There is a vast difference between spirituality and religiosity. This is crucial for those who have lost the ability to connect with the Whole through religious faith, yet still feel a deep, living longing for something not of this world. The severed connection with the Divine hurts, and the open wound drives them to seek other ways to experience reunion with the Source.
I am one of those people. That is why I found the distinction between the four levels of consciousness, described by M. Scott Peck in his book Further Along the Road Less Traveled, so valuable. Before reading them, I thought there were only two types of people: believers and atheists. It turns out there is not only a third, but a fourth stage as well.
1. The Chaotic/Antisocial
According to Dr. Peck, the first and most primitive level of human self-awareness is neither spiritual nor religious. He calls it “antisocial” due to the characteristic lack of a moral sense of right and wrong, often found in criminals or those with psychopathic behavior. For these individuals, the core belief is that life is a jungle where only the fittest survive. In other words, there is no order or rules—only pure instinct for survival.
2. The Formal/Institutional (Religious)
The second level is the religious stage. It represents a higher degree of awareness because, for the first time, a clear system of rules and rituals appears, bringing order to the chaos of the previous level. This is where institutional faith resides. Here, the connection with God is mediated by religious institutions—churches with their priests, rituals, sermons, and confessions. These provide structure and support in difficult times. The law of the jungle is replaced by the rules of a social community governed by higher, selfless principles. However, this form of consciousness is not yet mature because the connection with the Divine remains external. Critical thinking is often absent; one is not troubled by the logical contradictions in scriptures or the moral failings of religious leaders.
3. The Skeptical/Individual (Atheistic)
This changes with the arrival of the atheistic consciousness, which rejects religious faith as childish naivety and superstition. The progress here lies in the restoration of trust in one’s own experience, rather than blindly accepting what external authorities dictate. This is the stage of experimental, scientific thinking. One’s philosophy of life is built on personal observation and experience. Yet, in this stage, the “baby is often thrown out with the bathwater”—the connection to the soul and the care for it is discarded.
4. The Mystical/Communal
God returns to the individual—or rather, the individual returns to God—only at the fourth level: Mysticism. The defining characteristic of this stage is that the connection with the Whole does not stem from blind faith, but from direct, personal experience. God is now an inner reality—a presence that can be personally known. One no longer believes; one knows. Consequently, the motives for religious wars or intolerance toward others vanish.
This was what I was looking for—a connection with the Spirit that does not require religious dogma. Returning to the fearful piety of my grandmother or abandoning the power of my mind and the trust in my own experience was impossible. But the path forward wasn’t clear either. Then I understood the “third way”—this philosophy of a God who is within, not without, and who can be known personally through contemplation, meditation, and self-knowledge.
I do not yet have the experience of the dissolving of ego-boundaries that mystics describe. But I have the experience of someone walking the untrodden paths between the third and fourth levels—that liminal space between atheism and mysticism.
I observe how moral categories of good and evil begin to shift. On one hand, the interest in spiritual values and how to embody them in life becomes even stronger. On the other, a certain wisdom arrives—though I may know what is “good” and “evil,” I no longer claim to know what is for good and what is for evil.
And so: first you believe, then you verify, and finally, you trust. Trust, following the phase of skepticism, has an entirely different quality.
Kameliya Hadzhiyska
