Have you ever sat in a park and watched people passing you by? Or felt moved when watching Wall-E, a robot, care so deeply about the universe, despite never saying a word?
Perhaps you’ve just observed a baby, whether your own or someone else’s, and it got you wondering, “Was this me once?” or “How did I become… me?”
These questions aren’t random. They’re signs of your self-awareness expanding—that you’re ascending through different levels of consciousness.
“We climb through these levels as we go through life,” explains Vishen, the founder and CEO of Mindvalley. “But the beautiful thing about these levels is that each is like an awakening.”
And with every awakening, the world doesn’t just look different—you become different. More aware. More in tune. More you.
What are the levels of consciousness?
The levels of consciousness are different ways you experience and understand life, from survival-based thinking to feeling deeply aware and connected. Think of it this way: if your mind’s an operating system, then the different states of awareness are the hardware that determines how much “data” (information) from life you can actually process.
According to Vishen, all human beings exist in four different levels of consciousness: Victim, Manifester, Channeler, and Being. “These stages represent a relationship with the world around us,” he explains in his Mindvalley program, Be Extraordinary.
What is consciousness? And why does it matter?
At its core, consciousness is awareness.
Dr. David Hawkins, Ph.D., the author of Power vs. Force, defines consciousness as “the capacity for awareness and the ability to experience.” In other words, it’s a measure of how deeply you perceive and engage with life.
The thing is, most people assume consciousness is binary: you’re either awake (“on”) or unconscious (“off). But the truth is, it’s far more complex than that. And each level of consciousness represents a frequency that influences how you see the world.
Some people are running on an outdated dial-up modem, stuck in loops of fear and limitation. “Sadly, the vast majority of human beings exist at level one or what I call the victim stage,” Dr. Hawkins adds. “When you exist at level one, you believe that life happens to you.”
Then, there are others upgraded to fiber-optic speed; they see reality with clarity, intuition, and deep awareness. But make no mistake: their experience doesn’t boil down to privilege.
After all, every human being has access to all levels of consciousness. They simply are more aware of themselves enough to make choices that optimize their circumstances.
Ultimately, how fast you evolve and attain higher consciousness boils down to self-awareness. The more you recognize your own thought patterns, emotional responses, and limiting beliefs, the faster you move through these levels.
As Dr. Joe Dispenza, a mindfulness expert, neuroscientist, and the author of Becoming Supernatural, puts it: “Reality is not one continuous and consistent stream, but is instead, a field of infinite possibilities over which we can exert enormous influence.” But that is only “if we tune into the proper levels of mind.”
How different traditions and sciences view consciousness
From shamans to philosophers, so many people have been debating what consciousness actually is for centuries. Some see it as pure awareness, others as a deep well of hidden thoughts, and some believe it’s an energy that connects us all.
Whichever angle you take, the common floor remains: consciousness isn’t static. In fact, it evolves, just like the cells in your body and everything else in life.
We change the world not by what we say or do, but as a consequence of what we have become.
— Dr. David Hawkins, Ph.D., author of Power vs. Force
In psychology
1. Sigmund Freud’s iceberg: The mind you don’t see controls you
Sigmund Freud, the godfather of psychoanalysis, saw consciousness as just the tip of the iceberg. According to him, there are three levels to it:
- Consciousness: your waking moments,
- Preconsciousness: the “mental storage” where all your memories are, ready to be recalled), and
- Unconsciousness the deeper level where your habits, fears, and instincts reside.
Freud discovered that most people go through life reacting to unconscious patterns, stuck in habits they don’t fully understand. Science has since proven that this boils down to the fact that the subconscious mind runs the show 95% of the time. Why? Well, our brain activities—which rule our decisions, emotions, and behavior—are unconscious.
And that’s exactly why self-awareness is the first step to freedom; it’s how you wean off concepts that don’t serve you. In Vishen’s words, “Your beliefs are not you; rather, your beliefs possess you.”
2. Carl Jung’s library: The mind that remembers everything
As Freud’s protégé (and occasional rival), Jung took things deeper by introducing the idea of the collective unconscious, a.k.a. the vast, shared library of human experiences.
Think of it like a mental blueprint passed down through generations. It’s why people across different cultures instinctively recognize themes like the hero, the wise old man, or the nurturing mother, even if they’ve never been taught about them.
To Jung, the individual human consciousness (like yours) is far bigger than personal awareness—it’s actually a bridge to universal wisdom. He believed that accessing the deeper layers of your mind allows you to break free from societal conditioning, tap into higher intelligence, and awaken to your true self.
Hence his iconic saying: “Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.”
His life’s work and teachings—which incorporate intuition training and other methods on how to reprogram your subconscious mind—have since laid the foundation for both modern psychology and spirituality.
The neuroscience of spiritual transcendence
Believe it or not, your brain is built to experience spiritual transcendence, or the experience of connecting to something far bigger than yourself (in other words, leveling up your consciousness).
Every time you expand your awareness, your brain incredibly adapts, reorganizes, and fine-tunes itself to support that shift—in these three ways:
- Your brain’s neutral pathways get stronger the more you tap into higher states of consciousness. Meditation, for example, builds connections linked to self-awareness and emotional balance, making elevated states easier to access.
- Your prefrontal cortex gets a boost. This part of the brain, responsible for higher reasoning and self-reflection, becomes more active, sharpening intuition and deepening your sense of purpose.
- Your default mode network (DMN) slows down. This network, tied to self-focused thoughts, quiets during deep meditative states. And when it does, there’s more space for clarity, intuitive insights, and an undeniable feeling of oneness with the world.
It’s clear: the more you engage in this state, the easier it becomes And before you know it, what once felt like a fleeting moment of transcendence starts to feel like your new normal.
Ancient traditions: Consciousness beyond the mind
The sciences of consciousness, as we know it today, see human awareness as a mental blueprint to solve. Thought, memory, and the unconscious all have their place in this framework.
But long before science attempted to define it, ancient spiritual traditions had already been exploring consciousness from a different angle. Instead of breaking it down, they sought to expand it.
Here’s how different groups describe the evolution of consciousness:
- Hinduism describes turiya, the highest state of pure consciousness beyond waking, dreaming, and deep sleep. It’s ultimate awareness that emerges the moment the self dissolves into the infinite.
- Buddhism teaches that consciousness is ever-changing, and true liberation isn’t about controlling it but observing it. Translation? Let go of attachment to thoughts, identity, and even time itself.
- Taoism likens consciousness to an effortlessly flowing river. The less you resist and the more you align with the natural rhythm of life, the more your awareness expands.
- Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) frame consciousness as a journey of spiritual transcendence. Awareness deepens through prayer, reflection, and surrender to the divine. Much like ascending the levels of consciousness, this path moves from a self-centered view to a state of wisdom, love, and service—until identity expands beyond the self.
- Mayan cosmology viewed consciousness as an evolving force tied to cosmic cycles. Their sacred calendar, the Tzolk’in, mapped time as a spiritual journey, with each person moving through different energetic phases that shaped awareness and destiny.
So, unlike psychology and neuroscience, which focus on breaking down the mind’s inner workings, spiritual traditions focus on transcending the mental space altogether.
But despite their differences, all can agree on one thing: everyone has consciousness and it’s something you can grow.
How many levels of consciousness are there?
Consciousness exists on a spectrum, shifting and evolving as you grow. But exactly how many levels are there?
Dr. Hawkins offers a compelling answer with his Map of Consciousness, a scale measuring human awareness based on energy frequencies. According to him, every emotional and mental states resonate at a specific vibrational frequency. Lower states keep you stuck in suffering, while higher states elevate you toward enlightenment.
As he wrote in Power vs. Force, “We change the world not by what we say or do, but as a consequence of what we have become.”
Dr. David Hawkins’ map of consciousness levels
Here’s how the good scholar sees the spectrum of awareness, mapped onto a scale:
| Level | Frequency (Hz) | State of being |
| Shame | 20 | Self-loathing, despair, feeling worthless |
| Guilt | 30 | Blame, remorse, and self-punishment |
| Apathy | 50 | Helplessness, numbness, and meaninglessness |
| Grief | 75 | Deep sadness, mourning, and emotional loss |
| Fear | 100 | Anxiety, worry, and survival-driven thinking |
| Desire | 125 | Restless craving in the form of ambition or attachment |
| Anger | 150 | Frustration, resentment, and rebellion |
| Pride | 175 | Confidence without humility, defensiveness, and rigidity |
| Courage | 200 | The first major shift from the lower states, in the form of embracing change, taking responsibility |
| Neutrality | 250 | Emotional balance, adaptability, and resilience |
| Willingness | 310 | Proactive, open to learning and self-growth |
| Acceptance | 350 | The start of self-empowerment, often with the realization that reality is shaped by one’s beliefs |
| Reason | 400 | Deep understanding, logic, and problem-solving |
| Love | 500 | Unconditional kindness, connection, and compassion |
| Joy | 540 | Bliss, gratitude, and inner serenity |
| Peace | 600 | Where ego dissolves, and inner and outer realities harmonize |
| Enlightenment | 700 and beyond | Pure awareness beyond thought, the highest state |
Dr. David’s research suggests that most people operate below 200 Hz, caught in cycles of fear, pride, or anger. But once you start vibrating higher, everything expands—your perception, your energy, your entire reality. At 200 Hz and beyond, life stops feeling like a series of reactions and starts feeling like something you’re actively creating.
Vishen’s program, for one, is built on this exact principle to help you break free from old patterns and step into full self-autonomy. “When you raise your consciousness, the world stops happening to you,” he explains. “You start happening to the world.”
Different levels of consciousness explained
Now that you know consciousness isn’t just “on” or “off.” Still, you may have questions, like:
- What do these levels actually look like?
- What does it mean to move from one to the next?
Some see it as a journey of spiritual awakening, revealing deeper layers of reality. Others break it down into a hierarchy of thought and emotion, shaping how we experience life. Then there’s the practical approach that helps you actively level up and take control of your reality.
The following three influential models address these differences. Each offers a unique way to understand and expand your consciousness.
1. The seven spiritual levels of consciousness
Throughout history, mystics and spiritual traditions have described consciousness as a gradual ascent from ego-driven existence to divine awareness.
While different traditions frame it in their own way, the seven spiritual levels of consciousness are commonly referenced as a universal roadmap for inner transformation.
Here’s a breakdown:
- Waking consciousness. Where most people live, reacting to thoughts, emotions, and external reality without questioning the deeper nature of existence.
- The subconscious state. The realm of dreams during deep sleep, intuition, and the subconscious mind. It’s where your deeper instincts, suppressed thoughts, and hidden patterns reside.
- The “witness” state. Or the beginning of self-awareness. Here, you start observing your thoughts and emotions rather than being consumed by them.
- Intuitive consciousness. A shift from rational thinking to deeper knowing. This is where synchronicities, gut feelings, and a heightened sense of connection begin to emerge.
- Creative consciousness. Here, the mind and soul work in harmony. You operate with purpose, inspiration, and a sense of effortless alignment.
- Unity consciousness. The state of deep love and interconnectedness. The personal “I” softens, and you feel an unbreakable connection to others and the universe.
- Transcendent consciousness. The highest state of awareness, where you experience enlightenment. Here, thought, identity, and time dissolve. What remains is pure presence, an unshakable connection to the infinite, free from the limitations of the mind.
The higher you go along the scale, the more life moves from “struggle mode” to “flow state.”
2. Sigmund Freud’s levels of consciousness
Remember the three levels of consciousness that Freud proposed? Below is a closer look at what happens in each stage:
- The conscious mind: where thoughts, decisions, and sensory experiences happen. It’s the part of you that chooses what to eat for lunch or decides whether to hit snooze on your alarm.
- The preconscious mind. A storage space for memories and knowledge, ready to surface when needed. Like when an old song suddenly reminds you of a long-forgotten moment.
- The unconscious mind. The hidden vault of fears, desires, and instincts shaping your emotions and actions without you realizing it. This is where deep-seated patterns live, like childhood beliefs about money or love that still influence you today.
While the seven spiritual levels of consciousness are all about expanding beyond the self, Freud’s model is more like a backstage pass to your own mind—it shows you why you think, feel, and act the way you do.
This three-part breakdown is a game-changer for therapy, self-reflection, and rewiring old beliefs. Because once you spot the outdated stories running in the background, you can finally hit ‘edit’ on that negative self-talk.
3. Vishen’s four levels of consciousness
“When you raise your consciousness, the world stops happening to you,” Vishen explains. “You start happening to the world.”
According to him, all humans operate on four levels of consciousness. “At each of these levels, you react to the world and therefore shape the world in a different way,” he describes.
Explore his levels of consciousness chart below:
- The “victim” stage. “When you exist at level one, you believe that life happens to you,” Vishen points out. This is where you feel powerless, stuck in blame, and trapped by circumstances.
- The “creator” stage. Chalk it up to the creative juices taking over your veins, if you will. But here is where you begin realizing you can shape your own life. Instead of reacting, you start taking control through goal-setting, manifesting, and any activity that helps you direct your energy toward what you want.
- The “oneness” stage. At this level, your ego steps aside, allowing you to tap into something greater than yourself. Your intuition strengthens, synchronicities increase, and you start feeling deeply connected to the world around you.
- The “extraordinary” stage. “This is where you become a servant to a higher calling,” Vishen explains, adding that impact and purpose are the end goals of your existence. It’s the OG level where your actions contribute to humanity’s evolution.
The real question isn’t just which level you’re on—it’s whether you’re willing to climb higher. Because once you realize you’re not just a passenger in life but the one behind the wheel, there’s no going back.
How to raise your levels of consciousness
Your awareness of life and everything you experience is meant to evolve. So it’s obvious: you have a say in how far you take it.
But how do you actually raise your consciousness, move beyond survival mode, and start operating at your highest potential?
Turns out, you don’t have to wait for some mystical “aha” moment to land on your lap. It starts with setting the stage now, today, to function more consciously, consistently, and deliberately.
And the good news is, Vishen’s got three powerful ways to make it happen.
1. Train your mind with meditation
“The fastest way to elevate your consciousness is to still your mind,” Vishen says on the power of meditation. “When you quiet the noise, you start to hear something else—your own higher awareness.”
Turns out, meditation gets you out of overthinking and into a place of clarity, intuition, and creativity. And when it does, that’s how you know that your brain has moved from beta waves (the frequency of awakeness, active thinking, and stress) to alpha (relaxation and creativity) and theta waves (deep intuition). These two brain states are why even a short, entry-level session can make you relaxed yet mentally alert.
The more you meditate, the more you train yourself to operate from a higher level of being. And when that happens, life starts to move in ways that feel almost effortless.
— Vishen, founder and CEO of Mindvalley, and trainer of the Be Extraordinary program
But what if you’ve never, ever meditated? Don’t worry, just start here:
- Focus on mindful breathing. Pay attention to each inhale and exhale. When your mind wanders (which it will), just gently bring it back.
- Visualize yourself already “zen.” Close your eyes and imagine yourself somewhere peaceful—a quiet beach, a sunlit forest, or even a cozy room. Feel the warmth of the sun, hear the rustling leaves, or sense the stillness. Let your mind fully sink into the experience.
- Don’t focus inwards (yep, contrary to popular belief). Instead, shift your attention to the space around you. Notice the sounds, the air, the energy. This helps you tap into a broader sense of consciousness.
No need to overthink it. Just start, and let the practice build itself.
“The more you meditate, the more you train yourself to operate from a higher level of being,” says Vishen. “And when that happens, life starts to move in ways that feel almost effortless.”
2. Make gratitude your go-to frequency
It’s easy to think of higher consciousness as some out-there mystical state. But it starts with something much simpler: a deep understanding of your emotions.
“Most people don’t realize that emotions have frequencies,” Vishen explains. “Gratitude, joy, love—these are high-frequency emotions. The more you feel them, the more you pull yourself into higher states of consciousness.”
And he’s right. The science of cardiac coherence, for one, shows that gratitude and compassion can optimize your heart’s rhythm to sync with your brain, improve intuition, and even enhance problem-solving. So, if you think about it, there’s no greater act of self-love than to love your heart with all the good, high-frequency feels.
What’s more, you can make this a norm, with:
- Gratitude journaling. Every morning, write down three things you’re grateful for. It rewires your brain to focus on abundance, not lack.
- Loving-kindness meditation. Send compassion to yourself and others. The more love you radiate, the more you’ll experience it within.
- Regular self-checks. Awareness is the fuel for self-mastery. Remember to pause and ask yourself, “What level of consciousness am I operating from right now?”
“The fastest way to shift your reality is to shift how you feel,” Vishen says. “Because your emotions determine your vibration, and your vibration determines your reality.”
3. Commit to shifting your reality—every day
What if the version of you that already has everything you want… exists right now? The you that speaks up with confidence in meetings instead of overthinking every word? Or the you that finally launches that dream business instead of waiting for the “perfect” moment?
Vishen teaches this as a way to step into higher consciousness. “When you stop seeing yourself as fixed and start seeing yourself as energy, you realize you can change more than you think,” he says in his program.
With this mindset, you’re on your way to shifting into the version of reality where you’re already thriving (the very principle of quantum jumping). Here’s how to tighten the practice:
- Get clear on who you want to be. Confident? Successful? At peace? Define what this version of you looks like, down to their habits, mindset, and daily choices.
- Turn emotional pain into fuel. If doubt, fear, or old wounds surface during visualization, don’t push them away. Instead, work with them. Be open to quantum healing—that is, transmuting those emotional blockages into power. They’re not at all “stop signs,” but rather, signals that you’re ready to let go and start thriving.
- Imagine the version of you that has all you want. What does this version of you think, say, or do? Close your eyes and visualize the traits. Then, using Vishen’s merge technique: align your energy with the future “you” and embody their traits as if you’re already that person.
- Make choices from that embodied place. Every decision is a step into a new reality. In the face of both milestones and challenges, don’t forget to ask yourself, “What would this version of me do?” Then do it.
It might sound wild, but the thing is, your mind’s always shifting between different states all the time, anyway. And realizing this just puts you in control of the process, instead of letting the process control you.
Expand your consciousness
Every thought you shift, every belief you rewire, every new state you enter moves you closer to the extraordinary version of your life. The only question is: How far up the levels of consciousness are you willing to go to get there?
“When you understand how consciousness works, you stop living as a product of your past,” Vishen points out. “You start living as a creator of your future.”
And that’s exactly what you’ll begin to do when you sign up for his free Be Extraordinary masterclass on Mindvalley. Here, he reveals the blueprint for:
- Breaking through those limiting beliefs that have been holding you back
- Tapping into your intuition to unlock higher levels of awareness
- Stepping into altered states of consciousness using meditation, visualization, and quantum techniques
- Mastering creative consciousness to shift your energy and manifest your ideal reality
- And more.
For Mindvalley member Dustin Mathews, this shift was life-changing. “Before this program, I found myself in a dark place… which I would come to learn was ‘The Negative Spiral,’” he shares. But after embarking on the program, he reclaimed his happiness, gained new clarity, and found a deeper love for the present moment. “It will delightfully surprise you.”
Once you start elevating your consciousness, the way Dustin did, everything shifts. That the path to your purpose is already within you.
You just have to dare to unlock it—and walk it.
Welcome in.
