Stages of Mind
The Musical Octave of Human Development
Just as music is organized into octaves where each note is a necessary frequency that builds step by step on the way to a higher unison, the human mind develops through discrete, transpersonal stages, common to all people across cultures. Each successive stage transcends, yet still includes the ones before it. When we understand this "Octave of Mind," the chaos of our modern world—from culture wars to personal identity crises—suddenly resolves into a coherent map of natural growth in harmony with the universe and the expressions of number in time (music).
In Tier 1, we firmly believe our specific worldview is the only correct objective model of reality. This is the birthplace of the "Culture War," where opposing views are seen as existential threats.
1. Animistic (Purple*): A world filled with spirits and magic, where the boundaries between self and nature are fluid and enchanted.
2. Egocentric (Red): The emergence of the "Default Mode Network." A focus on power, heroic self-assertion, and breaking free from the tribe.
3. Absolutistic (Blue): The "Traditional" stage. Seeing the world in concrete black and white; protecting the Anchor of lineage, religion, and family.
4. Multiplistic (Orange): The "Modern/Rational" stage. The world of the corporation and nation; protecting the Logos of progress, science, and achievement.
5. Relativistic (Green): The "Post-Modern" stage. Sensitive to interiors, environment, and intersectionality; protecting the Harmony of inclusion.
* Here the stage names are my own but I'm using the color conventions of Spiral Dynamics.
"Different phenomenological worlds, real worlds, come into being with each new level of consciousness development."
Nano Banana portrait
Ken Wilber
(1949-)
Tier 2 represents what I call the Metamorphosis Gate. Here, we stop trying to "win" the culture war, realizing its utter futility, and begin the work of Synthesis. We recognize that all previous stages (perspectives aka partial truths) are all necessary, unavoidable stages in the full human developmental story.
6. Systemic (Yellow): The "Integral" stage. This is the birth of systems thinking. You begin to see the "Octave" as a whole, understanding how the previous stages interact. You stop being a soldier for one stage and become an architect of the entire system, recognizing that every level has a "healthy" version that must be supported.
7. Universalistic (Turquoise): The "Non-Dual" stage. The realization of the Oculus archetype or the Turiya state. You recognize yourself as the consciousness that builds and maintains the universe of experience. From this vantage point, stewarding the health of all living and non-living systems is reintegrated as a sacred responsibility.
Most of us are "lived by" our worldviews. We don't realize that the lens through which we see the world is actually a filter that limits our possibilities. Breaking through the "Metamorphosis Gate" into Tier 2 changes everything:
Reclaim Your Energy: Stop wasting life force on the "internal friction" of defending your rightness. Tier 2 allows you to hold multiple truths simultaneously, freeing your mind for pure creativity.
Become a Bridge-Builder: In a world of "terminal silos," the ability to speak the value-languages of every stage is a superpower. You stop seeing "enemies" and start seeing a developmental ecosystem that needs balance.
Achieve Emotional Sovereignty: Move from reacting to responding. By dis-identifying from a single stage, you are no longer "triggered" by opposing views. You gain the calm, vertical clarity of the observer.
Play the Full Octave: Don't limit your life to one or two notes. Integration gives you the flexibility to access the strengths of every stage—tradition, logic, empathy, and wisdom—exactly when they are needed.
To navigate the mind, we must understand the three different speeds at which our inner world operates. Most confusion arises when we mistake a passing "dynamic" for a permanent "stage."
Dynamics of Mind (Seconds to Minutes):
These are the flickering "weather patterns" of the mind. A sudden burst of anger, a flash of inspiration, or a moment of doubt. Dynamics flit through our awareness like birds across a window.
States of Mind (Hours to Days):
These are the "climates" of our experience. Whether it is the flow-state of deep work, the heavy fog of a depressive episode, or the expanded clarity of a meditative retreat, states color our entire world for a duration of time before shifting.
Stages of Mind (Years to Decades):
These are the "geology" of the mind. Stages are the deep, structural foundations of how we interpret reality. They evolve slowly over years of experience, providing the stable "center of gravity" from which we live our lives.
The transition into Tier 2 is more than just a new way of thinking; it is the awakening of the
Oculus—the "Fourth State" known in the East as Turiya.
In Tier 1, we are like actors lost in a play, convinced that our current "note" on the piano is the only sound in the universe. We are "embedded" in our stage. We are playing the game without knowing who we really are, believing ourselves to be those bodies and minds.
When we move into Tier 2, we step into the position of the Witness, like Arjuna's conversation with Krishna in the stationary chariot before combat starts in the
Bhagavad Gita.
We realize that
we are not the notes being played,
but the silence upon which the entire Octave of life unfolds. This is the "Oculus" state: a vantage point that sits behind the dynamics, the states, and even the stages themselves. We see it then.
From this Non-Dual perspective:
- You are the Space in which the culture war happens, rather than a soldier within it.
- You recognize that the "Absolute" (the silent keyboard) and the "Relative" (the music being played) are not two separate things.
- You gain the ability to consciously "play" the appropriate note for the situation, moving with the fluidity of a master musician rather than the rigidity of a beginner.
