Customer Reviews

The Great Field: Soul at Play in the Conscious Universe

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The Great Field is an absorbing read. It is both a scholarly and an approachable account of the field from which we all manifest, and to which we all vitally contribute. John James's knowledge base is vast, and this is a book that must first be read from cover to cover, then 'dipped into' at regular intervals. A lovely, healing book from a modest and wise man.

I have struggled with religious views on soul because they dont feel right, they dont fit my experiences and my dreams.
John James has shown me how soul has been in my life always, how she can suffuse my life with fullness and beauty. Having read this I no longer feel there is something wrong with my spirituality, that has to be fixed so my soul can go to heaven.
There is nowhere for my soul to go to, it is already there. I only have to meet it.

The Great Field is an evolutionary story about the place of the human soul within a vast, energetic universe. Far from being new, it is a perpetual story that we already know, but one that continually evolves as consciousness changes and the human story unfolds.

Author John James, PhD, presents an absorbing investigation into a unified theory: the Great Field. He describes it as a limitless field of energy from which everything has been created and within which everything exists: "It is an information-rich cosmos without space nor time that explains how homeopathy and holographs are possible, how cells send signals to every part of the body with no lag in time, and how the heart and the brain can act as one." As a transpersonal psychotherapist (and he uses the label in its broadest sense), James' intention is to explore the power of the personal field of energy we call "soul," within this immense domain.

Like an architect, James begins by drafting a blueprint of spiritual wisdom and leading edge science, building a conceptual foundation for understanding what constitutes the Great Field. He does not argue for its existence, reminding us that "scientific experiments have [already] demonstrated that a universe of energy exists within the material world of our senses." Instead, he frames the soul and psyche within this design and examines how the consistent vibrations of the Great Field model the basis for developing internal (soul/psyche) coherence.

In the latter half of the book the author draws from twenty years of therapeutic practice to describe his experiences of working with clients within this paradigm: therapy becomes "transformation," and healing occurs in the deeper fields of vibration that form our psyche. Accepting and experiencing what lives beyond the physical senses can "help to clarify all creation and give meaning to the conflicts that so damages our species," James optimistically concludes. Equally provocative, he proposes that understanding the psyche also works in reverse--providing a basis for determining how the Universe works.

This is a visionary book that pioneers a promising wave of conscious evolution--cresting into a "cohering reality," where soul and psyche are harmoniously nested within a constant universal field. It is, as we say, an idea whose time has come. And for the conscious voyager The Great Field is a cosmic beacon, beckoning us onward to explore the boundless reaches of human potential.

Who are we? where did we come from? why are we here? the perennial questions that have haunted mankind for millennia. This isn't just another book of philosophy, psychology, religion or science. It is a fascinating amalgamation of all of them that very sensibly addresses many of the essential questions I've asked myself through the years... of life, mind, creation, and even 'soul'. The reading of it helped clarify my thinking in SO many ways. Little pieces of life's puzzle, fitted delightfully into place at last! What a comprehensive piece of work - emerging from the field of Transpersonal Psychology, no less.
As I reached the final chapters and found them on soul, I must admit to thinking "what the heck is an exposition on soul doing in here? (Maybe I should have paid more attention to the title?) But you know what? It turned out to be one of the most sensible speculations on soul I've ever read. I was just going to assure you that I'm no newcomer to books of this kind... but upon reflection, I really don't know if there IS another book of this kind! And I've read a TON of them (literally). If you have an open mind, (or at least, occasionally enjoy prying it open) don't miss this one. It's a beaut'. Throughout 'The Great Field' Mr. James attempts nothing less than a thoughtful, sprawling, masterful exploration of 'All that is' and to my mind, succeeds, brilliantly.
Upon finishing it, I read it again. It was that good. Kudos Mr. James. You've authored what may prove to be, one of my favorite works - EVER!

Well i am an avid reader of books that help humanity expedite their psychological evolution. I started off with quantum physics when i was in grade 10th and ingested most of the good stuff i could get my hands on: authors like stephen hawkings, david bohm, michio kaku, brian greene etc.

Then had the accedental encounter with NLP and then Seth stuff from jane roberts. Well this books comes in comparison with Genie in Your Genes, The Biology of Belief and The Human Antenna and all three has solid research and a lot of personal touch, which to me is heart warming when i read a book.

Dr. James's tone is of a researcher. The Great Field is great and it must be a part of the library. It has very similar information that is in the other three i mentioned but the information is not very much in a flow as those three books. So 4 stars it is :)

This is a difficult book for me to review. The author is an Australian psychologist working with transpersonal therapy and the book deals mostly with the nature of the "Great Field", therapy in relation to the Field and the nature of soul.

As regards the "Great Field", I can't find that he provides us with an exact definition of this, but it appears to be what might otherwise be termed "God" or "Brahma", or that which constitutes the Universe, or all universes.

We are all part of the Field, each have our own field, and we, and everything, are/is interonnected. There is no such thing as empty space, even in the emptiest space possible there is "an all-pervasive field or energy".

Much of the text is somewhat difficult to comprehend, mostly due to the "abstract" nature of the "matter" being discussed. (It is precisely NOT matter but energy or energetic matter that is under discussion.) However, the author states that the separation of matter and spirit is an abstraction - "The ground is always one."

There seems to be an innate contradiction in the author's contention that the higher levels of the Field are "essentially not interested in humanity's needs or moral values" and his citing of the "overwhelming power of love and compassion" that meets those having near-death experiences: He says nothing in the Field can have purpose or attitude, plan or morality. "Humanity is not uppermost in its mind, as it should be were it our concept of a loving god."

It is hard for me to encompass the author's concept of the soul which he perceives through the experiences of his clients, this differing somewhat from the usual views. "The soul is a personalized aspect of the Field ---" So far so good. "As the soul has neither an agenda nor any longing to be, either more, or less in the Field, it is completely unconcerned with its own path." This is not what I previously have understood.

This book, though challenging, is quite fascinating, especially the final chapters about the soul and therapy.

I haven't read anything quite like this before, and I strongly recommend the book to anyone interested in the subject.

This book is timeless, but never more right for our world than now. James writes a compelling, complex, argument for the nature of natural forces to be. I loved this book because it was very, very, deep, yet easy to understand. It is profound, yet simple in the same vein. I found his explanations propelling. Many of us feel that we understand spirituality and the concepts of spiritual growth, letting go, and finding our soul. The essence of life is that Holy Grail- the true meaning of life. James covers many, many aspects of this "great field." Learn about morphic fields, the Vishnu paradox, and what constitutes the great field. He correlates how energy is relevant to biology and physics, the human brain (the heart brain and cerebral brain). James discusses therapy as transformation on a much more meaningful level than you can imagine. Is in depth transformation possible without the energy of the psyche changing? I particularly liked his comments on conventional psychology in respect to time and space.
Deeper self investigation is an invaluable tool. The soul is described as the personal aspect of the great field. It is present in the womb. It is and always will be. You will be touched by the photo and story of the newborn twins. One puts his arm around the other to reassure him, he will be fine; that he will survive. What drives this intelligence as newborns...while in the incubator?
The soul incarnates and Karma accumulates in the soul. He describes Karma as "the imprints of life experiences and actions onto the energy field of each soul." This book thrusts you into your own personal journey and transformation. It will educate you on deep aspects of soul work and spiritual progression. A fantastic contribution to the world of soul searching, of finding inner peace; and ways of uncovering explanations of how the psychics of energy are spiritually applied. This book helps you find your soul. It gives you the information and understanding to pursue how such a great field works. It explains its existence. It bewilders you in a profound and wonderful way. More importantly it explains it relevance to each and every one of us. This just isn't a philosophy book; it is an encyclopedia to help you on your journey to your soul. It touches humanity bridging science and the energy worlds. It reminds us of the tender sides of humanity and how to reach within ourselves for more of the goodness in life here and beyond. I received a complimentary review copy.

This is a rarefied work that employs everything from photons to Vishnu, Maslow to Marx and astrophysics to energy psychology; in order to weave a complex tapestry of elements that serve to induce the reader to go further and dig deeper into the mysteries of life. The author, from my prospective, paints with a fairly broad brush, yet there is enough detail to give a face, an identity if you will, to his ideas. Dr. James quotes liberally from a plethora of sources to introduce sections of the book, as well as to elucidate his cogitations from different angles.

I would advise some caution as the author also utilizes the acumen of a form of transpersonal psychology, namely: Energy Psychology, to delve into the highly emotional and usually traumatic aspects of prenatal and early postnatal experience, which at my level of incompetence is somewhat dubious. I would need to learn a great deal more about "Energy Psychology" in order to discern whether its derivative hypotheses and practices have merit or it is merely a late model variety of psychobabble.

In terms of writing style and editing, it certainly may just be a function of my own personal idiosyncrasies but James' literary approach seems a bit clumsy. The book could have been punctuated better and he could have used a few more articles of speech to connect subjects and predicates more efficaciously - otherwise no big deal.

Giving Dr. James and "energy psychology" the benefit of the doubt, I will use a word to describe this work that was used in the text of this piece repeatedly: numinous. 4 stars.

New Age seems to be a religion à la mode, and the author is no doubt a believer. This book was written to prove that his beliefs are objective, scientific truths. The creed itself is well-known -- interconnectedness, we're all one, Eastern spirituality, weapons are evil things, love is the answer, homeopathy is a science that works as opposed to the devilish agenda of pharma companies devoted to manufacturing unhealthy, poisoning molecules for greedy reasons (one wonders about homeopathic manufacturing plants and the price of their remedies, all of them composed of well-shaken pure water!), etc.

What Mr. James did is collect a number of sources (his own 'research', marginal pseudoresearch by other New Age believers, and selected, out-of-context concepts and statements by real researchers), mix it all up in unfinished reasonings plagued with scientific jargon and pseudoscience hot air, and draw undrawable conclusions following the logical rules of some other universe of his fancy. This is a mammoth collection of sheer nonsense, and his case for the heart as a second (only more powerful) "emotional brain" is virtually delusional.

If you're a New Age fanatic, and simply don't care or know much about science, this is the book for you. Otherwise, you're better off reading the works of real seekers like Wilber, Bohm, Haisch, Radin, Davies, etc.

In a sentence, and it would not matter if I wrote several more, there is nothing that we are called upon to do in this lifetime but to be here in this present moment, fully awake. Why? It is because all worlds exist and so does every conceivable being that can inhabit them. That is, we do not need to change our reality to make it holy; we are tasked with making it whole by unifying the observer with the observed.

I mean grounding our sense of self -- ego -- with Our Great Self unifies the outer regions of inner space within us. What does that do, really? It nullifies the tension contained within polar opposites, light and dark, good and evil, male and female, war and peace, thus invoking compassion.

In truth, it makes each of us a self-sacrifice to the mission of God, a clone of Christ, as I put it.

Thus, as the Gnostics and Taoists before them intimated through parables and koans, "To Make the Two One" again is the ultimate state of being here now and will resolve the archetypes of the apocalypse if we can achieve a critical mass of enlightened souls by the cut-off date, the End-Time, circa 2012.

Dr. John Jay Harper is author of the book Tranceformers: Shamans of the 21st Century and the DVD Science of Soul: The End-Time Solar Cycle of Chaos in 2012 A.D..