Epiphenomena are experiences that emerge as a kind of byproduct of engaging the core threads, but are not themselves fundamental to the unfolding. A key example for me personally was the prevalence of bliss states. While I had much bliss throughout my journey in connection with the oneness, energy and psyche threads, I came to see that the bliss itself was more of a surface feature, a kind of pleasant side effect of the deeper shifts that were happening.

In contrast, what I’m calling threads are the underlying drivers and organizers of the transformation – the essential currents of development that, once catalyzed, have their own self-sustaining unfolding. Threads have a clear directionality, progressing from gross to increasingly subtle and refined expressions, whereas epiphenomena are more state-like and transient.

I highlight this distinction because I feel it has important implications for practice. If we misidentify an epiphenomenon as the core thread, we can end up chasing after certain experiences and states rather than attuning to and supporting the deeper process. By getting clear on what the real developmental forces are, we can more skillfully direct our efforts and align with the intelligence of the journey.

This discernment also helps with selecting teachers, teachings and practices. Different traditions and guides specialize in different threads, so understanding which threads are central for us allows us to zero in on the resources and relationships that will most serve our unfolding. We may still access the maps of traditions that focus on other threads, but will hold them more lightly, as helpful pointers rather than definitive truth.