Mind Into Matter: A New Alchemy of Science and Spirit

By Fred Alan Wolf

Book Overview

A physicist examines ideas from medieval alchemy and contemporary science to explore the connection between mind and matter.

Alchemists of old attempted to make sense of the universe--to discover the connection between mind and matter. Some of today's scientists, in particular quantum physicists, are doing the same. In this contribution to the study of consciousness, physicist Fred Alan Wolf reveals what he calls the "new alchemy" --a melding of the ideas of the old alchemists and the new scientists to reach a fuller understanding of mind and matter.

An elegant book with short, stand-alone chapters, each framed by an alchemical symbol and its definition, Mind into Matter is thought provoking for scientists and lay people alike.

Praise for Mind into Matter

"I consider Fred Alan Wolf one of the most important pioneers in the field of consciousness. This book could change the way you perceive the world." --Deepak Chopra, MD, FACP, author of How to Know God

"Once again, physicist Fred Alan Wolf takes us on a magical mystery tour into the adventure land of science and spirit. . . . Both enthralling and energizing." --Michael Toms, cofounder, host, producer of New Dimensions Radio

"How refreshing to have a scientist put the emphasis on the individual where it belongs Wolf has written a glorious entertainment for the mind that matters." --Kenneth Ring, PhD, author of Lessons from the Light

" A]llows readers to look at their own inner mechanism and better understand the consciousness which gives them life and makes them aware of the outer world of forms and phenomena in which they live." --Glen P. Kezwer, Ph.D., physicist, author of Meditation, Oneness and Physics

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0966132769
• ISBN13: 9780966132762
• Release Date: August 1970
• Publisher: Red Wheel/Weiser
• Length: 188 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.6" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

An Inspiring View of Consciousness & Reality

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.

This is a clear, concise, yet humble and poetic book.

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.

Exploring the Frontier between the Imaginal and the Real

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.

A PRELUDE TO THE 21ST CENTURY

As a student of the path away from worldly conditioning, I have been challenged to understand that I have created the world that I live in; MIND INTO MATTER makes this understandable. Mr. wolf leads the reader to his or her limits of reality by observations such as "As we pour our desires into thought, we become time". Fred Questions Darwin's laws of evolution on the basis that new information is not generated from the past but from the future. MIND INTO MATTER deals with concepts like creation and anti creation easily and clearly. The reader is lifted out of the system that we are all thrust into and indeed we aregiven an understanding of everything around us. If you really want to see the world thru new eyes, I recommend MIND INTO MATTER.

A New Perception for a New Reality

It was a thrilling to read this treatise on the "new alchemy," which combines insights from the sciences of physics and psychology to reveal the force between matter and mind. In describing the seemingly distinct regions within the known universe--the real and the imaginal realms of mind and body--he points out that we sense ourselves as individual beings, feeling alone and separate, locked inside a body which brings us the experience of lack (the Buddhist dukkha, or suffering). He says that we must learn to move our intent between the two realms so we learn to become aware of the mind/body split and the point at which our unconscious mind influences our body. To do this we need to become aware each time we feel resistance arising within ourselves.Using Hebrew letter symbols--"Aleph" (energy/primal consciousness), "Bayt" (the material/consciousness recognizing itself), "Ghimel" (movement/motion of all matter containing spirit), "Dallet" (resistance/the response to movement)--he explains that for movement to exist, space-time is necessary, which is impossible without energy and matter, and that resistance appears as the interactions between material objects in states of motion. So, for me, the key is in our awareness of these physical laws and their connection to the way the unmanifest becomes the manifest. It transforms muddy metaphysical perceptions into clear and scientific reality.If you're interested in how we create our reality, this book gives us the clues. I'll read it again, each time with a clearer understanding of the mind/body connection.