There are various diagrammatic depictions of levels of consciousness, which are vibrational states of being, from the complex and all-encompassing Integral Map devised by Ken Wilber to the simplicity of the scales of various emotional states given by Peggy McColl in her book Your Destiny Switch.
However, I find the Map of Consciousness devised by Dr. David R. Hawkins easy to use to measure vibrational frequency, and I speak about the theory and its implications for the individual and the world in my book, The Upward Spiral.
In my coaching, I use Dr Hawkins’ levels of consciousness, logarithmic scale of frequency and dominant emotion for each level. Many of my clients will begin their journey at level 20, which is in “victim consciousness” This is where one feels hopeless, out of control and unable to manifest what they want in their lives, mostly blaming others for their circumstances, and never really accepting responsibility for their own lives. It is often played out by destructive behaviour and self-sabotage, which then gets represented by the martyr archetype, where the person keeps feeling that the world is against them. One can argue the theory of bad luck, and there can be an element of this. However, the level of vibration you are living in will attract these negative circumstances to you. At this level of consciousness, sadly, one is unable to make a change and actually do something to move into a different frequency. The trauma needs to be addressed and cleared, as well as the negative limiting beliefs and emotions that run with it. I call it the shell that covers the body and hides the beauty within so that the divine spark of light cannot be seen.
The next stage of consciousness begins at the level of 150; this is what I call survival consciousness. This is often represented by anger and a deep sense of survival, often played out by fight or flight behaviours. I often explain to my clients, “ It’s like a deer being caught in the headlights of a car” We feel in this level of consciousness that we have to be on guard, it is dangerous around us, and we have to be ready to attack. Trying to live life with all its challenges at this level can cause exaggerated stress levels and a way of operating with others where winning is the priority, no matter what the cost. This level creates a means of communicating that is always about knocking the other off their power base. ‘Survival machines’ is what I call people on this level.
Empowerment, higher awareness and life-supporting states of being start at the level of courage. In my practice, I work with levels of consciousness. My aim is to get a client to level 250, which is where they are able to navigate their lives in heightened awareness.
Once you have been able to reach the level of ‘Courage—200’, you are able to make changes, be in charge of your choices and have the clarity to see ahead. In order to move up the spiral, one needs to go into a frequency of ‘Surrender’ and ‘trust’, when you have the ‘Courage’, you’re able to trust the flow and ‘Surrender’ to your higher self.
This will take you into ‘Neutrality—250’. When one is able to practise neutrality as a state of being-ness, complete clarity and the ability to respond rather than react will be mastered and the calling to go into ‘Service’ of others, improving other people’s lives and helping the world shift to higher frequencies, will become your natural state of being. It will give you the key to open yourself to receiving messages from your higher self as to what your divine purpose is in the world, and what your natural talents are, which are part of all of us. The ability to alchemise negativity into positivity will be your art.
My favourite saying to my clients is: be in the state of ‘beingness’ in all the ‘doingness’ times of your life.
Val Toledo
Val Toledo is a transformational leader and author who has dedicated her career to empowering individuals across corporate, educational, and personal development sectors. Her books "The Upward Spiral" and "The Upward Spiral in Action" guide readers through self-discovery. As founder of ABC for Life, she develops educational programs for disadvantaged children and refugees, while coaching leaders and facilitating workshops on personal growth.
