Levels Of Consciousness According To Ken Wilber

Ken Wilber is an American author who has centered his work and studies on philosophy, mysticism, ecology and spiritual evolution. The fruit of his years of work is the so-called integral theory of consciousness. This theory holds that human beings have different levels of consciousness to which certain colors correspond.

The basic idea, according to Wilber, is that human beings do not differ in race or skin color, but in the state of consciousness they are in. Still according to his theories, consciousness is not static. On the contrary, it follows a spiral dynamic that constantly changes according to the experiences lived.

Wilber’s model is a spiral that is divided into two blocks: first-degree thinking, or level of subsistence, and second-degree thinking, or levels of being and integral consciousness. The levels of subsistence of consciousness would be six and those of the consciousness of being two. Each level would have its own color and particular characteristics.

Levels of consciousness and their colors

Beige: archaic-instinctual level

It is the basic level of survival dominated by biological impulsivity. It is a state in which the senses prevail. In it, being is defined by the primary needs it must satisfy.

The existence of these people is based on automatisms and instinct directs their thinking. We can see it in early human societies, but also in infants and the elderly with degenerative diseases.

Purple: magical-animistic level

In this level there is a magical world which fills the individual with security and harmony. A distinction has already been made between good and evil; it is a state where one feels safe and protected from a threatening environment.

Powers and spirits battle each other with rituals, kinship ties, magic and beliefs. Beyond that, superstitions play an important role. It would be the level of consciousness of many ethnic tribes.

Red – the level of the gods of power

On this level the world is seen as a threatening jungle where only the strong and the rulers triumph. In this state the weak are at the service of the strong and value is given to conquest, power and submission.

This turn of the spiral arises from the previous one and does so through an ego that stands out from the group. An ego with a powerful, impulsive, self-centered and heroic personality. In the state of red color is still believed in magic, but mystical powers are associated with leaders.

Blue: the level of the mystical order

It is a level where order and stability would reign. A higher authority would check reality, reward good deeds and punish bad ones.

The submission and acceptance of standardized rules are foreseen. The explanation of the world occurs through an omnipotent entity that controls everything. It is a level that we can find in the China of Confucianism and in the orders of chivalry.

Orange: the scientific achievement

At this level the pragmatic way of thinking allows the achievement of results and progress in life. The “I” escapes from the rest and decides to seek the truth on its own. The world is seen as a perfect machine that works on the basis of behavioral laws. Among the levels of consciousness it would be that of the emerging middle class, materialism and the search for the triumph of matter.

Green: sensitive ego level

On this level, humanity lives in society and has common goals. Consent and social conscience are sought. This reality is based on communion and the relationship between all human beings.

Dogmas, greed and divisions no longer exist. It is a level of consciousness based on harmony and the development of human potential. The hierarchies are out of date and the focus is on the spiritual aspect. This level of consciousness is reflected in postmodernism.

The levels of integral consciousness and of being

By developing Wilber’s thinking on the levels of consciousness it is possible to update the level of the sensitive ego (the one of green color). This could allow us to pass to second degree or level thought of being and consciousness. The subsistence levels are characterized by being independent of each other, therefore, not integrated.

Second degree levels of thought, on the other hand, would be integrated and not exclusive. These two levels are known as integral consciousness. The first is yellow and the second, the last of the spiral, is turquoise.

• Yellow. Integrative level. Process integration takes place at this level. Chaos, change and uncertainty of states are considered acceptable. Life revolves around flexibility, spontaneity and functionality. Furthermore, egalitarianism is possible through the acceptance and understanding of the degrees of the order.

• Turquoise. Holistic level. It is the level of thought that uses all previous levels of the spiral to achieve unity. It is a holistic state that balances the various forces by intertwining them.

The integral theory of the levels of consciousness

Ken Wilber’s integral theory of consciousness aims at a broader understanding of the human being. It speaks to us of an awareness that integrates different perspectives. It is a kind of map of perspectives that organizes beliefs and values.

Through this integrative model, Wilber believes that the catastrophic cultural disaster that the materialistic world view is causing could be avoided if human potential and its achievements are taken into account.