?"
. . ."I?" he replied, almost mechanically. "Why not with anyone or anything."
"You must be a marvel . . . if you are able to continue in that state for long."
-Constantin Stanislavsky

Voice Dialogue is a psychotheraputic method which is used in the Big Mind process. It was devloped by Hal and Sidra Stone and is a well respected technique. I was trained, not in Big Mind, but in Voice Dialogue some years ago at a week long retreat by spiritual teacher Shakti Gawain. I can attest to its power and effectiveness.

You will find at the following link some introductory and background material.

http://www.delos-inc.com/Reading_Room/reading_room.html

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Rick Bateman
Founder
Social Circles Canada - A New Kind Of Health Club
socialcirlces.ca
+48° 25' 43.45", -123° 20' 10.20" (hint: Google Maps)

 

Integral Naked has wonderful introductory resources on its Integral Data page, including audio and PDFs, including a first draft of Integral Spirituality.

 

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"With whom or with what are you in communion at this moment?"
. . ."I?" he replied, almost mechanically. "Why not with anyone or anything."
"You must be a marvel . . . if you are able to continue in that state for long."
-Constantin Stanislavsky

You will find a Wikipedia overview of AQAL here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AQAL

Cautionary note: there are many links from the above link/page to a variety of entries that are NOT necassarily about the Ken Wilber brand of Integral.

See also the video on AQAL here from Ken's site

http://www.kenwilber.com/professional/media/

 

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Rick Bateman
Founder
Social Circles Canada - A New Kind Of Health Club
socialcirlces.ca
+48° 25' 43.45", -123° 20' 10.20" (hint: Google Maps)

The idea behind Integral Life Practice (ILP) which is now a foundation stone of Ken's work, is simply the applicaton of Integral Theory to life. Walking the talk. Here are a few video clips where Ken discusses ILP among other things.

http://www.kenwilber.com/professional/media/

There is an Integral Life Practice Starters Kit which I have purchased and highly recommend. The five DVDs that come with the kit are really useful. It is deceptive in its simplicity; pursuing the contents is easy, doing it is the name of the game.

 

http://myilp.com/

 

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Rick Bateman
Founder
Social Circles Canada - A New Kind Of Health Club
socialcirlces.ca
+48° 25' 43.45", -123° 20' 10.20" (hint: Google Maps)

Now I am reluctant to make this post because of the money and time involved in purchasing texts and other materials, however every course of study requires such. Learning to become technically skilled at the Integral approach is no different. 

Ken has written a lot of books. I have not read them all but I have read many and learned what I can about the others. So which ones to read for Integral Basics? Fortunately there is a web page which contains only the materials you need to learn all about the Integral model. This page is titled, 'Cool Stuff' but really it should be titled "Integral Core Curriculum".

http://www.kenwilber.com/home/coolstuff/

Read "A Theory Of Everything" first and "Integral Spirituality" last. Everything else can go in between in any order.

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Rick Bateman
Founder
Social Circles Canada - A New Kind Of Health Club
socialcirlces.ca
+48° 25' 43.45", -123° 20' 10.20" (hint: Google Maps)