Four Stages

FOUR STAGES OF SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT

Early on, I recognized several broad phases to human spiritual development. Early in their spiritual development, individuals were trying to determine what they believed in, to construct their spiritual beliefs. In the middle were individuals who had some idea what they believed in but were struggling to determine how much they could trust it—whether they could internally commit to following their spirituality. And, finally, individuals relatively late in their spiritual development both knew about and internally trusted their spirituality but were struggling with manifesting or living out their spirituality. Next, I realized that these broad phases correlated closely with the Three Types of Spiritual Experiences I had identified and that spiritual experiences themselves could often be used as markers to divide human spiritual development into four discrete, sequential stages—the Pre-awareness, Awareness, Commitment, and Union Stages.

Pre-awareness Stage

Individuals at this first stage of spiritual development have no awareness or information about what they believe in, spiritually. You construct your spiritual beliefs via two routes—directly, through your own personal spiritual experiences (Awareness Experiences), and/or indirectly, through faith in the spiritual experiences of others you trust, such as family, friends, or spiritual leaders. To be at the Pre-awareness Stage, therefore, you must have either not had or not believed any of your own direct Awareness Experiences and not believed any of the indirect spiritual experiences to which you've been exposed.

Awareness Stage

Individuals at this second stage of spiritual development have some awareness of their spiritual beliefs but have not yet internally committed to following or living in them out. During this stage, you construct your spiritual beliefs through your own Awareness Experiences and/or indirectly, through faith in the spiritual experiences of others. These spiritual beliefs often conflict with your ego’s priorities and psychological conditioning. The Late Awareness Stage is frequently filled with this conflict, as you struggle to decide which master you will follow—your psychology or your spirituality.

Commitment Stage

Individuals at the Commitment Stage are both aware of their spiritual beliefs and have internally committed, at least partially, to following them but have not yet actually manifested or lived them out. Internal commitment means that you've decided to let spiritual goals take precedence over those of you or your ego for all, or at least some significant aspect(s), of your life. This commitment is an internal process and does not mean that you have actually, yet, been able to manifest or live out your spiritual beliefs. For Deists, this means deciding to commit yourself and your life to God(s). For Non-dualists, this means deciding to dedicate yourself to pursuing the path towards re-unification with the “One.” For Existentialists, this means the decision to dedicate yourself fully to your “Cause(s)” over you own personal goals and desires.

Usually, this internal commitment occurs directly, through your own Commitment Experiences, although at times it may occur indirectly, through great faith in the spiritual experiences of others. This internal commitment can occur completely, all at once, or piece-by-piece, over time, as you decide to align different aspects of yourself with your spirituality.

Union Stage

Individuals at this last stage of spiritual development are both aware of what they believe spiritually and have internally committed to following it and have also manifested or lived out their spiritual beliefs, in at least some aspects of their lives. For Deists, Union might be called living with or in the presence of God or being an “agent”, “instrument”, or “hand” of God. For Non-Dualists, it means achieving Union with the “One”, for example reaching “Enlightenment” for Buddhists or living in harmony with the Tao, for Taoists. For Existentialists, Union means complete dedication to one's “Cause(s)” and manifesting one's Fate or Destiny.
Almost always, you achieve Union directly through your own Union Experiences, although faith in the indirect spiritual experiences of others can facilitate this process. Most commonly, you achieve Union piece-by-piece, over time, manifesting your spirituality in different aspects of your life as you work towards complete spiritual Union.

Where are you spiritually?

What is your current Stage(s) of Spiritual Development? Just by reading the above descriptions, you may already have a good idea of your current stage(s).

The types of spiritual experiences you've had in the past are also important clues. With only two exceptions, your Stage of Spiritual Development will usually correlate directly with the highest type of spiritual experience you have had. The first exception occurs in individuals who have great faith in the indirect spiritual experiences of others. This great faith allows them to be at a functionally higher Stage of Spiritual Development than their own direct personal spiritual experiences would indicate. The second exception involves individuals who have had their own direct spiritual experiences but have failed to believe in or integrate these experiences. These individuals may functionally be at an earlier Stage of Spiritual Development than their own spiritual experiences would indicate.

Also keep in mind that sometimes different aspects of yourself can be at different Stages of Spiritual Development, i.e. you might be at a “mixed” stage of spiritual development. This is especially common between the Commitment and Union Stages—when you may have already completely internally committed yourself to your spirituality but are struggling to manifest it piece-by-piece.

Even taking these special cases into account, it’s still usually not hard to determine your current Stage(s) of Spiritual Development. I've simplified this staging process into the the three, sequential, sub-questions of Question #6 on the Questionnaire:

6.1 Do you have any knowledge or awareness about what you believe in spiritually?

YES NO
(GO ON TO QUESTION #6.2) Pre-awareness Stage

6.2 Have you internally committed to following your spirituality, deciding to let it take priority over your or your ego’s desires, in at least some aspects of your life?

YES NO
(GO ON TO QUESTION #6.3) Awareness Stage

6.3: Have you manifested or fulfilled your internal commitment to your spirituality in at least some aspects of your life?

YES NO
Union Stage Commitment Stage

Note your current stage(s) of spiritual development at the end of Question #6. If you're at a "mixed" stage, note which aspects of yourself are at which stages.

The next section, Diagnosis of the Spirit, shows you how to integrate this information regarding your balance between Seeking and Resistance and your current Stage(s) of Spiritual Development, into a practical and comprehensive approach for assessing your current spiritual development.