When my friend mentioned that he was reading this book, I was intrigued by the title, and looked forward to finding out about a physicist's understanding of the universal experience of the higher beings known as angels or beings of light, and as the book itself informs us, by other names such as Sons of God, Hosts, spirits, etc.

            My interest has always been the merging of hard science with mystical experiences, and I was well acquainted with the writings and work of Rupert Sheldrake, the British biologist known for having discovered The Hundred Monkey Syndrome and naming The Morphogenetic Resonance Field. I felt, at the very least, this collaboration would help our understanding of the nature and essence of the invisible beings who have reached out through the ages to guide us, protect us, and otherwise interact with the human experience.

            Alas, to my disappointment, I found the book to be more in the way of promotion for the Christian faith's understanding of its cosmology than of modern physics' take on such. This should not have been so surprising if I had known beforehand that Matthew Fox is (quoting from the cover) "an internationally acclaimed spiritual theologian, an Episcopal priest, and an activist of the Dominican Order". One of the testimonials on the back cover quotes "History will name Fox one of the great Christian spirits of our age." (John Shelby Spong) On the subject of angels, it should not have been surprising that the book veers towards Christianity's concept of such, co-authored by that individual. However, Sheldrake's input, carrying the banner of science, might have been in my opinion both larger in actual content and more profound in provocative thought.

            The structure of the book is a conversation between these two men in which Fox uses three important scholars from Christian history who each reported deeper understanding of their doctrine than many within their faith, namely Dionysius the Aereopagite, Hildegard of Bingen, and Thomas Aquinas. The references to these great thinkers, their insights and even each's transcendent personal experiences was informative, as was the brilliance of Fox's interpretation and organization of their remarks about who angels are, where they exist, and the nature of their being. However, apart from some mild interjections by Sheldrake regarding the nature of photons, their non-locality, masslessness, and instantaneousness of speed, I found little further in ideas to reveal the way science might interpret higher intelligence.

            I was also disappointed that, although some occasional references were made regarding Jewish theology, and very lightly touching upon angelic beings named in other religions, the book seemed narrow in scope and parochial, and more exclusively Christian than universal. It is my opinion that if you write a book entitled "The Physics of Angels" it should approach the topic with as broad an understanding as possible, for angels are reported in all cultures around the globe throughout the ages whatever they might be called, and the Christian faith is only a percentage of the world's population. A quote from a Lakota spiritual teacher, for instance, is referenced: "What you Christians call angels, we Indians call spirits".

            Here are some of the concepts that were touched upon: that the universe is like a developing organism with a benign purpose, and that angels themselves, whatever they may be, are also evolving in order to stay abreast of humanity's constant transformation. A hierarchy of angels organized in Rupert's mind as fields rather than as spheres was broached. The idea of angels as messengers or connectors was suggested. A wonderful point about the necessity for the human experience as apart from God or the static angelic mission brought forth a very good concept about the need for matter to participate in the divine order, with its own unique abilities to experience and create and choose being honored as something that neither God nor light beings can do. Patterns were discussed. A rejection of the concept of "above" and "below", or "up" and "outside" was thrashed out, and certain traditional notions from Christianity proved useful in understanding a path of consciousness that leads to greater intuition, deeper silence, and divine connection. Rupert was able to point out some corollaries between angels and photons, and Fox brought forth the ideas of conscious choice and love connected to light. But that's about it!

            I found the book to be helpful and insightful in regards to traditional Christian theology and even revelatory when seeing how that path led great thinkers to high awareness that had significant similarities to traditional metaphysics such as that we are a bridge between the material and spiritual worlds, we are a unique experiment on God's part, and that human evolution changes the cosmos and even the consciousness of God Itself.

           One important thing that I found missing concerns the Christian (not universal) belief in the devil, for while much is made of who angels are, when they were birthed (at the moment of birth of the universe), and their role in humanity's evolution, in discussing the concept of fallen angels (Lucifer etc.) all that Fox was able to decide was that the goals of arrogance (i.e., pride), misuse of knowledge and power, greed etc. were the devil's purview, making no further mention of Satan's place in physics as distinguished from the unfallen angels' photon-like effect, nor did Sheldrake ask that that notion of Satan be pinned down and examined further.

          For the chief reason that the book gives us very little additional insight into the physics of higher intelligences and beings of light, I can't recommend it. As a mystic and psychic myself, I would be the last person to refute the existence of angels, guardian spirits, guiding energies, higher intelligences, and all those definitions for I have experienced every single one. For instance, in my Twenties I felt an entity ensured my protection against a possible rape, and in my Fifties, my guides, The Brotherhood of Lightworkers, began speaking to me. What I want from a deep discussion between scientists and religious figures is to tell me what that's all about, not to send me off to some religious doctrine! But to be fair, I once had a conversation with the physicist Fred Alan Wolf, and asked him where these entities fit into scientific discoveries, and he couldn't answer me either, so I'm left dissatisfied with science and with this book!