[Spiral Dynamics] What are the best indicators for knowing what stage you are?

[Roy]

For the fun of it I want to know what stage I am so I have a clear grounding for what resources to acquire and which new teachers to learn from so I don't regress or waste anymore time than I have to (life is short, not looking to skip steps though). However I have a lot of conflicting views on myself that put me all over the map lol;

- Over the past few years I've noticed I've made serious progress in shedding my attachment to ideologies and defending any beliefs. I defend or attack almost nothing at this point where as I used to be very argumentative and enjoyed the "being right" and cynical feeling. I am not emotionally involved in any politics or group think. I am also quite clear on my goals in that I actively seek out radically new sources of information and knowledge and do my best to only extract what is useful and disregard what isn't. I love systems thinking and integrating different world views to make me a more effective and well rounded healthy person. Stage Yellow?

- I've made an effort to be brutally honest and contemplative all the terrible things I've done in life, and am taking charge of past and previous addictions, while trying to be self-loving through the process. However I still catch myself on my internal radar being self-sabotaging and behaving in egotistical ways that benefit me. Sometimes my thoughts betray me almost like I have some separate jerk inside me who doesn't care what I want. Stage Red & Orange?

- I feel my morality, ethics, and attitudes are generally Left/Stage Green leaning. Financially I am generous for a young person with not much money, I've cleaned up my investments to environmentally friendly companies, I make a conscious effort not to spend money on useless material things. I respect nature deeply (if I see a BUG in danger I stop to save it for Christ sake xD). I've cleaned up and optimized my diet to improve my consciousness and health, etc Though I find all this exhausting sometimes to keep up with things I KNOW I value and stand for without backsliding once in a while.

Is it even possible to honestly grade yourself on Spiral Dynamics without ego being involved? Are there any good online tests out there that aren't so vague?

Or should I just take Leo's word for it that you are always 1-2 stages lower than what you think you are?

Edited February 17, 2020 by Roy

[Forestluv]

One way is to observe what you resonate with in your environment. Do you naturally resonate toward things that would be considered Orange, Green or Yellow? For example, which speakers, videos, politicians, activities, worldviews, people etc.? 

As well, there are different lines of development - such as intellectual, emotion and spiritual. And each person is a mosaic if various stages. Rather than "I am Green". One could think of it as: along the emotional line of development, it seems like I'm roughly 10% blue, 30% Orange and 60% green. On the intellectual line of development, I may be 50% Orange, 20% green and 30% yellow. 

Who you resonate with is the leading edge of your development. For example, one will be attracted to yellow-level thinkers before they can yellow-level think on their own. A person may watch yellow level thinkers and be really attracted to that type of thinking, and then realize "yea, but I can't think like that on my own". This is an indicator of development into that stage. Over time, the person may be out in the woods and realize they are perceiving the world through yellow lenses and yellow-level concepts are naturally arising. It's fun stuff.