Friday, May 16, 2008

The Basics of Evolutionary Spirituality


A new article at Integrative Spirituality takes a look at Evolutionary Spirituality. I'm not sure who authored this piece. It's long and makes some big assumptions, but it's interesting.

In general, I agree with the statements made below, but I sense a bit of a human-centric bias that I think is not really supported by the evidence.

Here is the beginning, which includes all of the basic premises.
The Basics of Evolutionary Spirituality ---- The Deepest Patterns, Purposes and Intentions of 14 billion Years of Evolutionary Progress and What they Mean for Your Personal Destiny and Success!

What are the Deepest Patterns, Purposes and Intentions of 14 billion Years of Evolutionary Progress?

To understand the new ideas of the evolutionary spirituality movement it is necessary to understand what are the deepest reoccurring success patterns found in evolution. In other words, what is really going o­n within the deep time natural laws and processes of the universe's 14 billion years of successful physical evolution.

Even though the following summary of those deep evolutionary "success" patterns may initially appear a bit technical or complex, it is the essential foundation to understanding the most "proven" principles, processes and spiritual implications found within the power of evolution itself as well as the Evolutionary Spirituality movement. This knowledge is the core of success in all life's endeavors...

In its deepest, most repeated and successful patterns our estimated 13.7 billion year physical evolution appears to be moving towards creating or upholding the following:

a. Expanding diversity and novelty (with a potential towards a theoretical exhaustion of all possibilities for more novelty and diversity.)

b. Expanding complexity (with a potential towards a theoretical exhaustion of
all possibilities for more complexity.)

c. Expanding adaptation/mutation/change (towards a theoretical exhaustion of all possibilities of more adaptation/mutation.) Adaptation/mutation being defined as
the potential to change/evolve/adapt/mutate to contingencies based o­n new conditions. Expanding diversity, novelty, complexity, adaptation and/or mutation from a limited field of view or perspective within the evolutionary system and can create the appearance from limited or smaller perspectives of chance, randomness, chaos or even whim.

d. Expanding energy exchanges and/or transfers (towards a theoretical exhaustion of all possibilities of more energy exchanges and/or transfers.) {Please note: Every item in bold in this section immediately below, directly or indirectly needs exchanges or transfers of energy for expanding or to become more.}

Exchanges or transfers of energy can be in the form of:

  1. increasing energy flow,

  2. decreasing or dispersal of energy flow or

  3. the creation of dynamic energy equilibriums or static energy fields. (Static energy fields are conditions where energy is in a minimal state of flow or dispersal and collects in an area as stored energy. Dynamic equilibriums can be composed of any of the relationships between individual parts, sub systems of
    the whole and/or the whole of evolution itself. These relationships are composed of, and maintained by, appropriate and balancing (needed, fair and/or just,) spiraling dynamic energy exchanges between the individual parts, the sub systems of the whole and/or the whole of evolution itself. Dynamic equilibriums allow for the continuous spiraling and expanding of the energy exchanges needed to adjust to existing and new forms of diversity, novelty, complexity, mutation and adaptation within the overall equilibrium’s individual parts, sub systems and/or the whole of evolution itself within the tolerances for the existence and sustainability of that particular dynamic equilibrium.)


    iv. the critical evolutionary juncture:
    There is a point in the creation or maintenance of dynamic equilibriums (any kind of groupings in the universe weather it be atoms, cells, molecules, solar systems, galaxies, or even marriages, families, corporations, organizations, nations etc) where if the balance of energy exchanges within the myriad of forms that energy forms can be exchanged within or between dynamic equilibriums, either fails to establish itself or goes to far out of balance. When that happens a point is reached where o­ne of two things generally happen. Those two outcomes are either evolutionary adaption and growth toward the establishment or re-establishment of either new or old dynamic equilibriums or --- breakdown, retrogression and/or extinction.

    What is most exciting about this critical evolutionary juncture is that due to the increasing intelligence, consciousness and autopoiesis (inherent creativity,) of and between the evolving individual parts, sub systems of the dynamic equilibrium and/or the whole of evolution itself the individual parts and sub systems of some existing or potentially new dynamic equilibrium can have a significant effect o­n either the establishment or reestablishment of either new or old dynamic equilibriums thus preventing evolutionary breakdown, retrogression or extinction.

e. If critical junctures are passed through successfully, the above success patterns move the individual parts and sub systems of evolution as well as the whole of evolution in a spiraling expansion toward:

  1. more dynamic equilibriums of expanding order, integration and harmony being established within individual parts and sub systems continuously re-balancing apparent chaos toward order. (Evolution at the deepest reoccurring success levels appears to proceed though cooperative win/win or lose/lose arrangements and not pure survival of fittest (win/lose) as has been popularly and grossly mischaracterized about the nature of evolution.)

  2. more self organization/autonomy/consciousness and/or freedom for more individual parts and sub systems, which is counter-balanced by the pull of more interdependency and interdependencies with even more complex larger systems seeking to establish their own dynamic equilibrium and integration of expanding order and harmony, toward...

    more sustainability: all individual parts, sub systems and the whole seeking to last for more time ---
    for more individual parts and more individual sub systems within the new larger system, moving theoretically towards the whole evolutionary system seeking an integration of all parts and sub systems into a unified sustainable dynamic equilibrium of the highest possible level of order, integration and harmony for itself.)

    An important sub-part to the spiraling process of creating more individual part and sub system self organization/autonomy/consciousness/freedom comes about through more educational experiences in which the individual parts or sub systems through some form of trial and error have the potential to experience more conflict than is comfortable or more pleasure and/or the relief of the discomfort (the inherent cause and effect rewards or punishments of their actions/choices,) or pleasure, which appears to educate/teach/evolve the individual parts or sub systems toward more adaptability by developing more intelligence/awareness and in some organisms like humankind, more self consciousness. It appears that o­ne of the greatest success deep patterns of evolution is continually creating tensional and turbulent conditions that stimulate and optimize adaptation and growth. (The philosopher Hegel proposed that the direction of life in the universe is for more and more matter to eventually become conscious.)

    What the Deep Success Patterns of our 14 billion Years of Evolutionary Progress Mean for Your Personal Destiny and Success?

    In the reoccurring deepest patterns of the 14 billion years of successful evolutionary process and progress you can see the most basic patterns and laws for success that every individual, family, organization, corporation, nation, system or thing must sooner or later acknowledge and follow--- if that dynamic equilibrium or grouping wishes to survive or thrive. Evolution “is a general condition to which all theories, all hypotheses and all systems must bow… Evolution is a light illuminating all facts, a curve that all lines must follow.” Pierre Teilhard De Chardin

    From the repetition of the deep patterns unfolds the destiny of the universe and all things in it. Any individual, grouping, organization, nation or system that acknowledges the realities of these reoccurring deep success patterns and then orders itself by their deep time truths will have an overwhelming survival advantage over individuals, groupings, organizations, nations or systems that don’t. This advantage will give them far better control over their individual and collective physical destinies.

    If you take the time at the end of this section to re-read the deep patterns again, but this time from the completely new perspective of asking yourself, how can you can apply these deep evolutionary truths to your current personal situations and the groups that you interact with, you will find real treasure. While re-reading them, take the time to notice where your life or current social groupings are resisting, denying or going directly against the flow of any of the deep patterns. Note down any new ideas that you might have about any changes you could make in your life to remedy those matter.

    The deep evolutionary patterns above relate most directly to the physical and psychological aspects of our lives and the world, but they also do relate to our spiritual lives in many new ways. For hundreds of generations before the advent of modern science, humanity has been empirically discovering some of these deep time success patterns and recording them in its sacred texts to be able teach their importance to an individual’s success and destiny.

    When you review them again with new deep time eyes you will gradually begin to see where most of our current religious commandments and social laws have come from. You also should be able to see in life-renewing ways the essential future role that your co-creative free will and your adaptive, growing consciousness (your agency) will play to interconnect, interrelate and cooperatively partner with other dynamic equilibrium groupings (your communions,) to prevent breakdown, retrogression and/or extinction. You many even embrace a new kind of “normal,” “peaceful” and healthy way of making your vital energy exchanges with the many dynamic equilibrium groupings of your life in a manner that although it looks like near continuous dynamic tension and turbulent balance, is completely appropriate to the natural evolutionary success process.

    As you continue reading the remaining sections you will also discover the spiritual wisdom o­n how the deep patterns of evolution both reflect the intentions and purposes of the universe itself, the Ever Present Origin of the Universe (it/he/she aka God/Buddha) as well as the expanded success patterns and laws of the emerging rebirth of post post-modern spirituality and religion.


    The New Spirituality implied within the Deepest Patterns of Physical Evolution and Evolutionary Progress

    In addition to how the deepest patters of evolution relate to the virtues above, there comes into view paralleling relationships between the physical patterns and trends of evolution and the evolution of Spirit and spirituality within the process of evolution. Based upon what we know about evolution and deepest patters of evolution (above):

  1. The evolutionary universe(s) can be fairly described as a single energy/matter event that inherently enfolds and/or contains the interweaving of all physical, mental and spiritual reality.

  2. The evolutionary universe(s) begin with energy that solidifies, unfolds or develops into matter.

  3. Matter eventually unfolds or develops into life.

  4. life eventually unfolds or develops into thought.

  5. Thought eventually unfolds or develops into self consciousness, And,

  6. According to classical spiritual wisdom, self consciousness eventually recognizes itself as spirit/soul, develops into spirit/soul or unfolds into spirit/soul (depending upon your particular spiritual perspective.)

  7. In its currently known final phase, the evolution of spirit/soul within the physical universe unfolds, recognizes itself as or, develops into a new consciousness of God and/or Buddha or, depending upon your particular spiritual perspective, actual additional states or presences of God and/or Buddha. These new or additional consciousnesses, states or presences God and/or Buddha that gradually unfold, self recognize or develop through the evolutionary process are not the God and/or Buddha that developed exclusively or solely out of matter and evolution. (In addition to the very infinite, absolute and transcendent God
    and/or Buddha that was fully present at and before the beginning of the evolutionary universe they are now appearing as an either partial or complete, new or additional God and/or Buddha consciousnesses, states or presences within the evolutionary universes itself.) The direction of the universe may not be just more and more matter becoming conscious as Hegel said and as the deep patterns of evolution prove, it may be more and more matter becoming God/Buddha conscious as itself. o­n o­ne level it can be said that it appears that the whole universe is turning back and looking at itself and becoming more aware of itself as an interconnected unified totality. Wow!

  8. As a creative free will act of delight, love and sharing of itself with all of creation and, to expand its own self manifestation and self realization in new ways beyond the limitations of absolute infinity and eternity, the infinite, transcendent and absolute God and/or Buddha that was fully present at and before the beginning of the evolutionary universe has creatively and intentionally involved itself into the developmental progression of the evolutionary universe. In and through the development of the evolutionary universe the infinite,
    transcendent and absolute God and/or Buddha can also experience new creative
    delight, play, adventure and satisfactions that are additive to the absolute infinity and eternity of qualities of the absolute and infinite God and/or Buddha that were fully present at and before the beginning of the evolutionary universe.

  9. The God and/or Buddha that was fully present before the beginning of the evolutionary universe is present in the evolutionary universes, but in a new and implicit (and/or multiple) form(s). Most amazingly it is by and through the evolutionary process itself that the infinite, absolute God and/or Buddha makes its divinity explicit in new and additional ways. The enfolded Divine sacredness found within the unfolding of the evolutionary process makes this great step by step new evolutionary expanding unveiling of divinity possible. This is likely the greatest of all possible spiritual adventures --- the divinization of the universe(s) through the natural evolutionary process in which we are vital partners and co-creators.

  10. The discovery of the evolutionary process by human consciousness (Darwin et
    all,) will some day be widely seen and acknowledged as o­ne of the most dramatic and important events in the spiritual advancement in human mentality because at this epic event the universe(s) folded back o­n itself through human consciousness and for the first time (and in the whole new way through science,) a creature looked nature and its Origin back and the eye and said, what exactly are you up to (as can been seen from your actual results)? This was the cross-over moment that prepared us for a whole new way to discover the enfolded, implicit, involved God and/or Buddha becoming explicit in the process of evolution within ourselves as well as within every other particle and thing
    existing within the evolutionary universe(s).

  11. Individuals (much less humankind,) awakening to the enfolded, intrinsic, involved presence of the infinite, absolute God and/or Buddha becoming fully explicit in time development or evolutionary nature was considerably more difficult than awakening to eternity or the understanding of the infinite, transcendent and absolute God and/or Buddha as an eternal presence before the universe began as it has traditionally been presented by the traditional
    religions of the world for millennia. This is again because the process of science had to first present human consciousness with an understanding of the evolutionary process itself before the enfolded involved and evolving identity, meanings and purposes of God and/or Buddha could be discovered anew and in completely new ways within the science of the evolutionary process itself.
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