The levels of consciousness presented here is an idea that comes out of a book called Power vs. Force by David Hawkins. It’s a really useful scale to see exactly what level your consciousness is at. I find that comparing myself to the scale helps give me a good grasp of where I am and where I need to go. I can see how my consciousness has grown from the very lowest levels when I was a kid to some of the higher levels relatively recently. It’s incredibly satisfying to have a real, tangible way to measure personal development work.

Where Do the Levels of Consciousness Come From?

David Hawkins and his team discovered a powerful way to assess truth called muscle testing. I’m not going to get into the specific technique here, but it’s supposed to be able to determine the answer to any yes or no question. By applying a scale of 1 to 1000 to questions involving morality, motive, and consciousness, they were to measure the “attractor fields” that are responsible for human behavior.

For example, Shame calibrates at just 0-20 at the low end of the scale, whereas Enlightenment calibrates at 700-1000 at the high end. It’s also worth mentioning that anything below the level of 200, or Courage, is “weak.” Those attractor patterns require Force to continue. Anything above is strong, because it has power behind it and thus does not require force. Don’t worry if this is a little fuzzy, it’s actually pretty simple.

You can think of the levels of consciousness as a road map for your life. It’s a measure of your “vertical” development. Horizontal development includes anything you actually do. Getting a house, finding someone you love, landing a great job – all these are horizontal development. If you watched a video containing of every moment of your life, you would see your horizontal achievements.

On the other hand, vertical development is all the inner work you’ve done. It’s your spiritual development, as well as your sense of inner peace. Unlike horizontal development, which is about what you do, vertical development is about what you are. Your thoughts, beliefs, motives, and emotions go into this category. At the highest levels of vertical development, the horizontal plane matters very little.

By the way, keep in mind that this scale is logarithmic. That means that the amount of power represented by each number gets much, much higher as you go up the scale. So, the difference between 150 and 160 is much smaller than the difference between 300 and 310. Likewise, 300 is far more than twice the power of 150. In fact, it’s 10 to the power of 300 times more powerful. That’s a lot of zeros.

The Levels of Consciousness

Different emotions are associated with different levels on the scale. I’m going to mix my interpretations of what Dr. Hawkins was talking about for each level. Without further ado:

Level 20: Shame

This level of consciousness is characterized by self-hatred. People at this level are often perpetually depressed, unable to find a reason to go on. They agree rapidly with other’s criticism, internalizing all negativity. Likewise, while they may agree with praise on the outside, they reject it internally, unconsciously choosing to repel all positivity. A person’s psyche at this level is tortured and unhealthy. Delusions and suicide are likely outcomes.

Level 30: Guilt

A person who is at this level will have a preoccupation with guilt and sin. They see everything in terms of blame. Those who don’t internalize this will often project it instead. The Salem witch trials is an extreme example of a group of people operating at the level of guilt and projecting it. People at this level have strong beliefs, but their moral compasses are often askew, leading to negative consequences for both mind and body.

Level 50: Apathy

Apathy isn’t a lack of attachment, which occurs at a much higher level of consciousness. The apathy contained within energy level 50 is akin to perpetual hopelessness. People who have given up all drive, determination, and lust for life are at this level. They are above the constant plague of shame and guilt but still live life with constant dread. To these people, there is no hope or salvation in this world or the next. Organized religion often helps these people by giving them purpose.

Level 75: Grief

We’ve all experienced this level before. Loss of a loved one or even a pet can trigger a sudden lowering of consciousness to grief. It becomes dysfunctional and pervasive when one remains at this level for a significant period of time. A person who is at Grief will see sadness everywhere. Preoccupation with the death or coming death or ones self or others can be indicative of this level. Life is a constant tragedy or near-tragedy, and the world is terrible and cruel.

Level 100: Fear

The level of fear forms the basis for much of human behavior at this time. We are evolutionarily designed for a world of scarcity and fear. Survival of the fittest is simply our heritage. Thus, many people who don’t consciously work on improving themselves will remain at an animal-like level of fear.

Fear is the antithesis of growth. Social fears lead to seclusion. Fear of loss in relationships leads to insecurity and jealousy. Fear of the unknown leads to rejecting change. People who live in fear are highly manipulatable. News media operates at this level, presenting the world as a fearful, scary place. Entire cities and nations are often at this level.

Even so, fear is dramatically stronger than previous levels of consciousness. At least by this point you’re interacting with the world.

Level 125: Desire

Desire represents a huge step up from grief. That persistent heavy feeling is gone, and in its wake is left a feeling of want. Entire economies are based around this principle. A person at Desire will constantly seek out power, prestige, approval, and money. It doesn’t matter what the object of desire is, or whether or not its found. A constant craving for more characterizes this level.

Advertisers get rich from desire. They recognize, consciously or not, that desire is an energy field, not a tangible need. Therefore, they often manufacture desires out of nothing. They manipulate people through their evolutionary impulses. They tie unrelated items to sex. The Burger King commercial with Paris Hilton is a good example of this. Ironically, those at very low levels of consciousness can actually beneift from watching TV because it’s often based around the levels of fear and desire.

Level 150: Anger

Frustration arising from not getting desires met, or more often, finding that attaining desires is ultimately unsatisfactory, can lead to anger. Anger is of a much higher caliber than the previous energy levels because it can lead to real action. A person ascending to anger from the lower levels can find a renewed sense of decisiveness and control.

However, anger also has a dark side. Road rage, homicide, spousal abuse, and a host of other unmentionable brutalities characterize this level. People who live at this level rather than passing through it lead perilous lives. They are easily identified by their stiff, aggressive body language. Fighting and yelling can erupt from these people with very little provocation.

Nevertheless, anger serves as an important fuel to reach the higher levels of consciousness.

Level 175: Pride

The level of pride is something that most people aspire to. It’s socially encouraged. We’re told we should take pride in our work, accomplishments, and material objects. Compared to the lower levels, pride feels great. It certainly beats the depression and hopelessness found in Shame and Apathy. However, pride is still below the crucial level of 200. It is still weak, and thus is related to force rather than true power.

Pride is a weakness because it can so easily transform into any of the lower levels. If a prideful businessman suddenly loses all his money, he could easily go through Anger, Fear, and end up at Apathy, completely losing touch with what he based his life around. Pride comes from associating ones self with things that don’t really matter.

Although pride feels good at first, it is ultimately foolish. Religious wars are often a function of pride. It lacks the unification of the higher levels, instead being based on the egoic need to be better than someone or something else.

Level 200: Courage

Chances are if you’re reading this site then you’ve reached this level, and you’re truly outstanding. 85% of people never reach this critical threshold. This is the level where your motives and actions begin to align with the attractor fields associated with power.

When you reach Courage you begin seeing life as an exciting challenge. The hostility, sadness, and negativity that plague the lower levels disappears. Life is an amazing journey to be enjoyed, and at this level you finally realize that. Finding one’s purpose in life and attaining education or other goals becomes an active pursuit.

At Courage you lose the fragility of Pride. You are no longer bound to achievements and things to make you feel good about yourself. You realize that you are the only one in control of your life, so you’d better make the best of it. This is usually when people seek out personal development and other avenues of growth.

It’s interesting to note that humanity’s collective level of consciousness  was at 190 for years until a recent (within decades) shift to 207. I personally think this may be due to spiritual works and methods becoming more widespread.

Level 250: Neutrality

Neutrality is the positive lack of attachment I mentioned in Apathy. This level is characterized by a sense of constant well being. People at this level don’t care about getting their way. If they miss one opportunity, another will come along. Life is also no longer seen in shades of grey. There are an infinite number of possibilities. Not getting selected for a position means you could get an even better one. A person at Neutrality understands this.

Free from taking rigid positions, Neutrality allows for changes in core belief systems and paradigms. A neutral person is stable, happy, confident, and largely unaffected by the ups and downs of life. Live and let live is the mantra of Neutrality.

Level 310: Willingness

People at Willingness have often spent a lot of time being comfortable in Neutrality. Rather than just being content, they begin to care about doing their best work. They truly care about other people and their goals, rather than the psuedo-care shown in Pride. People at this level have effectively stomped out inner resistance. They are free to direct their life, and to fix any character flaws they might have.

People at this level get things done and contribute greatly to society. Society then reinforces this behavior with rewards and recognition, although a person at Willingness may not require these to do their best work. Growth becomes a self propelling process at this point, and individuals at this level often excel.

Level 350: Acceptance

“Take your power back” is advice coming from Acceptance. A person at this level realizes that they have the power to change any and everything around them. They take full responsibility for everything in their life. They realize that happiness comes solely from within.

Right and wrong mean very little for the person at Acceptance. Conflict and opposition are similarly meaningless. A person at Acceptance sees things as they are, free of delusion. They then work to achieve goals and settle problems with incredible efficiency.

Level 400: Reason

Reason is the threshold through which few people ascend in western society. A person at Reason has dealt with the emotionality of the lower levels. They are now free to focus on thought and abstraction. Education, books, and ideas are the capital of Reason.

Individuals at this level have made some of the greatest contributions to man in every scientific and academic field. Einstein, Freud, and Newton all calibrate at 499,  the highest reaches of the Reason spectrum.

While Reason can give way to incredible insights and immense power, it is also limited. Think of a computer. It has phenomenal processing power, vast storage systems, and little to nothing inhibiting it from doing its job, much like Reason. The problem is that people aren’t meant to be computers. Quick decision making and analysis of data is useful, but secondary to life. People at this level often have a “paralysis through analysis” problem.

Nevertheless, reason is an important gateway to pass through on the way to spiritual enlightenment.

Level 500: Love

This isn’t what most people call love; this love is unconditional. There is an unwavering, all-encompassing appreciation for life. The world becomes increasingly viewed as sacred and worthy of respect.

One of the cool things this level is the problems of the ego start disappearing.

For example, a person at Shame would become uncomfortable and self blaming in an argument. A person at Anger would start yelling and getting frustrated. Someone at Reason may handle an argument by identifying the root for the other person’s behavior. Perhaps it was their childhood conditioning that led them to act this way.

At Love, a person doesn’t ask why. They have a deep compassion for all things, and intuitively understand far more than most. They don’t play ego games. Rather than defending or rationalizing, they would respond to the patterns behind what the other person is saying with love and acceptance.

It’s interesting to note that only 4 percent of the world’s population reaches this level.

Level 540: Joy

As one experiences unconditional Love more and more, ascension to Joy is common. It is a feeling of profound happiness that accompanies the person wherever they go. Synchronicity occurs in extremely improbable proportions. Intuition – not reason – is the main decision making process for a person at this level.

This state is characterized by simplicity.  The rampant emotionalism and information overload of the lower levels dissolves. The betterment of mankind often become’s ones purpose at this level.. Near death experiences and meditation can give you a temporary boost up to Joy.

This is also what Eckhart Tolle talks about in The Power of Now.

Level 600: Peace

Only 1 in 10 million ever reach this level. Peace is where transcendence occurs. The mind becomes completely silent. if you’ve felt utter, complete bliss from deep meditation then you know what Peace feels like. People at this level feel that sensation constantly.

As the mind stops blabbering all the time, concepts become meaningless. Life appears to occur in slow motion. Perception is drastically different. The seemingly separate and disjointed reality of the earlier levels gives way to a sense of wholeness and oneness. At this level, the phrase “God” applies as much to themselves as to anything in the universe. Another way to put this might be “pure consciousness.” Organized religion often disappears here, giving way to spirituality instead.

Level 700-1000: Enlightenment

This is the level of avatars such as Jesus, Krishna, and Buddha. This level is characterized by complete transcendence of the ego. One cares very little about their own body and mind at this point. The few that reach this level are so powerful that they influence all of mankind. One enlightened person can counteract the negative energy of entire populations of people.

Tracking Your Spiritual Progress

Looking at this chart, it’s pretty easy to track my development. As a young kid I was dealing with depression a lot. Shame, Guilt, and Apathy sound very familiar. It’s not a good place to be. However, as I grew up I began thinking differently about the world.

A mixture of the lower levels up to Pride seemed to characterize my high school years. I had a lot of friends, but I still believed the world was a fundamentally scary place. I wanted a lot of things, but I didn’t put much effort into getting them. I put my self esteem in everyone’s hands but mine. This probably resonates with a lot of people.

In college I slowly began to reach Courage. I realized I had control over my life. I immediately quit studying Computer Science, which is what I had planned for years. I instead looked to Philosophy, and finally Psychology. I wanted to figure out what life was all about. I recognized that all things come from within, not without, even though I didn’t really know what that meant. Along the way slowly kept elevating my consciousness as I learned more and more.

Quantum Leap in Consciousness

I suspect that I was likely around Neutrality when I first found The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. I had only been exposed to spirituality and meditation through movies and pop culture before that point. I had no idea it would change my life.

I read the book earnestly and tried doing exactly what he said. The result is that I had some amazing experiences with advanced states of consciousness. If I assigned a level to some of my peak experiences, I’d say I had a taste of Joy or even Peace, though very temporarily. By the way, if you want to read about some of those experiences and what The Power of Now is all about, click here.

Making a sudden leap from Neutrality to Joy, even temporarily, is an incredible experience. It’s akin to someone being in a near death accident. They suddenly realize that they’ve been walking through life, essentially asleep. It’s an incredible awakening experience.

Since reading that book I’d say I typically operate around Acceptance or Reason. I still fall backwards quite often, especially because my transformation has occurred so rapidly. Most of the stuff written on this site is at Reason or beyond. I try to meditate and place myself in a good state of mind before writing. I know if I’m angry or upset I won’t be able to contribute very much value to my readers.

Determine Your Level of Consciousness

Where do you think you rank at on the scale? Usually you’ll behave at different levels in different places.
For example, you might interact at Pride with your buddies at the bar, then switch to Willingness when you work on goals alone.

A pattern should emerge that will tell you your basic level of consciousness.

Once you figure out where you’re at you can figure out where you’re going. If you’re at an overall level of Pride, then you know you need to work on not basing your self worth on possessions and achievements. After that you can graduate to Courage and begin working on more important things.

I usually review this scale every couple of months to determine where I am. It’s fun and I learn a lot about myself. If you want to know more about how to ascend the levels or the underlying science and spirituality behind this system, then check out the book.

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Related posts:

1. The Power of Now
2. The Key to Everlasting Happiness (but really)
3. The Best Way to Live

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