Nov 12

The Science of Making Things Happen, by Kim Marcille Romaner

We can use our minds to influence the physical world.

Most metaphysical books make that assertion, right?

But some metaphysical books go a step further: they claim “mind over matter” has a scientific basis.

The Science of Making Things Happen: Turn Any Possibility into Reality, by Kim Marcille Romaner, is one of those books. Romaner begins by reviewing Twentieth Century physics, such as the Thomas Young “double slit” experience that proved that electrons sometimes behave as waves, and other times as particles. She then considers the role of the observer: that it is the act of observation that makes a wave collapse into a particle.

Yep, this is spooky-woo-woo quantum physics, presented in a way non-scientists can understand.

So far, so good. But Romaner’s ultimate goal isn’t theory: she quickly moves to how we can apply the lessons of quantum physics to our everyday lives.  Reality is, after all, a vast quantum field–a field of potential events–and the act of perception causes potential events to collapse out of that field and become material facts. So why not use observation (say, the act of measuring) to deliberately collapse the potential into the actual?

The book also includes worksheets to help you apply Romaner’s techniques to any number of typical life problems: prosperity, career, relationships, health, and connectedness to the community.

This blend of “why” and “how” is, of course, typical of the “quantum physics” category of metaphysical books. What makes The Science of Making Things Happen  different is Romaner’s original thinking on the subject. For that reason alone, the book deserves strong consideration by fans of metaphysical writing.

Click here to purchase your copy of The Science of Making Things Happen: Turn Any Possibility into Reality.

Nov 11

The Emerald Tablet, by Dennis William Hauck

Over the centuries, many esteemed philosphers have declared that The Emerald Tablet contains the sum of all knowledge . . .

So begins Chapter 1 of The Emerald Tablet: Alchemy for Personal Transformation, by Dennis William Hauck.

It’s a vivid image–that emerald tablet–and therefore don’t be surprised to discover that this is a vivid book. The Emerald Tablet is metaphysics via archetype: a model for spiritual exploration and growth that asks you to submerge yourself in–to submit yourself to-the gripping and emotionally-charged world of the subconscious.

The book’s theoretical foundation is the concept of alchemy itself, which–as Hauck wields it–is not about literally turning base metals into gold, but about transforming the self, psychologically and spiritually, and thereby transcending the baser impulses and perspectives of an ego-centric selfhood. It is a spiritual discipline, to be practiced by those who seek spiritual mastery.

For better or worse, many metaphysical books tend toward an intellect-led journey. Hauck proposes something very different: a process that requires the seeker to submit to experiences that defy intellectual explanation, that in fact bypass the intellect.

To that end, Hauck suggests numerous meditations and related exercises to help the reader experience transformation firsthand.

It is heady stuff, rich and dense–the sort of book that calls for multiple readings, perhaps even a lifetime of study–and deserves a spot in any library of metaphysical literature.

Click here to purchase a copy of The Emerald Tablet: Alchemy for Personal Transformation.

Nov 09

Creative Visualization, by Shakti Gawain

It’s fair to say that the canon of metaphysical books has exploded in the last decade or so. But there are gems to be found in the books that pre-date this explosion. One of them is Creative Visualization: Use the Power of Your Imagination to Create What You Want in Your Life, by Shakti Gawain, which first appeared in 1979.

Creative Visualization has many virtues; perhaps its greatest is its brevity. Gawain doesn’t waste the reader’s time in this book: she drills down immediately to her purpose, which is to share her collection of manifestation techniques.

Many of these techniques will be familiar to fans of metaphysical literature, including the use of affirmations, treasure maps, and various meditative practices. (In fact, its striking to see how many books that have come out since are little more than re-hashings of the material Gawain passed along to us over thirty years ago).

But just because they’re passingly familiar doesn’t mean Creative Visualization doesn’t have much to teach.  There’s a tremendous amount of wisdom in these pages. Take the chapter on Going With the Flow, for example. Paradoxically, simply wanting something can interfere with our ability to manifest it. Many of us could use a periodic reminder of that simple fact! (Not to mention some guidance in how to address it.)

And Gawain’s simple, friendly writing makes these principles approachable and easy to understand. In other words, there’s a reason this classic is still in print–and deserves a reading by all metaphysical students.

Click here to purchase a copy of Shakti Gawain’s Creative Visualization.

 

Nov 07

The Holographic Universe, by Michael Talbot

There’s nothing particularly new about the notion that the building blocks of reality is consciousness. But what Michael Talbot shows us, in The Holographic Universe, is that this assertion has a scientific explanation.

Drawing on the work of physicist (and Einstein protegé) David Bohm and neurophysiologist Karl Pribram, Talbot makes the case that we, and everything we experience, can be explained in terms of wave-form interference patterns.

Among the mind-boggling implications of this thesis: not only is everything connected, but everything that exists is contained within a greater whole:

. . . the tangible reality of our everyday lives is really a kid of illusion . . . Underlying it is a deeper order of existence, a vast and more primary level of reality that gives birth to all objects and appearances of our physical world . . . the manifestation of all forms in the universe [is] the result of countless enfoldings and unfoldings between these two orders.

And how’s this for an explanation of the eternal?

Because the implicate order is the foundation that has given birth to everything in our universe, at the very least it also contains every subatomic particle that has been or will be; every configuration of matter, energy, life, and consciousness that is possible, from quasars to the brain of Shakespeare . . .

Don’t think for a moment, however, that The Holographic Universe is as dry or abstract as these quotes suggest. Once Talbot finishes with the science (covered in the first, and shortest, of the book’s three parts) he gets to the really juicy stuff: showing how the holographic model explains a whole range of parapsychological phenomena, from ESP to ghosts.

It’s a wild ride, and Talbot is an excellent storyteller–the sort of writer who, by the time you finish the last page, leaves you feeling that you’ve been fundamentally changed.

The  Holographic Universe is not a new book. It was published originally in 1991. But few books are more important to contemporary study of metaphysics. If you haven’t read it, you should, and if you have, you’ll agree that a re-read is like coming back to an old and much-loved friend.

Click here to purchase a copy of The Holographic Universe.