Where Are You on the Map of Consciousness?
From Shame to Enlightenment — A Journey Through 17 Levels of Human Consciousness
Hey friends,
Ever read a book that revealed a framework so deep, you knew you'd carry it for life?
That happened to me while reading Richer, Wiser, Happier by William Green. In it, investor Mohnish Pabrai mentioned a curious book: Power vs. Force by David R. Hawkins.
Naturally, I chased the thread and what I found was a map of consciousness I couldn’t unsee.
Hawkins describes levels of human consciousness—from destructive emotions like shame and guilt to transcendent states like joy and enlightenment. It hit me so hard, I began taking notes. Then, I began writing. Then... I stopped.
This piece sat in my drafts since May 2024, until a recent nudge from our WhatsApp reading circle gave me the push to finish.
So, in this newsletter, we’re going to explore the entire spectrum of consciousness:
Unhealthy Destructive Levels – Shame, Guilt, Apathy, Grief
Healthy Destructive Levels – Fear, Desire, Anger, Pride
Constructive Levels – Courage, Neutrality, Willingness (my fav ❤️), Acceptance, Reason
Transcendent Levels – Love, Joy, Peace, Enlightenment
Each level shapes how we feel, act, and live.
Let’s start at the bottom—and gradually rise.
Unhealthy Destructive Levels
Energy Level 20: Shame
People at this energy level have low self-esteem. They are often shy, withdrawn and introverted.
To cope with these feelings, they may become very rigid or intolerant. Some may also turn into perfectionists. They can be driven, but their motivation comes from a place of internal damage.
Shame attracts cruelty, and victims often become cruel to others or even to animals.
One of the major roots of shame is childhood sexual abuse.
Since it is the lowest level of consciousness, it makes a person vulnerable to attacks from all other negative emotions—guilt, anger, fear, grief, and false pride.
Energy Level 30: Guilt
Many people struggle with guilt their entire lives, while others deny it entirely.
Guilt is often interpreted as a form of sin and is commonly used in society as a tool for manipulation. Sin is an unforgiving emotional attitude often used by religious leaders for coercion and control. It becomes a foundation for the "sin and salvation" industry.
People stuck in guilt are open to punishment and follow external orders blindly.
Guilt also provokes rage, draining all remaining energy.
It can become a dangerous downward spiral, where guilt leads to even more harmful actions, including violence.
Energy Level 50: Apathy
Apathy is the energy of helplessness and dependence.
At this level, the person lacks not only resources but also the energy or will to access them. This is the level of homeless individuals, the elderly suffering from chronic illness, or others who feel life has abandoned them.
They rely entirely on external caregivers—family, nurses, or NGOs for support.
Apathy marks the abandonment of hope, and only a few have the courage to rise above it.
Energy Level 75: Grief
Grief brings with it a sense of depression and constant regret.
Here, the individual sees sadness in everything largely due to loss in the past (of a loved one, a job, health, etc.). Repeated experiences of loss make grief feel like a constant part of life, as if sorrow is the price of existence.
The loss of a loved one becomes equated with the loss of love itself.
Yet, grief has more energy than apathy. If one begins to cry or express emotion, healing begins. Grief, in that sense, opens the door to growth.
Healthy Destructive Levels
Energy Level 100: Fear
From this point onward, destructive levels start to gain energy.
Fear is a basic motivator for most people’s lives and therefore, holds more energy than apathy or grief.
Fear enables action.
Much of the world runs on fear—fear of rejection, social exclusion, death, and failure.
Fear feeds on imagination and is therefore limitless. But it also drains energy, making growth nearly impossible unless external help is received. That’s why people look for coaches, mentors, or leaders who can help them transcend fear.
Fear, though destructive, is considered a healthy destructive level because it contains the seed for movement.
Energy Level 125: Desire
Desire is another healthy destructive level just above fear.
The entire economy operates on desire.
Desire motivates action, ambition, and productivity.
People driven by desire chase after money, status, fame, or power often to the point of addiction.
The peculiar thing about desire is that it doesn't end. The fulfillment of one desire leads to the craving for another.
Still, desire requires thought, action, and energy putting it above apathy and grief.
Energy Level 150: Anger
Anger may be constructive or destructive.
Unfulfilled desire leads to frustration, which leads to anger.
On the constructive side, anger can spark movements for justice and freedom.
On the destructive side, anger turns into revenge, resentment, or even hatred.
It is volatile and dangerous, and it can drag a person down to lower energy levels if left unchecked.
Anger is powerful, and its energy must be channeled wisely.
Energy Level 175: Pride
Pride appears constructive but often hides destructive tendencies.
It can fuel national movements, institutions, or even military power.
Pride is illusionary as people feel positive reaching this level. It gives rise to self-esteem and people treat it as reward for all the pain tolerated at lower energy levels.
Pride feels good because it is socially encouraged and externally rewarded. But because it is dependent on external validation, it is fragile.
Pride causes division based on caste, religion, nationality and can lead to devastating consequences like war or genocide.
It invites arrogance, denial, and stubbornness, blocking further growth.
Addictions caused by pride are the hardest to treat, since individuals deny any inner flaw or problem.
Constructive Levels
Energy Level 200: Courage
This marks the turning point where consciousness shifts from destructive to life-supportive.
Courage is the first true level of empowerment where fear becomes a challenge, not a cage.
What once seemed like insurmountable obstacles now become stimulants for growth. A person here begins to take responsibility and risks. They develop resilience, face inner flaws, and move forward with grit.
This is the zone of exploration, determination, and contribution. For the first time, one gives back to the world as much energy as they receive.
Energy Level 250: Neutrality
Neutrality brings inner confidence and emotional balance.
People at this level are stable, non-judgmental, and unattached to outcomes.
They handle criticism with ease and avoid unnecessary conflict or comparison.
People at Neutrality have a confident capability to live in the world.
A person at Neutrality can calmly say,
“If I don’t get this job, I’ll get another.”
They value freedom and can’t be easily manipulated or controlled.
They are emotionally undisturbed, at ease within themselves, and flow with life rather than resist it.
Neutral people are easy to be around—calm, approachable, and safe.
Energy Level 310: Willingness (My Favorite ❤️)
Willingness marks the beginning of high-performance living.
At Neutrality, work is done adequately; at Willingness, work is done well. Success is common, and growth is rapid.
People at this level have overcome inner resistance and are committed to participation. They are chosen for advancement—genuinely social, friendly, helpful, and responsive to others’ needs. They possess high self-esteem and are reinforced by positive feedback from society in the form of recognition, appreciation, and reward.
Willing individuals are willing to face their inner issues.
They aren’t troubled by unemployment. They can take any job, build a career, or be self-employed. They don’t hesitate to start from the bottom or feel demeaned by service roles.
They have no learning blocks and remain open to all sources of knowledge and wisdom.
They are self-correcting because of their ability to learn from experience and bounce back from adversity.
They are excellent students, easily trainable, and represent a consistent source of power for society.
Willing individuals are valuable contributors and powerful students of life.
Energy Level 350: Acceptance
This level is characterized by the capacity to live harmoniously with all forces of life.
Here, one realizes that the source of power is within.
They understand they are both the source and the creator of their life experience.
At this evolved stage, nothing external has the power to create happiness. Love is no longer something given or taken by others—it’s generated from within.
Acceptance brings emotional calm and broader perspective, as denial seen at lower levels like Pride is transcended.
The individual is no longer concerned with right or wrong, but with resolving issues and taking constructive action.
Long-term goals take precedence over short-term gains. Self-discipline and mastery emerge. Even difficult tasks no longer provoke discomfort or resistance.
Acceptance means witnessing life on life’s own terms.
It brings the awareness that equality and diversity are not opposites—they coexist.
Acceptance includes rather than rejects.
Energy Level 400: Reason
When lower emotional influences fade, the mind's full capacity emerges.
This is the domain of logic, analysis, and structured thought—where great breakthroughs in science, philosophy, and leadership occur. This is the level of Nobel Prize winners, great statesmen, and Supreme Court justices
But Reason, despite its brilliance, is limited. It can over-intellectualize and miss the essence of inner or spiritual truth.
Paradoxically, it is often Reason itself that becomes the final block to transcending into higher states.
It is uncommon in our society to transcend this level.
Transcendent Levels
Energy Level 500: Love
What the world commonly calls love is often an intense emotional state—fragile, fluctuating, rooted in attraction, addiction, possessiveness, and control.
This kind of love masks anger and can easily turn into hate, which stems from Pride (not true love) and reflects lower energy states.
At Level 500 begins true transcendence.
Love here is unconditional and unwavering. It expects nothing in return. It isn’t about ownership or control, but about radiating warmth, compassion, and healing simply by being.
This love uplifts effortlessly. It forgives, accepts, and sees the good even in pain.
At this level, intuition emerges—an ability to “just know” without analysis.
Reason deals only with particulars.
Love deals with entireties.
Love focuses on the goodness of life in all its expressions.
It dissolves negativity not by attacking it, but by recontextualizing it.
Only about 0.4% of humanity reaches this level. It marks a radical shift, a life centered on service, expansion, and deep empathy.
Energy Level 540: Joy
As love becomes more unconditional, it transforms into inner joy.
Joy arises from each moment of existence.
Every moment feels purposeful.
Life unfolds with grace. Events happen with divine timing.
Everything occurs effortlessly and by synchronicity.
People at this level are deeply compassionate.
Their presence alone is healing.
Love radiates in all directions—it becomes infinite.
Their motto becomes:
“The more one loves, the more one can love.”
They don’t just feel joy, they become joy.
Energy Level 600: Peace
Peace is extraordinarily rare—experienced by only one in ten million.
At this level, the ego dissolves completely.
The experience is often described as transcendence, self-realization, or God-consciousness.
Religion falls away and is replaced by pure spirituality.
Rational mind comes to rest. Reasoning and conceptualizing cease, giving way to an infinite inner silence.
Perception undergoes a profound shift. The distinction between subject and object vanishes.
Time and space is suspended. Eternity and infinity is witnessed. Everything becomes alive, radiant, and in constant flow.
There is no longer a “me” experiencing life, only pure awareness: silent, still, and eternal.
This is the realm of pure consciousness.
It may be glimpsed through sacred music, great art, or deep meditation, but for some, it becomes a permanent state.
Energy Level 700–1000: Enlightenment
This is the peak of human consciousness in the human realm.
Enlightenment is the level of nonduality—a state of complete Oneness.
There is no deviation or fragmentation of consciousness.
Awareness is present everywhere, equally.
This is the realm of the Great Ones—spiritual masters whose presence and teachings have uplifted humanity across centuries.
They originate divine patterns, and their words ignite evolution in the collective consciousness.
Enlightened beings radiate infinite peace. They are often seen with a specific hand gesture called mudra—a posture where the palm radiates love and peace, symbolizing the transmission of divine energy to all beings.
People at this level are revered as avatars of divine grace—Lord Krishna, Lord Buddha, Lord Jesus Christ.
Final Note: Where Are You Now?
Consciousness isn’t fixed. It shifts moment to moment, area to area. You might operate from Willingness at work, but feel stuck in Fear in relationships. That’s okay.
The real power of this map isn’t in labeling yourself, it’s in gaining awareness. Because awareness gives you options to choose and differentiate between higher and lower.
📝 One important thing to note:
This scale isn’t linear, it’s logarithmic. That means each jump isn’t just a step up it’s an exponential leap in power. Moving from Courage (200) to Willingness (310) might feel small on paper, but energetically, it’s a massive transformation.So, instead of chasing perfection, stay curious. Ask yourself gently:
Where am I right now?
And what would it take to shift one level higher?
That’s where the real transformation begins, not with pressure but with presence.
“All success in life, whatever it be, is a result of the concentration of consciousness.”
Key Takeaways
1. Consciousness exists in measurable energy levels.
2. It moves from destructive to constructive to transcendent states.
3. Shame is lowest, Enlightenment is highest.
4. Unhealthy Destructive Levels – Shame, Guilt, Apathy, Grief
5. Healthy Destructive Levels – Fear, Desire, Anger, Pride
6. Constructive Levels – Courage, Neutrality, Willingness ❤️, Acceptance, Reason
7. Transcendent Levels – Love, Joy, Peace, Enlightenment
8. Each level changes how we think and act.
9. The scale is logarithmic, not linear.
10. Each step up is a power leap.
11. Different areas of life have different levels.
12. You’re not stuck. Consciousness is fluid.
13. Awareness is the first step to growth.
14. Ask: “Where am I right now?”
15. Then ask: “What’s one level higher?”
16. You rise through presence, not pressure.
Current Information Diet
🎥 Dopamine Expert: Doing This Once A Day Fixes Your Dopamine! What Alcohol Is Doing To Your Brain!!
📝 Mental Models: The Best Way to Make Intelligent Decisions (~100 Models Explained)
📝 Outliers: Rose Blumkin—Women of Berkshire Hathaway
📖 The Second Mountain by David Brooks
💭 Quote of the Week 👇🏻
“Your focus is you reality.”
P.S.
Hey friends,
It’s been a while—my last newsletter was back in January. Somewhere along the way, resistance crept in, and I quietly set this aside. But the learning never stopped. Books, ideas, questions they kept flowing. What I lacked was the energy to finish and share.
Still, I’ve always thought of this newsletter as a long-term project. A slow, steady body of work I’ll keep building over the years.
What finally brought me back? A small but powerful push from a WhatsApp reading community I joined this month.
In this space, we explore everything—books, writing, mental health, money, poetry, tech, food, travel, and more. It’s one of the most thoughtful, enriching corners of the internet I’ve found.
If you'd like to join us, here’s the link:
👉 Anti Fragile Circle
This edition is dedicated to that community.
And to you guys, thanks for being here. I’m still learning. Still distilling. And still sharing what I find most useful along the way.
#long_attention_span
#you_are_more