Spiritual evolution is the result of one comprehensive process, although it appears to unfold in a variety of ways. What we're doing here is grouping these ways so that they present a unified picture of human spiritual evolution. The levels are: Individual, Family, Social, Specie, and Planetary. If you are a spiritually oriented people, then you are probably involved in a few of these levels: some will be more important to you than others, while you might ignore other levels altogether. As we go from one to the next, more energy is available, and the journey becomes less about "me" and more about "us."

For example, say you're involved in the first level, the Individual. Here, you try to advance spiritually by working on yourself. This is a personal journey, so you are at the center. When you shift to, say, the Social level, you begin focusing on the spiritual condition of society. Society becomes the "me" that you work on. You are now one among many, co-creating with others. Here, individuals work toward aligned goals, often using different but harmonious means to evolve the expanded self.

There are many views about spiritual evolution. However, the heated "Creationism vs. Darwin's theory" debate isn't one of them. It pits a religious model of creation against a scientific model of how forms evolve over time. The former is based on a religious interpretation of ancient texts while the latter interprets material evidence. Neither addresses spiritual progress. In this "Levels" model, we assume that spiritual and secular forces work together. They allow the consciousness of spirit to become self-aware in the universe of form. This is called the Spiritualization of Matter. God (or whatever you want to call the creator of everything) uses biological evolution as a means to spiritual awakening: physical systems are in service to spirit. In this sense, what unifies all evolutionary levels is that to advance them, we must spiritualize them.

When reading through the different levels, keep in mind what "spiritualizing" them means. To spiritualize a level means that everyone should be encouraged or, at least, allowed, to express love and caring freely within it. Expressing like that is what fulfills us. On the Individual level, paths that ignore these characteristics are not efficient in evolutionary terms. The same is true with the Family level: when love is discouraged it retards the family's progress. On the Social level, post-modernists say that money, power, and material possessions lead to happiness.

Although we can't spiritualize this philosophy — it wouldn't be materialistic anymore — it's obvious to many that, that path is spiritually bankrupt. Consumerism as a lifestyle has a devastating effect on the individual, society, and the environment. Love and caring are needed at the Social level as much as on any other. At the Specie and Planetary levels, we express them naturally without hesitation.

Individual Evolution:
Getting the Self Together

Many think that "spiritual evolution" means a person's spiritual progress. Religions usually define it this way and if you're good showing spiritual qualities, you can earn the title of saint or guru. Spiritual qualities vary among religions, but many are universal, like compassion, charity, faith in and devotion to God, brotherly and sisterly love, wisdom, patience, peacefulness, courage, clarity, justice, purposefulness, and tolerance. They're uplifting. When someone improves in any of these areas, then they have progressed spiritually and their energy level increases.

Eastern religions discuss personal evolution more than Western ones. The latter are more patriarchal and are concerned with pleasing God and following His commandments. They believe that life offers a one-time chance to get to Heaven. In the East, they believe that we have many lifetimes to succeed. Both have the same goal though: to be (or to realize our innate oneness) with God. They just approach it within different time frames.

Philosophically, it's either free will or fate (God's Will) that's responsible for our spiritual progress. If it's free will, then we have to work at improving ourselves to evolve. If fate is in charge, then we must surrender to God's Will, although when and whether we surrender are fated too. IROOT:NOT¹ Nez masters suggest that we "surf the paradox" and do both. They claim that it's possible to express our spiritual vision in everyday life and fulfill our destiny.

There are thousands of spiritual techniques that can help us become better at expressing our spiritual vision. For example, before we speak or act we can ask ourselves, "Will this create unnecessary guilt, worry, or problems, or will it have an overall positive effect?" Our response let's us know immediately if we are acting spiritually or not. Some could argue that this destroys spontaneity, but people often act out of habit, so this practice could benefit them.

Individual progress is at the core of the human evolutionary process. By accepting and improving ourselves at this level we can be more effective at the subsequent levels. And while it takes much effort and determination to advance, the family can provide a valuable network of support in this. The family is, in many ways, an extension of oneself and represents the next level of spiritual evolution.