states of consciousness, those of Stanislov Grof which focus on altered states using a clinical/psychiatric framework, those of Michael Daniels which emphasize myth and magic, and finally the postmodernistic perspectives.
Sovatsky (1998) has noted that there are a number of transpersonal psychologies which focus on human consciousness and the transcendent and/or mystical experiences by rooting their perspectives in eastern views such as Zen Buddhism, Kabbalah, Gnosticism, Sufism, Vedanta, and Taoism. To a large extent, Sovatsky states, these authors have attempted to facilitate the experience of enlightenment or awakening for people in Western societies using conceptualizations of these Eastern notions that are more suited to those of Western cultures. Perhaps, it would not be too far off to say that those in this school of transpersonal psychology are ôevangelisticö in the sense that they are attempting to inform a huge public of particular spiritual notions which, if understood and applied, will help them become more aware of their spiritual nature.
One of the best known of these authors is Ken Wilber (2001) whose perspective integrates Eastern philosophies of enlightenment and awakening with Western psychology. Wilber attempts to place Eastern esoteric and philosophical views into a logical and ordered framework so that they can be better comprehended and applied by people in Western societies. WilberÆs work, for example, looks at various levels of human consciousness in terms of arriving at a transcendent level of awareness.
Perhaps what Wilber (1999) is best known for is his exposition of enlightenment for the Western mind. Focusing on ordered reasoning, he lays out the notion of the Brahman/Atman identity which utilizes an evolutionary model to explicate Vendantic notions of Oneness with God. This evolution is characterized in terms of ever rising stages of defining oneÆs self in which the ego is slowly peeled a...