As I repeat on almost every page of this blog, the world has never been so complex as it is now and for many of us, it’s just downright overwhelming, both emotionally and psychically. But what can we do about it, apart from fretting and getting more frustrated by the day? When things seem overwhelmingly complex, we need a meta framework that can see from a higher rung of the ladder, with a more inclusive view, all that is unfolding and how to work with it.

More than ever, such a framework must be global in its scope and reach- and yet able to transform hearts and minds in a practical way.  For the many people out there, who are committed to personal and collective transformation, but who might be looking for a way to pull it all together, Integral Theory is such a framework. It addresses in a practical way how to

• Wake up
• Grow up
• Show, up
• Clean up

all incredibly important at this juncture.

When describing something as life changing as Integral, it is best to go direct to the source and that source is the philosopher Ken Wilber.

“The word integral means comprehensive, inclusive, non-marginalizing, embracing. Integral approaches to any field attempt to be exactly that: to include as many perspectives, styles, and methodologies as possible within a coherent view of the topic. In a certain sense, integral approaches are “meta-paradigms,” or ways to draw together an already existing number of separate paradigms into an interrelated network of approaches that are mutually enriching.”

 – Ken Wilber

For over thirty years, ever since his first book The Spectrum of Consciousness  was published, he has continued his integral impulse and over two dozen books later, has become one of the most important philosophers of our time.

To give you an idea of the global reach and salience of Integral theory, to date ken Wilber’s books have been translated into 24 different languages and his theory is being used over 35 distinct academic and professional fields such as art, healthcare, organisational management, ecology, congregational ministry, economics, psychotherapy,  law and feminism.

But it’s not just theory in the abstract. That would be incomplete. The theory’s been used to develop an approach to personal transformation that allows individuals to systematically explore and develop multiple aspects of themselves, practically, such as their physical body, emotional intelligence, cognitive awareness, interpersonal relationships, and spiritual wisdom. Because integral theory systematically includes more of reality and interrelates it more thoroughly than any other current approach to assessment and solution building, it has the potential to be more successful in dealing with the complex problems we face in the 21st century. 

For anyone who’s interested in taking a deeper dive and being proactive in creating something radically saner in this troubled world here’s a link to Integral Life and the amazing and inspiring integralists who people it.  https://integrallife.com/practice/