After talking about Andrew's recent—and enormously rewarding—trip to the Parliament of the World's Religions, Andrew and Ken go on to discuss the subtle differences in emphasis between their models of evolution. Andrew explains that in his teaching there is a strong emphasis on the process of "transcending and excluding," whereas Ken generally frames development as a process of "transcending and including." Although these two models appear contradictory, it soon becomes clear that they are in fact complimentary.

Using a simplified chakra model, in which there are seven levels of energy and consciousness, Ken explains how development simultaneously draws upon the principles of exclusion and inclusion (or negation and preservation).

For example, infants are solely identified with the first chakra, in which the world is experienced orally—it's either food or it isn't. When they transcend the first chakra and their locus of identity moves to the second chakra, emotional-sexual energies, what is negated is the exclusive identification with the first chakra, and what is preserved is its basic functionality: the natural desire and ability to eat.

Of course, development is a perilous journey, and things can and do go wrong. If one fails to fully negate an exclusive identity with the first chakra, one could remain obsessively fixated on food into adulthood. Similarly, if one doesn't preserve the natural function of eating, one could develop a dissociated relationship to the need to sustain one's being on a physical level.

Ideally, one navigates one's way through the first six chakras (oral-material, emotional-sexual, egoic-intentional, heart-relational, self-expressive, psychic-mind) relatively unscathed. At the seventh chakra, spiritual-transpersonal, it is the job of the spiritual teacher or guru to decisively negate, or cut through the student's exclusive identity with their relative, egoic personality—Andrew chuckles, "That's me."

Of course, an integral approach to spirituality looks to awaken people to their own Supreme Identity at the seventh chakra, while retaining the functional energy of the first six. The skills one has acquired on one's growth towards God can now be released from the contracted grasp of ego to shine forth as radiant expressions of Spirit-in-action.

We hope you enjoy this discussion exploring some of the finer details of the territory of your own native potentials, from birth to Buddha....