People are always sending Jeff questions, which he loves. Some of them he answers privately, others make for good podcasting and are worth sharing. The common thread running through most of them is an inquiry into: how are we to live more consciously and integrally? Not surprisingly, this is Jeff’s favorite topic of conversation!

“We’re exploring this new territory intellectually,” he says, “but we also have integral awakenings that we can feel in our own bodies. We experience living in a new worldspace.  But what is it?  What does it feel like?  How does it call us to act? How do we settle here, become stabilized and take up residency?”  That’s at the core of the listener questions Jeff ponders this week …

  • Is fundamentalism fundamental? Graham from British Columbia writes, “I’m curious if perhaps a certain level of fundamentalism is a necessary part of development across the spectrum and primarily shows up when a new level of development is achieved.”
  • How do we encourage development? Peggy from New England is asking the perennial question in the integral world. “What’s the line between inviting and forcing? Is it possible to make anyone grow up?”
  • What’s up with the whole Illuminati, alien, reptilian shape shifting conspiracy? Rob from Frankfurt’s friends send him videos and he’s baffled.”I don’t understand the draw to it, but a lot of my relatively developed friends are really into this stuff.”
  • How do we engage with young people who are often despondent about the state of the planet? “They’re all so aware of what’s going wrong,” Marie from Montreal says. Integral theory provides a way of putting things in context for a more realistic (and hopeful) view.
  • “As we move into a turquoise value system and the concept of evolutionary spirituality, what does the ‘it’ and ‘we’ spaces of Integral spiritual community look like?” This question from Beth, a Methodist minister in Minnesota who participated in the recent Christian conference here in Boulder.

Thank you to everyone who sends in questions and comments. Please keep them coming! Our favorite way to get them is through Speakpipe, the orange tab to the right. You can also write to Jeff at [email protected].

FULL TRANSCRIPT

FULL PODCAST (PLUS EXCERPTS OF EACH QUESTION)