To extend the parallel we return to our exploration in this book, where we saw how the soul develops beyond ego structure. The development of the soul progresses from the stage of ego development to that of essential development, which she achieves through an integration of her essential ground, but now with discriminating knowledge. The discriminating knowing itself develops through this integration toward basic knowledge, as finally embodied in the dimension of pure being, the nous of the ancient Greeks. The outcome is the essentially individuated soul, which can develop all the way to the microcosm diamond pearl. The microcosm diamond pearl is a soul that has individuated by the integration of her worldly experience and wisdom with the various aspects and dimensions of her true nature. It is also the individual self-realization of Being with precise awareness and discriminating basic knowledge. If Western thought has developed according to a universal pattern that expresses itself also in the development of the individual soul, then it could develop further toward a higher and more structured level of unity. In other words, we can view the dissociation of the triad in our modern and postmodern Western thought as a stage that can be followed by other stages, all natural to the development of thought. We can envision a further stage, parallel to the stage of essential development of the soul, and further still toward the stage of the microcosm diamond pearl. This will be a stage where Western thought redeems itself, just as the soul can, by finding the unity underlying its dissociation, by appreciating the value of differentiation and discrimination without having to continue the dissociation. This way it can redeem itself by integrating its discriminating knowing with its ground of Being, while still embracing and benefiting from the advancements that have resulted from its dissociation of this knowledge. Western thought then has the potential and possibility of moving to a further stage, where its science can be grounded in the presence of basic knowledge, of the nous, and where its spirituality can achieve the diamond crisp discrimination of this same basic knowledge. A true bridge will then appear between science and spirituality, to their mutual benefit and evolution.7 Just as ego development is a stage of individuation that can lead to essential individuation, Western thought has arrived at ego individuation, expressed in worldly efficient functionality; this can yet progress to essential individuation, with this functionality grounded in the presence and truth of Being. Furthermore, we can view the development of Western civilization as a cultural movement toward individuation, which has arrived only at the ego stage. In other words, Western culture as a whole can be seen as developing toward being a pearl, a cultural pearl rather than an individual one. To be a pearl means to be integrated in a self-organizing and cohesive manner and to function in a harmonious unified balance, just as ego strength manifests and even more so the soul’s pearly individuation. And because Western thought is not anymore confined to the geographic West but is spreading worldwide through the transport of Western technologies and values, this pearly development may turn out to be a global one. The fact that globalization is already progressing in many sectors of human interest can be seen as indicating a movement toward an individuated unity of humanity. Furthermore, globalization may include, as an important part of it, the meeting and unification of Western and Eastern thought, in a new and novel synthesis. In other words, the movement toward globalization is bound to include thought and culture, religion and values. Such movement can be at the level of ego development, or it can move to the essential stage. And since West and East have historically differentiated in a general manner into the egoic-logical and the spiritual-nonconceptual, respectively, it would seem that such pearly integration is a distinct possibility. That will mean humanity has the possibility of developing into a species pearl, an integrated and individuated human race. We actually see, by continuing the parallel, that humanity has the potential of developing into a diamond pearl, meaning a humanity that is not only integrated and unified as one harmonious people, but as a unity precisely and clearly aware of its true nature and its connection to the wholeness of Being. – The Inner Journey Home: Soul’s Realization of the Unity of Reality, ch. 24