#6: Psychic Integration
Today I want to talk to you about psychic integration.
The Encyclopedia of World Problems and Human Potential describes psychic integration as the "harmonious and balanced growth of the personality as opposed to the extreme cases where one aspect is cultivated to the exclusion of others and the detriment of the whole." The term "psychic" finds its roots in the Greek word "psychē," meaning "soul" or "spirit."
Psychic integration is the process of harmonizing and unifying the various aspects of our psyche and holds tremendous significance for change leaders. By integrating our conscious and unconscious mind, heart, and body, we can embark on a profound journey of self-discovery and personal growth, navigate the complexities of the human experience, and unlock our latent potential.
But what exactly does psychic integration entail? Let's dive in.
Psychic Integration Is the Next Frontier
Why Activists Need This Idea
Psychic integration provides invaluable tools and insights for leaders driving meaningful change. By identifying and transforming deeply rooted conditioning, biases, and limiting beliefs, we become more attuned to others, align with our higher purpose, and lead and inspire others from authenticity and wholeness.
When we're not psychically integrated, we work against ourselves.
We are in a time of historic phase transition, and most people these days are hardly integrated. Most people don't recognize that their unconscious beliefs mold them into shapes with real consequences, especially as they're forced to reckon with the complexity of the 21st century.
In our ongoing culture war, many people have taken a dark turn amid the chaos and evolution occurring in the world. Jordan Peterson is one of many examples. He started by discussing things that could help people, including cleaning one's room and taking responsibility for one's life. These are essential values to integrate into any successful person's unfolding. However, he has taken a morbid turn in recent years, representing some of the most destructive aspects of the human psyche.
Peterson has an academic background in clinical psychology. But as my friend Sarah would say, he poisoned the well. Peterson never read Jung for what Jung meant; he interpreted Jung to fit his unconscious biases and never transformed his inherent difficulties. If you read Jonathan Rowson's essay on Petersonitis, the misalignment and lack of integration become apparent. Map this to Peterson's birth chart, and it's clear he is a lovely but troubled man in need of healing and integration.
Tools for Integration
I've been having more calls in the last few days where people are discovering the power of astrology. It's no longer "that thing that Rayner does," it's "how did he know this about me and why does it explain everything I've been feeling?"
The birth chart is an outstanding tool for psychic integration. For example, if I wanted to look at Greg Abbott, Ben Shapiro, and Jordan Peterson and understand why they're driven to do what they do, astrology becomes a brilliant diagnostic tool to understand what "gods" they're answering to. It gives us context for understanding what's not integrated and what could be better expressed.
Therapists may call it psychospiritual integration. Brain scientists call it neural integration. Me? I'm an Integral Coach®, and I help people bring things together when singular approaches are no longer doing the job. I've had multiple clients who've said that while therapy helped to some degree, they needed more to reach the level of alignment and oneness they've been needing:
I started therapy but it was not enough. I still had a really hard time focusing, finding a proper balance between work and personal life, and generally felt like I was just surviving. After having a talk with a friend, he suggested that I try coaching as an additional tool for the healing process.
I had several breakthroughs under Rayner’s coaching getting in touch with my body. I’ve never understood what people meant by “feeling emotions in your body” until I started a sitting practice. I discovered points of tension and held trauma that I was finally able to access and begin to process. In ten weeks, I’ve done more processing and maybe healing than therapy did in a year.
The Takeaway
Psychic integration offers a profound lens through which we can perceive ourselves and the world around us. By integrating our conscious and unconscious minds, we better understand our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. We gain self-mastery, intuition, and the ability to navigate life's challenges with grace and resilience.
Perhaps most significantly, embracing our full integration allows us to embrace our authentic selves, foster profound connections with others, and contribute to the collective evolution of our society.
News, Resources, and Offers
You can now generate a birth chart on our site! Click here to try it out. You can also read testimonials and listen to a reading I gave on a previous client's career and public purpose (wait until the end to hear what she says). If you want to run more advanced charts, you can get 10% off a subscription with our partner LUNA by clicking here. I use the software myself, and it's excellent.
I recently had my first podcast appearance. I joined Charlie of the Tredje Huset podcast to discuss the evolution of consciousness, human rights, the 21st-century metacrisis, and a goddess named Eris. Click here to watch the episode (80 minutes), and if you're interested in learning more about Eris, you can meet Eris.
If you're interested in experiencing what psychic integration feels like firsthand, you can learn more about my coaching practice and explore what it might look like to work together.
Finally, here are some fantastic tweets:
Astrologer Chani Nicholas supports her client, Chrishell, through a challenging experience (tweet)
Why neoliberalism and neoconservatism are based on ignoring and projecting emotional pain (tweet)
A bit of research on neoliberals (tweet) and an outstanding passage by Andrew Postman (tweet)
That's all for now! Did anything stand out to you? If so, I'd love to hear from you. Otherwise, see you in the next issue.
To health,
Rayner
