The Daily Evolver

Bernie Sanders started his campaign to be the Democratic nominee for president back in April, "as a 74-year old rumpled, grumpy, self-described old school democratic socialist," says Jeff. "Today he has included and transcended those qualities to transform himself into a sleek political populist taking on a system that he sees as rigged against the people."<br /> <br /> Jeff puts Bernie's extraordinary rise into a larger evolutionary context that includes culture, politics and economics. He draws on the work of integral economist Said Dawlabani to describe the way value systems of different developmental stages oscillate between a focus on the individual and a focus on the collective. "The polarity is indestructible," says Jeff, "but as the clock moves forward, these values are expressed in newly emerging ways." <br /> <br /> Sanders is an authentic, committed expression of the green, postmodern value system. With its emphasis on the collective, green is a proponent for a strong safety net, highly subsidized or even centralized health care, and education. "It's just generally a move to a social contract that distributes more of the pie to more people," Jeff says. <br /> <br /> Is it our destiny in the U.S. to move toward democratic socialism á la Northern Europe? Should we get behind the true believer and take our chances on Bernie's crusade? Or ought we opt for Hillary Clinton's incremental approach, which she describes as "sensible and achievable"? And how about the perennial Republican model of private enterprise, smaller government and lower taxes? Is there an integral approach that might honor the best of what each of these worldviews has to offer?<br /> <br /> Also in the podcast: A viral video of a wedding in Auckland, New Zealand, where a newlywed husband and wife watch their family members perform the Haka, a dance from the Maori tradition. "This is an example of the power of integrating developmental levels in a healthy way, as a work of creative expression and performance art," says Jeff.<br /> <br /> Plus, Jeff recommends a new series on PBS called "First Peoples", which hits two bullseyes for integralists. First, it unfolds a beautiful narrative of the evolution of early humanity, showing how we arose out of Africa 200,000 years ago to take over the world. Second, it reveals how contemporary scientists are incorporating non-rational ways of knowing, featuring Arturo Gonzales, the celebrated Mexican paleontologist, who discovered Eva de Navarone, the oldest skeleton ever found in the Americas, with the aid of a shaman and a psychedelic drug made from the glands of a Mexican toad. <br /> <br /> Send your questions and comments for the show to [email protected]. Record a voice memo on your smartphone or use the Speakpipe button on dailyevolver.com.

As we see with integral theory, art is often the leading edge of cultural and consciousness evolution, and jazz today continues to lead the way. In this two-part series, "The soul of jazz", Greg takes us through the history of jazz from its roots in the magic, mythic and traditional interiors of African Americans at the turn of the last century, through the modern and postmodern strains of the mid and late 20th Century, to the more wild wooly contemporary scene. He points out the evolutionarily potent and ultimately integral qualities jazz conveys as it confronts enduring human polarities such as the individual vs the group, tragedy vs comedy, competition vs cooperation, and structure vs freedom.<br /> <br /> This is part two of a two-part series. <br /> <br /> Send your questions and comments for the show to [email protected]. Record a voice memo on your smartphone or use the Speakpipe button on DailyEvolver.com.

There is political correctness, it turns out, at every stage of development, from the capitol crime of blasphemy at the traditional/amber stage to the prejudices and microaggressions you may not even know you’ve inflicted at the postmodern/green stage. Jeff shows how they are pushing humanity into new, ever more humane and compassionate territory. Also, Obama’s last State of the Union address.

By Jeff Salzman<br /> <br /> I’ve long enjoyed music critic Greg Thomas's insightful posts on Integral Life, where he write about jazz. <br /> <br /> Not that I like jazz music. Truth is, I've always found jazz to be annoying. I can't tap my foot to it. I can't sing it in the shower. Like a lot of artforms, when we don't understand them, jazz has shown up to me as noise. <br /> <br /> Of course like all good integral practitioners, I want to turn toward the object of my annoyance. I know it's not the fault of jazz that I don’t get it. Millions of people are ecstatic over it, and I want to have what they're having. <br /> <br /> So I was thrilled when Greg came to one of my programs at the Integral Center last summer, and I invited him to stay with me. During downtimes we had some great one-on-ones where Greg did his best to initiate me into the jazz idiom. He explained how jazz expresses American culture. He told stories of various artists and songs. He played some of his favorite pieces and schooled me in what was going on. He turned out to be just the teacher I was looking for, and I began to get the beat. <br /> <br /> Greg's mastery is obvious, and he is indeed one of the nation's leading experts on jazz. For several years Greg was a jazz columnist for the New York Daily News. He's a consultant with the National Jazz Museum in Harlem and with Jazz at Lincoln Center, the largest organization in the world dedicated to the preservation and perpetuation of jazz. <br /> <br /> As we see with integral theory, art is often the leading edge of cultural and consciousness evolution, and jazz today continues to lead the way.<br /> <br /> In this two-part series on the soul of jazz, Greg takes us through the history of jazz from its roots in the magic, mythic and traditional interiors of African Americans at the turn of the last century, through the modern and postmodern strains of the mid and late 20th Century, to the more wild wooly contemporary scene. He points out the evolutionarily potent and ultimately integral qualities jazz conveys as it confronts enduring human polarities such as the individual vs the group, tragedy vs comedy, competition vs cooperation, and structure vs freedom.<br /> <br /> This is part one of our conversation...<br /> <br /> Send your questions and comments for the show to [email protected]. Record a voice memo on your smartphone or use the Speakpipe button on DailyEvolver.com.

One of the blessings of an integral consciousness is the ability to embrace the gifts of earlier stages of development. In this short holiday message, Jeff encourages us to practice being enchanted, once again, by the beauty and goodness of the world.

The popular picture of the midlife crisis is the man in his 40's or 50's who's lost his job, his wife or his health. He's dyed his hair, bought a Porsche and is dating a much younger woman. We feel sorry for him, maybe in the same way we would feel sorry for an active alcoholic, a mentally ill person or anyone who is out of touch with reality. <br /> <br /> Losing your job or your partner, having major health issues or just the general feeling of existential ennui can be terrible and even traumatic, but they are not necessarily unique to midlife. The midlife crisis has a flavor all its own. It kicks in with the realization that you’ve crossed the halfway point of your life and are on the downward slope. To make it worse, you may discover that the things most important to you -- your relationships, your career, your purpose in life -- have begun fraying around the edges if you haven’t put in the effort to sustain them.<br /> <br /> We negotiate one transformation after another during our lifetimes, beginning with birth and extending into old age. How we learn to handle them is what shapes us as people and fashions our fate. "The difference between a crisis that makes us stronger or one that makes us weaker and diminishes us is how we resolve it," says Dr. Keith. <br /> <br /> In the podcast, Jeff and Dr. Keith discuss: <br /> <br /> -The history of the midlife crisis, from Freud and Jung to our current integral understanding that takes into account adult development<br /> <br /> -The feeling of loneliness and separation that can characterize this time for people, and how healing it will need to be accomplished in relationship <br /> <br /> -The resolution of the crisis at a mature age is likely not quantitative (doing more of this or less of that) but instead will require a qualitative shift, a shift in consciousness<br /> <br /> -How to get the support you need to cultivate resilience and find out how you can be of better service to the world <br /> <br /> Send your questions and comments for the show to [email protected]. Record a voice memo on your smartphone or use the Speakpipe button on DailyEvolver.com.<br />

In a world in which there are no mess-free options, says Jeff, "I'm so happy to have an evolutionary view" when trying to make sense of things like the killings in San Bernardino, the first terror attack on American soil with the fingerprints of ISIS. <br /> <br /> While it's objectively true that violent deaths in the U.S. (and the world) are declining steadily, public shootings have become horrifyingly common here (26 mass shootings just during Obama's two terms in office). These create a special kind of anxiety and terror, one that we are evolutionarily programmed to pay outsized attention to. <br /> <br /> In this podcast Jeff looks at the range of responses that we've seen in the weeks following this most recent attack--responses that tell us a lot about our country, our candidates and ourselves. A predictable (and evolutionary potent) controversy is underway as to what the U.S. role should be in responding to ISIS, and how we should fight back militarily, culturally, even in cyberspace.<br /> <br /> Donald Trump called for a halt to Muslims entering the country, apparently determined to keep anyone from getting to the right of him on issues of national security. He taps a long history of xenophobia when Americans have felt threatened, from the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 to the Japanese internments during WW2, to Operation Wetback in the 1950's. But America was a center-of-gravity traditional (amber altitude) country then; we are a center-of-gravity modern (orange altitude) country now. Those of us in the modern majority look back on these historical acts with regret. But the minority of people who are traditionalists feel little misgiving and believe that tough times call for tough measures. These folks now have an unambiguous, unapologetic, tough-guy champion in Donald Trump, to whom they can hitch their wagon...and ride with him to abject defeat. Which will create more modernists (defeated people usually grow). Isn't cultural evolution wonderful? <br /> <br /> Speaking of which, President Obama has taken a lot of criticism for his nuanced, Jeff argues integral approach to dealing with ISIS. Jeff offers his analysis of Obama’s style.<br /> <br /> The perennial foreign policy question facing integralists is how to help guide premodern cultures into modernity—a crucially important fulcrum, as violence drops dramatically at this developmental milestone. Jeff advocates an approach similar to that of a parent. "I wish I could think of a better analogy than parenting," he says. "It feels like it's condescending. It makes my green alarms go off that one country could presume to be a parent to another. But from an integral perspective, it's literally true." He explains in the podcast. <br /> <br /> Jeff also touches on gun control, the polarity between security and freedom, and how it is we allow ISIS to use the most powerful tool conceived by modernity: the internet.<br /> <br /> Plus, a seasonal message of love and renewal.<br /> <br /> Have a wonderful holiday and we look forward to seeing you when the Daily Evolver live returns January 5th. <br /> <br /> Send your questions and comments for the show to [email protected]. Record a voice memo on your smartphone or use the Speakpipe button on DailyEvolver.com.<br />

The higher divorce rate likely indicates our changing expectations of a primary partnership. We’re living twice as long as we did a hundred years ago, women have more power, and the standard of marriage is a fulfillment standard now more than a stability standard, which is more demanding.

In this conversation on marriage, Dr. Keith shares intimate insights on topics such as what questions to ask as you consider marriage, how to deal with conflict and infidelity, progressive bonding, passion and friendship, and above all, the challenge of supporting each other’s mutual development.

The recent terror attacks in Paris brought to light, once again, the difficulty in reconciling the values of modern, secular societies like France and premodern societies such as those in much of the Arab world. This relationship is complicated by the past sins of the West, from the Crusades all the way up to the wars after 9/11, which, Jeff explains, "took the lid off Iraq, which has put the Muslim world in arrested development and even in a functional regression since". <br /> <br /> It may be tricky to claim the moral high ground when you've been alternately toppling and propping up regimes to further your own ends for decades, but between the attacks on Paris and the stream of refugees into Europe, the West cannot ignore what’s happening. Jeff sorts out the cacophony of voices and gives us some perspective. <br /> <br /> The practice that's available to us is to put ourselves in the shoes of "the other," the hawks and the doves, the refugees and the terrorists. ISIS is not just a pack of psychopaths that want to see the world burn, (dubious consolation though it may be). They have strict beliefs and the'’re recruiting young people who are actually living nihilistic lives in their host countries, where they’re second-class citizens, says Jeff. "There’s no place for them or their God, the animating principle of their lives." This call to wake up and fight is very alluring, even romantic to young men at this stage of development. Jeff offers some insight into how modern and postmodern societies might offer them a path forward that is meaningful and healthy. <br /> <br /> The media is worked up into a frenzy, as usual, ("I wonder how CNN would've covered D-Day" Jeff says). But welcome to modernity, where ever smaller dangers trigger ever greater responses. While it's progress, to be sure, Jeff qualifies his optimism and reveals the one thing that would completely change the game … and not for the better.<br /> <br /> Also in the episode, Jeff answers a question from a listener regarding our recent podcast on soul. "If you believe in the unity of everything since the Big Bang, why do you still speak of soul as if it were a separate entity?" <br /> <br /> Send your questions and comments for the show to [email protected]. Record a voice memo on your smartphone or use the Speakpipe button on DailyEvolver.com.

How does a nice Jewish girl from Burbank, California become a Buddhist mendicant nun -- with integral proclivities? Listen in as Jeff talks with with Amma Thanasanti, a Buddhist teacher in the Ajahn Chah Forest Tradition, who has been deeply influenced by Ken WIlber and integral theory. Amma was traveling through Boulder a couple weeks ago, and stopped by for a spot of tea and a chat about her unusual life and her beautiful, integrally-informed teachings on love, sex and awakening. <br /> <br /> Amma is conducting a virtual retreat (you attend via skype or phone), over Thanksgiving weekend, 11/27 - 11/29. The topic, appropriately, is gratitude. Find out more at awakeningtruth.org.<br /> <br /> Some highlights from Amma:<br /> <br /> "It's not fashionable right now to live a life of alms mendicancy, or renunciation, or a life of simplicity. But in terms of their potency as a tool for clarity I have not seen anything that comes anywhere close. Once I became a celibate my understanding about sex and sexuality increased logarithmically."<br /> <br /> "One of my lifelong journeys has been to understand the energies of love and sex and to use them in the process of awakening. This is not the languaging that comes through the tradition that I ordained into. That languaging is mostly about restraint, so that one can access and cultivate other qualities of mind. But my experience has been a long process of learning how these energies actually can be transformed and utilized for heart opening and mind opening…and how they can take us to states that are really, really peaceful, very blissful, and very useful for practice."<br /> <br /> "I teach in a way that speaks to all of the different quadrants, and to making sure that we have lines of intelligence that are developing in many different areas. What I think is imperative is that as many people as possible are in the process of waking up to the highest level of consciousness they have access to."<br />

Is there any part of us that survives this life? Ken offers an argument for the affirmative, and Jeff shares how experimenting with that idea illuminates his own developmental path. Plus, the soul of conservatism.

This week, the sudden animation of Hillary Clinton and the ascendency of Ben Carson, what their presence tells us about the deeper currents flowing under the surface of culture. Also, the poetry of Brooke McNamara, from her new book "Feed Your Vow: Poems for Falling into Fullness".

Jeff takes us on a brief tour of the history of polarization in the US as far back as the Revolutionary War, and describes the silver lining to the conflict and legislative gridlock. Also, Full Spectrum Mindfulness and the practice of evolutionary spirituality with Steve McIntosh.

Today we’re reposting a conversation that I had last year with Said Dawlabani (author of MEMEnomics: The Next Generation Economic System) about integral economics. I think his ideas are more relevant today than ever, with even Republicans decrying the disproportionate flow of money to the top 1%. And Democrats, through the candidacy of Bernie Sanders, are challenging the very foundations of capitalism in favor of democratic socialism as we see practiced in Northern Europe. This is all right on schedule. In terms of social evolution, economics is a lagging emergent, one of the last things to transform as cultures move forward. Â According to Dawlabani we are just now moving from the orange modern economy to the green postmodern economy, a move where the pendulum swings from a focus on individual freedom to one of collective responsibility. (And remember, as the pendulum swings the clock moves forward.) As I wrote at the time: “I like Dawlabani’s thinking because it helps us understand that despite the endless real-time political battles over economic ideology, larger evolutionary forces are at work, and if evolutionary theory is correct the transformations they will bring are inevitable.” Read the full essay here.

Steve McIntosh’s new book explores evolutionary spirituality as a distinct emergent that includes the great scientific truths of our age. In this conversation, Jeff and Steve discuss the nature of spiritual experience and a cultural analysis of the different kinds of spirituality.

The recent supermoon/lunar eclipse gave Jeff a chance to wonder about the way we interpret such events at different stages of development. <br /> <br /> When the world was alive with spirits and omens a total lunar eclipse would be a sign saturated in meaning and mystery. We leave this behind as we embrace a logical, scientific worldview. <br /> <br /> "Then there's a stage that's post or trans-rational," Jeff says, "where that enchantment can be brought back into a new, sacred world that is not limited by a magic or mythic belief system. It's also not limited by the modern scientistic worldview that says if something can't be sensed and measured it doesn't exist."<br /> <br /> Here we open up once again to dimensions of life which are beyond our full comprehension and explanation, a place of enchantment that includes and transcends reason. <br /> <br /> Speaking of including and transcending, Pope Francis has been traveling around the world, defying expectations. There is a sense that he is touching people across party lines and ideologies—not an easy thing to do— which has Jeff wondering, is he integral? Jeff's special guest on the podcast, Fr. David McCallum, a Jesuit priest and friend of the integral community, says there are telltale signs. <br /> <br /> "Pope Francis is able to transcend people's projections of him and continue to stay fresh. He's got this spontaneity that you’d expect from a post-conventional person." <br /> <br /> In addition, he lives in a kind of simplicity that takes a high degree of inner freedom, and has integrated the forces of power and love to become incredibly effective inside and outside of the church. "This is very, very sophisticated," says Fr. David, "It's not that you have to be always in the later stages to do so but the ability to wield so much influence and to do it in a way that's not authoritarian or autocratic, that is truly empowering."<br /> <br /> Fr. David and Jeff also discuss aspects of the Jesuit order that shed more light on who Pope Francis is, like their great history of scholarship. For example, a passage inside Pope Francis's Evangelii Gaudium (Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Francis, 2013), makes a modern, rational argument against abortion, emphasizing the sovereignty of the individual. It's pretty amazing.<br /> <br /> Enjoy the podcast, and a big "thank you" to Fr. David McCallum for sharing his insights. <br />

The refugee crisis in Europe, Africa and the Middle East is testing the status quo between the so-called first, second and third worlds. Jeff looks at the policy arguments being made on the liberal and conservative sides of the issue, and we get a first hand report from our friend Bence Ganti in Hungary.

Since Hungary is at the epicenter of the refugee crisis currently engulfing Europe, we called our friend Bence Ganti to get an integral, European perspective. In his conversation he highlights the differences between the response of the Hungarian government versus the general populace.

After taking the summer off from the live show, Jeff dives into the Fall season with an analysis of the American political scene, currently dominated by The Donald, of course. Could he really be president? Jeff says “no, but he is performing a great evolutionary service”. Much is made of the problem of the polarization of the left and right in American politics, and Donald Trump may be part of the solution. After all, polarization is a stage on the path of development. As Jeff says: The interesting thing about polarities is that once you get your thesis and antithesis well clarified then the next step is to create new synthesis. Thus you have Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders coming from opposite sides of the political spectrum arriving at two similar political goals. The first is a tax hike for the rich; the second is an end to cheap labor and trade deals. The other Republicans, financed by the wealthiest Americans, will not take these stands. [NOTE: since this recording, Jeb Bush has said he is open to higher taxes on the rich, strengthening the new synthesis.] One reason for Trump’s success may be that we are craving candor and authenticity in our political candidates these days–or at least someone who’s good at faking it. Hillary Clinton just wants a chance to show us her spontaneous side, her relatable personality. But is it really there? What is the “X factor” that Bill Clinton has, and even George W. Bush has, that Hillary and Jeb seem to lack? Speaking of lines of development, Ben Carson has gained a surprising lead in the polls, and many are wondering: how is it possible for a brilliant neurosurgeon to believe that the earth is 5000 years old? Integral has an answer for that. Also, a sympathetic perspective on Kim Davis, the clerk in Kansas who has become a right-wing hero for refusing to comply with the Supreme Court’s ruling and issue marriage certificates to same sex couples. And we end with a three and a half minute prose poem of sorts from Hank, one half of the popular YouTube duo the Vlogbrothers, sent to us by friend of the show Max Johnson. It’s a great meditation on impermanence. Send Jeff your comments and questions for the show. Record a voice message using the orange tab to the right, or just use the voice memo function on your smart phone and send to [email protected]. TRANSCRIPT

Stuart Davis has been on the integral scene since before there was an integral scene. His art and music spring from the rich realizations of integral theory with nary a line or a quadrant mentioned. Two years ago the family packed up and moved from Boulder to Amsterdam, along with Stuart’s intention to turn inward—less time touring and performing, more time gestating and writing. Jeff invited Stuart onto the podcast so we could all catch up with him and find out what’s been going on in that ingenious brain and sweet heart. It’s a fun conversation that veers between American and European culture and politics, integral art and the struggle to produce “depth-oriented” entertainment, and the blossoming of a worldwide integral community. A decade and a half after the publication of Ken Wilber’s Sex, Ecology, Spirituality, and the founding of the Integral Institute, it’s fun to listen to these two gossip, reflect, and look ahead to what’s coming. Find out more about Stuart Davis here. Stuart’s song “The Ladder” is about the evolution of consciousness. This version has lyrics and photos:

A while back the folks at the Integral Center here in Boulder asked me to deliver an integral sermon for a Sunday morning service they were conducting at the center. I was excited about the opportunity, as I believe that the story of evolution is not just the story of the development of matter and life, but is also the story of the development of intelligence and spirit and love. And that evolution reveals spiritual insights that not only include the inspiration of the great religious traditions, but also the hard truths of science. I truly believe that evolution will provide the basis for the spiritual practices of the sacred world to come. So here’s my stab at a little bit of integral evangelism. Have a listen and let me know what you think. I love to hear your comments and questions. You can either write a note or record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to me at [email protected]. Thanks again for listening!

Today I’m sharing a conversation I had a couple years ago with my dear friend Cindy Wigglesworth, right when she released her really terrific and influential book SQ21: The 21 Skills of Spiritual Intelligence. One of the key premises of integral theory is that people evolve in multiple lines of development or what we call intelligences. We evolve in our cognitive intelligence, emotional intelligence, social intelligence and of course, spiritual intelligence. Now this last line of development, spiritual intelligence, is kind of tricky. What does it actually mean to be spiritually developed? How do spiritually developed people think, act, feel, and understand this great adventure of life? These are some of the questions I ask Cindy in this interview. I think you’ll be inspired by her answers. I certainly have been. Have a listen and let me know what you think–I love to hear your comments and questions. You can either jot a note or record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to me at [email protected]. Thanks again for listening!

Seeing the positive trajectory of history not only creates a happier life, but also empowers us to be truly helpful in solving the problems and healing the suffering that persists, because we operate less from fear and more from love. Here's how it works...

This week, a gem from the archives: an early talk between Jeff and Dr. Keith Witt–part of a series that eventually became The Shrink and The Pundit. Dr. Keith Witt has been practicing psychotherapy in Santa Barbara for over 40 years, and is also a master martial artist and devoted spiritual practitioner with experience in many traditions. Who better to talk to about integrating psychotherapy and spirituality, the two major approaches to human development? It’s a topic that causes so much confusion and consternation among seekers of higher consciousness. Spiritual teachers and psychotherapists are often at odds and people who participate in both modalities often reflect that conflict in their own minds. Which is the best way to go? Is it more fruitful to work with our personal history and iron out the stuck points in our lives (psychotherapy) or to work to transcend them by seeking enlightenment (spirituality)? Do we work with our story or drop our story? Most spiritual traditions are rooted in pre-modern schemas that see dysfunction as a spiritual problem, whether possession by evil spirits or a separation from God. Even a non-theistic religion like Buddhism perceives the manifest world as a fallen and corrupt place that is to be transcended (and in more advanced Buddhist thought, re-embraced) through meditation. A lot of spiritual teachers, because they deal so much in metaphor, begin to think you can transcend biology, like giving up all critical judgment and stuff like that. No, we can’t give up all critical judgment, because human nervous systems are making critical judgments regularly. But we can alter the way we habitually process them, and that’s spiritual growth. ~Dr. Keith Witt Psychotherapy, on the other hand, works with the circumstances of our lives, and we are encouraged to look deeply into our own dramas and traumas, and even to re-experience them in the controlled psychotherapeutic container created with the therapist. Anyone who has practiced both systems can see the value of each, yet their trusted guides, the spiritual teachers and psychotherapists, often deny the veracity of the other approach. The integral solution, as you might expect, is to find the “piece of the truth” revealed by both spiritual practice and psychotherapy, to map the territories that each inhabit (and the territories they don’t), and to work with both in an integrated and harmonized way. That way the benefits are multiplied. I know of no more qualified (and stimulating!) guide to this endeavor than Dr. Keith Witt. Check out our conversation below, as well as an essay Keith wrote on the topic.

This week we’re bringing you an episode from the archives: Jeff’s conversation with Charles Eisenstein, visionary, activist, and author of the books Sacred Economics, The Ascent of Humanity, and The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know is Possible (love that title). Charles and Jeff agree on a lot, including that a sacred world is coming and that humanity is on an ascending path. They disagree on how we got here, and that disagreement captures the difference between even leading edge progressive thinking and an integral, evolutionary perspective. Did humanity go wrong, and do we have to fix it? Or are we just growing up?

In the following excerpt Jeff asks Ken Wilber a question about magical thinking vs real psychic phenomena. Whether we’re talking about near-death experiences, precognitive dreams, telepathic communication, bizarre synchronicities…they all defy materialistic explanation, and yet they also seem to communicate deep truth and meaning. What are we to make of this when science says no, but we intuit that something more is going on here? Listen to this clip of Ken Wilber as he clarifies the difference between pre-rational magic and trans-rational subtle energies, and what he refers to as “the realm of transformation.”

Elegance is the word that author and coach Rob McNamara uses to refer to the experience of higher, post-autonomous stages of development, or what we might call integral consciousness. Listen as he talks to Jeff about embodying elegance in life, love and leadership.   Rob stopped by a couple months ago to catch up with Jeff and tell Daily Evolver listeners about a leadership course he produced with Ten Directions called Commanding Influence. Full disclosure: Rob has alternately been my professor, trainer, therapist, sangha brother and friend over the years, and sometimes all of those things at once. I’ve experienced Rob’s loving guidance firsthand so I wasn’t surprised to find out that his conversation with Jeff went from interview to therapy session about halfway through! In Rob’s own words, the overarching purpose and trajectory of his life has been “inspiring and facilitating…and demanding more elegance in the world.” Elegance is his way of describing higher stages of development, such as Kegan’s “Self-transforming Mind” (which many of us loosely refer to as “integral” and roughly corresponds to teal/turquoise in Ken Wilber’s altitudes of development–yellow in Spiral Dynamics). Rob’s book, The Elegant Self, never explicitly defines elegance. It’s a finger pointing to the moon. That’s partly because elegance evades a fixed meaning in a developmental sense, and partly because research has demonstrated that purely conceptual narratives about development can erode happiness and well-being in the long term. So Rob shies away from conceptual teachings in favor of embodiment. Whether it’s a world-class athlete or a powerful executive, his coaching is meant to bring about a felt sense of these post-autonomous stages just beyond our habituated ways of constructing meaning. There’s a bouyancy and a vibrance that is always holding us if we can get outside of the steel trap of our more autonomous mind. ~Rob McNamara Rob is the coach’s coach. Listen as he explicates some of the core features that allow elegance to emerge in your life and relationships, and helps Jeff embrace life on the other side of laziness.

Theo Horesh is a Boulder social entrepreneur, philosopher and a familiar face in the integral community. Last year Theo published a series of insightful essays on the Middle East, inspired by his time spent with the Palestinians and the Yazidi refugees. I invited him over to talk about his travels, only to find out that he has also released a new book on a broader topic: Convergence: The Globalization of Mind. I enjoyed our conversation, and hope you do, too. Theo and I talked about his travels, and his heart-to-heart connections with people under siege, particularly with the youth in whom he finds much to admire. We talked about how these kinds of connections — in both real space and virtual space — can bring on a more worldcentric mind for all involved. Excerpt: If you see more you’ve got to be responsible for more There are many examples of how this is already happening—the internet, international agreements and cooperation, travel and communication. But in a world where entire cultures span multiple levels of development, gaining consensus about what we can create, and how, can be a tricky proposition. The feeling of being overwhelmed is prevalent, as first tier structures of consciousness are mostly motivated by fear. How does integral theory transcend this thinking, and help us think about these vastly complex systems? Listen as Theo discusses how each of us can call forth a worldcentric mind, so we can be a more awake and effective as we become more plugged-in and connected. Global consciousness did not simply arise from seeing the world from outer space or from some mass of the population attaining certain spiritual states. It has taken a long process of social evolution, which has been supported by a wide array of institutional and technological developments, to produce global consciousness. Like the nationalism of the 20th century, it is a consciousness suited to a new form of human organization. We are globally conscious because global consciousness is needed to comprehend the world in which we reside. Without it we would be lost in spaciousness. ~From “Convergence: The Globalization of Mind” by Theo Horesh

The willingness to look at the parts of ourselves that we can’t see -- or don’t want to see -- is a major milestone on the path of self-actualization. In this episode of The Shrink & The Pundit, Dr. Keith Witt tells us that the difference between a destructive shadow and a constructive shadow is our willingness to engage with it. So how do we do that?

Whether they’ve been closeted or out, oppressed or honored, Raymond Rigoglioso wants us to know that gay men are, and have always been, a powerful evolutionary force in society--with distinct gifts to offer the world. But with so much assimilation in recent decades, is there a future for gay male culture?

The Information Age is putting our evolution into overdrive, and you can see it throughout the ever-growing spectrum of worldwide popular culture. Free university classes, science blogs and TED Talks may represent the high end of what’s available, but this week Jeff looks in less obvious places.

In this podcast, Jeff looks at our relationship to the natural world and explores the significant new thinking around climate change and other environmental issues. He focuses on “An Ecomodernist Manifesto”, the newly released 25-page essay co-authored by 18 environmental scientists, activists, and scholars.

Jeff talks about integral activism with Justin Miles, founder of the Miles Center for Integral Living in Baltimore. Justin is a former member of the Black Panther party, Buddhist meditation teacher, and therapist. Jeff also looks at the role of cynicism in our political discourse, and takes a couple questions from listeners.

The long game of overcoming racism isn’t just a matter of how people are treated by the police or how the laws are written. The final piece happens in our hearts and minds. An integral take on the events in Baltimore.

Is fundamentalism fundamental? How do we encourage development? And what’s up with the whole Illuminati, reptilian alien, shape shifting conspiracy anyway? Jeff responds to these and other questions on the minds of listeners this week.

The traditionalists in Iran and in the US want to dig in their heels and fight the good fight. Meanwhile, the modernists are engaging with sanctions and diplomacy. Can this deal delay Iran’s progress towards a nuclear weapon long enough for cultural evolution to deliver a decisive political tilt toward modernity?

Jeff investigates the return of a 2nd person relationship to Spirit. Steve McIntosh joins the conversation to talk about "evolutionary spirituality" as a dialectical step beyond the progressive spirituality of the post-modern worldview. Also, the problem of evil.

Islamic culture in the Middle East is entrenched in a dialectical antithesis with modernity. Building on the work of moderate Muslim intellectuals, McIntosh argues that the Islamic cultural reform needed to overcome radical Islamism depends on the underlying reform of the religion of Islam itself.

On this episode of The Shrink & The Pundit, Jeff and Dr. Keith talk about one of the oldest and most dreaded of human afflictions. They consider not just the suffering, but also the wisdom and growth potential that depression offers. They look at the qualities of modernity that magnify the condition, the mixed blessing of pharmaceuticals and neuroscience, and how depression is experienced and best treated at different stages in the developmental journey. It seems that humanity is paying a heavy price for the “spectacularly tangible” achievements of modernity. The current generation has four times more depression than the last one, and ten times more than the one before that. Part of that story is increased self-awareness and over-diagnosis, but only part of it. Antidepressants are the most widely prescribed drugs in America. There is so much of these drugs in our waste that we’re actually poisoning the fish. What’s going on here? Generally, if you’re sufficiently bummed so that you can’t live the life you want to live, you could be depressed. But that includes a huge spectrum, says Dr. Keith. “When therapists talk about depression it’s like Eskimos talking about snow. There is a panoply of experiences that fall within the zone of depression.” All mammals have the capacity for it, but humans are particularly vulnerable because of genetic mutations that gave us an awareness of ourselves in the stream of time. The tradeoff for remembering a past and imagining a future is an increased capacity for depression and anxiety. Trusting your feelings only works when you are centered and connected with your higher self. ‘Trust your feelings’ does not work when you’re anxious, depressed or frightened. ~Dr. Keith Witt In the upper right quadrant of the AQAL maps (the physical body) there are many things that can contribute to depression—low testosterone, hyperthyroid, hypoglycemia and other endocrine imbalances, as well as chronic lack of sleep. The integral view is that there are causes of depression in each quadrant. It’s a bio-psycho-social condition, with genes, culture and individual choices all in play. Put any mammal into a situation of learned helplessness and they’ll get depressed, so groups of people with low socio-economic opportunity and a sense of oppression become very susceptible. Another way to depress people is to gradually give them more and more stuff to do so they never feel they have enough time to do what has to be done. Excerpt | Mammals have a natural capacity for depression, humans especially But the number one cause of depression is a sense of isolation. It’s an oft-remarked irony of the modern age that as connected as we are, we also experience more loneliness. With increasing numbers of the population living in urban centers, uprooted from family and culture, there is a more pronounced sense of social isolation. So what to do? One in ten people are diagnosed with major depression at some point. Only about half of them get treatment and the most common treatment is drugs. In the podcast Dr. Keith tells Jeff how the drug companies hijacked the neuroscience back in the seventies to sell us the idea that depression is a biochemical imbalance, which is a partial truth. It was an easy sell, of course, because who wouldn’t want to believe that taking a pill could make everything better? Yet, they work barely better than placebos. “In 2007 the drug companies spent 23 billion dollars promoting antidepressants and 16 billion of that were free samples that they spread to doctors around the country,” he tells Jeff. And once you’re on them, it’s not so easy to get off. Of course, occasionally they do work. And when they work, they work really well. “If you’re at a ten on a 1-10 depression scale and they can take you down to an eight so you’re functional, that’s how they should be used—only for severely depressed people,” says Dr. Keith. An integrally informed psychotherapy is becoming the standard of the 21st century. It includes the possibility of pharmaceuticals but it will look at the issue from all four quadrants, with a developmental perspective, and the realization that different types of people are coming from different states of consciousness. People at different stages of development deal with different flavors of depression and anxiety. The source and the remedy depend upon your worldview. In addition to bio-psycho-social treatments, an integral approach can reframe the issue to include a larger embrace of all the aspects of being human, of being alive in a wonderful and difficult time. “At every stage in development there is a dark night,” says Jeff, “this is well mapped in the mystical traditions … and you’re supposed to be depressed, you’re supposed to be unhappy. It’s part of the path. In some ways we need to be friendlier to that.” In this way an integral perspective not only includes more, it can completely reframe the issue. Dr. Keith says

How does an integrally informed Navy SEAL sniper relate to the job he has to do, and the people he must engage in war? What is it like to re-enter civilian society? Jeff got to ask these questions and more in this conversation with Jake Bullock.

In advance of the Return to the Heart of Christ conference, Jeff and David Riordan of Integral Life talk about the questions that arise with an integral inquiry into Jesus’s life and teachings. Also, the postmodern view of miracles, and bringing back something we thought we lost.

Fifty Shades of Grey may be a terrible movie, but its popularity is indicative of a new friendliness in our culture towards the kink community, (formerly known as perverts). Jeff talks to New York author and theater producer Robin Reinach, who is an integrally informed explorer herself in the world of BDSM, and together they unpack the evolutionary potency of kink.

    This week Jeff covers a range of topics, focusing on the controversy over Obama’s remarks about the historical sins of Christianity such as the Crusades, the Inquisition and slavery. Jeff also explores the mindset of the perpetrators of such brutalities, which we saw erupt anew this week with the immolation of the Jordanian pilot by ISIS. In other matters, Jeff notes the explosive growth in Chinese cinema, and it’s evolutionary power. Plus we revisit vaccines…and get to meet the Integral community’s own Navy Seal sniper. Did Obama blow it in his speech at the National Prayer Breakfast? He certainly got blow-back, especially for the following comments: Lest we get on our high horse and think this is unique to some other place, remember that during the Crusades and the Inquisition people committed terrible deeds in the name of Christ. In our home country, slavery and Jim Crow all too often was justified in the name of Christ. Murderous extremism is not unique to one group or one religion. There is a tendency in us, a sinful tendency that can pervert and distort our faith. I must say, when I first heard he had said this I thought, “No Barack, please! You let me say this shit, not you. You just stand up there and praise Jesus for another two years, and I’ll take care of this other stuff.” But he never listens to me, and so he has gotten creamed from pretty much all sides. Especially from the traditionalists (amber altitude) because his comments feed into their fears that this Obama, which rhymes with Osama, is not really a Christian at all and is actually tilling the land for the Enemy. But even moderates saw it as a gaffe, simply for the unfortunate timing and lack of context of larger events in the world. Indeed, his speech took place two days after the world saw a shocking demonstration of non-Christian atrocity: a thirty-minute, four-camera video edited like a video game with quick-cut graphics, sound effects and a grandiose narrative that led to a stark, brutal scene: a steel cage holding a man in an orange jumpsuit soaked in gasoline who is about to be burned alive. So two days after this, at the National Prayer Breakfast, Obama brings up Christian atrocities of a thousand years ago. Bad timing in my opinion but I will defend his comments on one count: they are 100% true. Christians did all of these things — in numbers that dwarf the deeds of today’s Muslim fanatics. But all of this is so much better understood in a developmental context — and Obama didn’t provide it. His explanation of ISIS was basically that they are evil criminals who are perverting Islam. This explanation represents the orange/green sweet spot that Obama generally tries to hit as President. I’m not sure how much he believes it versus how much he thinks espousing it is proper leadership for the country. The former view would be orange/green and the latter would be integral. Here’s how the view of ISIS evolves according to the altitudes of development: Amber traditionalists: For traditionalists, evil is evil. It’s what the Devil and his minions do in their battle with God and God’s people. For them the whole religion of Islam is evil. Conversely, for Islamic traditionalists Christianity is a religion of heresy and infidels. There’s one true faith and you’re either with us or against us. Orange modernists: ISIS is evil but Islam isn’t, and in fact ISIS is perverting a great religion. This is a more mature and complex view, but we’re still stuck with evil. Green postmodernists: This view of ISIS is that they are power-mad psychopaths. The Obama administration, for instance, is intent on identifying them by term such as “murderous extremists” not “Islamic extremists.” In this view ISIS is ultimately trying to gain power and are cynically using Muslim ideology as a veneer to do so. Thus we see headlines on progressive sites such as: “Charlie Hebdo has nothing to do with religion.” But yet the assassins didn’t shoot up a crowd of tourists at the Eiffel tower, which would have been much more effective in terrorizing the world and hurting France. Instead they took pains to hunt down cartoonists who had insulted their religion. So what’s the integral view of brutality? How does integral theory explain a rampaging mob of militants who blitz the countryside killing and crucifying people, stealing girls, beheading people and burning them alive? Integral has the most astonishing explanation of all: brutality is perfectly normal human behavior. Except, that is, for the last 0.1% of human history (a couple hundred years). Before that humans were busy with plunder, conquest, beheading and burning people alive — the whole horror show. This is simply standard-issue pre-modern behavior. But will it work for ISIS in the 21st Century? Clearly it has so far. But to be effective, terrorism has to constantly raise the shock value, and so last week we were subjected to the immolation of the pilot instead of “just another”

This week Jeff takes a look at the movie American Sniper and Fox News’ rising star Megyn Kelly, to make the case that conservative culture is evolving by taking on the best of green altitude values. And it’s not just a one way street. The left also evolves by taking on the best values of amber altitude traditionalism, such as the gay rights movement’s argument for marriage and military service. This year’s Super Bowl commercials also moved the ball…

This weeks Jeff looks at President Obama’s annual “State of the Union” address to Congress. He makes the case that Obama is pushing for the developmental move from an Orange modern economy to a Green postmodern economy. Obama’s policies won’t prevail, at least in the short term, but they will spark the conversation (okay, fight) between the advocates of freedom vs security, right vs left and Republicans vs Democrats that will lead to more integrated solutions.

In this week’s podcast Jeff explores the Muslim/Western fault lines exposed in the Charlie Hebdo massacre, where twelve people were killed in an attack on the satirical magazine by Muslim extremists who were offended by their depictions of Muhammad. In the 2nd half of the show, Jeff is joined by special guest Amir Ahmad Nasr, author of The Future of Islam In the Age of New Media, and My Isl@m: How Fundamentalism Stole My Mind--And Doubt Freed My Soul.

2014 has been described as a turbulent year in the media, but there isn't really a turbulent-free option, is there? Is there anything about turbulence that is good? Also, Jeff answers a listener's question about the moral nature of red. When is violence healthy and when is it pathological?

Frank Visser is arguably the chief critic of Ken Wilber, integral theory and the integral community as a whole. Based in Amsterdam, Frank is publisher of the website INTEGRAL WORLD: An Independent Forum for a Critical Discussion of the Integral Philosophy of Ken Wilber which hosts over a thousand essays by mostly dissenting voices in the integral scene. Contrast this to Jeff Salzman and his work with the Daily Evolver. Jeff is an unabashed Wilberian and self-described integral evangelist who “sees the animating power of evolution, inside and out.” Frank and Jeff spoke by phone before the holidays while Frank was getting ready to head out to an island on the coast of the Netherlands. Visser was once an enthusiastic proponent of Ken Wilber’s AQAL model. In 2003 he wrote the book Ken Wilber: Thought as Passion (SUNY Press), a chronological overview of Ken’s life and work through 2003, and has recently released a new online chapter, “Reaching Out to the World”, covering the intervening years. This new writing is far more critical of Ken and the integral movement and has sparked new controversy, most notably a fascinating and fruitful back-and-forth between Frank and Joe Perez, creator of the outstanding Integral Blog. Joe’s first volley is entitled “Properly Integral: A Response to Frank Visser’s Three Disappointments”, and leads to the rest of the debate. In this podcast Jeff and Frank talk about their differences, which primarily boils down to the question does Spirit exist? Is there a loving intelligence at work in the kosmos? Jeff says “yes”, and Frank says “not so fast.” For Frank, the idea that there is an intelligent force driving evolution, that the substrate of existence is consciousness, or Spirit, is where the line is crossed. To make such claims requires an unhealthy mixing of science and religion. “Wilber is a complicated figure, because he argues for spirit but he includes so much scientific material to back up that case…it’s only natural for people who are in the sciences to hold him accountable for how strong is his case.” Of course, the integral project is to integrate the realms of science and mysticism, which have different injunctions and different validity claims, and which have long been estranged. But Frank is skeptical; are we integrating or are we mixing? Probably both, says Jeff, but this is how we move forward. I think you get stronger when you can engage your opposing views, there’s no way out of that. Otherwise you create a bubble and you repeat what you already think and that’s not very fruitful to me. There came a point when I was stepping over to the dark side, so to speak. I was so immersed in all this critical writing that I took up that role to become a focus for it and that’s basically how the website Integral World has received its reputation. I must say that I always am a bit surprised by people who say, well, this is just a junkyard of Wilber bashing or whatever. ~Frank Visser Part of Frank’s skepticism comes from the fact that spirituality is comforting for us. It’s always been there to explain things that we can’t otherwise understand. When the questions get too difficult, insert “God” and the equation is balanced. And isn’t it nice to know that no matter how troubled the world seems, at the end of the day it’s all okay because, after all, it’s in God’s hands. “If you feel there is a kind of spirit behind everything then of course you’re safe,” says Frank, “because then it will work out in the end. If you don’t have that drive, which is my feeling, things can still progress but you can always fuck it up mightily by depleting the world’s resources and so on.” Do we really need a spirit, an animating force in the equation, when the universe is already wonderful and mysterious beyond comprehension? What does it add? We might even understand reality better without it, says Frank. Jeff counters that such a view ignores the interior dimensions of reality, including consciousness itself. The presence of Spirit doesn’t negate the scientific view, but to take it away diminishes our experience of life because it is an intrinsic aspect of existence. To see this requires spiritual insight, which is generally the result of a spiritual practice. Science works with the principle that seeing is believing, and spirituality works with the converse: believing is seeing. On a good day I can still relate to the idea of a cosmic evolution and a spirit behind everything and the hope that it gives that things will work out and so on. On a bad day (or a good day, depending on how you look at it) I see different things and I’m not so sure anymore and I’m not necessarily unhappy with that. I’m kind of role-playing, I sometimes think. I play this role of the devil’s advocate and I still feel myself connected to the integral field. I don’t know where that ends, but it could also be that in a couple of years I’m done with this and I be

In this thirteen minute excerpt of a conversation from September, Jeff speaks with Ken Wilber about the pain and suffering inherent in a human life, which begins with the nature of emergence itself. The more we develop, the more aware we are, and the more capacity we have to feel pain. If you go back thousands of years, Ken says, a person just had to get from infrared (Archaic) altitude to magenta (Indigenous) altitude. There are a limited number of things that can go wrong there. But as time goes on: Our own history gets thicker and thicker. There are more and more levels to us, there are also therefore more and more things that can break down, more and more things that can go wrong.That’s why if you look at the whole 14 billion years as a one year calendar, humans appear in the last few minutes of the last hour of the last day, because we had to transcend and include everything that came before. And all of those things that can go wrong involve pain — but not necessarily suffering. Wherever there is an other, there is fear, so the more we are able to transcend our individual selves the better things get. Pain still happens, of course–in fact we’re even more sensitive to everything–but we’re less identified with it.