Tag: WorldCentric

Beyond the Self

The Seven Perspectives of Awakening

Most discussions of growth and consciousness circle around the familiar: self, community, humanity, cosmos. Yet the movement of awareness does not stop there. The journey of awakening stretches beyond common frames, carrying identity through successive widenings until even perspective itself dissolves into the unnameable.

First Person – Egocentric

Awareness begins with the single pronoun: I. At this stage, the centre of existence is survival, desire, and self-interest. Spirituality here often means seeking relief, comfort, or control. The lens is narrow, but it is the soil from which broader care must grow.

Second Person – Ethnocentric

Identity expands to we. Family, tribe, religion, or nation become the circle of belonging. Meaning and devotion are tied to group loyalty, while outsiders remain less significant. Spiritual life often manifests as faith in a shared path or allegiance to a sacred tradition.

Third Person – Worldcentric

The pronoun shifts again, embracing they. Humanity as a whole is recognized as one family. Every person, regardless of background, is seen as worthy of dignity and care. This is the ground of universal ethics, human rights, and global responsibility. Spirituality speaks in the language of compassion that knows no borders.

Fourth Person – Kosmocentric

Perspective opens to all. Identity now includes every sentient being, every ecosystem, every galaxy. Care extends beyond human concerns to the life of the Earth and the vast cosmos itself. Spiritual experience often takes on a mystical quality here, where the boundary between self and universe fades into transparency.

Fifth Person – Evolutionary/Integral

A new horizon appears: awareness not only of beings and worlds, but of perspectives themselves. The self sees how “I, we, they, all” arise, evolve, and interrelate. Nothing is fixed; everything is a process. Awakening is understood as developmental, dynamic, ever-unfolding. The soul learns to hold multiple truths at once, to integrate rather than divide.

Sixth Person – Nondual

At this point, perspective collapses. The subject-object split dissolves. I, you, we, they, all, perspectives—everything appears as movements of the same luminous field. This is not an expanded view but the direct recognition that views themselves are appearances within awareness. Spiritual awakening here becomes radical intimacy with all that is.

Seventh Person – The Unmanifest

Beyond even the witness lies the groundless ground. This is not a vantage point but the source of all vantage points. No subject, no object, no seer, no seen. Pure Suchness. Emptiness that is full. From here, compassion arises not by choice but as the spontaneous flow of reality itself.

Closing Reflection

Each stage includes what came before and reaches beyond it. To live awakened is not to discard the earlier circles but to embrace them as nested truths. Self-care, community bonds, global ethics, cosmic reverence, evolutionary vision, nondual awareness, and the unmanifest ground—each is real, each is necessary. Together, they sketch the arc of awakening as it bends toward wholeness.

Morgan O. Smith

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Walking Beyond the Self

Expanding the Horizons of Perspective

Most human conflict is rooted in the inability to step outside the narrow confines of the self. We tend to move through the world tethered to a singular point of view, unable to grasp that reality shifts depending on who is looking. Perspective is not fixed; it unfolds in layers, from the egocentric stance of “me and mine,” through the ethnocentric loyalty of “us and ours,” into the broader realms of worldcentric care for humanity, and ultimately the kosmocentric embrace of all beings and existence itself.

When our awareness stops at the egocentric, we see others only as extensions of ourselves; or worse, as threats to what we hold dear. At the ethnocentric level, we expand slightly, but compassion remains conditional, bounded by tribe, religion, race, or nation. Yet the real flowering of human consciousness emerges once we realize that every being, regardless of sex, class, culture, or creed, carries within them a mirror of our own existence.

To recognize yourself in another is not simply an ethical exercise; it is an ontological revelation. The more deeply you understand that the same fears, desires, and vulnerabilities pulse through all lives, the less room remains for judgment. Hatred fades not because you suppress it, but because understanding transforms it. Even the figure we call “devil” becomes less monstrous when we glimpse the fractured angel hidden inside.

Imagine what collective life would feel like if this capacity for expanded perspective became the norm rather than the exception. Entire systems of oppression, exploitation, and alienation would dissolve under the weight of genuine empathy. Politics would no longer be about “sides” but about solutions; communities would no longer divide over difference but celebrate the very diversity that teaches us new ways of being human.

To walk in anyone’s shoes is more than a metaphor. It is the necessary step toward becoming fully human. The journey from ego to cosmos is not only possible, it is imperative. The future depends not on technological advancement alone, but on whether we can evolve into beings capable of holding multiple perspectives at once, anchored in compassion and guided by wisdom.

Morgan O. Smith

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Ascending the Ladder of Wholeness

From Kindergarten Mindsets to Doctorate Souls

Introduction:

In our ever-evolving world, parallels exist between education and Integral Theory’s psychological development stages. Imagine the journey from kindergarten to earning a Ph.D. as analogous to ascending through the levels of consciousness from archaic to super-Integral.

The Foundation: Kindergarten and Archaic Stage

At the base of both ladders lie the kindergarten and the archaic stage. Kindergarteners are mainly self-focused, akin to the archaic level, where consciousness is limited and centred around basic survival – analogous to an egocentric worldview.

Progressing Through the Grades: Ego to Ethnocentric

As children progress through grade school, they learn about broader communities and cultures. This reflects the movement from an egocentric stage to an ethnocentric stage. There’s an expanding awareness and inclusion of one’s tribe or group.

High School Milestone: Achieving Conformist-Pluralist Mindset

High school is a pivotal point. It’s analogous to the transition between 1st and 2nd tier levels of consciousness, where individuals start recognizing multiple perspectives. However, like some stopping their education after high school, not everyone crosses into higher levels of consciousness.

Post-Secondary Education: Reaching World-Centric

Entering college or university symbolizes reaching the world-centric level. Students are exposed to global issues and diverse viewpoints. Likewise, individuals at the world-centric stage care for all people regardless of their background.

The Doctorate of the Soul: Super-Integral and Kosmocentric

Attaining a PhD represents years of dedication and specialized knowledge. In Integral Theory, this is like reaching the super-Integral, 3rd tier level, where consciousness transcends to a Kosmocentric viewpoint. It’s the epitome of understanding and embracing the interconnectedness of all life.

Effort and Choice:

Just as continuing education past high school requires effort, progressing through levels of consciousness isn’t automatic. It requires introspection, learning, and personal growth. Individuals must choose to pursue higher states of being.

Conclusion:

Understanding Integral Theory through the lens of education offers a relatable roadmap for psychological development. Just as the pursuit of a PhD requires effort and dedication, advancing through stages of consciousness demands intentional personal growth.

Morgan O. Smith

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