Healing Thinking and
Being
(Book manuscript by Rolf Sattler)
Chapter
7
AQAL Map by Ken Wilber Integrates the Unnamable and
Namable
“ “An
integral vision” – or a genuine Theory of Everything –
attempts to include matter, body, mind, soul, and spirit as
they appear in self, culture, and nature” (Ken Wilber)
In Chapter 4, I pointed out how healing thinking in terms of
non-identity can point beyond thinking, from the thinking
mind to no-mind, the unnamable and silence. After an
interlude on the potentialities of language in Chapter 5,
Chapter 6 delves into the unnamable. Since Being comprises
both the unnamable and the namable, in this chapter, I use
the AQAL map by Ken Wilber to discuss the relation of the
unnamable and all the levels and dimensions of the namable
and implications for healing.
The AQAL Map
To better understand the relation between the unnamable and
the namable and the relation between different aspects of the
namable it is useful to have a map. Ken Wilber devised such a
map, called AQAL, which comprises four major dimensions and a
number of levels of reality (see below). This map is well
suited to show how the level of the thinking mind is related
to other levels and how healing thinking is related to and
affects healing at other levels and dimensions. Thus, let us
first have a closer look at the AQAL map and then examine
healing thinking in a wider context, which includes the body
and emotions.
The AQAL
map provides a comprehensive, integral view of reality. Often
we see only one aspect, only one dimension of reality. But
reality is multidimensional. Unless we become aware of at
least the major dimensions, we lead impoverished lives – we
are one-dimensional men and women. For many this one
dimension is science; for others it is art or culture. Even
if more than one dimension is recognized, a balance between
the dimensions is often lacking. For example, although art
and culture may be acknowledged, the overwhelming emphasis
may be on science. Not only individuals but also whole
societies suffer from such imbalance. Thus, western and
westernized societies place enormous emphasis on science and
technology at the expense of art and culture: trillions of
dollars are spent for science and technology, whereas art and
culture receive very little or nothing.
Wilber attaches great importance to a balance between
different dimensions of reality. In his AQAL map everything –
every entity or event – has three or four dimensions. The
three dimensions are self, culture, and nature; or art,
morals, and science; or the Beautiful, the Good, and the
True.
The self is the subjective dimension of reality: what we
experience inside ourselves: our feelings, emotions,
thoughts, visions, and so on. Art and the Beautiful may arise
out of such subjective experience.
Science is the objective view of reality, of nature,
including us as part of nature. According to Wilber, it may
provide objective truth (but note that this objective truth
is only tentative because nothing can be absolutely proven in
science; and also note that objective truth is only one
aspect of Truth, hence not Truth).
Culture is the background for both subjective and objective
experience and truth.
These dimensions are not separate: they are different aspects
of any one phenomenon just as the two sides of a coin are two
aspects of the same thing. Consequently, Wilber’s map is an
integral map based on an integral vision.
There are different levels in each dimension. In the most
elaborate version of his map, he distinguishes 16 or 17
levels, in the simplest version only three: body, mind, and
spirit (for the self); me, us, and all of us (for culture);
and gross, subtle, and very subtle (for nature).
In most versions of his map, Wilber distinguished a fourth
dimension, in which the three levels are group, nation, and
global. Since four dimensions can be represented as four
quadrants of a circle, Wilber called his map AQAL, which is
shorthand for “All Quadrants, All
Levels.” This
means that for an integral vision of reality all quadrants
and all levels have to be recognized and included.
Furthermore, as I shall explain below, AQAL also includes
streams (or lines), states, and types.
The two left quadrants are inside views, whereas the two
right quadrants are outside views. The upper quadrants are
individual views, whereas the lower quadrants are collective
views. Hence, the four quadrants represent “the inside and
outside of the individual and the collective”(Ken Wilber.
2007. The
Integral Vision. Boston:
Shambhala, p.70). In his most detailed version of AQAL each
quadrant is subdivided into two zones (Ken Wilber.
2006. Integral
Spirituality. Boston:
Integral Books, an imprint of Shambhala).
If more than three levels are distinguished, some of these
levels are as follows: in the upper left quadrant (that
represents the interior of the self), sensation, perception,
impulse, emotion, symbols, concepts, rules, formal reasoning,
vision-logic; in the lower left quadrant (that represents the
interior of culture), archaic (corresponding to symbols),
magic (corresponding to concepts), mythic (corresponding to
rules), rational (corresponding to formal reasoning),
centauric (corresponding to vision-logic); in the lower right
quadrant (that represents the exterior view of the
collective), tribes (corresponding to archaic), tribal
village (corresponding to magic), early state/empire
(corresponding to mythic), nation/state (corresponding to
rational), planetary (corresponding to centauric); finally,
in the upper right quadrant (that represents the exterior
view of the individuals of nature), the gross level can be
subdivided into atoms, molecules, cells, organisms. Beyond
the uppermost levels, that is, vision-logic in the upper left
quadrant and its corresponding levels in the other quadrants,
are three or four transpersonal levels. Wilber also presented
other conceptualizations of the levels (stages), especially
with regard to human development (compare
figures 6 and 7 in Ken Wilber. 2007. The Integral Vision.
Boston: Shambhala, pp. 71-72).
The levels up to and including the rational and its
correlates in the other quadrants are called first tier.
Vision-logic (the centaur) and its correlates is second tier.
And the transpersonal levels beyond vision-logic are third
tier. Often a pluralistic and relativist level is
interpolated between the rational level and vision-logic.
This level still belongs to first tier. It represents
postmodern values, whereas the rational level is
characterized by modern values, and the mythic level by
traditional values. Since representatives of each of these
levels claim to have the right values and thus reject the
values of the other levels, we have had and continue to have
bitter culture wars between the adherents of these first tier
levels. These culture wars can degenerate into actual
conflicts and wars between nations that defend traditional or
modern values. Furthermore, there are tribal conflicts and
wars at lower first tier levels.
The evolution to second tier consciousness is an enormous
step forward because this level is all-inclusive and thus
goes beyond the mutual antagonism of the first tier levels.
Finally, in the third tier, consciousness opens up to the
infinity of the Kosmos.
Although AQAL may sound somewhat abstract to the novice, its
major components are easily available to our present
awareness. The three major dimensions are even a reflection
of the pronouns of many languages. The pronoun “I” (that is,
1st
person
perspective) refers to the self, the subject. The pronoun
“you” (that is, 2nd
person
perspective), in the singular, refers to another person, and,
in the plural, to many others that constitute the “we” of
culture. Finally, the pronoun “it” (3rd
person
perspective) refers to an object, “its” and “they” to many
objects, that is, the objects of scientific investigation.
Thus, there is a relation between the pronouns and art,
morals, and science, or beauty, goodness, and objective
truth: “I” refers to the self and its expression in art and
beauty. “You/we” refers to goodness, “or the ways that we -
that you and I – treat each other, and whether we do so with
decency, honesty, and respect” (Ken Wilber. 2007.
The
Integral Vision, p. 67).
Finally, “it/its” refer to the objective truth of science (I
would prefer to call it objective evidence). Every event in
the universe has these three dimensions: we can look at it in
terms of “I” (how I personally experience the event), “we”
(how it is perceived in a culture), and “it/its” (how it is
seen objectively). There is a break, if we leave out one or
two of these dimensions. And this break needs healing, which
can occur through the awareness of AQAL and its practice in
our lives and society (see below).
Why a Map?
One might
ask: Why do we need a map? The function of a map is to guide
us. If a territory is not represented on a map, this map
fails to guide us to this territory, and we may remain
unaware of this territory. For example, if Florence in Italy
is not represented on a map, this map cannot help us to find
Florence, and thus we may remain unaware of the existence of
this beautiful city. Similarly, if certain dimensions and
levels of reality are not represented on a map, this map
cannot lead us toward these dimensions and levels, and we may
remain unaware of them. For example, if, as it is often the
case, a scientific map of nature represents only its gross
level, that is, matter, as it is usually understood in our
culture, then the subtle and very subtle levels of matter
cannot be seen and are excluded. If, in addition, objective
scientific knowledge is considered the only valid knowledge,
then we exclude also the other three dimensions and their
levels. This means that out of four dimensions with three
levels each, that is, twelve levels, only one level in one
dimension is recognized, which is less than 10%. What an
impoverished view! And what is even worse is the illusion
that this impoverished view presents the total picture!
Wilber refers to quadrant and level absolutism. When others
consider another dimension or level as the absolute, then the
stage is set for conflict and war.
Now let us look at a human being as one concrete example to
illustrate this situation. According to many materialist
scientists, a human being is simply a part of physical
reality. All of the following is ignored: 1. Besides its
gross material form, the human being is a subtle and very
subtle energy field that allows for telepathic and other
subtle phenomena. 2. The human being is not only an object
that can be investigated objectively, but has also different
levels of subjective experience, including body sensations,
emotions, thoughts, visions, and transpersonal meditative
experiences. 3. A human being is in relationship with other
human beings and the environment at different levels of
cultural and social expression, that is, culture and society
form the context in which humans experience themselves
subjectively and objectively. Thus, for example, the
materialistic view of humans is conditioned by a
materialistic culture and society.
Academic philosophy, academia, and large segments of
mainstream Western society are mainly restricted to the
rational level, which excludes vast areas of Wilber’s map and
reality. This narrowness is perpetuated in education. Only in
the alternative culture do we find a broader spectrum, but
even there the full spectrum of the AQAL map is often
missing.
Beyond Dualism
The AQAL
map has many other merits besides drawing attention to many
dimensions and levels of reality – reality, which includes
the whole Kosmos and human existence. (Wilber spells Kosmos
with a capital K to distinguish it from the cosmos of most
astronomers to whom it is only gross matter – the lowest
level of the objective dimension). One merit is that it leads
us beyond dualism and its oppressive consequences. I explain
this with regard to the dimension of the self. Here we find
body, mind, and spirit (in the simplest version of the AQAL
map). In dualistic philosophies and religions, spirit is
opposed to the body. Spirit is pure, and the body is sinful.
Therefore, the aim is to go against the body that is opposed
to spirit.
In contrast, in the AQAL map, the higher levels include and
transcend the lower levels. Thus, spirit includes and
transcends body and mind. Furthermore, spirit is the ground
of all levels and therefore body and mind are also spiritual.
What is spiritual is sacred. Consequently, our mind and body
and all of nature are sacred. Native peoples have known this
for a long time and therefore have treated nature with
respect and reverence. However, in dualistic philosophies and
religions, nature has been seen as devoid of spirit, which
explains why it has been so badly misused and exploited.
Sacred
Sex
If,
according to dualism, our bodies are devoid of spirit, then
sex is simply a bodily, materialistic act that is pleasurable
and serves the preservation of the species. If, however, the
body is also an expression of spirit and thus sacred, then
sex is also sacred. More precisely, sex becomes sacred to the
extent to which there is awareness of the sacredness of the
body. If the body is just considered a material mechanism
devoid of spirit, the sacredness of sex cannot be
appreciated.
It is well known how much sex has been degraded in dualistic
interpretations of religions such as Christianity.
Consequently, it would be blasphemy to have sex in a
Christian church. In contrast, there are Hindu temples in
which sculptures of the lingam (male organ) and yoni (female
organ) and even various postures of sexual intercourse figure
prominently. There are even tantric temples in which sexual
intercourse is practiced as a means to liberation and
enlightenment. However, it would be naïve to assume that all
one has to do there is to take off one’s clothes and
copulate. Tantric sex requires a radical transformation of
the materialistic mind-set into the awareness and practice of
sacred union.
In that union healing can occur that, of course, transcends
the thinking mind without excluding it.
Yin-Yang, Male-Female
The AQAL
map not only offers vertical integration through the various
levels from body to spirit, but also horizontal integration
within each level. At each level types can be distinguished
such as male and female, which can be seen as an expression
of Yang and Yin. Since, like Yang and Yin, the male also
contains the feminine principle and vice versa, there is a
connection between male and female. This connection becomes
increasingly integrated as one moves from lower to higher
levels.
Conflicts between men and women that are due to gender
differences can be healed through this increasing integration
and the awareness of the connection between the male and
female poles.
In addition to male and female, there are many other types
such as the types of the enneagram that can play a role in
the AQAL map.
Stages and States
Now let us
return to the vertical direction. The AQAL map is
evolutionary and developmental, that is, it refers to the
evolution of the Kosmos and the development of organisms.
With regard to humans, the levels are stages in their
development. Once a stage is attained, it is permanent,
according to Wilber. In contrast, states are temporary. When
a high state is reached, it will disappear again. However, as
it develops into a stage, it will be retained and healing
occurs.
Let me illustrate this through transpersonal states and
stages of the self, that is, in the upper left quadrant.
Wilber distinguishes three or four transpersonal levels
beyond vision-logic. If any one is reached temporarily, it is
a state, but if it becomes permanent, it is a stage. For
example, the level just above vision-logic is nature
mysticism, which is the experience of oneness with nature. We
may have such an experience spontaneously while watching a
sunset, or we may attain it after prolonged meditation. If we
cannot retain it permanently, it was just a state. But as
such experiences become more and more common, they may
eventually develop into a higher stage that can be
permanently retained.
Healing in the Transpersonal
In
transpersonal realms we become aware that we are connected
with our environment or the whole Kosmos.
This awareness heals the wound of isolation and alienation
that is so deep-seated in our culture, which
emphasizes separation and fragmentation. Being aware of the
oneness with the Kosmos finally brings us home. At first we
probably will reach this home only temporarily and then lose
it again. But once we have had at least a glimpse of it, we
want to return. And the more often we return and the longer
we can stay there (“there” is not the right word because
“there” is neither here nor there), the closer we will come
to making it our permanent home, which will further our
healing. But there are nonetheless complexities and
challenges that Wilber explains through the integral
psychograph.
The Integral Psychograph
Human
development is complex and challenging because it is not just
one stream of development that passes from the lowest to the
highest level. On the contrary, we can distinguish many
streams (also called lines) that traverse the levels in the
developmental hierarchy (or holarchy as Wilber prefers to
call it). These streams are not necessarily correlated, which
means that one can be at different levels in the different
streams. In the extreme one could even be at the highest
level in one stream and at the lowest level in another
stream.
Over a dozen streams have been distinguished, some of which
are the following:
the cognitive stream (that is awareness of what is)
the moral stream
the emotional stream
the interpersonal stream
the psychosexual stream
the values stream
the spiritual stream ( here spirit is not seen as the highest
level or the ground of all being, but as a stream that
unfolds through the levels of the hierarchy; needless to say
that at the lowest level this is only the most rudimentary
spirituality).
The psychograph of particular persons shows all of the
streams and their degree of development, thus indicating
which levels they have reached in the developmental
hierarchy. Although the streams develop relatively
independently, there is also some connection: through
cross-training, development in one stream can have a
beneficial effect on advancement in another stream. For
example, according to Wilber, one’s spiritual development can
be reinforced through bodily exercise such as weightlifting.
However, since the different streams need not develop at the
same rate,
healing in one stream does not necessarily have a major
effect on healing in another stream. For
example, someone may be at the highest level in the cognitive
stream and thus be healed cognitively, but may retain
emotional and physical wounds because of retarded growth in
the emotional and physical streams. In the extreme someone
may be enlightened and still at relatively low levels in
moral, psychosexual, and other streams. Someone may be
enlightened and suffer from cancer or other illnesses because
the physical stream, the health of the body, has not reached
the highest level.
Although for any particular person it may be difficult or
impossible to progress to the highest level in all or even
the majority of streams, the AQAL map and the integral
psychograph are important and helpful in this respect because
they create more awareness of our strengths and weaknesses in
various dimensions and streams. Thus, if one recognizes that
one is weak in the moral stream, one would – hopefully! - not
want to become a teacher of morality, but one would want to
further develop this deficient stream. This brings us to
Integral Life Practice (ILP), which is the practical
application of the AQAL map for personal growth,
transformation and healing.
Integral Life Practice
The purpose of Integral Life Practice (ILP) is to develop a
balanced integral life that cultivates and heals body, mind,
and spirit in self, nature, and culture, or, in other words,
to embrace all the four quadrants, all levels, all states,
all streams, and all types. To
facilitate this ambitious endeavor, Wilber’s Integral
Institute developed an Integral Life Practice Starter Kit
that includes three workbooks, one reference poster, two CDs
and five DVDs on a variety of modules. The core modules
(representing the upper two quadrants) deal with the body,
the shadow (emotions), mind, and spirit. Auxiliary modules
(representing especially the lower quadrants) deal with
ethics, relationships, sex, emotions, and work.
The body module (called 3-Body Workout) includes exercises
for the gross, subtle and very subtle body. There are, of
course, many other techniques available for bodywork such as
Hatha Yoga, Qigong and Taiji for the gross and subtle body,
and aerobics and diet mainly for the gross body.
The mind module is the Integral AQAL Framework that I
described above. There are, of course, other ways to train
the mind, but training through an integral model such as AQAL
is especially comprehensive and balanced.
The spirit modules include various spiritual practices. I
want to draw special attention to the Big Mind Process,
developed by Zen Master Genpo Roshi. This process integrates
Zen training with voice dialogue, a Western therapeutic
technique. Dualistic voices (aspects) of the ego that live
within us - such as the protector, the controller, the
victim, fear, desire, and the seeking mind – are not
suppressed but fully engaged to explore their function in
life before moving beyond them and the ego to the
transcendent nondual voices of the Way, Big Mind, Big Heart,
and the Integrated Free-Functioning Human Being, which
includes both transcendent and dualistic voices.
The shadow module (called 3-2-1 Process) is one of the most
important modules. If we do not do the work of this module,
all the other modules can get sabotaged. The shadow that we
want to clear up through this module is deeply rooted in the
unconscious. It is emotions that have been buried,
dissociated, and are often projected unto others. The purpose
of shadow work is to uncover and befriend these repressed
emotions and thereby remove the painful physical and
emotional symptoms of the shadow. There are many forms of
shadow therapy. The 3-2-1 Process of Integral Life Practice
is a powerful tool for working with difficult emotions. It
comprises the following three steps: 1. Facing the shadow as
an it, in 3rd
person, 2.
Dialoguing with it as a 2nd
person,
and 3. Being it as 1st
person,
and integrating it into Big Mind. In short: Face, Talk, Be.
This process can be carried out whenever we encounter a
strong negative or positive emotional charge. For example,
after a disturbing dream or real life experience in which a
man became very violent, we can first hold that man in our
mind, then dialogue or resonate with him, then be that man by
taking his perspective, and finally integrate his perspective
into a larger me, into Big Mind.
According to Wilber, most forms of meditation cannot uncover
the shadow. For this reason, even longtime, advanced
meditators may still be haunted by their shadow. Thus, shadow
work is required. In its various forms of psychotherapy, it
complements meditation. According to Wilber, in the pursuit
of personal growth, psychotherapy is the great contribution
of the West, whereas meditation is the great contribution of
the East.
Applications in Society
Wilber’s integral vision as expressed in his AQAL map is not
only relevant to transformation and healing of our personal
lives but also to social and global transformation and
healing. It applies
to all aspects of society and the world such as
environmentalism, law, medicine, art, business, and politics.
Let me take medicine as an example to illustrate the
fundamental importance and relevance of the AQAL map. It
clearly shows the limitations of conventional (mainstream)
medicine and indicates how they can be overcome. Conventional
medicine is situated almost exclusively in the lowest level
of the upper-right quadrant, that is, it tends to treat
patients as material objects. This approach works to some
extent, but fails more or less for many diseases. Thus, the
problem with conventional medicine is not that it is wrong
but that it limited and that this limitation is not
sufficiently acknowledged. Other ways of healing that could
be more helpful to the patient are rejected and often
ridiculed.
There is much evidence that subtle energies, emotions, the
mind and spirit play an important role in sickness and
health. Even illness of the body can be drastically
influenced by these factors. This means that the higher
levels of the upper-right quadrant and the levels of the
other quadrants are of crucial importance for healing. Unless
this is clearly recognized by the medical establishment and
governments, we will not be able to solve the health care
crisis that is becoming increasingly threatening to many sick
people who cannot get appropriate medical care.
The lower-left quadrant that deals with the “you” and “we”,
that is, community and culture, is of great importance. A
patient can feel much better if the doctor, family, friends,
and the community treat him or her lovingly. Furthermore, the
perception of a disease such as AIDS in the community and
culture also plays a role in the healing process.
The lower-right quadrant deals with the social dimension,
which is also crucial for healing. We need social
institutions, health care policies, insurance, and a healthy
economy to facilitate the health care that is offered in the
other three quadrants. Furthermore, a healthier, less
polluted environment would help to prevent many diseases in
the first place.
In all quadrants there are correlates of physical, emotional,
mental, and spiritual levels. They all need to be addressed
for a comprehensive healthcare because all of these levels
play a role in health and sickness. Comprehensive health care
is far more effective than any partial and fragmented
approach. And because it is more effective, it is also more
cost-efficient, and therefore it is highly relevant to the
present healthcare crisis with spiraling costs that are an
increasing burden on the taxpayer.
Unless we have a comprehensive and balanced view, we cannot
provide optimal health care because we risk that important
aspects are ignored to the detriment of suffering
patients.
The AQAL map reminds us of major dimensions and levels of
healthcare.
Conclusions
Wilber’s integral vision as expressed in his AQAL map is of
fundamental importance for the beneficial transformation and
healing of individual lives, society, and the
world. Every
educated person should be familiar with it. Hence, it should
be taught in schools and universities. The AQAL map can
greatly contribute to healing of our thinking because it is
comprehensive and balanced. According to Chinese thinking,
health is balance. If our thinking is more balanced, this is
already a great step toward general health because thinking
is considered so important in Western and westernized
cultures.
Wilber’s
integral approach is also very helpful for healing of the
emotions and the body. As I
pointed out in the Introduction,
both emotions and the body are influenced by the mind. Hence,
healing the mind also helps to heal emotions and body.
Furthermore,
Integral Life Practice includes a module specifically for
healing of the shadow, and another module for the healing of
the body. Fortunately, there is increasing recognition even
in conventional medicine of the importance of physical
exercise. It is, however, not sufficient to train only or
mainly the gross physical body. It is equally important to
train the subtle and very subtle body. The 3-Body Workout
addresses all 3 bodies, that is, all levels of the
upper-right quadrant.
Much disease could be avoided through a regular practice
of
comprehensive
bodywork.
Shadow work helps to deal with difficult emotions. Think of
how much conflict and violence could be avoided if people
practiced shadow work or other therapies. It should also be
taught in schools and universities.
Finally,
many forms of meditation offer the ultimate healing but even
this healing can be sabotaged if we do not deal with our
shadows.
Note:
This
chapter is only a very brief outline of Wilber’s integral
approach. For a more thorough treatment the reader is
referred to his book The
Integral Vision,
his web sites, and
his other books. For Integral Life Practice consult
The
Integral Life Practice Starter Kit (available
from Sounds True,
www.soundstrue.com, Tel.
800-333-9185).
Continue
with the last chapter on
Complementarity
of Maps and Mandalas, or
return to Table of Contents of this book ms on
Healing
Thinking and Being.
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