There is state of being that I call emergence.  It bears much resemblance to terms such as transcendence, flow, heightened awareness, or spiritual awakening.  I refer to a balanced gestalt of all these facets and many more.  Emergence is the upper band of achievable human conscious attainment.

Although the names, methods, creed, and details differ, these terms all attempt to catch an ineffable state of experience in concise language.  It is ineffable is because the experience is very rich, varied, and rare.  There would be no easy words for Blue or Loud if the vast majority of people had never experienced sight or sound.

Now that I’ve extended, contorted, and re-coined a word, I’ll get to the topic at hand.  I have broken the evolution and growth of personal consciousness into five stages.  These include sleeping, awakening, transforming, and emergence.  The last stage, which I can’t help with it, is achieving divine consciousness, enlightenment, and similar states.  See five stages of growth for more on that topic.

Sleeping means you either are not yet aware of these other stages of growth and awareness or you have no personal interest in achieving them.  Either the lights are out or it just doesn’t matter to you.  Without that awareness and interest, on a deep experiential level, no amount of reading, hearing, cajoling, or even growth practices will make much difference.  To achieve more advanced stages of growth, you must first make sure you are not asleep.

To check if you are sleeping, here are some thoughts to ponder:

  • Can I see, sense and feel the impact of society and others on my thoughts?
  • Can I see, sense and feel the effect from choosing mindfulness consistently over time?
  • Can I tell that my thoughts about others are always 1st person thoughts of mine shuffled around?
  • Can I catch myself not truly listening to someone because I have an advance notion or prejudice?  Or, because I’d rather think about what I’ll say next?
  • Most of this is easy to see in others, but can I see it in myself?

These are just a very small sample.  Throughout the site, I refer to programs and techniques for waking up or awakening, both with sessions I’ve posted or through third party products, seminars, etc.  Many high impact experiences or “LGAT” format seminars can trigger the sense of awakening.  Beware that many come with a lingo and creed that often outlasts its usefulness.

Once you’ve firmly woken up, you are on a path of exploration.  As long as you regularly check your progression, on your own terms, and adjust accordingly, you can gradually move through the stages of growth toward emergence.  I have many programs that will help along the way.  While the order matters in general, each person is different.  It is most important to generally apply practices across a spectrum, over a long period of time, to approach or enter the emergent states.

Once your awake and begin your path, you will notice shifts in your thinking, subtle and obvious changes in areas of your life and inner experience, and have begun a tremendously rewarding journey that expands what it means to be a human being.