Introduction to WorldView

WorldView is the perceptual or experiential framework by which individuals “construct,” interpret and make sense of the world. Central to a WorldView is a set of operating assumptions (or beliefs) about what is possible to experience, the nature of experience, the basis of value and what it all means. We call these “operating” assumptions because they are evidenced or indicated by actions and undirected responses. Over time, we become aware of the operating assumptions (of our life), which manifests the possibility they can be changed. The more internal discrimination we experience, the more conscious we become. This increasing sophistication, in response to our experience, generally increases the awareness of our creative nature. We learn what we best contribute, and it flows. In other words, greater consciousness provides greater awareness, more perceptual tools and expanded choices. And as a person’s consciousness grows, they have an ever-deepening connection to Life, Light and Love.

Our WorldView provides a set of beliefs that guide the interpretation of our experiences. It is how we interpret reality to form an accepted framework of inner relationships that simplifies the understanding of our situation. A belief is, essentially, an idea that reinforces our overall sense of safety and security, or makes it easier to deal with what we know. Usually a belief is based on a known experience that has crystallized into a predictable meaning and keeps us from questioning it on a larger level. Beliefs are thoughts we commonly use to reinforce our idea of what should happen in a situation. They prevent us from deepening our understanding beyond what we already know. Beliefs are actually crutches that keep us from examining our reality in each moment. It is useful to notice that many beliefs reflect our past, which we now try to project on the current circumstances (when in fact they may not relate). As we come to realize we can engage current circumstances in the moment, we become more effective at relating to the world.

WORLDVIEW DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

We can map the development of our WorldView on instinctive, emotional, intellectual and intuitive levels. The diagram WorldView Development Process, maps out how we grow on each level. The arrows indicate a named motivating force that takes three stages to complete. At the completion of this process, a circle indicates the primary acceptance of a lesson. For example, on the instinctive level, we are initially motivated by fear, which continues from the Survival to Outer Success stages. We complete this lesson in the Relationship stage, which shows that instinct and fear loses its power (over us). On the emotional level, survival is dependent upon our ability to know who we can trust (which is the primary lesson we learn in the Survival stage, indicated by a circle).

Our unconscious development process supports moving from instinctive to emotional to intellectual to intuitive levels. Each step in our growth requires the foundation of the previous steps, otherwise the lesson is not embodied. We become self-reflective and conscious of the process at the mid-relationship stage. This is signified by a light yellow background on the Inner Success, Personality Integration and World Service stages. Our development is actually based upon how well we develop the tools of our perception. The more we are able to consciously use these perceptual tools (sensations, feelings, emotions, thoughts) in a way that supports our learning process, the faster we evolve. For example, in the Safety and Security stage, we are unconscious of emotions, then become self aware of them when we move into the Relationship stage (where they become self reflective and available).

Each arrow manifests as an increasing faculty to see, experience and respond to changes in our lives. The key shift occurs when we become aware that we have thoughts, but that we are not our thoughts. This is diagrammed on the intellectual level at the Outer Success stage when we ‘are’ our thoughts, which then shifts to becoming self-conscious in the Relationship stage. Finally, in the Inner Success stage, we become self-reflective and understand that our thoughts are just expressions of who we are and not actually who we are. The WorldView Development Process diagram provides a framework for understanding the deeper shifts that occur as we become more conscious.

Our perceptual stage (given our WorldView) represents the context in which we relate to the world of people, ideas and things. It focuses attention on a group of lessons, leading us down a path of natural development that facilitates our growth and allows us to expand our viewpoint. Everyone moves through the stages more or less sequentially. If the lesson is learned, we move on to the next stage. If we do not learn the limits of the stage, and become attached to the lesson, we stop our overall development. Instead, we begin focusing piece by piece on smaller parts of the lesson in order to let go of the attachment. When we become conscious of this process, we can accelerate our growth enormously. It allows us to identify where we may not be accepting ourselves fully, or are operating from a less evolved perceptivity.

WorldView reflects the complexity of the lessons we engage in the universe. The more we see and accept the different WorldView levels of people around us, the more effective we will be in supporting them. Whenever we talk to someone who has a lower worldview than ours, we have to recalibrate what we are saying to the level they are able to engage, or they won’t understand us. It does not matter how many times we try to tell them what they are doing; they cannot hear what we are saying. Sometimes, individuals we love and who love us, can temporarily operate in alignment with us if they are in our presence for a considerable period of time. While they may be able to understand us for this period, when they leave our presence, they start to revert to their previous perceptions. This results in forgetting the details of what occurred (when in our presence).

World View compatibility factors allow us to understand and appreciate where we and others are in our development process. Each of the seven stages reflects a type of lesson or focus that commands our attention. When we can appreciate and accept our own World View, it enables us to see and be present with others in ways that are more comfortable. By identifying where others are, we can speak in a way that honors and meets them. Completion of each stage indicates the degree of self-mastery in a particular area.

WorldView is an experiential framework by which individuals construct, interpret, and make sense of the world. Central to WorldView is a set of operating principles and assumptions of what is possible to experience, the nature of that experience, and the framework through which we learn our lessons. There are seven different WorldView stages that represent 7 levels of lessons within each WorldView stage for a total of 49 WorldView options. Due to the inherent growth aspect of WorldView stages, it is the only hierarchical Compatibility Factor. However, it is critical that we do not use WorldView differences to judge or idealize others. Doing so will limit our growth and Wisdom. Instead we can use a WorldView assessment to guide our understanding of other’s life priorities and to have greater choice about how best to honor, engage and love them in a way in which they can accept our support and feel safe.

Until we understand our WorldView and the lessons we are engaging, we tend to be unconscious about why certain people are attracted to us. Simply stated, we attract others who share a common WorldView. It is with these individuals that we feel the most seen and understood. They are the people most likely to support us in understanding the lessons we are engaging because they are learning the same lessons.As we engage and learn from our life lessons in the various WorldView stages, we expand our scope and power to deal with complexity. This means at higher WorldViews we are able to deal with a wider range of issues because of our increased capacity to engage both similarities and differences. The more we can hold our own space and resolve the paradoxes in our life, the greater we can demonstrate a sense of congruence. Therefore, the greater the WorldView, the more we are integrated and naturally creative. Our ability to accept and love ourselves grows as we master each stage.

Everyone generally moves through the WorldView stages sequentially. However, we can sometimes straddle as many as three different WorldViews simultaneously. We complete a WorldView stage, when we have embodied the lessons in a way that makes us flexible and fluid in those areas. In order of development, the WorldViews are: Survival, Safety & Security, Outer Success, Relationship, Inner Success, Personality Integration, and World Service. It is important to remember that our parents imprinted us with the WorldView levels that they operated at as we were growing up. This often leads us to fall into, when under stress, a lower WorldView than our actual consciousness. This is particularly true when we are around lower WorldView individuals in authority roles on whom we desire to make a good impression.

We naturally begin our development at Survival and we evolve as quickly as we cangiven the circumstances of our environment. Occasionally, as teenagers we find it difficult to surpass our parents’ WorldView level, as it can often feel disrespectful, like a betrayal which can lead to a dramatic reduction of our authentic evolutionary growth. Any attachments we have to staying in stages we have completed, indicates imprinting from our parents. To the degree we release our imprinting, we experiencegreater clarity in our life. It is important to remember that until we have completed a stage we have not mastered that level. As long as we are in any stage, the issues of our lives, especially the most frustrating aspects, will keep focusing on our incomplete lessons.

There is no prescription for growing in WorldView. Some individuals may spend a life time in one or two WorldView stages, while others reach Relationship and beyond. It is common to get stuck in a WorldView stage along the way because: 1) our parents are stuck in one location and we are unconsciously imprinted not to go beyond them; 2) our friends are all operating at a particular level and peer pressure keeps us at that level; and 3) we become attached to the manifestations of a particular stage, reducing our willingness to keep growing. It is also true that sometimes individuals may skip a stage for a while (such as working on relationships before completing Outer Success) or may be operating from two stages at the same time.