Test 

In our day, the need for growth of consciousness and the understanding of oneself is on the increase. This is a manifestation of the awakening of the higher spiritual Self in one's inner being. You understand more of yourself when you realize that you are a developing human being who moves through various stages of development. But at the same time live in several of those stages simultaneously.

Do the following test and gain insight into yourself.

Study the phase model on the level of personal development. See menu: Phasemodel/Personal development, or read the more detailed text in my book Transforming People and Organisations. The Seven Steps of Spiritual Development. Click here... for a short summary.

Test questions

• Do you recognize – broadly speaking – the various phases in your life? How do you express that recognition verbally?
• Investigate where in phase 2, 3, 4, or possibly phase 5, you live with your personality. Give examples.
• On which phase does the accent currently fall? What makes this apparent?
• The fact that you live in several phases simultaneously often leads to inner conflicts. Where is this true in your case? Give examples.
• Do you see, with the help of the phase model, how you can take your further development in hand? What would you have to change? Which steps would you have to take?
• Write down the answers to these questions and reflect on them. Put them aside for a while and then reread them. You will notice that they lead to an inner deepening and a better understanding of yourself.

Do the test together

It is enriching to do this exercise together with one or more other people. The following tip helps you do this.

• Determine jointly a specific amount of time for each person, say one hour.
• During that hour one person gets all the attention. Ask this person to verbalize his or her answers to the questions and to relate the examples to the other(s).
• Allow for space to let this happen. This means: during this time, listen well, refrain from expressing your own stories as well as your opinions and feelings about the other. Create as much openness and freedom within yourself to absorb his or her story.
• Be careful no to lose yourself. Return regularly to yourself for a moment. What is now being said?
• Ask questions that help the other to get to experiences, to feelings, to the core, and thus to reach a deepening.
• After an hour you briefly look back together on the conversation, after which the other (or another) person gets the opportunity to tell his or her story.

Presents

The yield of this working together will be great. Not only for the person who talks, but also for the one who listens and asks questions. This is because you learn to get to know and understand one another better. Thus your relationship deepens. And that too is a present.