Spiritualize

In the world we live in today, many people are interested in increasing their sense of power.

Whether they seek more power in their career, power in relationships, or a sense of personal power, the desire to be more in control is something most people want.

But there is a problem. 

Very often, when people seek ‘power’ what they are actually doing is trying to use ‘force’.

The difference between power and force is an important distinction and one that very few people truly understand.

Fortunately, there are some wise spiritual guides who can help us to find a better way.

Power vs. Force is a book written by David R. Hawkins, and published in 1995. On the surface, the book seems to be a discussion of the differences between power and force, and how they affect our ability to live a fulfilling life.

However, due to the complicated nature of some of the book’s contents, it has been confusing and amazing people ever since. 

While there is a great deal of value in the concepts of Power vs. Force that are discussed in the book, it can be hard to uncover them (and use them) without some guidance.

At least, that was my experience.

In this article, I want to try to explain the meaning and core message of Power vs. Force, and how you can use the lessons in your spiritual growth, and life.

Trying to Understand Power vs. Force

Similar to any new area of knowledge, trying to understand spiritual concepts can be very overwhelming and confusing when you begin.

The work of David Hawkins is not an easy read when you first start exploring it. 

For the past ten years, I have been attempting to understand Power vs. Force by David R. Hawkins.

I originally picked up the book in 2014, because it was recommended by a business mentor.

Because the book confused me, I put it aside and first read The Map of Consciousness Explained. Despite being more accessible, even that book felt very heavy and clinical to me in parts. 

Ten years ago, I was not especially open to spiritual growth and had not really started learning about the inner workings of my mind. For this reason, it took me years to finally get a handle on the main points of Power Vs. Force and how to use the lessons in my life.

And to this day, every time I pick up the book, I learn more nuances and gain further insights into what it means to have true power in life.

I have found, however, that as I have spent time re-reading Power vs. Force, alongside other David Hawkins books like Letting Go, I have started to find a huge amount of value in it.

The Origins of Power vs. Force

Before diving into what Power vs. Force is about, it is important to understand how it was created. 

David Hawkins is a controversial figure in the world of spirituality, mostly because he makes some strong statements, and espouses the use of kinesiology and muscle testing as a method for measuring truth.

While these approaches do not align with conventional scientific research, there is a great deal of value in the philosophy of Dr Hawkins, and his consciousness research.

Power vs. Force began as a study back in 1965 as part of a doctoral dissertation and evolved spontaneously. The book was originally titled Power vs. Force: Anatomy of Consciousness, and Dr Hawkins was reluctant to be listed as the author because felt that the work was delivered by a source greater than himself.

Since its first publication, and revision in 2014, the book has sold over 1 Million copies and been translated into 25 languages. These are significant numbers for a book on consciousness research. 

Important Concepts in Power vs. Force

While the title of the book Power vs. Force seems to be about tapping into power on the inside instead of using force on the outside, there is a lot more depth to it.

To truly understand the concept of Power vs. Force, we need to introduce the concepts of attractors, dominance, and causality.

Attractors

According to Dr Hawkins, an attractor is an identifiable pattern that shows an underlying coherence. This is a complicated way of saying that there are forces underneath the causes of things in life, and these forces work in a pattern. Some attractors are very powerful, while others are very weak. In the book, Dr Hawkins explains this attractor concept by saying that ‘profoundly powerful patterns organize human behavior.’ 

Fields of Dominance

When forces work in a pattern it is common that the ones that are dominant have a higher level of energy. For example, imagine a volcano erupting underneath the ocean. The volcano has a certain amount of energy, but the ocean has a higher level and field of dominance. These fields of dominance also happen in social situations, in financial markets, and even in our spiritual growth.

Causality

Very often we think that the cause of something is what happens in the world. However, David Hawkins believed that there is a higher level of causality that is tied to our levels of consciousness. An example of this is a person who seems to always get into trouble or ‘attract’ problems into their life. Very often if you examine their level of consciousness, it is aligned to fear, anger, guilt, or shame. These lower energy fields of consciousness are the cause of the problems, as they keep attracting more of the same into a person’s life.

The Levels of Consciousness

A core element of all the teachings of Dr Hawkins is the seventeen ‘levels’ of consciousness that human beings live inside of. The consciousness levels are the cause of everything that we think, feel, and experience.

In fact, in David Hawkins’ view, it may be consciousness itself that is having a human experience, rather than each person experiencing a level of consciousness.

The map of consciousness is a guide from the depths of guilt, shame, fear, and anger all the way up to acceptance, joy, love, peace, and enlightenment. The greater our personal growth, the more inner power we experience by tapping into the higher levels of pure consciousness.

The Difference Between Power vs. Force

The core message of Power vs. Force is that power and force are available to use in our human experience. 

According to Dr Hawkins, power is always associated with that which supports life itself.

In contrast, force will always be driven by selfish, destructive, or meaningless aims.

Force will always succumb to power, simply because the consciousness level of force is weaker than that of power.

As Dr Hawkins explains in Power vs. Force:

“Force has transient goals, when those goals are reached, there remains the emptiness of meaningless. Power, on the other hand, motivates us endlessly. The disillusionment of emptiness comes from failing to align one’s life with the principles from which power emanates.”

In the book, the example is given of Mahatma Gandhi whose incredible sense of inner power eventually overcame the force of the British empire. Gandhi’s desire to use non-violence, compassion, and moral living helped India gain independence from British rule.

In a sense, the power that was underlying Gandhi’s aims created an attractor pattern that eventually led the fields of dominance to overcome injustice.

Dr Hawkins suggests that “Individuals of great power throughout human history have been those who have totally aligned themselves with powerful attractors.”

While Gandhi might seem like an extreme example, we can also see the dynamic of force succumbing to power in everyday life.

For example, if you are in the throes of a heated argument and the other person starts laughing, it is extremely hard to maintain the anger. This is because humor is always emanating from a higher level of consciousness than anger. Over time, the power of laughter and joy will overcome the force of bitterness and resentment.

The Disadvantage of Using Force

Many people spend their whole lives pushing against the world, attempting to gain or manipulate their way to their desires. This is their attempt to use force to get something from life. 

It can be tempting to think that force will help you gain an advantage in the world. After all, in the short term, and from outward appearances force can be quite convincing. 

But the use of force never amounts to a positive outcome.

Forcing things, people, or circumstances becomes a sort of negative attractor, and limits a person’s personal growth.

People who rely on force to get along in the world may find people avoiding them, or they may eventually lose any success or prosperity that they gain. The fallen idol story is commonly shared in the media when corrupt or power-hungry people eventually have a comeuppance or lose their money, status, or position.

Deep down, most people know when a person is trying to manipulate or control them with force. It is a short-term solution using force to try to gain. 

As Dr Hawkins eloquently says “Force always moves against something.”

It is not until a person starts to understand the concepts of consciousness and spiritual growth that they can even comprehend there is a better way. When they look beyond the device of force, then they can begin to tap into the positive energy and higher state of power.

How Can You Use Power vs Force in Your Life?

Once you understand (and can feel) the difference between power and force, it becomes incredibly easy to notice it in everyday life. 

People who are tuned into the consciousness of true power are always approaching life from a higher state. Some of the typical signs of using power will be making better decisions, achieving emotional mastery, and being a source of positive energy.

Whenever you face a tough decision on what to do, or how to respond, you can use power as a guide.

You can tune into ‘that which supports life itself’ and consider what is the best action or response to take. In some situations, it may be kindness or compassion, in others, it might be simply saying nothing or walking away. 

Concepts such as letting go, being grateful, and looking for ways to be more generative are all driven by true power. The desire to begin a spiritual journey and look inwards for answers is driven by true power.

On the surface, it may seem that power might not be able to overcome force and that human nature will regress to lower levels. Yet the fact that human beings have survived and thrived on this planet despite wars, famines, plagues, and many other forces is a testament to the power that resides in each of us.

David Hawkins says “Power energizes, gives forth, supplies, and supports. Power gives life and energy.”

Tuning into power gives you the ability to understand other people and yourself better. Power enables you a huge advantage in life as it makes growth and expansion possible.

By using power instead of force, there is almost a hidden helping hand on your side. It can take years to tune into the inner power that you possess, but once you experience it can be truly life-changing and incredibly rewarding.

If you have read this far, I highly encourage you to read Power vs. Force by David Hawkins and learn more about how his incredible insights can assist you.

Speaking for myself, the ability to tune into the life-affirming power that is inside has been a huge source of joy, fulfillment, positive change, and meaning that I never knew was available.

– Daniel Midson-Short


Image: The Absence of Challenge by Duane Toops.