Soul to Spirit: The New Spiritual Psychology

This post gives a quick summary of Groups 1 – 3  who are not very prevalent on our planet today. All three groups find it difficult to survive and navigate the world around them, though Group 3 is learning to get what they want more by recklessness and force, since they lack the emotional control and intelligent activity to get their desires met in other ways. 

          Becoming Human began by going through the Alice Bailey chart summarizing what the various subplanes of the physical plane might mean especially regarding to what is observed as the physical body departs at the end of life. That information begins here. Next I go through the Alice Bailey chart (posted below) level by level in an attempt to describe what consciousness at each level means. I deliberately put in section headers to attempt to give readers a rapid review of the main themes that are being developed in each level. I thought it might be good in this post to put only the headers to help you rapidly review the essential points of each stage. I am also posting the correlations I have made for that level in the chart I created (which includes the Integral stage) as well. Please understand that the more I get through all of this the more clear I become of what the overall model looks like as Alice Bailey presented it and the more I may need to refine certain things. Also, as mentioned early on I am not really that thrilled with the names of some of these colors. I picked the names from a color wheel chart found on line. But honestly? Corn? Pumpkin? Not exactly the names I would have chosen, but they are good enough for now. 

THE ALICE BAILEY MODEL

ALICE BAILEY MODEL WITH COLORS

             Note: These colors follow the traditional spectrum of color as science, artists, and most systems that study the chakras know it. It does not always reflect the colors mentioned in the Bailey books. The below also includes triangles and a circle I have put in. Becoming Human focuses on the Personality triangle. The majority of humanity is not yet what Bailey calls an “Integrated Personality.” Becoming Soul (which is the book I am putting up as I finish each chapter now), covers some of the levels of the Personality triangle as it becomes “soul infused,” as well as the circle below known as the “Egoic Lotus” (which is the “Soul” in this system). When the personality becomes completely “soul-infused” we then shift increasingly to the Spiritual Triad to become “Spirit.” Please see these as stages of unfoldment. As long as we are in a physical body we all have personalities, souls, and are Spirit, we just have not unfolded the various levels yet. 

AQAL INTEGRAL MODEL

BAILEY’S 10 GROUPS

GROUP ONE

Note: No where does Alice Bailey correlate her 10 Groups of Human and Soul Evolution with various sub-planes. The correlations are all my ideas based upon my current understanding of her work. After many years of working on this I feel these are adequate correlations, but as my understanding deepens adjustments may be made.

1st Subplane of Physical Plane 

The first subplane is always the top subplane as I use it. I believe Baileys’ Group One correlates with the first subplane of the physical plane. I have also correlated this with Integral’s Infrared.

Starting with the below. The idea here is that it takes some time for the human body to form enough to become adequate to start to allow for human consciousness to evolve. I believe this is why Bailey puts the “Physical Permanent Atom” on the 1st subplane of the physical plane. This is also one reason I have put Group One as a correlation here. If you want to see what I said about all these specific subplanes please go to this post. 

Heading Keywords from Chapter Seven: Emerging Humanity. 

• Not Equated With Indigenous Tribes
• Focused on Basic Survival Needs
• Expansion and Contraction of Consciousness

Summary of Chapter:  In conclusion, Integral’s Infrared and Bailey’s Group One are similar, but only marginally so. Yes, both have a limited intelligence and are focused on survival. But Bailey’s Group One is long past the “fusion stage in regards to the physical environment.”  The problem for Group One is not so much fusion, but overwhelm. They do see themselves as separate individuals. And, they can recognize others and the world around them as separate from them. They simply cannot understand others or the environment very well. This lack of understanding subjects them to becoming victimized by others because they cannot perceive others true motives. And, because they don’t really know how to navigate their environment, they are given few choices regarding how to survive and cope. For this reason Group One members are forced onto the extreme margins of society left with little hope and few resources in which to eek out their meager existence.

Additional Insights: Group One is associated with what Bailey calls “Lemurian consciousness.” This consciousness emerged when human beings individualized. The stage of individualization happens when you are able to recognize that you are “you” in a mirror. We see infants go through this recapitualation process where they shift from ignoring themselves in a mirror to becoming fascinated with their own image. We also see that some animals are starting to reach this stage of recognition where they seem to know who they are, versus attack, ignore, or be afraid of the image as if it is some “other” animal instead of themselves.

GROUP TWO

In my book Becoming Human I argue that Group Two moves us into the Emotional Plane. In my chapter on the Emotional Plane I also clear up the notion that the emotional plane does not contain mental awareness. It does. That is why it is traditionally viewed as kama-manasic (desire-mind). My Emotional Plane chapter also explains how what most people view as concrete mind thinking (according to Piaget and how most colleges and psychology programs perceive it) belongs to the emotional and not the mental plane, which is something we find in the Integral AQAL model with their pre-conventional, conventional, trans-conventional (or pre-rational, rational, and trans-rational) approach. Please read my chapters on the Emotional Plane and Mental Plane – Overview & Mental Plane: Specifics to understand my argument here and how it influences what I believe to be a correct understanding of the Bailey model as well.

7th Subplane of Emotional Plane 

Heading Keywords from Chapter Nine: Fledgling Humanity 

• Feeling Out of Control
• Prone to Living in Chronic Stress
• Magical Thinking
• Psychic Power Mystification

Summary of Chapter: Looking at the various possible features of Group Two and its comparisons to Theosophy and Integral we increasingly get a sense that we are coming closer to who we are now as modern humanity. As with Group One, Group Two is looking to master its physical environment, but mainly attempts it through “magical means.”  This level of consciousness seems to be recapitulated (gone through again) by human beings at the Group One level, while they are in the mother’s womb and during infancy. The Group Two level is recapitulated from infancy up to about five years old. Especially around two to three years old we find the same kind of impulsive and reactive emotional nature Group Two is said to possess. We also see that magical beliefs start to dominante, and when the individual does not feel he/she possesses enough magical agency, “magicians” are brought in who are believed to possess the right kind of magic to help one feel more safe and secure as he or she finally gets basic needs met.

Finally, even though this type of thinking was said to have gone by the wayside thousands of years ago, beyond the notion of recapitulation of young children going through this earlier developmental stage, it might be argued that under high levels of chronic abuse or stress, human beings can also regress temporarily to these ancient stages. Perhaps this is one reason why Lemurian consciousness is still thought to be with us, even though many might assume it disappeared long ago. On a final note, we shall see that in the Alice Bailey system her stages tend to have a cyclic aspect to them. That is why we will see aspects of Group Two re-emerge at Bailey’s Group Seven where the tendency to slip into a belief in magical powers re-emerges, to hopefully be integrated at a whole new level of the spiral.

GROUP THREE

One of the big surprises for me in doing the Becoming Human book was discovering how Bailey emphasizes that the majority of humanity’s consciousness resides within Group Three, Group Four, and especially Group Five. Yet, as you read the chapters I have written on this and look out into our world, perhaps it is no surprise. 

6th Subplane of Emotional Plane 

Heading Keywords from Chapter Ten: Tribal Humanity 

• Shallow Wish Life
• Tribal and Increasingly Violent
• Hero Worship
• Freedom or Free to Be Dumb?
• Daring and Lawless
• Cultures of Abuse
• Courage and Potential for Exploitation
• Shifting Beyond Survival Needs

Summary of Chapter: As we see Group Three possesses a lot of characteristics that we do still see in our time, giving credence to Bailey’s statement that those with Lemurian consciousness can be found existing in all races around the world today. Because they tend to be tribal, courageous, impulsive and rebellious members of Group Three do seem to similar in a lot of respects to Integral Red. However, in Bailey’s model, individuals like Donald Trump do not really belong at this level. Members of Group Three simply do not possess the ability to amass that much money, power, pleasure and influence. Their lives are too chaotic, and they are too unthinking, rebellious and impulsive to rise to such heights of power and sustain it over a lifetime.

Group Three members have not integrated their thoughts, emotions, physical bodies and behaviors in such a way they can get to great heights of influence and power and stay there. They tend to be more sprinters than marathon runners, which is why their impatience and frustration tend to lead them to fall under the influence of others who seek to dominate them. Their lack of thought and impulsive emotions also explains why they are so unlikely to even see the ways they are being manipulated and duped. Yes, they have gained  some freedom allowing them to experience a greater measure of stability and security in the physical world. But, they have yet to learn how to consistently satisfy their desires, or integrate their personalities in such a way they can truly become the “God-like rulers” they so frequently admire, yet sadly fall prey to.

Group Three people can also be heroic. That is why they are so suited to enter professions that require a considerable amount of daring. Especially those who are a mixture of Group Three and Group Four (which we will learn about in the next chapter), are become not only daring, but less impulsive and more dependable. They can be relied upon to summon up the best within them, not only during a crisis, but in a more consistent way in other areas of their lives. Honoring this heroic spirit with Group Three members helps them feel valued and helps them evolve. They also benefit from social policies that help them find and maintain more stability and security, and give them opportunities to access more education. Programs and training to help them understand ways to manage their anger and anxiety are also useful. At a societal level putting into place systems that dismantle and discourage a culture of abuse are necessary and being sure if they are sent into war, they are well taken care of upon their return. Finally, spiritual practices (like the martial arts) that help them train and focus their minds and calm their emotional are also beneficial.

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