A Guide to the 5 Levels of Consciousness

It wasn’t long ago that I came upon Dr. David Hawkins’ Map of Consciousness.  The Map of Consciousness Scale was created by Dr. Hawkins, a psychiatrist, who experienced several life-altering events throughout his life.  Following each event, he noticed a change in his state of consciousness from a lower frequency ego-based focus to a higher state of love bliss where he felt constantly connected. The experiences prompted him to pursue understanding how and why the changes occurred and how his discoveries may assist humankind to “address the causes of the endless stream of spiritual distress and human suffering”.

The Map of Consciousness is a numerical scale whereby one can measure positive from negative, power from force and truth from falsehood.  Dr. Hawkins believes that every word, every thought, and every intention creates what is called a morphogenetic field, or attractor field, and that these energy fields can be measured using Kinesiology or muscle testing.  He began mapping through muscle testing and created a scale of the various states of consciousness. 

Dr. Hawkins’ research discovered that this kinesiologic response conveys man’s capacity to differentiate not only positive from negative stimuli, but also anabolic from catabolic, and very dramatically, truth from falsity.  The Map of Consciousness reflects millions of calibrations of statements, thoughts, photos, art, music, influential world leaders in every discipline and in almost every area of human endeavor.  The research carried on for over 20 years to come up effectively with an anatomy of consciousness that reflects the entire human condition.

There are five distinct levels of human Consciousness.  Although there are infinite levels of Consciousness in between “The One, All There Is” and our very personalized thought level of consciousness, these five levels of consciousness are immediately relevant to our everyday experience; our everyday investigation processes; everyday self-awareness processes; and our everyday creation of our own reality processes.

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Let’s take a look at these levels of consciousness:

Level 1: I-AM Consciousness

The base level of Consciousness is that of I-AM Consciousness.  This is our Presence Consciousness.  This is our base state of I-AM; our natural state of Consciousness.  It is the basis from which everything else that is who we are—everything that belongs to us, as an individuation of the All-That-Is Consciousness, arises from this state.

This level is very crucial, but it is not that practical, in terms of creating or observing things, because it is simply the natural state of our Presence Consciousness.  What is more interesting is the next level up, which is the level of frequency, the level of vibration, or the level of our points of view.

The I-AM Consciousness, our core individuation, is the point where we become an individuation of the All-That-Is overall Consciousness, which includes everything.  We are the individuation at the I-AM level.  The I-AM Consciousness level, or rather us as an individual being, now has the ability (as all Consciousness has) to vibrate at a certain speed, at a certain rate, and certain harmonic frequencies.

Level 2: Points of View

In a sense, it is inaccurate to say this next level is the level of vibration, because everything is vibration, but it is the level of points of view.  We could equate this to our vibrational state of being, or our vibrational understanding of the universe; this is our vibrational perspective at any given moment.  So, in that sense, it is the level of frequency and vibration as well, because whatever point of view we take on determines our vibrational attitude.

Therefore, points of view are immediately related to our vibrational state of being.  The level of the points of view is basically the point of view through which our particular I-AM Consciousness which is how we view life.

At this level, the I-AM Consciousness chooses its perspective. It starts to choose its reality and chooses how it wishes to perceive things.  This is a very malleable and changable level.

There are different parallel perspectives that are available to us at any given time.  The base perspective represents the particular point of view which can be chosen by our Consciousness in this moment.  Even though we may select this point of view, there are an infinite number of equally valid higher points of view and we can change our perspective at any time through the power of our thoughts and beliefs.  Although these may not be as highlighted for us in this particular moment, nevertheless, they are co-existent with our present point of view; they exist, we simply have choose to place our attention upon these infinite possibilities.

Each point of view has a different vibratory state of being, depending on how in alignment with the perspective we are, or how far out of alignment with the fundamental principles of the Universe the perspective is at a given moment.  This will determine how good it feels or how bad it feels within our emotional guidance system.

When Consciousness chooses a particular point of view, that point of view starts to crystallize itself into what we could call a “belief.”  And that brings us to the next level of Consciousness within the Map of Consciousness.

Level 3: The Unconscious / Beliefs

Beliefs are the same as points of view, but in a slightly more crystallized and manifested state of being.  Just as ice is more manifest than water, and water is more manifest than steam, we can say that points of view are steam-like, and beliefs are water-like.  They are slightly more crystallized, condensed, and contracted.

Beliefs are really what generate our physical experience; they generate our environment and the circumstances we attract to ourselves.

It is important to understand that beliefs are the result of points of view.  We can change our point of view, even when we have a related belief that reenforces any limited perspective.  This is where the idea of “fake it ’til you make it” comes in.  Although this might sound incredibly inauthentic, it has a purpose.  

Fake It ’til You Make It

What does it mean to “fake it ’til you make it?”  We have all done this throughout our entire lives.  We have “faked” certain points of view, which is another way of saying we have settled on certain points of view that are equally valid as any other perspective.  There are infinite points of view and depending on where we place our attention, this moves any point of view into the foreground of our consciousness; it becomes our reality.

All points of view of the Universe—through the One’s Eyes, through the Absolute’s Eyes, through God’s Eyes—are seen as equally valid, and therefore they are.  But we, as humans, settle on certain types of points of views, or perspectives, and these come with certain vibratory frequencies.  When we settle on a point of view, we are, in a sense, faking it until we make it, no matter the level of vibratory frequency.  

Love vibrates at a frequency while fear and separation vibrate at a different frequency.  Think of tuning into a  country radio station on the radio dial, what music will you hear?  Country, of course.  The importance of this is understanding where we are tuning our dial.  If we tune our dial to a country music station and expect to hear opera this can cause distress in our lives.  We are tuning to one frequency hoping to experience another and then we become upset at the outcome.  This is very similar to when we keep repeating a pattern and expecting different results.

These points of view turns into a belief system very quickly as soon as we decide that this particular point of view is the truth:  “This is reality. This is how things work. This is real.”  That point of view then says: “OK! Let me manifest myself in terms of this belief or an belief system.”

A belief still is non-physical, meaning we can’t pick it up and touch it or throw it around.  It is not a physical object (obviously).  Nevertheless, it is slightly more physical, or quasi-physical, than the truly non-physical state of vibration and point of view, where Consciousness has full freedom to move about through its points of views to see life from all kinds of different perspectives.

We have access to change our experience at any given time. Even if we have belief systems that are crystallized, we may have the sense that some of these no longer serve us.  Some of these beliefs have already been outgrown by our own evolution, and yet they may still linger around for a little while.  This is because they are slightly more crystallized versions of our points of view and our previously settled-upon points of view or chosen points of view.

Any time we fervently believed something to be true by stating, “OK, this is the truth; this is how it works…” Voila!  It was turned into a belief, which then starts generating and attracting certain types of circumstances and experiences into our physical reality.  Since beliefs generate reality, it is very important that we become masters of choosing our preferred point of view.

We may have a new point of view that feels better to us, but we may also still have a lingering belief system based on previous points of view that seemed true to us five years ago, or even yesterday.  In this case, we have a paradox; we have the contrast of having certain beliefs, but knowing they are not necessarily true.  In other words, we still sort of believe in them.

At the same time, we have access to a newer point of view or higher state of Consciousness.  This higher state of vibration and higher state of understanding gives us a more expanded way to see life.  In other words, we have a different point of view that resonates more with our I-AM Soul Consciousness.  Therefore, even though we may currently feel crystallized on a certain vibratory level in this moment that does not compute with who we really are or with whom we want to be, this is the first step to the awareness that other points of view exist.

This is where “fake it ’til you make it” comes in:  We place our attention on the new point of view, the new imagination, the new thought form, the new way of seeing life, the new understanding of how this universe works; we begin to focus on how worthy we are, on who we truly are, on why we are here, and what we are capable of and by placing our attention on this higher point point we begin to align with the  Life Essence, the Universe, Existence, God, Spirituality, Enlightenment, or ourselves as a person—this is when we expand and elevate our vibrational frequency towards the Source.     

When we choose a new point of view that is fairly new to our belief system, there is a difference between the two states of Consciousness; this is where fake it ’til you make it comes in.  By continuing to repeat the new point of view, as we used to do with the old previous point of view (which eventually turned into a belief system), we begin to create the environment for the new point of view to manifest into our physical reality.  

At this point, we still have the old belief system, but as we continue to repeat the new point of view, it still feels slightly “fake.”  However, when we keep repeating the new point of view, it begins to naturally shift our vibratory state in such a way that, what previously seemed fake, now starts to seem real because we are downloading feelings from it.

It’s important to remember the equation for manifestation:  

Thought/intention + Belief = Manifestation

As soon as we feel the new point of view we are seeing, our belief system begins to readjust itself.  We feel the new point view, and download the feelings from that new imagination and new reality from the energetic field of the Universe—it starts to seem real to us.

It shifts from feeling like it is a fake point of view (like we don’t really believe in it) to: “Oh!  Hey, wait a second—this might actually be true!  This might be a relevant, valid point of view; reality may be able to work in this way.”  And that is when we start to feel it.   And when we start to feel it, we start to believe it; and when we start to believe the material world responds in kind and will begin giving us evidence of our belief structures.

Revisiting See It, Feel It, Be It

We practiced seeing it, then feeling it, and then being it.  This is the natural process of moving away, or shifting, from a present paradigm into a new paradigm.  This shift to a new understanding of who we are, into a new manifestation of who we are becomes our new reality and people will begin to take notice.

First, we see it and begin to embody this new vision—the new imagination. We are tuning into a parallel reality that may seem quite distant from our present reality but as we tune into it more frequently, the “fakeness” factor begins to disappear, and the new reality emerges.

For a while, the new perspective may seem fake to our belief system.  We may think, “Oh, life works in a particular way therefore this can never be true.  This is not how it works; this is just a fairytale.”  However, if we stay persistent and continue to imagine that this “fairytale” is reality then it will begin to resonate at the cellular level, creating an excitement inside of us that fuels this “fairytale” into existence.

As I said, it may feel fake at first, but as we imagine it more and more and more and more, we start to download glimpses of it.   We are actually already shifting closer and closer into vibrational alignment with the new perspective, the new point of view, and the new state of being.

Finally, you start to feel it and once you begin to feel it, the feelings start to convince our belief system that this point of view is not fake—it is actually equally valid.  This is when we start to be it, to become it, to believe it, to be convinced of it, and to act according to it and before long, we are this new reality.  This is how we change ourselves completely and become a truly, completely changed being.

When I began writing this book there was nothing on this page, but by believing that one day it would become an international best-seller, I created the environment and sent a signal to the Universe which the reader heard and answered.  At the moment of this writing, this book was in its infancy and was just an idea that is now in your hands, and you are reading it.  By believing together that his book would sell more than one million copies we made this reality manifest.

It is a very powerful skill to know how to access our points of view.  We can do this using imagination because, in every moment, we have the ability to select our point of view; we are activating a point of view of life, an understanding, a filter, a way of seeing Creation in every second of every day and that choice will manifest into our physical reality over time.

Be mindful of what you are saying to yourself right now; be mindful of how you are seeing life in this moment.  Are you seeing life through a lens that feels depressive to you?  If so, this means your lens, or your perspective, or your state of being, is not in accordance with the Truth of the Universe, the Truth of Source, the Truth of Existence, the Truth of your Higher Self.

Do you feel amazing about this moment? If so, this means your perspective of this moment is in vibrational alignment with the greater understanding of the Universe, of Existence, of Source, of Creation, of God, of Life, of you as an individual, and of your Higher Self.

When we are in alignment, we feel really vibrant and excited by life. These good feelings convince our belief system that we really do have the capacity to change, transform and manifest whatever our heart truly desires, with integrity.

This starts to manifest as a new belief system, and these new beliefs will attract the reality we desire which has the power to manifest that reality.  They will shift us into an alternate parallel reality universe where that experience and reality always existed and was already ours to begin with.

Level 4: The Subconscious / Feelings

The next level moves to feelings.  Beliefs generate emotions and we cannot have an emotion about something that we don’t already have a belief about.

People think things and events have inherent meaning.  Make no mistake, there is no inherent meaning in events and things although many people believe there is.  A great many people feel their misery comes from an actual circumstance; for example, they feel they lack finances, or that someone made them sad, or said something that upset them and we project onto our circumstances that there is real meaning in these events.

But this is energetically impossible.  We are the only ones who can ever give ourselves a feeling, a belief, a thought, a perspective, an experience, or an emotion.  If something in the environment brushes up against our belief system, that belief will then trigger an emotion.  Why?  This is to let us know whether or not our perspective or our belief is in alignment with who we truly are.  The emotion is there to give us a warning that we are out of alignment.

At their very essence, emotions are benign.  They are guidance points.  They are our compass, and our guidance system which allows us to calibrate where our conscious state of mind is.  We have to really appreciate the nature of emotions from this particular angle.  Try not to overanalyze the emotion itself, because the type of emotion our guidance expresses itself through is not very relevant.  It is simply a sign for us to become aware of our state of mind.  Whether its anger, jealous, fear, or feeling lack, these are simply alerts from our internal guidance system.  

Emotions are completely transient like ocean waves.  How often have we been really upset about something and in a short amount of time have forgotten exactly what we were upset about?   Think back to one year ago.  What were you upset about?  Most likely, you can’t remember and if you can, it means you still haven’t addressed the warning from your guidance system.     

It is true that we can gain certain types of insights by investigating our emotions, but it is not particularly relevant.  What is relevant is to simplify the process and ask ourselves, “Does this emotion feel good or bad?”

Welcome Both Positive and Negative Emotions

If the emotion feels good, welcome it (obviously), because it is guiding us into greater clarity and moving us toward our Fundamental Truth.  Welcoming the emotion is especially important if the emotion feels negative.  It’s important not to condemn the negative emotion—welcome it.   Appreciate it.   Celebrate it.  That is all we need to ask ourselves.  If it makes us feel good, enjoy it.  If it makes us feel bad, shift the perspective of the situation, and choose to learn the lesson that the negative emotion is bringing to our awareness.  By having a feeling of gratitude we honor the negative emotion for guiding us down the path of discovering more of who we truly are and less of who we truly are not.  

By witnessing the emotion through this learning prism, we can give thanks to our emotional guidance system for the insight.  When we thank our Higher Self for communicating to us in the form of emotions, we have the ability to uncover old, stored, negative emotions that no longer serve us.  In this light, we can feel gratitude for these emotions, and we don’t have to see them as a lack of progress or regressing on our journey.  

Negative emotions are a sign of progress. They are a sign that our state of being is expanding past our previous paradigm.  We are growing and growth is sometimes uncomfortable.  Everything we are holding from our previous state of consciousness will bubble up to the surface, because we are about to expand past that vibrational ceiling, past that vibrational threshold, and into our new reality.  It’s almost like our former self is giving us one more chance to revert back to our old ways.  This is the time that it is important to stake the claim on our new reality.

When we witness a negative emotion coming up, it is a positive event. Completely honor it, appreciate it, and be confident about approaching that negative emotion with a positive state or interpretation.  When we do this, we continue to accelerate without effort.  When a negative emotion comes up, it is letting us know that we have a belief about the circumstance we just encountered and this triggers the emotion; this is the circumstance playing with our perspectives or beliefs (which are crystallized perspectives).

Our Higher Self will let us know whether that belief is in or out of alignment with our true, ever-present frequency of being—with our true identity as an individuated expression of the All-That-Is Consciousness, of which we are an inseparable, co-creating aspect.

Try to remember the negative emotion is letting us know our perspective of the environment, or of the circumstance, or of the person we are interacting with, and that perspective is out of alignment with our Truth.  It is not about what happened, per se.  What happened is that a neutral event triggered a belief, which is a bias (and is not neutral).  A belief is a perspective that has crystallized in a certain version of itself and that belief is shown to us through the emotional body, or the emotional guidance system.

I was once presented with the “doorknob analogy” to explain this.  Most people don’t have strong emotions about doorknobs.  We can touch a doorknob and won’t feel a thing because we don’t have any beliefs that are personalized about that doorknob; we don’t have a strong bias about the doorknob.

If we were to have a strong bias about the doorknob—for example, if our mother always told us that us that our fate was tied to a particular doorknob—then if someone scratched or touched or hammered on that doorknob, our belief system would show itself in our emotional being, because of the belief that we have that our fate was tied to the doorknob.  By damaging the doorknob, we would feel the person had somehow damaged us and we would react emotionally to this.

But since most of us were not taught to have beliefs about doorknobs, or at least not personalized beliefs (no biases), we don’t feel anything when we are talking about a doorknob or if something would happen to a doorknob.

Therefore, there is no inherent meaning in circumstance.  The only thing that ever triggers an emotion is a belief, which is a crystallized point of view, and which you can change by moving into another point of view.  This is why it is so helpful to bump into circumstances that trigger beliefs, which then trigger emotion—this is an opportunity for growth.

Level 5: The Conscious Mind / Thought

Now let’s look at the fifth level of Consciousness—the conscious, thinking mind.  Emotions correlate to what we usually call the subconscious in our society.  Beliefs correlate to what we call the unconscious.  And thought, or the thinking mind, is what we refer to as the conscious mind.

What is the purpose of thoughts?  Thoughts are meant to be utilized simply to reflect upon what is or what has happened.  It is a reflective mechanism, a reflective tool.  And all it can really reflect on is circumstances or emotions.

It is possible to take thought to the next level and utilize it for a higher mental type of thinking that is more abstract and more spiritually-oriented.  This is using thought in a contemplative way.  But in general, thoughts are simply reactions to circumstances, the environment, or the emotions that are triggered by the environment.

Many people think thoughts trigger their emotions because, when you think about a certain thing or event, it comes with a certain emotion (which is true).  But, because we are thinking about a certain thing, that certain thing is actually a circumstance.  The circumstance we are imagining, thinking about, or referencing has a relationship to our belief system.  Depending on whether our belief system is aligned with abundance or aligned with lack, we will either feel really great about what we are thinking about, or really badly about what we are thinking about.

Thoughts can only react to circumstances or emotions, generally speaking.  Emotions are triggered by beliefs through the unconscious.  The purpose of emotions is to show us that we have an unconscious belief that may not be known to us and is in effect part of our “shadow self”.

We can transform these beliefs by shifting into another perspective of life, by taking on another belief system, realizing another state of being, by changing our frequency, and by choosing to feel differently in our state of being.

When we reiterate the new perspective multiple times for a period of time, that new imagination and new way of seeing life will start to feel real.  And when it starts to feel real, we start to believe it is real.  When we believe it is real, it is there as the new belief system—the new paradigm.  This generates a new set of emotions, thoughts and circumstances.

The Power to Change Your Reality

By becoming aware of these five levels of Consciousness we come to know that our power lies in the level of the I-AM having a certain point of view of life.  This is where the majority of our power lies.  By using thoughts, emotions, and beliefs to work with this and reflect upon this, we allow ourselves to become more aware of what our Spiritual Truth is and also, is not.  

We can choose our new perspective.  The power to change our reality lies on the level of perspectives.   This is the level of non-physical belief systems and non-physical perspectives.  It is our state of being, our vibration, our frequency, and our vibrational attitude. 

This is living our Truth and when we discover that Truth we can live a life of peace, balance and harmony.