Bringing Integral Theory Home

Here's something you might already suspect: knowing integral theory is good for you.*  It helps you to cover all the bases, to make more compassionate decisions, and to bring more balance to your life. This isn't marketing hype. Well okay, it might seem like it, but it isn't just marketing hype--this is why I fell in love with the integral vision.

This is why Ken Wilber often describes integral theory as "psychoactive"--once it takes root in your mind, beyond mere intellectual understanding, it begins to work as a self-organizing and self-transcending force in your life, without even thinking about it. You start to see more meaning, more perspectives, and more possibilities. Not to mention that it makes it a lot harder to fool yourself--which is enough to radically transform most of our lives, all by itself!

No, we are not saying that cognitive knowledge of integral philosophy is enough. There is obviously a huge difference between "talking the talk" and "walking the walk". In fact, you may have noticed in the past several months that Integral Life has made a deliberate move toward the latter, bringing more attention to art, film, culture, and a "deep lifestyle" embodiment of integral consciousness. It's a new vision, after all, and we are all still trying to cultivate its many beautiful living expressions.

But since we tend to lead with the cognitive, the philosophy is still just as important as the lifestyle. And it's no accident that the theory is what brought a great many of us here in the first place. And if you are doing it right, it is next to impossible to merely "talk the talk" for very long--that is, when we feel integral as much as we know integral, our hearts keep our minds in check, and we only feel fulfilled when increasing love in the world.

This is why I'm so pleased to announce Core Integral: an in-home educational course in integral theory. Until now, there has not been a single in-home product that would teach you an official version of integral philosophy, aside from a hernia-inducing stack of Ken Wilber books. And really, books are so 20th century; isn't it time for a new way to teach this stuff?  Core Integral, founded by former Integral Life editor Clint Fuhs in partnership with Integral Life, has now created a fantastic in-home course to do just that.  I think the quality of the product and the approach will speak for itself, but this is one of the great offerings that Integral Life is very proud to bring you this year.

Check it out, it's a fantastic addition to your library and to aiding you in building the cognitive line, your knowledge of integral philosophy, and ability to access it readily and conveniently at home.

Loving regards,

Robb Smith


*(This claim, by the way, is undergoing empirical verification in a study currently underway.)