Theory of Social Development

Presented by Robert Macfarlane

at World Academy conference

on Development Theory in Chennai 1999

Introduction

As we approach the millennium and begin to focus our attention on the next century and its potentials, it is a propitious time for serious thinkers to step back from the rapid pace of modern life and take a more deliberate view of the past millennium. Life as it was 1000 years ago has been transformed and the human collective today lives in a world that cannot be compared to its earlier beginnings. If a group of citizens from 1000 AD were brought back to life today, they would feel that God has descended on earth when they see planes in the sky, ride in self-propelled cars, experience the phenomenon of radio or TV, or live with the modern conveniences we take for granted today. There is no doubt that there are still many unsolved issues and nagging problems that torment the conscience of humanity, but there can be no question about the general direction, progress and development of the species.

The question of the millennium that must be considered and understood before we plunge into the next century is "What are the causes and motive forces behind this dramatic development that has revolutionized life across the planet which shows no signs of let up as we leap into the future, and, how can we learn to use these forces to shape the future of man more consciously than was done over the past 1000 years?"

Today we understand a great deal about the formation of the universe, the general theory of its actions and motions that permit us to travel into space. We possess unprecedented knowledge about human anatomy, physiology and disease that has helped us to extend and make life more active, less painful and more comfortable. We have mastered theory after theory in science and have used that knowledge to create a continuous stream of technology to make life more prosperous, productive, efficient, enjoyable and creative. In recent times, we have witnessed the rapid development of computers and their impact on life around us. It was only a few years ago that these mysterious small boxes were incapable of performing the miracles they do today due to the lack of software that provided the rules of the game and the grammar of the language that permits so much to come out of what was not there before.

When we look back over the past 1000 years and try to understand the how and why of human development, we see that we lack the fundamental understanding--software--of the principles, powers, processes, strategies and programs that release, initiate, sustain and encourage this process of our own mastery over ourselves and subsequently life around us.

The call must be heard before the bells and whistles of the new millennium parties begin to clang and man must strive to understand the depth of his consciousness and the powers it holds that have achieved so much in the past and that will achieve even greater wonders in the future. Definition and Scope of the Theory and its Key Concepts

A theory of social development that has the potential to become a tool for the self-conscious progress of the collective and its members must limit its scope to certain horizons, otherwise, it may lose its force of application. The current effort limits its inquiry to the origins, principles, powers, forces and processes of society's upward directional movement from lesser to greater levels of energy, efficiency, quality, productivity, complexity, comprehension, creativity, enjoyment and accomplishment--social development.

In order to understand this process, certain basic terms must be defined to set the context in which this action takes place and the stages through which it passes. The following key definitions explain the larger context in which this movement takes place and the alternating active statuses of self-conception that society adopts to define its current level of action.

Evolution is the progressive unfolding of higher levels of consciousness in terms of matter, life, mind and spirit that bring out through their interaction an ever increasing expressiveness of consciousness and its resultant forms, principles, powers, and forces in the previous and emerging levels of existence. The aim of this unfolding is the emergence of a self-conscious species possessing mastery over life through mastery of consciousness.

Survival is an active status of the social self-conception of the collective and/or its representative individuals that conceives of life as a field of action with little or no potential and thus organizes its activities at a basic level that permits survival.

Growth is an active status of the social self-conception of the collective and/or a number of representative individuals that conceives of life as a field of action with limited and narrow opportunities for self-initiative and accomplishment which organizes its energies and activities at a level that permits expansion of existing organizations to provide greater success, security, abundance and sustainability

Development is an active status of the social self-conception of the collective and/or a number of self-conscious individuals that conceives of life as essentially a field of action. This field of action contains forces, both external and internal, that can be observed, understood, organized and developed for action and that can be channeled and mastered in practice to achieve whatever the collective is able to conceive of as possible through the creation of higher order physical, vital, mental and spiritual organizations.

Since man's development takes place in the larger context of the evolution of consciousness, the nature of the smaller action of development is determined by the larger process. The universal cosmic action as we shall see has created four planes of consciousness for the unfolding of its actions. Man is one of the instruments through which the effort expresses; therefore, the process of its collective and individual development is the unfolding of consciousness and the expression of that action in the life around us.

The theory then, will focus its attention on this dual process: first, the development and perfection of consciousness and second, the externalization of that consciousness in its action in life through the collective and its individuals.

The Four Basic Constituents of Human Nature

Before we proceed further with our exploration of the theory of social development, it is again important that we further extend our earlier deliberate view far beyond the last millennium and look back as the scientist does today to the origins of the universe as we know it. From that panoramic view, we can observe the mysterious workings of this cosmic action and observe four key principles that have emerged over this temporal landscape.

After what the scientist calls the ‘big bang', a unique singularity in the history of time, we find that we are able to identify the first principle and the basis for the rest of our existence-matter and energy. The physical material and forces that make up the entire cosmos have been hurled into motion and now appear to be expanding into a timeless eternity after this singularity. All that has been created after that moment is based on and supported by the physical matter and energy of the cosmos. All life has its base and origin in the form of substance and form of energy -- Physical. This is the first principle of our existence.

Gradually, we see as we travel ahead on this cosmic timeline, mysteriously and apparently from within a proper mixture of the elements of matter the second principle, Life -Vitality -- emerges out of physical matter and in turn animates that matter. The principle of life has created and energized millions and millions of animate forms that can be traced from the simplest forms of life all the way up through the complex animals in the primate family. Life, or Vital, is the second principle that energizes and propels physical forms.

On the next leg of our journey along the timeline of the infinite, we find another great singularity occurring in animate forms of matter. First in very rudimentary and later in more and more complex arrangements we see the birth of consciousness. In the earliest forms of animate life, consciousness appears to be based in chemical responses to impacts from internal or external sources. We see initial signs of life trying to defend, adapt, protect, hunt, etc. Gradually as higher forms of life emerged with greater complexity we observe that consciousness, in fact, becomes different from the nervous response to chemical reactions. It becomes thought, inspiration and creativity that may be supported by chemical and physical activities in the nervous system but which we can clearly see are more than just the mechanics of the organism. This third principle of Mind is the next building block of nature that is the basis of a more fully conscious species capable of self-choice and direction.

Recently in cosmic terms as we approach what might be called modern times, say a few thousand years ago, which is like a second in the time window we have just traveled, we see another singularity emerging in the self-conscious species we call man. The principle of spiritual awakening or spiritual consciousness appeared like life out of matter. Though rare, this experience has repeatedly occurred not just in ancient mystical societies but throughout modern times. In fact, when we scan life today, we find a small cross-section of the human collective with a growing aspiration to exceed mind and find union and harmony in a higher universal consciousness. This Spiritual Consciousness is the fourth principle of the universal action in the cosmos.

Matter, life and mind provide us with a long and significant history to study and analyze. From these studies, we have learned some of the deeper secrets of each of these principles, though no one would suggest that there are not more and greater mysteries yet to be discovered. But this last principle of spiritual consciousness is a relatively new and rare phenomenon, so our knowledge and insight into the workings of this principle of action in the cosmos is limited and lacks the precision of our other inquiries.

Let us, for the sake of our consideration of social theory, accept three points of knowledge derived from such a view of the universal action in the universe. First, Humanity, the current pinnacle of the biological evolution is constituted out of these powers--matter, life, mind and spirit--of the universal action and the process of social evolution contains the imperative of the form and force of these fundamental elements as the basis and future of its development. Second, as nature has evolved from Matter to Life to Mind to Spirit in its universal action, so too man's social evolution follows the same course as nature's wider workings. Third, each of the stages of evolution that we have observed has brought forth a distinct expression of consciousness that has its own nature and workings and to the human mind these expressions appear to be opposites or even contradictions of each of the others. Matter is fixed and rigid and motionless, while life is fluid, active and dynamic. Life is active, impulsive and intense while mind is withdrawn, thoughtful and uninvolved. Mind sees life in forms and division and spirit perceives it as oneness. The play of the universal action, then, is a constant clash of these apparent opposites and their workings seeking higher and higher degrees of reconciliation through a principle of harmony with each other that brings out the latent potentials of each to express more and more of the involved consciousness. What appears as an irreconcilable difference that causes conflict and disharmony in Act One of this play reappears in Act Two as the effective cooperation of complimentary forces. In the last act at the crowning moment of the play they appear again as soul mates working in spiritual harmony for eternity. The energy and intensity of the play is created by the apparent opposition that drives the action to its completion.

The social collective begins its evolution and development in its physical nature. Gradually through the pressures and compulsions of both internal and external forces it masters the skills of the physical nature through which vitality emerges and energizes social life. The energized social collective continues its forward evolutionary development through the interaction and play of life forces that shape the scope and size of its energy, talents and capacities until gradually the social collective's mental nature blossoms out of the vital play of energy. In the advancing mental evolution of the social collective the inner powers of consciousness emerge more and more and shape the breadth, depth and width of this capacity. Finally, at the peak of the mental stage of evolution and development the mental energies bring forth a deeper hidden consciousness of the Spirit which multiples the capacity of the inner and outer workings of the social collective towards the Infinite. This is the broad path we must follow in our search for the deeper secrets of the social collective in the universe, but for the theory to be effective we must also discover and delight in the detailed intricacies of the complex inner workings and social expressions of humanity's consciousness.

The key to the success of our effort in preparing a theory is to discern and discover the truths, principles, powers and processes of the inner software that guides man's consciousness and the intricate, complex, interactions and rhythms between the four emerging constituent elements of humanity's nature. Once these relationships are discovered and translated into life code, humanity should possess the tools needed to more consciously self create the next thousand years of its own history. For the meaning of history can be understood, not when we focus on its external forms and forces, but when we study the emergence, growth, expansion, development and evolution of humanity's inner consciousness that expresses in its actions and accomplishments in life.

Man in the Universe

For aeons the universal action journeyed on its path of upward movement from matter to spirit in the still quiet of its cosmic power, force, rhythm, principle and order. There was no center of action in the field of its cosmic play. Gradually, in infinitesimally small steps, life -- an animating force of consciousness -- emerged from matter and inch by inch, step by step it built up a power of animation in the forms of solid matter. Again for aeons the cosmic action created millions and millions of centers of activity in which action remained tied to matter and the forces of nature. The field of play had been established and the players assembled but the action remained unconscious. Through this laborious and constant exercise, the universal action built forms and assembled more and more players--some simple, others more complex. As the play continued to unfold in active but unconscious life, a self-conscious form emerged in a pre-existing environment with an instrumentality capable of action and effectuation.

At first this form was as all the rest, subconsciously driven by the universal action of nature, moved by the basic urges of life forces, organized more like its plant and animal brothers than a self-conscious species. Again through the intricate and painstaking efforts of the cosmic artist, this animate form of action with the potential for self-consciousness battled with all its past to emerge as a new self-conscious center of action.

The field of expression had been created by the universal action. A new center with a limited self-consciousness--separated in appearance from the unconscious universal forces--emerged as the vortex of action between its universal and individual expression. With this momentous development the play advanced, but its center shifted to an unfolding plot determined more and more by the upward movement of self-consciousness away from the early moorings in unconscious action that had given birth to it. A more conscious center of self-awareness capable not only of playing but of knowing, understanding, feeling, executing and mastering the rules and forces of the play entered the scene and became the principal character. But we see from the perspective of the cosmic time line that this creation -- a new self-conscious form - humanity -- is still in its infancy, remains primarily unconscious or at best partially conscious and can be characterized as being predominantly driven by the lower physical and life principles of its consciousness rather than by the higher instrumentality of mind and spirit that have come on the scene only recently.

If the individual is a center of self-conscious awareness with a separated sense of consciousness in the universal action, and if the individual is the center through which the universal expresses itself in action, what then must humanity discover and understand of its nature at all levels of consciousness to fully develop the potentials of the play? What are the principles, cycles and rhythm of this individualized consciousness that has emerged in a universal-collective context, what tools has the universal action created for the understanding and change of its inner consciousness and what instruments has the new self-conscious center acquired through this meticulous unfolding that permit its consciousness to express in life to accomplish what has already been achieved in consciousness? These are a few of the puzzling questions that arise in our minds as we seek for a theory of social development based on the universal action in the cosmos that hopefully will guide humanity's further action, so the continuing unfolding of consciousness is in accordance with the larger principles of the universal action and not through an ignorant or false device that has emerged from a temporary state of unconsciousness and confusion in which humanity finds itself in this Third Act of the cosmic play.

For the moment, if we step back from the complexity of these questions and look at what we find amassed on the universal field of action it may lend us some power of insight into the past and future direction of the play and the roles of each status--universal and individual--in the ongoing drama. In our widest view, we see that the universal action has created matter, life, mind and spirit as cosmic principles of its action. Through these universal principles it has worked with great care and experimentation to create an individualized center of action in which these universal force are capable of expressing through the limitations of its nature. The universe and humanity have the same relationship as the collective and the individual. The universe--the collective--is unable to actualize its full potential in its universal action--collective expression; therefore, it has gradually evolved a center of action that is an expression of itself--the individual, in which its universal forces can be focused, directed and developed to greater perfection so those perfected forces of that action can later be assimilated by the larger universal-collective--for its general use and action. This relationship appears to be the nature of relationship between the universe and the individual.

If, then, the universal action is the working out of the principles of consciousness in the cosmos and the individual is the most conscious center of its separate action and if the cosmic and the individual are in fact only different expressions of the same action - one at the cosmic level and the other at the individual level -- then what is the destiny and direction of the cosmic and the individual centers? From our observation of both centers, we have identified an action to create and establish different levels of consciousness. We have discerned an evolution of these levels from lower to higher expression. We have detected an expression of each of these principles interacting with the others in an effort to bring out something more in the other, and we have observed through this process the emergence of a growing power of conscious awareness and expression in both the universal and individual centers.

Can we venture a guess then as to the plot of this play? The universal action in its cosmic and individual centers seeks to establish a field of action which expresses its underlying consciousness, and in its most conscious form it seeks to express the full complexity of each part of its consciousness. Through this growing awareness and knowledge it is developing the power of self-mastery of these larger principles in its individualized status. Humanity in its form of the collective and the individual seeks to gradually express and master the expression of these forces in their actions in life.

If this conclusion has validity, then our theory for humanity's evolution and development has two distinct aspects to it. The first is the development of an understanding of each plane of consciousness in the species and its workings. The second is the codification of the rules and expression of the process by which it translates this into the outer working of consciousness in Life. The full knowledge of both would provide humanity with the software of life that operates our inner subjective workings and also the principles by which this subjective action translates itself into action in life to achieve mastery and self-perfection.

Destiny of the Individual

The collective finds its fulfillment in the development of the individual and the individual finds its completion in the full development of its capacities as they express and manifest in the collective action. This dynamic interchange between these two statuses is one of the central expressions of the principle of contradiction that we reflected on earlier. Neither one is complete alone, together each fulfills the other. The struggle along the way brings out the shades of color, the intricacies of the pattern, the shapes of the forms that make the final painting a masterpiece.

The collective is the widest field of action in the society. The individual is a concentrated point of the same field. The collective is not merely an amalgamation of all the characteristics of its individual members. It is more than that because the collective gains a power of expression, a power of action that becomes much more than the sum of the parts. The collective is not a center but an extension of all that exists within it into something new and more powerful, though it is hard to describe what that is.

In the early stages of development, the collective consists of poorly differentiated parts that really do not perform the role of parts except at the physical level of form. We see their shape but it does not stand out with distinction and life. Later as the society develops from the physical to the vital stage, individual forms became more distinct, more animated, and more energized. From a dull expression of forms made up of crude strokes, the artist develops the skill to use color, shadow and reflection and the painting becomes more interesting to the eye. It has life and its colors are vibrant because the vital nature of the form expands and distinguishes it from its expression in its previous condition. Later as the principle of mind emerges in the collective, the individual part further develops its character as the mental principles further permit the expression of order, refinement and subtlety. Again the painting changes and more fully expresses the beauty, joy and harmony through shades of inspiration. Its uniqueness and specialty emerge and each part stands on its own. But the collective can still further develop its power through the Spirit and in doing so the individual gains additional skill, talent capacity, and inspiration which are brought out through glimpses of revelation. The revelation of the harmony and oneness of all the forms together in unison and delight with each other turns the painting into something that is not there in the form itself but exists beyond the canvas, the strokes, the colors and the forms. It captures that which has no form and makes it seem like it has taken form. This is the true and highest principle of relationship between the collective and the individual

In the social collective this process of individualization calls out to each center of concentration and demands its full development-the rigorous and repetitious training of each and every physical skill to its full perfection, the driving and expansive drawing out of the vital energies that awaken courage, adventure and daring in life, the painstaking and intricate development of the mental powers that grasp the infinite subtlety of every field of inquiry and the tortuous self-surrender of all that one is to a unifying consciousness that exists in each and every particle of existence. This is what is called for by the collective to itself in its concentrated individual status so that when it looks back at itself it will see its own beauty, power, knowledge and consciousness.

It is not enough that the collective calls out to its parts. Through its powers, processes and strategies of action it must create the teachers, schools, laboratories and every conceivable institution necessary to bring out the wonders and marvels that already exist in the latent consciousness of its universal action. With this as its call there seems to be no end to this expression, but only a path that offers greater and greater challenges to both statuses of the action to delight in its own expression in one status or the other.

The Four Stages of Development and the Emerging Power of Self-Conception in the Society

Our inquiry along the timeline of the universal action has shown us that the evolution of forms from matter to spirit ascends a series of defining steps on an ever-rising ladder of expanding and unfolding consciousness. In the earliest forms of the universal action, we observed that consciousness does not express itself. In matter consciousness is not apparent but only appears to emerge as we move along the cosmic timeline. Consciousness in its higher forms must exist in matter in potential since it emerges out of it later. The earliest signs of consciousness express as forces of universal action that appear along with matter after the Big Bang. These forces which have been studied closely by the scientist adhere to laws, create order and execute great precision in their action since their creation. This order, precision and law of action would seem to imply that these forces of universal action through some subtle rhythm and harmony are able to subconsciously draw forth the power of consciousness that is inherent in matter. If this is true, we must stop and ask ourselves if matter itself is also not then an expression of the inherent consciousness that inhabits it?

In the earliest forms of the emerging social collective as in the physical development of the universe, the expression of consciousness is limited and subconscious. Matter, which does not outwardly manifest its potential consciousness, limits and contains the consciousness from expression. In the same manner, life in the earliest social collectives was limited, closely linked to matter, dull, unconscious or barely conscious and the energy that drove it arose from the basic forces of nature which, like the universal forces, subconsciously expressed the involved consciousness. The earliest social collectives were driven by the primary motives of existence and most of their energies were consumed by primary activities centered around the gathering of food, the crafting of clothing, the building and maintaining of adequate shelter, and the defense of the collective from attacks of animals or other collectives which also struggled to meet their basic needs. In addition to these basic needs, the collective spent significant energies procreating and training future generations in the skills needed for survival. Life moved with the seasons and the forces of nature. Time was slow and cyclical. Activities were limited mostly to those needed to ensure survival.

Life in these communities was precarious for millennia. Man was threatened and challenged by multiple external forces that could provide plenty today and bring pestilence tomorrow. There was a pervading climate of physical and psychological insecurity that limited life's energies and narrowed humanity's conception of itself to a minimal existence.

In such a society what was the power of self-conception in the collective and where and how was it formed? Modern science helps us to understand that in these early societies, the collective was led by a small group of leaders who possessed both physical strength and a practical knowledge that held the communities together. It was a time of physical force and leadership of the strong. The rest of the collective was not made up of individuals as we think of them today. Members identified with what the tribe, the clan, the village or the feudal society thought and felt. They accepted the lead of the collective, adopted the roles and responsibility of their parents without a sense of individuality or the power of self-conception of their destiny.

In these times the self-conceptive power of the collective rested with a leadership dominated by apparent hostile and threatening forces of physical nature and its own physical constitution and limited practical knowledge. The self-conceptive ability and power of the collective was shaped and molded by these factors, in fact, these factors determined the quality and scope of its view of life. To think outside of the tradition, the ancient ways or to consider oneself more important than the collective was treason and heresy. The collective conceived of life as fragile and threatening, which without rhyme or reason could take and give in an instant. It was a life about which humanity knew little and over which it had little control. Matter, the least conscious expression of the universal action, dominated life and limited the collective's awareness.

Gradually over thousands and thousands of years these collectives through an on-going war with their inner nature and the outer forces of nature awakened from the deep slumber of life based in matter. The social collective became more aware of its environment and its rhythms and cycles. It increased its knowledge and skills to tame the animal, to seize the land from nature's iron grasp, to organize its productive abilities, to build villages, towns and small cities upon the unspoiled landscape and to raise and train armies to defend and conquer it enemies. After many battles - some great victories and other staggering defeats - the social collective achieved a level of success at the basic physical level that permitted man's energies to blossom into wider activities.

The crude, often brutal, slow paced life of the land gradually gave way to a new society with a different conception of itself. Humanity in the vital stage of its evolution already had an established foundation on which to build. The social collective had built up the power of land, had forged a network of fortified villages and towns across its landscape, had created simple systems of travel by road and vessel, had created centers of power and authority to organize and protect the collective as well as a host of other basic requirements of life.

The social collective had gradually gained a modicum of mastery over basic productive operations of life that permitted it a greater sense of security and well being. The land produced more surpluses and there was more than the collective needed for its own survival. These conditions permitted the vital energies of the collective to emerge and they sought to engage others, trade with distant communities and exchange and barter in the local towns and communities. Life in the collective changed its view of the conditions around it and gradually saw more and more potential to develop itself. The social self-conception of the collective expanded and saw greater opportunities to expand its lands and property, to produce more from the land, to build a better life with better farming techniques. The members of the collectives who were once undifferentiated selves began to see some potential for their own development and prosperity.

The expanded power, capacity and organization of the collective leadership permitted a new self-conception of life and direction to emerge. Life that was once limited to survival gradually began to flower into an idea of expansion and plenty and with this came increasing potentials for more and more in the collective.

Humanity began to explore, to expand, to reach out, to interact, to exchange, to express, to live and to enjoy. This new conception gradually, this time over centuries not millennia, transformed life from one of limitation to one of emerging potential, though it was still quite limited. In this phase we had the emergence of seaports, trading centers, and cities with a much greater and more complex life. Humanity's horizons expanded and life flourished. Life, the second principle of existence expanded the potentials of material existence and animated its own activities through a dynamic action of exchange. Life awakened and expanded itself and matter. A change of view of the life around it, led the collective to develop its potentials.

As part of both the physical and vital stages of development society had already begun to organize its knowledge for the advancement of talent. In the physical stage the training of skills through apprenticeship transferred the knowledge of great craftsman to the next generation. In the vital stage, training went beyond physical skills and the basics of education became available to the elite and privileged in the social collective. As the intensity of the vital stage reached maturity, the benefits from the early efforts of developing the mind could already be seen flowering in capitals across the globe as science and technology began to appear. At first the mind struggled with the old established order in the social collective's belief structures, but eventually its overpowering scientific knowledge was no match for the old order.

A new order emerged and mind applied itself to every aspect and discipline of life. The craze for education grew and in a few centuries life was transformed, as was the collective and its members. Inventions and discoveries multiplied year after year and like a constant parade the powers of mind transformed dull matter into newer and newer products. Coal that had been used for centuries as a simple fuel was transformed into 20,000 products. Mind brought out the infinite potentials that were hidden and latent in matter to enrich life. The global social collective began to imagine that there were no limits to the potentials that the mind could create through its proper application and organization of knowledge.

Mind did not limit its greater power and light to matter alone. Mind turned its view on life and life's power, intensity and amplification grew by leaps and bounds. The organization of social processes of production along with technological innovation produced infinite supplies and created more and more demand from the collective. What appeared as scare and limited began to expand without limits. Material resources, of course, appeared to have limits and this perception temporarily put constraints on society's vision. But even here mind was able to change its view of reality and found that more and more could be drawn out from limited resources. Yields increased, production and efficiency increased and over a few centuries mind energized vital life.

Again mind did not limit its vision to matter and life. It also turned its focus to thought and began to search for the knowledge and secrets of existence itself. The effort produced universities and educational facilities across the global landscape so that today we produce educated citizens in a quantity and quality unimaginable just a 100 years ago. As thought developed not only did quantity increase but quality was revolutionized in each plane of existence. The very quality of life has been transformed so that today the average citizen receives a quality of education, medical treatment and social security benefits that even kings of the past could not imagine. Life that for eight millennia was brutal and cruel and offered little hope for joy and fulfillment showed the potential to transform itself into abundance and fulfillment for a small but significant minority. This success opened the mind of the collective to a future where the curses of hunger, poverty and suffering are no longer inevitable conditions. The view has already changed and the social imperative has swung its power towards this goal and no force can stop the flow of this great human aspiration.

In this period of mental awakening, the relationship between the social collective and the individual has undergone dramatic changes. The older structure of social organization --monarchy -- that had the masses working for the benefit of the few was smashed by the rushing rivers of freedom and self-determination. The undifferentiated social members of the earlier collective were granted freedom, rights, respect, self-determination and education. In the new social collective the democratic organization created a new link between the social self-conception of the collective and the individual. In the past the members of the society had at best a subconscious influence on the direction of the social self-conception. With the birth of democratic structures and organizations, individuals had been provided with the tools and endowments needed to create their own self-conception as well as to influence both indirectly and directly the formation and the direction of the larger self conception of the collective.

For many this process is new and the change of view has not fully taken hold as a power and force of change within the collective. Fixed interests, old forms of thinking, out of date attitudes, and other barriers exist that delay the transformation of life. However, a time will come soon when even these barriers are washed away in the flood of this powerful universal action of mind. It is clear that Mind and Life have come and transformed the lower plane of existence. They have also ushered in new and powerful forces to upgrade and transform life, as we have known it. Mind has shone its light on life and matter and each has reflected back its image of unlimited potentials.

The waves of the universal action have not stopped breaking on the shores of existence and still further marvels have shown themselves as beacons on the shore that may eventually lead us to changes that we have not yet imagined. Spirit, the final wave of the universal action may spread a light of wonder and delight far beyond our current view. These vistas call for a greater transformation of matter, life and mind, but for the moment they must remain the scope of study for seekers of these truths.

The Development of the Powers and action of Social Self-Conception, The Power of Individual Self Conception and the Emergence of Human Choice

The emergence of the self-conceptive power of the collective began in the physical period as more and more centers of collective social life emerged. The initial self-conception of these collective was limited to the physical extension of power achieved by that collective. As power accumulated in the collective its power of self-conception grew and the influence of its power extended over its physical territory and in some cases beyond as its power determined the reaction and responses of neighboring collectives.

The leader, his core advisors and lieutenants formed the power base and visioning center of the self-collective. The average citizen had no voice, no role and no place except to offer his unfailing support to those in power who shaped the vision. Dissatisfaction with the emerging self-conception could only bring trouble to the individual. Since the vast majority in the collective had neither skill, training nor expertise, they lacked a source of power to wager against the organized collective. Under these conditions the social mass adopted values that created security for their lives and strength to the collective. They became submissive, subservient, self effacing, loyal, hard working, capable of enduring great hardship, and self sacrificing when required to protect the existence the collective. The individual was a small and necessary unit of the collective but one that could be sacrificed as needed for the overall good.

The social self-conception of the collective power was narrowly based in a small group of leaders who understood its major role as one of preserving themselves, their power and the community. Individuals in the collective were not equipped by life or the society to think on their own, to consider their own interests or to question the established order. Through submission to the larger social order they helped to shape the social self conception through their sub-conscious urges and dreams which themselves were nebulous and lacking in power.

The nature of the relationship between the society and the individual remained locked in this stance for thousands and thousands of years. Through the submission of the individual to the collective, the powers and principles of life were able to emerge, organize themselves and secure a gradual but hard won victory over the unpredictability of nature and its whims. If today we stand back and take an objective look at the structure of any societies on the planet, the basic structure created in the physical period still exists and is the base on which all further heights have been achieved. The power of the physical life, the power of production, the power of the military, the power of physical infrastructure and our submission to it rules and requirements have not changed in their essential nature despite the top dressing of self-determining democratic principle that manage the business of society today in most parts of the world.

In the evolution of modern society the self-conceptive power still remains in the hand of the collective leaders and they hold the power, authority and even the brutality that chieftains of earlier time exercised with ruthless precision. The self-conceptive power of the individual still has not been able to match its self-conceptive power against that of the collective which has been fortified by thousands of years of submission, loyalty, and self-sacrifice from its masses.

As society emerged into the vital stage the scope, power and nature of the self-conceptive power of the collective and the individual began to change. The base was taken for granted. The lines of authority and the means to maintain them were well entrenched. The collective decided how much freedom and scope of action to allow within this basic framework. The frailty of life, the power of its whims and fancies, and the unknowableness of its rhythms and cycles surrendered some of their power to man and through this surrender surpluses emerged in the form of food, energy, and the expressions of unspoken dreams.

As life prospered and the collective accumulated excesses in some areas, opportunities to exchange and barter developed. One self-conceived collective came in touch with other self-conceived collective and shared the bounties of the land, the products of its crafts, the stories of its heroes and so much more. Life once closed and cloistered through open the doors and the breeze blow in. In this gradually emerging climate, leadership that once had been preoccupied with toiling, building and war found it necessary to develop new social skills, activities and organizations to channel its excess energies. Trade required organization and means of exchange, traders needed protection and safe places to keep their goods and money. The collective leadership's view of things changed and with it so did the society's thought of itself.

The constitution of the collective leadership changed. It was still composed of the leader and his lieutenants but now it also included experts in trade and commerce, banking, experts on life outside the collective and other experts. With the widening of its view, the growing power of the social collective and the increasing size and energy of life, the self-conceptive power of the collective expanded and became more powerful.

In the early phase of this transition and for a very long period, power remained in the hands of a few. Its view changed, its power increased but the sharing of that power remained in proportion to the power that those with privilege could build up around them to shape the leadership and direction of the collective. Over time the kings and emperors had courts full of powerful constituents who offered loyalty to their physical power but who challenged that power in less critical area of trade or commerce. The self-conceptive power of the collective itself began to experience exchange of view and interaction-life-that energized its power and influence. As this evolution continued to unfold, the power of the social collective expanded. One of its expressions took the form of expansionism and pressed for the addition of land and resources to the collective. For centuries we witnessed collectives battling over land and resources to support and maintain their expanded self-conceptions.

What happened then to the role of the individual as this change took place? In the previous stage man had few choices to make in life other than to submit in one fashion of another. One individual submitted to the collective to become a farmer or serf and another submitted to be a soldier based on their physical skills and capacity. In this new climate things began to change and individuals began to have more and more choices about the direction of their lives. As society expanded its activities into many fields, the number of occupations grew and the demand for new skills emerged throughout the collective. Those with physical skills and productive talents stayed on the land and made it more productive, those with more daring and courage became soldier or sailors, other with enterprise and willingness to risk and venture became traders and merchants. Life offered scope for greater though still limited expression of self-choice. In these new conditions, the individual was still controlled by overpowering force of arms but there were options to break out of mold and become something new. For many it meant running away from the land and finding work in the towns, for others it meant choosing a career in the army, for others it meant learning new trades and expertise for trade and commerce.

Though a tiny faucet at first a trickle of choice emerged but within a few centuries a torrential river began to shoot a powerful spray of new choice across the gardens of society and human choice blossomed everywhere. Man became adventurous and was willing to risk all for the freedom to choose. With this power the individual began to challenge the leadership and power of the social collective. No longer were the masses dull and docile individual willing to blindly obey. Loyalty had to be won or if not paid for though greater potential for advancement. The society reshaped new values now geared towards exchange, interaction, exploration, enterprise and mobility and the social collective had to adjust its self conception by widening its vision and offering more opportunities to the masses. The individual retained a subconscious power to influence the formation of the self-conception but in addition there emerged an added dimension of indirect influence expressed in social power that gained influence.

The social self-conception gained in power from the growth of its land, its wealth, its military power but also because its change of view delegated a power for individual self conception within well defined parameters. This new self-conceptive power at the individual level released a new energy and power into the society that for millennia had been suppressed as man gained mastery over life. This change created a new dynamics in the society as the individual could draw more of their own energies and in turn the society could draw on them and so the net result was not just a gradual growth but an exponential explosion of power, initiative and accomplishment. This new dynamics of the these three principles 1) the social collective self-conception, 2) the individual self conception and 3) the expansion and power of self choice became the engine that drove this great revolution over the past 500 years.

The role and dynamics between these three principles did not remain static. As mind emerged in a more dynamic and active collective, it also released greater and greater power for expansion, accomplishment, and mastery over the forces of nature. Science, the organization of knowledge of various fields and actions of life gave great power to the society that not only created great change but it also provided the next building block to expand the powers of each of the three forces in the equation. The emergence of mind and science and education and the spread of these faculties through the collective, first to the elite and then to the masses resulted in a fundamental shift in the dynamics of the collective and its relationship to the individual. The society again adopted new values of freedom, liberty, self-determination, equal rights for all and others. Through an over throw of the old order, society shifted its view and changed its self-conception. From the Divine Right of Kings we have shifted our view to the Divine Right of the Masses.

Through violent revolution and destruction the emerging power of this new self- conception compelled the collective self-conception to provide its masses with greater opportunities for the development and empowerment of each citizen so they, through their own free choice, could accomplish their own self conception. The social order underwent dramatic change in many ways, but the two foundations established in the physical and vital phase of development were not destroyed. Rather the emerging democratic state retained and strengthened its capacity for military power, enhanced its ability to maintain law and order, bolstered its infrastructure and land power through science and technology and provided greater and greater infrastructural support for trade, commercial and financial activities and all of the life activities that had emerged in the society. On top of these foundations they added the principles, powers and infrastructure to support mental development.

The collective changed its structure and was reconstituted in a new style of leadership This leadership was not vested with absolute powers, rather they were elected representatives of the collective who embodied the active aspirations and dreams of the collective. The power of self conception given to this new leadership was governed by principles, rights and laws that reflected this new social contract. The leadership of the collective became its representatives and was empowered to continue the development of the new self conception within the limits of its laws and principles. In this new arrangement the individual gained many new powers and avenues of action to shape and determine the emerging self conception of the collective. Individuals themselves could strive to become the elected leaders of the collective, they could become representatives in the working of the new collective leadership and administration. They could use their skills and talents to organize and petition the new leadership for change and most importantly they could exercise their human choice in selecting new leaders in the future. The new system fundamentally reshaped the relation between the collective and the individual and continues to work out its multiple expressions.

The relationship between the collective and the individual continues to move forward on an ever changing path. The collective has grown immense and possesses frightening power. Its scope of influence is all pervasive in the society and if not handled correctly it could stifle the emergence of its greatest accomplishment, the individual. The collective and the individual are engaged in a constant struggle each trying to wrest power from each other and in the process they are energizing a more powerful collective and stronger individuals.

The individual has also been transformed and empowered in this transition to a new social view. The collective has engaged its powers of organization to educate and train the entire population and to make this process one that continues for the entire life. This change has released great initiative and drive in individuals who now feel the power to shape and direct their own destiny. The physical vital human has begun to awaken its mind and dream of all that is possible in the infinite space and time of the universal action. The energies of the individuals are expanding and slowly gaining greater and greater precision in action and accomplishment.

These new conditions have also awakened a field of choices to the individual that were once inconceivable. A poor farmer from a log cabin can become the leader of the collective and the richest man in the world can succeed by producing a product that is a system. What then are the limits to which individuals can rise and what limits are there to the choices they can take.

In the mental phase of development the social collective self-conceptive power has begun to turn in on itself and see that its true accomplishments are not outside in the external environment but in the full development of the real resource-the individual. In this new self conception, the individual is provided the skills, talents and capacities and the choices and left to their own vision to create their lives, but still the tentacles of the social collective wrap themselves around all of these choices and individuals resists the effort to become true individuals. We see today humanity with an ever-growing capacity of individuality trapped in its social roots unable to fully explore its full potentials out side of these boundaries. A new destiny awaits each individual that they must seek with the same adventure and daring of our ancestors. The true individual must give up all their supports and moorings from society and sees that the ultimate determinant is themselves. Then we will know the power and scope of our full individuality. This is the adventure of consciousness that awaits each individual.

If at this point in our consideration we extend our view into the future with the same deliberateness as we did into our past, we will see that as man moves further into the spiritual phase of his development that our view will change again and the evolution of the relationship between the three elements in our formula must be transformed. The social collective that was once totally self centered that later turned in on itself to develop a fully empowered individual will see that there is a cosmic dance going on between the collective and the individual which at first appears to be two dancers separated from each other. But in our final view of existence we shall see that the collective, the individual and their choice of steps dance together to the same music and rhythm of the cosmic harmony to reach the same goal of self-fulfillment, delight and accomplishment in life.

The Organization of Consciousness

What then is the nature of this evolution of consciousness in forms? How is consciousness organized in the species and what are the processes and movements of consciousness in each plane of existence? How does each plane of consciousness interact with the others and what is the difference in the power of each level of consciousness? These are but a few of the multitude of questions that arise in our mind when considering a theory of social development which must explain the inner workings of consciousness and the process of externalization and actualization in life as a part of the larger flow of evolution.

As we have seen in our earlier inquiries, the process of the evolution in nature and also in humanity moves along the same path in the same progression and unfolding. Consciousness emerged in matter, moved to life, is ascending to mind and will transcend to spirit. To discern a practical theory we must develop a more detailed and lasting understanding of this progression and its implication on the development of man's inner subjective and outer objective life.

Until now we have considered each of the planes of existence as a vertical assembling of consciousness starting with matter as the base, supporting life next in order, maintaining mind above and finally uplifting spirit at the top. This is true but it is also an oversimplification of a very complex interaction of all four planes that are interconnected and working in a unison and rhythm. Matter we already said contains consciousness, which expresses in universal forces. Matter also contains life and mind and spirit, all of which are latent in the initial form and which emerge out of the form through an evolution, a flow, an interaction, a progression, a sequential program and process, an energization and fulfillment, a transcendence and an ascent and a descent. All of these processes through the calculations of an infinitely complex formula bring out this unfolding ascent of consciousness. Let us delve further into this formula and understand its complexities.

In each of the planes of existence that we have described as constituents of human consciousness, each of the other planes exists. In the plane of physical consciousness we have latent life and mind and spirit. In the plane of life consciousness we have the physical and latent mind and spirit. In the mental consciousness we have matter and life and latent spirit. In spiritual consciousness we have all the others expressed in potential. When we talk of the evolution of matter to life to mind to spirit we are describing a rich and complex unfolding of the universal action.

If for the moment we think of each plane as a horizontal extension, we would find a combination of each principle -- matter, life, mind and spirit -- in each. In the physical consciousness we would find four constituent parts, matter, life, mind and spirit. If we imagine ourselves in the matter part of the physical plane it would be the body without life. If we move across the plane of the physical consciousness to its life component we would describe it as the urge to movement. As we move on to the next component of the mental consciousness in the physical plane we would describe it as consciousness organized in the physical as physical skills of the body. Finally, in the spiritual aspect in the physical consciousness we come to spirit in matter which we describe as physical intuition. The same divisions and with different expressions exist on all of the other planes of consciousness and account for the complex intricacies of the structure and operation of its actions.

By this analysis we have accounted for a basic structure and subdivision of consciousness based on the components that the universal action has created in its widest action but what about the nature of its unfolding and functioning. When consciousness emerged over this vast timeline did it move in a straight line across the physical consciousness and then ascend to the vital plane and so on to the highest levels of consciousness. One may ask if the path of unfolding is limited to a strictly horizontal progression along a plane which leads to the next level which itself unfolds in the same sequence, or are there other potential expressions? In fact, we know from life that there appears to be no two consciousness formations that are exactly the same. This would seem to indicate that the process is not fixed or rigid. The pattern of development can, in fact, move across, up, and even follow a zig-zag direction within certain basic principles of action. But this process, though variable, also seems to operate within certain parameters or patterns. Society has long observed the emergence of types of individuals and patterns of personalities. This would seem to indicate that there are some general patterns of organization of consciousness in the ascending expression that forms these types while allowing for variations.

Consciousness clearly unfolds in a process and rhythm and has dominant and recessive characteristics that shape and influence its formation into personalities. External life must show the expression of these same patterns and society which is still a further extension of consciousness of these inner states of consciousness must also express something of this working. In our final theory the complex intricacies of this process, like the details of the theory of relativity, must be discovered, tested, and validated before the full power and action of the theory can be drawn upon by the society.

What then, are the overall principles of the complex relationship between the levels of consciousness that will help us understand the system in which consciousness operates and functions? Again we go back to the principle of ascent and descent that we discussed earlier in our analysis to provide us some insight. Unconscious humanity began its effort to express itself in life by taking unconscious or partly conscious action based on trial and error. This led to painful gains in knowledge. Out of this unconscious effort humanity's consciousness expanded to include all of life's actions and mental understandings. Humanity gradually through unconscious effort gained mastery over many activities and in those areas where its knowledge grew and was organized, it gained greater mastery. This has been the process of unconscious ascent that we have witnessed from the earliest of times. Now and more so in the future humanity has begun to initiate its actions in an organized mind which takes knowledge back down to the other planes--descent--in life and matter. The results of this process of descending knowledge will be much greater as it will be the application of conscious knowledge to lower planes of life and matter. Gradually as mind emerges there are greater and greater opportunities for the conscious application of knowledge to yield greater result. Science has already shown us this power for a few hundred years and the process gains momentum and strength as time rushes forward.

Based on the evolution of consciousness from below from matter to spirit and the process of ascending consciousness, a pattern and habit of action has emerged. Humanity's consciousness tends to be driven by its lower elements -- an impulse of the physical and/or the drive of the vital. Both of these powers of consciousness express action and movement but tend to have distorted or even preferential awareness rather than mental or spiritual organization. This capacity for distorted or preferential motivation can and does create uninformed and misdirected action serving the lower powers of existence. But how can we complain of this organization when we see that for millions of years prior to the real birth and expression of mind or spirit, these powers were the basis and organization of humanity's action? The exercise and training given to these earlier formations retains a power over the new levels which, though more powerful, do not have the training, precision and power of action to direct the earlier formations. In some areas of life we see signs of more and more enlightened action even if it is still an isolated occurrence. In fact, we could say that until this point in history pure rational knowledge born in the mind and expressed in life has remained rare. Most knowledge is driven by the lower nature of humanity's consciousness and therefore it has its limitations and in built ignorance.

Humanity's current state of limitation and ignorance comes out of rhythm and flow of the evolutionary process from matter to spirit and the development of consciousness in life through the ascending unconscious action. Humanity's external social development therefore has paralleled its inner evolutionary development and for millennia its life action has been dominated by the lower over the higher forms of consciousness. Gradually as humanity's mental and spiritual consciousness increases and develops its true powers, the role of mind and spirit as the leader of life and matter will emerge from the current pattern where matter and life dominate mind and spirit.

Gradually, we are witnessing, though rarely in the individual and even less frequently in the collective, an emerging sense of disharmony in relation to the inner and outer organization and working of consciousness and its actualization. The self-aware individual has moments when it perceives a higher knowledge in the mental plane and understands the course of action. Yet in spite of this knowledge and perception, it acts in total disregard of this insight through the compulsion of the lower consciousness. In the past, the unaware individual could live with such inconsistencies, but slowly in infinitesimal movements, a more self-conscious individual is emerging who observes the inconsistency in the process and rhythm of consciousness and is unable to accept the disharmony between its inner and outer functioning. This awareness signals the birth of a great change in the organization of consciousness that awaits the collective and the individual. In future the self-conscious mental and later the spiritual personality will perceive and know through the higher consciousness and the emotions and the impulse--lower consciousness--will act on the imperative force and power of this knowledge. This is the reversal or transformation of consciousness that has already begun to sprout seeds in humanity which will gradually flower over time.

The history of humanity over the aeons that has been told in legends, fables, great epics, great tragedy and immortal poetry represents humanity's effort to place a mirror before itself to show the comedy, folly and tragedy of the current organization of its consciousness in the hope that one day a more self-conscious individual in the future would develop and evolve a new order of internal consciousness that would be capable of bringing out the full potentials and latent powers of the infinite and to transform the human condition from one of pain, suffering and sorrow to one of beauty, love and joy.

The effort to find a theory of conscious self-development is one of the thousands of attempts that the universal action throws out in its storming of the gates of the infinite which pushes humanity to discover something more of its nature and the development and transformation of its consciousness in order to recast life through a new inner view of its own workings.

The Instrumentality of Action in Life

If, as we have seen, humanity's inner subjective nature and its working are the determinants of its external life, then how does consciousness move from its subjective state of potential to an objective state of reality? What are the principles, powers, processes, strategies and programs that consciousness employs to actualize itself in life? This is a fundamental question of great significance to our theory. First we must know the inner workings of the subjective nature in order to bring about change in its organization and functioning and secondly we must discover, understand and master the executive processes by which this subjective movement externalizes and actualizes itself. Again the nature of our initial inquiry into the evolutionary process of the universal action provides us a base for our investigation into the process and mechanics of actualization. As before, the process flows from matter to life to mind to spirit.

The first step of the consciousness in moving into action is to generate the energy necessary to move its form into motion for accomplishment. If the source of action is the physical consciousness, we say there is an instinctive impulse to action. The energy expresses as a need or pressure to movement. If the source of action emerges from the emotions--life consciousness--it moves through both the physical and the life consciousness to release an impulse to movement but in this case the action is animated with excitement, enthusiasm and intensity. The outer form rushes headlong into action. If the source of action begins in the mind, which in most cases is dominated by the lower operations, it must first develop the power of it understanding and logic, formulate a plan, develop its strategies and detail out its implementation. When mind has completed this action, there is the mental power of understanding ready for action. But mental power can not act on its own. It needs the support and energy of the physical and the life principles. If the emotions identify with the mental power and endorse the concept, the mental consciousness releases impulse to action, intensity for motions and direction for accomplishment. If the emotions and impulses withhold their consent, the mental power remains an idea in the mind unable to actualize itself. The process of action of the spiritual consciousness must follow similar stages but one could imagine that in a unitary consciousness the power of knowledge and will would be united in action for more immediate results but this is beyond the scope of the present inquiry.

Consciousness releases energy in each case for movement. In the lower levels of consciousness the action is simple, urgent, impulsive and undirected by knowledge. These actions create tremendous activity and sound and fury leading to limited results and accomplishment. Results emerge in action when the inner consciousness is more informed and organized by the higher powers of consciousness

Energy is the first term of translating consciousness into action. It is the fuel of action and the results of the action depend on the amount and type of fuel that is generated in consciousness. For much of humanity's history the energy for action has come from the physical and life planes of consciousness and the results reflect the nature of the consciousness and its resultant energy in life. Life at first was instinctual, basic, slow, dull, fearful, and superstitious. Later it became active, outgoing, daring, interactive, powerful, intense, excited, and enthusiastic. Life's energy reflected the source and organization of consciousness and it still does in most areas of action.

Energy, the first step in the process, is followed by an act -- motion of form. Act is the motion of form given by consciousness through the instrumentality of the physical nature and body. Act expresses the energy of physical impulsion, emotive desire, mental conception and spiritual insight each in different measures and proportion depending on the type and nature of the movement in consciousness. Act itself contains multiple levels of expression of energy each with an imperative of consciousness for expression and fulfillment. What appears on the surface as a simple act contains worlds of consciousness, formations, processes, and powers.

Since act is motion in form it involves more than a single motion. Rather action is a series of movements that seeks to express and execute the intentions of consciousness. Acts then come in all types depending on the level of consciousness, the intensity of the drive and the importance of this to the individual. Many actions are the expression of basic drives of the universal energy in the physical consciousness. The act of eating, sleeping, and others reflect the basic intention of the physical and life consciousness to maintain the life of the form. Acts can be more complex when they rise to the vital or life plane. An act can be the expression of the desire to expand, succeed or excel. Acts can and do express the principles and powers of each level of consciousness and have many different ways of expression--some gross and exaggerated, others subtle and refined.

The individual as it develops in life expresses a wide variety of acts that express its nature. It is possible that in some cases acts are out of harmony with each other and/or at least part of individual nature. As mentioned earlier the organization of consciousness permits an inconsistency even a contradictory expression within the same individual. Society has witnessed for years that its individuals are capable of unexplainable inconsistency in action depending on the nature and harmony of its consciousness. To make any theory of social development complete and effective in life, we must consider creating an index or catalog of actions by themselves and in relation to each other at different stages of social evolution.

As we view the landscape of man's evolution over these last million years we see that in its earliest periods life consisted of a few basic acts that gradually over time became organized into simple social activities. These initial activities helped the collective and the individuals to survive, grow and develop into more complex social systems capable of higher and higher levels of achievement. In the dawn of society simple collective activities were structured through the power and force of the leadership and their social self-conception. Activities were imposed on the collective and the individual through authority, custom, ritual and other means, to insure that the essential acts of survival and growth were branded into the consciousness of a very physical social collective. The ordering of acts came from the collective more than from the individual.

The third step in the process of actualization from consciousness to achievement then is organization of action together to achieve a higher level of achievement that will support the further development and expansion of the collective and its members. The pressure of the hostile life forces pressured man to organize his perceptions and information through external pressure over thousands of years. Gradually the mental structure that was subconscious in life emerged as a new faculty of self-consciousness. Through the patient workings of the universal action, man's mental consciousness emerged which resulted in the formation of organized acts within consciousness itself. When these acts emerge into life, they had their own power of organization and effectivity.

Organization that had once been imposed by the environment developed greater form and power as it expressed the mental powers of consciousness. Organization emerged as a power of consciousness located in the mental consciousness that permitted the collection of energy and acts together, provided direction and purpose to this energy that gradually gained in force. It channeled that energy and action through structure, policies, systems, procedures, and the interaction of its individual members who executed the work. Forceful energy gained power through this process of channeling and expressed itself to the maximum extent when each individual in the organization possessed supportive attitudes and well honed skills. This organization of the mental consciousness is the basis of today's social organization.

What then is the nature and power of organization in consciousness and life? Life, it appears from the widest view, has grown through the expansion of consciousness and consciousness appears to grow, expand and develop power through organization. Man's experience in life brought greater and greater awareness of things. At first this vision was limited and small in its view. Gradually it expanded and had the courage and daring to view everything without fear. Experience and its resultant knowledge expanded exponentially. But this awareness remained ineffective until consciousness organized it for accomplishment. In the beginning stage man may have known, but without the organization of knowledge he was ineffective in the use of that knowledge. Even today we may know what to do but our consciousness does lend itself to the proper organization to achieve results.

As there are acts of all types depending on the nature and center of consciousness, there are organizations of all types. Through the flow of history man's awareness grew and he organized facts and processes to the extent he knew them. Out of that effort appropriate organizations emerged that developed the society's capabilities at each plane of existence to raise itself to a new level of achievement. It gained mastery and control in the measure of its awareness and organization. The collective then is made up of many types and kinds of organizations each working to support the expression, expansion and fulfillment of its consciousness and at the same time through the current self-conception of the collective.

Since society is not a stagnant status of life but rather it is an active and evolving status of consciousness, we see that consciousness is continually reshaping its view of the world around it. When that shape acquires a new form in the subconscious of the collective, it brings forth individuals who feel this new vision, who have an intuitive sense of its direction and expression, who have the courage to stand out from the collective and lead the charge into the future and to create the foundations for its new organization and their realization in the collective. For aeons we have known the dreamers, the inventors, the and revolutionaries and have labeled them as heretics, blasphemers and instruments of the devil, whereas we should have heralded them as our deliverers from our smaller conception of life, as visionaries of our own unspoken dreams, as saviors who forced the society to give up its old organizations so that the new self-conception could emerge.

Organization has been the central instrument through which society has raised itself up from its past and on which the collective builds a new foundations of its future. For the full power and force of the theory to express, a complete understanding of the principles, powers, processes, strategies and programs of organization must be developed and harmonized with the previous steps of categorization of consciousness and acts.

In society, organizations like individuals have their cycles. In the early stages of its formation a new organization struggles, finds its place, flourishes, and gradually its power is felt into the wider workings of the collective. The organization becomes an institution that has a pervading and deep influence over the collective as its power merge and identify themselves with the deeper aspirations and needs of the collective. The institution of justice emerges from the organization of law and order and becomes a part of the collective psyche.

In some cases organizations mature even further beyond the point of an institution. They in fact become the way of life for the society. The society accepts its mission and integrates its ideals and actions into the cultural values of the collective, which are transmitted from one generation to the next through the family and educational organizations.

Let us stand back for a minute and look at the collective from a distance and see what processes are unfolding and in what rhythm they express. Life constantly expands its activity and through its experience awareness increases. Consciousness organizes this awareness at different levels of expression in its own nature, thus gaining power and executive force. With this new awareness and organization consciousness forms a new self-conception of the world around it and feels the need to adjust its view and its actions. Through the instrumentality of multidimensional acts structured into organizations that possess direction and power to accomplish its new vision, the society fulfills its new view through the pioneer who creates the next level of the social imperative for greater productivity, effectivity, accomplishment, comprehension, mastery, joy, happiness and expression. As these new organizations mature, they are absorbed back into the collective action and gradually become a fresh and stronger foundation for institutions and cultural values on which the next change of view will express itself.

The Powers of Organization

We have gleaned some knowledge of the broad principles, process and instrumentality by which consciousness actualizes itself in life. Consciousness actualizes itself through the nature and power of each plane of life through an organized action to achieve the purpose of the original impulsion. Society is made up of a wide variety of organizations each working alone and together to express its individual and collective power in support of the old, the present and the emerging self-conception and view of society.

How do organizations work? Where do they get their power? What can they do to increase their power? These are a few of the questions that appear to the mind that must be considered as we move ahead in our endeavor to create an effective tool of social change and development.

As we saw earlier, act and activities take place through the physical instrumentality of the body. They are by themselves physical in nature and thus have less mental consciousness involved. Organization adds a mental component to these basic functions and empowers it through this process. Organization is an expression of the mind and therefore it has greater power to relate and combine individual acts to form systems that can be repeated over and over again to accomplish the maximum results with the least investment of time, energy and resources.

Another reason organization is powerful is because it is made up of systems which are smaller forms of organization. Organizations are made up of a collection of systems that coordinate activities and act in space and time to achieve specific results. Whenever organization is introduced it achieves greater results because it raises the level of the functioning from the lower levels of consciousness--life and physical--to the mental level of functioning. As organizations grow and become more advanced in structure and functioning, they increase their power to accomplish results. Society grows and develops by introducing more and more advanced organizations so it can better use its energies.

Within the society organizations can grow into two ways. First it can expand horizontally. In this case the society gains by the fact that a once isolated organization becomes a net work of organizations that offer the same service or result to the entire population. This horizontal expansion builds up power and capacity of the society and gives the organization more power by volume and extension over space. Secondly, organization can grow through vertical expansion. When this happens the quality and dimension of results change and the society develops new levels of organization that introduce totally new types of services or results. The organization itself becomes more powerful as it has raised its level of functioning. The society also became more powerful when this occurs since it receives the benefits of new systems to improve its overall use of energy for actualization

Another power of organization is authority. In earlier periods authority came from the collective as it imposed an order and structure on social activities. In this period authority was external, but today most organizations get their authority from within. All acts and activities submit to this internal authority and its conceptions, values, plans and systems to complete the desired result. Authority governs and directs energy in a more purposeful and structured way.

One of the ways that organizations create and maintain authority is through leadership. The members of an organization submit themselves to the leadership of a group or an individual who maintains the order and discipline that everyone has agreed upon joining the organization. The greater the strength of the leader, the greater the internal order and capacity of the group. No two organizations provide the same type and structure of leadership but all great organizations have both. There is no right or wrong type of leadership or authority as long as everyone agrees to submit to the rules and order as defined by the group.

As organizations rise in their level of activity from physical to spiritual, the nature and type of authority changes. In the physical organization like the military, leadership is external, final and exacting with physical perfection. In a mental organization, the structure of leadership and authority changes as the mental man is guided more by the authority of his knowledge, opinions, attitudes and values. Both structures and styles of leadership and authority are appropriate to the organization.

Another primary power of organization that makes it so productive is complexity which produces the division of labor. Organization provides the capacity to divide up activities essential for its functioning and assign different tasks to different individuals. Specialization enables people with specific endowments to do what they do best. In every type of organization, specialization enhances its overall efficiency.

Division of labor enables organizations to carry out vast numbers of different activities simultaneously. The greater the number of individual functions it performs, the more complex the organization. The more complex the organization, the greater its productive potential. Complexity is also enhanced by increasing the number of levels in the organizational hierarchy and the extent of coordination and integration it achieves with other organizations and activities in the same field and in other fields.

Values are the ultimate organizing principle that direct and control the way human energies are expressed in activity. Values are the most powerful determinants of social accomplishment. They are laden with their own inherent authority. Values direct the motive force of personality to achieve higher standards of behavior and higher levels of accomplishment. Values are the psychological skills.

The efficiency of an organization is determined by its adherence to physical values such as cleanliness, orderliness, quality, regularity, and punctuality; organizational values such as discipline, standardization, systematic functioning, communication, coordination and integration; and mental or psychological values such as accuracy, honesty, respect for the individual, and harmony. Societies possess and foster these values as well. The higher the level of values to which the society is committed, the greater the society's productivity and accomplishments.

Principles of Theory

Let us pause for a moment in flow of argument and review the principles and process that have emerged from our deliberation on the universal action in the universe and in the emergence of the social collective.

1. We observed that there appears to be an on-going evolution of forms of consciousness, which have emerged over the timeline of the universal action.
2. The movement of this evolutionary process has been from matter to life to mind to spirit.
3. Matter, that contains latent consciousness, is the base from which all other forms of existence emerge and express.
4. Life is the force of consciousness that animates all forms of life.
5. Mind is the organizing principle of consciousness that sees forms and through its powers of thought and understanding expands consciousness and awareness of the infinite potentials in life
6. Spirit is a unitary consciousness that sees all universal action as the expression of a single power expressing itself in the delight of its universal action
7. The universal and the individual are two different expressions of the same action in two statuses--universal and individual which work together to fulfill each other.
8. Both centers are expressions of the same action. Cosmic action is the expressions of consciousness of the four planes of existence extended throughout existence. Individual action is a focused and concentrated expression of the same powers in separated consciousness that is self-aware.
9. The development of the social collective appears to moves from Matter to Life to Mind to Spirit.
10. The underlying force of action-energy--in life appears to arise out of an on-going process of reconciliation that occurs between the nature of the different forms of the universal action expressing as matter, life, mind and spirit.
11. The greater the difference between these apparent contradictions, the greater the differential and therefore the greater the energy released by the universal action to reconcile these forms in a higher expression.
12. As development proceeds from the initial phase of action to the next, the first phase becomes a base out of which the next phase emerges. This happens when the lower phase has reached some state of completion. When the higher expression emerges it brings with it new powers, principles and processes that energize the new plane and also brings out greater powers that are latent in the earlier foundation.
13. There appears to be a dynamic principle that expresses this relationship. Consciousness in the first plane perfects itself and latent and higher forms of consciousness emerge. It is an ascent of consciousness that releases new power and effectivity of action. As these power express and become organized in the new plane of consciousness, they developed new knowledge and organization that when taken and applied back in the lower foundation release greater and greater potentials--the descent.
14. The movement of the universal action in this process of ascent and descent has created more and more forms of itself and in each successive stage greater complexity, intricacy and power emerges and produce a richer more complex expression in universal action.
15. In the evolution of the human collective this principle appears to hold true. As the social collective emerges from matter to spirit, it develops and creates more and more complexity, intricacy and power in the collective and its members.
16. At each stage of the process society discovers, applies and utilizes new principles, powers, processes and strategies that are unique to each level of existence but which can also be used to draw more form the preceding stages of manifestation.
17. As the social collective moves from its physical origins to its spiritual heights the social self-conceptive power of the society develops and expands in knowledge and intensifies in its power of effectuation.
18. There are three active statuses of the social self-conception. Survival, Growth and Development
19. The process through which the social conception changes from its current construction is by a change of view of the internal and external environment. This change of view continues to drive changes in the society as man's consciousness expands and enlarges as it progresses from matter to spirit.
20. The social collective develops itself from one stage to another through the widening of its change of view, its self-conception and its power of achievement.
21. This development of the social collective is a complex process that does not follow a straight line to its goal but involves periods of advance and subsequent periods of retreat but gradually over time the forward march from matter to spirit is irreversible.
22. At each of the successively higher levels of development in society the power of self-conception increases its expressive capabilities in the new level and expands its potentials. It also brings out greater potential from the previous levels.
23. As the process continues from matter to life to mind the nature of the collective begins to change from a large undifferentiated mass led by a few to a more highly differentiated group of individuals who assume self-direction and leadership in action.
24. The relationship between the collective and the individual changes in nature and process as the process moves from matter to life to mind and will change again in the spiritual phase.
25. At all stages of the development process, the course and direction are determined by the choices taken by the collective. In the beginning stages of the development choices are limited as well as the power of awareness and effectuation so the process is slow. As society becomes more conscious and taps the higher potentials of its nature, the number of choices increases and the speed and power of the process also intensify. In the course of time, as humanity reaches the pinnacle of its development, to know will mean to achieve, but until then the path remains one that enjoys its twists and turns.
26. Man moves from consciousness to life through action.
27. Life grows through consciousness.
28. Consciousness develops through organization.
29. Act is the unit of actualization.
30. Act is the first step in actualizing consciousness.
31. Acts when linked together through a greater organization of conscious principle, direction, value, and effective instrumentation can accomplish whatever it sets out to do.
32. The social collective achieves development through the instrumentality of higher level organization that gives power and capability of effectuation to the collective self conception to achieve higher productivity, efficiency, prosperity, knowledge, joy and happiness.
33. The power of organization comes from mental consciousness.
34. Organizational powers are authority, complexity and values.