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idea that we live in a responsive, ordered
universe, and that we are not simply the chance
outcome of purposeless, chemical combinations.
They remind us, too, of the age old spiritual
principle which tells us that life is lived from the
inside out, that we create our own reality, and
that by changing our thoughts we can change
our life. It’s not as easy to do as these authors
suggest, but since our churches rarely preach
this message – even though it is clearly taught
in the Christian scriptures (see, for example,
Mark 11:12-25), and since it doesn’t seem to be
readily available anywhere else, we should be
glad that a simplified and diluted version of it
is being disseminated via the Body Mind and
Spirit section of the bookstore.
Bill Darlison
Indra’s Net:
Alchemy and
Chaos Theory
as Models for
Transformation,
Robin Robertson,
Quest Books,
196pp,
$16.95/£16.50
Quantum
physics has provided fertile ground for spiritual
speculation. Works like the Tao of Physics
and the Dancing Wu Li Masters and a host
of successors have drawn on the role of the
observer, and thus of consciousness, in quantum
physics experiments, and the decidedly un-
clockwork approach to matter that emerges, to
make comparison to spiritual tradition. Now,
Robin Robertson draws analogies between
chaos theory, alchemy and modern spiritual
transformation, particularly based on Jungian
psychology in Indra’s Net.
The Gnostic
Robertson sees connections between alchemy
and chaos science in the repetition of alchemical
processes, the tail-swallowing Ouroboros and
the fundamental importance of feedback in
chaos science.
Robertson has a deft touch. His descriptions
of both alchemy and chaos science are extremely
clear. He manages to delineate each discipline
clearly without compromising the dignity of
either the ancient or modern science. As the
subtitle suggests, these are treated as models, not
as fundamental truths, and Robertson is able to
use each of them as paradigms of transformation
without resorting to any kind of dishonesty.
His account of the essentials of chaos theory is
elegant and to the point and is the clearest I’ve
encountered. Likewise, his summation of the
various operations, stages and materials of the
alchemical process is sketched out beautifully.
He clarifies without simplifying. For instance, he
acknowledges that various alchemical texts give
different sequences of operations and stages.
The personal spiritual aspect of the book is
very much focused on Jungian psychology. The
book’s title, Indra’s Net, is used only for a single
example and seems the least necessary aspect of
the book. But the image of a net of jewels, each
of which reflects the other jewels on its polished
surface, is again used clearly and honestly.
In short, this is a beautiful and insightful
book, and in itself a model of how to make use
of science as an analogy to spirituality with
integrity.
Andrew Phillip Smith