In yesterday’s blog, I mentioned a few books I have read of late but I would like to tell you about another that I read that I have hesitated to mention in past blogs. I am talking about a series of books written by David R. Hawkins, M.D., Ph.D. Many have written about consciousness but Hawkins did something unique that I found fascinating and very pleasing to my analytical brain. He put consciousness into a grid, or levels, where one can look and find lower and higher levels of consciousness explained.
This is can be a trap for people like me. Whether one is talking about spirituality or intelligence, if you present me with the idea of levels, I will see myself in a higher level. Hardly humble of me, this tendency more likely stems from a low self-esteem than a higher one. It seems that the higher my self-esteem progressed, the lower I saw myself on these scales. Humility, I am learning, is not seeing yourself as better or worse than others but as just being one of a tribe. Neither good or bad, one just is. Welcome to the human race.
I came across Hawkins work at a time when a friend was going through some serious emotional times. I tried to be a good listener and once in a while I would comment on what I suspected was happening to her. She seemed to really grasp what I was offering and we would part with her having a new resolve to think or act differently. But lo, I would talk with her a week later and she seemed to be in the same darkness as before. In other words, she seemed to be grasping an idea with her head but her heart was left in the dust. This I understood, but what I failed to understand is why she seemed to be so stuck.
I came upon Hawkins book at my daughter’s house when I was staying there for a mini-vacation. The odd title was The Eye of the I. Hawkins has written at least 8 books on the stages of consciousness each coming into the idea from a different angle. Later I would read others. This one was about the difference between the ego self and the higher or true self and how to tell the difference. I was pleased to see that his scale fit in perfectly with my 12 step program and with my spiritual beliefs. The most important thing is that it helped me see that my friend was operating out of her ego self instead of her true self.
Transitioning for my friend took time and I had very little control in the matter, except to continue to listen and share what little wisdom I could find. But reading Hawkins did wonders for my own growth. It helped me to view darkness in the world from a different perspective. As a result, I am less fearful. It helped me to recognized signs of growth in people in journey, including me in my own growth. I am a lot less judgmental and controlling than I once was. I also see light in the world and found that in the very naming of light, light grows stronger.
I hope to share more of Hawkins work in the future. In his work, I find hope, serenity, and a greater capacity to love.