The great American philosopher Ken Wilber has developed arguably the clearest and most comprehensive model or map of enlightenment of any living spiritual figure.

Wilber does not limit the scope of enlightenment to the Eastern model or the Perennial Philosophy. His integral approach incorporates revolutionary advances in our understanding of reality and the human condition derived from many different perspectives and disciplines: cognitive, moral, emotional, spiritual, somatic and social.

From an evolutionary as well as an integral perspective, these advances provide new insights into the nature of reality and the purpose of human existence – evolution is not merely biological, but also cultural, psychological, metaphysical and cosmic.

All of these facets of enlightenment are profoundly important, yet inevitably each of us will be oriented toward one aspect or the other. Cultivating a deep awareness of one’s own orientation and conditioning offers immense opportunities for growth – and the possibility of a more authentically evolutionary enlightenment.

A truly evolutionary or integral approach involves the development of all these dimensions in a balanced and holistic way, ideally leading to a state of consciousness that transcends and includes each of them. In cultivating our own multi-dimensional awakening, it’s vitally important to be aware of what’s informing our perspective – not least our own biases and tendencies.

In the next of our ongoing series of free talks, Andrew Cohen examines the many different dimensions of enlightenment through an integral lens. What are we fundamentally most preoccupied with, consciously or unconsciously? And what does it mean to be truly awake in the 21st century? How can we upgrade our own sense of what enlightenment is and can be, as sophisticated and complex present-day human beings?