Incarnational Cosmology - Introduction

The research into Incarnational Spirituality and incarnational theory has resulted in new ways of looking at the world, at its complementary non-physical realms—the “Second Ecology”--and at the relationship between them.  It has also produced a specific outline of the process by which a Soul takes incarnation.  Although this process is highly individualized, there are generalized patterns which form around the four basic principles of Incarnation:  Identity and Intentionality, Boundaries, Engagement, and Emergence

     Much of this cosmology and process is presented in specific Lorian classes such as the Path of the Chalice or The Second Ecology. There are links here to take you to the ones that are taught on a regular basis, but check the What’s New page to see if any new classes or workshops have been added.

     Here you will find essays about Incarnational Cosmology. You will also find information about the Incarnational Card Deck and its Manual which presents this cosmology in a uniquely visual manner.

Incarnational Theory

Incarnational theory is the study of the processes of intentionality, spirit and energy that create incarnation. Specifically these are the processes by which the soul of an individual manifests and engages with the physical world, but more generally it is about the means by which any idea or consciousness takes on form and expression within a particular environment.

     Incarnational theory deals with the relationship between the physical and non-physical domains of the world as part of a larger wholeness of consciousness and being. To research and develop this theory requires engagement with the metaphysical side of life using transpersonal and supersensible means. These include clairvoyance, contemplative perception and inquiry, intuition, dreams, visions and communication with non-physical beings as colleagues. The information so gained is tested through practice and experimentation in daily life and through peer review. 

     Though developed in collaboration with spiritual beings, incarnational theory is not a new revelation or religion; it is a not a new “truth” to be followed. It is a set of insights, tools and practices designed to help each individual express the unique “way” of his or her individual incarnation and its wholeness with spirit. It is designed to promote freedom and individual development, enabling a person to discern spiritual truth through his or her own inner capacities. It is also a set of tools and practices for bringing wholeness and healing into the global environment.

     Incarnational theory is divided into three overlapping areas. The first is cosmology; the second is spirituality; and the third is practice.

A Cosmology of Incarnation
     One contribution of incarnational theory is a cosmology of incarnation. This is a description of the principles involved in the soul’s incarnation into the world—and by extension of the incarnation of any idea or consciousness into any environment. This is the most “esoteric” part of incarnational theory dealing with events and processes occurring on other levels of life and consciousness beyond the physical world. A simplified description and explanation of this cosmology may be found in the Incarnational Card Deck, a meditative and oracular tool based on the principles of incarnation.

An Incarnational Spirituality
The second contribution of incarnational theory is the articulation of a spiritual practice that uses the principles of incarnation to create wholeness within oneself and in the world at large. This practice honors the physical and the personal as much as the spiritual and the transpersonal, seeing both as part of an integral whole. It discerns and nourishes the spiritual resources and capacities within the personality as much as within the soul, and focuses on the coherent development of individual sovereignty and boundaries as vital parts of a healthy incarnation. It also focuses on connection and engagement with the world through love, wisdom and compassion. Incarnational spirituality celebrates the sacredness within the world, within the person, within relationship and within spirit, and offers practices for uniting these four in expression of blessing and wholeness. Instruction and training in incarnational spirituality may be found in the Path of the Chalice educational program.

Practice
The third contribution of incarnational theory lies in application and practice.  This practice can take forms developed uniquely and specifically by each individual using the tool set that incarnational theory can offer. A major application is working with the subtle energy fields that surround us and affect our incarnations in many ways.   Lorian offers specific classes in working with these subtle energies through energy hygiene and energy activism and also in manifestation, the incarnational process of bringing an intention or an idea into tangible form or expression, and in Alliances, the practice of working in collaborative partnership with spiritual forces.

If you are interested in the Incarnational Card Deck, click here.
If you are interested in a class on Cosmology, or the Path of the Chalice, click here.
If you are interested in a class on Practice, click here.
If you would like a book on Incarnational Spirituality, click here for the Bookstore

     For further information about incarnational theory, the Incarnational Card Deck, the Path of the Chalice, or classes in Energy Hygiene, Energy Activism, Manifestation or Alliances, write us at info@lorian.org, or phone us at (425) 374-7069.

Incarnational Principles

DNA uses four constituent molecules, called bases, which can be sequenced in innumerable ways to carry an organism’s specific genetic information. In an analogous way, the process of incarnation is an interrelationship between four principles:  Identity, Boundary, Engagement and Emergence. 

            Identity gives purpose and intent; it names what is seeking to incarnate and is the generative source which initiates the incarnational process. It sets up the basic organizational matrix or structure that will determine the nature of what incarnates.

            Boundary gives specificity to this process, differentiating it from any other incarnation and creating a space that can hold the originating intent and its energy. Boundaries give shape and form to the incarnation, creating a space within which its unique identity can manifest. Boundaries are also the place of engagement and interaction with the environment within which the incarnation is taking place.

            Engagement connects the incarnating entity with its environment through relationship and activity. In this process an incarnation becomes a co-incarnation, part of a larger whole to which it contributes and from which it receives what it needs. It prevents the incarnating entity from becoming a closed system unto itself, cut off from a larger cosmos. It also creates the links of interrelationship and interdependency that allows it to participate in that larger universe, receiving what it needs and contributing what it uniquely generates.  Evolution and growth are the result of engagement.

            Emergence is the result of this engagement, the blending of the singular identity and boundaries of the incarnating entity with the resources, identity, and character of its environment and co-incarnating partners. Emergence may be predicted up to a point, but often it takes a form that is more than the sum of its parts, different from what could have been expected or predicted. The intent of each incarnation is that this emergence is a blessing both to itself and to the world. 

Incarnational Cosmology Essays

Click here if you are interested in taking a class on the subject in this essay.

The Four Faces of Home
by David Spangler

Homesickness
When my daughter Kaitlin was sixteen years old, she went to Thailand for a year as a Rotary Club-sponsored foreign exchange student.  As her parents, Julie and I were cautioned not to contact her for at least two months.  “Homesickness is the greatest problem at first,” we were told, “and contact with her family will only make it worse.”

     It could be said that humanity suffers from a case of planetary homesickness.  Particularly in the technological societies of the West, we seem to be seeking someplace else to be other than where we are.  For some that other place is beyond this world in a transcendent or spiritual domain; for others, it’s in some technological utopia or even physically beyond the planet in colonies on other worlds around other stars.  The evidence of our homesickness lies in the sickness of our planetary home and the ecological crises that confront us.  We act towards the world, towards the land and the seas, the rivers and the air, and the creatures that share this planet with us as if they were all strangers, disconnected from us and our human interests, not part of our tribe, not part of our home.
Click here to read the rest of The Four Faces of Home.