The True Nature of Integration - Paragraph 4

We continue on today with Roberts’ thoughts on integration. Here’s our text:

“Speaking of higher and lower rungs, this is not a reference to higher and lower revelations. Since all are God, there is no inequality in these revelations. As these rungs regard our journey, however, the path can be envisioned as moving vertically or in stair-step fashion. Thus one revelation builds on another so there is no such thing as one-static-revelation, which not only limits God, but implies no growth for man. As these revelations are understood historically, however, or as the core revelation of various religions, the path moves horizontally. Put together, both vertically and horizontally, the sequence of revelations represents God’s progressive revelation to mankind.”

I appreciate Roberts defining what she means by “higher and lower rungs”, which is namely that the rungs are not descriptive of God, but our journey. What a comfort to read that no inequality exists with God or among God’s revelations as “all [revelations] are God.” While one person may come to understand God as stillness or nothingness another may understand God as love, both revelations are of God and both are equally valid. I believe Roberts would say both are valid and that both may occur along the stair-step journey.

Roberts is pointing out the impact revelations have on our soul and how the unfolding of revelations produce a “stair-step fashion” of movement. In other words, one revelation builds upon another all while moving us along the path, and each revelation includes the one before. As Rohr is found of saying, “include and transcend.” Revelations amount to one thing being shown, namely God. Revelations come in increments so that they can be digested and integrated into human life. 

Before we go on there is something I would like to make explicit that has only been implied with previous comments. While we understand the entirety of a human life contains revelations, Roberts is speaking directly to that part of the journey where ego boundaries become displaced in preparation for a different way of living, a totally different way of seeing and experiencing Reality. Many of our mystic friends teach us about this great turning, one where the heart understands nothing but Love.

Returning to our text, what I understand Roberts to be saying is that there is a well trod path, be it quite hidden and mysterious, that we can come to follow and where we can come to be more attuned with that great Mystery and how that Mystery works in both our life and in the world. I also understand her to be saying that if I am able to integrate the rungs of revelation as they come along I will be able to experience the limitless God as well as growth for myself. What a marvelous thing.

I have discovered that the stair-step movement, both vertical and horizontal as Roberts says, takes a radically intentional and attuned life. We’ve talked before about the need for practices and community that can ground you into such radicality. Even with practices and community I often feel helpless in my inability to sustain such a dedicated life and when my propensity to scatter myself arises, I can recognize the disservice to myself and also to that which beckons me. Being an Enneagram Nine I recognize the strong habit of mind towards disengagement and the egoic patterning of keeping everything at distance. A great sadness can arise in me when I ponder this habit as I realize I not only keep the world at a distance but the Mystery as well.

My current practice is to be alert for those times I feel distance is needed in a given circumstance and to reflect on what it is I am actually protecting myself from, and why. It is a slow process and, as I’ve said in almost every blog before this one, some days are better than others.  Like Merton I must trust that my desire to please God does in fact do so. That is really all I have to offer, just a deep heart desire for the path. I’ve come to see this desire as prayer, it’s a simple desire that is always arising. For today that is enough.