Overview

OVERVIEW

Map of the Spirit presents a universal framework of human spiritual development—a common process with stages through which we all pass in the process of constructing and living out our spiritual beliefs. Map focuses on this common framework, rather than the many different religions and philosophies that represent the outcome of this process.

Conceptually, Map of the Spirit is similar to the universal framework of human psychological development that emerged during the 20th century. Pioneers, such as Sigmund Freud, Karl Jung, Jean Piaget, and Erik Erickson, eventually recognized that, although our personalities are quite different, we all pass through the same stages in our psychological development. We could then conceptualize psychological diseases as blockages in this process, which opened the door to targeted and increasingly effective psychotherapeutic and pharmacological treatments.

Map of the Spirit does the same for human spiritual development. Although we all end up with our own unique spiritual beliefs, Map shows us that we all go through the same stages in the evolution and living out of these beliefs. Map shows how everyone, regardless of their particular type of spiritual beliefs—Deists, non-Dualists, even Existentialists and Agnostic—can quickly and reliably determine how important spirituality is to them and their health and where they are spiritually.

The fundamental concepts of Map of the Spirit are simple, even intuitive (Each is discussed in more detail in subsequent sections):

ONE MAP

Map of the Spirit takes the perspective that we all, regardless of type of spiritual beliefs, pass through a common framework and stages in the course of our spiritual development.

TWO FORCES – Seeking and Resistance

How important is spirituality to you?
How important is spirituality to your health?

The directionality of your spiritual development, i.e. whether you tend to progress or stay stuck, depends on the interaction of Two Forces—Seeking, the forward-tending force, and Resistance, the force that blocks or holds back Seeking. The balance between these forces determines how important spirituality is to you and your health. Map of the Spirit shows you how to assess this balance, rapidly and accurately, and then address any imbalances that are blocking your spiritual development.

THREE TYPES OF SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES

Spiritual experiences are the cornerstones of human spiritual development. Everything we “know” or think we “know” about spirituality can be traced back to spiritual experiences, either our own or those of others we trust, such as family, friends, or spiritual leaders. Map of the Spirit sorts spiritual experiences into three discrete and, importantly, sequential types—Awareness, Commitment, and Union Experiences.

FOUR STAGES OF HUMAN SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT

Where are you, spiritually?

Map of the Spirit divides human spiritual development into four discrete and sequential stages. Each of these stages represents a significant and deeper shift in the evolution of your personal spirituality—as you move from determining what you believe in (Pre-awareness and Awareness Stages), to committing internally to follow your spirituality (Commitment Stage), to ultimately living out and manifesting your spirituality (Union Stage). Map shows you how to identify your current stage of spiritual development—where you are spiritually—and shows you how to move ahead to the next stage.

Map of the Spirit’s concepts are simple and easy to use. Read through the following sections and answer the corresponding questions on the Questionnaire. It takes very little time, usually less than 10 minutes, to see how Map of the Spirit can help you begin to understand and facilitate your spiritual development.