22 Feb Comparing the Ascending and Descending Lines
It is helpful is to compare these two lines of development for a fuller understanding. Daniels (2021, p. 29) provides an excellent graph that summarizes what Wilber calls the ascending and descending currents (a new term which replaced his previous use of the word line). Wilber’s currents were arranged into a hierarchical structure, with the apex at the top of the ascending line. Daniel’s graph arranges the ascending and descending currents as a list of polarities rather than arranging them hierarchically as Wilber did.
The following are some of these polarities with the descending line listed first: Power for rather than power over, this world rather than the other, immanence rather than transcendence, maintenance rather than progress, the body rather than spirit, embodied mysticism vs. asceticism, heart vs. the head, the unconscious vs. the conscious, compassion vs. wisdom, relationship vs. solitariness, intuition vs. reason, connection vs. independence, matriarchal/feminist vs. patriarchal, goddess vs. god, roots vs. wings. The descending line also includes the yin, the female, and indigenous cultures.
When Wilber was read in the early days of transpersonal psychology, the Descending current was largely ignored because, obviously, it was lesser and not the path to be on. Transpersonalists continued on mostly agreeing with Wilber, believing that the ultimate spiritual manifestation was an isolated, celibate monk in a cave, and that since all humans are alike at their core, all aspire to that male person’s realization(s).
But where were the women and BIPOC? What one finds in the polarization of ascending and descending currents is that women, the body, intuition, relationships, the path of being a householder, the unconscious, and indigenous wisdom are denigrated. This fits in nicely with patriarchal, Judeo-Christian, reductionist, rational, scientific thought.
Ascending spirituality is focused on the future, where we may or may not get to the goals of heaven or enlightenment. The present life experience is not to be enjoyed because all attention is on withdrawing from the sensual which is sinful. Life is sinful; joy is sinful; thus enjoying life must be done furtively and with guilt.
Combs (2013) describes Wilber’s term for the descending line as involution, an ancient idea popularized by Aurobindo (Combs, 2013) as the indwelling movement of spirit. Spirit projects itself downward, permeating and losing itself in the hierarchical levels of being. The further down the rungs one goes, supposedly, the less the degree of Spirit. Evolution is the opposite of this, rather, climbing up through the levels. The lower levels just happen to be where the feminine, yin, indigenous, the body, and the heart reside.
Combs, A. (2015). Transcend and include: Ken Wilber’s contribution to transpersonal psychology. In Friedman, H. L. & Hartelius, G. (Eds.), The Wiley-Blackwell handbook of transpersonal psychology (pp. 166-186). Wiley & Sons. Wilber, K. (1977). The Spectrum of Consciousness. Quest Books
Daniels, M. (2021). Shadow, self, spirit revised edition: Essays in transpersonal psychology. Charlottesville, VA: Imprint Academic.
Wilber, K. (1979). No Boundary. Shambhala Publications, Inc.
© 2023 Catherine Auman
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.