Why Do They Do That?

A deep dive into Spiral Dynamics Integral Theory to understand the levels of consciousness and developmental maturity that shape human behaviour

A Note Before We Begin
This article is written from a systems-thinking lens and draws on Spiral Dynamics Integral, a framework of psychological and cultural development. If some of the language feels abstract or unfamiliar at first, that’s okay. Whether you’re exploring this for the first time or deepening your understanding, I invite you to read with curiosity. My aim isn’t to label or categorise people, but to build empathy, clarity, and compassion for the many ways human beings experience and make sense of the world.

You don’t need to “know” Spiral Dynamics to get something from this, just an open mind and a willingness to explore.

So, WTF Is Going On?

Have you ever looked around and silently thought, "WTF?" , bewildered by the behavior of others, struggling to understand why people act the way they do?

Have you ever said something like, "If I were them, I would’ve done this," or "I would never have done that"?

Have you ever felt totally perplexed by the global state of affairs, politics, culture wars, social movements, wondering if the world has become one long, chaotic reality TV show that you just can’t look away from?

Because I have. Oh, I so have. Almost to the brink of insanity.

That was until I discovered developmental frameworks that made the chaos finally make sense. In particular, Spiral Dynamics, a model that clicked for me and helped put the madness of the world into neat little boxes (which, by the way, the Capricorn part of my chart absolutely loves).

⚠️ A word of warning: Once you see this, you can’t unsee it. If you’re not interested in radically expanding your understanding of human behavior and consciousness, feel free to stop reading now. Seriously.

Before discovering this framework, I couldn’t understand why intelligent people, even those who had been on a spiritual journey for decades, still exhibited behaviors that seemed emotionally reactive, dogmatic, or just plain... baffling. I’d catch myself wondering, "How can someone who’s so intelligent act like that?"

That’s when I began to realise that this wasn’t chaos, it was pattern. Understanding the framework we’re about to dive into together helps us to see the cosmic intelligence and perfection in it all, even beneath the chaos and suffering that appears on the surface. I found that by applying this system, you’re able to look more deeply into it all, to pierce through the confusion and glimpse the underlying order.

Then, a wise teacher of mine, Natalie Lascelles, shared something that changed everything: It’s not enough just to wake up. We also need to clean up and grow up.

Waking up means expanding your state of consciousness, becoming aware of the Self, the soul, the cosmos.
Cleaning up means facing your emotional baggage, healing ancestral trauma and letting go of limiting patterns.
Growing up means developing psychological maturity, cultivating a healthy ego, taking responsibility, and learning how to relate skillfully to others and the world.

In essence, it’s not enough to meditate. Enlightenment is one thing , a realisation of the Self and the nature of reality , but it’s not the same thing as maturity. Enlightenment shapes the nervous system, perception, and inner stillness, but it doesn’t necessarily mean we’ve dealt with our human trauma or built a stable psyche. We can’t ignore the mind and body. Evolution happens through life , by showing up, feeling it, and integrating it.

We have our 'big Self', the Atman, the unchanging witness. But we also have our 'small self', the individual ego that consciousness wears to experience this life. And if we don’t clean up and grow up while we wake up, we risk becoming powerful in ways that confuse or even harm others. This is how you end up with spiritual teachers sleeping with their students, intellectuals falling into cult-like ideologies, or enlightened influencers spewing content that’s completely out of touch.

Spiral Dynamics gave me the language and structure to make sense of it all. At its core, it’s a map of how human consciousness, both individually and collectively, evolves through different value systems, or "vMEMEs", depending on life conditions. And once you start seeing these levels playing out in the world (and within yourself), it becomes a total game-changer.

But before we go deeper into Spiral Dynamics, let’s explore a few other frameworks to give us some context.

Introducing Spiral Dynamics

Spiral Dynamics Integral (SDi), the one that truly changed how I see the world. Based on Clare Graves’ original theory and later developed by Don Beck and Chris Cowan, Spiral Dynamics tracks how human values evolve in response to life conditions. It outlines eight major stages of consciousness (called vMEMEs), showing how each stage builds on the one before it, and how societies move up (or down) depending on stress, resources, or cultural transformation. It’s flexible, dynamic, and totally non-linear, meaning we all move through these stages in our own way, and we can shift depending on circumstance.

Unlike the more inward-facing models, SDi is brilliant at explaining why people behave the way they do, and how to relate to them more effectively, especially when you’re not seeing eye-to-eye with them. It’s used in leadership, change management, politics, community building, and spiritual development.

For today, we’re going to focus on Spiral Dynamics because it’s one of the most practical and adaptable tools for understanding both personal and collective evolution, and how we relate to each other in a very complex world. I’ve personally found it useful in understanding situations and events that bewilder others, as well as improving my communication skills in virtually all my relationships. It’s also helped me be more artful and compassionate in how I relate to others and the world.

The 8 Levels of Spiral Dynamics

Now that we’ve set the stage, let’s explore the Spiral. There are eight major levels, or vMEMEs, each with its own set of values, motivations, ways of thinking, and blind spots. They’re not personality types or boxes to be trapped in, they’re living, evolving stages of development that shape how we see the world.

Each level is a response to life conditions, meaning we can shift based on what challenges, environments, and opportunities are present. And while we all have access to multiple levels within us, we tend to have a default mode that feels most natural or dominant.

These levels exist within individuals, cultures, governments, and organisations. They’re fluid, they build on each other, and they help explain so much about why people just don’t get each other sometimes.

Let’s break them down.

1. Beige (Survival & Instinct) – Basic Needs, Instinct & Existence

• Values: Survival, food, water, shelter, safety, sleep, immediate physical needs, instinctual response, basic sensation, life-force energy

• Motivation: Stay alive, avoid pain or threat, meet fundamental physiological needs

• Mindset: “I need food.” “I must keep warm.” “Where is safety?” “What do I need to survive right now?”

• Behaviors: Eating, hiding, fleeing, fighting, foraging, reacting to danger, sleeping, extreme self-preservation, minimal conscious thought

• Examples: Newborn babies, individuals in deep trauma or extreme homelessness, refugees in war zones, dementia patients in late stages, natural disaster survivors, those in extreme poverty or after societal collapse

• Positive Attributes: Raw resilience, primal intelligence, survival instinct, somatic presence, connection to nature’s rhythms

• Blind Spots: No abstract thinking, no social awareness, no planning, zero concern for others or morality, disconnected from time and identity

• Evolves to Purple When: basic survival becomes stable and the individual begins to find safety through others, community, or a sense of spiritual or tribal belonging — e.g. a baby bonding with its mother, a person joining a group for shelter and protection

2. Purple (Tribal & Magical Thinking) – Safety, Ritual & Belonging

• Values: Safety, tradition, family loyalty, spiritual protection, ritual, ancestors, elders, sacred customs, shared identity

• Motivation: Belong to the tribe, follow the rituals, honor the ancestors, avoid curses or chaos, stay protected by tradition

• Mindset: “This is how we do it.” “Don’t anger the spirits.” “The group keeps me safe.” “Our ways are sacred.”

• Behaviors: Obeying elders, performing rituals, adhering to taboos, storytelling, magical thinking, superstition, communal decision-making, avoiding anything unfamiliar

• Examples: Indigenous tribal groups, children in tight-knit traditional families, certain religious or ethnic communities, superstitious family systems, gang or clan loyalty, early childhood bonding

• Positive Attributes: Loyalty, group cohesion, reverence for ancestry, deep respect for nature and cycles, belonging, protection, interdependence

• Blind Spots: Superstition, fear of change, rigid rituals, lack of individuality, magical thinking, resistance to progress or science

• Evolves to Red When: an individual’s desire for freedom, power, or self-expression begins to break through tribal conformity e.g. the rebellious teenager who defies the elders, the individual who desires to assert personal will or break out from superstition

3. Red (Power & Ego) – Dominance, Conquest & Immediate Gratification

• Values: Power, control, respect, freedom, strength, status, personal glory, victory, revenge, pride, dominance

• Motivation: Avoid being controlled, assert personal will, gain recognition, take what’s deserved, be feared or admired

• Mindset: “I do what I want.” The strong survive.” “No one tells me what to do.” “It’s either dominate or be dominated.”

• Behaviors: Aggression, rebellion, breaking rules, violence, posturing, intimidation, egocentric actions, conquest, impulsivity

• Examples: Gang leaders, warlords, drug dealers, rebellious teenagers, historical conquerors like Genghis Khan, toxic influencers e.g. the ‘Red Pill’ movement, Andrew Tate, narcissists, abusers, gangster rap artists

• Positive Attributes: Courage, leadership potential, willingness to challenge control, raw life-force, confidence, survival strength, charisma

• Blind Spots: Self-destructive, lacks empathy or long-term vision, escalates conflict, short-sighted thinking, driven by ego and impulse, short-term gratification, disregard for others, can be violent

• Evolves to Blue When: chaos becomes unbearable and structure is sought to contain impulses and create order e.g. the gang member who finds religion in prison, the street fighter that transforms into a martial artist, the corrupt leader who is humbled after tragedy or loss, the addict who finds success in the structure of the AA programme

4. Blue (Order & Structure) – Discipline, Duty & Absolute Truth

• Values: Law, discipline, order, morality, loyalty, obedience.

• Motivation: Following a higher purpose or absolute truth (religion, patriotism, ideology), or to bring structure and purpose to life through rules.

• Mindset: “There is one right way.” "Because it’s the law." "This is right and that is wrong." “There is one true path.”

• Behaviors: Rule-following, law enforcement, moral judgement, sacrifice for a cause, absolutism, loyalty to a higher authority, social hierarchy, punishment for breaking rules, respecting authority, discipline, self-sacrifice, black-and-white thinking, judging right and wrong, participating in religious, military, or moral institutions

• Examples: Religious conservatives, police officers, the military, traditional school systems, authoritarian governments, bureaucrats, fundamentalist communities

• Positive Attributes: Loyalty, discipline, faith, personal integrity, perseverance, strong work ethic, service to something bigger than self

• Blind Spots: Dogmatism, rigidity, judgmentalism, inability to question rules or adapt, repression of emotion or creativity, moral superiority, fear of freedom or uncertainty

• Evolves to Orange When: individuals seek independence, achievement, and freedom from rigid authority e.g. the devout religious follower who discovers other cultures and philosophies through studies/travel/the internet, the corporate employee turned entrepreneur, the pastor who discovers science or business

5. Orange (Success & Achievement) – Innovation, Strategy & Material Success

• Values: Progress, competition, entrepreneurship, rationality, success, freedom, competition, self-optimisation, efficiency

• Motivation: Winning, personal success, achievement, maximizing resources, building wealth, improving quality of life.

• Mindset: “Work hard, play hard.” “I make my own destiny.” "What’s the ROI?" "Work smarter, not harder." “I create my own reality.”

• Behaviors: Goal-setting, risk-taking, wealth accumulation, scientific discovery, innovation, autonomy, prosperity, problem-solving

• Examples: Entrepreneurs, CEOs, athletes, scientists, tech leaders, life coaches, high-achieving professionals, high-performance individuals wall street traders, hedge fund managers, mainstream Hollywood, venture capitalists etc.

• Positive Attributes: Innovation, rationality, empowerment, meritocracy, strategy, abundance, resilience, progress, independence, achievement

• Blind Spots: Can become greedy, status-obsessed, exploitative, overly materialistic, prone to burnout, disconnected from emotion or community, hyper-individualistic. Less stable oranges can exhibit narcissistic or addictive style traits.

• Evolves to Green When: material success feels empty and deeper meaning, connection, or healing is sought e.g. the CEO or founder who reaches burnout and turns to wellness/spirituality to recover, the competitive athlete who switches to prioritizing mental health after immense pressure, the ex-corporate executive who quits the rat race to follow a higher calling and more purpose-driven work, the life-coach who evolves deeper on their spiritual path, the Hollywood celebrity who uses their platform and wealth to advocate and donate to social causes they find meaning in

6. Green (Community & Equality) – Connection, Empathy & Inclusion

• Values: Empathy, equality, sustainability, inclusivity, community, collaboration, authenticity, emotional expression, social justice, healing, harmony with nature

• Motivation: Connection, meaning, healing, unity, inner peace, emotional fulfillment, social impact, fairness, collective well-being

• Mindset: “Everyone’s voice matters.” “If you’re silent, you’re complicit.” “We’re all in this together.” “Feel it to heal it.” “The system is broken, we need a more heart-centered world.”

• Behaviors: Holding space, emotional vulnerability, activism, consensus-building, community organizing, deep listening, social media advocacy, environmentalism, trauma awareness, spiritual seeking

• Examples: Therapists, social workers, yoga teachers, liberals, human rights activists, eco-conscious entrepreneurs, spiritual influencers, protest-goers, green peace or charity workers, advocates, volunteers, social justice warriors, DEI consultants, alternative healers, feminists, climate change activists

• Positive Attributes: Compassion, inclusivity, emotional intelligence, sustainability, collaboration, vulnerability, authenticity, collective care, harmony

• Blind Spots: Can become overly emotional, reactive, anti-hierarchy, conflict-avoidant, self-righteous, ineffective in systems, stuck in victim/savior dynamics, resistant to structure or criticism, struggles to take decisive action, unable to accept other points of view if they are too far from their own, overly idealistic and impractical, get caught in isolated echo chambers within their own communities

• Evolves to Yellow When: emotional sensitivity and moral passion are no longer enough, and the individual begins to seek integrated, flexible, and functional solutions that serve the whole system e.g. the burnt-out activist who realizes lasting change requires strategy and systems thinking, the healer who embraces structure and business to scale impact, the social justice advocate who learns to see value in all stages of development and works to unify rather than polarize, the spiritual teacher who evolves into deeper integration and embodiment of knowledge, the empath who learns boundaries and discernment

7. Yellow (Systems & Integration) – Wholeness, Flexibility & Functionality

• Values: Integration, adaptability, functionality, systems thinking, freedom, autonomy, flow, synthesis, long-range vision, development, context-awareness, personal responsibility

• Motivation: Solving complex problems, transcending polarity, optimizing systems, evolving consciousness, expressing one’s purpose with freedom, harmonizing inner and outer realities

• Mindset: “It depends.” “Every perspective has value in context.” “What’s functional here?” “I don’t need to be right, I need to be effective.” “Let’s zoom out and see the whole picture.”

• Behaviors: Synthesizing multiple worldviews, designing conscious systems, facilitating transformation across paradigms, pattern recognition, non-reactivity, self-authoring, observing without ego, holding paradox, creating regenerative models

• Examples: Integral theorists, futurists, conscious entrepreneurs, meta-coaches, polymaths, evolutionary leaders, embodied spiritual teachers, high-level systems thinkers, revolutionary visionaries

• Positive Attributes: Wisdom, neutrality, innovation, long-term vision, inner peace, integration, perspective-taking, adaptability, deep acceptance, functional leadership, meta-awareness

• Blind Spots: Can appear emotionally distant or overly intellectual, may struggle to inspire those at earlier levels, can become isolated or inaccessible, may neglect relational or emotional nuance in favor of logic or systems, risks spiritual bypass if disembodied

• Evolves to Turquoise When: systems thinking, insight, and integration deepen into a lived experience of oneness, sacredness, and embodied spiritual unity, and the motivation to serve the whole of life outweighs even personal evolution — e.g. the conscious leader who lets go of identity and acts in service to the whole, the systems builder who begins to move from sacred presence, the teacher who integrates the personal, the collective, and the planetary into one coherent flow

8. Turquoise (Unity & Consciousness) – Oneness, Presence & Planetary Awareness

• Values: Unity, interconnectedness, spiritual embodiment, evolutionary purpose, planetary consciousness, sacred action, inner peace, love as intelligence, resonance with all life, mystery, humility, divine flow

• Motivation: Living in harmony with the whole, serving the evolution of consciousness, embodying presence, healing collective and planetary systems, awakening soul potential, merging the personal and transpersonal

• Mindset: “We are all one.” “I am.” “The Earth is alive.” “What I do to you, I do to myself.” “Wholeness is intelligence.” “Let the universe move through you.” “All is well.”

• Behaviors: Living with intention and reverence, channeling or intuitive teaching, sacred activism, embodying wisdom, working in regenerative models, healing intergenerational trauma, holding energetic presence, co-creating with mystery, speaking through frequency not just words

• Examples: Wisdom keepers, Indigenous elders, spiritual mystics, emobdied Gurus, saints, earth-centered leaders, peacebuilders, consciousness facilitators, enlightened beings, Jesus Christ, Lao Tzu, Buddha, Saint Frances of Assisi, Thich Nhat Hanh, Rumi, Ramana Maharshi, advanced medicine men/women and shamans, visionary sacred artists, awakened seers

• Positive Attributes: Deep peace, compassion, spiritual maturity, multidimensional awareness, embodiment, intuitive genius, humility, unconditional love, timelessness, sacred living

• Blind Spots: Can be difficult to ground in practical terms, may be seen as too abstract or vague, may struggle to operate within linear structures or institutions, risks being dismissed or misunderstood by earlier stages, can withdraw from action if too absorbed in transcendence

The really important thing to remember here is that all of these layers are vital and build on each other. Every single one is absolutely necessary for society to function. You can’t just eliminate the earlier layers and pretend we’ve moved beyond them. They all exist at the same time, and we’re all moving through the spiral in our own way.

The key? First, acceptance of where people are at. And second, understanding how to relate to them from their level, not just yours.

Problems arise when people at one level assume everyone else shares the same worldview, but of course they don’t. That’s where things break down. You see it all the time in politics, activism, social media echo chambers, and failed government programs: different worldviews clashing and trying to impose their version of “truth” on others who simply don’t see the world the same way.

Also, here’s the kicker: we carry all the levels we’ve previously evolved through within us. They don’t disappear just because we’ve moved on. Under stress, fear, or fatigue, we can easily regress and default to earlier patterns. But we usually have one dominant level that acts as our home base (our centre of gravity) where we live most of the time.

It’s a privilege to evolve.

What strikes me most about Spiral Dynamics is the underlying idea that as each layer of our 'needs' is fulfilled, we progress toward a new level where a different set of values, motivations, or life goals emerges. It mirrors Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, but with more emphasis on collective worldviews and internal values rather than just external circumstances or psychological needs. In this sense, the Spiral provides a roadmap not only for individual development, but for understanding social evolution on a grander scale.

You can see this clearly in real life. Once survival and security are sorted, we shift our focus to belonging and tradition. When that stabilises, personal success and achievement rise to the top. But when we achieve material success, it often feels hollow, and we begin to seek connection, healing, meaning, and purpose. And from there? We open to bigger questions about consciousness, systems, integration, and collective awakening.

It’s similar to the Vedic concept of the four stages of life: Kama, Artha, Dharma, and Moksha. Each is considered essential for a full and meaningful human life, and none are skipped. The ancient teachings say these stages don’t all need to (and in fact, shouldn’t) exist all at once, but unfold naturally over time as our soul matures.

So, how does this apply to you?

If you’re on a spiritual path, interested in healing, evolution, or inner growth, and you live in a Western country where your basic needs are mostly met, then you’re already in rare territory. You are among the most privileged people on the planet. Even if you’re living paycheque to paycheque, you're still likely in the top 10–15% of global wealth. If you earn more than $60,000 USD annually, you’re in the global top 1%. Wild, right? Let thank sink in for a minute. You are already well-positioned on the cosmic voyage if you’re reading this, my friend.

This also explains why the “woke elite” spend so much energy debating ideologies that, for most of the global population still living on less than $2 a day, are completely irrelevant. Because when your base needs are met, your mind naturally reaches for higher-order concerns.

It’s also why some billionaires try to buy their way into heaven, and why many of my clients, after achieving a high level of success, come to me not for more money or success, but for something deeper. They’ve already explored the Orange. Now, they want to enter the Green, Yellow, or even Turquoise. They want to activate the next layer. They want to remember who they really are.

No level is ‘better’. All levels are necessary for a healthy, evolving society, and exist simultaneously in the world and within each of us

While it’s tempting to think of the Spiral as a hierarchy, it’s not about better or worse; it’s about complexity, not superiority. No level is “more evolved” in a moral sense. Each stage emerges to solve the life conditions of its time and has its own genius, shadow, and role to play.

A healthy, thriving society needs all of them. You still need the raw resilience of Beige in disaster zones. The sacred belonging of Purple in indigenous or family communities. The courageous power of Red in activism and emergency response. The structure and order of Blue in law and education. The innovation of Orange to push progress. The compassion of Green for healing. The systems thinking of Yellow for leadership. The deep presence of Turquoise for global and spiritual stewardship.

We carry these layers inside us, too. Maybe you’re Orange in your business, Green in your friendships, Blue in your finances, and still wrestling with Red when your buttons are pushed. That’s normal. The levels live within us, we just shift depending on the context, with a default baseline typically as our ‘highest setting’ on the spiral.

True evolution doesn’t mean transcending or rejecting the earlier stages, it means integrating them with awareness and compassion. It’s about seeing the beauty, necessity, and truth in each level, and knowing how to dance between them consciously.

Osho is a powerful example of someone who operated primarily from Turquoise (a deep embodiment of unity consciousness and mystical presence) but who also consciously drew upon other levels when needed. He used provocative Red-style confrontation to shock people out of dogma, adopted Orange-level strategy to build an international movement, and occasionally engaged Blue structures to create stability in his ashrams. His ability to move fluidly across the Spiral is part of what made him such a powerful (and often controversial) figure. Turquoise at his core, but never afraid to channel Red, Blue, or Orange when life conditions called for it.

Most of the world’s systemic, cultural, social and political issues stem not from the existence of the levels themselves, but from an inability to understand and integrate other perspectives. Let’s explore some examples.

Each level sees the world through a completely different lens. They don’t just disagree on what should be done, they disagree on why anything matters in the first place. So when people from different vMEMEs interact without understanding each other’s values, language, or motivations, they talk past one another. They judge, dismiss, and project. They try to convert others to their worldview, often without realising that the other person is playing an entirely different game.

This is why debates about morality, economics, identity, justice, or spirituality so often spiral into chaos. Not because one side is wrong and the other is right, but because they’re fundamentally rooted in different developmental levels.

Green vs. Orange – Corporate DEI Initiatives

In many corporate environments, Green-minded HR departments introduce diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives grounded in empathy, social justice, and collective healing. However, when these programs are introduced in companies still primarily operating from Orange (where performance, profit, and efficiency are paramount) they are often perceived as impractical, inefficient, or non-essential. Sometimes, they’re even met with mockery or quiet resistance behind closed doors.

Green sees inclusion as a moral imperative. Orange demands measurable outcomes and clear return on investment. When Green tries to “sell” its ideas in emotional or idealistic terms, Orange simply tunes out, not because they’re heartless, but because they’re focused on function and strategy.

Without recognising and translating between these value systems, DEI efforts often collapse into tokenism or are quietly abandoned, leaving both sides feeling misunderstood or dismissed. Green thinks Orange doesn’t care. Orange thinks Green is too idealistic. Neither is entirely wrong, they’re just speaking different developmental languages, and fundamentally see the world differently.

This reminds me of when Rachel Zegler was cast as Snow White in the Disney remake (a Green-aligned choice in a mostly non-Green audience). It really didn’t land, and the result? A few likely Orange-level stakeholders lost a lot of money, and are probably very frustrated about it!

It’s a classic clash: Green views Orange as cold and uncaring. Orange sees Green as unrealistic and inefficient. But if they can learn to communicate across values, they can make magic. In fact, some of the most impactful organisations I’ve seen are built when a visionary Green or Yellow founder partners with a rock-solid Orange CEO, because together, they can bridge heart and strategy, mission and money.

Green vs. Red and Blue – Idealism Meets Instinct and Order

And the clash with many DEI initiatives, as well-meaning and heartfelt as they may be, doesn’t end with Orange. Red and Purple often don’t even register these efforts as relevant. If you’re in survival mode, politically correct language isn’t very high on your list. Let’s face it, complex issues like gender identity probably aren’t priority number one when you’re trying to figure out how to put food on the table tonight. For those in Red or Purple, safety, power, and basic needs take priority. Talking about “privilege” or “trauma-informed practice” can feel irrelevant, confusing, or even threatening, because the underlying worldview is completely different.

Orange, as we’ve already seen, assesses everything through the lens of performance and ROI. So initiatives that don’t show measurable impact quickly are labelled “inefficient” or “idealistic.” And Blue? Blue often sees DEI as morally ambiguous, or worse, as threatening the stability of tradition, law, and structure. To Blue, it can feel like a collapse of order or an erosion of shared moral values.

Without an understanding of these deeper structures of consciousness, Green’s noble intentions can land as condescending, destabilising, or simply out of touch. The truth is, these layers don’t just think differently, they see different realities altogether. And unless Green learns to speak the language of each, the efforts often don’t just fail, they backfire.

Yellow, while it appreciates Green’s intentions, often sees the flatness, reactivity, and anti-structure sentiment in Green as limitations to actual progress. Turquoise sees Green’s fixation on identity, difference, and polarity as something to eventually transcend, a necessary but temporary stage in the evolution toward unity.

Red vs. Blue – Crime vs. Law Enforcement

Red systems are driven by raw power, dominance, and immediate gratification — dynamics often seen in gang culture or street-level crime. Blue systems, like traditional police forces or conservative institutions, rely on rules, moral codes, and clearly defined consequences to maintain order. When Blue tries to engage Red with law, logic, or a sense of moral righteousness, it often fails because Red doesn’t respond to rules. It responds to strength, power, and respect.

Rehabilitation programs rooted in strict rules or authoritarian language rarely work with Red individuals. What Red truly needs first is ego validation, personal empowerment, and a felt sense of agency; only then can it evolve into Blue’s structured worldview.

From a Blue-level perspective, Red behaviour often seems incomprehensible. Why keep breaking the law if it leads to jail? Blue sees things in black and white: there are rules, and there are consequences. If someone keeps breaking the rules, the answer must be to increase the punishment. Be tougher on crime. Increase deterrence. Tighten the rules.

This approach can actually work in a society where Blue is the dominant operating system. In cultures where religion, moral consensus, and civic structure are shared across the population (think many Middle Eastern or Eastern European countries), the Blue strategy functions relatively well. There’s a unified agreement on right and wrong, on taboos, and on the social contract. But in places like the United States, where many different layers of the Spiral coexist and compete for dominance, this logic breaks down.

Blue sees Red as dangerous, chaotic, and immoral - something to be controlled or reformed. Meanwhile, Red sees Blue as oppressive and controlling - something to resist, rebel against, or manipulate.

Greens, with their desire for equality and compassion, often try to dismantle Blue’s structures entirely, believing that empathy and dialogue are the path forward. But when this happens too quickly, without developmental readiness or inner structure, the result is often chaos. The vacuum left behind is frequently filled by Red. And not because Red is malicious, but because it’s wired for survival and will take whatever opportunity the environment presents.

This is why Green-led reforms, without Blue’s boundaries or Orange’s strategy, often fail. Without structure and accountability, Red will run riot. And ironically, those very reforms can lead to more inequality, more exploitation, and less safety for the very people they were meant to protect.

San Francisco Case Study – When Green Undermines Blue Without Integrating Red

The situation in San Francisco over the past decade is a powerful example of Spiral Dynamics layers clashing in real time, often without conscious integration. The city became known for decriminalising or reducing enforcement of certain non-violent offences (such as petty theft under $950, open drug use, and public camping) in an effort to address racial disparities, reduce mass incarceration, and take a more compassionate, harm-reduction approach to social issues.

At the heart of these reforms were individuals and policymakers coming from Green, who are pluralistic, empathetic, and deeply concerned with social justice. Green saw the existing systems (rooted in Blue law-and-order thinking and Orange pragmatism) as punitive, oppressive, and lacking humanity. Its aim was to heal, to create equity, and to recognise the dignity of marginalised people.

But while Green’s intentions were noble, it often failed to acknowledge the importance of structure, boundaries, and developmental readiness. It assumed that if people were treated with compassion and given freedom, they would naturally make healthier choices. This is a beautiful ideal, but one that doesn’t hold when people are operating from earlier levels of consciousness.

As the Blue structures of law, order, and civic discipline were de-emphasised or dismantled, a vacuum was created. For those still operating from Red (impulsive, egoic, and survival-driven) the absence of enforcement didn’t invite transformation, it invited opportunity. With little accountability or consequence, Red behaviour flourished. Brazen theft, open-air drug markets, vandalism, and intimidation became more visible - not because people were evil, but because the environment no longer enforced the boundaries that Red needs in order to evolve.

Meanwhile, Orange (the strategic, achievement-driven layer often represented by business owners, professionals, and pragmatic citizens) began to lose faith in the city’s direction. For Orange, it wasn’t about ideology, it was about results. When storefronts boarded up, crime rates rose, and public spaces became unsafe, Orange saw Green’s efforts not as compassionate but as ineffective and destabilising.

Blue, which values rules, morality, and a shared sense of justice, felt completely undermined. Those who believe in clear consequences for wrongdoing experienced a breakdown in trust. With no visible accountability, calls to “restore law and order” grew louder.

What was missing here was Yellow, the integral worldview capable of anticipating and harmonising the needs of all these value systems. A Yellow approach would have recognised the value of Green’s compassion, but also ensured Blue’s structures remained intact while supporting Red in ways that encourage upward movement, not regression.

Instead, San Francisco’s well-intentioned attempt to evolve beyond punitive justice became a case study in what happens when one level of consciousness tries to impose its values on a mixed-meme society without integrating the rest. The backlash, including the recall of progressive DA Chesa Boudin, reflected not a rejection of justice reform itself, but of reform that failed to account for the full spectrum of human development.

When Green Evolves: Rehabilitation Rooted in Structure

That said, not all Green rehabilitation efforts fail. In fact, some have been remarkably successful, particularly in parts of Scandinavia, where prison systems integrate Green values of healing, restoration, and dignity, but within clearly defined Blue structures. In Norway, for example, the focus is on reintegration rather than punishment. Inmates live in humane conditions, are treated with respect, and are offered education, therapy, and meaningful work. But this doesn't mean chaos! The container is still strong, disciplined, and with clear boundaries. The key here is that these programs are not Green instead of Blue, they are Green built upon a stable Blue foundation.

Similarly, my fiancé is involved in a project called The Light Inside, a program teaching Vedic meditation in US prisons. While rooted in the compassion and healing ethos of Green, its approach is deeply Yellow: it offers practical tools for inner transformation that are scalable, non-dogmatic, and grounded in long-term impact. The success of this program lies in its ability to offer personal empowerment within the system’s boundaries. From a Spiral Dynamics perspective, it bridges the needs of Red (agency and significance), works within Blue (order and structure), channels Green (healing and connection), and applies Yellow (functionality and integration). It’s a subtle but powerful example of how rehabilitation evolves when we stop trying to “fix” people from the outside in, and instead support them from the inside out, with wisdom, dignity, and depth.

Understanding the US Election through Spiral Dynamics

The US presidential elections (particularly those involving Trump) offer a potent, real-time illustration of Spiral Dynamics in motion. When Trump gained political traction, many in the Green level (the progressive left) were bewildered. But through the lens of Spiral Dynamics, it becomes much easier to understand.

Green had been championing social justice, inclusivity, and systemic reform; noble ideals, but often disconnected from the life conditions of those in Beige, Purple, or Red. For someone barely getting by, deeply loyal to their tribe, or motivated by raw survival and power, Green’s ideas can feel confusing, irrelevant, or elitist.

Meanwhile, Blue, who are focused on law, order, moral clarity, and structure, felt deeply destabilised by Green’s rise in cultural influence. The perceived erosion of traditional values, religious institutions, and social discipline triggered fear. Blue’s response? Restore order. Reinforce morality. Vote for the candidate who promised to take control.

Orange, ever pragmatic and success-driven, prioritised economic stability, deregulation, and freedom to build. From a business perspective, right-wing policies often favour enterprise. So even if Trump himself was seen as unpredictable or polarising, his policies aligned with Orange’s bottom line.

Red saw in Trump a figure of unapologetic dominance - someone unafraid to speak bluntly, reject authority, and bend the rules. That energy resonates strongly with Red’s core values: strength, rebellion, and visibility.

Even Yellow (the systems-thinking, complexity-embracing centre) could see the logic. While not necessarily endorsing Trump, Yellow might recognise the evolutionary necessity of his rise. From this view, the collective’s centre of gravity was calling in disruption to re-balance a system leaning too far into Green idealism without functional integration.

And Turquoise? It sees no sides. Only the sacred unfolding of consciousness playing itself out. Every archetype, every leader, every cultural movement, all expressions of the One in motion.

This is the beauty and the tension of Spiral Dynamics in politics: the leader elected isn’t always the “best” person, they’re often just the most resonant with the value systems that make up the majority at that time, as an expression of consciousness evolving.

Turquoise vs. All Earlier Levels – When Unity Can Feel Like a Threat

If Jesus was so enlightened, then why was he crucified? Well… that’s exactly why he was crucified.

Turquoise operates from a radically different bandwidth; one of unity, divine embodiment, and sacred presence. And because of that, it is often deeply misunderstood or even rejected by the systems around it.

Jesus Christ is one of the clearest examples. His teachings were rooted in love, oneness, and radical forgiveness. He openly spoke of being one with the Father, of transcending duality, and dissolving religious legalism. But to the religious authorities of the time, this was blasphemy. His claims to divinity, his refusal to conform, and his presence (which dismantled fear-based structures simply by existing) were considered dangerous. Spiritually threatening. Politically destabilising. So, they crucified him.

Socrates, though more philosophical than mystical, was executed for “corrupting the youth” and challenging the moral fabric of Athenian society. oan of Arc, claiming divine guidance, led armies with sacred conviction and was burned at the stake by religious authorities who saw her as a heretic. Hypatia of Alexandria, a renowned philosopher and mystic in ancient Egypt, was brutally murdered by a religious mob for her teachings and influence — her wisdom, independence, and embodiment of sacred knowledge seen as a threat to the prevailing patriarchal and dogmatic order.

The danger of Turquoise is not that it seeks to disrupt. It doesn’t need to. Its very presence does that. It holds such profound alignment with truth, love, and wholeness that earlier levels (especially Red, Blue, and even parts of Green) can’t make sense of it. To them, it can seem irrational, ungovernable, naive, or even threatening.

Turquoise doesn’t argue. It doesn’t play power games. It simply is. And that, paradoxically, can be the most confronting presence of all. But of course, not all who reach Turquoise are met with rejection or violence! Many are revered, protected, and embraced as teachers, guides, or elders when the conditions are right and the culture is receptive.

Yellow vs. All Earlier Levels – Integration Isn’t Always Welcomed

Yellow operates from systems thinking, long-range vision, and the ability to integrate multiple perspectives. It doesn’t try to be “right,” it tries to be effective. Yellow’s superpower is being able to zoom out, see the whole, and respond to complexity with nuance and functionality. But in a world where polarity dominates, this level of thinking is often misunderstood, or outright rejected.

Yellow leaders often face resistance from all directions. Green may see them as cold or not emotionally engaged enough. Orange may not see an obvious return on investment. Blue might find them morally ambiguous or untrustworthy, because Yellow rarely speaks in absolutes or takes rigid positions. To Red, Yellow might seem irrelevant or disempowered, because it doesn’t posture or dominate.

Even when Yellow offers the most adaptive path forward (the clearest, most comprehensive solution) it doesn’t always get traction. Because other levels are operating from entirely different value systems, they might dismiss Yellow’s wisdom as too abstract, too intellectual, or too idealistic.

Yellow doesn’t push. It listens. It designs. It weaves. But that makes the yellow crew harder to spot in a world that often rewards loud opinions, fast action and 10-second long videos.

To be effective, Yellow needs not just vision, but translation. It must learn to speak the language of each level it’s trying to influence. It must hold the paradox of multiple truths and still guide others forward: patiently, skilfully, without making others wrong.

And it must do all this without expecting applause, because often, the real work of integration goes unnoticed by the very systems it's quietly holding together.

Perhaps the most difficult lesson for Yellow is learning to accept that being misunderstood is part of the path. Unless they become skilled in translating their vision into the language of each vMEME, misunderstanding is almost inevitable. Yellow often sees clearly, but what it sees can feel foreign, irrelevant, or threatening to others. True integration takes immense patience, humility, and the willingness to keep showing up even when others can't yet see the bigger picture.

Yellow in Practice – When You’re Not Seen, Heard, or Understood

I’ve had many first-hand experiences of my perspectives and ideas being misunderstood ironically, not by those I’d expect, but often by friends operating from Green. There’s a common narrative in the Green worldview: “If you’re silent, you’re complicit.” It’s the voice of the saviour, the advocate, the activist. And while it comes from a good place (genuine care and empathy) it can also become rigid, reactive, and polarising.

In several instances, I noticed that not just what I said, but also what I didn’t say or do became triggering. If I wasn’t publicly fighting for the cause my Green friends believed in, I was assumed to be against it. If I didn’t post the black square or repost the latest call to action, it must have meant I didn’t care. To someone immersed in Green, this can feel like moral indifference, but in truth, I was discerning where my energy could genuinely serve and make an impact. If I held space for nuance, if I chose not to take sides, if I valued understanding over outrage, then I was cold, detached, or worse, part of the problem.

From their perspective, silence equals apathy. From mine, it was discernment. I wasn’t tuning out, I was tuning in to what was real, what was effective, and what was mine to do. I’ve come to understand that not everyone is meant to fight every battle. Each soul has its own path, its own timing, its own purpose. Real change, to me, doesn’t come from performative declarations. It comes from self-mastery, embodied values, and deep systemic integration. Yellow also recognises that jumping on every crisis-of-the-week bandwagon (often dictated by media narratives) is futile. Instead, it chooses to focus energy on the causes each soul is uniquely designed to serve, trusting in purposeful alignment over reactive urgency.

One of the most profound realisations in the transition from Green to Yellow is this: instead of trying to change the external world or other people, we come to understand that true change begins within. This is the deeper meaning behind the quote: “Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” It’s not just poetic, it’s aligned with the laws of nature. The microcosm is the macrocosm. What we see “out there” is a projection of our own inner state: a holographic print-out of the consciousness we hold. Yellow begins to see that shifting internal patterns, energy, and awareness ripples out through the system far more effectively than trying to enforce change on others. This isn’t spiritual bypassing - it’s the foundation of sustainable transformation. The wiser we become, the more we realise that personal evolution is the seed of collective evolution.

That said, Yellow also recognises that some causes do demand urgent attention and collective action, especially those that impact human rights, environmental sustainability, or global wellbeing. The point isn’t to dismiss the causes themselves, but to evolve the way we respond rom reactivity to alignment, from noise to impact.

Yellow sees the bigger picture. It sees that shouting louder isn’t always the answer, and sometimes, the most powerful contribution is to hold a higher frequency, to work on the layer of consciousness itself. It’s not that Yellow lacks empathy; quite the opposite. It just knows that real change requires more than outrage. It needs strategy, timing, integration, and inner work.

To someone in Green, that can feel like spiritual bypassing or moral detachment. But to Yellow, it’s the only sustainable way forward. And unless we learn to communicate across these lenses, these misunderstandings will keep happening.

Looking back, I can see why my approach felt so confronting. Green thrives in emotional connection and collective healing. It often mistrusts logic if it lacks heart. So when I’d speak about systems thinking, energetic strategy, or hold multiple truths at once, it probably felt alienating.

But this is Yellow’s invitation: to love even when misunderstood, to speak truth without needing to be right, and to bridge worlds without losing oneself. It’s not always comfortable, but it’s where the real magic happens. As for those that see the yellow and value their insights, that’s golden.

Before we move on to the next section, I want to take a moment to honour the beauty of the Green stage, because I lived there, loved there, and cracked open in ways I’ll never forget. It’s where the heart wakes up. Where empathy floods in. Where we start to feel the pain of the collective and long to do something about it. That longing is sacred. And even when it overflows into idealism or becomes tangled in reactivity, it still comes from a place of profound care. Green is the first time many of us feel truly alive in our sensitivity, and that’s something I deeply respect. I have many Green friends who I respect and admire for their selflessness in service and their big hearts.

How to Spot the Colour of Your Spiritual Teacher

One of the most important (and often overlooked) parts of the spiritual journey is learning to discern the level of consciousness your teacher is operating from. In a world where spiritual language has become polished and mainstream, it’s not enough to assess what someone says. We need to feel how they teach, why they teach, and what their presence activates in us.

A spiritual teacher in Orange is usually focused on success, transformation, and optimisation. Their offerings are polished, branded, and structured. They often blend spirituality with entrepreneurship, performance, or personal growth. They’ll speak in terms of results, outcomes, and measurable breakthroughs. Think: biohacking, mindset work, manifestation, high-performance coaching. While often highly motivating, Orange can carry the shadow of ego-inflation, transactional dynamics, and a results-over-integrity vibe.

A teacher in Green leads from the heart. Their focus is on healing, inclusivity, community, and emotional safety. You’ll hear them speak about trauma awareness, nervous system regulation, and co-creation. They often facilitate group spaces, support inner child work, and prioritise collective care over hierarchy. Their gifts are empathy and presence, but their shadow can show up as resistance to structure, over-identification with wounding, or staying stuck in an endless process without integration.

A Yellow teacher feels different. They’re less interested in being followed, and more interested in expanding your awareness. They’ll teach through frameworks like Spiral Dynamics, Integral Theory, systems thinking, or archetypal work. They’re precise, non-reactive, and unbothered by polarity. They hold paradox well. Their teachings help you connect the dots and see the deeper why beneath the surface. While deeply empowering, they may seem emotionally distant or overly intellectual to those still processing pain.

Turquoise, on the other hand, doesn’t “teach” in the traditional sense, it transmits. These teachers feel more like a presence than a personality. Their words might be poetic, spacious, or few. They transmit through frequency. Being in their field tends to activate deep stillness, remembrance, and unity. Turquoise teachers often carry a felt sense of unconditional love and divine timing. But they may be misunderstood, because their truth is embodied, not easily intellectualised.

One of the best ways to gauge your teacher’s centre of gravity? Notice how you feel around them. Orange wakes up your drive. Green opens your heart. Yellow expands your thinking. Turquoise dissolves you into something greater.

That said, it's not always so easy to tell. Sometimes the packaging can be misleading. A Turquoise teacher may not be running their own show at all; their presence attracts others who organise, market, and manage their movement. Often, these support teams operate from Orange or Green, running polished campaigns the teacher themselves has little to do with. Some Turquoise teachers are even reluctant to travel or speak at all, preferring presence over performance.

Similarly, Yellow teachers don’t necessarily seek the spotlight, but they’re wise enough to know when to employ Green’s healing tools or Orange’s business strategies to fulfil their mission, which can make them appear more commercial than they are. A Green teacher, on the other hand, might look like a heart-led space holder, but in some cases may actually be operating from Red or Orange, using the healer persona for self-importance, validation, or control. Of course, there are countless deeply authentic Green space-holders doing beautiful work; please note that this isn’t about casting doubt, but inviting discernment.

Reds are capable of masquerading as green, yellow or even turquoise (and often very convincingly so). They know all the lingo, speak the language (often to a high degree of accuracy), yet lack true embodiment. This isn’t always easily spotted unfortunately, and is only something that can be sensed on a subtle level.

And Orange? Well, an Orange teacher might be all charisma, confidence, and service on stage, but in private, be deeply embedded in Red-level behaviours of control, manipulation, or ego dominance to. So, discernment is key. What matters most is not just the content or branding, but the embodied truth of the person behind it. A good way to practice better discernment is to notice what your intuition whispers to you, notice how you feel in their presence. If something feels off to you, it probably is.

Dating on the Spiral – Attraction, Compatibility, and Conscious Clashes

Romantic and dating dynamics are one of the richest playgrounds to observe Spiral Dynamics in action. This is because relationships reveal not only what we value, but also how we communicate, regulate emotion, assign meaning, and relate to power. While attraction can happen across any levels, long-term compatibility requires awareness, especially when our consciousness state is different from that of our partner’s.

Certain vMeme combinations tend to work well, especially when there’s shared purpose or complementary values. Orange-on-Orange pairings, for instance, can form classic “power couples” aligned in ambition, independence, achievement, and lifestyle. Their relationship thrives on momentum, shared goals, and building together. Green-on-Green connections are heart-led and emotionally present, often centred around shared values like healing, spiritual growth, creativity, or activism. These pairs often grow together through inner work, co-regulation, and emotional intimacy. Blue-on-Blue couples (especially in traditional cultures) can find deep fulfilment in structure, stability, and clearly defined roles when those values are genuinely shared.

Sometimes, seemingly mismatched levels can also create surprisingly harmonious dynamics. For example, an Orange-Green pairing (when mature) can be a beautiful polarity. Picture a heart-centred Green woman who lives for connection, causes, and her community, paired with a grounded Orange partner whose primary desire is to protect and provide for her. If both are integrated, this can become a deeply satisfying dynamic with a safe yet electric romantic polarity, and each partner feeling seen, supported, and valued for what they bring. The Green brings warmth, depth, and feeling; the Orange brings stability, direction, and provision. It works when each respects the other’s gifts and differences rather than trying to convert or fix them.

Yellow relationships tend to prioritise autonomy, growth, and shared evolution. Yellow pairs well with other Yellows or mature Greens, though some friction can occur if Green needs more emotional validation than Yellow naturally provides. Yellow doesn’t bond through emotional reactivity or merging, it bonds through shared vision, personal sovereignty, and integrated polarity. When well-matched, Yellow relationships are deeply respectful, drama-free, flow nicely and oriented toward mutual flourishing. As for Turquoise, romantic relationships often fall away entirely or take a vastly different form. In oneness, there is no separate “other” to long for. Intimate unions may still happen, but they are non-attached, sacred, and rarely driven by emotional need. Nonetheless, people in Green or Yellow are often magnetised to Turquoise energy, drawn by its presence, peace, and subtle depth, though the relationship may be ungrounded if the difference in centre of gravity is too great.

Where relationships become challenging is usually when levels clash without awareness or integration. Red-on-Red connections, for instance, may burn hot with passion, but are often volatile and rooted in power games or competition. This is where notorious “toxic” couples live, fuelling their bond with constant drama. Red-Green dynamics are particularly dangerous, as this is where co-dependency, narcissist-empath loops, and trauma bonds often emerge. A Red partner thrives on control, while an unintegrated Green may seek to heal, fix, or save their partner, believing that their compassion can change them, leading to a painful spiral of unmet needs and confusion. Blue-Green can also struggle, especially when Blue expects compliance, moral hierarchy, or traditional roles that clash with Green’s egalitarianism and emotional transparency. Meanwhile, Orange-Green tensions can manifest when the Orange partner views Green as impractical or “too emotional,” and Green sees Orange as overly materialistic or out of touch. Without mutual respect, these relationships can feel like parallel lives, each partner speaking a different language.

The most common mistake? Believing that attraction equals alignment. In truth, attraction often happens between adjacent or complementary levels (we are, after all, attracted to what feels different to us), but if there’s no shared awareness, the relationship can quickly dissolve. The more evolved we become, the more we realise that love alone is not enough - shared values, communication style, emotional maturity, and worldview are all part of the equation. A Yellow person may be deeply compassionate toward a Red person, but they’re unlikely to stay long (if they’re even attracted to them in the first place), because the internal dissonance would be too great.

Ultimately, the healthiest partnerships are those where each individual honours their own growth while supporting the other’s, regardless of level. Spiral-aligned relationships don’t mean finding someone at the “same stage,” but rather someone whose evolution complements yours, and whose presence calls you into greater self-awareness, not further fragmentation.

But what happens when two people start out aligned, perhaps even in the same vMeme, and then one begins to evolve faster than the other? This can be one of the most disorienting dynamics in a relationship: when the lens through which one partner sees the world starts to expand, while the other remains where they began. Conversations that once flowed may now feel disconnected. Priorities, values, even language may begin to shift. The evolving partner may feel guilty or conflicted, while the other may feel judged or left behind.

Spiral Dynamics helps us see this clearly: growth is not always synchronised. And that doesn’t make either person bad or wrong. Sometimes, relationships grow together. Other times, they’re complete. But maturity means pausing before reacting. It means looking honestly: Is there mutual willingness to grow, even at different paces? Is there space for evolution, curiosity, and new conversations? Or are we trying to hold onto an identity that no longer fits?

Honouring growth doesn’t mean rushing to end a relationship. It means creating space to reassess it with truth and compassion. In some cases, the relationship may evolve in a beautiful new way. In others, it may reach its natural completion, particularly if the evolution has occurred means you are now worlds apart, and the other partner has no desire to evolve themselves. Both outcomes can be sacred, as long as they’re met with presence, not avoidance or pressure. The real question isn’t “should I stay or go?” It’s: “Is there room in this relationship for who I’m becoming?”

My Personal Journey Up the Spiral

I thought it might be useful to offer myself as a living, breathing example of what evolving through the spiral can look like, and how messy, magical, and meaningful the ride really is.

I was born and raised in Blue. My family was religious, conservative, and rooted in structure and tradition. I had discipline, clear rules, and a moral framework. And I’m grateful for that foundation. But I also felt the restriction. I knew I didn’t want to live a life that was predefined for me, and I sensed early on that if I wanted something different, I’d have to be the one to break away.

By the time I was a teenager, I’d already started reaching for Orange. I got my first part-time job at thirteen, working in a hair salon. I liked earning money, I liked independence, and I definitely liked the idea of funding my own lifestyle. A new dress every weekend? Yes please. I studied hard, worked two jobs, modelled, and took pride in creating my own opportunities. I had the drive, the self-discipline, the ambition and the motivation to be seen, admired, and successful.

That Orange phase lasted a while. I travelled the world, built a modelling career, and enjoyed the financial freedom and esteem that came with it. Later, I co-founded a wellness business with my then-husband, gaining real-life experience in entrepreneurship. I learned the ropes — operations, marketing, tech, finance. It was intense, but it gave me depth.

Eventually, I hit the classic Orange tipping point: burnout. Despite the success, something felt hollow. I was anxious, depleted, and questioning everything. I couldn’t keep pushing. That’s when Green opened up for me, and at first, it felt like salvation.

Suddenly, I was seeing the world through the lens of compassion, community, healing, and emotional truth. I meditated. I volunteered. I went to protests. I saw suffering and wanted to help. I wanted to feel. And I wanted everyone around me to wake up to this too.

I trained in energy healing and alternative modalities, took on coaching clients, and felt I was finally doing something that mattered. Looking back, I see now that some of the decisions I made reflected my stage of development; full of heart, but not yet grounded in integration, like rejecting income because it didn’t feel “aligned,” or turning down big modelling jobs because I was on a mission to change the world through an idea I hadn’t fully grounded. I partnered with someone Orange to help me scale, but we clashed: our values weren’t aligned, and the project dissolved before it launched.

This was my big Green wake-up call. I started to see how compassion alone wasn’t enough. That some of the ideas I had (however beautiful) needed strategy, grounding, and systems if they were going to survive. I began to respect Orange again: not as something to reject, but as something to integrate. And I started to hear the whisper of Yellow.

My real shift into Yellow began with a deep dive into Vedic wisdom. I immersed myself in ancient teachings, contemplative practices, and a wider view of consciousness. I saw how no level was better than another, just more complex, more inclusive. I also saw how the wellness space was saturated with performative healing and bypassing, and I wanted nothing to do with it.

Yellow gave me discernment. It shrank my circle. It helped me draw boundaries where I hadn’t before. I saw clearly who and what was truly aligned and who wasn’t. Some relationships naturally fell away. I ended a long-term relationship that no longer matched my values and level of awareness. It wasn’t about blame or superiority, it was simply that I could no longer tolerate energetic dissonance. Later, I attracted a partnership rooted in mutual respect, growth, and spiritual depth - one that felt like nectar.

Eventually, I began having consistent experiences of Turquoise: those quiet, timeless, non-linear moments of unity, deep love, and divine humour. I don’t live there full-time, but I visit often enough to know it’s real.

And yes, I still access every level. I’ve had Beige moments in trauma recovery. I’ve tapped into my inner Red when I needed to protect myself in moments of danger. I lean into Blue when structure is required. I use Orange to run my business, Green when my heart breaks open, Yellow to make sense of it all, and Turquoise when I drop into presence and remember the truth.

This is the spiral. Not a ladder, not a competition, but a dance; a play. The Lila.

Final Musings

So, where does all of this leave us?

If there’s one truth Spiral Dynamics reveals with absolute clarity, it’s this: no one is “wrong.” They’re just seeing the world through a different lens, shaped by their life conditions, values, needs, and level of consciousness at the time. The mistake isn’t that these different views exist, it’s that we expect others to see the world the way we do.

We cannot build a functional, conscious society by trying to skip levels, shame people out of where they are, or preach from higher rungs on the spiral. True change happens when we understand deeply and compassionately where someone is coming from, and speak to that level with respect. It’s when we stop insisting that others "get it" and start meeting them where they are, with language and leadership that bridges the gap.

Integration is the name of the game. Not hierarchy. Not superiority. Not bypassing. It’s remembering that all these levels live within us too, and that our work is to tend to each part with grace. There will be days we’re in Yellow, mapping out systems and seeing the whole. And there will be days we’re flat in Beige, trying to survive a personal spiral of our own. That’s the nature of the human journey. That’s the dance.

So whether you’re reading this and recognising your current home base, or you're feeling the stirrings of your next stage, just know that there’s no rush. Evolution isn’t a race. And your soul knows exactly where it needs to be.

May this lens give you more compassion for others, more clarity within yourself, and more confidence to lead from where you stand with discernment, presence, and truth.

Because that, to me, is what real spiritual maturity looks like.

If you’re as fascinated by this framework as I am, you can get a copy of Spiral Dynamics by Don Beck and Chris Cowan here. It’s not light reading, but if this topic has grabbed you by the soul, it’s absolutely worth the dive.

And if this article spoke to you, if you’re navigating your own evolution, spiritual awakening, or simply craving deeper clarity: I offer private mentorship and spiritual guidance sessions. You can book in with me here.