The Spiritual Universe: One Physicist's Vision of Spirit, Soul, Matter and Self

by Fred Alan Wolf

Book Overview

Why do we believe in the soul? Does it actually exist? If so, what is it? Does it differ from the self? Is it part of the material world? Does it survive the body after death? In The Spiritual Universe, Fred Alan Wolf brings the most modern perspective of quantum physics to the most ancient questions of religion and philosophy. Taking the reader on a fascinating tour of both Western and Eastern thought, Wolf explains the differing view of the...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0966132718
• ISBN13: 9780966132717
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: Moment Point Press
• Length: 325 Pages
• Weight: 1.17 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A Spiritual Universe

When I first received this book, I couldn't put it down. Even though a lot of it seemed to be going over my head, I knew it was resonating with me inwardly. I love the way Fred Alan Wolfe brought his own spirituality into the book mingled with his scientific mind. His vision of the Soul as a Universal Soul was an eye-opener for me. Seeing the Spirit as vibrations of energy with the Soul as a reflection of those vibrations in time was amazing! To read that the self is only an illusion arising from these reflections of Soul in matter.... leaves so much to ponder. I felt drawn to the Soul in a way I'd never felt before with this book. I felt the love and caring of the Soul even though it is a reflection of Spirit...falling from the heavenly realm to see the self and then dream or remember to return to that heavenly realm...WOW!!! I would recommend this book to anyone who desires to 'come out of the box' of conventional teaching and dare to broaden the vastness of their existence.

Aleph... Isness, just is.

If this book is accepted, it could be revolutionary. A masterpiece--talk about uniting Science and Religion!!! By the time you read just the first chapter your mouth will water for more as you wonder, "By the time I finish this will I finally have an answer to the eternal burning questions?" Well, you will have Fred Alan Wolf's answer, to God, the soul, existence, and so on. He had some difficulty and struggle to write a SCIENTIFIC account of the soul. Science is supposed to only deal with things that can be sensed and directly observed, isn't it? So what place does it have on the soul other than maybe denying its existence? Well, we've never found the soul because we've been asking the wrong questions. We have the wrong idea about the "ghost in the machine." We have the wrong conceptions about many things, Soul, Matter, Self, Conciousness, all different, though related, phenomena. He gives a tour through all past contemplations on the nature of the soul's physics. It starts off with a juxtaposition of Thomas Aquinas' and Aristotles' soulish ideas. Then it goes from Plato, to ancient Egypt, to the Qabala. (Providing us with a modern quantum physics interpretation of the Eden story) Fred not only turns to modern science theories, but also Buddhist teachings. The two fields of knowledge on agree on much more than you would ever think. Even the Dalai Lama has said that it could be possible for a soul to incarnate a computer!! Now, I'm not exactly scientifically inclined... and alot of the chapters were deep material for me to comprehend. I never studied quantum mechanics or anything, but this all depends on your own scientific understandings. Some of it may be over your head, but maybe not then again I was up late pretty tired while reading it, Hehe. But he doesn't obfuscate anything, it will nevertheless will be very interesting. (all kinds of stuff, Zero point energy, the Dirac Sea, antimatter) Once it delves more into the Zen Buddhism which he extols, there is alot of soul philosophy. Seeing that everyone is in the illusory cycle of suffering, and that we lose contact with our souls through material addictions...to the point where we don't differentiate the self and the soul. (Which are more like reflections of one another) Such is the nature of Maya. He shows us that there is no plurality to consciousness. There is really only one soul and consciousness, the mind of God, from which we all arise. This book is DEFINITELY worth your time. And if you don't gain anything else, one thing will atleast be the most unique theory you've every heard, in the chapter titled "Resurrection Physics."1

The Self As Illusion -- The Physics of Faith

This engaging book describes how there is actually only one soul... and how the illusion that many souls seem to exist came about. Wolf sets out to show how the self is fundamentally an illusion, "arising as a reflection of the soul in matter much as a clear lake at midnight reflects the moon." Wolf begins this book with descriptions of Aristotlian and Platonic Soul Physics... and then continues the quest for knowledge of the soul through ancient Egypt and ancient Chaldea, and onward through more modern history. Wolf shares his vision of the soul as a process rather than some "thing" measurable in terms of mechanical materiality -- drawing from Qabalistic, Buddhist, and Christian wisdom as well as a thorough understanding of physics to redefine spirit, soul, matter and self. I found this entire book to be deeply thought-provoking, with Wolf's characteristic playful humor entertaining me throughout. I especially enjoyed the section of THE SPIRITUAL UNIVERSE that described the importance of secret knowledge, and why it is sacred -- thereby showing us the physics of faith.

This is a must have book.

As a minister who has been researching spirituality and science for many years, I am pleased to say that FA Wolf has almost hit the nail on the head. His knowledge of physics is unmatched and his reviews of spirituality are complete. I stated almost hit the nail only because he tries to do the impossible, as a scientist, and prove the existence of the soul. This can not be done in any type of lab or experiment since the observer influences the outcome of that which is observed, as was constantly stated throughout his book. The theories he cites are almost mind boggling for the average reader and thinker, but well worth the effort to grasp a better understanding of who we are.

Lucid book to investigate into the origin of everything...

Gives good insight into the Grand Truth of the origin of everything - the Universe(s), Life, Soul, Spirit, God.. from 2 perspectives - Quantum Physics & Budhism. How "Everything" is created from "Nothing" by mere reflection of "Opposites" which is the fundamental Truth held in Budhism. This is done in a pretty good convincing way. The culmination of science (observation & logic) and religion (mysticism) is going to be SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT INVESTIGATION INTO THE ULTIMATE TRUTH FOR EVER..THE GRAND UNIFICATION THEORY for Science which is indeed the MOST IMPORTANT INVESTIGATION for Science is only a stepping stone to understand the Grander and much wider ULTIMATE TRUTH about everything.. This is one of the many, many books being made available in this greatest area of research and it is a pretty good one.