This page explores the pros and cons of ascending on your own.
The ascension process is a very individual process. Everybody has its own kinds of (karmic) history, genetic packages, their own sets of ancestors and their own attachments, habits, relationships, holograms, environment etc.
The ascension process however seems to have quite a lot of similarities between people as well. The most striking similarities are the physical changes that you would go through during the process. Also some themes seem to occur more often in certain vibrational bands than in others. Then you would have certain limits that would apply to the process. Take for example the 3000-DNA-components that is the limit for most people who are ascending (see 3000-restriction for more info on this).
One important aspect of the ascension process is the retrieval of genetic information on how to build an ascending body. A certain crystallization would need to take place (see Turning Crystalline?). One of the reasons why these physical changes are necessary would be that it allows your body to hold on to more energy. This increased level of enery/chi would enable you to delve deeper in your ancestral history and it would allow you to clear more hidden karma. Many more abilities are mentioned in the texts.
Then you have the map carvers of ascension. These people are in the forefront of the ascension process. These map carvers were allowed to go beyond 3000 DNA-components in order to prepare for the birth of incoming children who would be born at levels of 3000, 6000 or even 9000-DNA components. These babies can only be born safely if the manipulations and chaos from the past and within certain vibratory bands is understood, forgiven or recast. Take for example the possibility that certain problems only surface at 7000 strands. If you would allow babies to be born at 8000 they would be faced with possible huge problems which could endanger their lives, or possibly endanger the ascension process of the whole, including Earth. If the map carvers encounter such a problem they can find a way to deal with it and make sure that these things won't happen any more in the future.
These map carvers are clearing the road for others to follow. Within the SSOA-organization there is the so-called Self Study Program which is especially set up for those people who have the right genealogy to ascend further without causing (unconscious) harm. At present the people in the Self Study Program are map making the path to 9000 components. These people are experimenting with certain intentions and they learn from each other under the guidance of Mila and Oa, who would be guided by Earth Mother, the Tao and the Great Central Sun (to name only a few sources).
The further you ascend the more impact your intentions, your way of life would have upon the world surrounding you. Before the 3000-restriction was placed upon us everybody could freely ascend as far as they would like without having to worry about manipulations, unconscious modes of causing harm to people around them. This led to numerous false ascensions and therefore it was deemed appropriate and even necessary to place the restriction at 3000, because people would become too influential and powerful beyond that level. If you would have the tendency to misuse power it could lead to serious harm on all kinds of levels.
Having said all this we can now take a look at the question which is on top of this page: is it a good idea to ascend on your own or not? My answer would be that it depends on which part of your ascension process you are working. If you are below 3000 not much harm can be done. The complete map to 3000 has been carved and if you read the instructions and the information on the SSOA-website it is very well possible to ascend on your own, at least from my point of view.
Beyond 3000 it would be a slightly different story. Like I said before your powers are increasing and the information you gather becomes more valuable for sources who prefer to prevent the ascension process because it would embark on their territory (see Sananda and Ascended Masters/False Gods for more on some forces that prefer no ascension at all).
As for me, it seems that I would have ascended beyond 5000 without having participated in the Self Study Program. But I need to say that I have come into contact with other people who are ascending themselves. Without other people I think it would have been more difficult. If all this is true I would be reaching the levels of becoming a map carver myself. I don't think it is advisable to ascend on your own in the higher regions of the process. If you are working in the vibratory bands of the map carvers it would be best to make use of the guidance from the people in the SSoA or perhaps some other people who are ascending. This would imply either partaking in the Self Study Program or find some other people who are embarking the same vibratory band.
If you decide to continue the ascension process in the realms of the map carvers there is the possibility that you might interfere or cause some harm without being aware of it. If the map carvers are not able to communicate with these 'solitary ascenders' it might make it even more complicated for them.
At present I prefer not to participate in the SSoA Self Study Program. I'm not sure why, but I would like to participate in the ascension process nevertheless. Perhaps it is the independent observer in me that prefers not to become a member of any group, perhaps it is some stubbornness in me that thinks that I can manage with the material from the website or perhaps it is the thought that everything is going a bit too fast for me if I would speed up my process by partaking in the world of the map carvers.
Like I said in the 'SSOA-dependency-page I have been questioning if it is a sound approach to ascend on the basis of the free internet articles that are frequently published at the SSoA-site. It has got something 'parasitic' to it. Other people are doing the map carving while I (even though I might have the right genealogy for it) just make use of their work and apply it to my own process.
There is however another side to the story. Perhaps there are certain territories that the SSoA hasn't explored yet. By not completely participating in the organization I might be able to access some of these territories more easily. Since I am someone else my lineages may hold certain information that may add something to the enormous amount of information that Mila and Oa have gathered so far. And I think that everyone who is consciously trying to ascend contributes to the greater understanding of the process.
Update december 2005:
In december 2005 I reread this page and I had to laugh at the remark that I would have ascended beyond 5000. This was during the days that I only measured the 0% physical ingrowth level (see Ten Construction Islands) and not the 100% ingrowth level into the physical. If that weren't enough I was also measuring the average value of the 0%-ingrowth level, which means that I could have certain organs at that etheric level that had ascended much further, with other organs far below the level of 5000. Probably a lot of it was run with an electric or electromagnetic gos (see Genetic Operating System) as well, increasing the molecular spin even more into these high realms. After the discovery of this fragmented ascension I had organs varying from 1800 to 3200 at the various levels of ingrowth. Ever since the fall of 2005 it would have turned virtually impossible to have large gaps between the etheric (0% physical) level and the 100% ingrowth level.
In turtle 24 I talk a bit more about ascending within or without the SSoA-organization.