Growth of Spiritual Perception
Imagine a city where the city planners created a central circle at the heart of the city. Each street from the center was a larger circle enveloping the smaller circles within. In this central circle they built a tower that was the tallest building in the city. In between each of the circular streets’ buildings were constructed of various and random height.
Now imagine a child born into this world in a room of one of the basement levels of the tower. The people on this floor were all born there and have lived their whole life on this level. They have no way of knowing anything else except what is contained on the floor. Indeed, their entire life experiences have been limited to just that basement floor. Each “day” when the lights come on, the people will go to jobs and complete tasks many of which have a purpose they do not understand, but since they are paid for their efforts, they ultimately will not give it much thought. The things they need for living can be purchased from a central distribution center. Every once in a while, a child will ask where these things for life come from, and the answer is always the same; “they” make it and bring it to the central store.
Life here is ok, the people are born and grow up. They have the opportunity for an education that allows them to earn money. They spend their money on pretty things and having fun. They grow old and become sick from “old” age. During this period of their lives they will spend the wealth they accumulated for care to extend their lives a few months or years. Some even manage to leave some of this wealth to their children, but in the end, it is spent on pretty things and fun.
From time to time, crazy people would come among them with fantastic stories of open green fields, sunshine, and blue skies. They speak of marvelous feats of engineering and devices that can travel very fast and far. The child is told by the wise elders that these stories are just nonsense. They tell him, “Just look around you, do you see any of these things? Besides if such things existed, “they” would tell us on the news. Since no one is reporting it, that’s proof enough that these stories are just stories.”
Over time the child grew to an adult. The adult was educated and was taught all that the elders believed was the truths of the world. Parts of this education, when applied earned him a good amount of money he used for pretty things and fun. The adult was very secure in his knowledge and comfortable with his pretty things. When they didn’t have work to do, they had many fun things to fill their time. This was after all, living life!
One day the adult met one of the crazy people, but didn’t realize it at first. The person didn’t appear foolish or mentally ill, but instead well-educated and stable. As they spoke, the crazy person told them of a place where they could find a thing called a stairway. Being well educated the adult realized in a second this was one of the crazies because stairways didn’t exist. The adult knew this because it was what they were taught that in school, besides if a stairway existed, they would have heard about it on the news. The adult quickly cut the conversation and told the crazy to go away.
Over the next few days, the adult told his friends about the crazy who all agreed that it was dangerous to speak with or listen to what crazies say. They told the adult they had done the right thing when they sent him away, and it was best to be mellow and go have some fun. The meeting with the crazy soon passed from the adult’s mind and was forgotten.
Time passed and the cycle of working, buying pretty things, and having fun continued. One day the adult was asked by one of the youngers what a stairway was. In a second, the memory of the conversation with the crazy that day flashed in his mind. Pushing the memory aside, the adult told the youngster that stairways are something made up by crazies and didn’t exist. However, the youngster then asked how they would explain why some people went away for long periods of time, only to return. He said this happened to his uncle and people said his uncle was a crazy. The youngster went on to explain, except his uncle didn’t seem crazy, but from time to time he would say things that sounded crazy. Remembering his conversation with the crazy all that time ago, the adult recalled that if it wasn’t for the crazy things he said, the man also didn’t seem dangerous or disconnected from reality. The adult quickly changed the subject and the two of them went about their work.
Now that the idea was in the adult’s head about people disappearing and coming back a long time later, he began to realize that he had observed this to. Could there be something to it?
Having trained the younger in all he knew, the adult’s employer fired him because the younger worked for less money. Unable to provide money for pretty things and fun, the adult found himself alone and with nowhere to go.
Homeless and wondering aimlessly in hope of finding a solution, the adult noticed a place in the wall that had a dark tunnel. It also had a sign that said entry was forbidden. There were no doors, no guards, or other ways of preventing someone from walking right in, but in school the teachers had taught them never to pass such a sign, because to do so would mean something bad would happen. Realizing that this bad was never defined, the adult walked slowly and very fearful into the darkness. Taking several turns, the adult realized that he never even imagined that this place could exist. Taking one more turn, the tunnel ended in what the adult instantly knew perfectly fit the description of the thing called a stairway.
At first shock, then later anger passed through the adult. If they lied about stairways, what else had they lie about? Wanting to know, the adult started up the stairs…
The story of the tower allows us to see our world from the outside and makes a perfect opening into the discussion of levels or awareness. Levels of awareness can be described as floors within the tower. As a person climbs to higher floors within the tower, the more of the world around the tower they can see. Just like in a real tower in the center of a real city, each floor may increase your view, but often the view in certain directions will not change for many floors. Often times we can see what is very distant beyond a tall building, but the view immediately behind the building remains blocked until we actually go there. This teaches us that complete knowledge and understanding can only come once we have observed something from every possible angle of perception.
One important note that everyone needs to understand is that progression through the levels is not automatic. The motivation to find, then climb the stairway in the story above came from experiencing failure within the system. Just as in the real world, most people will never seek the truth as long as the lies delivers “pretty things and fun”. Climbing the stairs is a choice, a choice that can be made by anyone. However often it is only when the individual loses or fails that they allow themselves to question their current world and choose to explore another way. Keep this in mind as you read the description of each level.
Level 0 Awareness: Humans are born into this level, and their personal perception is limited to the immediate needs of the physical body and the demands of their emotions. Intellectual thought is limited to the fulfilment of these physical and emotional wants. Despite the greater intelligences at their disposal, people at Level 0 are not better than the lower animals because basic reason isn’t yet present. Their existence is one of an endless cycle of feeling then satisfying these feelings, followed by more feelings then satisfying these feelings as well.
Level 0 behavior indicators are:
1) Attention and interests are limited to the wants of the individual. They demonstrate a great deal of attention to people who are interested in them, but do not display much interest in others or things beyond themselves.
2) Demonstrate a lack of concern or awareness of the impact of their actions on others. Courses of Action are limited to selfish fulfilment of personal wants.
3) Little or no impulse control.
4) Everything around them is viewed as potential tools to obtain fulfilment of their wants. This includes pets, situations, and people.
5) They expect that those around them will naturally place personal wants as a priority and demonstrate a lack of comprehension why others do not do so.
6) They expect that no events outside of their direct experience are taking place. They view the people in their life as sort of actors or objects that wait in a static state “off stage” until they once again apply attention to these people.
Level 1 Awareness: Like our people in the basement of the tower in the story taking the first steps up the stairway, transitioning into a Level 1 awareness will allow them to begin to see that there are aspects of reality that are explicitly visible, and other that are only implicit. Just as the “Centralized” view from the tower implies that it is the center of all things, individuals in Level 1 see themselves as the natural center of this unfolding universe. The discovery that others have feelings and wants doesn’t enlist empathy, but rather the sense of implicit tools to manipulate and use to apply leverage in the fulfilment of their personal wants.
Level 1 behavior indicators are:
1) Use of emotions as weapons. Peoples feelings are manipulated as “buttons” to push to obtain desired results. Guilt is often used to force people to give them things they haven’t earned. Use of gossip and misinformation to create or manipulate people’s insecurities to create alliances, destroy friendships, and motivate people to chase unobtainable and pointless goals.
2) View themselves as a potential puppet master in all aspects of life over both people and objects.
3) Expends huge amounts of time, energy, and resources to obtain wealth and power. The terms standing and position have meaning to individuals at this level and they will expend their wealth and power to demonstrate their wealth and power.
4) These are often the wealthiest people in our society.
5) They find value and meaning from entertainment such as Movies, or Sports.
6) Level 1 people lacking wealth and power will often live beyond their means in an attempt to demonstrate a false reality that they possess these things.
7) Subscribe to and promote the narrative about their own greatness.
One important aspect of Level 1 to note; when individuals are successful in obtaining abusive levels of power and wealth, they can often become stuck here.
Level 2 Awareness: It is here that people begin to comprehend that others see them very differently than they see themselves. What they used to hold as symbols of great pride, they begin to understand that others see these same things as great marks of shame. Early on the individual will realize that to many, they are just an actor on someone else stage. People will begin to develop and embrace Empathy and Sympathy, and for the first time they will understand how hurting others hurts themselves too. Midway into Level 2 a person begins to understand that there is a larger world beyond that which can be explained by chemical and physical science. This world exists separate and apart from the individual and will continue with or without their presence. Often it is both shocking and humbling when a person realizes their own insignificance and the insignificance of all they thought held value before. They begin to understand that everyone has challenges and those challenges aren’t personal, and are never fair. One of the personal experiences of the mature Level 2 person is that they begin to find they have communication problems with those around them. While most don’t yet realize it, this is due to the fact that they are functioning and communicating on a level beyond the comprehension of those around them. Simple and clear concepts are confusing and meaningless to those who haven’t reached this level.
Level 2 behavior indicators are:
1) Demonstrate awareness of the impact they have on the world and others.
2) Demonstrate Empathy and Sympathy for others.
3) A marked change in the way they approach their work, jobs, and business. Seeking more harmonizing solutions and demonstrating concern over long term impact vs slash smash of competition and obstacles.
4) Increased capability to see truth from fiction.
5) Demonstration of enhanced emotional intelligence.
6) Loss of interest in obtaining great wealth and power.
7) Loss of victimhood
Level 3 Awareness: Level 3 is where a person begins to comprehend the illusion of the world we have been given. They not only understand the lack of value the pursuit of wealth and power bring to a person’s life, but they also understand that our world is a diluted creation of Level 1. The onset of Level 3 awareness brings the ability to see the truth of things, understand the true purposes behind rules, and see people for who they really are. While others in the lower levels of awareness endlessly debate their side of the two choices, they have been given by those with wealth and power. Instead, those on Level 3 understand that both sides are not only incorrect, but are really just two sides of the same coin. They shed their illusions of benevolent masters and comprehend that our system is a set of controls to ensure the continuation of power and wealth of the world elite. Individuals at this level are often rejected by those at a lower level because they are unable to find value in the trivial and meaningless activities of distraction so valued by those on level 0 & 1.
Level 3 behavior indicators are:
1) Have an understanding of the difference between what they know and what they have been told.
2) Often saying incomprehensible and apparently crazy things that under close scrutiny turn out to be correct.
3) Uncanny ability to leverage intuition and make accurate associations about connections or predictions of events seemingly without information, education, or other expected resources.
4) Demonstrating an almost 6th sense capability to know what people are planning and their motivations.
5) Seek businesses and jobs that provide value to their fellow human rather than just a paycheck.
6) Exhibit an interest in soft topics centered around the human condition, such as history, behavior, spirituality, or philosophy.
Level 4 Awareness: When a person crosses into level 4 they are able to clearly distinguish reality from all they have been taught to be true. They are able to fully appreciate the differences between Subjective and Objective reality. Their apparent great empathy actually stems from the comprehension that there aren’t really different types of people, but rather people at different levels of growth. Subjective concepts such as right vs wrong, or positive events vs negative ones really only have meaning depending upon where a person is emotionally. A deep understanding of what is truly evil and what is truly good gives apparent rise to an indifference on many subjects they once believed were important. Priority is given to the shedding of spiritual and emotional “Anchors” and the pursuit of deeper understanding of themselves and the universe. While clearly in control of their mental facilities, they seem to embrace a reality incomprehensible to those around them.
Level 4 behavior indicators:
1) Life and liberties of individuals are always given the highest priority.
2) Loss of judgement toward people.
3) Loss of concern over the opinion others have of them.
4) Loss of fear in their everyday lives.
5) Indifference to rules, both implicit and explicit.
6) Often seen as being insensitive, will not show empathy for irrelevant emotions. However, will quickly surprise everyone by showing empathy and forgiveness toward unexpected targets such as those who are viewed as criminals.
7) Their understanding Objective Reality vs Subjective reality will make their behavior and what they say incomprehensible, even crazy to most.
Level 5 Awareness: At this point in the emotional and spiritual development of an individual, they have outgrown many of the opinions most hold dear and important. At level 5, an individual will perceive that reality itself is subjective and a created frame work in which we choose to exist in. Just like those in the basement of the tower could physically locate the wall of their world, those who achieve level 5 are able to start locating the limits of their beliefs, imagination, and their reality. Comprehension that these limits exist only within the mind and only for the purpose of providing a shared space for interaction with other humans, many possibilities of truth begin to emerge. Consolidation with our deep intelligence and the super intelligence of the universe is underway. Interactions with others existing on lower levels of awareness are limited and usually superficial, taking on the form of an adult dealing with a young child.
Level 5 behavior indicators:
1) Minimal interactions with others.
2) Usually providing seemingly irrelevant or meaningless information.
3) Not impressed by most accomplishments.
4) Often found deep in thought.
5) Actions and statements are often incomprehensible.
Level 6 Awareness: I cannot describe much of it because I just climbed the stairs. First and foremost, the description that can be given is that at Level 6, a person is able to step outside of the Subjective Reality Construct that is their world view and see the concepts that define it’s existence. From this vantage point it is easy to discern that the reality we exist in was created by and for the benefit of the few. Shaped and constructed by our education and the media in our early minds, basic but harmful concepts such as the hierarchy (Some people are better and worth more than others) have been used to create it. The sense from this side of the wall of one’s reality is that it should be possible to redefine, remake, and reconstruct the building blocks of this reality.
