Monday, July 24, 2023

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.

Scale of Consciousness


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! 

Friday, July 7, 2023

The Scale of Consciousness

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



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:

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."

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 quot...