Customer Reviews

I: Reality and Subjectivity

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Otherwise they will make no sense, or else be grossly misinterpreted. He himself states time and time again that nothing at one level of consciousness is true at another. How can one even *attempt* to explain the unexplainable and succeed on any level unless the consciouness that is reading is quite fertile and ready? The Truth that Hawkins teaches is so incredibly radical and direct that the 'person' submits and the ego dissolves, or else that person goes into paradigm shock and denies it, or just dismisses it as strange dogmatic baloney.

I truly believe that books on this level of Power find the right people through synchronicity when they are ready to receive it. If you are not at the stage of spiritual evolution to surrender *all*, and I mean *all* beliefs and positionalities than Hawkins works are likely to anger and confuse you. This is obviously evidenced by certain reviews of his works.
He himself warns of this in his prefaces, that his works are only meant for the extremely dedicated spirtual seeker willing to surrender all thoughts, desires, and positionalities to God.

In some broad, general sense, this book should be considered philosophy or theology. It gives what can reasonably be considered a comprehensive discussion of human consciousness, from the most rudimentary human awareness to the status of great enlightened masters. While it does stand alone as a complete work, it is the third of Dr. Hawkin's trilogy on consciousness, the first volume being Power vs. Force and the second being Eye of the I. It is useful to read the books in order, but it is useful to read this book, either in order or out of order.

As a mathematician, I really do enjoy reading good math texts. They teach me something, and I can go away from a session (perhaps an arduous session) with the ability to work new problems. That is delightful, a real joy. Very frequently, I have wished for an "engineering theology" text. By that I mean that I would like to study---perhaps hard---and walk away with the ability to improve my life in some way. Many of the great mystic writers are very impenetrable for me. They wax poetic, and I have no way to apply their great ideas to my own situation. Like Faust, I can say, "There stand I now, poor stupid me, and I'm just as smart as I used to be." That is very frustrating. Perhaps the most accessible of the mystic teachers is St. John of the Cross. After many years of study, even his simple lessons still elude me. I have not yet "caught the wave."

Dr. Hawkins explains the entire spectrum of consciousness, right up to enlightenment itself, in a way that is entirely understandable for many people, and certainly for anyone who wants to study hard. His approach is hardly a workbook, but it does contain enormous numbers of very practical ideas to help any person to improve. That may not be every person's goal, but it is my goal. If I didn't want to do better, I would not bother reading a book. I'd go hit tennis balls or something else. This book seems more than just sophisticated. It seems exceedingly sophisticated, and at a high level indeed. I cannot say that I have encountered a higher level (that I could recognize). Yet it is understandable and even offers very significant tests most people could do in order to verify its validity. For me, at least, it is a great lesson indeed, and I am reading it over and over again.

All best wishes to Dr. Hawkins. (Write another one any day, I'm happy to read it repeatedly.)

I am an atheist objectivist who picked up this book at random in the psychology section of the library when the book I wanted was out. I took it home without even cracking the cover, because the minimalist title intrigued me. I quickly devoured the book like it was a morsel of food to a starving person, despite 'God' being sprinkled through it like salt. Here is how I was affected even before the completion of my first pass:

1) I began letting go of 'mind' and felt lighter as I navigated my complex work environment.
2) I became simply 'the body' and experienced the sensation of walking on air. My entire countenence changed for the positive and I began 'floating' with calm success through otherwise tedious and stressful situations.
3) I began to approach and treat my pets and all human acquaintences as though they were my 'self'. Now, when seek and find 'self' in other's eyes, the feeling between us changes to a calm unity (love). All tension vanishes.
4) It became clear to me that some strange 'enlightening' experiences, such as the day I spontaneously and without warning 'lost God' (abandoned the strict organized religion I grew up in), were not due to the rationality of my mind, but were simply an acknowledgement of truth.
5) I realized that a set of 'rules to live by' I wrote and embraced when I was 22 (and subsequently dismissed as unsophisticated and naive in later years) was actually an awakening to truth.

It may not be possible to fully realize the potential awakenings of this book in the space of a mortal life. I find myself in a 'spiral' reading pattern, reading from beginning to end repeatedly, picking up momentum and comprehension with each revolution. I may never finish.

If one could read only three books in a lifetime, I would recommend the trilogy by Dr. Hawkins. "I" is the culmination of the revelation of the most powerful tool and information one will ever encounter on any plane of existence. The gratification from these books is beyond words.
My quest for enlightenment/God/Christ consciousness has taken me down many religious roads, both orthodox and unorthodox. I have had many experiences that have been inadequately explained by churches and scriptures until my 12-year search ended when I discovered Dr. Hawkins in 2001. I learned that I had been looking for God in all the wrong places. Once one accepts that the kingdom of heaven is within, all other spiritual problems eminating from the misconception that God is only "out there" disolve. Amazingly, once one's spiritual house is in order, many of the messes in the mental, emotional, social, and physical houses become better organized effortlessly.
Once one understands the concepts of content and context, all of one's physical, etheric, and astral experiences begin to clarify. Recontextualization is of utmost importance for the journey to enlightenment. Dr. Hawkins is truely a Master.
For those who doubt the validity of kinesiologic testing, Dr. Hawkins explains the limitations of this method of testing in the appendix on page 429.

David Hawkins does it again! Just when I thought he couldn't do much better than the first 2 books of this trilogy, I read this final book and I am blown away more than ever. This book actually calibrates the highest of all in the trilogy at 999.8 on a 1 to 1000 scale. This makes it the most powerful on a Truth level if we are to fully trust the Scale of Consciousness calibration he developed to gauge truth from falsehood, a discernment the human intellect is incapable of doing on his own. Hawkins claims that just being exposed to this material will raise one's consciousness, a claim I can attest to. Although I had some resistance and residual skepticism when he describes WalMart corporation calibrating in the 300's, something I was astonished and amazed to learn in light of their sheningigans, I must admit I can not deny the power of his words and message. I spent more time reading and absorbing this last book simply because it was so potent. Reading this book written by a Self Realized psychiatrist may be the most important step you take if enlightenment is your goal. Why? Because this author understands the human ego thoroughly from a uniquely Western perspective and has the uncanny ability to dissect it so we are able to examine the mechanisms and machinery that allows the human ego to survive and in many cases to thrive in the midst of our ignorance regarding its karmic workings. Fully understanding HOW the ego works is the 1st step to undoing it. Hawkins understands this! He imparts a knowledge and insight that I find both refreshing and enlightening in the classics of spiritual teachings. For instance, he makes the very important distinction between crushing and killing the ego often emphasized in Eastern teachings and replaces this jargon with simply gently withdrawing attention from the ego and surrendering its function (ie thinking and mentations) to one's Higher Power thus depriving it of sustenance until it eventually starves from inattention. This is the ultimate diet! It is the true meaning of austerities and tapas. Once we no longer longer give the ego power, it ceases to exist. Thus the endless battle between the lower and higher natures is avoided, and the duality trap consisting of power struggles is circumvented. Endless battling with an ego, which has no inherent, independent existence in Reality, actually often gives rise to a new "spiritual ego" and perpetuates the individual being bound to the wheel of karma. Although the ego can be very clever, it is also very stupid as Hawkins points out! Hawkins also outlines and delineates the spiritual path we all must tread eventually, if we are ever to reach the final goal of enlightenment. In the end, as he mentions, the final step is taken by the Holy Spirit through an Act of Grace. This is the moment when the ego implodes or evaporates into emptiness like the candle flame that is extinguished. This is the actual meaning of the word,"nirvana". Hawkins writes from the perspective of a Western gnani yoga master and understands the strengths and weaknesses of language. Truth can NOT be languaged as it is beyond mind, beyond the linear. In some mysterious, matter-of-fact way, Hawkins is able to discuss enlightenment and spirituality not so much in religious jargon, but in a psychospiritual analytic manner that imprints one's consciousness with the Truth, both using and bypassing the rational, linear human intellect and thereby penetrating to the depths of one's own Soul. He calls it a "carrier wave". Indeed, I call it the Power of the Holy Spirit or Grace.
I consider these 3 volumes and particularly this final chapter in of his Trilogy, perhaps some of the most transformational spiritual writings I have come across. Although they are exceptionally suited to students of Advaita and the path of nonduality, they can be appreciated by most sincere Truth students across the spectrum because of Hawkins unique perspective of presenting Truth uncloaked in mysticism and pseudoreligious pretentionous or head trips. This is naked Truth, spoken in a language as familiar to the Soul or Self as to mind. It calls us within, back Home, to the Truth that we have always been and are in Reality and Essence. Welcome Home! And thank you, David Hawkins, for the Gift of Remembrance through the Grace of the Holy Spirit. "Gate, Gate, Paragate, Parasamgate, Bodhi Svaha."

Such a worthwhile book!

I have a B.A. in religion. I spent those four years trying to understand how the world's religions related to one another.

Like many of my classmates I arrived thinking that those who weren't Christian were going to have some trouble later on. Shortly therafter, I began to find this to be a troubling concept.

So I studied eastern and western theology for awhile. I felt like there was a lot of truth in both, but the paradigms are so different it was hard to draw any conclusions.

'Power vs. Force' was very exciting to me because suddenly I could contextualize all of these practices. Within all of these magnificent religions, the full spectrum of humanity exists! I found myself less angry about about mu

'Eye of the I' was a lot like reading stereo instructions at first but it became more accessable to me as I went on.

'I' was the most rewarding of the three for me. For me it put to bed the issues I was having trying to understand how the worlds religions related to one another.

This triology is not for everyone. Not at all. But, if you consider yourself a 'spiritual seeker' or something similar to it, I would suggest you go for it. This is not to be missed.

I am the author of "The Holy Order of Water," and other writings. And, am a life long seeker of truth and knowledge. Besides traveling the globe and meeting profound teachers, I have also deeply explored the "inner" journey.

On this basis, I feel that anyone who takes the time to read "I" will learn something useful. In fact, this is a book that you can read over and over again during different stages of your personal evolution, and see and learn new things about yourself and the world without and within you.

For instance, on page 89, Hawkins tells us, "Because of the rarity of the enlightened state, each religion then presumed that its originator and founder was 'the only one'....In addition to these difficulties, the ego/mind is unable to discern truth from falsehood and thereby has no absolute means to confirm the authentic from the false. To add to the difficulty, not only was the state of enlightenment extremely rare, but when it did occur, the majority who experienced it disappeared from society or, if they did not, their enlgihtened state was not recognized or comprehended."

Besides "enlightenment," Hawkins also explores issues such as "fear," and how it creates illness. Fear is also something that the media and people in certain positions use to manipulate and "cash in" on those who cannot "see" through slanted information containing selfish intent.

When it comes to our reality, we learn that, "The Unmanifest is not subject to the laws of the Manifest. On the contrary, the Manifest unfolds according to the infinite potential of the Unmanifest, which one might call the Laws of Creation." This truth is so obvious - that it is often overlooked by the ego/hubris of many scientists and leaders. This entire reaity is the manifestation of a universal intelligence. An intelligence that has given birth to each one of us.

In the final analysis, each one of us is ultimately responsible for the evolution of our own soul. This book is a helpful guide for those seeking a higher level of consciousness, and perhaps willing to make the sacrifice of helping life on Earth in the process.

Before even attempting this book, first read the first two in the series... "Power vs. Force", and "The Eye of I"- otherwise you may feel lost in a sea of double speak. Once you've read the first two books, you begin to realize that much of it seems like double speak simply because it's attempting to describe the undescribeable, like writing a book about the color red to a blind person. There are only so many adjectives in the English language for describing the transcendant state the Dr. Hawkins and a few others have been fortunate enough to experience.

I really enjoyed "Power vs. Force" and got tremendous insight from "The Eye of I". This book seems like you're being served the seventh course in a huge meal. I'm just not sure the average person can digest this much unvarnished truth. The material rates a "5" but I gave the book a "4" since most people probably will find it tough plowing. If you are one of those few unwavering types that wants to get to the core of what life/existence/consciousness is all about, then this is an expansion on "The Eye of I" with more material and a huge Q & A section that covers all kinds of topics with in depth explanations. If you are a skeptic, then you will most likely be skeptical.

At this level of teaching, it feels like one is climbing above the tree line and the air is getting thin -- it's beautiful but difficult, and not for everyone. I would recommed "I" for the true seeker who feels they are ready to accept the universe of its terms. I've come across the term "ripen" in some of the reading as a pre-condition for enlightenment, and books like this probably do well to help people prepare for the possibility of that experience. It won't get you there by reading it but it will definitely further you down the path.

This book is one of the most amazing books I have read and suports Dr Hawkin's other books. I don't understand how anyone could read and like his first two books and not love this one, unless they have some sort of political ax to grinde or position to promote. If you have been on a spiritual journey that has lead you to let go of old beliefs and reach outside of your existing box, you will recognise your path within Dr Hawkin's books. God bless you and may you continue your journey.

Simply one of *the most important and profound* spiritual books I have ever read. I was impressed by "Power vs Force" and amazed by "The Eye of the I" but "I: Reality and Subjectivity," the third in the series, was beyond all my expectations. If you are ready, a great teacher is here. This is THE REAL DEAL!" Bravo Dr. Hawkins.