We all have but control over one thing, our minds. Everything we are and do starts with our mind. Our minds all operate on a default level, a kind of default setting to life in general. This level affect how we interpret and approach life. For instance, we can all acknowledge that we know some people that have a positive outlook on life and some a negative. Well, that outlook is a result of that person's consciousness level.
I assume we would all like to be happy (at least if you are reading this I know you would like to). We all want to live lives of peace, love, and joy. If we acknowledge that everything we are and achieve in life starts in our minds, and furthermore that we only have control over one thing, i.e. our minds, then I would say that to get our minds default setting, our level of consciousness, right is a good place to start the journey to happiness.
While all of us can try to live consciously every day, without knowing your current level of consciousness we cannot make actionable plans on moving up the critical framework for conscious living. Having clarity of the different levels of consciousness provides us with the full context of growth. By knowing the other levels ahead, we are more able to comprehend how limiting our current level of consciousness is, what we should be striving towards and the highest end point we can reach. Furthermore, each level of consciousness (LOC) coincides with determinable human behaviors and perceptions about life and people.
These levels determine the reason why people behave the way they do. These levels can be divided into positive energy-giving levels and negative energy-taking levels. The negative levels from the lowest to the highest are: shame, guilt, apathy, grief, fear, desire, anger, pride. The positive levels are: courage, neutrality, willingness, acceptance, reason, love, joy, peace, enlightenment. Although there may be times when we function at different levels of consciousness, we in general operate at one particular level. This can be considered our core level. Understanding these different levels will hopefully inspire you to move beyond your current state.
Shame
According to David Hawkins, this is one step above death. At this level, the primary emotion one feels is humiliation. It’s not surprising that this level, being so close to death, is where most thoughts of suicide are found. Those who suffer from sexual abuse are often found here, and without therapy they tend to remain here.
Guilt
Not too far from shame is the level of guilt. When one is stuck in this level, feelings of worthlessness and an inability to forgive oneself are common.
Apathy
The level of hopelessness and despair; this is the common consciousness found among those who are homeless or living in poverty. At this level, one has abdicated themselves to their current situation and feels numb to life around them.
Grief
Many of us have felt this at times of tragedy in our lives. However, having this as your primary level of consciousness, you live a life of constant regret and remorse. This is the level where you feel all your opportunities have passed you by. You ultimately feel you are a failure.
Fear
People living under dictatorship rule or those involved in an abusive relationship find themselves at this level. There is a sense of paranoia here, where you think everyone is out to get you. Suspicion and defensiveness are common.
Desire
Desire is a major motivator for much of our society. Although desire can be an impetus for change, the downside is that it leads to enslavement to ones appetites. This is the level of addiction to such things as sex, money, prestige, or power.
Anger
As one moves out of Apathy to Grief and then out of Fear, they begin to want. Desire which is not fulfilled leads to frustration which brings us to Anger. This anger can cause us to move out of this level or keep us here.
Pride
According to Hawkins, since the majority of people are below this point, this is the level that most people aspire to. It makes up a good deal of Hollywood. In comparison to Shame and Guilt, one begins to feel positive here. However, it’s a false positive. It’s dependent upon external conditions such as wealth, position or power. It is also the source of racism, nationalism, and religious fanaticism.
Courage
This is the level of empowerment. It is the first level where you are not taking life energy from those around you. Courage is where you see that you don’t need to be tossed to and fro by your external conditions. This empowerment leads you to the realization that you are a steward unto yourself, and that you alone are in charge of your own growth and success. This is what makes you inherently human: the realization that there is a gap between stimulus and response and that you have the potential to choose how to respond.
Neutrality
Neutrality is the level of flexibility. To be neutral, you are, for the most part, unattached to outcomes. At this level, you are satisfied with your current life situation and tend not to have a lot of motivation towards self improvement or excellence in your career. You realize the possibilities but don’t make the sacrifices required to reach a higher level.
Willingness
Those people around you that are perpetual optimists - this is their level of consciousness. Seeing life as one big possibility is the cornerstone of those operating here. No longer are you satisfied with complacency - you strive to do your best at whatever task you’ve undertaken. You begin to develop self-discipline and willpower and learn the importance of sticking to a task till the end.
Acceptance
If Courage is the realization that you are the source of your life’s experiences, then it is here where you become the creator of them. Combined with the skills learned in the Willingness phase, you begin to awaken your potential through action. Here’s where you begin to set and achieve goals and to actively push yourself beyond your previous limitations. Up to this point you’ve been generally reactive to what life throws at you. Here’s where you turn that around, take control, and become proactive.
Reason
The level of science, medicine, and a desire for knowledge. Your thirst for knowledge becomes insatiable. You don’t waste time in activities that do not provide educational value. You begin to categorize all of life and its experiences into proofs, postulates, and theories. The failure of this level is you cannot seem to separate the subjective from the objective, and because of that, you tend to miss the point. You fail to see the forest because you’re tunnel-visioned on the trees. Paradoxically, Reason can become a stumbling block for further progressions of consciousness.
Love
Only if, in the level of Reason you start to see yourself as a potential for the greater good of mankind, will you have enough power to enter here. Here is where you start applying what was learned in your reasoning and you let the heart take over rather than the mind - you live by intuition. This is the level of charity - a selfless love that has no desire except for the welfare of those around them. Ghandi and Mother Theresa are examples of people who were living at this level. Only 0.4 percent of the world will ever reach it.
Joy
This is the level of saints and advanced spiritual people. As love becomes more unconditional, there follows a constant accompaniment of true happiness. No personal tragedy or world event could ever shake someone living at this level of consciousness. They seem to inspire and lift all those who come in contact with them. Your life is now in complete harmony with the will of Divinity and the fruits of that harmony are expressed in your joy.
Peace
Peace is achieved after a life of complete surrender to the Creator. It is where you have transcended all and have entered that place that Hawkins calls illumination. Here, a stillness and silence of mind is achieved, allowing for constant revelation. Only 1 in 10 million (that’s .00001 percent) people will arrive at this level.
Enlightenment
This is the highest level of human consciousness where one has become like God. Many see this as Christ, Buddha, or Krishna. These are those who have influenced all of mankind.
Hawkins’ Power vs. Force and his associated map of consciousness has been a groundbreaking work for those interested in human-consciousness development. In this continuum we can clearly see where we as individuals function and where we can arrive. A view into what could be our potential is inspiring.
It’s interesting to note that according to Hawkins, everything that is around us can effect our level of consciousness: the music we listen to, the people with whom we associate, the books we read, the shows that we watch, etc. Understanding the continuum you will begin to see yourself and those around your in a different light. You will likely feel more compassion for others. We are all at different levels of consciousness and are functioning according to the light and knowledge that we've obtained. This will help you to better understand what drives people and why they make specific choices.
How can you raise your own level of consciousness? I would suggest first to figure out where you presently are - awareness is always the first step. Learn from the Great Ones who are the source of the ‘wisdom literature’ of your tradition and try to live the principles taught in those books. As you raise your own level, you will discover a desire to help others and you’ll be a source of positive change for yourself and the world.
Fear requires special attention. The proliferation of fears is as limitless as the human imagination; once Fear is one's focus, the endless fearful events of the world feed it Fear becomes obsessive and may take any form: fear of loss of relationship leads to jealousy and a chronically high stress level. So too does fear of cash flow shortages lead to vulnerability and a chronically high stress level. Fearful thinking can balloon into paranoia or generate neurotic defensive structures and, because it is contagious, become a dominant social trend inside an organisation. Fear limits growth of the personality and leads to inhibition. Because it takes energy to rise above Fear, the oppressed are unable to reach a higher level unaided. Thus, the fearful seek strong leaders who appear to have conquered their fear to lead them out of its slavery.
We must also realize that much of the remainder of the world's population, civilized as well as primitive, lives primarily in Fear; the majority of humans spend their lives in a quest for one form or another of security. Those whose lifestyles transcend the imperative of survival to allow discretionary options become grist for the Desire-driven world economic mill, and success in attainment of desires leads at best to Pride.
Within the levels of consciousness, the higher frequencies are extremely powerful, and few people routinely experience these as pure states because they are masked by lower energy fields of anxiety, fear, anger, resentment, etc. Rarely does the average person get to experience, for instance, love without fear, or pure joy, much less ecstasy. But these higher states are so powerful that once experienced, they are never forgotten and are sought ever after.
Few people know what it is to live without fear. But beyond fear lies joy, as the meaning and purpose of existence become transparent. Once this realization occurs, life becomes effortless and the sources of suffering dissolve; suffering is only the price we pay for our attachments. Following Socrates’ approach and examining our lives we can find that most of our fears have been based on falsehood. The displacement of the false by the true is the essence of the healing of all things visible and invisible. These falsehoods are also called limiting beliefs and we should continuously challenge our own, and other peoples', limiting beliefs. By examining these beliefs and removing the ones that don’t serve us we can free ourselves from fear and elevate ourselves to higher consciousness levels.
How do you know whether your level of consciousness operate below the line? Ask yourself the following simple questions to form an idea of your current consciousness level:
Be Extraordinary!
Myles
I assume we would all like to be happy (at least if you are reading this I know you would like to). We all want to live lives of peace, love, and joy. If we acknowledge that everything we are and achieve in life starts in our minds, and furthermore that we only have control over one thing, i.e. our minds, then I would say that to get our minds default setting, our level of consciousness, right is a good place to start the journey to happiness.
While all of us can try to live consciously every day, without knowing your current level of consciousness we cannot make actionable plans on moving up the critical framework for conscious living. Having clarity of the different levels of consciousness provides us with the full context of growth. By knowing the other levels ahead, we are more able to comprehend how limiting our current level of consciousness is, what we should be striving towards and the highest end point we can reach. Furthermore, each level of consciousness (LOC) coincides with determinable human behaviors and perceptions about life and people.
These levels determine the reason why people behave the way they do. These levels can be divided into positive energy-giving levels and negative energy-taking levels. The negative levels from the lowest to the highest are: shame, guilt, apathy, grief, fear, desire, anger, pride. The positive levels are: courage, neutrality, willingness, acceptance, reason, love, joy, peace, enlightenment. Although there may be times when we function at different levels of consciousness, we in general operate at one particular level. This can be considered our core level. Understanding these different levels will hopefully inspire you to move beyond your current state.
Shame
According to David Hawkins, this is one step above death. At this level, the primary emotion one feels is humiliation. It’s not surprising that this level, being so close to death, is where most thoughts of suicide are found. Those who suffer from sexual abuse are often found here, and without therapy they tend to remain here.
Guilt
Not too far from shame is the level of guilt. When one is stuck in this level, feelings of worthlessness and an inability to forgive oneself are common.
Apathy
The level of hopelessness and despair; this is the common consciousness found among those who are homeless or living in poverty. At this level, one has abdicated themselves to their current situation and feels numb to life around them.
Grief
Many of us have felt this at times of tragedy in our lives. However, having this as your primary level of consciousness, you live a life of constant regret and remorse. This is the level where you feel all your opportunities have passed you by. You ultimately feel you are a failure.
Fear
People living under dictatorship rule or those involved in an abusive relationship find themselves at this level. There is a sense of paranoia here, where you think everyone is out to get you. Suspicion and defensiveness are common.
Desire
Desire is a major motivator for much of our society. Although desire can be an impetus for change, the downside is that it leads to enslavement to ones appetites. This is the level of addiction to such things as sex, money, prestige, or power.
Anger
As one moves out of Apathy to Grief and then out of Fear, they begin to want. Desire which is not fulfilled leads to frustration which brings us to Anger. This anger can cause us to move out of this level or keep us here.
Pride
According to Hawkins, since the majority of people are below this point, this is the level that most people aspire to. It makes up a good deal of Hollywood. In comparison to Shame and Guilt, one begins to feel positive here. However, it’s a false positive. It’s dependent upon external conditions such as wealth, position or power. It is also the source of racism, nationalism, and religious fanaticism.
Courage
This is the level of empowerment. It is the first level where you are not taking life energy from those around you. Courage is where you see that you don’t need to be tossed to and fro by your external conditions. This empowerment leads you to the realization that you are a steward unto yourself, and that you alone are in charge of your own growth and success. This is what makes you inherently human: the realization that there is a gap between stimulus and response and that you have the potential to choose how to respond.
Neutrality
Neutrality is the level of flexibility. To be neutral, you are, for the most part, unattached to outcomes. At this level, you are satisfied with your current life situation and tend not to have a lot of motivation towards self improvement or excellence in your career. You realize the possibilities but don’t make the sacrifices required to reach a higher level.
Willingness
Those people around you that are perpetual optimists - this is their level of consciousness. Seeing life as one big possibility is the cornerstone of those operating here. No longer are you satisfied with complacency - you strive to do your best at whatever task you’ve undertaken. You begin to develop self-discipline and willpower and learn the importance of sticking to a task till the end.
Acceptance
If Courage is the realization that you are the source of your life’s experiences, then it is here where you become the creator of them. Combined with the skills learned in the Willingness phase, you begin to awaken your potential through action. Here’s where you begin to set and achieve goals and to actively push yourself beyond your previous limitations. Up to this point you’ve been generally reactive to what life throws at you. Here’s where you turn that around, take control, and become proactive.
Reason
The level of science, medicine, and a desire for knowledge. Your thirst for knowledge becomes insatiable. You don’t waste time in activities that do not provide educational value. You begin to categorize all of life and its experiences into proofs, postulates, and theories. The failure of this level is you cannot seem to separate the subjective from the objective, and because of that, you tend to miss the point. You fail to see the forest because you’re tunnel-visioned on the trees. Paradoxically, Reason can become a stumbling block for further progressions of consciousness.
Love
Only if, in the level of Reason you start to see yourself as a potential for the greater good of mankind, will you have enough power to enter here. Here is where you start applying what was learned in your reasoning and you let the heart take over rather than the mind - you live by intuition. This is the level of charity - a selfless love that has no desire except for the welfare of those around them. Ghandi and Mother Theresa are examples of people who were living at this level. Only 0.4 percent of the world will ever reach it.
Joy
This is the level of saints and advanced spiritual people. As love becomes more unconditional, there follows a constant accompaniment of true happiness. No personal tragedy or world event could ever shake someone living at this level of consciousness. They seem to inspire and lift all those who come in contact with them. Your life is now in complete harmony with the will of Divinity and the fruits of that harmony are expressed in your joy.
Peace
Peace is achieved after a life of complete surrender to the Creator. It is where you have transcended all and have entered that place that Hawkins calls illumination. Here, a stillness and silence of mind is achieved, allowing for constant revelation. Only 1 in 10 million (that’s .00001 percent) people will arrive at this level.
Enlightenment
This is the highest level of human consciousness where one has become like God. Many see this as Christ, Buddha, or Krishna. These are those who have influenced all of mankind.
Hawkins’ Power vs. Force and his associated map of consciousness has been a groundbreaking work for those interested in human-consciousness development. In this continuum we can clearly see where we as individuals function and where we can arrive. A view into what could be our potential is inspiring.
It’s interesting to note that according to Hawkins, everything that is around us can effect our level of consciousness: the music we listen to, the people with whom we associate, the books we read, the shows that we watch, etc. Understanding the continuum you will begin to see yourself and those around your in a different light. You will likely feel more compassion for others. We are all at different levels of consciousness and are functioning according to the light and knowledge that we've obtained. This will help you to better understand what drives people and why they make specific choices.
How can you raise your own level of consciousness? I would suggest first to figure out where you presently are - awareness is always the first step. Learn from the Great Ones who are the source of the ‘wisdom literature’ of your tradition and try to live the principles taught in those books. As you raise your own level, you will discover a desire to help others and you’ll be a source of positive change for yourself and the world.
Fear requires special attention. The proliferation of fears is as limitless as the human imagination; once Fear is one's focus, the endless fearful events of the world feed it Fear becomes obsessive and may take any form: fear of loss of relationship leads to jealousy and a chronically high stress level. So too does fear of cash flow shortages lead to vulnerability and a chronically high stress level. Fearful thinking can balloon into paranoia or generate neurotic defensive structures and, because it is contagious, become a dominant social trend inside an organisation. Fear limits growth of the personality and leads to inhibition. Because it takes energy to rise above Fear, the oppressed are unable to reach a higher level unaided. Thus, the fearful seek strong leaders who appear to have conquered their fear to lead them out of its slavery.
We must also realize that much of the remainder of the world's population, civilized as well as primitive, lives primarily in Fear; the majority of humans spend their lives in a quest for one form or another of security. Those whose lifestyles transcend the imperative of survival to allow discretionary options become grist for the Desire-driven world economic mill, and success in attainment of desires leads at best to Pride.
Within the levels of consciousness, the higher frequencies are extremely powerful, and few people routinely experience these as pure states because they are masked by lower energy fields of anxiety, fear, anger, resentment, etc. Rarely does the average person get to experience, for instance, love without fear, or pure joy, much less ecstasy. But these higher states are so powerful that once experienced, they are never forgotten and are sought ever after.
Few people know what it is to live without fear. But beyond fear lies joy, as the meaning and purpose of existence become transparent. Once this realization occurs, life becomes effortless and the sources of suffering dissolve; suffering is only the price we pay for our attachments. Following Socrates’ approach and examining our lives we can find that most of our fears have been based on falsehood. The displacement of the false by the true is the essence of the healing of all things visible and invisible. These falsehoods are also called limiting beliefs and we should continuously challenge our own, and other peoples', limiting beliefs. By examining these beliefs and removing the ones that don’t serve us we can free ourselves from fear and elevate ourselves to higher consciousness levels.
How do you know whether your level of consciousness operate below the line? Ask yourself the following simple questions to form an idea of your current consciousness level:
- Do you judge?
- Do you punish?
- Are you forceful?
- Are you loosing energy?
- Do you blame?
- Do you abdicate?
- Do you regret?
- Do you hate?
- Do you demand?
Be Extraordinary!
Myles
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