Conscious Leadership and Beyond

As Director of Leadership and Capacity Development at the United Nations, Monica Sharma is pioneering Integral approaches to whole systems transformation and leadership development worldwide. Dr. Sharma designs large-scale programs of child survival and maternal health in poverty stricken nations.

Her work is documented to have touched over 4.5 million lives directly and some 130 million people indirectly. Dr. Sharma is also an avid mediator and spiritual practitioner – who met Jiddu Krishnamurti at the age of 6, and the Dalai Lama at the age of 7.

Dr. Sharma's work is making sure that an explicity integral sensibility is involved at the highest levels of global decision-making. Integral Praxis is proud to feature the following amazing article by Dr. Sharma. Enjoy:

Conscious Leadership at the Crossroads of Change

By Monica Sharma

The past fifty years have seen unprecedented global development and, at the same time, have revealed unspeakable human suffering and deprivation of truly epic proportions. This paradox of progress and persistent poverty is a defining feature of the early twenty-first century. The next fifty years will show whether the world can come together as one, resolving the many seemingly intractable problems we now face, or continue to muddle through from one crisis to another, never really solving the interdependent problems of humankind in a definitive and sustained way.

In 2006 a billion-plus people—one in six—live in extreme poverty, on less than a dollar a day, and each day is a life-and-death struggle for them. They do not have the resources to stay alive, let alone thrive, in the face of chronic hunger, illness, and ecological hazards in a world that otherwise has the means to feed everyone, tackle disease, and create a safe environment. The ever-widening gap between the rich and the poor has resulted in human suffering and violence on an unimaginable scale.

More than forty countries are scarred by violent conflict. Three million people die of AIDS every year, and 40 million live with the virus. Eleven million children die every year before their fifth birthday. More than 100 million children of primary school age are not in school. At least 1.2 million children are trafficked worldwide—that is more than 3,000 a day, and most are exploited in the sex industry.

In the face of these grim realities, there is now global consensus within the development community on what needs to be done, defined in a series of consultations and summits that culminated in the Millennium Development Goals, an expression of a shared vision of global development. These time-bound specific goals seek to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, achieve universal primary education, promote gender equality, reduce mortality, combat HIV/AIDS, and ensure environmental sustainability. In our globalized world, the challenges we face are interconnected.

At the same time, these goals are necessary but not sufficient until we see the global problematique as a symptom of one fundamental, deeper-rooted crisis—our individual and shared mind-set, where psychological and cultural forces reign. Only then we can begin to mount a more integral and profound response that will move us forward in a sustainable way.

Read More (PDF): Here

Technology, Evolution and God

Below is Wired magazine's own "Senior Maverick" Kevin Kelly talking with philosopher Ken Wilber about some of the ideas explored on Kevin's blog The Technium, which investigates the various ways humanity defines and redefines itself through the interface of science, technology, culture, and consciousness:

Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6

See Also: Exploring the Techium: Part One & Two

Integral Views, Complexity Thinking

Ken Wilber, Holarchy, and Beyond

By Rolf Sattler

Holarchy (hierarchy) plays a fundamental role in Ken Wilber’s AQAL map of the Kosmos and human existence. It provides the basic framework of this map: in all four quadrants, the levels (structure stages) are holarchically related, which means that each higher level includes and transcends the lower level.

Although a holarchical view provides many insights, it is one-sided and therefore needs to be complemented by other views such as holism in terms of undivided wholeness, dialectics, continuum, Yin-Yang, and network views. These other views illuminate aspects of manifest reality that are not captured by the holarchical view. However, to avoid misunderstandings, I want to stress that Ken Wilber recognizes all of these views in one way or another, but not with regard to the levels (structure stages) of his AQAL map. For example, the levels that are referred to by different colors, such as orange and green, are holarchically related, which means that green (which is above orange) includes and transcends orange.

In contrast to the holarchical view, which implies an asymmetry because the higher level includes the lower but the lower does not include the higher, the Yin-Yang view recognizes a more symmetrical relationship between levels: the higher level includes to some extent the lower, and the lower includes to some extent the higher. The symmetry might be perfect or near perfect, but more likely it is not because one level may include the other to a greater extent than vice versa. Furthermore, the degree of inclusion may change: Yin-Yang is dynamic.

Read More: Here

ROLF SATTLER is biologist, systems theorist, yoga practioner and retired university professor who has published numerous articles and academic papers over more than 3 decades. His new book 'Wilber’s AQAL Map and Beyond' is free online.

Robb Smith Interview

From Boulder Integral:

Join Jeff Salzman as he interviews Integral Life CEO Robb Smith on the state of the integral movement, the election of President Obama, and the challenges of being an integral leader.

Clips/Topics Include:

Part 1: Intro - How did you find your way to Integral?
Part 2: Translating Integral theory into the living world space.
Part 3: What’s the biggest challenge on the Integral on-ramp?
Part 4: The election and the Integral movement.
Part 5: Now that Obama is president.
Part 6: How the right reacts…
Part 7: How does Obama inform your leadership?
Part 8: What is of real value?
Part 9: Is there an Integral Movement?
Part 10: What’s new at Integral Life/Institute?
Part 11: Living a social life on the web brings hope for a new age.

WATCH ALL VIDEOS: HERE

A Krishnamurti Perspective on Integral Consciousness

A Krishnamurti Perspective on Integral Consciousness

By William Miller

In his major work The Ever–Present Origin, Swiss cultural philosopher Jean Gebser presents the theory that contemporary human consciousness has evolved through four major mutations, each of which inaugurated a fundamental change in consciousness structure. Gebser identifies these structures as the archaic, magical, mythical and mental–rational. He claims we are now on the verge of a fifth, the integral.

We must work on ourselves, Jean Gebser reminds us, if we are to realize integral consciousness. But how to do this he has left "tantalizingly incomplete." How do we divine a methodology, or to use Feuerstein's term, a "psychotechnology," especially one suitable to western sensibilities? Could a possible candidate be the "methodless method" of spiritual teacher J. Krishnamurti? The two teachings share some intriguing similarities. And Krishnamurti's non–sectarian (really anti–sectarian) position can support a contemporary non–metaphysical western orientation. Let's explore the question.

Read More: Here

The Paradox of Choice

Psychologist Barry Schwartz takes aim at a central tenet of western societies: freedom of choice. In Schwartz's estimation, choice has made us not freer but more paralyzed, not happier but more dissatisfied:

BARRY SCHWARTZ is Cartwright Professor of Social Theory and Social Action at Swarthmore College.

The Emergence of Integral Culture

Conscious Evolution and the Emergence of Integral Culture

By Thomas Maxwell

There is a growing understanding that addressing the global crisis facing humanity will require new methods for knowing, understanding, and valuing the world. Narrow, disciplinary, mechanistic, and reductionist perceptions of reality are proving inadequate for addressing the complex, interconnected problems of the current age. The currently dominant worldview of scientific materialism, which views the cosmos as a vast machine composed of independent, externally related pieces, promotes fragmentation in our thinking and perception. The materialist view of natural systems as commodities to be exploited coupled with the ethos of consumerism and social Darwinism has encouraged widespread destruction of our natural life support systems. The cancerous spread of nihilism and dehumanization are driving the decay and disintegration of techno-industrial culture.

A set of clearly discernable stages can be identified in the history of human culture whose development or unfolding took place in mutations of consciousness. There is considerable evidence that the current age of “sensate” culture is ending as a new structure of consciousness emerges, giving birth to the next stage of cultural evolution.

This nascent integral consciousness structure embodies a new mode of perception which transcends the illusion of separateness to discern the unity which underlies the diverse forms of existence. Although this “higher level of thinking” can be elaborated through science, its principal grounding is in spiritual experience. It supports an integrated epistemology that embraces both the rational knowledge of scientific empiricism and the inner knowledge of spiritual experience, diminishing the barriers separating scientific and spiritual understanding. It realizes fundamental sacredness and profound meaningfulness in all life, giving rise to a more integrative, holistic, and ecological perception of the cosmos. The ethos of materialism and selfishness gives way to ecological sensitivity, reverent care for all life, dedication to world healing and transformation, spiritual awakening, and celebration of the wonder of the universe . Individuals move beyond the limits of their personal vantage points to embrace their unity with all sentient beings and their participation in the conscious evolution of humanity.

This paper describes the characteristics of the emerging integral “worldspace” and its potential to transform modern culture.

Read More: Here

THOMAS MAXWELL holds a PhD in physics and is an associate research professor at the Gund Institute of Ecological Economics at The University of Vermont. He has written extensively on ecological awareness, physical systems and spirituality.

The One and the Many

The One and the Many

by Kurt Barstow

Spirituality is nothing like I ever thought it would be when I was younger... well, even three years ago. Having taken a class in Zen Buddhism in college and for much of my professional life working on Western devotional material from the twelfth to the fifteenth centuries, I had a notion that Enlightenment was something that happened in distant lands and sanctity was something that was relegated to the past. I thought we lived in a thoroughly modern or post-modern world that essentially had nothing to do with such charming relics of days gone by or foreign esoterica and the fact that I was concentrated more on work than what was actually going on in the world spiritually served to reinforce that idea.

I had no idea, for example, that there was a synthesis of the world's wisdom traditions that had been going on and would be popularized on the Internet and in movies. I didn't make the connection between the state of the planet and the imperatives of contemporary spirituality. I didn't realize that so many current day saints and awakened people were in our midst and available to the public. And I had no idea that the basic technologies of awakening and the information to provoke a shift in consciousness were being made available to and were interested in by so many. ..

Read More: Here

KURT BARSTOW is freelance writer. Kurt’s involvement with art, culture, and spirituality span over two decades and include two books and fourteen years as a manuscripts curator at the Getty. His new direction is in health and spirituality, in both massage therapy and soul-centered psychology. He has an Integral Life Practice that includes yoga and meditation.

Sustainability and Integrated Health Approaches

Increasingly, forward-thinking physicians and administrators are taking steps to envision human health in more complex ways. Today health specialists are being compelled to integrate psychological, biophysical, social and spiritual approaches into their assessments and practices.

‘Sustainable medicine’, once the passion of fringe physicians, has become a popular and responsible way to practice. And proponents are finding that 'integrational approaches' are not only good for the environment, but also good for business:

Green Healthcare Goes Mainstream
By Karen Edwards

Lawrence Rosen, MD, was “a fairly conventional pediatrician” when he finished his residency and began practicing medicine in New Jersey about a decade ago. But his years of training at Mt. Sinai Medical School did not quite prepare him for what he
encountered in his new practice. “I started to realize pretty quickly that there were many children with chronic health care illnesses who were not being served well by conventional medicine. I was seeing an increase in developmental disorders like ADHD and autism, rising rates of asthma and allergies. I felt inadequate to care for these kids with the conventional tools I had.”

Rosen’s search for solutions that would help his patients and their families led him to look at how the environment was affecting children’s health. He quickly came to an unsettling realization: he was part of the problem. The health-care system itself often has a negative impact on the environment. How to deal with all this? That’s when Rosen discovered the world of sustainable, or green, medicine.

Rosen says, “Sustainable medicine is practicing in a way that takes care of people, helps reduce our impact on our environment, and recognizes the impact of the environment on our health. We are sustaining health and we are sustaining the Earth.”

Read More: Here

Integral Theory in the Corporate World

Using Integral Theory to Effect Strategic Change

By Nancy E. Landrum, Carolyn L. Gardner

The purpose of this paper is to examine the need for integration of Wilber’s all levels, all quadrants (AQAL) approach into the strategy of a corporation. Organizations have incorporated elements of his theory at various levels, but none has fully incorporated all four quadrants. We explore how each quadrant can be used in strategic change to aid organizations in their quest for sustainable competitive advantage.

Using Wilber’s AQAL approach, we present suggestions on how corporations can use each quadrant in strategic change efforts. Several strategic planning methods which try to be all-inclusive are discussed. Several companies are also discussed that have incorporated progressive approaches throughout the organization. However, no example yet exists of a company that has used a full integrally-informed approach to strategic change and transformation.

Read More: Here

The REAL Evolution Debate

The REAL Evolution Debate

By Carter Phipps

You’ve seen the papers. You’ve watched the TV reports. You know how the debate on evolution is always framed. Darwin vs. God. Science vs. religion. Evolution vs. creationism. Reason and rationality vs. belief and faith. That’s the evolution debate we hear about in the mass media these days, the one that is causing consternation everywhere from Kansas school boards to Pennsylvania courthouses.

But even as the culture wars rage and endless straw men are sent to their graves, we at WIE would like to suggest a different approach. Because what is portrayed about evolution in today’s media more often than not implies a false choice, an artificial polarization between two extremes. In fact, there is another evolution debate going on behind the scenes, one that is broader, deeper, subtler, and much more profound. And it’s not just a debate between science and spirituality. It’s also about what kind of science and what kind of spirituality we are talking about.

So with that thought in mind, the editors of EnlightenNext set out this past summer to uncover the real evolution debate—to chart those exciting evolutionary theories in both science and spirituality that are causing us to redefine the nature of the evolutionary process and to rethink our conclusions about where we come from, who we are, and where we might be going. Yes, there are still those who say it’s all a cosmic accident and that’s the end of it, and those who say it’s all perfectly planned by God and that’s the end of it. But somewhere in between, there are exciting new ideas that are destined to shake the foundations of the way we understand life in the twenty-first century.

Read More: Here

CARTER PHIPPS is a senior editor for EnlightNext magazine (formerly WIE). In his seven years with WIE, he has penned some of its most in-depth investigative pieces. From metaphysics to politics to science and technology, Phipps brings to his journalistic inquiry a unique evolutionary and contemporary moral and ethical perspective.

Does Nature Suggest Transcendence?

Does Nature Suggest Transcendence?

By Neil D. Broom

That the living world might, in some deep mysterious way, be expressive of a transcendent dimension is largely rejected by contemporary secular thinkers. Most will argue that modern science has demonstrated, at least in principle, that life in all its evolving complexity and sophistication is the inevitable product of entirely natural, unplanned processes. Biological materialism, or naturalism, is an all-embracing material explanation of how molecules evolved into complex living organisms including us humans.

In this view all of life is accounted for in terms of the outworking of scientifically describable chemical and physical processes guided entirely by rules and constraints resident within a wholly material universe. And so it asks - Why insist on a role for a Creator when science has shown there is nothing left for a Creator to do?

In this paper I do not wish to explore the fundamental God versus no-God issue—that I shall leave to the theologians and philosophers. Rather, I want to linger briefly within the scientific ‘camp’ and ask whether the particulars that science reveals, and science has done this task with remarkable thoroughness, do in fact point to a purposeful, transcendent dimension.

Read More: Here

NEIL BROOM is Professor of Materials Science at the University of Auckland New Zealand. He completed his PhD in Metallurgical Engineering at the University of Auckland.