Today I re-read a book I bought many years ago, Handbook to Higher Consciousness by Ken Keyes. Good book. Finally gave me the answers to a few burning questions of mine. I'd like to share a little of this book for those among you dear MB-ers who might be interested in it.
Mr Keyes works with the 7 stages/centres of evolution of the human race. He didn't "invent" this, merely put it into a workable handbook.
Very much summarized in "Brownharian" lingo here are the first 4 stages.
Stage 1: the need for Safety
Stage 2: the need for Sensations
Stage 3: the need for Power
These are the "lower" stages of evolution. They bring misery to us as the need for Safety, for example, automatically implies that we can be "unsafe". Our job, our home, our marriage, our family, can all provide safety to us but the possibility of losing them can be very scary and make us depressed, defensive.. The need for Sensations (here the A's fit in) implies that we will also try to avoid unpleasant sensations, and be very unhappy when these are "inflicted" on us, or we can get frustrated from a lack of sensations. The need for Power implies the possibility of abuse of power, and the fear of things getting "out of control" or coming into conflict with someone being more powerful (like OP).
In these 3 lower stages fear is prominent. It can lay dormant for a while if "all is well" but when there is a serious threat (loss of job/income, death of beloved one, partner has an A, conflict at work etc etc) we will be confronted with all the fears that we have carried with us from childhood. Also the coping (mostly, non-coping) mechanisms will be activated under "threat". It's the "fight or flee" part of our evolution where the Giver and the Taker play their parts.
In the lower 3 stages we care mostly about OUR safety, OUR "fun", OUR ability to control the world around us. I think most WS can find some reason for having a A in these stages - the need for pleasurable sensations, not just physically, also the need to be "special" and/or "wanted". Or maybe the need to feel in "power" when the "target" is hard to conquer.
When there are conflicting interests we go numb and the world turns grey. Or we go into turmoil. If for example we have learned to control our world by being "nice", the inflated Giver syndrom, and on the other hand we feel really angry and LB big time, that will result in an inner conflict. If we want to be seen as loving persons but the discovery of our A results in the opposite - more drama and inner confict.
In the lower 3 stages the tune is ME-ME-ME. My needs, my wants, my likes, my dislikes. Unfortunately the BS will also find themselves down in these dumps post-A. And if they're honest, many times also pre-A. The M was vulnerable many times because both the BS and the WS were bungee jumping in the lower 3 stages, like most members of the human race, as we are the descendants of "wilder" people that had to fight to survive and didn't have the luxury of safety to evolve to the 4th stage. So we are very busy defending "our" needs or very worried and/or depressed because we aren't getting fulfilled the way we want to.
Making us aware of the 4th stage is what, IMHO, Christ came to earth for. It is the stage of unconditional love, situated in the heart in many religions. The first 3 stages are located "below" the waist and are self-centered. That's not bad, but without the guidance of the 4th center, the first 3 tend to run amok with reason (hence the strange foggy behavior).
I couldn't figure out how this A-thing works, how fog works, until I re-read the definitions of these stages. Now it's crystal clear. The only way out the mess is to evolve. So all the stress and pain really makes us go into the right direction - towards unconditional love. God works in mysterious ways. The hard part for us is letting go of our kicking and screaming ego. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="images/icons/smile.gif" />
<small>[ September 22, 2004, 07:43 AM: Message edited by: brownhair ]</small>
