6th Subplane Mental

               I would like to return again now to the comparisons with Integral and how it might apply to the various things I am proposing are developmental spiritual processes for the 6th sub-plane of the Mental Plane. As with the 7th subplane I see a mixture of various levels with some of Green still present and more of Teal and Turquoise in place. As I did before let me go through each of these Integral levels briefly and show parallels to themes talked about in this chapter.

integral green

We will begin by reviewing some of the Green keywords in the Integral model above followed by quotes directly from An Overview of Developmental Stages of Consciousness compiled by Barrett C. Brown, Integral Institute April 3, 2006. Then we will look at particular themes and draw direct parallels.

Green Values:  Bottom line: Community harmony and equality. Basic theme: Seek peace within the inner self and explore, with others, the caring dimensions of community. What’s important: Sensitivity to others and the environment; feelings and caring (in response to the cold rationality of Orange); harmony and equality; reconciliation, consensus, dialogue, participation, relationships, and networking; human development, bonding and spirituality; diversity and multiculturalism; relativism and pluralism; freeing the human spirit from greed, dogma, and divisiveness; distributing the earth’s resources and opportunities equally among all. Where seen: Frequently visible in the helping professions (e.g., health care, education, and feelings-oriented business activities); John Lennon’s Imagine; Netherlands’ idealism; sensitivity training; cooperative inquiry; postmodernism; politically correct; human rights and diversity issues.

Pre-Trans Fallacy

Starting with Integral Green the main thing we see emerging at this level is the issue Integral Green has with sensitivity, but at this level we would associate it more with “psychic sensitivity.” That psychic sensitivity connects with something Ken Wilber has called the pre-trans fallacy. We referred to this earlier in this chapter in the section having to do with psychic powers. “Pre” means “pre-rational” and “trans” means “trans-rational.” Or, in the Bailey system “pre” could mean psychic impressions that are developed before one gets to Group Six and starts to develop some level of rational mind. That would take the person back to Group Four and maybe even Group Three, which were equivalent with Wilber’s mythical and even magical levels of consciousness. This “pre-rational” stage is actually a step backwards, not forwards, hence the confusion and the danger for those on the Probationary Path who are not adequately using their minds to discern the difference between what Bailey calls “higher and lower” psychic powers.

Non-Dual Dualism

This is the tendency found in those at Integral level Green and Bailey’s Probationary stage to jump into embracing the concept of how everything is non-dual or “one” while at the same time throwing out the fact that a true non-dualism contains dualism within it. Like the Yin-Yang symbol, you have the whole (the circle) and the parts (the white and black sections seen here). Also, each section (black and white) contains some of the other within it (represented by the white dot and black dots). This symbol shows the one and the many, the unmanifest and the manifest, the whole and the parts and how they are all interconnected. As mentioned in the section in this chapter titled Intellectually Impatient, Probationers are similar to those at Integral level Green in their failure to become “non-dual dualists” or “dual non-dualists.” By this I mean they affirm the unity of all things, but wash away all distinctions. Anyone like myself who likes who grow plants knows how dangerous that is. Yes, all of my plants are “plants.” But, I neglect the differences between my plants at my peril because each has different needs in regards to soil, light, water, temperature and even different mixes of fertilizer to thrive. Human beings, animals, minerals and in reality manifest life as a whole requires a careful mindfulness of differences in order to thrive. Without this humans, like the rest of life, will frankly not thrive. In Buddhism they call it “skillful means,” which is equivalent to Bailey’s pairing “intelligent activity” with “love” in order to know how to love others in an intelligent way. Some human beings thrive with love expressed as hugs and kisses. Others (especially if they were traumatized by unhealthy touch such as what takes place in molestation) will be repelled and feel unloved by this. Both Integral Green and Bailey’s Probationer are prone to throw out the need for discernment and intelligent activity in their desire to be loving and harmless, making them unwittingly unloving and even harmful in their approach.

integral teal

               Now let’s look at the comparisons between the 6th Subplane of the Mental Plane and Integral Teal. With the Probationer Disciple we do see the capacity to look at multiple perspectives, but they are not yet sufficiently synthesizing these perspectives and may even be overly devoted to one perspective (teaching, teacher) at the expense of others. And, though they are more aware of the interrelatedness and interdependence of all things, this is still more an ideal than an experience. That experience in the Bailey model is yet to come. Certainly the Probationary Disciple is on the leading edge of culture, but so is every one at the level of Integrated Personality and beyond in the Bailey model. From a Psychosynthesis perspective (a model created by one of the main students of Alice Bailey), there is more awareness and integration of subpersonalities and more of a coherent self identity. But, these words in the Integral model really do not convey the same depth of understanding that the Bailey model does. In the Bailey model we have the Integrated Personality “self” that has a “complex self-identity and self-story, but that is not the same as what the “soul-infused self” experiences. And, the point of the Probationary path is the struggle between these two “selves” or levels of coherent and complex self-identity that each “self” reveals. Finally, we do see in the Probationary Disciple a desire to live more responsibly. And, there is the start of more discernment and respect for hierarchy. Some overlap between the Probationary Disciple at this level and Integral Teal is seen therefore. But, many areas of Integral Teal do not quite line up with this 6th subplane of the Mental Plane level, or have not yet emerged.

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