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Caroline Myss / Ken Wilber Audio stream

Sept 26. 2006

Caroline Myss is a renowned medical intuitive and the author of Sacred Contracts, Invisible Acts of Power, and Entering the Castle (forthcoming, with a foreword by Ken), an in-depth guide and commentary on the stages of spiritual growth in St. Teresa of Avila's The Interior Castle.

Having discussed the "perfect storm" of events—the death of a family member, a serious seizure, and the realization that she will never have a child—that led to the radical reorganization of her life priorities and the creation of Entering the Castle, Caroline and Ken discuss one of the other vital stepping-stones leading to this spiritual rebirth: Invisible Acts of Power.

Not only did writing that book lead Caroline to rediscover St. Teresa of Avila, but as Ken mentions, it looked at how the energy of grace can move down the seven chakras—from crown, to head, to throat, to heart, to solar plexus, to sacrum, to root—as Spirit becomes embodied. Ken continues that while Spirit often reaches down towards the self, the self must also reach up towards Spirit, surrendering identity with the lower chakras, until one's identity is one with Spirit at its very ground and source. In many ways, Caroline had drawn in Invisible Acts of Power an exquisite map of the path she was about to walk: the grace of St. Teresa reaching down to lead her through the seven mansions (which, as Ken notes, are similar in many ways to the seven chakras—the relinquishment of lesser identities is required to grow in either system), and Caroline's reaching up to Teresa as an expression of devotion, gratitude, and humility.

From here, Caroline and Ken look at the transformative nature of humility, and why it seems to be one of the least desirable aspects of the spiritual path for many seekers. Ken goes on to comment on what he calls the "Three Faces of Spirit" or the "1-2-3 of Spirit," which is the recognition that Spirit can be understood through three broad perspectives: Spirit in 1st-person (the great I or I AMness), Spirit in 2nd-person (the great Thou or You), and Spirit in 3rd-person (the great It or Web of Life). Particularly in the West, spiritual practitioners are often comfortable with Spirit in 1st-person (I am Spirit) and Spirit in 3rd-person (the great Web of Life is Spirit), but Spirit in 2nd-person (You are Spirit) knocks them off balance—as well it should, because Spirit in 2 nd-person is, in every way, better than you, bigger than you, infinitely more than you.

Before this face of Spirit, the living Intelligence that sees every corner of your soul, that very One who bestows all grace, the only appropriate response is gratitude, humility, devotion. Spirit in 2nd-person is the great ego-killer, and while 1st- and 3rd-person practices can without a doubt introduce you to your own Big Mind, they also leave plenty of room for your own Big Ego to follow you every step of the way. Rest assured that Spirit in 2nd-person—read: God Almighty—does not.*

Such is the incredible value of an Integral Approach to spirituality, because all three faces of Spirit are equally real, arising together as the seamless composition of this and every moment—why not become acquainted with the revelation of each?

Caroline's Entering the Castle is a superb account of what it means to be in relationship with Spirit in 2nd-person, and to hear her speak of this experience is a true joy. We humbly invite you to join us on this most touching of journeys….

Here is a free audio stream of this interview.
http://www.integralnaked.org/media/promo/myss2sample.mp3

To read Ken's foreword to Entering the Castle, click here. It's really quite an amazing read, outlining the seven most central ideas of mysticism in a few short pages

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Link to Ken Wilber and Caroline’s full interview / Integral Naked