Parapsychology : Holographic Universe

Holographic Universe

EUR 6,67


A Theory of Everything indeed - Michael Talbot s The Holographic Universe is one of the best and most meticulously researched books ever written by someone who does not promote his or her own ideas and views (such as a scientist/researcher) but rather puts together current scientific and spiritual thinking as it is. Definitely a must read for everyone in search of knowledge and understanding about the world in which we live. Considering that it first came out in 1991 with dozens of books published on higher consciousness ever since, Talbot s talent becomes even more obvious. Another, highly recommendable, more recent book in the same tradition is Lynne McTaggart s The Field.

From science to the esoteric - In the introduction, the author clarifies terms like Holographic Universe, and concepts like the holographic analogy, metaphor or paradigm. The physicist Bohm and the quantum physicist Pribram are the originators of the idea. In this book, the theories and the conclusions of many researchers influenced by the holographic model and its interpretations are explored. Talbot warns that some interpretations are controversial and the book indeed strays into highly esoteric territory.Part One: A Remarkable New View of Reality, looks at the work of Pribram and Bohm and how these two scientists teamed up. These two chapters, The Brain as Hologram and The Cosmos as Hologram, examines the vastness of memory, associative memories, photographic memory, phantom limb sensations, the transference of learnt skills and our amazing ability to recall, forget and recognize familiar things.Part Two: Mind and Body, investigates the holographic model in psychology, the body, miracles and in the ability to see holographically. Phenomena like dreams, psychosis, lucid dreaming and holographic therapy are examined, with reference to the work of Stanislav Grof amongst others. The section on healing deals inter alia with the work of pioneers like Dr Carl Simonton and Larry Dossey, with emphasis on conscious and unconscious beliefs, acupuncture and the use of imagery (visualization). In the chapter: A Pocketful of Miracles, there are discussions of psychokinesis, the kahunas of Hawaii, the work of Carlos Castaneda and the question of whether consciousness creates subatomic particles. The next chapter explores research on the human energy field, the energy field of the psyche, the aura and the chakras, x-ray vision and the altered states of shamanism.Part Three: Space and Time, attempts to apply the holographic model to clairvoyance, retrocognition, ghosts and apparitions. It also explores the possibility of a holographic past and future and of thought as the creator of reality. Out-of-Body experiences, Near-Death experiences and their holographic explanation are discussed and there is an interesting section on the famous mystic Swedenborg. This part also looks at a variety of phenomena like Marian appearances, UFO s, the results of taking the herb ayahuasca and various shamanic experiences. The chapter Return to Dreamtime revisits Bohm s idea of the implicate and explicate order and compares it to Tibetan Buddhism, Zen and Hinduism. In the next one: The Future of the Holographic Idea, the author investigates holographic sound with reference to the physiologist Hugo Zuccarelli, and speculates on the implications for science of the holographic paradigm. Amongst them are new kinds of computers and puzzles in chemistry that might finally be solved. The model might be able to eventually explain telepathy, synchronicity, paranormal and mystical experiences. The text concludes with Talbot s view of mankind s evolutionay thrust towards a higher consciousness. The book contains voluminous notes arranged by chapter, and an index. The text is well-documented. The only problem is that there are repetitive accounts of well-known historical paranormal experiences that are already very familiar from the literature. Overall, The Holographic Universe contains enough purely scientific information to serve as a starting point, but it will appeal more to those who are into the metaphysical and spiritual side of things.

Timeless: The old becomes new again - The first words after the title, on the book s front cover A remarkable new theory of reality that explains: blah blah blah, aborts the message of this timeless classic. The information presented here is not new, nor does Mr. Talbot take credit for presenting any revolutionary new theory. What Mr. Talbot does do, is bring together a compendium of the vast resources of our past and current cultures and present the distillation of those views in a highly readable and easily digestable manner. This book cannot help but to change the life of the reader if they have even an iota of receptiveness. The only readers who will walk away unmoved by this work are those who lack the capacity to assimilate ideas new to them or those who believe they already have. For all the others, I highly praise this book.

A very thought provoking book! - The Holographic Universe, by Michael Talbot Harper Perennial, 1992This book was recommended to me by a good friend who had read my book ( The Road to Damascus , iUniverse, 1999). I am grateful to her. It is a book I would not have wanted to miss.I had just finished The Elegant Universe, by Brian Greene, which is a remarkable exposition of the so-called superstring theory, as well as the best, most easily understandable explanation of relativity and quantum theory that I have yet read. The Holographic Universe, however, is in a different category altogether.Talbot s formal educational accomplishments, background or qualifications are not given in the book, save to say that he is the author of Mysticism and the New Physics and Beyond the Quantum. He lives in New York City.He does, however, inform us that he has a personal background that includes psychical abilities (the ability to perceive auras, and a history of causing poltergeist phenomenon as a child.)His basic thesis is that the universe is a hologram, composed of interference patterns, and, basically, that mind and matter are interactive, and that essentially, the human mind can and does exercise some control over the material world, including causing and healing illness and psychokinetic effects.He names several scientists and others who are in agreement with him, and in fact does not claim to be the originator of the theory.As I understand holography, and I freely admit that my understanding is rudimentary, a holographic image of an object is created by the use of a laser beam which is bounced off the original object and then split (by mirrors) into a reference beam and an interference beam which come together again to form an image on film composed of an unintelligible pattern of interference waves (like concentric circles on a pond caused by dropping two or more rocks in the water at different locations.) The film image remains unintelligible until another laser beam is passed through it (any part of it) which forms a three-dimensional image of the original object, in mid-air.Thus, it is difficult for me to correlate that understanding into a theory of the composition of the universe. I can understand that the universe might be composed of interference waves, but where is the original object ?Michael Talbot speaks of an implicate order and an explicate order. If I understand him, and I think I do, he is substituting the term implicate order for the original, causative source of everything. The explicate order is the reality in which we are entrapped. In my book, I simply use the word God for essentially the same radical root of reality (the implicate order.) Perhaps our versions of reality are for all intents and purposes the same, except for terminology. I rather suspect that is true.Talbot speaks of, and quotes, many sources. The only one whom I have personally met is Dr. Stanislav Grof, who spoke at a seminar I attended once at Asilimar in central California. He was impressive. Talbot describes miracles, including healing, therapeutic touching and a variety of strange and unusual happenings which require a suspension of disbelief, but which, if you can subscribe to his theory are explainable within that framework.He gives, names, cites his sources, and provides a subject index. The book appears to be a scholarly work, on which he has spent considerable time and effort. Whether the universe is technically a hologram, or not, will be debatable for some time to come, no doubt, as the scientific proof seems as difficult to obtain as proof of string theory. Do I recommend his book? By all means! And then, or even before you buy it, I recommend my own book to you. Mine is only 124 pages, and it is, I think, far easier to understand. And, we seem to be saying much the same thing.Regardless, Talbot s book is well worth reading, and will hold your attention, I m sure. I rate it at an easy five stars.Joseph Pierre, Author of THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS: Our Journey Through Eternity.

From linear to holographic - As a student of ACIM(r), I found this a wonderful read. It is written brilliantly, and easily guides one with an open mind from the concept of linearity, to the concept of holograms and holographic time. Written with common sense examples, and clarity of thought.




Holographic Universe