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The Levels of Consciousness, as described by David R. Hawkins, provide a (from this perspective) useful framework for understanding human experience.
For the purposes of this site, the map is not presented as a hierarchy of people, nor as a way of determining spiritual advancement, worth, or value. It is a framework for recognising states of being as they are experienced.
At the lower end of the map are experiences of separation, contraction, resistance, and disconnection. At the higher end are experiences of increasing connection, openness, love, joy, and oneness.
The map becomes most useful when it is applied to direct experience.
Many people encounter the map and immediately ask, 'What level am I?'
This question is founded on the assumption that the levels describe a person - but they actually describe states.
A person may have a general state of being that they return to repeatedly. This could be thought of as their normal experience of life. Yet everyone moves through many different states throughout a day or week.
A person whose life is generally experienced through love may still experience moments of fear, anger, pride, sadness, or grief.
The map becomes most useful when observations are impersonal:
'Anger is present.'
'Pride sponsored that action'.
The experience is recognised without turning it into a story 'about me'. This is fundamental as suffering is sustained through identification with temporary states.
Someone experiences fear and concludes they are a fearful person. Someone experiences sadness and concludes that they are depressed. Someone experiences anger and builds an entire story around why it exists.
The state then becomes reinforced through attention, explanation, resistance, and identification.
Recognition is simple noticing what is. As this occurs, movement happens naturally.
Fear may transform into courage - grief into acceptance - anger into willingness.
The movement isn't necessarily dramatic. Often it is simply a slight increase in openness and connection.
Occasionally the shift can be significant and instant: A person goes from 'being angry' to suddenly seeing the story of blame being constructed, and the seriousness collapses. The story that appeared real and important only moments before is recognised as ridiculous. Laughter appears. Joy returns. Connection is restored.
Perhaps a most pertinent aspect of the map is that it can shift attention away from the question, 'Who am I?' and toward the question, 'What is being experienced now?'
The map can be used as a tool for recognition rather than self-definition - not to determine where you are, to compare yourself with others or create a spiritual identity, but to recognise what is present, and to notice whether the experience is moving toward greater separation or greater connection.
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