We Are the Change

 "We change the world not by what we say or do but as a consequence of what we have become." - David R. Hawkins

I love the quote above from David Hawkins. To me, it summarizes a great truth that I think we often lose site of.

In a world where social causes often garner a lot of attention, we forget that simply being ourselves has an enormous impact on those around us. 

Can you recall a time where you had a positive impact on someone's life and you didn't even know it at the time? It wasn't because you rehearsed some grand speech and delivered it to them flawlessly, and it wasn't because you pushed and pushed and pushed them to change their way somehow. You were simply you, and you being you was powerful enough to inspire a change. It may have been a small change or it may have been a huge change. The size isn't important (and, frankly, it's relative). The important point is that part of your world was changed as a consequence of what you became!

Part of learning to walk in Power means trusting that the greater Presence around us is most capable of enacting change. This is not to say that there isn't a time to stand up on a soapbox and take a stand for something or someone. Nor is it to say that our mission is to never do difficult and/or sacrificial acts in order to facilitate change in our world. It is to say that when we do so, we do so out of Power - i.e. we do so because we are truly inspired to do so as opposed to doing so out of guilt or a feeling of "if I don't do this no one will". 

The weight of the world is never meant to be placed squarely on our shoulders, and if we feel compelled to take an action out of shame or guilt or pride or anger, etc., I believe it does us well to stop and explore what that underlying driver is really all about. Remember, actions done out of force almost always result in more struggle and strife. Actions done in power result in healing and positive transformation.

What are you becoming today?

Applying the Scale of Consciousness to Your Daily Life

 "The attainment of wisdom is apparently slow and painful..." - David R. Hawkins

In talking through the levels of consciousness, we have seen how there is a marked difference between Power and force, and we have also talked specifically about the consciousness levels of force as well as the levels of Power. 

Next I would like to discuss the practical application of the Scale of Consciousness in our everyday lives.

Author and Psychiatrist David Hawkins states that we all operate at different levels of consciousness depending on our situation, age, stage of life, etc. However, we all tend to operate primarily out of one specific level, and most people do not advance much in their entire lifetime.

Just glancing at the Scale of Consciousness above, you probably have a good intuitive sense of where you are on the chart. Do you tend to see the world as sad, lonely, and hopeless? If so, you probably operate mostly out of apathy or grief. Do you find yourself mostly frustrated all the time about life? If so, you probably operate mostly out of anger. Are you pretty even-keeled about life, just kind of taking things as they are? You most likely operate out of acceptance.

The beauty of the Scale of Consciousness is that you can quickly visualize where you are at any given moment. Every thought you have, every word you speak, every action you take, every emotion you experience falls somewhere on this scale. What the scale does is allow you to quickly become aware of your level. Of course, awareness is only the first step to improvement.

Once you are aware of your level of consciousness, you can easily ascertain what a step up is. For example, let's say that you recognize fear as being a primary driver in your life. If you can learn to utilize some of that fear to create a strong desire to make things better, you will actually move up the scale.

Dr. Hawkins says that there is nothing magical about any of the levels and that we all have access to all of them all the time. We have the ability to jump to any level at any point in time. It truly is within us, we just have to make the choice! 

To be sure, making the choice can be difficult. You probably know how it feels to get mad about something and then just want to stay mad for a little while about it. Sometimes we really don't want to advance in our level of consciousness. But, the choice to advance is always present. Our only barrier is our own ego.

So, where are you right now on the Scale of Consciousness?

Consciousness Levels of Power

 "Power is total and complete in and of itself..." - David R. Hawkins

Thus far, we have discussed at a high level the difference between Power and force, and we have also talked about the consciousness levels of force. In this post, I want to delve into the levels of consciousness that are represented by Power. Once again, I have displayed the Scale of Consciousness table below for your reference.

Notice that the scale is broken into two main parts: Force at the bottom, and Power at the top. To reiterate, those emotions and actions associated with force tend to take away from life; they are generally destructive in nature. On the other hand, levels of Power tend to give life and energy; they are constructive in nature.

According to David Hawkins in his seminal work Power vs. Force, consciousness level 200 (courage) is the first non-destructive level on the scale. Courage is the level people operate at when they have drive to try new things. This is the level where people become excited about life. Whereas the levels below 200 are about frustration, anger, bitterness, etc., the level of courage is the first level people begin to let go of those negative emotions and embrace life fully.

At 250, neutrality takes hold. This is the level where people begin to realize that holding on to strong opinions and positions is what brings so much suffering. Those at neutrality see most issues not as something to take a side on but rather something to behold for what it is. Neutrality is marked by confidence and emotional stability.

Willingness (310) is the level of high self-esteem. Those who are willing are able to make the most of any and every situation in life. They don't feel like victims when things don't go their way. Instead, they find a way to move forward constructively.

At the level of acceptance (350), a person has learned to live in harmony with life around them. Rather than trying to change things, they accept everything for what it is. Those who operate from a state of acceptance understand that happiness and joy are simply emotions they can choose to have or not have. They are not dependent on any outside elements for these things.

Most of the United States and other western nations operate at the level of reason, which is 400 - 499. Reason is the level that encompasses science, math, logic, etc. Many great scientists and philosophers operated primarily in the range of reason. Knowledge, understanding, information, data, etc. are all important to those who operate from reason. Because of the finiteness of the human mind and the vast amount of knowledge available, Dr. Hawkins says few people transcend reason to reach higher levels of consciousness since they tend to spend an enormous amount of time rationalizing and reasoning through ideas and thoughts. Once a person is honed in on logic and reason, it can be quite difficult to go beyond these to the higher levels of consciousness.

When one does transcend reason, they come to a level of love (500). Love in this sense refers to a deep sense of caring, nurturing, support, forgiveness, etc. It is not an infatuation as we so often see portrayed in movies and television, rather it is an unconditional way of living that supersedes any external factors. David Hawkins describes it as a way of being.

As love grows deeper in one's life, one finds that they reach a state of immense joy that is also independent of external factors. This joy (level 540) often shows up in people as genuine compassion and perseverance in the face of prolonged adversity and trials. People who operate at the level of joy truly are unswayed by things going on around them - both good and bad. This is the level where we start to find saints and other great spiritual leaders.

At level 600 we find true peace. The Bible speaks of a peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4), and that is what the 600s are all about. Many who get to this level of consciousness describe being in a state of bliss. Sometimes people who have an enormously transformative life experience, such as a near death experience, end up at this level or even higher. This is a peace that (like joy) cannot be perturbed by events in one's life.

The levels between 700 and 1000 are said to be levels of enlightenment. Obviously, the higher one goes on this scale, the fewer people one finds. In the 700-1000 range, only a few individuals in the entire history of mankind have managed to reach such heights. David Hawkins describes these levels as being closely associated with the Divine. People at these levels discover that they are not really an individual self but rather part of a much larger entity that encompasses all. He also makes a point that only a handful of individuals has ever reached the level of 1000, which is considered the highest that a human can go. According to Dr. Hawkins, Jesus, the Buddha, and Krishna and maybe one or two others have reached this level of consciousness.

Now that we have briefly reviewed the various levels of consciousness, we will next take a look at how you can apply these to your every day life.

Consciousness Levels of Force

 "The ways the various levels of human consciousness express themselves are profound and far-reaching...." - David R. Hawkins

In my last post, I introduced the idea of a scale of consciousness, which I have reproduced here for the sake of convenience.

As is readily apparent by the diagram, the scale is basically broken into two parts: Power and force.

In this post, I want to briefly unpack the levels in the bottom portion of the scale - namely the levels of force. To reiterate what I stated in my previous post breaking down the definition of Power, those levels of consciousness that reside in the range of force are levels that tear down or take away from life and energy. These are the destructive levels of humanity. 

Shame and guilt (levels 20 and 30) are the lowest of the low. These are the levels of consciousness found in those who are suicidal, even if conscious suicide is not their intent. People who operate primarily out of shame and guilt have deep hatred for themselves and the world around them. Terrorists, mass-murderers, etc. are the types of folks who operate primarily out of shame and guilt. People who subconsciously commit suicide by extreme lack of self-care or extreme recklessness also operate out of shame and guilt.

At level 50, we have apathy. While apathy is still very low, it is a step higher than shame and guilt. The apathetic person experiences deep despair and hopelessness. Their outlook on life is generally one of just not caring about much. Most homeless people fall into this category. Survival is still not important to people at this level. 

Once we get to grief at level 75, there starts to be a little hope. David Hawkins says that once a despairing and hopeless person starts to cry, this is a sign of progress. While grief is quite low on the scale, it represents a level where a person might start to take positive action.

Fear is a level that grips large swaths of our society. We are constantly bombarded with messages of fear: You need an alarm system so that you don't get robbed or murdered, you need to take this or that supplement or drug or else your health will suffer, you should invest your money like this so that you don't go broke, etc. Fear can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it can be a driver for good - as in when you are about to be attacked by the proverbial saber-tooth tiger and you need to run. But, it can also be detrimental - as in when a person becomes such a hypochondriac that they are afraid to go out of the house.

The level just above fear is desire at level 125. This, too, is a common level to many people. In this context, desire is more like greed or lust. It's an all-consuming wish for something. Someone who has deep desire for something or someone becomes enslaved by it, and that is why it is such a toxic level. To be sure, desire can also work for good, but like fear it has an evil twin.

David Hawkins says that desire often leads to anger (level 150) because a person with deep desire is unable to get the target of their desire. The resulting emotion is one of frustration or downright anger. In some situations, anger has led to very positive results, such as the civil rights movement. However, in most people, anger tends to present itself as resentment and revenge. As a result, anger is still a negative level of consciousness.

The final level of force is pride (175). Pride in this context refers to an egoic pride as opposed to someone who is proud of their work in a healthy way. Pride can also lead to positive results, but the downside to it is that a prideful person tends to become very self-centered. At this level of consciousness, the ego is still very much the driver of the person.

In my next post, I will discuss the levels of Power, which I find to be a much more fun discussion! 

The Scale of Consciousness

 "The important element in facilitating an upward movement in consciousness is an attitude of willingness...." - David R. Hawkins

One of the greatest contributions that David Hawkins made to mankind was his very insightful and useful map of consciousness. Here I have created my own version of the map that I call the Scale of Consciousness:

The beauty of this scale is that it gives us a quick visualization of the entire range of consciousness of mankind. Each level represents a possible state of awareness or emotion that we might find ourselves in at any given time. While the chart reflects distinct levels, the reality is that consciousness is more of a spectrum where there are no hard and fast lines between the various levels.

 Each of us operates primarily out of one level, but we may exhibit aspects of all the levels at various times in our lives. According to the research of David Hawkins, most people tend to stay at one level for their entire life, although it is possible to move up or down significantly. 

I will spend a little time in my next two posts delving into the meaning of the various levels, at least from a birds-eye view. If you really want more detail, I suggest reading Power Vs. Force by David Hawkins where he describes each level in great detail.

The main thing I want to point out about the Scale of Consciousness is that you can quickly see the levels that emanate force and those that emanate Power. Anything below level 200 (which is based on a logarithmic scale developed by Dr. Hawkins) is considered force, and anything above 200 is considered Power. The 200 level is a sort of dividing line between that which is integrous and that which is not. 

And, it is not just us who calibrate somewhere on this scale. Everything does. Every thought, every idea, every word, every deed, even every object calibrates somewhere on the Scale of Consciousness! 

The practical application of this is that you can quickly gauge any thought or idea or emotion you are having. Are you feeling anxious about something? By looking at the scale, you can tell that you are in the realm of force, which means energy is being sucked from you. On the other hand, if you are feeling compassion for someone, you know that you are reflecting true Power. As Dr. Hawkins puts it, "Power gives life and energy. Force takes these away."

What Is Power?

 "Power gives life and energy..." - David R. Hawkins

 

I would like to start this blog by exploring the definition of Power.   

The word power can mean many things to many people, but for our purposes, I am going to define Power by illuminating its qualities and contrasting them with the qualities of force. To do this, I will rely heavily upon the insights of psychiatrist and best-selling author David R. Hawkins.

1. Power always supports life and energy while force takes these things away.
2. Power uplifts, force tears down.
3. Power doesn't move against anything, force always moves against something.
4. Power is complete, force is incomplete.
5. Power makes no demands and needs nothing; force constantly consumes and is insatiable.
6. Power and compassion go together; force and judgment (of self and others) go together.

If you spend just a minute or two contemplating these statements of Power, I believe you will begin to see where you are allowing Power to work in your life and where you are not. One of the crucial keys to bettering ourselves is to become more aware of ourselves and our behaviors and why we behave the way we do.

Because Power always uplifts, learning to embrace Power will uplift you!

What areas of your life could use a little Power today? 

Welcome to The Power Blog

 "We change the world not by what we say or do but as a consequence of what we have become!" - David R. Hawkins

 

Hello, and welcome to "The Power Blog". This is a forum dedicated to the exploration of Power in its truest and most authentic form. This blog is inspired by my own journey into the soul and the discovery that so many truths I had learned through years of experience were set to words by world-renowned psychiatrist, lecturer, and author David R. Hawkins, M.D., Ph.D. in his seminal book "Power vs. Force".  

It is my intent to provide a platform for self-discovery and offer a place to explore provocative insights and wisdom. I welcome comments, thoughts, and ideas from all so long as they are honoring and respectful to all. It is my belief that in doing this, we will find the world a slightly better place than before we arrived.

In our exploration of Power, I/we will:

1. Provide Practical Insights: Offering practical insights and strategies on how to apply the principle of power in our daily lives, enabling us to approach challenges with greater wisdom and effectiveness.
2. Encourage Community Interaction: Building an interactive community where readers can share experiences and insights, promoting growth and learning through shared wisdom.
3. Guest Contributions: It is my hope to feature guest contributions from time to time from scholars, spiritual leaders, and individuals who have successfully harnessed the Power principle in various aspects of their lives.

My hope is that you will find this blog a beneficial tool as you journey in your own personal growth and transformation. The Power Blog is about viewing Power from a perspective of peace, sustainability, and true success. Together, we will learn to walk in Power, transcend the limitations of force, and unlock all our true potentials.

Welcome to The Power Blog!