Customer Reviews

Kosmic Consciousness

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Tami Simon and Sounds True have put together the ultimate audio learning set for those who are fans -- or would like to be fans -- of the great American spiritual philosopher Ken Wilber. Tammy closely interviews Ken as to the many components of this "theory of everything," and she is relentless in making sure that Ken has explained topics to the point where they can be clearly understood.

Ken, as always, is brilliant, and Tammy shows great spunk throughout. One of my favorite exchanges comes early on where Ken is describing first person, second person, etc., and at one point he says something like, "You have to have two minds capable of understanding each other to have this. Suppose, for example, that you were catatonic..." and Tammy shoots back "...or that you, Ken, were totally incomprehendible." Well, maybe you have to hear it, but it is definitely funny.

Tammy has clearly done her homework, and Ken has such a huge wealth of information at his disposal that a great deal of ground gets covered. The reason I have given this 4 as opposed to 5 stars is that it ... is ... just ... a ... little ... long. But then again, if you want a comprehensive learning experience, you'll certainly get it here. Another slight criticism is that Tammy doesn't really push or challenge Ken personally here (e.g., the way Ken is pushed and challenged in the earlier Speaking of Everything CD interview). But then again, when looked at for its main purpose -- conveying the breadth and some of the depth of Ken Wilber's theories -- Kosmic Consciousness does an excellent job.

This interview, while perhaps a little light for the most serious of Wilber scholar's, does have a good deal that is new and interesting and that will keep the interest of the already-deeply-immersed. And for the person struggling to understand Ken's books, especially the technical details of concepts like lines, levels, waves, quadrants, and so on, Kosmic Consciousness will be a real Spirit-send. All in all, if you know a Ken Wilber fan, or someone who should be a Ken Wilber fan, then this ten CD audio set will make a great gift.

I have, to my eternal embarassment, tried to read several of Ken Wilber's books over the years, to no avail. After chastising myself and wondering if my cognitive powers were deteriorating with age, I gave up. Then I bought Kosmic Consciousness, and WOW! I GET IT! Wilber is earthy, funny and irreverent, which makes him my kind of super-intelligent person. He is easy to listen to, and his crystal clear explanation of the Integral Model not only makes perfect sense, but also gives me a perspective on the developments happening around me and within me, as the society I live in and my own consciousness move forward in their awkward dance. And with this understanding and perspective comes an easing of the anxiety that had been following me around, saying, "Gack! There are crazy people running my world!" Looking at events as part of a developmental continuum makes them seem far less chaotic and incomprehensible, and allows me to cut myself and everyone else some slack. I'm looking forward to listening to KC a few more times, and I have also taken up the books that defeated me in the past. With Wilber's live voice in my head, his written words have become a story I can play on my brain's CD deck. Thank you Sounds True for perservering, getting the interview, and providing such an excellent container for this vital informaion.

My experience with Wilber's works prior to Kosmic Consciousness was reading The Simple Feeling of Being and some on-line material that was freely available. His writings on AQAL (quadrants, levels, lines) had previously resonated with me right away and after reading previous reviews of this audio book i decided to spend the big bucks on its purchase. Being that I commute about 300 miles each way once a week, this gives me about 4.5 hours twice a week to listen to books on tape/CD.

I am now listening to the CD's for the 3rd time. The first time through i found the basic information on quadrants, levels, lines, and states to be the most interesting. The questions and answers about how astrology, reincarnation, and other spiritual and what-if questions seemed somewhat a waste of time and CD space because I found the information about the integral map much more interesting and informative. The 2nd listen through i changed my mind about the what-if questions and application to the spiritual because that is when Ken's vast knowledge and ability to apply his theories to these limitless questions came through.

This audio book is astonishingly fascinating and I have now become very interested in learning more about this man's vast amount of work. His model and the science behind it fills a gap for me that I could not previously find in either scientific or occult writings. The information provides hundreds of springboards for the listener to take off on depending on what appeals to you personally.

I would give this series a 5 for the first half and a 4 for the second half of spiritual what-if and occult questions. The integral model and the science behind that is what was most interesting to me, though others might find the questions meant to bridge the science with spirituality and the occult more to their taste. A big plus and key to this book is that Wilber has an engaging voice and personality which he allows to come through here. The interviewer is pretty good as well though again, i would have preferred her to stay more on Wilber's work and less on the what-if and beyond answer questions.

Was it worth the price of the CD set? Yes!

I agree with the previous reviewer-- I feel I owe Ken Wilber more money after listening to this interview. The price is more than reasonable for the amount of EXCELLENT content included.

After reading much of his work ("No Boundary", "Brief History", "Theory of Everything", "One Taste", "Eye of the Spirit", "Essential Ken Wilber", "Boomeritis", and "The Holographic Paradigm"), listening to the interview solidifies Ken Wilber's story for me. He covers so much in his work that it's hard to keep track of everything. But after hearing his talk about this stuff in an interview ties everything all together. It's a history lesson, a spiritual lesson, a sociology lesson, and a chance to meet the man behind all this work in one shot.

Highly recommended.

There is a lot of great work out there regarding integral theory. Ken Wilber has been instrumental in bringing it all together. His different books reflect the evolution of his theories. Many are very dense and a lot of folks give up. I find that when Ken talks about integral theory, I get it a lot easier than from reading him. These discs are a series of structured interviews that lead you step by step through his map of integral theory. Work with this and his next greatest work, Sex, Ecology and Spirituality flows a lot easier. Also his latest book on Integral Spirituality will sink in a lot easier. This is a must have if you want to really get integral theory and certainly if you want to understand Wilber. As an integral coach, this work is the foundation for my training lineage.

This interview is enlightening intellectually, and entertaining. Mr. Wilber's map or structure of interpretation is vast, comprehensive and powerful. No wonder so many thinkers object to his map. Who wants to be told "mine is bigger than yours"? But indeed, of all the reading and research I have done since 1977, this thinker does have the biggest one; map that is. To me, everyone else's map fits squarely on his. His structure of interpretation has been very helpful to me as a human, a spiritual seeker, and a psychiatrist.

This series gave me my first exposure to Ken Wilber. After reading around him for years, and feeling a bit intimidated, I decided to take the plunge. Wow. What took me so long to test that wonderful water? What a thinker, what a spirit. He's given me a new framework upon which to hang the world. I am deeply grateful. Very much worth your time and money.

FIVE YEARS LATER:

Looking back, I see this was a HUGE game-changer for me. HIGHLY recommended.

This is the best overall introduction to Wilber for anyone. Among other things, it brings in Ken Wilber's personality, vocal inflections and follows a structure created by a live interview. Ken can often be repititious and ramble in his writing. Here the interviewer keeps him on track and in speaking his theories really come alive in way that is easier for most people to grasp than much of his writing. I also think this is as bargain price for what you get!

For those who are skeptical of audio materials, I would recommend A Brief History of Everything as the best in-depth introduction to Wilber. I don't think a "Theory of Everything" is meaty enough and it just skims the surface. The former book is organized like an interview and the writing is humorous as well as informative.

Another book you may want to consider if you are already well read in Wilber is Ken Wilber: Thought As Passion (Suny Series in Transpersonal and Humanistic Pyschology) This contextualizes Ken Wilber's writing, gives you a sense of the man behind the ideas and presents some critique of his thought and approach. This is also a five star product.

If you want to know what Wilber is like, get this set. He presents his theories as well as his personality. Wilber is one of the most insightful spiritually based theorists, and has developed a very interesting model or rather models. The only negatives of the series are his laugh which is irritating at best and his constant joking about himself being crazed. Be much better if he could find his own voice, but then maybe this is the real Wilber. You decide. Definitely worth the money.

This set is a great introduction to Ken Wilber's work. I gave it a lower 3 star rating only because disk 6 " The Opportunity of human birth", has the same tracks as disk 4, "States of Consciousness". As of the date of posting, I have not been able to get the corrected cd. The only options are to replace the product, in which case you get another cd set with the same error or return the entire package for a refund. If you purchase this product make sure you check the tracks on disk 6, otherwise by the time you discover the error, it might be too late.