With my larger packs, I lower it onto my hips. But if the pack is shorter than my spine, I find it is more comfortable to have it high, with a higher center of gravity.
AFAIK, for load handling, the pack should have a rigid support which connects to the waist belt. The waist belt should sit on (and be secured around) your hips and it is the waist belt that should transfer the weight from the pack to you. It should go: #1 pack transfers load to pack frame, #2 frame transfer load to hip belt, #3 hip belt transfers weight to your hips.
If you don't have such a support, or such a hip belt, you probably want to stick with lighter loads, lest your spine does the lifting instead of your legs...
Check the McHale pack
'Critical Mass' hip belt for an example of how a good hip belt can transfer the load to your hips. You can see how that critter just sets the load right on your hips...
-john
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