Rating:  Summary: Those who seek find Review: 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.
Rating:  Summary: In search of truth Review: I have been told that it's good to listen to those who are searching for truth and to avoid those who have found it. In the case of this book and its predecessor "The EYE of the I", I would say that these are a good example of such a saying. I read Power VS force, and enjoyed the thoughts it provoked. I love the effect of provocative literature as it expands my awareness, and widens the view of my subjective conscious world. The more convinced the author is of the matter at hand the better I like it. Although there are several yellow sticky flags poking out from the page edges of both "Eye" and "I", which will draw me again to a particular thoughtful point, my impression after reading these books is that Mr. Hawkins would rather not have been born a human. Do you remember how the Data character of Star trek and the Andrew character of The Millennium Man were an "android that would be man"? Then you will understand what I mean when I say that this author is a "man that would be android". It bothers me that he has something so strongly against being human. This makes me doubt his agenda toward me as a human. It also bothers me that he so completely surrenders his analytical abilities to an unseen entity. God's TRUTH, as read through the muscle spasms of only the most innocent among us--Ask a question, push against someone's outstretched arm, get the truth! I don't know about you, but this... making me doubt my own decision-making ability bothers me a whole lot. If Kinesiology becomes the next religion, I hope I'm not around when it happens. These unseen forces, if they're mostly malevolent, will have a field day tricking us with half-truths just as other religions do. Pass these two up, but enjoy Power VS Force as the real gem of this trilogy.
Rating:  Summary: Definitely not for everyone! Review: I have read 'Power vs. Force', 'The Eye of the I' and am currently on my third read of 'I'. This book is defiitely not for everyone. If you are looking for a feel good book on sprituality, go buy something else. This book is about the truth and the highest form of it. This book is about advancing your consciousness and ripping down walls built around our fragile egos. This book is about transcending your ego. This book is about enlightenment, not what most people imagine enlightenment to be. This book is not about how to attain the unbelievable, never-ending bliss state. This book is about realizing the truth of who you really are, not who you think yourself to be. I believe Dr. Hawkins to be a very highly evolved teacher and learned a lot about what I was really looking for in my life. I was looking to find myself and the extent of who I am. This book helped me a great deal. Most of the book is a question and answer format divided into major sections such as the ego, the mind, karma, transcendence, etc. There is some background about Dr. Hawkins experiences and views. I can't reccommend this book highly enough, but would probably only be interesting and applicable to advanced spiritual seekers or others looking to break down their preconceived notions of life and enlightenment.
Rating:  Summary: Be Your Own Guru Review: I love the fact that the reviews for this book are so extreme: in the 19 previous reviews it has garnered either 5 or 1 star(s) - nothing in between. I also think it's very interesting that the reviewers that have panned this book tend to be people who are fans of the previous two books in the trilogy. (Something people who gush about this book should acknowledge and perhaps take a moment to absorb.)
Yes, I'm a huge fan of Hawkins work, and have been greatly influenced by it. And yes, I also have some issues with his work. (Especially, when he makes statements that so obviously express a neo-conservative positionality, whose biased content are only surpassed in shock-value by how clearly they stand in stark relief to everything else contained in his work.)
Nevertheless, I think the 'real' problem lies not in this book, but how desperate people are to replace one dogma with another. And, unfortunately, this tends to hold true within the 'spiritual/truth seeker' and 'personal development' communities, as much as it does with the traditional religions and scientific communities. Everyone appears to be searching for some Absolute - no matter what the protest to the contrary. (Left or right wing, theistic or atheist/agnostic, religious or secular, corporate or not-for-profit, etc, etc...)
Let's not expect Hawkins to be perfect - he's not! And although his written work is MUCH less riddled with errors, inconsistencies, and contradictions than one finds in his audio/video library and in-person appearances, it's not perfect either (contrary to whatever 'conclusive' calibration is splashed across the cover).
If you have read and studied the first and second books in this series ('Power vs. Force', and 'Eye of the I'), and don't have a problem with the 'fact' that (among other things): the calibration of the kinesiological test itself is 'only' 600 (not 1000); no other 'spiritual' or religious text or document that we know of calibrates at the level of 'absolute truth'; Mohammed - as well as other prophets, sages, and gurus - can attain consciousness levels into the six and seven hundreds and then drop to below 200; and that what is 'true' on one level of consciousness is not true - or even relevant - at another. Then you shouldn't have any problem accepting that this book - however incredible and brilliant and important - is written by a 'spirit-incarnate' (human being) and is therefore subject to the same limitations of all things human - it's not perfect!
Which I actually believe to be a 'good thing'. It helps to keep us from deifying the messenger (well, at least some of us). And hopefully encourages us to take responsibility for our own 'radically subjective experience of reality' -- which, by definition of 'radical subjectivity', is not suppose to correspond exactly to anyone else's.
Don't buy your dogmas ready-made off the shelf. AND don't throw the baby out with the bath water. This book is both incredible and amazing, with a few (luckily, very few) deeply troubling passages.
This is a wonderful book for the SERIOUS spiritual seeker. (Not a substitute for owning your spiritual quest and unique path to enlightenment.)
Rating:  Summary: Clarity Review: 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.
Rating:  Summary: Stunning clarity Review: 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.)
Rating:  Summary: Hawkins books are there for you when you are ready Review: 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.
Rating:  Summary: Stunning Review: 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.
Rating:  Summary: Stunning Review: 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.
Rating:  Summary: Quite profound Review: 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.
|