The Field: The Quest for the Secret Force of the Universe
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4.06 · Rating details · 6,361 ratings · 324 reviews
Science has recently begun to prove what ancient myth and religion have always espoused: There may be such a thing as a life force.
Lynne McTaggart, indefatigable investigative journalist, reveals a radical new biological paradigm -- that on our most fundamental level, the human mind and body are not distinct and separate from their environment but a packet of pulsating power constantly interacting with this vast energy sea.
Lynne McTaggart, indefatigable investigative journalist, reveals a radical new biological paradigm -- that on our most fundamental level, the human mind and body are not distinct and separate from their environment but a packet of pulsating power constantly interacting with this vast energy sea.
Popular Answered Questions
David I believe God IS the zero point field....and he is within us all
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4.06 ·
· 6,361 ratings · 324 reviews
The Field: The Quest for the Secret Force of the Universe seemed promising and interesting to me at first glance because of author Lynne McTaggart’s angle. She tries to show that certain questionable topics, such as linking quantum physics to the somewhat New Age-ish idea that every single thing in the universe is connected, can actually be shown to be true via proper scientific research (double-blind, other researchers replicating the methods and getting the same results, etc.). The hypothesis in this case: the existence of the Zero Point Field. “Now that sounds interesting!” is what I thought while picking this up, having read many pseudoscience books over the years – and though occasionally moved and/or interested by the claims in those books, I’d never be able to take them seriously because of the lack of proper scientific methods.
But now the question is – is this book by McTaggart really the one to show, with irrefutable evidence, that the Zero Point Field exists? That every single thing in this universe is connected by it, and that it is this particular field that can explain several discrepancies in quantum theory/physics, and/or parapsychological phenomena?
Err, no. The first big mistake that McTaggart makes, is not treating the Zero Point Field as an hypothesis at all. Instead of testing the Zero Point Field hypothesis, her approach is rather different: looking up scientific research in which results turned up that can’t be fully explained or simply haven’t yet, and then saying something among the lines of: “Well, look here! Those results (or gaps/discrepancies) can be explained completely and utterly by the existence of the Zero Point Field, because… [followed by explanations concerning the current topic]”. And because the Zero Point Field is the supposed perfect answer, it exists. That is the crux of McTaggart’s reasoning, and there’s definitely something terribly wrong with that, even from a non-scientific point of view.
And this approach of hers is such a pity, because the research she references is actually quite engaging, and her explanations of quantum theory are clear and easy to understand. She poses critical questions, especially from a philosophical point of view, and I do think that there’s merit in researching both the Zero Point Field and quantum physics to look for a possible connection. However, the Field is presented as a fact here, which it isn’t, and McTaggart is almost smug in the way she thinks she’s disproving inherent parts of (quantum) physics, which she also isn’t. This is my main problem with this book, even though I think her ideas, theories, philosophical questions, and the scientific research she presents are interesting and definitely worth a look at. I saw a lot of promise in this work, but it didn’t really deliver.
Another thing that really bothered me, but might perhaps not be so offensive to others, is McTaggart’s dismissal and inaccurate portrayal of the theory of natural selection. She incorrectly assumes much in her prologue, and even goes so far as to say that both Darwinism and the Newtonian paradigm have completely depleted our self-image and world views, because all we’re doing here is ‘survival of the fittest’, and treating ourselves and those around us as machines. Well, excuse me, but natural selection is not at all completely about ‘survival of the fittest’, and it certainly doesn’t rule out human emotions, empathy, and altruism (i.e. the theory of natural selection doesn’t invalidate my life and/or emotions because I’m simply a ‘gene machine’, for example).
Long story short: though I like McTaggart’s core ideas, and admire her journalistic perseverance in gathering such a large amount of knowledge and research, this book simply isn’t truly scientific. So would I recommend this? Well, it is interesting, but just keep in mind that it’s still pseudoscience, and quite biased overall. Take it with a healthy grain of salt. (less)
Jan 10, 2019☘Misericordia☘ ⚡ϟ⚡⛈⚡☁ ❇️❤❣ rated it it was amazing
We are here. We are a part of the world of light unseen (or even seen!). We resonate. We are the field.
In practice this means this:
- A bunch of people are getting Prinston academic awards? The weather's gonna be fine, since everyone would be feeling peachy!
- Chickens experiments.
- Men vs women random coin tests.
- Unexpected benefits of meditation.
...
Q:
We create space and time on the surface of our retinas. (c)
Q:
Although we perceive science as an ultimate truth, science is finally just a story, told in installments. (c) (less)
In practice this means this:
- A bunch of people are getting Prinston academic awards? The weather's gonna be fine, since everyone would be feeling peachy!
- Chickens experiments.
- Men vs women random coin tests.
- Unexpected benefits of meditation.
...
Q:
We create space and time on the surface of our retinas. (c)
Q:
Although we perceive science as an ultimate truth, science is finally just a story, told in installments. (c) (less)
Apr 09, 2007Linda rated it it was amazing
I'm currently reading this book. It is validating my interest in the quantum field. We create our own reality with our thoughts. And it is only a matter of time until we create either more joy or more pain!
Since thoughts become reality, it behooves us to pay attention to what we are thinking!! (less)
Since thoughts become reality, it behooves us to pay attention to what we are thinking!! (less)
Jul 17, 2008Lorraine rated it it was amazing
One of the most though-provoking books I've read. The ZPF theories have profound implications for all of us, individually and collectively. McTaggart does an excellent job of translating the scientific data into an understandable package. A must-read for all--those seeking a mental challenge and those searching for spiritual connectivity regardless of their religious affiliation, as well as atheists. (less)
Feb 11, 2014Kai Zhuang rated it it was ok
Note: This is a review of the audiobook narrated by the author. I do not know if the audiobook is exactly the same as the book.
This is perhaps the most disappointing (audio) book I have ever read.
As a trained systems scientist and bio-engineer with a wide variety of experiences in body-mind and energy disciplines, I am very very interested in the subject matter. To be honest, I went in without too much skepticism. Based on my experience, Qi or Life Force is real, and existing scientific paradigm cannot explain it at all. So I was looking for a real good read that might be thought provoking.
Pro:
In the book, Lynne presented a lot of researches that she claims to prove that this "life force" is zero-point energy. She actually have interviewed a very impressive number of scientists/"pseudo"-scientists and collected a very comprehensive of out of ordinary observations that cannot be explained by existing paradigm. To me, perhaps the most interesting of these are the remote viewing studies. So in a sense, this book is worth a read just for the references McTaggart compiled. Very good journalism in the amount of work she has done... but good journalism ends here.
Con:
HOWEVER, it is clear that Lynne does not truly understand the scientific method in that she did not even attempt to establish her theory that "zero-point energy = life force" as an hypothesis. All she did was collect the references, and then say, "hey, it sounds to me that zero-point energy can explain this". This is fine as a popular book, but she is implying that her work is scientific because she got her references from scientists, which is a fallacy. Also, she kept saying "I can't really understand the science and the scientists had to speak to me in metaphors". Hmm... so she doesn't really understand what's going on, but after learning of some metaphors that loosely approximate the physics, she has enough understanding to construct a brand new paradigm of the universe. This is probably the most arrogant and ridiculous thing I have ever heard.
I understand that she is a journalist and she is supposed to form an opinion. However, making her opinion sounding like scientific truth is bad journalism (of course, this is my opinion :))
In summary: this book completely failed to convince me that zero-point energy = life force. the author comes off as arrogant when she takes half-digested information and formulate a grand theory of the universe out of it. this is unfortunate because she had a lot of good references/research. so... perhaps the truth is still out there?
(less)
This is perhaps the most disappointing (audio) book I have ever read.
As a trained systems scientist and bio-engineer with a wide variety of experiences in body-mind and energy disciplines, I am very very interested in the subject matter. To be honest, I went in without too much skepticism. Based on my experience, Qi or Life Force is real, and existing scientific paradigm cannot explain it at all. So I was looking for a real good read that might be thought provoking.
Pro:
In the book, Lynne presented a lot of researches that she claims to prove that this "life force" is zero-point energy. She actually have interviewed a very impressive number of scientists/"pseudo"-scientists and collected a very comprehensive of out of ordinary observations that cannot be explained by existing paradigm. To me, perhaps the most interesting of these are the remote viewing studies. So in a sense, this book is worth a read just for the references McTaggart compiled. Very good journalism in the amount of work she has done... but good journalism ends here.
Con:
HOWEVER, it is clear that Lynne does not truly understand the scientific method in that she did not even attempt to establish her theory that "zero-point energy = life force" as an hypothesis. All she did was collect the references, and then say, "hey, it sounds to me that zero-point energy can explain this". This is fine as a popular book, but she is implying that her work is scientific because she got her references from scientists, which is a fallacy. Also, she kept saying "I can't really understand the science and the scientists had to speak to me in metaphors". Hmm... so she doesn't really understand what's going on, but after learning of some metaphors that loosely approximate the physics, she has enough understanding to construct a brand new paradigm of the universe. This is probably the most arrogant and ridiculous thing I have ever heard.
I understand that she is a journalist and she is supposed to form an opinion. However, making her opinion sounding like scientific truth is bad journalism (of course, this is my opinion :))
In summary: this book completely failed to convince me that zero-point energy = life force. the author comes off as arrogant when she takes half-digested information and formulate a grand theory of the universe out of it. this is unfortunate because she had a lot of good references/research. so... perhaps the truth is still out there?
(less)
Um. I had to read this for a class. There's some stuff in here, but you really have to be an incredibly well-trained critical thinker, which I like to think I am, to pull what's worthwhile out. Just note that none of the scientists she interviews is one of the blurbers of this book. Note the latest update was in 2008. Google around for peer-reviewed publications on the Zero Point Field that have been published recently. Note that she often quotes this or that scientist on some cool discovery and then says, "he was tapping into the Zero Point Field," when it doesn't seem at all clear that the scientist him or herself was saying that, or thinking it, or demonstrating it.
The only reviewer with any science creds at all is a novelist, Arthur C Clarke. The rest of are of the ilk of The Secret, and What the Bleep Do We Know? So I'd advise extreme caution when reading this book, and would actually advise most people to stay the hell away. If you're all woo-woo about quantum mechanics already, this will further delude you, and if you're a rigid scientist, you'll just laugh, and with many good reasons. There are probably only about 50 non-deluded people who would get anything out of this. Not because they're brilliant but because they might see something useful in here despite all the crap and they might just be willing (or assigned) to wade through it, despite having started laughing at about paragraph 2. (less)
The only reviewer with any science creds at all is a novelist, Arthur C Clarke. The rest of are of the ilk of The Secret, and What the Bleep Do We Know? So I'd advise extreme caution when reading this book, and would actually advise most people to stay the hell away. If you're all woo-woo about quantum mechanics already, this will further delude you, and if you're a rigid scientist, you'll just laugh, and with many good reasons. There are probably only about 50 non-deluded people who would get anything out of this. Not because they're brilliant but because they might see something useful in here despite all the crap and they might just be willing (or assigned) to wade through it, despite having started laughing at about paragraph 2. (less)
One of the best books I have ever read. It took a long time to read and it will take a long time to write a review...so stand bye.
Back to review.
Human beings are a coalescence of energy and are connected to every other thing in the world. There is an enormous force field, connecting all people, their intentions and thoughts, and every animate and inanimate form of matter for all ages. Time is just an artificial construct.
pg 32 - All the corporeal stuff we call matter was an illusion. Mass is a bookkeeping device, a temporary place holder for a mor general quantum vacuum reaction effect.
pg 68 - Molecules speak to each other in oscillating frequencies, nonlocally and instantaneously.
86 -memory is distributed throughout the brain. I would add that memory is distributed throughout the body, and even around it.
104 - The logical conclusion was that the physical world only existed in its concrete state while we were involved in it.
There are just so many good ideas, backed up by scientific experiments, that you just have to read it for yourself. (less)
Back to review.
Human beings are a coalescence of energy and are connected to every other thing in the world. There is an enormous force field, connecting all people, their intentions and thoughts, and every animate and inanimate form of matter for all ages. Time is just an artificial construct.
pg 32 - All the corporeal stuff we call matter was an illusion. Mass is a bookkeeping device, a temporary place holder for a mor general quantum vacuum reaction effect.
pg 68 - Molecules speak to each other in oscillating frequencies, nonlocally and instantaneously.
86 -memory is distributed throughout the brain. I would add that memory is distributed throughout the body, and even around it.
104 - The logical conclusion was that the physical world only existed in its concrete state while we were involved in it.
There are just so many good ideas, backed up by scientific experiments, that you just have to read it for yourself. (less)
When I picked up this book, I was worried that it was going to turn out to be flaky, new-age stuff with a couple of studies on quantum physics that only tangentially supported the claims being made.
However, I was very pleasantly surprised. The evidence presented is accompanied by important information for evaluating its scientific usefulness (sample sizes, study designs) but still manages to explain everything without using statistics too tough for the layman to understand. There is a huge body experimental data presented in this book, but in such a way that you never lose sight of the big picture, and what makes each little study interesting and groundbreaking in its own right. The writing is clear, engaging, and even suspenseful. The data presented is mind-boggling and allows you to see just the edges, the hint of a shape that will be the scientific breakthroughs of the next century. Read this now so that you can say "I told you so" later. (less)
However, I was very pleasantly surprised. The evidence presented is accompanied by important information for evaluating its scientific usefulness (sample sizes, study designs) but still manages to explain everything without using statistics too tough for the layman to understand. There is a huge body experimental data presented in this book, but in such a way that you never lose sight of the big picture, and what makes each little study interesting and groundbreaking in its own right. The writing is clear, engaging, and even suspenseful. The data presented is mind-boggling and allows you to see just the edges, the hint of a shape that will be the scientific breakthroughs of the next century. Read this now so that you can say "I told you so" later. (less)
Mar 26, 2016Emily rated it it was ok · review of another edition
If you only read one review, please make it this one! It’s a long one, but it addresses things that I really think you should consider.
I want to start by saying that many of the core concepts in this book are things that I already believe or want to believe. That’s mainly why I picked up the book—I’m searching for proof to vindicate my view of the world, that the entire universe is connected in some intangible way, that there’s more to human (and animal) consciousness than just the right mix of hormones and firing neurons, that our intentions can and do have an effect on the outcome of events. I believe in karma, I dabble in tarot cards, I believe—tentatively—in an afterlife. I’m open minded to the ideas, and I’ll admit that I was swept up in the book during my two day marathon of reading it. It’s clear that McTaggart has done a ton of research, and she has an entertaining, readable, well-paced, and convincing way of explaining things.
This isn’t necessarily a good thing.
McTaggart tries very hard to pass this book off as a scientific literature review, but The Field is nothing of the sort. A literature review has two jobs. The first is to compile, in a thorough and unbiased manner, all of the known data and arguments regarding a particular topic, both in favor of and against it. McTaggart not only cherry-picks and misrepresents the data of experiments, she does the same regarding the circumstances surrounding the lives of these scientists and their experiments. She also completely fails to explain why the scientific community at large has unanimously shunned these scientists and discredited their work. Instead, she chooses to either heavily imply or outright state that there’s some kind of vast conspiracy by the “Establishment” (her word, not mine) that’s suppressing this new information because it doesn’t conform to the appropriate world view.
The second job of a literature review is to discuss, analyze and theorize about the data that it has presented. The author completely fails at this, as well. She takes all of these dubious studies and presents them as irrefutable evidence for her made up ideas, which she presents as fact. The key word of the literature review’s job is theorize. The author of a real, well-written scientific review makes logical, educated hypotheses which are presented as possible interpretations of the data. These hypotheses can be tested. The authors don’t pass them off as fact, and they don’t jump to conclusions.
It honestly frightens me, the number of 5-star reviews that this book has. Please use your heads, people. Do you really think that if a scientist had actually found real proof that AIDS, a disease that has killed millions of people, could be cured with prayer, that the other hundreds of thousands of scientists and doctors who have been trying for thirty years to cure it, wouldn’t sit up and take notice?
While reading this book, you may notice an overarching theme of martyrdom. Like Galileo, imprisoned and shunned by society for daring to suggest that the Earth wasn’t the center of the universe, these intrepid scientists at the frontier of human knowledge were prosecuted by their peers for daring to question the Establishment!!! They were oppressed by skeptics!!!! !
Listen, people. ‘Skeptic’ isn’t a bad word. Being a skeptic doesn’t mean that you’re closed-minded and refuse to listen to new ideas. It means that you question everything. Approaching the world with skepticism is a good thing, because it means that you can’t easily be fooled. I’m a skeptic, and even though I wanted to believe what this book was telling me, the first thing I did after I finished was to google the author, all of the scientists, and all of the major concepts that were mentioned. What I found was that pretty much everything was grossly misrepresented. I’m not going to hash through all of that here because it’ll take up a lot of space, but I will however mention one fact that absolutely floored me when I read it.
Hal Puthoff is a physicist whose theories about zero point energy form the basis for The Field, along with his experiments with self-proclaimed psychics and “remote viewers” Swann & Price. As it turns out, Puthoff spent a decade as a highly involved, high level member of the Church of Scientology. Now, I’m not one to put down others for their involvement in religion. However, Scientology is not a religion. It is, in every sense of the word, a cult. If Puthoff is so gullible that he can be lured in by a cult for ten years, it seem pretty likely that his psychic friends swindled him too.
The reason this fact surprised me so much was because McTaggart did not say a word about this in her book. Why not? Because she knew that it would immediately discredit Puthoff to her readers, and for good reason.
I’m not trying to push you away from reading this book. It certainly contains some interesting ideas, and I believe it can be valuable to read a book even when everything it says is outright incorrect. And I’m not even saying that all of the ideas represented in this book are necessarily impossible. To reiterate what I’ve already said, I read this book because I’m looking for evidence of things that I already feel to be true. I just want to warn as many people as possible that Lynne McTaggart is an enormous hack and please, please, please do your research and take everything she says with a huge grain of salt!! (less)
I want to start by saying that many of the core concepts in this book are things that I already believe or want to believe. That’s mainly why I picked up the book—I’m searching for proof to vindicate my view of the world, that the entire universe is connected in some intangible way, that there’s more to human (and animal) consciousness than just the right mix of hormones and firing neurons, that our intentions can and do have an effect on the outcome of events. I believe in karma, I dabble in tarot cards, I believe—tentatively—in an afterlife. I’m open minded to the ideas, and I’ll admit that I was swept up in the book during my two day marathon of reading it. It’s clear that McTaggart has done a ton of research, and she has an entertaining, readable, well-paced, and convincing way of explaining things.
This isn’t necessarily a good thing.
McTaggart tries very hard to pass this book off as a scientific literature review, but The Field is nothing of the sort. A literature review has two jobs. The first is to compile, in a thorough and unbiased manner, all of the known data and arguments regarding a particular topic, both in favor of and against it. McTaggart not only cherry-picks and misrepresents the data of experiments, she does the same regarding the circumstances surrounding the lives of these scientists and their experiments. She also completely fails to explain why the scientific community at large has unanimously shunned these scientists and discredited their work. Instead, she chooses to either heavily imply or outright state that there’s some kind of vast conspiracy by the “Establishment” (her word, not mine) that’s suppressing this new information because it doesn’t conform to the appropriate world view.
The second job of a literature review is to discuss, analyze and theorize about the data that it has presented. The author completely fails at this, as well. She takes all of these dubious studies and presents them as irrefutable evidence for her made up ideas, which she presents as fact. The key word of the literature review’s job is theorize. The author of a real, well-written scientific review makes logical, educated hypotheses which are presented as possible interpretations of the data. These hypotheses can be tested. The authors don’t pass them off as fact, and they don’t jump to conclusions.
It honestly frightens me, the number of 5-star reviews that this book has. Please use your heads, people. Do you really think that if a scientist had actually found real proof that AIDS, a disease that has killed millions of people, could be cured with prayer, that the other hundreds of thousands of scientists and doctors who have been trying for thirty years to cure it, wouldn’t sit up and take notice?
While reading this book, you may notice an overarching theme of martyrdom. Like Galileo, imprisoned and shunned by society for daring to suggest that the Earth wasn’t the center of the universe, these intrepid scientists at the frontier of human knowledge were prosecuted by their peers for daring to question the Establishment!!! They were oppressed by skeptics!!!! !
Listen, people. ‘Skeptic’ isn’t a bad word. Being a skeptic doesn’t mean that you’re closed-minded and refuse to listen to new ideas. It means that you question everything. Approaching the world with skepticism is a good thing, because it means that you can’t easily be fooled. I’m a skeptic, and even though I wanted to believe what this book was telling me, the first thing I did after I finished was to google the author, all of the scientists, and all of the major concepts that were mentioned. What I found was that pretty much everything was grossly misrepresented. I’m not going to hash through all of that here because it’ll take up a lot of space, but I will however mention one fact that absolutely floored me when I read it.
Hal Puthoff is a physicist whose theories about zero point energy form the basis for The Field, along with his experiments with self-proclaimed psychics and “remote viewers” Swann & Price. As it turns out, Puthoff spent a decade as a highly involved, high level member of the Church of Scientology. Now, I’m not one to put down others for their involvement in religion. However, Scientology is not a religion. It is, in every sense of the word, a cult. If Puthoff is so gullible that he can be lured in by a cult for ten years, it seem pretty likely that his psychic friends swindled him too.
The reason this fact surprised me so much was because McTaggart did not say a word about this in her book. Why not? Because she knew that it would immediately discredit Puthoff to her readers, and for good reason.
I’m not trying to push you away from reading this book. It certainly contains some interesting ideas, and I believe it can be valuable to read a book even when everything it says is outright incorrect. And I’m not even saying that all of the ideas represented in this book are necessarily impossible. To reiterate what I’ve already said, I read this book because I’m looking for evidence of things that I already feel to be true. I just want to warn as many people as possible that Lynne McTaggart is an enormous hack and please, please, please do your research and take everything she says with a huge grain of salt!! (less)
Feb 08, 2014Clara Raubertas rated it did not like it
Deceptive pseudoscience. The author reports "studies" purporting to show that ESP and similar phenomena exist -- but she either fails to include statistical information, or includes numbers from the study and then *straight-up lies* about their statistical relevance (hint: guessing the outcome of a coin flip correctly in 52.5% of 100-ish trials is not a statistically significant deviation from chance). Further, there are no negative results included -- she claims that studies show that ESP-like phenomena, like a subject divining another subject's location, exist regardless of the subject's mood, surroundings, being inside a metal box, etc. But if this were true -- why wouldn't everyone constantly be bombarded with psychic information about other people's experiences? There's no model suggested of how psychic phenomena could work to have the suggested effects and yet also remain unnoticed by the majority of the population. If you interpret this book as science, you're doing yourself a great disservice. (less)
Jun 14, 2011Jim George rated it really liked it
Pretty deep stuff, I'm glad that I was preparing my mind back in the 60s and 70s! Our brain is not a storage medium, it is a receiving mechanism, our short and long term knowledge doesn't reside in our brains it is instead stored in the Zero Point Field. The universe is a vast dynamic cobweb of energy exchange from the ZPF and available to us. Consciousness at its most basic is coherent light and the physical world only exists in its concrete state while we are involved in it. If we are going to get energy out of the ZPF for space travel we must decouple from gravity, reduce inertia, or generate enough energy from the vacuum to overcome both. We share the same spirit and brain, there is a power that is unexplainable, an awe we must revere in the cosmos. There truly is a scientific spirituality thing going on out there and in here! I kind of get it - may the Force be with you! (less)
Apr 03, 2013Alan rated it it was amazing
This is one of those books that will make you shake your head as you think about the power of prayer. An amazing account of scientifically proven experiences, that are further reinforced by events more recent.
The 30 days of prayer in Washington D.C. in support of peace, and the astounding result. Remote prayer for HIV patients, with more amazing results. But the ultimate take away is denomination was not the deciding factor. A must read for those doubtful of the power of your thoughts.The Field: The Quest for the Secret Force of the Universe (less)
The 30 days of prayer in Washington D.C. in support of peace, and the astounding result. Remote prayer for HIV patients, with more amazing results. But the ultimate take away is denomination was not the deciding factor. A must read for those doubtful of the power of your thoughts.The Field: The Quest for the Secret Force of the Universe (less)
Aug 25, 2010Daniel rated it really liked it · review of another edition
I think it's telling that there are no negative reviews of this book here. It's an extremely interesting story about the grid of energy that connects everything on earth to everything else on earth, as well as to everything else in the universe. Sound like a lot to absorb? Well, it is, but it is done tastefully with some very compelling data that does not misrepresent itself. The data does not need to be inflated to be astounding; it is in fact the mere decimal of difference in the data that speaks to the amazing truth about this interconnectivity.
Please read this book. I don't know what will change when we all have read this book, but something will, I'm sure of it. (less)
Please read this book. I don't know what will change when we all have read this book, but something will, I'm sure of it. (less)
This is by far one of the most important books I have read, and I think anyone should read.
As a yoga practitioner, and one who has gone through reiki training, my rational mind seeks more scientific substantiation of what the yogis, healers and spiritualists have known for thousands of years.
The field refers to the zero point field (ZPF), which is made up of the spaces between sub-atomic particles. At absolute zero, this field still emits energy. It is not a vacuum but a field that is constantl ...more
As a yoga practitioner, and one who has gone through reiki training, my rational mind seeks more scientific substantiation of what the yogis, healers and spiritualists have known for thousands of years.
The field refers to the zero point field (ZPF), which is made up of the spaces between sub-atomic particles. At absolute zero, this field still emits energy. It is not a vacuum but a field that is constantl ...more
Jun 06, 2014Cheryl rated it it was amazing
A fascinating read! If you believe that there is an energy field that exists beyond human comprehension and want to see the scientific studies that are searching for and proving it exists, this is your book. There are so many fascinating studies regarding quantum physics here! This is one of the best books I have ever read on the reality of intentional and conscious living.
Nov 20, 2008mark rated it it was amazing
Loved this book. Weaves together the scientific work done over the last 80 years which cumulatively goes a very long way to supporting New Age healings. Very eye opening to get such a clearer understanding of spontaneous recovery or telekinesis. Enjoy.
People see what they are prepared to see.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
“The most beautiful thing thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.”
– Albert Einstein
“To meet the challenge before us our notions of cosmology and of the general nature of reality must have room in them to permit a consistent account of consciousness. Vice versa, our notions of consciousness must have room in them to understand what it means for its content to be ‘reality as a whole.’ The two sets of notions together should then be such as to allow for an understanding as to how consciousness and reality are related.”
– David Bohm, Introduction to Wholeness and the Implicate Order
You ever read a book that completely upended your entire reality structure by quantum leaps and bounds? Probably not, and if so, probably not many, correct? Fortuitously, The Field, by investigative journalist Lynn McTaggart, is just one of those books.
The Field is not simply a great book because it allows individuals to see the latitude of reality from a much wider vantage point through the quantum vibrational field of life, but because it supports it with science. A lot of science.
Cataloging her personal journey into the exploration of how to show consciousness affects matter, Lynne McTaggart does an exemplary job of showing the science that supports the notion that physical matter reality can be profoundly affected by cohesive thoughts through the subatomic world that encompasses nonlocality.
McTaggart herself explains:
“Nonlocality shattered the very foundations of physics. Matter could no longer be considered separate. Actions did not have to have an observable cause over an observable space. Einstein’s most fundamental axiom wasn’t correct: at a certain level of matter, things could travel faster than the speed of light. Subatomic particles had no meaning in isolation but could only be understood in their relationships. The world, at its most basic, existed as a complex web of interdependent relationships, forever indivisible.”1
At first glance, the fact that physical matter reality can be affected by nonphysical matter might seem outlandish, even crazy, except this notion has been studied extensively and with surgical precision for quite some time.
In fact, researchers such as cellular biologist Bruce Lipton PhD, consciousness researcher and former NASA physicist Tom Campbell, psyhchoenergetic scientist and materials science and engineering professor at Stanford University, William A. Tiller PhD, and parapsychologist Dean Radin PhD who is Chief Scientist at the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS), have each published books that deal with this very phenomenon from a variety of angles, and are highly suggested for those looking to delve deeper into the subject of how consciousness affects reality through the quantum field of life.
The importance of these studies cannot be overstated. In McTaggart’s own words, the implications from these consciousness studies:
“…suggested something far more profound. In the past, individuals had accidentally evidenced some ability – a premonition, a ‘past life’, a clairvoyant image, a gift for healing – which quickly was dismissed as a freak of nature or a confidence trick. The work of these scientist [cited] suggested that this was a capacity neither abnormal nor rare, but present in every human being. Their work hinted at human abilities beyond what we’d ever dreamed possible. We were far more than we realized. If we could understand this potential scientifically, we might learn how to systematically tap into it. This would vastly improve every area of our lives, from communication and self-knowledge to our interaction with our material world. Science would no longer reduce us to our lowest common denominator.”2
As well, how consciousness affects reality is also vital because the wide-ranging set of experiments researched and discussed by McTaggart:
“[have] helped validate alternative medicine, which has been shown to work empirically but has never been understood. If we could finally work out the science of medicine that treats human energy levels and the exact nature of the ‘energy’ that was being treated, the possibilities for improved health were unimaginable.”3
On just that line of thought, a stellar and incredibly empowering book discussing how individuals can improve their health through epigenetics and quantum biology has been written by researcher Sayer Ji, author of Regenerate – Unlocking Your Body’s Radical Resilience Through The New Biology.
Ji’s book takes the concept that McTaggart mentions, and extends it with ample evidence, hundreds of cited scientific sources in fact. I suggest those interested in taking back the reigns of their health in a very mindful and yet, truly time-tested way, delve deeply into Regenerate, because the book is the best book out there that merges epigenetics and health. But don’t take my word for it, take a look into it for yourself.
From any given vantage point, how consciousness affects matter is arguably the most powerful, and yet severely underrated subject in all media, even in alternative media. And yet, not only does the work of Lynne McTaggart touch upon consciousness’ ability to affect reality, but the works of every scientist and researcher cited as well.
In other words, how consciousness affects matter is not something abstruse to be relegated to fringe considerations, but a scientifically verifiable process that is not only awe-inspiring given the serious ramifications it portends for individuals and their latent abilities, but in how this shows the profound extent through which the quantum field of life can be significantly affected and how we are directly coupled to it by default. And every single individual on Earth has the power to affect the quantum field of life.
To truly understand the deeper implications of this, begin by delving into The Field, and you will not only being seeing the larger tapestry from which to view reality, but how the vibrational quantum zero-point field of energy is there for the taking, waiting to be employed by everyone.
And once you see that, you will see how your view of reality changes, allowing you to not only feel empowered, but to know you are empowered, and therefore act empowered.
Tossing one last stone into the well, I’ll leave you with the sage words from noted Nobel Prize Winner, Eugene P. Wigner PhD, that he wrote in a paper entitled: The Place of Consciousness in Modern Physics, wherein he discusses quantum physics and its future:
“It will remain remarkable, in what every way our future concepts may develop, that the very study of our external world led to the scientific conclusion that the content of the consciousness is the ultimate universal reality.”4
And what could be more real, than stepping into that reality, into your power, in its full breadth and scope?
_________________________________________________________
[1] Lynne McTaggart – The Field – The Quest for the Secret Force of the Universe, pg. 11. Bold emphasis added.
[2] Ibid., pg. 225-226. Bold emphasis added.
[3] Ibid., pg. 226. Bold emphasis added.
[4] Quoted from Tom Campbell’s My Big T.O.E. – The Complete My Big TOE Trilogy Unifying Philosophy, Physics and Metaphysics, pg. 780. Bold emphasis added.
_________________________________________________________
Suggested Reading:
Regenerate: Unlocking Your Body's Radical Resilience through the New Biology by Sayer Ji of GreenMedInfo.com.
The Bond by Lynn McTaggart
The Intention Experiment by Lynn McTaggart
The Power of Eight: Harnessing the Miraculous Energies of a Small Group to Heal Others, Your Life, and the World by Lynn McTaggart
The Biology of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter, & Miracles by Bruce Lipton Ph.D
The Honeymoon Effect: The Science of Creating Heaven on Earth by Bruce Lipton Ph.D
Spontaneous Evolution: Our Positive Future and a Way to Get There From Here by Bruce Lipton Ph.D
Molecules Of Emotion: The Science Behind Mind-Body Medicine by Candace B. Pert Ph.D
Why Love Matters: How affection shapes a baby's brain by Sue Gerhardt
My Big Toe: A Trilogy Unifying Philosophy, Physics, and Metaphysics: Awakening, Discovery, Inner Workings by Tom Campbell (less)
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
“The most beautiful thing thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.”
– Albert Einstein
“To meet the challenge before us our notions of cosmology and of the general nature of reality must have room in them to permit a consistent account of consciousness. Vice versa, our notions of consciousness must have room in them to understand what it means for its content to be ‘reality as a whole.’ The two sets of notions together should then be such as to allow for an understanding as to how consciousness and reality are related.”
– David Bohm, Introduction to Wholeness and the Implicate Order
You ever read a book that completely upended your entire reality structure by quantum leaps and bounds? Probably not, and if so, probably not many, correct? Fortuitously, The Field, by investigative journalist Lynn McTaggart, is just one of those books.
The Field is not simply a great book because it allows individuals to see the latitude of reality from a much wider vantage point through the quantum vibrational field of life, but because it supports it with science. A lot of science.
Cataloging her personal journey into the exploration of how to show consciousness affects matter, Lynne McTaggart does an exemplary job of showing the science that supports the notion that physical matter reality can be profoundly affected by cohesive thoughts through the subatomic world that encompasses nonlocality.
McTaggart herself explains:
“Nonlocality shattered the very foundations of physics. Matter could no longer be considered separate. Actions did not have to have an observable cause over an observable space. Einstein’s most fundamental axiom wasn’t correct: at a certain level of matter, things could travel faster than the speed of light. Subatomic particles had no meaning in isolation but could only be understood in their relationships. The world, at its most basic, existed as a complex web of interdependent relationships, forever indivisible.”1
At first glance, the fact that physical matter reality can be affected by nonphysical matter might seem outlandish, even crazy, except this notion has been studied extensively and with surgical precision for quite some time.
In fact, researchers such as cellular biologist Bruce Lipton PhD, consciousness researcher and former NASA physicist Tom Campbell, psyhchoenergetic scientist and materials science and engineering professor at Stanford University, William A. Tiller PhD, and parapsychologist Dean Radin PhD who is Chief Scientist at the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS), have each published books that deal with this very phenomenon from a variety of angles, and are highly suggested for those looking to delve deeper into the subject of how consciousness affects reality through the quantum field of life.
The importance of these studies cannot be overstated. In McTaggart’s own words, the implications from these consciousness studies:
“…suggested something far more profound. In the past, individuals had accidentally evidenced some ability – a premonition, a ‘past life’, a clairvoyant image, a gift for healing – which quickly was dismissed as a freak of nature or a confidence trick. The work of these scientist [cited] suggested that this was a capacity neither abnormal nor rare, but present in every human being. Their work hinted at human abilities beyond what we’d ever dreamed possible. We were far more than we realized. If we could understand this potential scientifically, we might learn how to systematically tap into it. This would vastly improve every area of our lives, from communication and self-knowledge to our interaction with our material world. Science would no longer reduce us to our lowest common denominator.”2
As well, how consciousness affects reality is also vital because the wide-ranging set of experiments researched and discussed by McTaggart:
“[have] helped validate alternative medicine, which has been shown to work empirically but has never been understood. If we could finally work out the science of medicine that treats human energy levels and the exact nature of the ‘energy’ that was being treated, the possibilities for improved health were unimaginable.”3
On just that line of thought, a stellar and incredibly empowering book discussing how individuals can improve their health through epigenetics and quantum biology has been written by researcher Sayer Ji, author of Regenerate – Unlocking Your Body’s Radical Resilience Through The New Biology.
Ji’s book takes the concept that McTaggart mentions, and extends it with ample evidence, hundreds of cited scientific sources in fact. I suggest those interested in taking back the reigns of their health in a very mindful and yet, truly time-tested way, delve deeply into Regenerate, because the book is the best book out there that merges epigenetics and health. But don’t take my word for it, take a look into it for yourself.
From any given vantage point, how consciousness affects matter is arguably the most powerful, and yet severely underrated subject in all media, even in alternative media. And yet, not only does the work of Lynne McTaggart touch upon consciousness’ ability to affect reality, but the works of every scientist and researcher cited as well.
In other words, how consciousness affects matter is not something abstruse to be relegated to fringe considerations, but a scientifically verifiable process that is not only awe-inspiring given the serious ramifications it portends for individuals and their latent abilities, but in how this shows the profound extent through which the quantum field of life can be significantly affected and how we are directly coupled to it by default. And every single individual on Earth has the power to affect the quantum field of life.
To truly understand the deeper implications of this, begin by delving into The Field, and you will not only being seeing the larger tapestry from which to view reality, but how the vibrational quantum zero-point field of energy is there for the taking, waiting to be employed by everyone.
And once you see that, you will see how your view of reality changes, allowing you to not only feel empowered, but to know you are empowered, and therefore act empowered.
Tossing one last stone into the well, I’ll leave you with the sage words from noted Nobel Prize Winner, Eugene P. Wigner PhD, that he wrote in a paper entitled: The Place of Consciousness in Modern Physics, wherein he discusses quantum physics and its future:
“It will remain remarkable, in what every way our future concepts may develop, that the very study of our external world led to the scientific conclusion that the content of the consciousness is the ultimate universal reality.”4
And what could be more real, than stepping into that reality, into your power, in its full breadth and scope?
_________________________________________________________
[1] Lynne McTaggart – The Field – The Quest for the Secret Force of the Universe, pg. 11. Bold emphasis added.
[2] Ibid., pg. 225-226. Bold emphasis added.
[3] Ibid., pg. 226. Bold emphasis added.
[4] Quoted from Tom Campbell’s My Big T.O.E. – The Complete My Big TOE Trilogy Unifying Philosophy, Physics and Metaphysics, pg. 780. Bold emphasis added.
_________________________________________________________
Suggested Reading:
Regenerate: Unlocking Your Body's Radical Resilience through the New Biology by Sayer Ji of GreenMedInfo.com.
The Bond by Lynn McTaggart
The Intention Experiment by Lynn McTaggart
The Power of Eight: Harnessing the Miraculous Energies of a Small Group to Heal Others, Your Life, and the World by Lynn McTaggart
The Biology of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter, & Miracles by Bruce Lipton Ph.D
The Honeymoon Effect: The Science of Creating Heaven on Earth by Bruce Lipton Ph.D
Spontaneous Evolution: Our Positive Future and a Way to Get There From Here by Bruce Lipton Ph.D
Molecules Of Emotion: The Science Behind Mind-Body Medicine by Candace B. Pert Ph.D
Why Love Matters: How affection shapes a baby's brain by Sue Gerhardt
My Big Toe: A Trilogy Unifying Philosophy, Physics, and Metaphysics: Awakening, Discovery, Inner Workings by Tom Campbell (less)
Oct 18, 2020Amy rated it really liked it
A very profound book! While there is a lot of scientific information and terms in here, it is very much worth reading. Science has never been my best subject, but still I continued to read, and learned a lot. My need for wanting to know, overpowered my discomfort with science terms. I only gave it 4 stars for those like me that may have a slight challenge with wrapping your brain around the science terminology. I have also picked up her The Power of Eight book, and it's written in much less complex terms for those who might want to go a less intense, yet still insightful and informational book. (less)
This book is ridiculously fascinating. And wonderfully heady. And very, very difficult to grok. What you may or may not know about me: I am enchanted (albeit still utterly mystified) by quantum mechanics. If Peter Vollhardt, my Organic Chemistry professor at UC Berkeley in 1989, had somehow managed to explain quantum mechanics a little more clearly at the time, the course of my life may very well have been different. I might be working in a weird little lab somewhere, investigating the Zero Point Field, which is what Lynne McTaggart explores in The Field.
What is the Zero Point Field? Even after reading this book, I’m not sure I can really explain it. In quantum physics, all microscopic objects vibrate because of quantum fluctuations. The energy created by these constant fluctuations of electromagnetic waves is the Zero Point Field. The ZPF is, in theory, the source of all energy and matter. All beings (consciousness) are connected to and in communication with one another through this field; our intention focuses this energy and creates the world around us. The act of observation is literally a creative act; our intention creates our reality. (Which, honestly, isn’t all that different from how I would define poetry, or any other genre of art.)
Call it global consciousness, call it qi, call it parapsychology, call it God…McTaggart’s book ranges widely, covering topics such as Einstein’s “spooky” action-at-a-distance, remote viewing, spiritual healers, ESP, homeopathy, prayer and how all of these apparently supernatural phenomena can be scientifically explained by the ZPF. The western world of science and medicine is finally catching up to where the rest of the world’s populations have been for centuries.
Does the consciousness of human beings have incredible powers—-to heal ourselves, to heal the world—-in a sense, to make it as we wish it to be? In the words of a certain poster on FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder’s wall: I want to believe.
(less)
What is the Zero Point Field? Even after reading this book, I’m not sure I can really explain it. In quantum physics, all microscopic objects vibrate because of quantum fluctuations. The energy created by these constant fluctuations of electromagnetic waves is the Zero Point Field. The ZPF is, in theory, the source of all energy and matter. All beings (consciousness) are connected to and in communication with one another through this field; our intention focuses this energy and creates the world around us. The act of observation is literally a creative act; our intention creates our reality. (Which, honestly, isn’t all that different from how I would define poetry, or any other genre of art.)
Call it global consciousness, call it qi, call it parapsychology, call it God…McTaggart’s book ranges widely, covering topics such as Einstein’s “spooky” action-at-a-distance, remote viewing, spiritual healers, ESP, homeopathy, prayer and how all of these apparently supernatural phenomena can be scientifically explained by the ZPF. The western world of science and medicine is finally catching up to where the rest of the world’s populations have been for centuries.
Does the consciousness of human beings have incredible powers—-to heal ourselves, to heal the world—-in a sense, to make it as we wish it to be? In the words of a certain poster on FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder’s wall: I want to believe.
(less)
Jan 13, 2014Michelle Desgagne rated it really liked it
The author goes to great lengths to introduce complex concepts in layman's terms to those of us who are not nor will ever be, Rocket Scientists! That said however several of these concepts are still tricky for most of us to absorb with the same zeal that the author presents them with. I loved the precept; Present the works of cutting edge science & scientists in readable and accessible language so that we can all be as excited about these new ground-breaking realities as the scientists themselves. I was excited & interested but the truth is the never-ending scientific prose just wore me down after about 2/3 the way through. I did finish this book but with significantly less enthusiasm then when I started. Still, it was a beautiful journey through seemingly endless possibilities...worth the effort.
I'm just about to begin the sequel-The Intention Experiment. (less)
I'm just about to begin the sequel-The Intention Experiment. (less)
Mar 07, 2011Vince Dacosta rated it it was amazing
This book has changed our concept of the Universe. Lynne often says she is not a scientist, but she has collaborated with some of the best and effectively put their thoughts and discoveries into the public domain. I'll never forget reading her opening words: "We are poised on the brink of a revolution - a revolution as daring and profound as Einstein's discovery of relativity." She then went on to tell us about that revolution. (less)
Dec 27, 2021Brian Sachetta rated it it was amazing
I’ve got to admit, I’ve always had a hard time balancing spirituality and science. The two just seem to clash so much, in my mind. But after reading this one, I feel like I’m able to make much better sense of (and remedy) that conflict.
This one dives deep into quantum physics and the “zero point field” to suggest that there’s much more order and design to the universe than we may see on the surface. It leverages tons of research to make its case and really leaves you feeling like you just went to the best (and most practical) sermon you’ve ever been to.
I haven’t actually dug into any of the sources cited in this one, but I really didn’t feel like I needed to, either. Practically the whole book is a recounting of scientific studies and adventures; it feels like there’s very little that’s woo-woo or unaccounted for here. If you’re looking for an uplifting scientific read that restores your faith in something larger than yourself, definitely check this one out.
-Brian Sachetta
Author of “Get Out of Your Head” (less)
This one dives deep into quantum physics and the “zero point field” to suggest that there’s much more order and design to the universe than we may see on the surface. It leverages tons of research to make its case and really leaves you feeling like you just went to the best (and most practical) sermon you’ve ever been to.
I haven’t actually dug into any of the sources cited in this one, but I really didn’t feel like I needed to, either. Practically the whole book is a recounting of scientific studies and adventures; it feels like there’s very little that’s woo-woo or unaccounted for here. If you’re looking for an uplifting scientific read that restores your faith in something larger than yourself, definitely check this one out.
-Brian Sachetta
Author of “Get Out of Your Head” (less)
May 28, 2021Kirsten Corby rated it really liked it
Wow, this book is incredible. This book will crack your worldview wide open. If the information in this book became common knowledge, and everyone spoke, thought, and acted with intention, it would change society in ways we can barely imagine now. Everyone should read this book.
Aug 27, 2021Nasos Kladakis rated it did not like it
Half a star or no star might be better. Homeopathy is main stream science, magic water, “professional psychics” and other similar things. Waste of my time.
Sep 20, 2015Robert Day rated it liked it · review of another edition
I really do want to be convinced that there is a 'secret force in the universe' because it's a really, really interesting concept.
Unfortunately, this is not the book that will convince me.
There's just too much jumping to conclusions without sufficient explanation. Maybe some of that is my lack of understanding - maybe if I was less tired when I read it I could have given it more attention and taken more in.
One thing I wonder though: why has this book not changed the world already? Why are we still operating under a paradigm that says that we are under the thrall of matter and that we can do nothing about it? Why are we still giving our power away to material goods and possessions? Why are we still slaves when we have the power to be masters (the secret force of the universe) at our fingertips?
I mean, if this were true - then it would change everything!
There are some lovely experiments described here, but there are so many gaps in the logic of it all that I just can't swallow the conclusions.
For example: they've got this machine that registers changes in the quantum field and when it is tested, it picks up changes in individuals, and it works for groups, and it works for conferences and TV programmes, and it works locally and from a distance, and it works for the past and for the future, and it works in the here and now. To prove that it is working in all these circumstances, the experimenters are comparing all these multiple changes in the quantum field to a 'baseline where nothing is happening'.
My big fat hairy question is: how is it possible, with all these quantum effects happening in every single direction and circumstance, for there to be any sort of baseline. There is no possible occasion during which there is nothing happening!
And that's where all this falls down. The experiments are cool, but they are not rigorous enough to prove anything to me. There are just too many variables to control and they are all confounding. At least, that it, they confound my poor little head completely and utterly. (less)
Unfortunately, this is not the book that will convince me.
There's just too much jumping to conclusions without sufficient explanation. Maybe some of that is my lack of understanding - maybe if I was less tired when I read it I could have given it more attention and taken more in.
One thing I wonder though: why has this book not changed the world already? Why are we still operating under a paradigm that says that we are under the thrall of matter and that we can do nothing about it? Why are we still giving our power away to material goods and possessions? Why are we still slaves when we have the power to be masters (the secret force of the universe) at our fingertips?
I mean, if this were true - then it would change everything!
There are some lovely experiments described here, but there are so many gaps in the logic of it all that I just can't swallow the conclusions.
For example: they've got this machine that registers changes in the quantum field and when it is tested, it picks up changes in individuals, and it works for groups, and it works for conferences and TV programmes, and it works locally and from a distance, and it works for the past and for the future, and it works in the here and now. To prove that it is working in all these circumstances, the experimenters are comparing all these multiple changes in the quantum field to a 'baseline where nothing is happening'.
My big fat hairy question is: how is it possible, with all these quantum effects happening in every single direction and circumstance, for there to be any sort of baseline. There is no possible occasion during which there is nothing happening!
And that's where all this falls down. The experiments are cool, but they are not rigorous enough to prove anything to me. There are just too many variables to control and they are all confounding. At least, that it, they confound my poor little head completely and utterly. (less)
Dec 24, 2013Rachel rated it it was amazing
This has to be the most fascinating book I've read in years. Really.
I saw the author give a blurb on a documentary a couple of months ago and what she said really caught my attention. I went looking for her online and ran into this book.
What it is: Descriptions (in story form; it isn't dry) of the historical and recent scientific studies/research of Quantum Physics and the Zero Point Field. Okay... I'd *heard* of Quantum Theory and that it worked 'underneath' Newtonian physics, but that was about it it. The studies/research (all hard science, all with strict protocols, all began by atheist/non-spiritual scientists) finds the science behind some really fascinating things: A collective conscious, the power of prayer/meditation/healings, ESP, eastern medicine, time/space relationships, etc. (I could go on and on). The back blurb says "... McTaggart reveals a radical new paradigm - that the human mind and body are not separate from their environment... that consciousness may be central in shaping our world." (I just can't say it better myself.)
The funny things is that as I read along, I found the way I observed the world / people around me started to shift dramatically. The idea of all of humanity (and really it's greater than just us people) being intimately connected to each other and to something greater than us is so hugely powerful to me. That is the opposite of the individualistic, competitive world we live in. (science meeting up with spirituality?)
(less)
I saw the author give a blurb on a documentary a couple of months ago and what she said really caught my attention. I went looking for her online and ran into this book.
What it is: Descriptions (in story form; it isn't dry) of the historical and recent scientific studies/research of Quantum Physics and the Zero Point Field. Okay... I'd *heard* of Quantum Theory and that it worked 'underneath' Newtonian physics, but that was about it it. The studies/research (all hard science, all with strict protocols, all began by atheist/non-spiritual scientists) finds the science behind some really fascinating things: A collective conscious, the power of prayer/meditation/healings, ESP, eastern medicine, time/space relationships, etc. (I could go on and on). The back blurb says "... McTaggart reveals a radical new paradigm - that the human mind and body are not separate from their environment... that consciousness may be central in shaping our world." (I just can't say it better myself.)
The funny things is that as I read along, I found the way I observed the world / people around me started to shift dramatically. The idea of all of humanity (and really it's greater than just us people) being intimately connected to each other and to something greater than us is so hugely powerful to me. That is the opposite of the individualistic, competitive world we live in. (science meeting up with spirituality?)
(less)
May 10, 2008Bettie rated it did not like it
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Thorsons; New Ed edition (7 April 2003)
Language English
ISBN-10: 0007145101
ISBN-13: 978-0007145102
Synopsis
A book which gives scientific proof of the paranormal. Psychic activity, remote viewing, the power of prayer and homoeopathy are all discussed. The energy found in the vacuum - or the zero point field - seems to be the key to all sorts of unexplained phenomena: ESP or remote viewing, homeopathy, energy medicine, spiritual healing, and even the homing instincts of animals. Lynne McTaggart follows the life and work of disparate physicists, pioneers in the area where the paranormal meets quantum physics.
From the Publisher
A book which, like Capra’s Tao of Physics, explores the latest offerings from the scientific community who have found an explanation for the supernatural. It promises to be one of the most successful popular science books of the year. Will appeal to readers of Frijof Capra, Arthur C. Clarke, Graham Hancock and those interested in the paranormal, energy medicine, and popular science
It's a rare occurrence where I cannot abide a book in any way at all and this is an embodiment of all that is distasteful. The audio is so fuzzy when turned up that I could not work with it... so I sat listening... and didn't like what I was hearing. I like my science to be proveable or it's just hocus pocus. (less)
Publisher: Thorsons; New Ed edition (7 April 2003)
Language English
ISBN-10: 0007145101
ISBN-13: 978-0007145102
Synopsis
A book which gives scientific proof of the paranormal. Psychic activity, remote viewing, the power of prayer and homoeopathy are all discussed. The energy found in the vacuum - or the zero point field - seems to be the key to all sorts of unexplained phenomena: ESP or remote viewing, homeopathy, energy medicine, spiritual healing, and even the homing instincts of animals. Lynne McTaggart follows the life and work of disparate physicists, pioneers in the area where the paranormal meets quantum physics.
From the Publisher
A book which, like Capra’s Tao of Physics, explores the latest offerings from the scientific community who have found an explanation for the supernatural. It promises to be one of the most successful popular science books of the year. Will appeal to readers of Frijof Capra, Arthur C. Clarke, Graham Hancock and those interested in the paranormal, energy medicine, and popular science
It's a rare occurrence where I cannot abide a book in any way at all and this is an embodiment of all that is distasteful. The audio is so fuzzy when turned up that I could not work with it... so I sat listening... and didn't like what I was hearing. I like my science to be proveable or it's just hocus pocus. (less)
Jan 01, 2011Dhitri rated it liked it · review of another edition
Lynne McTaggart is a journalist who has bravely embarked on a quest to scientifically explain "the life force" that governs the universe. I have neither the necessary background nor am I well-read enough in this subject to scrutinize her findings, but her research seems to be solid and her arguments as well as critical analysis compelling. As someone who didn't start out as an expert on science, quantum physics to be precise, she has managed to extricate complex scientific findings and hypotheses and put them into a book for the ordinary reader. Using analogies and anecdotes, she made it easy for readers to follow her train of thought and made her conclusions seem plausible, if not, groundbreaking. Again, it is open to dispute whether her understanding of the subject is a scientifically acceptable one.
The audio book is narrated by the author herself. McTaggart is a fantastic reader who is very good at applying personal touches and paces her reading just right, so that listeners have an easy time following her train of thought and are given the space to digest her findings and conclusions. I am a terrible listener and audio books were never my thing yet this one is of the rare type that managed to capture my focus long enough for me to make sense of the arguments without having to replay them. Recommended. (less)
The audio book is narrated by the author herself. McTaggart is a fantastic reader who is very good at applying personal touches and paces her reading just right, so that listeners have an easy time following her train of thought and are given the space to digest her findings and conclusions. I am a terrible listener and audio books were never my thing yet this one is of the rare type that managed to capture my focus long enough for me to make sense of the arguments without having to replay them. Recommended. (less)
Jan 10, 2010Kitap rated it really liked it · review of another edition
I was expecting something completely fluffy, but I was impressed early on by some of the research that was described. The book ranges from work in quantum physics (specifically, idea of the Zero Point Field) to biology to (inadvertent) homeopathy to the holographic model of the mind to psychic phenomena in gathering evidence to support its argument that this Zero Point Field is nothing less than the substrate of the "external" world and "internal" experience. Here's how McTaggart summarizes the consequences of this research and its implications:
The communication of the world did not occur in the visible realm of Newton, but in the subatomic world of Werner Heisenberg.(less)
Cells and DNA communicated through frequencies.
The brain perceived and made its own record of the world in pulsating waves.
A substructure underpins the universe that is essentially a recording medium of everything, providing a means for everything to communicate with everything else.
People are indivisible from their environment. Living consciousness is not an isolated entity. It increases order in the rest of the world. The consciousness of human beings has incredible powers, to heal ourselves, to heal the world -- in a sense, to make it as we wish it to be. (p.225)
Oct 14, 2011Jose rated it liked it
Shelves: essays
I have mixed feelings about this book: on one hand I found it really interesting; it tells about Quantum Mechanics, and the frontier of physics and the unlimited possibilities lying beneath the Zero Point Field (which gives the book its title).
On the other hand, the book uses the (still unknown and rather hypothetical) Zero Point Field to explain almost any "paranormal" or "alternative" phenomena, some of them already explained by our current and well established scientific paradigm.
Despite that I found the book entertaining and easy to read, and with some interesting ideas from the philosophical point of view.
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The Field: The Quest for the Secret Force of the Universe Paperback – January 2, 2008
by Lynne McTaggart (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars 1,382 ratings
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“A big, bold, brilliantly crafted page-turner with HUGE ideas that challenge every last view about how the world works. This is both a primer to understand the law of attraction and the essential book of our age.” ― Jack Canfield, author of The Success Principles(TM) and featured teacher on The Secret(TM)
“One of the most powerful and enlightening books I have ever read. A magnificent job of presenting the hard evidence for what spiritual masters have been telling us for centuries.” ― Wayne W. Dyer
During the past few years science and medicine have been converging with common sense, confirming a widespread belief that everything―especially the mind and the body―is far more connected than traditional physics ever allowed. The Field establishes a new biological paradigm: it proves that our body extends electromagnetically beyond ourselves and our physical body. It is within this field that we can find a remarkable new way of looking at health, sickness, memory, will, creativity, intuition, the soul, consciousness, and spirituality.
The Field helps to bridge the gap that has opened up between mind and matter, between us and the cosmos. Original, well researched, and well documented by distinguished sources, this is the mind/body book for a new millennium.
Print length
268 pages
Editorial Reviews
Review
“This is both a primer to understand the law of attraction and the essential book of our age.” — Jack Canfield, author of The Success Principles(TM) and featured teacher on The Secret(TM)
“One of the most powerful and enlightening books I have ever read.” — Wayne W. Dyer
“This is an important book. . .It stretches the imagination.” — Arthur C. Clarke
“A fascinating and excellent presentation about the true nature of life that we need to be aware of and accept.” — Bernie Siegel, MD, author of Love, Medicine & Miracles and Prescriptions For Living
“This book liberates consciousness and restores it to its majestic and rightful position as a causal power in the universe.” — Larry Dossey, M.D., author of Healing Words, Reinventing Medicine, and Healing Beyond the Body
“The vast scope of this book lifts the veil on the state of being that is our birthright.” — Nexus
“Fascinating, provocative and highly readable . . . One of the most thought-provoking reads of [the year.]” — The Ecologist
From the Back Cover
In this groundbreaking classic, investigative journalist Lynne McTaggart reveals a radical new paradigm—that the human mind and body are not separate from their environment but a packet of pulsating power constantly interacting with this vast energy sea, and that consciousness may be central in shaping our world. The Field is a highly readable scientific detective story presenting a stunning picture of an interconnected universe and a new scientific theory that makes sense of supernatural phenomena. Documented by distinguished sources, The Field is a book of hope and inspiration for today's world.
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Product details
Publisher : Harper Perennial; Updated edition (January 2, 2008)
Language : English
Paperback : 268 pages
ISBN-10 : 006143518X
ISBN-13 : 978-0061435188
Item Weight : 9.3 ounces
Dimensions : 5.31 x 0.68 x 8 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #26,704 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
#44 in Unexplained Mysteries (Books)
#148 in New Thought
#168 in Mental & Spiritual Healing
Customer Reviews: 4.6 out of 5 stars 1,382 ratings
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Lynne McTaggart
Lynne McTaggart, one of the central authorities on the new science and consciousness, is the award-winning author of seven books, including the internationally bestselling The Intention Experiment, The Field, The Bond, and her new book The Power of Eight. Her books are now in some 30 languages, and she is consistently listed as one of the world’s 100 most spiritually influential people. As architect of the Intention Experiments, a web-based ‘global laboratory,’ Lynne was prominently featured in the plotline of Dan Brown’s blockbuster The Lost Symbol.
She is also editorial director of What Doctors Don’t Tell You, one of the world’s most respected US health magazines, now published in 16 countries. For the third year running, What Doctors Don’t Tell You has been awarded Best and Most Popular Website of the year for Health and Wellbeing and was also named Ethical Business of the Year.
A highly sought after public speaker, who has spoken in nearly every continent, Lynne has also appeared in many documentaries, including What the Bleep?! Down the Rabbit Hole, I Am, The Abundance Factor and The Healing Field. Lynne and her husband, WDDTY co-founder Bryan Hubbard, author of the groundbreaking book The Untrue Story of You, live in London. They have two adult daughters.
Visit her website: www.lynnemctaggart.com
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quantum physics zero point lynne mctaggart point field highly recommend remote viewing thought provoking must read intention experiment secret force recommend this book quest for the secret quantum mechanics easy to read well researched force of the universe open mind new age cutting edge anyone interested
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Top reviews from the United States
Jason Stoddard
4.0 out of 5 stars Great info, not necessarily written for the lay person
Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2022
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The book contains great info, and although it is not written by a quantum physicist, it certainly is not an easy read for the lay person. It contains high-minded concepts and must be read several times with lots of highlighting to get a good understanding. I say this as a person with a science background and an advanced degree. That being said, I highly recommend it for someone wishing to gain some insight in to "the field" as a universal control system.
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Suvit Singhsachakul
5.0 out of 5 stars May The Force (Oops, I Meant "The Field") Be With You
Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2007
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This book can be deemed as the intellectual "Rosetta Stone" to unlock the powers of the human consciousness for the everyday skeptic. "The Field" is one of those intelligently crafted books where the author has meticulously and discriminantly presented only those paranormal events that she can comfortably support with scientific research available today. McTaggart avoids the pitfalls of asking readers to take huge "leaps of faith" by addressing only those inexplicable issues that we simply cannot ignore due to the wealth of empirical data that exists.
The Author starts off her book with the staple description of and the tantalizing possibilities offered by Quantum Physics. It is here that she establishes (with valid scientific research) the existence of a Zero-Point Field, whereby enormous energy fluctuations are incessantly occurring on sub-planck scales even in a "vacuum" where no energy can be thought to exist. It is this energy field that modern scientists have acknowledged as a mere afterthought and discounted in their mathematical models due to its perceived nonexistent impact on everyday macroscopic reality. However, McTaggart exposes such detrimental hubris of the scientific community by shedding light on the fantastic implications offered by "the field" as uncovered by the unsung heroes of Quantum Physics (such as Hal Puthoff). It stands to reason, that if the universe is bathed in a sea of energy, it is only logical to assume that everything in the entire cosmos is connected by its very immersion in it. And since energy is a wave function, and waves are carriers of information when they collide with other waves (entanglement), The Field (courtesy of its energy fluctuations) is like a magnetic tape that records all information, past and future, in the universe on it. After all, according to Einstein's popular E=MC^2, all solid objects with mass (like us) are nothing but energy waves.
After establishing the scientific backbone for the book with such clarity, McTaggart explores The Field as a source of explanation for a variety of scientific conundrums in the last few decades. First is in the area of human biology, where the near-instantaneous communication of bodily functions cannot be accounted for by chemical reactions alone. The author very elegantly demonstrates that our DNA has the ability to emit different frequencies of light that serve to instantaneously coordinate our biological machinations like a conductor of a symphony. She also goes on to explain how homeopathy works in lieu of using the "cohesive" capabilities of water as a recording medium for light frequencies associated with certain drugs, all possible with the existence of The Field. Next, McTaggart ventures to explain how David Bohm and Karl Pribram's Holographic Model ties in beautifully with The Field (enter the Fourier Waves) and together help explain the ability of the brain to process information non-locally in a process called "Superradiance", another example of the cohesion in light. As can be seen, the book, again and again, stresses the importance of "cohesiveness" as a key component in human consciousness.
After building an incredibly strong logical foundation, the book goes on to explore the notion of a collective subconscious; the idea that human societies are constantly exchanging information on an undetectable level, save for those who have mastered the ability to consciously tap into their subconscious and by extension, The Field. This explains the latent ability in all human beings to engage in telepathy, psychokinesis and remote viewing. Experiments after experiments, especially those performed by scientists such as Edgar Mitcell, Janne and Dunne, also corroborate the notion of The Field as a medium for the expression of the collective consciousness of all sentient beings on the planet; a consciousness that is capable of altering and influencing "random" experimental devices well before the occurrence of some of the world's milestone events.
Lynne McTaggart is an eloquent writer who makes reading her book more like a wonderful journey into the human psyche. The trememdous body of experimental evidence she cites in her book gives it that much more acedemic weight. Although I felt the author slightly loss her focus by the middle of the book, she brought it full-circle by the end, making for a most compelling read. If the "Holoraphic Universe" is to be considered the first course in a most extravagant meal, here's the entree.
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40 people found this helpful
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Ronald W. Maron
5.0 out of 5 stars Let us stop arresting Galileo ............................
Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2015
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My review is twofold; first a few comments on the author and then a few more on the negative ratings some readers have posted.
First; Bravo to Lynne McTaggart! In a world that is overwhelmed with opposing views, black vs. white, conservative vs. progressive, science vs. religion, we have a reporter who not only realized that there is a middle ground that lies unfurrowed between science and religion but a person who took years from her life doing the necessary research and self-education in order to help define what this area is. Her book is well foot-noted and while her scientific language usage has developed past that of common understanding, she defines this middle ground with well thought out examples and the concise language that it deserves. I, likewise, have spent the past thirty years of my life attempting to comingle science and spirituality and this book has served as an excellent summary for the travails I have undergone.
Secondly; The only people who do not make mistakes in this lifetime are the ones who willing to do nothing more than repeat their past victories over and over again. Those who dare to probe into unknown territories, peek into ‘truisms’ to see if they are valid and risk being labeled as being eccentric in their theories and concepts are the only ones who will actually make mistakes. But they, too, are the only ones that will make incredible breakthroughs that move our world in a forward, evolutionary fashion by their courageous insights and daring. The reviewers who have degraded this author for her taking ‘questionable’ experiments and ‘off-the-wall’ scientists are the ones who are stuck in yesterday’s science and are only willing to accept thoughts that have proven themselves over the decades. While science, during the Enlightenment Era, had been able to move the world slowly away from religious dogma, they now are creating the same ignorant and immovable atmosphere that they originally found themselves into. They, in fact, have their own set of dogmas, their own set of beliefs that cannot be questioned and have created an atmosphere that there is no reality that exists outside of the small sphere that they have defined. We live in a world that is not at all the manner that we see it to be nor in a world where we are fully knowledgeable. We live in an atmosphere where we are trying to measure eleven dimensional space with primitive three dimensional objects. We live in a world wherewe ponder, but never truly grasp, the simple definition of the words ‘consciousness’ nor that which is ‘eternal’. No, dogmatic scientists do not meet weekly for Sunday service. Instead they simply control the reputation of their colleagues, the purse strings for experimentation and the publication power for future writings that prevents new and unique concepts of reality from receiving the attention they deserve. Please, let us stop locking Galileo in prison because he does not agree with our 1850 Newtonian concept of physics or that Einstein is the final answer for all space-time concepts We are ages away from complete scientific understanding. Why must we pretend that we are fully arrived?....
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The horsewoman
5.0 out of 5 stars Really interesting read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 31, 2020
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I had this book recommended to me by a few people interested in energy healing and similar things. As my husband is into quantum physics I was really interested. The book is sometimes a bit technical but it is so well researched and has so much supporting evidence of the facts it has to be. There are no "magic" answers in this book. It brings the science of the unknown and the science of research together, because is it not true that many unknown things just still need to be discovered or proved?
Very thought provoking.
7 people found this helpful
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Mr . Review .
3.0 out of 5 stars A great '' message '' which I am totally on board with .
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 4, 2020
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A lot of the book for me however I found it difficult to stay focused , probably due to the scientific aspect of the book which bored me a tad . Loved the spiritual end though and particularly the section on Remote Viewing . A 3.5 x star rating from me but I will err on the side of a 3 x star as opposed to a 4 x star for review purposes as the book is not an easy read as mentioned by other reviewers.
7 people found this helpful
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Abetterworld
5.0 out of 5 stars Sheer, enlightening brilliance. For me, Lynne McTaggart ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 19, 2015
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Sheer, enlightening brilliance. For me, Lynne McTaggart can do no wrong. She is thorough in her research, and balanced in her presentation. She writes with optimum integrity and has the respect of millions for having had the courage to break through the glass ceiling of male domination to bring science to the masses in a comprehensible way. I met her briefly once, several years ago, at one of her quantum physics' conferences, and found her delightfully friendly and down to earth. She has retained her femininity and gained increasing respect for her journalistic skills and substantial intellect, in very much a man's world. Additionally, she was the pioneer who started, with her husband, Bryan Hubbard, the iconic, naturopathic magazine called 'What Doctors Don't Tell You'. This is a journal of very helpful natural cures, put together by professionals who are often allopathic doctors with an interest in natural treatments, and the most experienced and successful naturopaths. The tips which this magazine contained helped me to keep my terminally ill mother alive for many years beyond her medical prognosis. So, for me, I owe much to this remarkable lady, who continues to expand awareness in a world still sorely in need of light and spiritual guidance without frills and bells.
17 people found this helpful
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Ms. S. M. Amoah
2.0 out of 5 stars Not an easy read!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 15, 2022
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It’s very rare for me to not finish a book. I just couldn’t get into this. The premise of the book is very interesting, thought provoking and intriguing but the way it has been written is more like a scientific journal produced for academia. I stopped reading it after chapter 3 and that was more than a year ago!
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Kate
1.0 out of 5 stars You need to be super brainy to even get the gist of this book.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 7, 2022
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If you're of average intelligence, as I am, don't bother with this book. It is hard to understand even though the author says she has written it for the lay person. I also dislike intensely any book that talks about animal experiments as if it's the most natural, uncruel thing in the world. Waste of time and money.
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