Involution-An Odyssey Reconciling Science to God
Description
<p>“<em>We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience.”(</em>Teilhard de Chardin<em>)</em></p><p><span style="line-height:1.6em;"><em>Involution-An Odyssey Reconciling Science to God </em> is as layered as a French cassoulet, as diverting, satisfying and as rich. Each reader will spoon this book differently. On the surface it seems to be a simple and light-hearted poetic journey through the history of Western thought, dominantly scientific, but enriched with painting and music. Beneath that surface is the sauce of a new evolutionary idea, involution; the informing of all matter by consciousness, encoded and communicating throughout the natural world. A book about the cathedral of consciousness could have used any language to paint it, but science is perhaps most in need of new vision, and its chronology is already familiar.</span></p><p><span style="line-height:1.6em;">The author offers a bold alternative vision of both science and creation: she suggests that science has been incrementally the recovery of memory, the memory of evolution/involution</span><em style="line-height:1.6em;">.</em></p><p>“<em> Involution proposes that humans carry within them the history of the universe, which is (re)discovered by the individual genius when the time is ripe. All is stored within our DNA and awaits revelation. Such piecemeal revelations set our finite lives in an eternal chain of co-creation and these new leaps of discovery are compared to mystical experience</em>” (From a reviewer)</p><p>Each unique contributor served the collective and universal return to holism and unity. Thus the geniuses of the scientific journey, like the spiritual visionaries alongside, have threaded the rosary of science with the beads of inspiration, and through them returned Man to his spiritual nature and origin.</p><p><span style="line-height:1.6em;">The separation between experience and the rational intellect of science has, by modelling memory as theory, separated its understanding from the consciousness of all, and perceives mind and matter as separate, God and Man as distinct. This work is a dance towards their re-unification: Saints and scientists break the same bread.</span></p><p><span style="line-height:1.6em;">All of time and all the disciplines of science are needed for the evidence. Through swift (and sometimes sparring) Cantos of dialogue between Reason and Soul, Philippa Rees takes the reader on a monumental journey through the history of everything – with the evolution of man as one side of the coin and involution the other. The poetic narrative is augmented by learned and extensive footnotes offering background knowledge which in themselves are fascinating. In effect there are two books, offering a right and left brain approach. The twin spirals of a DNA shaped book intertwine external and internal and find, between them, one journey, Man’s recovery of Himself., and (hopefully) the Creation’s recovery of a nobler Man.</span></p><p><span style="line-height:1.6em;">From the same review “</span><em style="line-height:1.6em;">The reader who finishes the book will not be the same as the one who began it. New ideas will expand the mind but more profoundly, the deep, moving power of the verse will affect the heart.</em></p><p><em>(Marianne Rankin: Director of Communications, Alister Hardy Trust)</em></p><p> </p>
Story Behind The Book
I was fourteen when I wrote the first draft of this book. It was one of the most joyous experiences of my life, because there was so much creative freedom and discovery. The words simply flowed from my head, down my arm, through the pen, and onto the page. It was wonderful, exhilerating, and when I finished, I knew exactly what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
I had started books before this one, but none ever went anywhere. I lacked discipline and focus, which are key factors in writing books. Ever since I could form comprehensible thoughts, I had been coming up with stories in my head, usually just to entertain myself, but whenever I would attempt to put anything down on paper, it just never went anywhere.
By the time eighth grade hit, I was ready and determined to hash out a complete novel. And I wanted to do it from scratch, instead of using one of the many, many ideas I had previously developed. So, with the help of a friend, I came up with a start to a plot, deciding I would build on it later.
However, after I had penned the first one or two pages, I found that I couldn't remember what my basic idea had been. No matter how much I wracked my brain, I couldn't recall it.
Frustrated, but resolved not to abandon the project, I decided to go in an entirely different direction. I don't remember exactly where the idea for an island came from, but I do know that I had just fell deeply in love with hip-hop, and attitude was on my mind.
I was also thinking about how heroines turned victems to the overpowering affection of "jungle men" were so timid and fragile. They were both human, though their languages were different, so understanding each other was out of the question, but the intentions were still made well known through actions. Such as the man caressing the cheek of the woman and standing way too close.
Generally, the woman's response to such advancements are embarrassment and fear, but always underlined with a sense of generosity and curiosity. It bugged me. Where were the girls with attitude? Where were the sassy ladies whose main language was sarcasm? This concept intrigued me, and struck me as very funny. Lo and behold, Milo Hestler was born.
