John Churchill - The Three Strands of Awakening [From the Coach's Rising Podcast]
Aug 21, 2023
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John Churchill, Doctor of Psychology and teacher of Buddha Dharma, discusses the three paths of awakening: individuation, identification, and initiation. They explore the integration of Western and Eastern traditions, the shift towards inclusive thinking, and the importance of stability, insight, and metacognition in developmental processes.
The integration of individuation, identification, and initiation is crucial for awakening and personal growth.
Healing and working with the attachment system is essential for creating a deeply rooted and embodied sense of self.
Creating a comprehensive curriculum that integrates psychological, contemplative, and embodiment practices is a vital step in personal growth and awakening.
Deep dives
Integration of Individuation, Identification, and Initiation
The integration of three important strands -- individuation, identification, and initiation -- is crucial in the path of awakening and personal growth. Individuation involves healing and becoming an individual, addressing childhood traumas, developing self-structure, and cultivating psychological maturity. Identification is about accessing one's primordial identity and shifting into a deeper level of identity or waking up. Initiation involves the path of soul, giving one's gifts, and the hero's journey. These processes need to be woven together to create a lifelong transformative journey.
The Importance of Attachment and Embodiment
Healing and working with the attachment system is essential for creating a foundation of security and safety in the individuation process. Understanding attachment and its impact on the development of the self can support the integration of psychological and contemplative practices. Additionally, embodiment practices can work in tandem with attachment work, addressing any skits or lack of safety that hinder embodiment. These practices are interconnected and contribute to the cultivation of a deeply rooted and embodied sense of self.
Building a Comprehensive Curriculum
Creating a comprehensive curriculum that integrates psychological, contemplative, and embodiment practices is a vital step in the evolution of personal growth and awakening. This curriculum should incorporate the best of Eastern and Western approaches to inform the individual's journey of healing, self-discovery, and spiritual development. Collaboration among experts in psychology, meditation, and other relevant fields is necessary to build this curriculum and establish effective pedagogy that integrates multiple lines of intelligence and supports individuals along their transformative path.
The Bodhisattva Path and the Heart
The Bodhisattva path is about awakening to the soul and finding the sweet spot between complete emptiness and complete form through the heart. The heart serves as the center for integrating all interpersonal, contemplative, and psychodynamic technologies. The heart's cognitive intelligence informs cognition and is the seat of deeper levels of heart-mind intelligence. By rewiring and reengineering these processes into the heart center, it accelerates the transformative journey. The goal is to get the planet to the level of the human heart, fostering trust and understanding.
Building an Educational Process for Our Future
The focus should be on building an organization and curriculum that spans decades and allows for a lifelong journey of transformation and growth. By recognizing the importance of long-term teacher-student relationships, building guild-like environments, and emphasizing collaborative practices rather than competition, we can create an integrated approach to personal and collective development. This requires bringing together various technologies like contemplative studies, interpersonal practices, psychodynamics, and more. The ultimate aim is to build a new civilization and a recultured planet that benefits not just ourselves, but also future generations.
This episode is a 're-Cast' from the Coach's Rising podcast, hosted by Joel Monk. I was so moved and inspired by the conversation I thought I'd share it with you all on my stream. I've been following John Churchill's work for some time, and this was exactly the conversation I wanted to have with him. It's a beautiful episode, and I hope you enjoy.
Dr. John Churchill is a Doctor of Psychology and teacher of Buddha Dharma as well as a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine and author. John’s interest in psycho-spiritual development, Integral theory, Contemplative studies, Western Esotericism, and Mahayana Buddhism began in his adolescence, leading him to spend several years as a Buddhist monk at Samye Ling Monastery in Scotland. During this time, John received the esoteric Planetary Dharma transmissions that would in time unfold as his contribution to a planetary fourth turning teaching. He is also a founding member of the Integral Institute.
