Wilber Map at a Glance

Intro

The Wilber map outlines all states of consciousness attainable by a human being, pre-personal, personal, and transpersonal. This universally accepted map of states of awareness was introduced by Ken Wilber, also known as the Einstein of consciousness.

I wrote the text primarily in a playful tone, yet it outlines the most essential specificities of each stage in human psychological-transpersonal identity development. Before the Mental ego stage, there are two more: the so-called Group or Family and Body stages. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to touch upon those in the present text.

Setting the scene

We are in a hotel, my dear friend and me, having an overwhelmingly huge breakfast. And she looks into my eyes and blows me a kiss over the table.

And let’s say that in my head and heart, the following happens (as per Wilber’s map of stages of human consciousness):

Mental Ego

In a department of my consciousness labeled intellect, there is a Board of Directors, and all twelve of them are closely following everything that is going on. All of them are proud to have finally made it and become members of the Board. The illustrious Board basically decides about everything that is supposed to happen on the ATCT planet.

They have a vast, at least 90-inch LCD monitor on the wall of the room and are playing the “blowing kiss” sequence back and forth, watching it repeatedly.

All of them are staring at the wall and hastily taking notes. Members of the Board are writing notes, comparing the current situation with similar memories, analyzing the expression on the woman’s face and in her eyes, including microexpressions, body language, ambient noise, and everything else.

They write and write and express their opinions aloud without any consideration for others. They don’t really hear one another and can’t seem to find a compromise on what to do. Each member wants to be the one who decides, and all of them are vying for the honor, for they are aware that their ruling over such matters is no longer as definitive as it once was. At least in their minds, they want to build up their self-importance, for on the real ATCT planet, they are no longer listened to.

Members are all knowledgeable but full of hundreds and hundreds of pieces of information, projections, doubts, expectations, plans, fears, and (dysfunctional) mental representations. They are even looking into mystical-analytical tools such as tarot, I-ching, and Jyotish, intending to reach a deeper understanding of what is happening, etc. and, above all, all of them exhibit an obsessive need for control.

On and on they go:
What to do? What does this woman want, really? What is her intention? What on Earth is happening? What is acceptable to do now? Jeez, what this woman just did is not socially acceptable!  etc. etc.

Well, and while the Board is debating endlessly, the room enters:

Authentic Self

Upon the entrance of the Authentic Self, seven members lose their consciousness, for the presence of the Authentic Self is so powerful that intellect can’t really deal with it. Scores of papers are flying up in the air, some members fall back, some hit the table with their foreheads, and two of them even collapse to the floor. The remaining five members of the Board are lost for words, thinking, now we are done for, oh my god.

The Authentic Self knows all of the Board members intimately, and the amount of attention he is offering them is precisely zero. He doesn’t even remember the last time he listened to them in serious matters. He is intimately aware of all emotions and their causes, as well as their inner potentials (such as freedom, love, and peace), and is actualizing these in real life. He no longer relies on mental operations, projections, and intellectual games in the form of social drama.

Calmly, he looks at the monitor on the wall of awareness and ignores the Board’s intellectual mechanics, as he has seen through them long ago. He has seen through their limited social convictions, superficial influences of others and society, and all of the rules of the game of human interactions… and in this situation, with the woman, he senses affection and gentleness.

Board members are quiet and are holding their breath: “Oh dear, what will happen now?”. One member wants to add something to his notes but he doesn’t dare.

And before the Authentic Self decides, the room is graced with the presence of:

The Subtle Self

The Soul or the Subtle Self simply is. Her presence completely changes the atmosphere in the room in a positive way. Knocked-out members regain their consciousness in a heartbeat, the rest lift their heads, pick up their notes, and the two members who crashed on the floor stand up and silently sit back at the table.

At this table, everyone is welcome. Board members are more relaxed, open and once in a while a word or two is heard. Subtle Self tolerates and acknowledges everyone and everything.

Subtle Self and Authentic Self look at each other, and the latter wants to express something, but he can’t utter a word, for a sheer and crystal clear realization dawns on him:

“Oh!
I don’t even exist for real!! My existence is not!
The Separate Ego doesn’t even exist!!! Not on my own!!”

And the Soul shines with inner Purity and Light even more.

The Soul is full of love, wisdom, power, and vulnerability – which is in fact her greatest strength – and in the woman recognizes a kindred spirit from previous lives.

The Soul is aware of the relative importance of a relationship with this kindred spirit here on Earth (currently sitting right across the table). On other levels of existence, and at the same time, the Soul is acutely aware she unconditionally and exclusively belongs to and is totally surrendered to the Source Itself. In her case, that is Mahadevi.

While the Soul is contemplating these abstract and empirically validated notions, the room is lighted up as if the sun itself had just come out. The room, which is now in my heart of hearts, is bathed in Pure and Brilliant Light.

Board members, chairs, walls, monitor, flour, Authentic self – everything, indeed everything shines in completely fresh Light, for the Soul has spontaneously realized:

The Causal Self

The Soul or the Subtle Self has effortlessly dived deeply into Herself and has easily and directly realized Her true and eternal identity.

In her heart, a notion arises:
“Oh my God!!”
And soon after that:
“Wait for a second, not Oh My God!”
but
“I am God!” and
“I am!”

The room is completely immersed in the One Presence and everything is just fine. No conflict whatsoever, no problem or deficit.

Simply Perfect.

The Causal Self is spontaneously aware of Everything that is, for there is no separateness, no duality at all, no beginning and no end.

The woman across the table is His manifestation, and He easily recognizes Himself in her. No duality, no distance. There never was. He readily accepts everything, for apart from Himself nothing exists.

He alone is. A choiceless observer that observes Himself.

The Causal Self manifests as many things, and one of those things is omnipresence. And using His presence that is everywhere, He spontaneously senses the conversation between two mountain men somewhere in the mountains in Northern Asia about this year’s apples. One man shares his observation that this year, some apples are redder than others.

And hearing that, the Causal Self realizes the undeniable truth:

He Himself and the redness of an apple are totally equal; both are only impermanent things in the vast ocean of events. There is no center, no God, no I am, and the Causal Self is only one of the impressions upon the Big Mind, just as the redness of an apple or the wetness of water is.

When this insight arises, the Power, Omnipresence, Pristine Presence of the Only One Causal Self melts into the Big Mind…

…and what is left is:

The Nondual level

In the head and in the heart total peace arises. There are no Board members left, the room is empty. The Authentic Self is gone, the Subtle Self likewise. And the Causal Self has melted just as water melts in water.

Total identity collapse.

gate gate pāragate pārasaṃgate bodhi svāhā

Gone (beyond ego/authentic self), gone (beyond the soul), gone (beyond the causal self), gone beyond all the way to the other side, where the natural wakefulness spontaneously abides.

No one is guiding anything; everything is happening by itself, with no cause and no effect, forever free.

– Edmond Cigale, PhD