The Daily Evolver

Today many pioneers of consciousness are experimenting with new ways for people to form more powerful, fulfilling relationships with each other. Some are focused on mutual spiritual growth while others are more interested in practices and processes that help people in workgroups be more effective together. Today’s guest, Llyod Fickett, is dedicated to the latter. Through his company, The Collaborative Way, he has developed, in his words, “an intentional way of working together that harnesses the collective intelligence, imagination and spirit of a company’s workforce.” The five-point method is simple: 1) be for each other, 2) listen generously, 3) speak straight, 4) honor commitments and 5) acknowledge and appreciate each other. But Lloyd, a long time student of integral theory, has elevated them to what I consider a second-tier level. In this conversation, he shares his insights from over three decades of work in organizational development, and how his methods can be applied to create healthy, fruitful relat

Dr. Keith talks to Jeff Salzman about Integral Life’s recent “Tap Your Power” event in Denver, CO, which featured exquisite teachings from himself, Ginny Whitelaw, Beena Sharma, and Ken Wilber on the many facets of power in today’s world — interior and exterior, individual and collective, all the way up and down the spiral of human development.

Today I’m sharing my I my guest appearance on Radio Evolve, a German podcast hosted by Tom Steininger. We talked world politics, and focused on neoauthoritarian movements that are challenging the neoliberal systems that have been in place for decades. Are they entirely regressive? Or are they also doing the work of progressive emergence? Join Tom and me as we try to sort it out.

Today we take a look at a significant new installation in the American cultural landscape: The National Memorial for Peace and Justice, which opened in Montgomery, Alabama on April 23. The museum memorializes the legacy of America’s Jim Crow era, where black people were systematically oppressed and often terrorized, most tragically in over 4400 public lynchings. Our guide is Curtis Mitchelson, a Daily Evolver listener who suggested I look into the Memorial, the creation of which he has supported as part of his decades of work for social justice. Curtis attended last month’s opening ceremonies, and offered a first-hand account so vivid and integrally-informed that I invited him on the show to share it with you.

It seems that last week, during my “staycation,” I wandered my way into a five-day food fast. What started as a low-commitment experiment on Monday morning ended on Saturday with me in appreciation of some surprising and powerful results. I was inspired by friends and motivated by a book they recommended, The Complete Guide to Fasting, by John Fung, MD. The book focuses on the physiological benefits of fasting; it turns out our evolutionary history of often involuntary fasting means we’re built for it. But I was most amazed by the psychological and ”subtle body” effects I experienced. My hunger, which throughout my life has often been gripping in ways I can’t (or don’t) control, is for now relaxed. A week past the fast I still feel in a place of choice with food. The ten pounds of belly fat I lost is still gone, and I feel better all around. I’m on an extended state experience, no doubt, and state experiences are temporary. But when practiced and made conscious states create traits. So in fasting I feel that

In this episode integral philosopher Steve McIntosh takes us on a tour through the origins of integral theory, starting with Georg Friedrich Hegel, who first explained the mechanisms of evolution in human history, and on through a stream of philosophers who unified the evolution of matter, consciousness and spirit. He also considers a line of developmental psychologists, such as Jean Piaget and Clare Graves, who defined the distinct stages of human growth including the emerging integral stage. Bringing us to the present, Steve appreciates and critiques leading contemporary integral philosopher Ken Wilber, whose AQAL Model is the touchstone of current integral thought. He concludes by sharing what he considers to be his own contributions to integral theory, as well as ideas from other new thinkers who are adding to the canon. Understanding the history of integral thought helps us to situate ourselves in a lineage of philosophy that has itself evolved – and continues to with our participation. Steve McInt

It is an ironclad principle of human development: you can’t skip stages. Each stage of development builds upon the gains of the previous stages, and if the previous stages are not well installed things don’t work right. Unstable and uneven growth is a feature of today’s world, where four or five stages of development are online competing for dominance. In some places we see people with traditional identities trying to function in modern economies while watching their children be enticed by a globalized, postmodern culture. We may see in ourselves that we do not have some traditional qualities, such as self-discipline, well installed. Or maybe we are weak on modern qualities such as ambition. Environmental factors may be that we were raised in a chaotic, pre-traditional environment, or by postmodern parents who were themselves polarized against earlier value sets. Many forms of bypassing can occur in individuals and cultures today. That’s why integral practice includes a form of reclamation, where we identify

In this episode Jeff takes a look at three towering examples of postmodern art, and how they can aesthetically “move us” forward. Cirque de Soleil – a thrilling display of surface without depth The Seinfeld TV Show – a show not “about nothing”, just nothing meaningful The Saatchi Gallery in London — fine art that dares us to say it’s not fine art One is pretty, one is aggressively ugly and one doesn’t care one way or the other. But all are beautiful in the way they move the aesthetic line of development forward by liberating us from ideas of what art should be or do. Featuring a couple dozen images, this episode is best watched as a video.

In this episode of The Shrink and Pundit, Dr Keith Witt talks with Jeff about how to better support children’s development. Dr. Keith argues that the healthy expression of a person’s type (their preferences, gifts and built-in challenges) is based largely on their early relationships. The earlier in development we go, the more impactful the biological and social factors are in determining a child’s personality and typology. Before conception and during gestation, variables in parents will determine who their babies will become. Birth and bonding in the first year have huge impacts with multiple critical periods. This continues throughout childhood, with typological variables forming, being interactively reinforced, and then self-amplifying in personality development. Abuse and neglect are catastrophic to the developing child, increasing the odds of every form of psychological, relational, and physical problem. The less trauma we absorb the healthier the expression of our natural type. We can all get inv

Today Jeff is the guest for another in a series of “Integral Chats” with Stephen T Harper, creator of the What’s Your Theory podcast. In this conversation, Steve and Jeff discuss the enduring values of postmodernity (the green altitude of development). Postmodern thought gained traction after World War II and achieved fruition in the 1960’s, as a counter-culture arose to challenge the grand narratives of the previous stages of history, including the religiosity of traditionalism (amber altitude) and the rationality of modernity (orange altitude). Postmodernity called for a sensitivity to the plight of those who had been left out of the march of history thus far, and gave rise to the great movements of civil rights, feminism, gay rights, animal rights and environmentalism. The postmodern altitude of development is widely criticized for its excesses and political correctness (every stage has them), but as developmental theorist Clare Graves said, it also provides the values that “make us worthy” for the momento

Today Jeff talks with Stephanie Lepp, creator of one of his favorite new podcasts, Reckonings, which explores the evolutionarily-charged question: “how do we change our hearts and minds?” Stephanie’s guests are people who have shifted their political worldviews, overcome bigotry, and make other kinds of transformative change. In every case these folks have come to some sort of reckoning, a stuck point which required an expanded worldview and change of position. This fulcrum of change is where Stephanie focuses, creating powerful vignettes of evolution-in-action in the lives of people with extraordinary stories. In this conversation with Jeff, Stephanie shares her inspiration, as well as highlights from a few of her favorite episodes.

Today Jeff is joined by his dear friend and colleague Diane Musho Hamilton for a fascinating conversation about the changing nature of spiritual practice. Together they look at what is emerging in terms of: 1st person practices: how spiritual and psychological methods have integrated to boost the power of both 2nd person practices: the creation of a committed sanga that can move beyond pseudo-community to authentic connection and mutual awakening 3rd person practices: the forms of heirarchy and tradition that carry forward the power of lineage, yet must be translated for contemporary practitioners who are self-responsible instead of submissive Interested? You can join Diane and an international sanga of practitioners for a 10-week inquiry into this important topic, in “The Future of Zen Practice: Exploring the Encounter of Tradition and Innovation”, presented via the Zoom video platform. Diane Musho Hamilton is a leading integral teacher and also a Zen Sensei whose sanga, Two Arrows Zen, operates out of a urb

“Looking to Future Generations, there is no cause to fear that the social instincts will grow weaker, and we may expect that virtuous habits will grow stronger. In this case the struggle between our higher and lower impulses will be less severe and virtue will be triumphant.” — Charles Darwin Today Jeff talks with Dr. David Loye about his new book, Rediscovering Darwin: The Rest of Darwin’s Theory and Why We Need It Today. In his book David reveals a set of fundamental teachings clearly presented by Charles Darwin, but which have been virtually ignored by his followers for over 100 years. In short Darwin identified two drivers of evolution: competition (“survival of the fittest“), but also and equally what he unabashedly called love, and which he elucidated in terms of compassion, moral sense, appreciation of beauty and even spirit. Scientists built the evolutionary edifice exclusively on the first half of Darwin’s teachings, creating what David calls “the hole in the modern mind” and providing justific

“Logic is the beginning of wisdom, not the end.”Mr. Spock, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country Today Jeff is joined by fellow integral nerds Cindy Wigglesworth and Corey deVos in this warmhearted appreciation of the venerable Star Trek franchise, one of the oldest and most robust pop culture franchises in existence. Spanning more than 50 years, 741 episodes across six different series (The Original Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space 9, Voyager, Enterprise, and now Discovery), and 14 feature films, the lore and philosophy of Star Trek runs incredibly deep, making it incredibly ripe for an integral voyage into its most significant themes and messages. At its heart, Star Trek is a show about our own evolving morality. The very best episodes across its numerous series are often about how to make the most difficult ethical choices when no easy solutions can be found. But the ethics of Star Trek are not mere dogmatic values floating in some idealistic interstellar vacuum — these values are enacted and renew

Today Jeff is joined by Dr. Warren Farrell, who has co-authored (with John Gray) a new book, The Boy Crisis: Why Our Boys Are Struggling and What We Can Do About It. The book illustrates how boys are falling behind girls in crucial metrics of well-being: in academics (61% of college degrees will go to females by 2020), in mental and physical health (boys commit suicide at six times the rate of girls), in behavioral problems, career prospects, even life expectancy. Warren brings an integral sensibility to the situation by advocating a path forward that expands options for boys to find purpose and meaning, much as girls are able to do as a result of the feminist revolution. He also emphases the role of fathers and postive male role models for boys. As Gail Sheehy, author of Passages, writes of The Boy Crisis:  “As an activist in the women’s movement, I’m proud of expanding life choices for our daughters. But no one did the same for our sons—until now.” Warren will help you think differently about the issues of

Today Jeff talks with Scott Ford, author of Integral Consciousness in Sport: Unifying Body, Mind and Spirit Through Flow. Scott, an elite tennis coach for decades, is at the leading edge of thinking and practices for enhancing athletic performance. He has mapped out a five-stage developmental sequence of athletic performance, the first three of which are familiar: Learn the rules, tools and techniques Strategies and tactic for winning Mental/emotional training for self-excellence Stage 3, online for less than 50 years, is where many elite athletes function today. But it is at stage 4 and 5 that things get more interesting. At these higher stages we are working with flow or the zone, that elusive state where the player and the game merge. This “subject / object collapse” is what Scott calls “flowing presence” and is the gateway not just to greater performance, but to a profound enjoyment and fulfillment in the act itself. Scott is also a founding member of the Sports, Energy and Consciousness Group, a collecti

Today Jeff visits with integralist Tom Curren, who has launched a new non-profit initiative with the goal to Change the Rules of the American political system. Tom has identified four structural problems in American politics that exacerbate the electorate’s most tribal impulses: How the election system sorts for a “lesser of two evils” choice Why the most extreme ideologues have disproportionate power The big money machine that is successfully enriching its clients Barriers to large scale citizen participation Our political system seems to be carved in constitutional stone, but actually many of its most dysfunctional rules are not in the constitution, and have been built up to support the business of politics. Listen as Tom explains a series of non-flashy, non-partisan strategies (ballot initiatives, legal challenges and legislative pressures) that are already proving to drain the swamps in states and municipalities across the nation.. While The Daily Evolver usually focuses on integrating the polarities aris

Today Jeff and Corey take a close look at an fascinating new article by Valerie Tarico, published on Alternet with the title “Here’s Why Some Progressives Are Tearing Each Other Apart”. In the article Tarico argues that today’s political left is largely split into two major conflicting factions, each of whom are operating with two very different narratives around social progress. The first of these narratives she calls The Social Liberal Story, which proclaims universal values and seeks to expand the circle of people who benefit from them. Tarico contrasts this narrative against that of the The Structural Oppression Story, which views history as the continuing struggle of certain groups being oppressed by certain others — and if you aren’t being oppressed, it can only mean that you are one of the oppressors, whether you are conscious of perpetuating oppression or not. Both of these narratives are alive and well among liberals — and predictably, we integralists believe both contain true-but-partial wisdom that

Today Jeff’s guest is Bence Ganti, the creator of the 3rd Integral European Conference, which will commence on May 22nd at the Azur Resort at Lake Balaton in Hungary. This third biennial conference will be the biggest and most comprehensive yet, with over 600 participants from 50 countries. Titled Allies of Evolution, the conference will offer 250 programs on a wide range of integral issues, from contemporary politics to organizational development to art, culture and spirituality, in a mix of academic presentations and experiential processes. It features an optional pre-conference certification course with Dr. Susanne Cook-Greuter, and a Spiral Dynamics Level II Workshop, as well as a post-conference 3-day sightseeing tour by bus. Plus lots of fun, community, music, dance and an open-air goulash bonfire dinner and dance in the beautiful Hungarian countryside. You can find out more about the Integral European Conference here …

The Integral stage of human development reveals a thrilling new view of reality. It starts at the Teal altitude where we are able to see and map the movement of evolution in history and in our own lives. We develop the ability to hold paradox and appreciate the beauty of all previous stages who have been so long at war. It matures into the Turquoise altitude, where we experience a more unified kosmos, one that is animated with a loving intelligence which each of us, in our own way, is both expressing and creating. Our thanks to those of you who have written and sent voicemails to share your adventures in integral emergence. In today’s episode Jeff uses your reflections to chart some of the landmarks of the new integral territory, as well as characteristics of the pioneers who seek to inhabit it.