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133 of 141 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Exploring the Frontier between the Imaginal and the Real, November 14, 2000
This review is from: Mind into Matter: A New Alchemy of Science and Spirit (Paperback)
Fred Alan Wolf's done it again! His latest book, MIND INTO MATTER, is a masterpiece of insight into the hidden workings of our magical, mysterious universe. As I read this book, I felt exhilarated to join Wolf on his journey "to find our mind" on the frontier of the imaginal and the real. MIND INTO MATTER is structured around Wolf's explanation of the significance and meaning behind the first nine letter-symbols in the Hebrew alphabet, with a separate chapter devoted to each Hebrew letter. The book begins with the concept of Spirit within the Void, and continues onward to Creation, Animation, Resistance, Vitality, Replication, Chance, Unification, and Structure. We witness the new alchemy at work in the process of Animation, where we notice how we Think, Feel, Sense, and Intuit the world around us. I love Wolf's playful way of describing thought experiments throughout his book, alongside fascinating research material from physicists and neurophysiological researchers that suggest how our conscious minds form memories of events. On a deep level, we are aware of all possibilities available to us, and the one we remember as being real is the one we choose to observe. Since information flows from the future to our present time, we have what we need to select the path we most desire. To everyone who wishes to more fully grasp the breadth, depth, and height of who we truly are and how we interact with the universe, I give this book my highest recommendation.
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120 of 130 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is a clear, concise, yet humble and poetic book., February 19, 2001
This review is from: Mind into Matter: A New Alchemy of Science and Spirit (Paperback)
Fred Alan Wolf has removed another brick in the wall separating us from the realization of our true, divine nature. Even skeptical readers will grasp the line of reasoning that always accompanies Fred Alan Wolf's joyous speculative leaps. As our scientific community continues to advance our understanding of the underlying nature of things, we are also realizing the wisdom in the mystical traditions. Fred Alan Wolf is one of the best writers alive today in the area where advanced physics and mysticism converge. The Unity of all things is a fact, and we are all indeed One. Every time I read a book of this caliber, I am bolstered in my ability to sustain this quiet awareness for a little bit longer in the course of my life, when the noise and competition of mundane awareness distracts me and misleads me into believing otherwise. Those of us who cannot accept faith as a means of navigating through the mystery that is everywhere can take heart in the primacy of experience...the experience that comes from genuine open-minded inquiry, the experience that comes from many meditative states, from intuition, sudden glimpses of clarity that we occasionally stumble into, and the experience that comes from following the mind of someone who knows more than we do.
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50 of 52 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Inspiring View of Consciousness & Reality, January 10, 2005
This review is from: Mind into Matter: A New Alchemy of Science and Spirit (Paperback)
I'm very picky about books that deal with the relationship between physics and consciousness, but this one I like. In books of this sort, the understanding of physics is often too limited, while on the other hand there is frequently very little appreciation for the depth of ancient metaphysical traditions. This book does a very good job of working with both sides in a highly intelligent yet readable manner.
For anyone into Hermeticism or Kabbalah, it is especially noteworthy that Wolf has organized a signfiicant portion of his book around an esoteric understanding of the Herbrew letter-numbers. The particular system he uses was developed by Carlo Suares, a little known yet influential mystic, author, artist and somewhat unorthodox Jewish Kabbalist. Wolf met Suares and began learning about his ideas in the 1970s. Suares' greatest contribution to Kabbalah was an interpretation of the letter-numbers as representations of recurring dynamics and patterns in terms of both consciousness and physics. Suares' book, The Cypher of Genesis, would be a good introduction to his theory and practice of Kabbalah, and an excellent companion to Mind into Matter.
Of course, Wolf's own qualifications in theoretical physics are well established. For more than two decades he has been a consistent leader in challenging the long worn-out mindset that existence is best experienced, explored and explained as essentially an accidental and random interaction of quanta. In this book Wolf allows himself to dive a little deeper into the spiritual implications of his work. Perhaps the best thing about Wolf's writing is that it is more than scientifically sound and philosophically poignant, it is actually inspiring literature! Wolf artfully weaves together insights from a wonderful scope of human inquiry - physics, depth psychology, mysticism, and alchemy - in a way that is head and shoulders above the slipshod speculations common to authors of the "New Age" genre.
Fred Alan Wolf's works will stand the test of time, and this one should be included among his essential readings.
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