The Integral Vision

Presents an analysis describing the patterns that exist between psychological, spiritual, and social growth.

A Publishers Weekly Book of the Year This pop culture presentation of Ken Wilber’s Integral Approach—an inclusive, visionary framework for understanding human potential—is as an easy introduction to his work What if we attempted to create an all-inclusive map that touches the most important factors from all the world’s great traditions? Using all the known systems and models of human growth—from the ancient sages to the latest breakthroughs in cognitive science—Ken Wilber distills their major components into five simple elements, ones that readers can relate to their own experience right now. With clear explanations, practical exercises, and familiar examples, The Integral Vision invites readers to share in the innovative approach to spiritual growth, business success, and personal relationships. The Shambhala Pocket Library is a collection of short, portable teachings from notable figures across religious traditions and classic texts. The covers in this series are rendered by Colorado artist Robert Spellman. The books in this collection distill the wisdom and heart of the work Shambhala Publications has published over 50 years into a compact format that is collectible, reader-friendly, and applicable to everyday life.

A concise, comprehensive overview of the “M Theory” and its application in today’s world, by a renowned American philosopher Ken Wilber has long been hailed as one of the most important thinkers of our time, but his work has seemed inaccessible to readers who lack a background in consciousness studies or evolutionary theory—until now. In A Theory of Everything, Wilber uses clear, non-technical language to present complex, cutting-edge theories that integrate the realms of body, mind, soul, and spirit. He then demonstrates how these theories and models can be applied to real world problems and incorporated into readers’ everyday lives. Wilber begins his study by presenting models like “spiral dynamics”—a leading model of human evolution—and his groundbreaking “all-level, all-quadrant” model for integrating science and religion, showing how they are being applied to politics, medicine, business, education, and the environment. He also covers broader models, explaining how they can integrate the various worldviews that have been developed around the world throughout the ages. Finally, Wilber proposes that readers take up an "integral transformative practice"—such as meditation—to help them apply and develop this integral vision in their personal, daily lives. A fascinating and easy-to-follow exploration of the “M Theory,” this book is another tour-de-force from one of America’s most inventive minds.

A more effective leadership model for the new business environment. Spiral Dynamics in Action explores the evolution of modern business, and provides a model for moving forward amidst ever-increasing complexity and change. Only by truly understanding other people's perspectives can you bring them together to achieve the extraordinary, and this book provides a field guide to the different motivations, behaviours and talents in your team to help you lead diverse groups more effectively. Focused on action over theory, the Spiral Dynamics model includes cutting-edge leadership practices, management systems, processes, procedures and techniques to help you bring about real-world results. The nature of change is consistent, but that doesn't make it any less enormous or complex to deal with. As a business leader, you are tasked with not only navigating change yourself, but also guiding others through the maze successfully. This book shows you how to shift your perspective, hone your focus and deliver what your people need by: Understanding the reasoning behind different perspectives. Helping people play off one another's strengths to achieve a shared goal. Adopting cutting-edge practices, processes and procedures for improvement. Taking action to re-connect an increasingly fragmented environment. The marketplace has gone truly global, workforces are increasingly diverse and companies are taking on powerful new social responsibilities. It's a lot to take in, let alone manage, but the responsibility of leadership is to gather disparate parts and make them into a whole. It's your job to turn anchors into rocket fuel, and motivate and inspire your team to the top. By digging to the core of each person, each culture and each problem, you uncover a roadmap to high performance; Spiral Dynamics in Action shows you how to guide your people through any changes and emerge stronger than before.

One of the most influential American philosophers of our time presents his vision for a fully integrated world—a world that includes body, mind, soul, and spirit In this groundbreaking book, Ken Wilber uses his widely acknowledged “spectrum of consciousness” model to completely rewrite our approach to such important fields as psychology, spirituality, anthropology, cultural studies, art and literary theory, ecology, feminism, and planetary transformation. What would each of those fields look like if we wholeheartedly accepted the existence of not just body and mind but also soul and spirit? In a stunning display of integrative embrace, Wilber weaves these various fragments together into a coherent and compelling vision for the modern and postmodern world.

One of the most influential American philosophers of our time presents his vision for a fully integrated world—a world that includes body, mind, soul, and spirit In this groundbreaking book, Ken Wilber uses his widely acknowledged “spectrum of consciousness” model to completely rewrite our approach to such important fields as psychology, spirituality, anthropology, cultural studies, art and literary theory, ecology, feminism, and planetary transformation. What would each of those fields look like if we wholeheartedly accepted the existence of not just body and mind but also soul and spirit? In a stunning display of integrative embrace, Wilber weaves these various fragments together into a coherent and compelling vision for the modern and postmodern world.

"The most profound and satisfying book to date about the cutting edge of Ken Wilber's integral vision. Reynolds leads us with clarity step by step through the most complex and subtle aspects of Wilber's thinking about post modernity, post-metaphysical theory, the perennial philosophy, the Combs/Wilber matrix, and much more. Highly recommended for those who want to keep up with one of the great intellectual path-finders of our generation." -Allan Combs, Ph.D., University of North Carolina. author of The Radiance of Being: Understanding the Grand Integral Vision; Living the Integral Life "Ken Wilber continues to push the boundaries of knowledge to ever more profound and encompassing reaches, and Brad Reynolds continues to follow him and provide lucid, compelling commentaries. I am impressed by how thoroughly Reynolds has mastered Wilber's work." -Roger Walsh, M.D., Ph.D., University of California, author of Essential Spirituality: The Seven Central Practices "Brad Reynolds has written an eloquent, passionate, beautiful book about my ideas. I believe it will help many people come to an appreciation of a more inclusive, more comprehensive, more integral way to think and feel about the world, and to find a happy, realized, awakened place in it."-Ken Wilber, author of A Theory of Everything Incorporating a vast range of disciplines and research, Wilber's "Integral Vision" is currently defined as being an A-Q-A-L or "all-quadrant, all-level" approach to integral studies (the integration of body, mind, soul, and spirit with self, culture, and nature), therefore the reader will be introduced to Wilber's new integral language and his underlying organizing framework, including his most recent "Phase-5." With this book the reader will learn the basic essentials needed to follow Wilber's continual theoretical expansion (including his forthcoming books) and their pragmatic application, as well as reviewing his current public outreach, such as with the Integral Institute, Integral University, and his growing presence on the worldwide web. By simplifying the details of his complex metatheory, or "where Wilber's coming from," the reader discovers how this integral approach is capable of uniting the knowledge of modern science with the depth and meanings of ancient mysticism, thus transforming the Great Chain of Being into a comprehensive post-metaphysical AQAL Matrix of Spirit-in-action. This evolutionary model also includes a cross-cultural integral psychology that seamlessly integrates East and West, thus clarifying today's confusing spectrum of collective worldviews and the universal stages of individual growth, as well as much, much more. Indeed, the unprecedented integrative power of Wilber's vision and its expanded influence in the first decade of the new millennium is laying the positive foundations for an "integral revolution," or better, a natural evolution to a higher-order worldwide consciousness to which we are all invited, and with which this book will be a helpful user-friendly guide on this exciting adventure.

Over the last thirty-five years, Ken Wilber has developed an Integral "theory of everything" that makes sense of how all the world's knowledge systems—East and West; ancient, modern, and postmodern—fit together and can elevate our awareness. Drawing on science, psychology, human development, spirituality, religion, and dozens of other fields, Integral Theory is a revolutionary framework for understanding ourselves and the world we live in. Now there is a way to not just think Integrally, but to embody an Integral worldview in your everyday life. Integral Life Practice is not just a new approach to self-development and higher awareness, but a way of making sense of—and making best use of—the existing treasure trove of insights, methods, and practices for cultivating a more enlightened life. It offers a uniquely adaptive approach to awakened living that's suitable for everyone: people with busy careers and families, college students, retirees, even hardcore athletes and yogis. It's geared for devout—and irreverent—people of any religion, or no religion! This highly flexible system will help you develop your physical health, spiritual awareness, emotional balance, mental clarity, relational joy, and energy level, within a framework that integrates all aspects of your life. Combining original exercises, vivid examples, cutting-edge theory, and illustrative graphics, Integral Life Practice is the ultimate handbook for realizing freedom and fullness in the 21st century.