Power vs Force
The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior
by David R Hawkins
'Applied Kinesiology', 'a technique claimed to be able to diagnose illness or choose treatment
by testing muscles for strength and weakness'. Apparently advanced book on human consciousness that
bases much of its conclusions on research using muscle testing techniques. The basic idea is that the body
can recognise what is 'true' at a non-verbal level and thisis reflected in the tested muscle responses, which the
author claims are consistent across many subjects. Setting aside the fact that the book leans heavily on
this little-recognised 'alternative' technique, it seems its conclusions, which appear to me to be entirely
consistent with other spiritual teachings and emergingideas on the evolution of consciousness by Integral
theorists such as Ken Wilber and Steve McIntosh.Hawkins derives a 'Map of Consciousness' (see
illustration), which maps different characteristics of
human consciousness onto a numerical scale between 0and 1000.
His illustration is divided into three sections:
below 200 are the 'negative emotions'which we all (mostly) recognise in
ourselves and those around us
200-500 are more positive attributes that we have come to recognise as
important for sustainable functioning of society
Above 500 are commonly associatedwith higher spiritual development.
Hawkins characterises these key boundaries thus: "On our scale of
consciousness, there are two critical points that allow for major advancement. The first
is at 200, the initial level of empowerment:Here, the willingness to stop blaming and
accept responsibility for one’s own actions,feelings, and beliefs arises—as long as cause
and responsibility are projected outside of oneself, one will remain in the powerless mode of victimhood. The second
is at the 500 level, which is reached by accepting love and nonjudgmental forgiveness..."
We can easily find correlations with the approach of the Hubers’ astrological psychology. For example,
the 'levels of operation' of the planets (asleep. waking, awake) show a related progression. The Map levels above
200 correspond to an increasing integration of the ego. And in the model of 'The Amphora', itself an astrological
model of human consciousness, the positioning of Neptune at the narrow neck of the amphora corresponds
precisely with the positioning of Love at 500 in the Map of Consciousness.
Hawkins makes the interesting observation that "While the level of consciousness of mankind as a whole
stood at a perilous 190 for many centuries, in the mid-1980s, it suddenly jumped to the hopeful level of 207. For
the first time in its history, man is now on safe ground from which to continue his upward march…" This does appear
to suggest that humanity as a whole is slowly raising its consciousness to a level necessary to address the problems
we have created operating at lower levels.
What of the book's title? Hawkins is careful to
distinguish between the essences of Power and Force: "power arises from meaning. It has to do with motive, and
it has to do with principle. Power is always associated withthat which supports the significance of life itself. It appeals to
that part of human nature that we call noble—in contrast to force, which appeals to that which we call crass. Power
appeals to what uplifts, dignifies, and ennobles. Force must always be justified, whereas power requires no justification.
Force is associated with the partial, power with the whole ."It is not an accident that the most widely respected figures of the 20th
century, such as Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela display clearly
the characteristics of power and not those of force.
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Map of Consciousness below:
