The Four Stages of Growth
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Introduction -- Why change is good.
Most people resist change. In so doing they resist the natural order of the Universe, for the nature of the Universe is change. You can either cause change in yourself thereby transforming Self into a brilliant, Self realized being or you can remain mired in mediocrity.
To learn to change is a very valuable ability. To learn to create, using caused change in Self thereby promoting growth and expansion of consciousness, is the greatest skill or ability anyone can develop.
Are people who fight change truly happy? Are people who resist changing, growing and learning new things happy? The answer is no. People are only happy when they are living their dreams. In order to live your dreams you must cause creative change.
To create is to change. All creation involves change. When you put two or three or four things together in a way that is usable by many people you have created something new and that is a change. Someone had the idea to combine a piece of metal with a wooden handle to form an axe. Their fire wood could be chopped.
Someone had the idea to put lead in a hollowed piece of wood to form a pencil. Pencils and pens have literally changed the world and transformed people’s consciousness. Someone thought of putting ink in the hollow center of a goose’s feather to form a quill pen.
Writing words on paper enables many people to read a wise person’s words. These people then can increase their knowledge at a more rapid rate.
Now suppose we exchange the word “growth” for change. Most everyone wants growth. If you are planting seeds you want them to grow. If you have flowers you want them to grow. If you have children you want them to grow. Learning and growing are fun. The ultimate expression of learning, change, and growth is the expansion of consciousness. This book’s subject is that growthful change that leads to the expansion of consciousness.
Growth occurs in stages. These stages may be defined in terms of qualities. There are four stages of growth. They correspond to the physical stages of growth we see in people everyday called infancy, adolescence, adulthood, and wisdom. Wisdom is sometimes related to old age, or to grandparents and might aptly be termed the sage.
A chapter will be devoted to each of these stages in an effort to aid the individual in understanding the changes or growth needed to be made in the Self. This can also aid in understanding what stage of growth you are in. Thereby one is better equipped to make the changes necessary to grow. You also know what to do and how to do it.
To explore, understand and move into more expansive levels and stages of growth, enlightenment and expansion of consciousness, is the supreme ideal of all humanity.
Importance of Love to all stages of growth
The interconnectedness of love to infancy.
When one is in the stage of infancy there is a connection with the origin of being which is love. In infancy exists the complete freedom and openness to learn.
The interconnectedness of love to adolescence.
When one is using the stage of adolescence to grow there is still the connection to the origin. In adolescence exists the blooming of the creative urge.
The interconnectedness of love to adulthood.
The adult moves the consciousness forward. This continues the connection through all stages of life to the origin of being.
The interconnectedness of love to wisdom.
In the stage of wisdom there is the awareness of origin and therefore, all there is, is love. This awareness and understanding have been caused by the sage, t he one who exists in wisdom.
The qualities of the stage of growth known as infancy are: openness, absorption, curiosity, innocence, trust and love
The qualities of the stage of growth known as adolescence are: experimentation, curiosity, questioning, action, and independence.
The qualities of the stage of growth known as adulthood are productivity, security, action, maturity.
The qualities of the stage of growth known as wisdom are
peace,
longevity,
objectivity,
identity
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