Both my left-brain, logical, "prove-it-to-me" mind and my right-brain, intuitive "feelsright-to-me" mind were stimulated and excited by the possibilities raised in Dr. Hawkins' seminal work on human consciousness.

Initially, Power vs. Force seemed easily digestible, giving me hope and direction that was both inspiring and practical. As a seeker of inner peace, I was delighted with Dr. Hawkins's simple and profound key to experiencing joy in every moment: "Act with constant and universal forgiveness and gentleness, without exception ... be compassionate toward everything, including one's own self and thoughts." Then the author turns to proving this statement-and this is where the book became challenging for me. He presents kinesiology as the "reliable, accurate, objectively verifiable yardstick" for measuring the truth. I've never been a fan of kinesiology, so Hawkins had to work to convince me. Armed with 20 years of research, involving literally millions of calibrations on thousands of random subjects,he got my attention. He fed my left brain with the kind of information it likes: results that were universally consistent- indeed, identical-with the kind of replicability that we crave in our networking businesses. My right brain liked it, too, because his results made sense to me.

"Power," says Hawkins, is aligned with the universal force of goodness and love; it energizes and supports us, individually and collectively. "Force," on the other hand, drains life energy; it is associated with judgment-about others as well as self. It is divisive, rather than unifying. "Failure, suffering, and eventual sickness result from the influence of weak [negative] patterns; success, happiness and health proceed from powerful attractor patterns." Thank goodness the networking profession is one in which our success depends upon embodying powerful attractors. Thus, it would be to our benefit to choose attraction instead of seduction, confidence over arrogance, truthfulness rather than deception, education above persuasion, respect over demand, and service above ambition.

Power vs. Force can be read as a personal, social guide to inner peace, a practical guide to success, or as a world historical perspective and guide to the future of humanity. It can be studied seriously for its research-based implications, or skimmed and enjoyed for its spiritual illuminations. In either case, this is one of those rare books whose principles have the potential to create greater personal success in our businesses and our lives while making the world a better place in which to live.

I came to reading this book in a most peculiar way. I bought a book for my daughter's 10th birthday titled "Why Some Cats Are Rascals". I did it because of the appealing cover, but my daughter was so impressed with the story that I had to read it too. I also liked it and I went to Amazon to write my review to encourage every responsible mother to buy it too. Why reading other reviews of the book I learned that the author of this children's story was inspired by "Power vs. Force". This made me by THIS book. -- I am so glad I did it. It is the best book of this kind I have ever read. Very enlightening and... POWERFUL. No wonder it can inspire other authors. Bless you, Mr. Hawkins!

David Hawkin's books are an amazing series, though they are not for the faint of heart... one must be prepared to have egocentric belief systems and positionalities challenged and to give them up. The first book focuses on the process itself and how to apply it to mainly everyday situations that one would encounter during life. I found that the first 2 chapters or so contained quite a bit of complicated information that should perhaps be skipped by the beginner or ignored and returned too later on. I found starting on chapter 3 to be the best option then reading the first two after I had read the other 2 books and come back to reread the first.

This is a series that you should own and read all 3 parts of... then come back and reread book 1, and you will be amazed how much more the information "sinks in" and makes sense... for me it was easier to start reading with book 3 then go back and read book 1 and 2, but everybody takes the information a bit differently. For me having already an open mind from such books as the "conversations with god" series this was a natural next step and came easier for me then it will for some.

These books are for those serious about persuing the ultimate path, the path of enlightenment, as well as those who simply want to eliminate negativity from their lives and live with a greater sense of peace. Book 1 goes into detail about what to do to achieve these things, book 2 and 3 are more about HOW to do it.. you will want to get all 3 and read them over at least twice.

Kinesiology is obviously ground shattering by itself (excellently presented by Dr. Hawkins by the way) but it's simple application in muscle testing is just the tip of the iceberg. The theories behind it are testaments to the grandeur of the individual human being. It presents the vehicle the actual scientific proof for the fact that every human being has direct access to all of the knowledge of the universe. The response to this is to either feel uplifted or threatened. By simply reading the book reviews of others it can be seen that some people do feel very personally attacked because the theologies that they identify with are being questioned. If your on a sinking ship either drowned of jump. To me the mindset and provings within this book go hand and hand with some of the truths I have read stated in the power of now, the teachings from dianetics, buhdist teachings, and the genral spiritual philosophy of unity behind the new age movement. Excellent book to expand your mind and perception of reality no matter what your beliefs are.

I am mystified as to why so many otherwise intelligent people are so enamored of these books by David Hawkins! Many erudite and wordy tributes have been written, but I am dismayed to find that readers are falling for Hawkins' holier-than-thou approach to spirituality. Perhaps his attachment to the halls of academia is largely responsible for his grandiose method of presenting his arguments.

Dr. Hawkins might want to revisit some basic principles of spirituality and take a closer look at the competitive aspects of his numerical interpretations regarding the levels of human conciousness. Attaining "cosmic truth" or spiritual growth is not an Olympic event. An individual can actively participate through study, but "enlightenment" is granted, not achieved.

This book lacks compassion and so it is also lacks insight. Hawkins' attempt to quantify anything and everything suggests that this book will most likely appeal to people who believe in Multi-Level marketing or the Tooth Fairy. The "Calibrated Levels of Truth" for each chapter are uncomfortably close to the 1000, or avatar level. Hawkins is sincere, but has become overly focused finding ways to market his particular spin on truth and spirituality.