Per has a good article on "inner and outer integrations".

Specifically regarding recognizing non-dual Self, Big Mind, etc - there are a variety of methods which shift a person's selfhood, and yet do so in different ways.

Not that there is time for them - but still, good to know!

Go read here, but the key lines in my opinion:

One comment I have about the 321 process, however, is that in and of itself, it might only clear away minor emotional charges. I agree it's a great tool for identifying where projections might exist in relationships - and if you're lucky enough to be someone who's fairly clear and free flowing, then 321 might be all you'll ever need. But for deeply embedded or particularly snarled emotional stuff, some actual therapy and additional energy work is probably going to be required. The farther back in time an "emotional charge" is originating - in other words the farther back into your childhood or infancy a pathology goes - then the more difficult it will be to truly discharge that emotional energy and clear that block or snarl. Or you might find that you identify or clear a projection with one person, only to find the pattern repeating itself in other relationships, over and over again. It's like playing that damn gopher game at the carnival - you bash one, only to have another pop up right next to it.

The "mystery" of both our own personal emotional content and interactions, and then the emotional (and power) dynamics with others are worth commenting on, as this gets short shrift in integralism.  I think you also must have been DOING emotional work for awhile - either in therapy, or as part of some group process - to truly be able to grok this level that Jean is speaking about. (deeply embedded or snarled emotional stuff).

For myself, I was in therapy for a few years - and then also had the following.

A long time ago now, I participated in a MUCH different community, and a much different emotional practice.  I won't say too much about the community, because there were definite "cultish tendencies" happening, that I don't want to reward, even by mentioning - but there were some valuable lessons as well.

As far as the practice went, it was really "turning up the volume" on emotions, and giving it to God, praying with the emotional energy for clarity and for God to enter.

One of the revelatory aspects of that work, was FEELING - on a deep, existential level - just how much how I act, and everyone acts - is based on a constricted, egotistical self-justifying, emotional and defensive ego structure, rather than truly being PRESENT.

Basically, I - and we - act out of bure bullshit a hell of a lot more than I - and we -  think. 

Imagine this scenario -

Every time you act out of something other than "love" or "truth", or "wisdom" - and the same with others around you - you feel it, like a pain, or like a nails across a chalkboard.

When someone acts with a very constricted emotionality -
When I or someone justifies their position
When I or someone gossips,
when I or someone is mean,
when I or someone is defensive,
when I or someone is irrational,
when I or someone makes unnecessary conflict.

You feel it.  Like a throbbing toothache,  or a stab in the heart, I feel the consequences of being divorced from God, in how I defend, in every rude comment, in every lost soul on the street, in every snobbish intellectual commentary proclaiming union with source (as opposed to actual union with source)

That ability to feel separation from source, from being present - this was both a blessing and a curse (and in the end, more of a curse).

And the thing is - I would feel on a gut level that the daily actions and interactions from separation from source, quite outnumber the interaction from being one with source. 

And yet, nothing can be done about it - I feel my own limitations to "act" in a more loving, true way, and definitely with others, I cannot do much, except to feel the separation. Although slowly, I would end up being more present.

As one can imagine, confrontation was sometimes utilized in this mode of interaction, and being made aware of acting from that which is not source - "acting from illusion", as the case is made.

This was sometimes painful and rewarding - as truth is rewarding, when the confrontation was focused on my own limitations/games.

And sometimes this was painful and not rewarding - when the confrontation was meant to prop up the cultish aspects of the organization.

This "emotional and existential separation from God" - that can be delved into and felt by anyone, and with it my own and other people's ACTS are also felt - as coming from separation or not, or some combiation of the two.

It's a powerful ability, but a bit of a hopeless one as well.

At any rate - the integral approach offers nothing I have seen to facilitate growth on this particular level.  This level of emotional and gut truthfulness of being separate - acting out of fear, ego, greed, etc (seven deadly sins and more) or acting out of a deep, solid, loving, and strong, emotional open and flexible- "real" presence.

Are you LOVE or are you separate?  Who and what do you SERVE? In this moment?  And this moment?

On the other hand, experiences of oneness can happen on a level OUTSIDE the normal mode of mind/body emotional and will interactions.  And focusing on the separation AT THE LEVEL of emotion and will - is this useful, or is this in itself, reinforcing the separate world??

At the end, I had to disconnect myself from the process - not only because of the cultish tendencies of the organization (I always kept a distance from the org), but also because the process ended up being too painful - the daily grind of feeling separation both in myself and around me, mellowed by the sense of emotional merging with the Divine that the practice encouraged.

And now, I have more peace.  Less agony/ecstasy.  Also, I am still "aware" of the B.S., of separation - but now I "see" it, rather than "feeling" it, on an ongoing basis.

And I don't know whether this is good or bad.  During that time, I was more emotionally connected to others - and people felt this - but I was suffering a hell of a lot more.  Now, I am less emotionally connected to others - but I am much happier and more at peace.

I've wandered far afield from  Jean's original post.  

But what is clear is - and this goes back to the issue of things that are emotionally and gut charged -  there is very little in integralism itself which deals with the immediacy of FEELING the daily separation from source, and how to integrate this, on a gut and emotional level.  There is a lot of "assuming the close" - we are already one with THAT SOURCE - which of course is also TRUE, at one level.

I'm not sure this core PERSONAL level - of being truly present or being separate - must be worked through to truly be FULLY realized.

But my gut feeling is, yes, this PERSONAL knot of separation must be untangled, or released.

Great post from coolmel, regarding his flow of blogging - basically, he is "being blogged" by flow, rather than being a guy just blogging.

Now - is this just a function of creativity?  I posted this as a comment - that creativity is touched by God, and can flow through any type of activity - Quarterbacks have reported it while playing football, dancers have reported it while dancing, scientists have reported it, etc.

Now, is "flow", its own type of realization?  A glimpse into the realization of what already is so? Or is flow a glimpse of future human's capabilities?

I would hate to say that "blogging is spiritual practice", as clearly blogging is not physical practice.

But of course, divine creeps in everywhere - so is flow and inspiration from the self, the super-self, or the Divine?

Or all three?

Jean at the Human Bean has a pointer to the type of sychronicity and flow that Rommel speaks about - worth a read to hear Philip K. Dick speak.

Here is a great link that delineates the organizational nature of communities that come together for practice.

Something to keep in mind, and something for us to consider while starting to form loosely connected - to eventually more deeply connected - communities of interest around Integral Practice.

For the most part, the Stage of Development for Integral Practice is Potential, and Coalescing.

There are some significant difficulties right now for forming communities of practice however:

1. Significant overlap with similar entities.  There are already several spiritual and health organizations that do similar things.  Is Integral simply a larger mental superstructure, that actually contributes nothing unique, in the way of skillful means?
2. Diffusion of goals - is it personal practice?  Spiritual growth?  What methods?  Is everything allowed?  What is the container of practices that everyone can coalesce around?
3. Responsibilites of the core community - do these exist?  Is there buy-in? 
4. Inspirational leadership leading to a collective action plan.  There is a large gap here for the Integral Community.  After reading one of Ken books, you are fired up, ready to go and "be integral", and then...um...well, I guess I can start meditating?

These begin to be answered by the Integral Life Practice kit.  These are practices that people can begin to coalesce around.  But there is a lot of refinement work to be done here.

Really, what integral can contribute is the following:

a. Agency of discernment - THIS practice - of the hundreds of practices out there, is reliable. 
b. Exercises and research into cross-training - combining THIS daily exercise with THIS daily exercise - gives cumulative beneficial effects.

For myself, this is about joining with others:

a. meditation
b. advaita
c. skillful means for body, mind, community.

I wonder how tongue in cheeck this is?

Hmm, somehow I doubt that blogging counts as transformational, although it can be very translational.

I'm going to borrow Vince's excellent post to deal with the category confusion apparent here.

Still, the value of blogging is perspectival, and ongoing dialogue, can point to the real, as much as the false.

There's a decent chance that blogs like Mystery of Existence , may have the ability to shift the perspective of identity from the false to the real.

When multi-media gets incorporated, shift is here!

I've been enjoying going through the ILP Kit, and listening to the Dvd's.

One of the things I am pleased about, is the "Integral Inquiry" long form.  This is your basic eastern meditation practice - and actually, is the variation that I adopted for "ease in a busy life", over 10 years ago.

the basic practice is a quick centering, and then breath counting - and then I use the same thing, in that the breath counting stops after awhile, and the breath is simply paid attention to.

So that is simply good to know.  This basic practice in various traditions can get a lot of refinements, such as breathing in one notril, then the other.  Breathing in energy, breathing it out, etc.  But the basic practice of counting breaths and resting in awareness, is the ground.

For me, when this practice is very deep, therre is a subtle dissolving of the inner and outer awareness, into just awareness meeting what is arising - in and out.

This is a fundamentally different practice - and a different viewpoint - than say, Big Mind, or Advaita pointing out instructions.   In that type of embracing the "view" - there is a fundamental shift of identity - somewhat separate from awareness arising.  In this "seeing" is different, in that the identity shifts to this subtle quietly joyful identity, that arises moment by moment, breath by breath.

the two have not met, for me - which eventually is supposed to happen.  

People like Brad Warner (assuming he is being honest and on the level) look at Big Mind, Advaita Vedanta, and says they are B.S.  Just sit, until all the contents of consciousness are met, and the clarity of what is will shine through. 

However, there is a profound awakening that happens through BigMind, Advaita Vedanta, Course in Miracles, Tibetan Buddhism, etc. 

Because that understanding is so profound -and yet can also fall away (in my experience) - it's still an open question whether "the view" - which is open for anybody to shift into, and experience the profoundness of - is some type of final end.

Here is the link.