Editor's Note - Many people find inspiration for coping with stress, anxiety, addiction and depression by studying the late David Hawkins Map of Consciousnessbelow, featured in his book Healing and Recovery.

By identifying where you are on the scale of consciousness now compared to where you want to be, the map below helps you monitor your progress. Look at this map and decide which level you are emotionally, then note your score from the log column.

Here are some descriptions to help you get an idea of where you are on this map and how to move up to achieve greater levels of consciousness and spiritual enlightenment.

Shame and Guilt Score 20 and 30

Starting at the bottom of the Map are the energy fields called Shame at 20 and Guilt at 30. The emotion that accompanies these levels is self-hatred, and the process going on in consciousness is one of self-destruction. The view of the world associated with this energy field is that of sin and suffering.

Apathy Score 50

The emotions of Apathy are hopelessness, despair, despondency, and depression. Apathy is like an old lady rocking back and forth in her rocking chair, staring hopelessly out the window after receiving an erroneous telegram that her son was killed in the war. A large portion of the world lives in a state of apathy, including whole countries and subcontinents, where the people stare blankly because there is no hope and no chance.

About one-third of the world lives at the bottom three states of Fear, Grief, and Apathy.

Grief - Score 75

If the woman in the rocking chair were to start crying and expressing emotion, then she would be improving and moving up to an energy field called Grief, which is characterized emotionally by regret and feelings of loss and despondence.

Fear Score 100

Fear is the next energy field, which is also negative, but contains a lot more energy. One can run a great distance with fear. The advertising industry plays off our fears to sell us products. Grief has to do with the past, but fear, as we ordinarily experience it, is of the future. Fear is emotionally experienced in everyday life by the average person as worry, anxiety, or panic.

Remember in grade school when the teacher called on somebody for an answer, everyone would shrink and hide behind the person in front of them? However, if we know what we are afraid of, the energy of fear can be beneficial.

Desire Score 125

Above fear is Desire, still a negative energy field, and one where we experiences general feelings of wanting and craving. This is the field of addictions and can easily become obsessions and compulsions. The process going on in consciousness is entrapment where we are controlled by our desires.

Desire can be the motivation to become successful or famous, to have a lot of money, to be a celebrity, or to acquire whatever one thinks is going to bring happiness, such as a special relationship. Desire can be used positively as motivation towards inner goals. However, failure to achieve these goals leads to frustration and resentment.

Anger Score 150

Anger is very obviously a high energy emotion. However, if an angry person knows how to utilize that anger constructively instead of destructively, it can energize resolve and determination.

Anger in the form of resentment may lead to hatred, grievances, grudges, and eventually even to murder or war. But the process going on in consciousness is one of expansion; for example, when an animal is angry, it swells up. When the cat gets angry, its tail swells up to almost twice its normal size, and the cat tries to look imposing. The biological purpose of expansion is to intimidate one's apparent enemy. The energy of anger can be positive if used to pursue something better, allowing us to move up to the next level.

Pride Score 175

Proud people are said to have a swelled head, be too big for their britches, are unteachable, cannot hear, or closed minded. This level of consciousness leads to a polarized position, constantly on the defensive for being 'right', so the world must be wrong. Pride relates to an underlying fear. Once the person faces the fear, they can let go of pride.

All these negative fields tend to reinforce each other and seldom occur alone. One predominates, but all are really feeding into each other. Emotional upset is usually a combination of all these negative energy fields.

Crossing Over to the Levels of Truth

By being willing to surrender the ego's narcissistic emotional payoffs of the negative energy fields, progress can be made toward the first level of true power, called Courage.

Something crucial now happens at this level because it has an enormous amount of power. It is obvious that Courage settled the United States of America. Courage created all the great industries and was the basis for man's getting to the moon. The Marines start at the level of Pride but really move up to the more stable level of Courage. Why? The emotional energy field is now positive because the person values truth rather than falsehood, and integrity instead of temporary gain.

At this level the field stops pulling negativity from the universe to itself. A person is now able to face, cope with, and handle things better, though still experiencing the lesser negative feelings, they now have the power to handle those energies. The critical process is one of empowerment.

All levels below Courage have a negative energy field stemming from the same thoughtthat happiness comes from outside oneself. Putting one's survival on something outside oneself therefore results in states of powerlessness, victimhood, and weakness by virtue of having projected the source of one's power outside of oneself.

Courage Score 200

Persons at the level of Courage who plan to ask their boss for a raise may still have knots in their stomach, be angry, and even feel hopeless about getting one. They might even be arrogant, but now, at the level of Courage, they have enough power to handle all that and be appropriate.

Neutral Score 250

At the Neutral level, the energy field is positive and even more aligned with Truth. The emotion of Neutral is self-trust. For example, it is 'okay' if you get the job and 'okay' if you dont. The process going on in consciousness is detachment. If you are not attached to any particular outcome then you are no longer a victim. Being Neutral, brings release from painful emotions as well as letting go of resistance which brings a lot more power.

Willingness - Score 310

Willingness is even more powerful. It is begins by saying yes to life, to join, to agree, to commit, and to align with because there is now the introduction of intention.

Acceptance Score 350

Acceptance is being capable, adequate, and confident. There is the beginning of transformation in consciousness. Transformation to the acceptance that we are the source of our own happiness, and that the power is within us. A big corporation for example, depends on people who have completed this transformation because they are realistic. They are not dominated by pride, which means denial, so they can allow for their weaknesses and shortcomings.

An executive on this level can say, "You know, I don't do very well with that guy in Argentina. It would be better if you send Jake; I'm sure he would get along better." The executive can indicate where he is limited, accept how the world works, avoid getting into 'right and wrong' about it, and therefore deal with it effectively. The transformation comes from re-owning one's power.

Reason Score 400

By recycling the energy back into the universe; for example through selfless service, you move up to the energy field of Reason at 400. The use of reason transcends the limitations of narcissistic/emotional distortion that is characteristic of childishness and the personal emotionality of pervasive likes, dislikes, and endless wants.

By silencing the clamor of emotionality, we develop the capacity for assimilation, recognition, classification, and comprehension of the significance and meaning of vast amounts of information.At its purest level, reason and the intellect represent increased reality testing and non-emotional respect for truth.

Love Score 500

This can evolve even more as the love of Truth for its own sake. This eventually leads to a paradigm jump at consciousness level 500 (Love).

Whereas reason is linear and objective, Love is a different dimension as it is nonlinear and subjective. Thus, it is said that reason is of the mind (the brain), whereas Love is of the being (the heart).At its emergence, love is selective and conditional, but as it evolves, it progressively becomes a lifestyle and a way of relating to all life. Love emanates from within the Self and is an expression of happiness.

Unconditional Love Score 540

Unconditional Love is the energy field of healing and also that of the twelve-step groups. There is a rise in the intensity of the energy field of aliveness, so it is preferable to be around these kinds of people because they make us feel more alive by giving out energy to the field itself.

As we move up towards this level, inner joy, quiet, and inner knowingness begin to take place. Within this energy field, we connect with something that is rocklike and ever present. This is the beginning of the transfiguration of consciousness, the beginning of an inner serenity, and the opening of compassion. To learn more relevations from consciousness research, see Healing and Recovery.

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A Clear Map To Your Spiritual Enlightenment by David R ...