Sri Aurobindo was amongst the first to use the term integral when he founded Integral Yoga in the early 1900s. Since then numerous thinkers and practitioners (e.g. Jean Gebser, Ervin Lazlo and others) have contributed to the field, however the leading proponent of integral theory in the modern world is an American by the name of Ken Wilber. Wilber's work has become the seed of a worldwide explosion of interest in Integral Theory in recent decades. Wilber has written 23 books, one of which was almost 900 pages long. His writings are generally up to the academic standards of university text books, making them quite challenging for the average reader. For example, the title of the first chapter of Integral Spirituality, is entitled "Integral Methodological Pluralism". For most of us, we get a headache at the thought of trying to understand such things. The good news is that those of us who have studying the Integral Approach have found ways of sharing the essence of Wilber’s writings without having to resort to six syllable words. Around the world, the community of integral practitioners are actively exploring and sharing ways of making integral theory accessible to the majority of people who do not have the time to study such a huge body of work. The Worldview Centre is at the leading edge of that exploration.
Truth be known, the history of the integral worldview is still a work in progress, and still at it's early stages. At this very moment there are millions of people around the world who embody the principles of an integral worldview, many of them having never heard of integral or Ken Wilber. Those individuals already think in an inclusive way, looking for the value in other's perspectives as well as noting what parts may be creating divisiveness and conflict; they are already substantially beyond being triggered by the antics of others, but rather are simply informed about how to best engage with a person or situation; they are already beyond the seductive promises of the ego and have moved into a realm of concern that is capable of embracing the wellbeing of the many. That you are reading this material suggests that you may be one of them, already integral by nature.
There is no 'one right way' to be integral. How this new wave of consciousness unfolds from here is up to those who carry forward those values. YOU are a co-creator of the future of human consciousness. YOU are one of those who can help determine the form and practices that will be presented as embodying the integral for those who will one day follow. This may sound romantic or even egotistical, but rather one might see it as a profound responsibility that is at once terrifying and exciting. Such an opportunity comes but once in a lifetime, and now is that time.
Welcome to the unfolding flow of a time in history that may well be studied for a thousand generations to come. Together, may we write an inspiring chapter in the history of humanity.
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A Brief History of Integral