Infrared (archaic—a proto 1st-person perspective): infrared Altitude signifies a degree of development that is in many ways imbedded in nature, body, and the gross realm in general. Infrared Altitude exhibits an archaic worldview, physiological needs (food, water, shelter, etc.), a self-sense that is minimally differentiated from its environment, and is in nearly all ways oriented towards physical survival. Although present in infants, infrared is rarely seen in adults except in cases of famine, natural disasters, or other catastrophic events. infrared is also used as a kind of catch-all term for all earlier evolutionary stages and drives.

Magenta (egocentric—able to take a 1st-person perspective): Magenta Altitude tends to be the home of egocentric drives, a magical worldview, and impulsiveness. It is expressed through magic/animism, kin-spirits, and such. Young children primarily operate with a magenta worldview. Magenta in any line of development is fundamental, or "square one" for any and all new tasks. Magenta emotions and cognition can be seen driving cultural phenomena such as Burning Man, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or superhero-themed comic books or movies.

Red (ego-to-ethnocentric—able to take a 1st- to 2nd-person perspective): Red Altitude is the marker of egocentric drives based on power, where "might makes right," where aggression rules, and where there is a limited capacity to take the role of an "other." Red impulses are classically seen in grade school and early high school, where bullying, teasing, and the like are the norm. Red motivations can be seen culturally in Ultimate Fighting contests, which have no fixed rules (fixed rules come into being at the next Altitude, amber), teenage rebellion and the movies that cater to it (The Fast and the Furious), gang dynamics (where the stronger rule the weaker), and the like.

Ego development, setting yourself apart from the rest of the world. Becoming your own person. Self-expression, being true to your inner nature, acting from the heart. Dawning awareness of self in relation to others. Ego, self-centered, arrogant. Artistic or creative expression. Needs to be a center of attention, likes to be noticed and appreciated, ego-strokes. Personal integrity, true to self, honorable, trustworthy, self-assured, confident.

Amber (ethnocentric—able to take a 2nd-person perspective): Amber Altitude indicates a worldview that is mythic, and mythic worldviews are always held as absolute (this stage of development is often called absolutistic). Instead of "might makes right," amber ethics are more oriented to the group, but one that extends only to "my" group. Grade school and high school kids usually exhibit amber motivations to "fit in." Amber ethics help to control the impulsiveness and narcissism of red. Culturally, amber worldviews can be seen in fundamentalism (my God is right no matter what); extreme patriotism (my country is right no matter what); and ethnocentrism (my people are right no matter what).

Orange (worldcentric—able to take a 3rd-person perspective): In an orange worldview, the individual begins to move away from the amber conformity that reifies the views of one's religion, nation, or tribe. The orange worldview often begins to emerge in late high school, college, or adulthood. Culturally, the orange worldview realizes that "truth is not delivered; it is discovered," spurring the great advances of science and formal rationality. Orange ethics begin to embrace all people, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal...." Ayn Rand's Objectivism, the US Bill of Rights, and many of the laws written to protect individual freedom all flow from an orange worldview.

Green (worldcentric—able to take a 4th-person perspective): Green worldviews are marked by pluralism, or the ability to see that there are multiple ways of seeing reality. If orange sees universal truths ("All men are created equal"), green sees multiple universal truths—different ones for different cultures. Green ethics continue, and radically broaden, the movement to embrace all people. A green statement might read, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all people are created equal, regardless of race, gender, class...." Green ethics have given birth to the civil rights, feminist, and gay rights movements, as well as environmentalism. The green worldview's multiple perspectives give it room for greater compassion, idealism, and involvement, in its healthy form. Such qualities are seen by organizations such as the Sierra Club, Amnesty International, Union of Concerned Scientists, and Doctors Without Borders. In its unhealthy form green worldviews can lead to extreme relativism, where all beliefs are seen as relative and equally true, which can in turn lead to the nihilism, narcissism, irony, and meaninglessness exhibited by many of today's intellectuals, academics, and trend-setters.... Not to mention another "lost" generation in students.

Teal (worldcentric to kosmocentric—able to take a 4th/5th-person perspective): Teal Altitude marks the beginning of an integral worldview, where pluralism and relativism are transcended and included into a more systematic whole. The teal worldview honors the insights of the green worldview, but places it into a larger context that allows for healthy hierarchies, and healthy value distinctions. Perhaps most important, a teal worldview begins to see the process of development itself, acknowledging that each one of the previous stages (magenta through green) has an important role to play in the human experience. Teal consciousness sees that each of the previous stages reveals an important truth, and pulls them all together and integrates them without trying to change them to “be more like me,” and without resorting to cultural relativism (“all are equal”). Teal worldviews do more than just see all points of view (that’s a green worldview)—it can see and honor them, but also critically evaluate them.

Turquoise (kosmocentric—able to take a 5th-person perspective): Turquoise is a mature integral view, one that sees not only healthy hierarchy but also the various quadrants of humans knowledge, expression, and inquiry (at the minimum: I, we, and it). While teal worldviews tend to be secular, turquoise is the first to begin to integrate Spirit as a living force in the world (manifested through any or all of the 3 Faces of God: “I”—the “No self” or “witness” of Buddhism; “we/thou”—the “great other” of Christianity, Judaism, Hindusm, Islam, etc.; or “it”—the “Web of Life” seen in Taoism, Pantheism, etc.).

Indigo (continues and deepens kosmocentric—able to take 6th-person perspective and higher): Evolution and development continues growing, and we have no reason to believe it will stop with the stage that we are at now. We have indicated all of these higher possibilities with the next color in the rainbow after turquoise, which is indigo.

Surrender to the universe, to higher goals; ego sacrifice. Compassion and empathy, selfless work. Seeing the unity of all things. The ends of cycles, forming seeds for the next cycle of growth. Mysticism, fails to make normal distinctions. Laziness, victim, martyr, servant; tends to escapism. Fantasy, drugs, alcohol, religion. Very receptive, sensitive, even psychic. Co-dependency, care-taking.

Grounding, bringing down to earth. Constancy, steadiness, entering matter, taking on a form.

Earthy, grounded, in touch with the body. Sensual, pleasure seeking. Stubborn, fixed, stands their ground. Focuses and concentrates energy, gives it concrete expression. Practical, provides stamina and persistence. Slow, steady, methodical.

Embodiment of the individual in the world. Problems of adjustment dealing with the world and others. Perfection of the approach to life. Development of mundane skills, ability to change to adapt to life better. Service, helping, perfectionist, always seeking to improve, efficiency, practical, functional, analytical. Interested in crafts and projects, true to self in a simple, unassuming manner. Reacts to defeats and setbacks by pulling back and altering approach. Duties and responsiblities. Interested in maintaining the body as a fit vehicle.

Transformation, change, ego-death, rebirth, transcendence. Intense emotional involvement with the process of personal growth. Movement from individual certainties to the mysteries of life. Intense, passionate, brooding, magnetic; unyielding, driven by emotions. Stands up for self, usually covertly, manipulates power.

Understands deeper layers of the psyche beyond the ego, unable to communicate this well leading to misunderstandings. Intrigued by the dark side of life; the underground, people whose job involves going beneath surface appearances. Breaking free of illusory limitations; self-mastery.

Becoming a member of a wider society. Experiences that lead to consciousness expansion. Being receptive to new points of view, wisdom, enlightenment. Using your talents for the benefit of the greater whole. Freedom loving, idealist, unfettered by small thinking; inspiration; religion, philosophy, the law. Awareness of connections to the rest of the world, can be distant from others. Afraid to give up freedom, reluctant to be tied down, aware of the value of the social contract. Enthusiastic, generous; loves abstract, theoretical ideas, sees the big picture, ignores the details.  In love with an ideal; strong opinion;  foreign travel, liberating experiences.

Freedom and cooperation between individuals. Free-thinking, unorthodox, far-sighted, idealistic, utopian.

Impersonal thinking, detached from emotional considerations. Interested in focusing the mind to formulate new and unusual ways of dealing with people, groups, society and the world. Progressive view of things and rarely follow the beaten path. An insatiable urge for discovering that which isn't known. Or developing that which is known into something which is new, refreshing and completely different.

Nurturing, support, emotional bonding, belonging; roots, source. Ground of your being. The unconscious, feelings, emotion, first emotional attachments to the world. Mothering, emotional and physical nurturing. Experiences and imprinting during infancy and childhood. Family, ancestors, heritage, relationships to the past. Belonging, feeling at home, caring. Feeling supported by the world, that your needs are provided for. Insecurities and fears if your needs haven't been fulfilled.

Bring about the perfect society. Making practical, efficient connections with others on the physical plane.

Ambitious, feels pride in accomplishments; reality, hard facts; relationship to authority. Serious, determined, disciplined, focused; fathering, disciplining love. Authority figures; seeks certainties in life, wants things cast in concrete. Concerned with the practical relationships to support yourself within society.

Not interested in blue sky ideas, needs to bring theory into concrete reality. Knowing the rules and playing the game.

Embodiment of the individual in the world. Problems of adjustment dealing with the world and others. Perfection of the approach to life. Development of mundane skills, ability to change to adapt to life better. Service, helping, perfectionist, always seeking to improve, efficiency, practical, functional, analytical. Interested in crafts and projects, true to self in a simple, unassuming manner. Reacts to defeats and setbacks by pulling back and altering approach. Duties and responsiblities. Interested in maintaining the body as a fit vehicle.

AQAL and the Zodiac