“Jim Marion’s book returns us to the central challenge Christianity ought to be handing us. Indeed, how do we put on the mind of Christ? How do we see through his eyes? How do we feel through his heart? How do we learn to respond to the world with that same wholeness and healing love? That’s what Christian orthodoxy really is all about. It’s not about right belief; it’s about right practice.” —Cynthia Bourgeault, author of The Wisdom Jesus What does it mean to follow the path of Christ today? Putting on the Mind of Christ is the first book to offer an integral understanding of the Christian spiritual path--one that examines the basic stages of spiritual development described by the great saints and sages, along with the psychological stages of development used by modern psychology. American mystic Jim Marion draws upon his own rich spiritual experience and deep understanding of scriptural models, to show readers how to emulate the developmental stages of the Christ: how to put on the mind of Christ to achieve spiritual illumination and communion with the Christ. He examines the seven levels of consciousness of the human personality mapped by the work of Jean Piaget, Carol Milligan, and Lawrence Kohlberg, and leads readers to the consciousness that Jesus called the Kingdom of Heaven--the highest level of spiritual development. Marion shows how inner spiritual growth has always been the true essence of Christian practice and shares his own spiritual experiences within a "Christ-focused" framework. Pioneering, transcendent, and grounded, Putting on the Mind of Christ will permanently alter the landscape of 21st-century Christianity.  “Jim Marion’s book returns us to the central challenge Christianity ought to be handing us. Indeed, how do we put on the mind of Christ? How do we see through his eyes? How do we feel through his heart? How do we learn to respond to the world with that same wholeness and healing love? That’s what Christian orthodoxy really is all about. It’s not about right belief; it’s about right practice.” -- Cynthia Bourgeault, author of The Wisdom Jesus "A pioneering book, a truly inspired revelation, and a gentle guide to the deepest terrain of our own souls." -- Ken Wilber, author of A Brief History of Everything “Meister Eckhart would rejoice in Marion's interpretation of Christ consciousness. But then he, too, was ahead of his time." ― SpiritualityandPractice.com “Those who would follow in the steps of the Christian spiritual masters will find a sympathetic and knowledgeable guide in Marion. Utilizing modern research that is only now able to investigate the higher levels of this path, he takes us beyond what even the saints understood in their time.” ― Spirituality and Health Magazine Jim Marion is a contemporary American mystic who studied for the priesthood and pursued divinity studies at Hartford Seminary Foundation. He is the founder of the Institute for Spiritual Awareness and the author of The Death of the Mythic God . He lives in Washington, D.C. PUTTING ON THE MIND OF CHRIST THE INNER WORK OF CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALITY By Jim Marion Hampton Roads Publishing Company, Inc. Copyright © 2011 Jim Marion All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-57174-357-2 Contents FOREWORD by Ken Wilber, INTRODUCTION, BOOK ONE: Part I—THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, Chapter 1: What Jesus Taught About the Kingdom of Heaven, Chapter 2: The Kingdom of Heaven—The Highest Level of Human Consciousness, Chapter 3: Mapping the Path to the Kingdom of Heaven, PART II: THE SEVEN LEVELS OF CONSCIOUSNESS OF THE HUMAN PERSONALITY, Chapter 4: The Archaic Consciousness of Infants, Chapter 5: The Magical Consciousness of Children, Chapter 6: Mythic Consciousness—Pre-Adolescence, Chapter 7: Rational Consciousness, Chapter 8: Vision-Logic Consciousness, Chapter 9: Psychic Consciousness, Chapter 10: The Dark Night of the Senses, Chapter 11: Subtle Consciousness, PART III—THE DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL, Chapter 12: The Nature of the Dark Night of the Soul, Chapter 13: Prelude to the Dark Night—Breakthrough to the Causal Level, Chapter 14: Death on the Cross of Inner Contradictions and the Descent into Hell, Chapter 15: Resurrection from the Dark Night, PART IV: THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF A HUMAN AS A REALIZED DIVINITY, Chapter 16: Christ Consciousness—The Causal Level, Chapter 17: Nondual Consciousness—Ascension into the Kingdom of Heaven, BOOK TWO: Introduction to Book Two, PART V: SPECIAL PROBLEMS FACING THE CHRISTIAN ON THE PATH TO THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, Chapter 18: The Problem of Jesus' Last Name, Chapter 19: The Problem of Good and Evil, Chapter 20: The Problem of Jesus' Cross, Chapter 21: The Problem of God's Favorites, PART VI: FURTHER REACHES OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, Chapter 22: The Kingdom of Heaven After Death, Chapter 23: The Establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth, Afterword: Where Do We Go From Here?, Where Do We Go As Church?, Where Do We Go As Individuals?, Bibliog