Wisdom vs. Wilber: The Problem with Levels

This is a brief post that shares how nearly 100 years ago the Ageless Wisdom writings of Alice Bailey discussed how levels of conscious development need to be viewed in a way that avoids the step-ladder view of going from one phase to the next. 

Both in the models laid out by Alice A Bailey and Integral (even considering their four fold one), we get a visual representation as if we go from one level of consciousness to the next. For example, using the terms of Integral, you go from Red, to Amber, to Orange, to Green and so forth. When you view the model by Alice Bailey it can appear that the same kind of approach happens as you move slowly from one sub-plane onto the next.

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Wisdom vs Wilber: Buddhic Plane, III

This final post in the series of the sub-planes of the Buddhic Plane at last attempts to delineate the subtleties of what the various sub-planes might represent, while at the same time acknowledging how making distinctions on the Buddhic plane (which after all is the plane of unity) is paradoxical and perhaps erroneous at best.  

In the previous post on the Buddhic plane, I proposed my notion that no understanding of the Buddhic plane can be comprehended unless we enter into the mystery of what I called the Great Sacrifice. Here, in this post, I try to demonstrate how each sub-plane allows us to incarnate into that Great Sacrifice more fully.

Wisdom vs. Wilber: The Buddhic Plane, II

Here I dive even further into an audacious (and perhaps considering my limited awareness — misguided) attempt to describe further what it means to reside on the Buddhic plane before attempting to describe even more specifically the various sub-planes of the Buddhic plane.  

But, first a comment. Although this blog is about comparing Integral to the Ageless Wisdom teachings, we have already seen as we traveled through the petals on the egoic lotus, that correlations between the two approaches broke down. For this reason I am drawing primarily upon the teachings as put forth in the Alice Bailey model, as well as from my own intuition.

Wisdom vs Wilber: The Buddhic Plane, I

This post makes a daring attempt to move into realms rarely talked about in the Ageless Wisdom teachings, let alone mentioned in Integral, by attempting to suggest what may be involved as we head into what is known as the Buddhic Plane. 

To begin with in the chart below I attempt to vastly extend the levels discussed in Integral. These levels are found in the Ageless Wisdom teachings by Alice Bailey. I have simply added some color correspondences and am doing my best to suggest what may be involved developmentally and spiritually.

Wisdom vs. Wilber: The Mental Plane, III

This post continues the deeper look at the Mental Plane from the perspectives of Theosophy, Alice Bailey and ties these views into the Integral Model. 

In the previous post I went over the 7th and 6th sub-planes of the Mental Plane. Now, in this post I review the 5th and 4th sub-planes giving a lot more details about what may be happening spiritually and psychologically as one activates and lives from these realms.

Wisdom vs. Wilber: The Mental Plane, II

In this post I explain in more detail how the sub-planes of the Mental Plane are viewed by the Ageless Wisdom teachings as derived from Theosophy and Alice Bailey. I also more directly make ties in to the Integral Model. 

As a summary as we dive into the Mental Plane we need to understand that from the Theosophical literature we are shifting from the emphasis on the material world and desire for material goods (money, pleasure/sex especially with power to some degree), into the spiritual realms. As I say this I need to explain a little more by what is meant by the world “spiritual” here.

Wisdom vs. Wilber: The Mental Plane I

I continue my attempts to put together the two systems of the Ageless Wisdom vs. Integral. As I am doing so I am having to greatly expand the idea of levels over what Integral provides us with. In this post I will look at what the Ageless Wisdom teachings have said regarding the Seven Sub-Planes of the Mental Plane and will do my best to correlate them with what Integral has to say, though it is getting more difficult.  

In the previous posts on the Emotional Plane levels, I conveyed how I was having to radically shift decades long ideas of what developmental and psycho-spiritual processes were taking place, due to a deeper understanding of what Theosophical texts were saying in the early 1900’s. Moving into the Mental plane I will continue to share my altered ideas drawing from both the Theosophical writings of Annie Besant, Charles Leadbetter, A.E. Powell, and from the later writings (1920’s to 1940’s) of Alice Bailey. What you will discover is how the levels of the mental plane are somewhat differently interpreted by older Theosophical texts pre-dating Alice Bailey’s. Though on a closer examination, I will attempt to reveal how in fact they may fit together. After doing so, I will then travel into what Integral has to say and start comparisons at that point.

Wisdom vs Wilber, The Emotional Plane, III

Another post continuing to examine the Seven Sub-Planes of the Emotional Plane as found in the Ageless Wisdom teachings in regards to the levels of Integral. 

In the previous post I began to review what is said in regards to the seven sub-planes of the Emotional plane focusing primarily on what is known as sub-plane 7 and 6. I showed how sub-plane 7 may fit with Integral level Magenta. Then as I got to sub-plane 6, I began to discuss how there are problems with Integral Red level that have to be addressed. Now in this post I continue to move on additional sub-planes of the Emotional Sub-plane to try and solve some of the issues as we correlate the Ageless Wisdom model as put forth by Alice Bailey, with the Ageless Wisdom model as put forth by Theosophy, with the Integral model as first proposed by Ken Wilber and added to now by others.

Wisdom vs Wilber, The Emotional Plane, II

In this post I will give more detail on the levels of the Emotional Plane and make more direct correlations with how the seven sub-planes (or levels) fit with the Integral model. 

In the past few posts I began to discuss the various levels of the Emotional Plane and mentioned how the traditional view of the Emotional (Astral) plane just being related to emotions might not be entirely accurate. In traditional Theosophical circles it is also related to the notion of desire. In this post I will attempt to outline more specifically what psycho-spiritual and developmental lessons are said to be connected with these various sub-planes.