PART I HUMAN BECOMING
‘Between the universal and the individual, the two poles of existence, we can observe a hierarchy of consciousness.’
The brief INTRODUCTION identifies a fundamental error in our perception of consciousness and suggests that the difficulties which we face in life are a direct result of the self‑limitation resulting from this error.
- CONSCIOUSNESS AND POLARITY
THE POLARITY GRID. The Grid is introduced and explained through examining the meaning of The Quadrants, Lines, Borders and Corners. Different Life paths through the Grid are identified and the Principles of Polarity and Power presented. Graphics include Varieties of the Grid, Life Traces in the Grid.
USING THE GRID. The Basic Questions (Where am I? Where do I want to be? How Do I get there?) are introduced. How do I begin? shows how we can find our position in the Grid. Exploring the Grid: a conversation deals with the common questions which arise when someone meets the Grid for the first time. The importance of Seeing and dealing with Negativity are stressed. Graphics include Basic Questions in the Grid, and Groups in the Grid which shows the range of typical response patterns to the Basic Questions which we find in group exercises.
MOVING IN THE GRID. The significance of The Way of Return is revealed, and the movements of Turning, Transition and Transformation are highlighted. Becoming in the Grid is contrasted with Being in the Grid and a further conversation explores some reactions to the Grid from those who have begun to explore its possibilities. Graphics include the original journal entry, The Way of Return, which sketches a universal life path through the Grid.
- ORGANISATIONS
A NEW APPROACH. Identifying organisations as the ‘dominant species’ on the planet this section examines the failures of our organisational structures at the individual, national and global levels and suggests that a different approach to organisational understanding can help us to create a new way of being at work.
ORGANISATIONS IN THE GRID. Just as The Polarity Grid gives a framework in which we can chart the progress of an individual over time, it can also be applied to organisations. This section identifies four organisational types which conform to the organisational cultures and behaviours of the four quadrants in the Polarity Grid: Quadrant 1 Lost in a Dark Corner; Quadrant 2 A Twilight World; Quadrant 3 A New Beginning; Quadrant 4 Moving in the Light.
ORGANISATIONAL REVOLUTION. The significance of individual growth for the transformation of existing organisations is highlighted by the Change Cycle. The cycle shows the process of change starting from a change in Consciousness, which transforms individual Condition and Context and then, through the conscious modification of the Chemistry of human interaction, the Culture of our organisations and the ‘Climate’ of our planet. Original graphics include The Change Cycle and The Growth Spiral.
INDIVIDUAL REVOLUTION. The importance of the individual growing in freedom and responsibility as the engine of organisational transformation is highlighted. The Organisational Revolution proceeds from the Individual Revolution.
- BEING AND BECOMING
PATHWAYS IN THE GRID. The four quadrants of the Grid are again used to describe the condition of the individual who progresses through the Way of Return. Phrases which are already in common usage such as The Way of the Warrior are explained as part of an octave which shows the passage of the individual through and beyond the Grid. Graphic The Ways of the Quadrants identifies possible dimensions beyond the two-dimensional Grid.
GROWTH. The question of what constitutes individual growth is explored and the difficulties associated with expansion out of our habitual arena of activity.
LEADERSHIP. The particular importance of leadership for the transformation of organisational life is stressed and the Principles of Leadership in the Grid are clarified. Three modes of action in high consciousness are identified – Clarity, Charity and Compassion – and given specific fresh definition.
- THE NATURE OF POWER
THE THREE FORCES. The existence of a Third Force which is beyond the ordinary dualities which are at the heart of human existence and which are represented in the Polarity Grid, is identified as a powerful determinant of outcomes on the planet. A description of the interplay between First Force, e.g. a human initiative to accomplish something, with the reaction of a receptive or resistant Second Force and their positive or negative resolution through Third Force is presented.
ACTION OF THE TRINITY. The action of the three forces introduced in the previous section is developed as a basis for examining the action of the Trinity which shapes a fundamental choreography of change and growth. This pattern is evident in chemical change in matter, the causal, cyclical, and sequential movements of life, and gives shape to our concepts and descriptions at the individual and universal level.
CREATIVITY: POLARITY AND POWER. The Concept of Creativity is approached through the fresh perspective being developed in the Delphi Book. We are invited to re-examine the concept of Power in the light of the preceding sections. The primacy of polarity and, in particular, of positivity over power in the upper quadrants is affirmed and the creative individual is identified as one who has integrated this knowledge into his life. Graphics showing Growth Through the Grid and Growth Beyond the Grid depict the emergence of the creative vision from the confines of the Grid.
- GOING BEYOND THE GRID
DIMENSIONS OF CONSCIOUSNESS. The vision offered by an emergence from the restricted perspective of the Grid – where we see ‘as far as an ant on a tennis court’ – is explained by the existence of dimensions beyond the two-dimensional grid. A parallel set of dimensions is developed which extend the conventions of ‘space-time’ to establish a series of dimensions of consciousness in the Grid – where awareness, definition, duality, duration and change are already captured.
THE HIERARCHY OF CONSCIOUSNESS. A hierarchy of states of Consciousness is proposed which gives meaning to the different levels of consciousness available to human understanding. Beyond the Grid, a fifth, sixth and seventh dimension is constructed which enable an exploration of the upper reaches of human consciousness.
- SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION.
Awareness, Consciousness, the Individual and the Universal, and the practical challenges of changing the circumstances of our life and relocating in the Polarity Grid are recapitulated. A Graphic showing the movement from Self-Observation through Self-Remembering to Self-Knowledge and Self-Revelation links the book with the ancient logos recorded at Delphi – ‘Know Thyself.’
PART II HUMAN BEING
- THE SPIRITUALISATION OF LIFE.
The development of human consciousness is placed within an evolutionary emergence from Matter through Life and Mind to Spirit. This movement is mirrored in the transition of the individual to the ‘upper storey’ in the Polarity Grid. The reconciliation of Individual and Universal values is stressed as being essential for the successful passage to a higher phase of human development which will create new ways of being and doing in individual and organisational life. A new perspective on the meaning of Spirit is explored in a series of commentaries on Individuality, Vision and Creation, Hierarchy of Mind, Polarity and Gender, Love and Sorrow, through a reaffirmation of the significance of the spiritual dimension in human life.
- READINGS AND CONVERSATIONS
A series of dialogues lays down the principles for progress of the individual towards self-knowledge. A refusal to be side-tracked and a willingness to go all the way are the necessary requirements for the success of the journey. Beginning with Defining the Self and moving through Self Assertions, Validating the Man, and Self-Observation brings us to a consideration of the nature of mind and what lies above and beyond mind which can provide direction and purpose for the individual seeking to grow in life.
- JOURNAL SELECTIONS
The Appendix contains selected extracts from the original notes and sketches which formed the basis of The Delphi Book.
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