Customer Reviews

Matter Into Feeling: A New Alchemy of Science and Spirit

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

 

 

Fred Alan Wolf demonstrates exquisite craftsmanship in his newest book, MATTER INTO FEELING, as he ties alchemy together with letters of the Hebrew alphabet and physics. Picking up where MIND INTO MATTER left off, Wolf serves the reader thought-provoking tastes of consciousness, memory, lucid dreams, and the awesome and exhilarating concept of the "One-Mind".

MATTER INTO FEELING is a treat for anyone who loves to contemplate ideas such as, "We don't sense what we sense; we sense what we remember we sense." And this leads us to wonder how it is that we do something so seemingly simple as remember something!

When Wolf asks us to consider things such as how the choices we make each day are much more than they appear (since according to the parallel universes model of reality, we try all possibilities, even though we typically only recall choosing one) -- MATTER INTO FEELING becomes a launch pad for personal consciousness transformation.

I love the way Wolf brilliantly combines a joyful sense of wonder with modern physical theories and ancient written texts such as the Upanishads and the Qabala. Like the best kind of chef, Wolf serves up a feast which is simultaneously exotic and familiar, yet leaves anyone who tastes it feeling hungry for more. If you love both science and spirituality, MATTER INTO FEELING is one book you're sure to adore!

After hearing a theory about astrology and alchemy being the two original sciences, and being interested in spirit and feeling, I thought "wow, this book, talking about a new alchemy of science AND spirit is going to be great". However, I think the endorsement from Deepak Chopra on the front cover says it all, Fred Alan Wolf "... one of the most important pioneers in the field of consciousness." In other words, the book itself is probably being sold more on the basis of the author's reputation than the content.

I struggled to find a concise and simple objective of the material. In the introduction Wolf talks a lot about "Mind into Matter" and how "Matter into Feeling" follows on. Well, I haven't read "Mind into Matter" so does this make it futile to read this book until I have? IF that is so, why isn't there a qualification somewhere more upfront telling the customer about this? To some extent every book must stand on its own.

I respect Dr. Jean Houston a lot, yet after reading the book could not really accept her endorsement on the back cover, or on this site.

Wolf talks of four major elements out there, but in Chinese Medicine there are five, and the Mayans also include 'ether' or energy as a fifth. Energy is a huge factor in the consciousness-matter equation and it was unclear to me how Dr Wolf treats this, and I really wanted to know his opinion.

I wasn't able to locate a simple definition of "feeling", so relied on what Gregg Braden talks about, as "feeling" being the union of emotion (as represented by the first 3 chakras) and thought (top 3), within the heart, or centre chakra. But I would have preferred to find Dr. Wolf's own concise definition.

Wolf obviously is well read and knowledgeable and has done some great work, drawing from Hebrew, Hindu, Upanishads, Da Free John, and Freudian sources. But I'm cautious in agreeing with those who may think this particular work is up there with the best.

At times the relevance and linking to the overall theme or thesis appears to be ad-hoc and hit or miss in places.

If you're looking for a less theoretical and left brain approach to communicate about feelings and how they impact the material world I suggest The Isaiah Effect by Gregg Braden.

Three stars because there are isolated insights, such as the information about the different ego states, the natural stress between spirit and matter, and how not all feelings are sensed etc., but these are too random and sparse to warrant more than an average look.

Fred Alan Wolf has written many books about the new physics and the spiritual implications of theories and empirical findings in physics. Here, he expands his musings into the realm of Hebrew kabbalah, where he correlates the Hebrew letters and Kabbalistic ideas about the path of spirit into matter/form with physics concepts such as parallel universes, holographic perception, quantum non-locality, observer effects, and quantum uncertainty. It's all very interesting, although the marriage of quantum physics with kabbalah seemed a bit forced to me. I appreciate that Wolf has tried to examine the role of emotion in the mind-body-spirit feedback system, although his exploration seems incomplete and his focus on kabbalah may be distracting for those seeking a more science-oriented approach. I also wonder why Wolf still accepts the theory of the "Big Bang," when both empirical observations and hyperdimensional concepts of physics seem to contradict the Big Bang notion. Other than these flaws, which don't significantly affect the main ideas and information in the book, this is an excellent contribution to the literature in the area of spirituality, consciousness, and theoretical physics.

Fred Alan Wolf has a way of explaining really complex things in a way that makes them very simple. I recommend reading Mind into Matter first, to get the background of the concepts he's talking about. This is new-agey but with some good, real science to it.

Fred Alan Wolfe is an inpsired genius who has expanded the most complex ideas of his teacher and mentor, Carlos Suares, into a much easier format for learning and understanding. The use of the Alef-Bet as a chapter by chapter progression of creation into matter and matter into feeling is brilliant and authentic to the original transmission of knowledge as taught by the great mystics. I loved every minute of this work and his other books as well.

Anything by Fred Alan Wolf should be read. He explains quantum physics in a way anyone can understand, but more importantly, he explains why it is important.

Wolf's attempt at an analogy between psychological change and his confused interpretation of physical transformation is just silly. I would recommend Satinover and McTaggart if you're interested in the new science.