Yesterday, a friend told me they don’t know how to love. They shared that they’ve never felt love for anyone and have never felt truly loved others, and this has left them with loneliness, anxiety, and suffering. They asked me for help.
As we talked, I shared an idea that has helped me: there are two types of love. The first is love with a small “l”, which depends on whether the person or thing we love meets our expectations. This is conditional love—it comes and goes based on circumstances. Then there’s Love with a capital “L”, which is God’s Love. This Love is perfect and unconditional. It doesn’t need anything to be a certain way; it Loves all things exactly as they are.
When my friend shared their struggles, I realized, “I’m no stranger to this; I feel this too.” Maybe most of us do.
This brings up the work of Dr. David R. Hawkins, who created the Map of Consciousness, which is the image on this post. This framework helps us understand human awareness, behavior, and spiritual growth. It’s based on a scale from 1 to 1,000, where higher levels reflect greater truth, love, and alignment with the divine.
The scale has two key categories:
Below 200: Negative emotions like fear, anger, and pride dominate. These levels are destructive and ego-driven.
200 and above: Constructive levels where courage, acceptance, and love begin to flourish.
Dr. Hawkins distinguishes between conditional love and unconditional Love on this scale. Conditional love—”love with a small ‘i’”—exists below 500, while unconditional Love begins at 500 (“Inner-Love” on this chart). At this level, love is pure, selfless, and unwavering.
What’s fascinating is how rare this is. Dr. Hawkins found that only about 0.4% of the global population operates at 500 (Love) or higher. Most people live below 200, where fear and pride dominate. 200 is the turning point between harmful and helpful ways of living.
Reaching 500 requires deep spiritual work and personal growth. Those who achieve it embody kindness, inner peace, and unconditional Love, inspiring others to do the same.
Interestingly enough, 0.4% of the current world population, which is approximately 8,200,000,000 is about 33,000,000 people who are experiencing life from the “Presence” of unconditional Love and beyond. If you know that you are one of these, please share below
Thank you for reading. In the next article I share, I’ll explain how I work with thoughts, emotions, and sensations that fall below the level of unconditional Love and especially below the level of 200 according to Dr. Hawkin’s chart.
If you have any insights, questions, or reflections, I’d love to hear them. If you Know with a capital “K” that you are above 500 on this chart, please Enlighten us with your Love
Lots of Love, with a capital “L”
Bodhi
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