Evolution of Consciousness

This is a wide-ranging study of the evolution of religion into modern forms of spirituality and the evidence for psycho-spiritual experiences and universal mind. The central proposition is that the material world is in fact a hologram of consciousness and that the creative inspiration for advance emerges from this universal mind. The author echoes German idealist philosophy reformulated for our time, including the important ideas of Fichte and Schelling. Developments in theology and science are described, especially the implications of quantum physics for a new worldview. The idea of the universal field of consciousness is thoroughly explored, and the author ranges widely over biology and psychology while also drawing on the ideas of David Bohm. He distinguishes between mind and soul, defining the latter as an individual component of a Communal Soul that retains its identity after death. He then brings to bear a range of evidence supporting this contention, including mystical experience, NDEs, OBEs, telepathy and survival of consciousness. Readers open to such data will find that the universal mind theory provides a coherent framework of explanation. However, as the author observes, 'for those who believe, no proof is necessary; for those who don't believe, no proof is possible.' Hence the repeated and continuing attempts over the last hundred years to present the relevant evidence in a coherent form in books that are rarely read by those who need to. However, increasing numbers of people are coming round to the kind of position articulated in this thoughtful book.