Understanding Consciousness – Part 4 – Consciousness Levels

Consciousness Levels

We have looked at consciousness in a variety of ways to this point. First from a basic analogy of what consciousness is like, to a general description of levels and what they are like. The last post looked at consciousness from an evolutionary perspective. We are now going to look at more specific consciousness levels. To my knowledge there is only one comprehensive map of consciousness, or list of descriptive consciousness levels. This can be extremely beneficial for giving us a more detailed view of the various levels. As you study these levels you may gain insight into where you stand in your own evolution of consciousness and gain a better understanding in how to move higher.

Throughout history the goal of all great religions has concerned itself with techniques and teachings for rising up through these consciousness levels. Most who have done so can attest to the difficulty of this endeavor. Success depends on having a teacher or a set of teachings to guide one in this process. Just exposing oneself to this information is enough to raise one’s level of consciousness. You will notice these levels correlate with specific processes of consciousness as they relate to emotions, perceptions and attitudes towards world views, spirituality and oneself.

Consciousness Levels As Described By Dr. David R. Hawkins

Dr. David R Hawkins 1927–2012 (Bio can be found here: https://veritaspub.com/dr-hawkins/) developed one of the most comprehensive maps introduced in his 1994 book entitled “Power vs Force.” Dr. Hawkins has written many books on the subject of how to attain higher consciousness. I have read several of his books and have numerous audio recordings of his lectures. His teachings and work resonate with me both intellectually and spiritually. I caution anyone about following any single doctrine, method or procedure as a sole basis of advancing ones personal growth. Everything should be looked at in totality for a thorough understanding of any subject. With that being said, I will highlight the “Map Of Consciousness” as a basic framework for understanding consciousness levels. I personally believe Dr. Hawkins was a very enlightened individual, but anyone who wishes to teach spiritual principles can sometimes drag up a little ego to do so.

Below is a rendition of the “Map Of Consciousness” based the work of Dr. David R. Hawkins.

One of the most important things to note on this scale are the demarcation levels of 200 and 500.

The consciousness levels below 200 represent “Force.”

In this range the primary goal is survival with the exception of the very bottom where even the will to live is lacking. These levels are lacking basic integrity in life. One becomes so consumed with their own issues they are unable to look outside themselves. Note that these lower levels have to do with a person’s delusion of themselves as they focus inward. Their focus is on themselves, their emotions and their shame, guilt, apathy, grief, fear, desire, anger and pride. They are unable to expand their consciousness to incorporate awareness outside of themselves and their own emotions.

Below 200 people are seen as net takers in life, taking more than what they give back in life. This also represents the weakness of victim mentality as they cannot see their own weakness and this makes them look outside themselves for the cause of life’s problems. All the levels below 200 tend to be a destructive force to both the individual and society at large, whereas above 200 they become constructive expressions of power. The level of 200 becomes the turning point at which destructive forces turn to positive life enhancing attractors.

This victim mentality is evident in these lower levels. It expresses itself more as blame as one rises above energy level 125 of desire. People at this level will always blame others for their own failures in life. They are incapable of accepting any responsibility for their own circumstances. In essence they forego their “power” in playing the victim because the problem always lies “out there.” Since true power lies in changing ourselves for the better, a victim will continue to remain a victim. They continue to seek the empathy and validation of others and such enabling by others just reinforces the victim mentality. An example may be someone who slips on the ice in someone’s driveway and seeks to sue them. They will claim it was the owners responsibility instead of taking any personal responsibility themselves. Another example may be a failed marriage, where one spouse blames the other 100% taking no personal responsibility for their part in the marriage. Since they are unable to see the solution to a problem within themselves, they can never fix anything. All the levels below 200 tend to reinforce and feed off each other. When one is emotionally upset it is usually a combination of most of these lower levels as they all play a part in reinforcing the weakness below 200.

The consciousness levels above 200 represent “Power.”

As one moves to courage and beyond their sense of responsibility for life shifts to themselves. This becomes “empowering” because now the solution to any problem lies within one’s self, here it can be dealt with and fixed. As one moves up from this level there is an increasing focus on possibilities and cooperation with others in order to achieve one’s goals. These levels start to expand our awareness “outwards” encompassing more and more energy. As a brief example Mahatma Gandhi used his “power” of love and non-violence to defeat the British empire without using any “force.” In this process he facilitated the independence of India from British rule.

The general differences between power vs force:

The nature of force is limited in the fact that it creates a counterforce. Force requires movement from here to there whereas power is stationary; it does move against anything. Force must always move against something. Similar to gravity, power is stationary but has the ability move all objects. Power comes from meaning and principle and aligns with the support of life itself. Power by its very nature is noble, supporting, uplifting and dignifying of life. Force must always be justified as it is partial and not whole. Since force is incomplete it has an insatiable appetite that must always be fed with energy.

Power is complete by itself and needs nothing outside itself. It energizes, gives, supplies and supports. Power is associated with compassion and makes us feel positive about ourselves and the world; it gives life and energy whereas force takes these away. Force is judgmental and makes us feel bad about ourselves and the world. Force is divisive creating win/lose scenarios resulting in the creation of enemies and therefore requires constant defense. Force is utilized in the pursuit of transient goals and once a goal is reached there is a sense of emptiness of meaning. Power is aligned with principles that are supportive of all life and therefore has deep meaning and endless motivation.

One need only remember that power makes one strong and force makes one go weak. Love, compassion, gratitude and peace may be seen as submissive or weak, however these attributes are exceptionally empowering. Hatred, revenge, judgment and condemnation inevitably make one go weak. The weak will ultimately fall due to their weakness and power will eventually prevail. Those who have aligned with truthful principles throughout history will attest their power came from a source outside themselves. The most deplorable individuals in history unleashed unimaginable suffering due to their own weakness.

Consciousness levels of 500 and above:

As one rises beyond 500 their focus is on the welfare of others. The ego is subdued or transcended altogether. Once a person has reached these levels anything below it is unacceptable, thus they will remain in these higher states. A major shift in consciousness occurs beginning at this level as one starts to see themselves and everyone else as a collective whole. Life is no longer the pursuit of one’s own desires but rather it is about helping others and helping humanity.

Beyond consciousness levels of 540 there is a spiritual pursuit for the attainment of enlightenment. If one attains enlightenment, the very act of achieving it increases the overall consciousness of humanity. The level of 400 (Reason) with its intellectual fact based logic is a major hurdle to entering the more spiritual levels of 500 and above. Beyond 540 is the pursuit of the spiritual requiring some faith. This is precisely why enlightenment is typically known as “Spiritual Enlightenment.” The intellectual will have a hard time getting over a pure fact based scientific approach to life. These people tend to remain fixed below the 500 level as a result.

Consciousness levels – Scale

Another important point is the numbering system of 1-1,000. It is a logarithmic scale. This means that level 300 is not twice as high as 150 but rather 300 to the tenth power. Therefore even an increase of a few points is a substantial increase in power. Dr. Hawkins notes that the average person only advances about 5 points in a lifetime and can sometimes go backwards. One should note that the rate of increase and power as one moves up the scale is enormous. It is also interesting to note the inverse relationship of the amount of people at the various levels. There are very few individuals at the top of this scale and it increases logarithmically as you move down the scale. The vast majority of the world population lives at the lower end and the number of people decrease rapidly as you move up the scale.

The energetic and magnetic properties of consciousness levels

These various levels can be thought of as “energy fields” or “attractor fields” similar to how metal filings line up with a magnetic field. We are “drawn” or “attracted” to certain levels of consciousness when we “align” with their energy patterns. Each of these levels has their own energy field. As we allow new ideas to penetrate our systems of thought we are “drawn” or “attracted” to another level. As we “break free” of old patterns of thought at a lower level, we acquire new belief systems “in line” with a new level of consciousness.

As the levels move higher, they have more energy associated with them. Example: At the levels of Shame (20) and Guilt (30) a person is so full of self-hatred, they are likely to be self-destructive. If they move up to the next higher energy level of Apathy (50) they become almost non-responsive to life, but they are no longer on a clear course of self-destruction. If they started to cry, they would be moving up into Grief (75) which would be healthier and a higher energy level than Apathy. If they moved up into Fear (100) they become fearful of the future indicating concern for self-preservation. Moving into Desire (125) they are willing to risk or overcome some of their fear by desiring, wanting or craving something. Each level is only seen as better or worse in the context of where someone is moving from and to.

Think of the following examples of how you become attracted to different levels of “energy” or thinking when you “align” with the properties of that level. Example: when you are in the presence of a person with a negative victim mentality, you may be “dragged” into or “attracted” to gossiping, judgment, hatred, contempt, criticism, anger, etc.. Likewise in the presence of a higher level of consciousness you would be attracted into the energies of compassion, encouragement, enthusiasm, confidence, acceptance, forgiveness, love, etc..

The point to remember is you are influenced a great deal by different “energy fields.” What you surround yourself with, think, or allow as inputs into your mind have an effect on your consciousness. In simplistic terms this is acknowledged with the old sayings of “Birds of a feather flock together” and “You are the company you keep.” This is why there is great energy that can be drawn from groups based in love, compassion, encouragement and helping; such as “AA,” spiritual groups or other high integrity groups. As one becomes more aware of these attractor fields one can be more conscious of the effect others have on us.

Even brief interactions with those at higher consciousness levels can have profound effects on a person. There is also great power gained from studying the teachings of the great avatars such as Jesus and Buddha and/or any teachings from enlightened individuals. According to Hawkins, Jesus, Buddha and Krishna all calibrated at the level of 1,000. One need only think of the immense power these avatars have had on human consciousness and their effects are still being felt today. The avatars at 1,000 are not so much seen as individuals but rather have become the examples of a model or pattern in consciousness. Christ consciousness and Buddha nature are examples of this model representation.

If one wishes to move up this scale, then one must practice the daily intentions that are consistent with the highest levels. Love, compassion, gratitude and peace are the highest principles of consciousness. If one defers to these principles in their daily life, they will in turn be aligning themselves with the highest energy fields. If one defaults to the negative emotions associated with the lower energy fields, (i.e. anger, gossiping, hatred, judgment,) they will in turn find themselves aligning and attracting themselves to those lower energy states. Aligning ourselves with the highest levels will “pull us” or “attract us” through the other levels as we reach for the top levels.

Applying the idea:

• As you reflect on your own life:
  • When or under what conditions have you felt weakness?
  • When or under what conditions have you felt a sense of personal power?
• As you think about the people you know:
  • What are the qualities, characteristics, traits or principles of the people you feel that possess as sense of personal power?
  • What are the qualities, characteristics, traits or principles of the people you feel are weak or are unable to influence others?
• Can you see how people have a tendency of “taking a trip” through the lower levels at the loss of a loved one, substantial trauma or other substantial loss during life?

In the next post we will go into detail describing each level in Dr. David R. Hawkins Map of Consciousness. To go there now click here.

Please share if you found this post to be meaningful. I would love to hear your comments.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post.  : )