Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Letters to Vanessa: On Love, Science and Awareness in an Enchanted World

Letters to Vanessa: On Love, Science and Awareness in an Enchanted World by Jeremy W. Hayward

Although written in the form of letters from a father to his daughter, this book is a great read for anyone interested in modern physics, neuroscience, and biology and their relationship to spirituality. If the "Dear Vanessa" is removed from the beginning of each chapter the letters take on a universal audience. By writing as if to a teenage daughter, the explanations of advanced scientific concepts and mindfulness practices become accessible to the general reader. Hayward re-enchants our world by showing how something he calls awareness-feeling-energy fills all of space. He shows how changing the way we think about the world can allow us to see the universe as alive and full of awareness. Three of the chapters in the book are what Hayward calls Interludes where he describes meditation practices derived from Buddhism that are aimed at helping the reader make the concepts described intellectually become integrated into consciousness. The bibliography is divided into chapters so the reader can pursue any concept discussed as far as desired. A great book for anyone interested in the topic.