THE COURSE  OF HUMAN EVOLUTION
The makeup of the individual, our current status,
and our evolutionary possibilities

  

 


by Roy Posner

[We would like to acknowledge the teachings of the Indian sage and seer Sri Aurobindo for providing the foundation for the material below. We would also like to acknowledge the groundbreaking work of The Mother's Service Society who have extended these foundation principles into various fields of life, as expressed in the many ideas that follow.]

CONTENTS


Introduction
In this extended article we trace the course of human evolution; including our makeup, our current status, and our evolutionary possibility. First, we will discover the principles of consciousness that have emerged since the birth of the universe. Then we will discuss the makeup of the individual human being who emerged in the universe. There we will discover that the makeup of the individual human consists of planes that closely parallel the original principles of the universe. Then we will more closely examine these planes of the person, breaking them down into their more subtle sub-components. Finally, we will discuss how an individual human grows, develop, and evolve amongst these levels; and we will address the issue of where humanity is headed in the future. Along the way we will also introduce the spiritual planes of life for the individual; the key to his ultimate progress, accomplishment, fulfillment, and joy in life.

Let's then begin with an understanding of the four major principles of existence in the universe; which will help us understand the basis of who we are.

THE FOUR PLANES OF THE UNIVERSE  
(top)

The evolution of humanity began far before we appeared on earth. It really begins with the creation of the universe. From some Conscious Force, perhaps we can call it a spiritual Reality, an essential Energy emerged completely at rest. When that essential energy began to move, and then coagulated into forms of existence, the universe was born. In that universe, the first essential forms of existence took shape. Though there are unseen forms of existence -- including subtle forces and powers --the first forms we come to physically know are the forms of Matter.

Gradually, we see from within a proper mixture of the elements of matter, a second aspect emerging out of the inconscient matter. It is the animation of matter, which we can call the Vital (or Life) aspect or development. These vitalized forms, or 'life forms" range from the simplest (e.g. plants, amoebae, paramecium, fungus) all the way up through the complex animals in the primate family to humans.

A further evolutionary development in animate forms takes place. First in very rudimentary and later in more and more complex arrangements we see the birth of self-consciousness. In the earliest forms of animate life, consciousness appears to be based in chemical responses to impacts from internal or external sources. We see initial signs of life trying to defend, adapt, protect, hunt, etc. Gradually as higher forms of life with greater complexity emerged on earth we observe that consciousness, in fact, becomes different from the nervous response to chemical reactions. As thought, inspiration and creativity slowly emerge in the lower animals, and then in the higher primates, and finally in humans, we can clearly see more than just the mechanics, animus, and responses of the organism at work. Thus, we see the third aspect, mentality or Mind emerging in the evolution of creation.  Mind is the next building block of nature that is the basis of a more fully self-conscious species capable of self-choice and direction. It is most fully developed in humans, especially in the past ten thousand years, and its influence is rapidly accelerating, especially in the past 100 years.

Recently in what might be called modern times, say a few thousand years ago, we see another development emerging in the self-conscious species we call man. The evolutionary development of spiritual awakening or spiritual consciousness has appeared. Though rare, this experience has repeatedly occurred not just in ancient mystical societies but throughout modern times. In fact, when we scan life today, we find a small cross-section of individuals with a growing aspiration to exceed mind and find union and harmony in a higher universal consciousness. Thus Spirit is the fourth evolutionary development of existence in the universe. This principle is likely to expand in man after he has more successfully realized the full power of his mental consciousness.

Four Successive, Ascending Evolutionary
Developments in the Universe

^ Spirit
Mind
Vital
 (Animated Life)
Matter
 [Universe begins here]
(from moving Energy)


Involution and Evolution
We should point out that three of the four evolutionary developments in the universe actually existed before the universe existed. It is actually because they existed as plane of consciousness before creation that they exist in creation. Before creation there was Spirit from which in the "Involution" emerged a plane of Mind (unseen, hidden, unmanifest), which enabled a plane of Life, which is really an unseen essential Energy at rest. The universe essentially begins at the point where the unmoving energy of the Involution begins to move and coagulate in into the forms of existence. As these forms take shape, as subtle forces, plasma, matter, etc. the universe takes shape.

For more on this relationship between the involution (i.e. all that led up to creation) and the evolution (i.e. from the creation of the universe forward), click here. This is diagrammed below:

Planes in the Involution and Evolution

V

D
E
S
C
E
N
T

V		 Involution
(all that led up to creation)		 Evolution
 (the creation, universe forward)		 ^

A
S
C
E
N
T

 ^
Spirit
(Conscious Force)		 Spirit
(Conscious Force)
Plane of Mind Mind
Plane of Life
 (i.e. Energy at rest)		 Vital
 (Animated Life)
(from moving Energy)
[Universe begins here]
Matter		 Matter
 [Universe begins here]
(from moving Energy)


Notes:
-The universe as we know it essentially begins at the point where the unseen Energy at rest begins to move and coagulate into forms.)

-Together what is before creation and the creation itself, i.e. the involution and the evolution, before and including the universe, i.e. the One and the Many, is what is called The Absolute in the West, and Brahman in the East. (To have a vision of the oneness of Brahman is to see the perfect relation between spirit and life; to see that they are really the same things in different formation of substance and consciousness. Such a vision is to have an ultimate spiritual realization of life.)

Now that we have discovered the four evolutionary developments in creation  -- Matter, Vital (animated life), Mind, and Spirit, -- let us turn our attention to the human being, and understand what we are made up of.

THE VERTICAL PLANES OF THE INDIVIDUAL
(top)

As a result of the development of the universe, including life on earth, mankind has evolved to his present status. Over time the individual human has developed a range of qualities, capacities, and planes that in many ways parallels the principles that occur in the unfolding of the universe and life on earth. Matter of the universe takes shape as the physical body in the individual; Life in the universe has become the life force and vital consciousness in the individual; Mind in the universe has manifest as the mental consciousness in the individual; and the Spirit in the universe is a spiritual plane of consciousness that the individual can rise to through the spiritualized mind, and deep within through one's evolving soul.

The physical, vital, and mental planes all exist and are simultaneously active in each person, though the extent of their relative development and the preponderance of the influence they exercise on the personality differs from person to person. Also, the physical, vital, and mental exist and function interdependently among one another. (The fourth plane, the spiritual occurs in only a very few individuals.)

Looking at the four planes of individual consciousness, in an ascending scale from the physical body, to the vital, to the mind to the spirit, we can summarize each of these planes in the individual as follows:

Four Planes of Consciousness of the Human Individual



^

A
S
C
E
N
T

 ^

 

 Spiritual The consciousness beyond mind that connects to the underlying spiritual reality of the universe and the transcendent Divine.
Mental The facts, thoughts, sentiments, opinions, beliefs, values, ideals, ideas, and concepts that guide our conscious thinking, conceptualizing and decision-making processes.
Vital/Emotional
Definition: The semi-conscious sensations, urges, desires, feelings, emotions, and attitudes. The vital provides the energy for human action and expresses itself through attraction, liking, desire and enthusiasm.

Functioning: It (1) is where we experience the vital sensation of the central nervous system, our primal urges, desires, and fears; (2) where we experience our feelings, emotions, and passions of life; and (3) is where the emotions are processed into emotional thought, i.e. into the emotions' perception of knowledge, and it is where our attitudes, our life intelligence, and higher emotions reside.*
Physical Definition: The subconscious awareness and impulses of the body expressed in animal instincts, basic drives of human nature, and inherited character traits. The primary drives of the physical are for self-preservation and reproduction. 

 Functioning: It is (1) that which gives us material form, our raw physical existence, consisting of matter; (2) it is where our movements originate; (3) it is the seat of our physical urges and sensations, and (4) it is where the body learns how to act, i.e. where it learns the primary skills needed for existence.

*The vital also includes our association and connections with others around us. I.e. our relationship at the social plane.


(Society's 4 Stages/Planes of Evolution -- We should also point out that society itself has also developed down through time in three successive ages (physical, vital, mental, and potentially spiritual), which also parallels our principles and makeup of the creation of the universe and the makeup of the individual. For more on this, click here.) 


Breakdown of Planes of Human Consciousness into Sub Levels
Each of the planes of human consciousness -- physical, vital and mental (we will leave out spiritual for the time being, since it exists only rarely in humans at this point in our evolution) -- can be further subdivided into three sub-levels, bringing the total to at least nine distinct, identifiable levels of human consciousness. (This model we can call the vertical scale of human consciousness, and is presented below. It is based primarily on the works of the seer and sage Sri Aurobindo and further developed by members of the Mother's Service Society and Growth Online.) This model shows an ascending consciousness (i.e. from the bottom up) that goes from the most physical plane (at the bottom) and its related sublevels 9, 8, and 7, to the vital plane and its sub-levels 6, 5, and 4, to the mental plane (at the top) and its sublevels, 3, 2, and 1. Level 1 is the highest sublevel in terms of consciousness and subtlety of substance.

Three (of the Four) Planes of the Human Individual Further Broken down into SubPlanes

#

 Name Description
M
E
N
T
A
L

1

 Pure Mental This is where pure thinking, conceptual thinking takes place; where ideas are organized; concepts, ideas, possibilities are developed. There is no connection here to the senses of the body here as perceived in the sense mind below. It is pure thought. It is the center of our mental skills.
2 Vital in Mental This is where we gain a knowledge of life's workings; where the practical organized knowledge and comprehension of facts of level 3 is imbued with the emotions and feelings that turn organized comprehension into our interests, opinions, beliefs, sentiments, values, and ideals.
3 Physical in Mental The processing, organizing, systemizing of physical, natural, practical facts of information from the senses into understanding, comprehension, and knowledge, used for decision-making, action, and accomplishment.
V
I
T
A
L		 4 Mental in Vital This is where emotions (of the next level) are processed into emotional thought, the emotions' perception of knowledge. It is where our attitudes, life intelligence, and higher emotions lie. It is the center of our vital skills.
5 Pure Vital This is where our feelings, emotions, passion, enthusiasm reside.
6 Physical in Vital This is where we experience the vital sensation of the nerves, the central nervous system, where we experience urge, desire, and fear.
P
H
Y
S
I
C
A
L		 7 Mental in Physical This is the consciousness of the body, where it learns how to act, where it learns the primary skills needed for existence and action from movement. It is the center of our physical skills.
8 Vital in Physical This is the seat of our physical urges and sensations. It is where nervous sensation, pain, physical urge, hunger, lust, craving, physical possessiveness, and territoriality are rooted.
9 Pure Physical This is the pure physical, the body itself, our raw physical existence, consisting of matter. It is also where our movements originate.

For an even more powerful chart of how these nine levels express in terms of function, traits, works in life, skills, etc. please click here.  
 

Examining the Nine Levels
If we look at our table of nine levels we would notice a few interesting things. For one, if we look at one of the planes, say the mental planes we will see that it consists of three items, which have aspects of the other three planes. That is within the mental plane, there is a physical mental level, a vital mental level, and a mental mental level. 

Remember our earlier idea that in the creation, that the vital emerged out of the physical, and the mental evolved out of the mental. That each emerging plane had the seed of the next plane. In a way this is also brought out in our table of nine levels (as e.g. in the physical plane there is a vital aspect of it, and in the mental there is a vital aspect to it.)

Let's then break down the nine levels. At level 1, mental mental, the highest, or most evolved level, the mind is used for pure thought and to conceive new ideas and possibilities. At level 2, vital mental, the mind is engaged in interpreting the inputs form the five senses. That's why we call it vital mental; vital having to do with sensation. At level 3, the physical mental, we have the physical processing of data by the brain. 

Now we come down to the vital level. At level 4, the mental vital, we experience the emotions' perception of knowledge. It is where our attitudes are expressed. At level 5, vital vital, or vital proper, we experience our feelings, emotions, passion. At level 5, physical vital, or vital proper, we experience the physical aspect of our feelings and emotions; that is we experience the physical aspect of our feelings, emotions, and passions.

Now we come down to the physical level. At level 7,the mental physical, we experience the consciousness of the body. For example, when we walk there is an automatic inward, physical knowledge that knows what to do. This is the consciousness of the physical body. At level 8, we experience our physical urges and sensations, such as nervous sensation, comfort, pain, physical urge, hunger, lust, craving, physical possessiveness, territoriality, and sexuality. At level 9, the physical physical, or the physical proper, we encounter the actual physical matter that the body is made up of. There is no consciousness or sensation here; it is the material substance itself.

The greatest change that is occurring in human development is at the mental level, a levels 3, 2, and 1 in the chart above. Even within the mental plane there is a movement to higher manifestations (e.g. from just understanding, fact and thought gathering of level1 to the sentiments, ideals, values at level 2 to the pure thought and rationality of level 1.)

It is also interesting to observe how one plane impacts the next highest one up. For example, there is a vital element in the mental plane as we see at level 2, where sentiments, values, and ideals express. These are mixtures of mental facts and thoughts to our emotional propensities form the vital realm. A sentiment is a highly developed thought mixed with a tinge of emotion. The same with a value or an ideal at level 2. We see this tendency of planes to be effected by lower planes. That effect is essentially why there are sublevels expressing within each of the physical, vital, and mental planes.


Current State of Human Evolution
At this point in human evolution most individual's lives are primarily focused and centered primarily at the vital plane (of desire, wants, feelings, which fall within levels 6, 5, and 4), with a degree of touching on the mental plane. A significant but smaller group of humans also live at the mental level. For most of these individuals the development is predominantly in the lower parts of the mental plane as opposed to the higher. The focus is on processing information and thought gathering rather than the pure thinking, reasoning, and conceptualizing new ideas and possibilities (as in level 1). Only a small number of individuals live at this higher level of conceptual mind (level 1) of pure, rational thinking. Finally, only a very few also live at the higher planes of life, spiritualized mind where one is able to perceive information in silence, illumination, intuition; gaining more of, the full essence of the integral, perfect truth in the pursuit of the object of knowledge. 

Moving Away from the Impact of the Five Senses on Mind
We should also point out that one of the key reasons that humans do not have a developed consciousness in life is because when the mind functions at the mental level it is too much affected by the input of the five senses. When we are living at the surface of life, the mind is too affected by the senses, which distorts its capacity to know in life. It is only when we live in a deeper consciousness that we move away from the bombardment of the senses, which enables mind to be able to perceive the greater truths around it, giving us greater effectivity and efficiency in life. This is one of the great themes of the Growth Online site. (For more on living in the depths, click here.)

 

Personal Growth Through the Planes and Sublevels
As an individual grows and evolves, he ascends the scale of human consciousness. Ascending the scale may happen in many different ways. An individual may grow by developing higher capacities and tendencies at the current level, or by evolving to the next level or higher levels. (The former would be a considerable growth for the individual; the latter would be an unusual and dramatic evolution of the individual.) Each of these movements indicates some form of growth, development, and evolution for the person. 

In the film Educating Rita we witness how one woman ascends the vertical scale of consciousness. A likable, uneducated and somewhat crude woman she aspires to become educated. Through her collaboration with a professor in England she learns to read, write, and understand. As a result of this accomplishment she ascended from the vital plane to the mental plane. More specifically she moved from the vital plane into the next highest level, level 3, of the mental plane, the center where one acquires practical knowledge and information. She also slightly entered level 2 (where one develops emotional/mental sentiments such as poetry and one understands the workings of life itself), and perhaps even level 1 (where one conceptualizes completely original ideas). 

When a person grows and ascends the scale, the effect can be on many if not all the levels. That's because all of the levels are tied into one another, reflecting the fact that all the parts of our being (mental, vital, psychological, mental, spiritual) are tied together. Moreover, as we evolve up into and through a higher level we don't necessarily leave the "lower" levels behind, but uplift and purify them. For example, as a person gains more awareness of the causes of a physical problem or illness (a higher mental movement upward), it can in turn have an affect downward through his emotional and physical being. Let's say a person acquires the knowledge (level 3) that stress is an important factor in physical well-being. This bit of knowledge (i.e. a thought) can then be applied to his emotions by learning to control ones emotional reactions to strain by learning to become more calm, which in turn has the effect of reducing stress which in turn makes the body more healthy. Thus the movement upward into a higher awareness of thought had a movement downward through his emotions and physical well being.

To see the complete table describing all nine levels, along with definitions, expressions in life, etc. as well as a detailed analysis of the makeup of human consciousness among these levels, please click here.

Levels of Love at Four Planes
Every idea expresses through related ideas that offer shadings of it at the physical, vital, mental, and spiritual levels. Take the notion of love. At the physical level it is pure attachment. At the vital level it is intensity of need and desire. At the mental level it is admiration for another's character or ideal. At the spiritual level, it is pure self-givingness. As we see when we move up the scale there is a reversal from taking to giving.

THE FOURTH VERTICAL PLANE: THE SPIRITUAL
 (continued --the vertical scale of human consciousness
 -- physical, vital, mental)
 (top)

We have suggested that there is a plane beyond the physical, vital, and mental levels of the human. That plane we call the spiritual plane. This is the plane which the human race is slowly embracing in its evolution. Based on the teachings of the Indian sage and seer Sri Aurobindo and the work of The Mother's Service Society in this area, we have developed a schema for the spiritual plane. The Spiritual plane consists of spiritual qualities and capacities of mind that are above even the highest mental qualities, which we identify as Higher mind, Illumined Mind, Intuitive Mind, Overmind, and Supermind, in an ascending scale upwards to greater and greater capacity (culminating in Supermind). The Supramental spiritual level is the ultimate dynamic spirit of the universe with its infinite powers, which can interact with the individual through the mind. The Absolute is pure spirit; the source of all. Below we list the levels relative to the other levels. 

Four Planes and SubPlanes Available to the Human Individual

PLANE LEVEL
Spiritual The Absolute
  Pure Spirit
  Supermind
  Overmind
Spiritual Mind Intuitive Mind
  Illumined Mind
  Higher Mind
Mental Pure Mind
  Emotional Mind
  Physical Mind
Vital Mental Vital
  Pure Vital
  Physical Vital
Physical Mental Physical
  Vital Physical
  Pure Physical


The spiritual plane for the individual is defined as the higher powers of mind beyond our normal functioning of, plus levels beyond that. The higher levels of mind are Higher Mind, Illumined Mind, and Intuitive Mind. Beyond the higher levels of mind are Overmind and Supermind. Whereas the mind understands through the thinking process, the higher mind understands and "thinks" in Silence without thoughts, where the thought, understanding appears from within the framework of silence. Illumined Mind does not work primarily by thought but by vision. It is Mind no longer of higher thought/silence, but of spiritual light, an illumination of Spirit. Intuitive mind directly perceives the object, and does not need the medium even of light. 

Whereas mind proper comprehends the object of a knowledge via an intelligible idea, Higher Mind comprehends by silent observation or reception of the situation, Illumined Mind comprehends the object of knowledge when the idea becomes a vision or light, Intuitive Mind comprehends the object of knowledge through direct communication without the intermediaries of energy, idea, silence or light, and Supermind the object of knowledge by having the object of knowledge within as soon as it wishes to comprehend the knowledge, without the need for any communication from the object of knowledge. 

LEVELS OF SPIRITUAL MIND, & SUPERMIND
Supermind
(Truth consciousness)
The object of knowledge just appears inside one's mind; one is the creator of the knowledge from seemingly out of nothing; i.e. one is the knowledge. Knower, knowledge, and knowing are one.

Intuitive Mind
(Spiritual Mind)
The object of knowledge just descends into the mind, without any thought.

Illumined Mind
(Spiritual Mind)
Knowledge comes as descents of light and illumination. Thought is replaced in those moments through vision.

Higher Mind
(Spiritual Mind)
Thought occurs in the framework of inner silence.

(One can connect more often to these spiritual realms of mind by making the effort of transformation. That effort begins with a movement within, and then extends out to the spiritual forces and powers in life. To learn how to make an evolutionary change, i.e. to rise to and transform one's self to these level of spiritual mind, click here. For an explanation of transformation to the level of Supermind, click here.)

 For additional thoughts on mind and spiritual mind, click here.

The Evolution of Human Consciousness Summarized


Table of the Evolution of Human Consciousness



^

A
S
C
E
N
T

 ^

 

 Spiritual Mind and Pure Spirit The Absolute, Brahman The Absolute, Brahman, the Divine Consciousness
(integral vision of all planes)
E, C-F, D Existence (Pure Spirit), Conscious Force, Delight
Supermind Knowledge by Identity (Truth Consciousness)
(object of knowledge sought created within)
Intuitive Mind Intuition, revelations
(of total object of knowledge, w/o thought)
Illumined Mind Light and Illumination
(descents of knowledge, w/o thought)
Higher Mind Silence of mind
(enabling better thought, greater knowledge)
Mental Pure Mental
(The mind proper)		 Ideas, Concepts, Rational Thinking, Logical, Rational Thinking, Pure Thought, Conscious Self-conception
Vital Mental
(The vital part of the mental plane)		 Knowledge of Life's Workings;
Knowledge Imbued with Feeling, Emotion
 (interests, opinions, sentiments, beliefs, values, and ideals)
Physical Mental
(The physical part of the mental plane)		 Input, Processing, Organizing, Storage of Sense Data
(for understanding, comprehension;
practical knowledge; used for decision making)
Vital Mental Vital
(The mental part of the vital plane)		  Emotional Thought as Attitudes, Life Intelligence, Higher Emotions
 (including conduct, social norms, conscience)
Pure Vital
(Vital proper)		 Emotions, Feelings, Passions, Intense Human Relationships
Physical Vital
(The physical part of the vital plane)		 Sensation of the Nerves
 (urge, desire, fear; seeks action, relationship, expansion,
adventure, acquisition, conquest, and enjoyment)
Physical (Body) Mental Physical
(The mental part of the physical plane)		 Body Knowledge of How to Act, Primary Skills of Existence
Vital Physical
(The vital part of the physical plane)		 Physical Urges and Sensation
 (pain, hunger, lust, craving,  possessiveness, territoriality, attraction/repulsion, etc.)
Pure Physical
(The physical proper)		 -Origins of Physical Movement, Instinct for Survival
 -Inconscient (i.e. unconscious) Physical Matter


Explanation:
Above is a hierarchy of human functioning within the four planes of consciousness. Each plane shows a movement to ever-higher functionings in that plane. This is in essence the evolution of higher consciousness within that plane. E.g. (shown at the bottom of the table) within the plane of the Physical (body) there is a beginning of inconscient matter (inherited from the animal ancestor and before to the plant, which emerged out of the inconscient, non-conscious physical matter, gas, mineral, born of creation), the origins of physical movement, and the instinct for survival. This is at the Pure Physical level. At the next level, the Vital Physical (the vital part of the physical plane), we see the emergence of the physical urges and sensations, as indicated through pain, hunger, craving, possessiveness, attraction and repulsion. etc. which in turn evolves to the Mental Physical where the body knowledge of how to act, and the primary skills of existence develops.

The physical/body plane then evolves a Vital plane. It begins in the Physical Vital with the development of the sensations of the nerves as urge, desire, and fear. There is a seeking of action, relationship, adventure, conquest, et al at this subplane. From this emerges the Pure Vital where there is the development of emotions, feelings, passions, including the emergence of intense human relationships. That evolves the Mental Vital, where there is the development of emotional thought in the form of attitudes, life intelligence, and higher emotions.

The vital plane then evolves a Mental plane. This emerges with the Physical Mental where there is the processing of thoughts gathered through the inputs of the five senses. This data is processed, organized, and stored for understanding and comprehension which becomes practical knowledge which is used for decision making. From there evolves the subplane of the Vital Mental, where there is further developed a knowledge of life's workings, where knowledge is imbued with feelings and emotions, which takes the form of interests, sentiments, values, and ideals. Out of the evolves the Pure Mental, devoid of sense input and influence, where there is the development of pure ideas, concepts, the activity of rational thinking and the use of logic. Pure thought emerges, as does the individual's ability to self-conceive his existence, such as what he wishes to become.

The mental plane then evolves to the Spiritual plane, which begins with the subplanes of the spiritual Mind, including the Higher, the Illumined, and the Intuitive planes of the spiritual mind, and beyond to the unitary consciousness of Supermind, and above that still to pure spirit and Being of the Absolute. In Higher Mind one reaches an inner silence from which thought and knowledge more readily emerge on their own. Beyond that is Illumined Mind where descents of light and knowledge come into the mind without thought. Further still there is a descent of intuitions and revelation of complete object of knowledge at the subplane of Intuitive Mind, again without thought. Beyond that is Supermind where the object of knowledge appears and is born within, created inside one's self. It is the knowledge by identity, the ultimate truth consciousness of Knowledge. It is also a Force of spirit that we can open that can dynamically change our existence. Beyond that is the Existence, Consciousness-Force, Delight (i.e. the pure spirit/Being, that is conscious of itself and delights in that fact). It is known as Satchitananda in the East. Ultimately there is the Absolute (Brahman in the East) which is to have the integral vision of the relation and oneness of all planes below it.

Note: It should be mentioned that this evolution did not take place in a perfect sequence. E.g. there may be the basic sense-input of functioning at the mental plane before attitudes at the lower vital plane were more fully developed.
 

 For additional thoughts and references to the vertical scale of human consciousness from matter to spirit, click here.

THE HORIZONTAL PLANES OF THE INDIVIDUAL
 (from the surface to the inner consciousness)
 (top)

(Click here to go directly to a chart of the horizontal scale)

INTRODUCTION
 It is then not too difficult to comprehend that we essentially consist of distinct aspects or centers of consciousness; a physical, a vital, a mental, and a spiritual plane. We can call this grouping the "vertical scale of human consciousness." However, there is another scale of human consciousness that is also part of our human makeup, though it is far less understood or even perceived as real. This other scale ranges from our outer surface consciousness to an inner consciousness in the depths of our being. One way to imagine this is a series of concentric circles expanding out from the center of our being to the outer surface. The outer circle would be the surface of life we experience at the most material level, the inner circle would be our deepest parts within. We can choose to live on the surface of life or be centered in the depths of our being. The more we are influenced by the positive elements of the depths there are also negative elements), the higher our consciousness; the more we live on he surface, i.e. the outer rings, the less conscious we are of the world. As we bring the higher consciousness of the depths to our surface life, replacing the current surface occupations of the outer material world experienced through our sense, the more we evolve. This movement is a  key to our future growth and development as a species.

The inner consciousness (or being) consists of unconscious parts and very conscious parts. The unconscious parts include the inconscient and the subconscient (subconscious), while the conscious parts consist of the subliminal, or subtle physical, vital, and mental parts, and more conscious still, the personal evolving soul, the True Self behind the subliminal being.

As we move our consciousness away from the surface of life and more towards the inner positive Subliminal being and even greater still to the Personal Evolving Soul (the Psychic Being) we break the bonds of our limited nature. We begin to come in contact with greater forces and powers within, which enable us to have greater control of the outer live; which breaks down our limiting, separative ego-sense, which overcomes our fundamental Ignorance which prevents us from having true, integral Knowledge, open us up to universal forces and powers, and enables us to experience the greatest Delight of existence.

Let's consider the limited and greater parts of our inner being. The bedrock of all matter in the universe is unconsciousness, which we can call the Inconscient realm. That unconsciousness, inconscience of matter lives inside the human in the mostly negative Subconscient realm within. However, sitting atop the Subconscient is the very positive Subliminal, which throws up positive influences to our surface being. Within the Subliminal is the Personal Evolving Soul (the Psychic Being), which is the great aspect of our being that enables us to discover our true evolutionary nature. As we make contact with the Subliminal and Psychic Being, we evolve. We begin to do this in life by moving from living on the surface of life to moving into these depths. Ultimately we must also evolve the unevolved subconscient realms within, which we do by opening to the Superconscient realm, which is essentially the spiritual domain. When the spiritual domain evolves the subconscient, and we are firmly living in the depths of our being in the Subliminal and Personal Evolving Soul, the human individual will have begun the process of being transformed into his ultimate evolutionary possibility.


-We can then say that the horizontal scale of consciousness ranges from our outer surface consciousness to an inner consciousness in the depths of our being, and can be diagrammed as follows. (It can also be diagrammed where the outer consciousness is a ring just outside, and perpendicular ourselves; and the inner rings within ourselves are the parts of the inner being.)

THE HORIZONTAL SCALE OF HUMAN CONSCIOUSNESS
(surface to depths)
The Inner Consciousness
(The depths within)		 The Outer Consciousness
(Our surface existence)
The Inconscient

The Subconscient
(Subconscious)

The Subliminal
 -Inner Physical
-Inner Vital
-Inner Mental

The Psychic Being
(The Personal Evolving Soul)
 

-Outer Physical
-Outer Vital
-Outer Mental

-Where humans normally functioning from.

We can also say that there is an ultimate consciousness that is superconscient to us, that is essentially the spiritual consciousness. (It is not on the vertical or horizontal scale per se.) In the evolution and transformation of the individual, the Superconscient transforms the subconscient and the inconscient elements within to evolve them, and dissolve their limiting affect on our day to day consciousness.

The Superconscient
(The cosmic spirit)

-The universal consciousness
-The transcendent consciousness

-We are not conscious of workings here.
-We need to become conscious of it.
-When we go into the inner being we make connection with it.
-We need to bring it into the subconscious to make it conscious

V V V
 The Superconscient evolves the Inconscient and Subconscient

The Inner Consciousness
(The depths within)


 

PARTS OF THE INNER CONSCIOUSNESS
Here is a breakdown of each of the inner parts of our being:

The Subconscient (Subconscious)
Consider the realm of our psyche Freud called the "subconscious." On analysis we see that he has given us a rather narrow interpretation of this inner realm of the individual. Our own interpretation is that the subconscious (which we actually refer to as the "subconscient") is an unevolved realm of our consciousness that is constantly throwing up influences to our surface being in the form of subtle sensations, emotions, feelings, thoughts, and ideas. Unfortunately, most of the influences that originate from the subconscient are quite negative. That's the case because the subconscient is an unconscious and unevolved part of our inner being; a kind of vestige of our primitive heritage. For example, a good deal of the fear we experience in life wells up from this realm. Or, when we sleep and wake up tired and exhausted in the morning as a result of incessant, draining dreams, we know we have spent time traveling in this unconscious realm. Also, in the course of our days when we feel pessimistic, or things seem hopeless, or we sense that there is no way out of a situation or a difficulty, you know that the subconscient is sending up its negative impression to our surface thoughts and feelings. Perhaps most negatively the subconscient is the part of our being that reinforces our physical illnesses. Have you ever felt a cold coming on, and suddenly you think to yourself "oh no, not a cold?" Well that's the subconscient influence of fear and pessimism at work, reinforcing and solidifying the possibility of the illness. The subconscient has this overall negative nature because it has built in memory of millennia of human suffering, disease, and death. It sends up pessimistic, negative, fear-laden messages intent on overcoming the positives that occur on the surface. Its message is that anything positive on the surface is but a temporary distraction and waste of time because we will all end in disease, death, and destruction.

Needless to say the subconscient part needs to be changed and transformed into something greater if the human individual is to emerge out of his current limited consciousness. It would certainly be a big step in human evolution if we could learn to recognize the influences of the subconscient in our lives, and then take conscious actions to transform this unconscious part of our inner being. That would certainly be an admirable goal for those pioneer individuals who wish to be forerunners of a new evolved human race.

(For additional thoughts on the subconscient/subconscious, click here.)


The Inner Being (the Subliminal)
But take heart; it is not all doom and gloom within! There are parts of the inner being that are quite positive and helpful. Sitting at the surface of the unevolved, dark subconscient is the "subliminal being," also called the "inner being." Like the subconscient we are continually feeling the influence of the subliminal in our thoughts and feelings. And like the subconscient we are pretty much unaware of the influence on us. The difference between the two is that the subliminal's affect on us is quite positive. The realms of the inner mind and the inner vital that make up the subliminal have a larger, subtler, freer consciousness than the outer mental and vital nature that we normally experience. When we experience life on the surface, the inner mind and vital have a deeper perception of what is going on at that moment. It sends these messages to our surface consciousness, which we can utilize for right understanding, perception, insight, and decision making. The subliminal has such powers because it itself is connected and related to universal forces and powers that have a vast insight and power to comprehend life.

Unfortunately however, most of the time we are not in touch with these positive subliminal influences because our consciousness is too centered on the surface of life; too distracted and overcome by what our senses are absorbing, which in turn cloud our thoughts and perception, blocking our ability to comprehend the full and integral knowledge of what is unfolding around us. Instead of a poise of calm concentrated observation of life, we are caught up in the surface movements and perturbations. However, as we rise in consciousness, i.e. as we consciously make movements to center our consciousness more in the depths of our being, we begin to recognize these subtle influences more often. We recognize the subtle signals that rise up from the depths, allowing them to guide us in what to do and what not to do; in how to act and what to avoid, enabling us to have more penetrating understanding and insight, leading to right behaviors, right decisions, and perfect outcomes to our actions. In that sense the subliminal is continually influencing us to move in the right direction, in the direction of our greatest possibilities and potentials. If we can learn to clear the pathways of this influence, we can begin to truly manifest our infinite potential.

(For additional thoughts on the subliminal, click here.)


The Personal Evolving Soul (the Psychic Being)
And yet there is a greater region still within us. Located in the heart of the subliminal being is our most profound part; what we recognize as our "personal evolving soul." Each person has a spark of the divine consciousness. This is his soul; an inlet and spark of the universal soul, the divine spirit. The personal evolving soul, however, is an extension of this divine soul spark; an individualization of the divine soul spark. It is a distinct formed soul entity that forms a mutual bond with the growth and development of our own personal being. Moreover, it is called an evolving soul because it is continually changing and evolving through time, as it moves through the universe from one body to the next in its search for higher consciousness and being. In that sense it really is a personal evolving soul.

If we make contact with the personal evolving soul, its influence on our day-to-day lives is immense. When we connect with it, it becomes our Inner Guide in life, helping us overcome the deficiencies in our outer character and consciousness; helping us overcome our limiting and negative behaviors, actions, habits, and attitudes. By making this contact we also connect to the universal and transcendent forces and powers in the universe, including vast openings to true, full, integral knowledge, and to the Divine Source and spirit of creation. Also, as a result of connecting to the personal evolving soul we experience a vast, never-ending joy and delight of being; a spiritual bliss, rooted in our new found association with the spiritual Divine Reality. Ultimately, connecting to the personal evolving soul is the single key to any attempt to evolve beyond our current limited human nature to a future higher consciousness and nature.

(For more on the Psychic Being, the personal evolving soul, click here.)
 

Breakdown of the Inner Consciousness

Inconscient
 (Unconscious Bedrock of Matter & the Physical Body)

-It is the original unconsciousness of creation.
 -It is unconscious bedrock of matter, that is there in our physical bodies.
-In the creation the consciousness of the Creator became the Inconscient of Matter in the Universe.
-The inconscient can change when the evolving subconscient evolves.

Subconscient
 (Subconscious)

-Fundamental part of our inner consciousness.
 -We are not conscious of its workings.
-Is influenced by the unconsciousness of Inconscient matter that is our bodies.
 -It is mostly negative. Is support of our fear, pessimism, fixed habits, illness, decay, and death.
-It is evolving.
 -We need to make it conscious, i.e. evolve it.
If it evolves, many negative aspects of life can be overcome (e.g. illness, pessimism, repeating habits, illness, even death itself). It evolves when we make contact more with the Subliminal, which sits atop it. When we bring the Superconscient (the forces and power of the universal, spiritual planes) into the Subliminal it enables the Subconscient to evolve out of its negative qualities, overcoming its shackles on the human race.

Subliminal
(Inner Physical, Inner Vital, Inner Mental)

-It is situated on the surface of Subconscient
 -We are not conscious of its workings.
-It is positive.
-It contains the inner/subtle mind, vital, and physical, which are of a higher consciousness and substance then their outer manifestations.
 -It sends up positive influences to our surface consciousness, which we are unconscious of.
 -It is continually impacted by the Superconscient (the forces and powers of universal, spiritual planes).
-When we move within to the depths of our being, we move into this region, become more conscious of its working, enabling greater powers over life.
 -We need to move within into this region to truly grow, develop, and evolve.
-When we go here, it also enables the negative Subconscient to evolve, since the Subliminal sits on top of the Subconscient. (Thus through our connection within we can transform the negative influences of the Subconscient.)

Psychic Being
(The Personal Evolving Soul)

-Resides inside the Subliminal; actually in a cave of the subliminal.
-Each individual has a soul, a spark of the Divine. The psychic being is the deputy of or an extension of the soul.
-The psychic being moves from body to body through time evolving itself to its ultimate possibility. When we die, the psychic leaves the body and rests, or enters another person who can provide the experiences that will enable its further evolution.
 -It is an evolving entity absorbing those aspects of the individual it inhabits; it absorbs those aspects of an individual's emerging consciousness that are useful for its own growth. When it can no longer absorb soul insight from the current host, it moves to another host through death and rebirth.
-The psychic becomes formulated in us as we grow and reach a threshold of growth, which puts us in contact with it.
-Going within and connecting to it enables great progress for the individual.
 -When we connect to it, vast change in the individual's consciousness begins. (Ego, separateness, Ignorance are overcome; one experiences a great Delight of Being; one connects to and can utilize universal forces and powers; it becomes our Personal Guide showing us what and what not to do, what aspects of ourselves need improvements; it enables descents of direct light and intuitions of knowledge into our minds; we reach Sri Aurobindo's Third Way of 'Simultaneous Time", we bring the Being into the Becomings of our lives, enabling the infinite to inhabit the current finite, enable the Psychic transformation, which is followed by the spiritual transformation, and supramental transformation.
-The more we consecrate acts to the Force, the more we can penetrate into the depths enabling us to connect with the psychic being. When we connect there, we are ready to surrender to the Divine.

Subliminal
 (Inner Physical, Inner Vital, Inner Mental)

Subconscient
 (Subconscious)

Inconscient
 (Unconscious Bedrock of Matter, the body)

 

 For additional thoughts and references to the horizontal scale of human consciousness from the surface to the depths, click here.

 

ASCENT OF THE INDIVIDUAL
 (top)


Growth and Evolution on The Vertical and Horizontal Scale
An individual can grow, develop, or evolve in two directions; a movement upward along the vertical scale of consciousness from physical to vital to metal to spiritual, or along the horizontal scale, from living on the surface of life to living in the depths of one's being. Vertical progress is an ascent; horizontal progress is a movement within. For example, in the vertical scale if one makes improvements in one attitudes (at level 4 of the vital of that scale), one becomes purified at that level. Or if one changes from an emotional person to more of a mental person, one's center of consciousness would tend to embrace more of the mental planes. (This indeed would be a substantial growth for the individual.) One can also move deeper within in the horizontal scale, away from the surface of life to a deeper center within. This would likewise be a spiritual development within.

One can make a spiritual development either by rising to the planes above mind to spiritual mind, such as when we have more continuous descents of illuminations and intuitions of knowledge, or we can develop spiritually by moving within to the deeper parts of our being, i.e. to the subliminal mind, and further still to the personal evolving soul within, i.e. the psychic being.

One also develops spiritually through an interaction of the vertical and horizontal planes. For example, as one moves more often to the depths of one's being, one begins to have experiences of spiritual mind, including illuminations, and revelations of knowledge, and even descents of the entire object of knowledge as intuitions devoid of thought. In other words as one goes deeper within, there is a movement up into spiritual mind (or perhaps we can say that spiritual mind descends into the person.)

Where Human Are on the Vertical Scale
On the vertical scale of consciousness most individuals are centered at the vital level, though many are also centered at the physical level, and some at the mental level. Only a handful on earth are centered at the spiritual level. As for the surface to the depths, the horizontal scale, virtually everyone lives on the surface of life. Just as few live in the realm of spiritual mind or pure spirit above mind, very few live within in the depths of one's being down to the personal evolving soul.

On the vertical scale each individual tends to be centered in one of the four planes; the physical, the vital/emotional, the mental, and the spiritual plane. For example X is a physical type person, i.e. very limited and fixated in her nature; while Y is an emotional-centered person of passions, feelings, and intense desires; while Z is a mental person, living more in the world of thoughts, ideas, logical thought, and self-conception of what he can become. Here's a little table showing four types of individual types and the expressions of each type.

We should point out that a person doesn't simply live on the plane that represents the type he is centered in. For example, though an individual is predominantly an emotional person, he still of course has a physical body, and so exists at the physical plane, and he has thoughts and ideas at the mental plane.

General Typing of Individuals
Type Expression