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A Brief Tour of Higher Consciousness: A Cosmic Book on the Mechanics of Creation

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A lighthearted yet profound guide to the realms of higher consciousness and the ultimate nature of reality.

• Explains some of the most difficult concepts of physics and heightened consciousness in ways that are easily understood.

• Presents a model for the interaction of the universe and human thought that has profound implications for our future.

All aboard for the excursion of a lifetime as Itzhak Bentov, the celebrated engineer, inventor, and mystic, takes you on a tour of the universe, pure consciousness, and all that lies beyond. Using comical sketches, simple metaphors, and his famous wit and humor, Bentov explains the nature of reality, points out the sights in Nirvana and the Void, and eventually takes you to a meeting with your higher self. Along the way, Bentov illuminates the Kabbalistic principles of number and sound, the meaning of cosmic shapes and symbols, the consciousness of devas, and the nature of the absolute. Ultimately, he shows that the universe and thought are inseparable, and that the thoughts of all human beings affect each other and in turn the whole universe--an idea with obvious and far-reaching implications. Anyone interested in the inner reaches of the mind, the greater structure of the cosmos, and the spiritual evolution of humanity will find A Brief Tour of Higher Consciousness an informed and delightful traveling companion.

144 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2000

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About the author

Itzhak Bentov

10 books71 followers
Itzhak Bentov was a inventor, mystic and author.
His many inventions, including the steerable cardiac catheter, helped pioneer the biomedical engineering industry.
He was also an early exponent of what has come to be referred to as consciousness studies and authored several books on the subject.
He had a lifelong interest in meditation to describe quantum physics and the advanced states of higher awareness in ways easily grasped by readers.

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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
Profile Image for Heidi The Reader.
1,395 reviews1,529 followers
April 28, 2016
My research into consciousness exploration continues with A Brief Tour of Higher Consciousness by Itzhak Bentov. Having predominantly read books like this by artists (Jurgen Ziewe and Kurt Leland come to mind), it was refreshing to have a first person narrative by an engineer. Itzhak's lens of perception is so different than my own- I loved it. There is a part towards the end, What is a Hologram, and a chapter by another author, Essay on Cosmology by Edward Apgar, that I didn't resonate with at all. But, perhaps for the most scientifically minded, those parts will be your favorite.

Itzhak has simplistic doodles scattered throughout the text which brings a "Randall Munroe" feel to the book- the use of simple pictures to illustrate complex and abstract ideas. This author definitely feels to me as if he was a bit ahead of his time in both his presentation and materials.

Itzhak's explanation of "lens of consciousness": As consciousness evolves and information starts pouring in, the information is couched in a language best understandable to the person involved. For instance, a poet will be shown the nature of Creation in poetic images, an artist in visual symbols, and a mathematician in abstract equations; a nuts-and-bolts fellow like myself will have it shown to him as structure. ... Fortunately, since like-minded people contain it (all creation) in similar forms, cross-checking of information is possible. I am lucky to have met several people whose experiences have been similar to mine, so that I have been able to compare my information with theirs. To my great surprise, our experiences agreed not only in general, but also in many unexpected details. This knowledge appears, therefore, to be consistent and reproducible. pg 5 I was reminded of Robert Monroe's Journeys Out of the Body in which he puts emphasis on recording and comparing out-of-body experiences for consistency and real world applications to bring legitimacy to the practice. If anybody practices meditation and has a background in music, art, and Greek/Roman mythology, I would absolutely love to compare my experiences with you. :)

I've heard that we're all made of star dust and I really liked Itzhak's description of it in this passage: "Stars collect into clusters or galaxies, and as they die, they explode and create cosmic dust, which again condenses into new stars and planets. Everything in the entire universe, including our bodies, is made of one cosmic substance. We contain atoms from the most distant galaxies and are thus connected to the whole universe." pg 13

Everything is vibration: "In short, consciousness in a vibratory state manifests itself as our familiar matter, from which the different forms that we see around us are made. The table, the flowers, the scent of the flowers, and our bodies are all made of rapidly vibrating consciousness." pg 20 Wild!

A discussion of how to interact with devas (an ant deva to be precise, which is kind of silly, I realize), which Itzhak describes as "The name given to a being that is the rudimentary consciousness of any structure": "To negotiate with her, the currency of exchange is love. Just send the ant deva a lot of love, which will stimulate her evolution. Even ant devas need love, in order eventually to know their Creator." pg 33

In my meditations, I've frequently experienced what Itzhak describes in this next passage. It was nice to finally have a reason why: (While in a meditative state) "Wiggle your body. This causes a disturbance, a vibration, to spread ... (This is similar to a fly falling into a spider web. The vibration of the web signals the spider and it shows up to investigate its dinner.) The deva .. appears immediately, looking worried and saying something like "What do you want?" or "Who are you?" pg 35

I've also seen a bunch of animals in my meditations too. Here's Itzhak's "absolute zoo": "You push on into the darkness. After a while, some light becomes visible far away, and you go there. ... You go nearer and look in. What a surprise: a whole zoo of animals! ... You are very puzzled. A zoo in the Absolute? Why a zoo? Then the answer comes. Something is explaining that this is only a mental image to symbolize how we human beings embody in various degrees the traits that these animals represent." pgs 74-75 Good to know.

I'll close with this excerpt of Itzhak's philosophy: "There is nothing absolute and final. If everything were iron-clad, all the rules absolute and everything structured so no paradox or irony existed, you couldn't move. One could say that man sneaks through the crack where paradox exists." pg 78

If you enjoyed this book, you may want to take a look at Otherwhere by Kurt Leland or Multidimensional Man by Jurgen Ziewe. If you liked the doodles of complex concepts and want more of that, try Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words by Randall Munroe.
Profile Image for Will Jeffries.
164 reviews13 followers
April 25, 2011
This book was quite enlightening. Basically, according to Itzhak Bentov, Creation is a big hologram. You are the Supreme God of this system (meaning, your particular version of reality that you live and create within). Also, Love is the cosmic law and the whole system is designed so that the more a consciousness learns, the more responsibility it receives in turn. Other thoughts that blew me away were that "The thoughts of all human beings are interconnected, affecting each other and in turn affecting the entire universe. Whatever one thinks or does becomes part of the universal hologram." Of course, my mind flashes back to images in the film Avatar - with the spirit Aywa and the trees that store and hold the universal consciousness of Pandora.

We truly live in a magical universe built around Love and Creativity.

Enjoy the life you have been given.

Peace and blessings...
Profile Image for Audrey Layden.
9 reviews3 followers
March 26, 2018
A Brief Tour of Higher Consciousness by Itzhak Bentov, Destiny Books, Vermont, 2000

Some time or other you may have come across a book that provoked and teased you into looking closer at some habit of thinking you had or to examine things you hadn’t spent much time thinking about at all. Itzhak Bentov’s A Brief Tour of Higher Consciousness is just such a one for me. A small paperback book, about 5”by 8”, 112 pages with a scattering of drawings, it purports to introduce the reader to the structure of the cosmos, singular and/or plural, as well as including the evolution of consciousness along the way.

The author, with whom I was not familiar, is presented as a scientist, an inventor of bio-medical instrumentation and an early exponent of consciousness studies among other things. Introductory notes about him in the book are enticing.

“In his search for the cosmic connection, Ben offers us a delightfully ingenious cosmic comedy on the nature and structure of ultimates. Here are traveler’s tales such as you rarely find- metaphysical jaunts from one end of the universe to the other.” page xvii, Jean Houston, Ph.D.

I settled in to be entertained. I didn’t expect to be challenged. Relaxed enough about the idea that the thoughts of all human beings were connected and in turn affected the universe, and about the vibrational nature of manifest creation, after all, Einstein had already told us that everything is energy vibrating at different rates, I got stalled and turned off by phrases like interference patterns, reference beams and coherent light. I had skeptical reactions to the notions of devas and luminous Alephs. But I soldiered on, prodded by agreeing with the notion of an ever-expanding cosmos, liking his “egg” analogy, and being somewhat impressed by the high regard his earlier and longer work, Stalking the Wild Pendulum, seemed to engender among apparently intelligent people of some repute.

So – I googled some phrases I wasn’t familiar with, coming across ideas from physics that were as wild as some of what I had read in Bentov’s work, and went back and read it again. Halfway through I stopped and ordered a copy of his earlier and longer work, and after finishing the second read, got on the computer to look for an online course in cosmology.

If you are willing to look into the apparently absurd and follow the thread of logic shining through it you may have a surprising experience reading A Brief Tour of Higher Consciousness and end up studying the latest in cosmology with an MIT professor, free, online as I have just signed up for. There’s nothing like curiosity to keep life interesting.
Profile Image for Karl.
Author 2 books14 followers
October 20, 2013
I must say from the beginning that this is another one of those instances where I thoroughly enjoyed an earlier book written by an author and then was underwhelmed with a subsequent book.

The first book written by I. Bentov, “Stalking the Wild Pendulum” was entertaining, informative and written in such a way that a person who did not have in depth knowledge could still follow along. I enjoyed reading that book and I will read it again, likely more than once. In contrast to that, I found this book, “A Brief Tour Of Higher Consciousness” to be one that I will likely not pick up for the second time. The content in this book is certainly more esoteric than in his original book and I can understand that such material is more difficult to discuss; however, even with that caveat I still did not find this book very enjoyable or relevant to my journey.

For example, a significant amount of the book is dedicated to describing the “model of the universe” and while it may be an accurate representation of the spiritual nature of the cosmos, discussing, at length, the hierarchy of the beings that create the universe is irrelevant to me. Whether there are seven levels of creation or 70 levels of creation, or if the universe is in the shape of a watermelon or a grapefruit, is not something that I concern myself with.

On a positive note, the information about holograms presented in the appendix was informative, I enjoyed reading Foreword wherein some background information into the books creation was discussed, and I did glean a few nuggets in the text itself. In addition, I do admire the fact that someone with a more scientific background took a chance by writing a book that revealed their personal beliefs about the nature of the universe and cosmology.

In conclusion then, this a book that is not on the list of my favorites and I predominantly added a “Book Review” because there will undoubtedly be some readers who can relate to Itzhak’s experiences and who would benefit from reading about them.
Profile Image for Beatričė.
12 reviews3 followers
August 16, 2020
A light read about systems that are hard to describe.

For those interested in spirituality, cosmos, and the meaning of it all, this book is a must-read. Surely, not everyone will enjoy the subjective explanation of higher consciousness - there is close to none science to back Bentov's statements (although the last chapter shows how science is slowly discovering the systems described in the book).

Yet for some, including myself, the book offers an enlightening ride along the author's intuitive journey inwards. For open and curious minds, Bentov offers a glimpse into his personal spiritual odyssey. If it resonates, you are in for a joyous ride. It's a true pleasure to find bits of yourself in somebody else's experience.
Profile Image for ed.
1 review
January 5, 2012
disappointing. "A Cosmic Book..."? more like a cosmic pamphlet. one with little actual science to back the explanations of the author's views. i appreciate the straight-to-the-point approach (and this was a very quick read), but the attempt to make it "lighthearted" ended up making it downright silly.
Profile Image for Clancy.
66 reviews
September 1, 2019
The authors view of the cosmos was compelling and well delivered to simplify some complex esoteric descriptions that I've seen elsewhere. sadly the book felt incomplete as it was published post humously. The extra chapter at the end regarding more physical sciences concepts was a little contrived and drawn out. I feel it detracted from the main message and the book was not specifically improved by this additional content. I do appreciate the attempt of the compiler to make the book more accessible to a wider audience however. All in all worth your time and consideration. Highly recommended. I'm now keen on reading Bentov's other works.
83 reviews
September 1, 2018
i probably would've had some interest/curiosity about something like that. recall something like design thinking / construction / flow, not sure what else from this one. there might be a bit of a zoinks for shaggy in it.
Profile Image for Q. Rigal.
Author 7 books5 followers
November 8, 2022
Great book.

This book is a significant and serious text about the evolution and enlightenment of our consciousness. I highly recommend it.
Profile Image for Yor.
306 reviews13 followers
August 30, 2022
Good reading, highly recommended!

Here are some quotes and interesting point of views to take in consideration.

Itzhak "Ben" Bentov, was asked by an interviewer why he had chosen so curious a title for his work. Replied the author: "Because everything in the universe that is visible or manifest behaves like a pendulum moving from one point of rest to another. In other words, all matter vibrates"


Holography is one of the key concepts in this new paradigm; yet, many people have difficulty understanding what holograms are and how they work. Here is a simple analogy of how nature stores information holographically. Imagine you have a shallow pan of water into which three pebbles are dropped simultaneously. Each pebble is the source of waves spreading evenly across the pan. The waves cross and interact with one another, creating a complex pattern called an interference pattern. If you now quick-freeze the surface of the water in the pan and lift out the resulting rippled sheet of ice, you are then holding a record of the interference pattern of the waves. This is a hologram


In his exciting and original view of the universe, Itzhak Bentov has provided a new perspective on human consciousness and its limitless possibilities. Widely known and loved for his delightful humor and imagination, Bentov explains the familiar world of phenomena with perceptions that are as lucid as they are thrilling. He gives us a provocative picture of ourselves in an expanded, conscious, holistic universe, showing us that:
• Our bodies mirror the universe, down to the working of each cell.
• We are pulsating beings in a vibrating universe, in constant motion between the finite and the infinite.
• The universe and all matter is consciousness in the process of developing.
• Our brains are thought amplifiers, not thought's source.
• The universe is a hologram. And so is the brain— a hologram interpreting a holographic universe.
• We can instantly reclaim any information ever known "Dazzles the imagination and causes you to rethink everything you ever thought you knew about the nature of reality." Jean Houston


"We have to keep in mind that Creation is a big hologram. In other words, every little unit cell in the big structure, whether it is a universe, a cosmos, a super-cosmos, or a super-duper-cosmos, contains the information about the whole big structure. The smaller the unit cell, the fuzzier the information/ nevertheless, it is a there."



"The universe is a hologram or interference pattern in which all parts are interconnected, containing information about each other and thus about the entire universe. As galaxies move along the surface of the torus, they radiate information waves about themselves. These waves interweave into an interference pattern and form a hologram, which fills the hollow space inside the torus, as well as extends into the surrounding void"...



Profile Image for Eleni.
Author 5 books23 followers
May 21, 2012
This was from a blog I did in 2007: There is something about Itzak Bentov that tells me he had a lot of wisdom. So few authors that deal with Kundalini have come across so authentic and inspirational to me. I think the fact that he is not selling a religion allows him to be more objective. With each turn of the page, I am amazed at the level of depth this man had. I highly suggest reading, Stalking the Wild Pendulum: On the Mechanics of Consciousness."
Anyway, I was focusing on one aspect of his book, that the brain is not the originator of thought. Thoughts are energy fields and the brain tunes to a thought. I've been experimenting alot with thoughts throughout the day. It's so hard to stay in the moment without focusing your attention to do so. And still, the mind always seems to have a mind of its own!!
Profile Image for Köksal KÖK .
661 reviews73 followers
December 17, 2014
Yaradılışın Mekaniği Üzerine Kozmik Kitap
A Brief Tour of Higher Consciousness: A Cosmic Book on the Mechanics of Creation

Itzhak Bentov, 1978, 184 s.
Dharma Yayınları / Yeniçağ Dizisi

**

temel biliçlilik,…………deva (ruh)
…………………………biçim almış tanrı,
…………………………elemental,
…………………………dişi,
…………………………alt bilincimiz (bizim)
…………………………fiziksel bedenimizin devası,

İNSAN………………….Fizik beden,
…………………………..temel bilinç,


YÜKSEK BİLİNÇ……...zeki
…………………………..gözleyici

ÜST BİLİNÇ

MUTLAK BEN
Profile Image for Mary.
2 reviews3 followers
May 25, 2010
I enjoyed it! I'd like to, in my future research, try to disprove Bentov's theories...in hopes that my findings prove his model of cosmology and higher consciousness to be true!
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews

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