THE ACORN & THE CATERPILLAR: Introducing a Perennial Psychology for Contemporary Times

‘Man, we say we know, originates from far away; so far, indeed, that in speaking of his origin, such phrases as “beyond the stars” are frequently employed. Man is estranged from his origins. Some of his feelings (but not all of them) are slight indicators of this…Man has the opportunity of returning to his origins. He has forgotten this. He is, in fact, “asleep” to the reality.’

Ustad Hilmi, Mevlevi

We are currently living through very unusual times, and people are increasingly facing uncertainty and the realization that what causes them discomfort is not because of what they know but because of what they don’t know. That is, there is a lack of connection to something fundamental in our modern lives. This is why I have returned to a body of work that I researched and wrote in 2019 and finally published in the summer of 2020 as THE MODERN SEEKER: A Perennial Psychology for Contemporary Times. This series of essays will consist of material taken from this book, as I feel it addresses the current need to engage with an underlying current of psychological wisdom and a developmental understanding of the human condition. This opening essay serves as an introduction to the exploration of perennial psychology for a contemporary world.

We are currently living in an age of separation, and this disconnection is at the root of many of our social ills. Broadly speaking, humanity is in crisis – individually, collectively, and at a deep ‘soulful’ level. It is a crisis of the inner self, and society reflects these fractures. This longing of reunion, reconnection (however we wish to name it) has been at the core of a developmental impulse through the ages. It has also manifested within many genuine ‘spiritual’ traditions and forms that arose to answer this need. Yet much was lost along the way. The road of deep connection, of essential communion between Self and Source, is never easy nor automatic. It must be sought. A good doctor does not offer a cure without first understanding the cause of what ills the patient. A good doctor also knows that the patient carries the potential for the cure within them.

Everything in life is in process. Nothing is static and all things, all life, is in movement. Yet there are different ways in which this movement can operate. It can be gradual, suppressed, or it can be accelerated. Let us take the analogy of the acorn and the caterpillar. The acorn, as we know, carries within it all the information it requires to grow into an oak tree. What it requires from the outside is time and favourable environmental conditions. With these it can gradually, over many generations, grow up from the acorn in the soil to the grand oak tree that reaches for the sky. This is a gradual process that moves along a natural rhythm. We can say that this represents the general path of natural development. Then there is the caterpillar.

The caterpillar also contains within it all the information it needs for its future growth. It may not be fully aware of this, yet if it follows its instinct it will come to a point in its life where it feels the need to make a change. It will enter into the cocoon state and, if internal conditions are favourable, it will eventually emerge into a butterfly. That is, it will undergo a radical transformation into something new. It will not be an extension of its old self, like the oak tree is to the acorn; but will transform into a new state of being – if internal conditions are favourable.

What this analogy tells us is that there is gradual evolutionary growth as well as rapid, evolutionary transformations. As it is with the caterpillar, so it can be with humankind. We can choose to be recipients of environmental conditions that favour our gradual development over generations. Or we can make a conscious, concerted effort to utilize internal conditions to trigger a rapid, and radical, transformation of our being.

Buckminster Fuller once said that ‘There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it’s going to be a butterfly.’ The outward signs are not readily distinguishable. There are no neon signs announcing the capacity for transformation within. Yet it exists. The program for transcending ourselves is written into our code. What is required to unlock this code is correct intention. In its essence, this is what this series of essays shall discuss.

I refer to a perennial psychology in terms of a developmental path. That is, it symbolizes a transcendental urge to live with principles and aims that are beyond ordinary life. To live ‘beyond’ ordinary life whilst simultaneously participating in daily life is the axiom of the perennial psychology. To be ‘in the world’ and yet ‘not of the world’ represents a long existing tradition that has operated – and continues to operate – within all cultures and all times throughout human civilization. It may be that, at its core, the purpose of humankind is a transformational one.

A genuine perennial psychology recognizes that human life is constantly under the impacts of what can be termed as ‘developmental forces.’ These forces can assist in advancing human cognition and perception. And that without these impulses permeating our lives, humanity simply would not exist in its current state. It is what makes the very fabric of our existence, yet we seldom recognize its presence. We are more likely to recognize, and have contact with, only its remnants or decayed forms. The perennial psychology has, at all times, existed to assist in the ‘refinement’ of the human being to perceive this impulse. This correspondence must be an active and conscious process for it requires that a person lessens the influence of life’s constant distractions.

The perennial psychology has as its principal objectives the aim to a) reveal to us who we truly are; and b) to assist us to develop our inner cognition. This path has been at the heart of all genuine religious-spiritual impulses at their birth, before they decayed into secondary accretions. In essence, the perennial psychology is ‘truth without form.’ However, in order for its wisdom to be delivered in a contemporary form into its receiving culture, it must find a suitable vehicle or channel. This series of essays will discuss some of this wisdom and its various contemporary forms.

Now that we have entered the twenty-first century we are especially in need of a modern recognition of this ancient and perennial path. It appears as if in recent times we have become bankrupt in the stories we tell ourselves. Much of modern life is in dissonance. We are in need of more magical stories so that we may once again recognize and incorporate the ‘metaphysical background’ of the world. Humanity is in danger of losing its identity as a precious, noble species. It seems that we may have lost some of our passion and commitment to life and its mystery. Some people in the modern world are already living in a state of ‘reality apathy.’ The external world feeds us with false stories that distract us from the essential. We need to take a step back and to find our own individual stories. Humanity came here long ago and has lost its way. As the Persian poet Jalaluddin Rumi said – Whoever brought me here will have to take me back:

All day I think about it, then at night I say it.

Where did I come from and what am I supposed to be doing?

I have no idea.

My soul is from elsewhere, I’m sure of that,

and I intend to end up there.

This drunkenness began in some other tavern.

When I get back around to that place,

I’ll be completely sober. Meanwhile,

I’m like a bird from another continent, sitting in this aviary.

The day is coming when I fly off,

But who is it now in my ear, who hears my voice?

Who says words with my mouth?