marja de vries
Reviews of the book "The Whole Elephant"
A must for every spiritually interested reader (National Library Service)
“This greatly informative book by the Dutch author (biologist/ecologist) Marja de Vries is a respectable attempt to formulate seven universal laws or principles (Hermes Trismegistus). These interconnected laws are respectively: the law of oneness, correspondence, vibration (and laws derived from thereof), polarity, rhythm, cause and effect, accumulating in the law of dynamic balance. Via an impressive broad spectrum of essential insights from ancient wisdom traditions and modern (alternative) science - from (cel)biology via consciousness research and quantum physics - she illustrates and deepens the fundamental propositions she formulates for every law. Furthermore she gives extensive attention to the Golden Ratio as a universal mechanism for shaping form, creation and spatial patterns of growth (inclusing development of consciousness). A gift to present difficult subjects educationally sound and pleasant to read complete this well-organized signpost to the new world. A must fo every spiritually interested reader. With index, bibliography and lots of endnotes.”
= NBD|Biblion (National Library Service) review, editorial office, Leidschendam, J. Hodenius (review at www.bol.com and at winkel.bruna.nl )
My favourite book: Looking beyond the edges of your own realty
June 24, 2009: Willy Sandelowsky-van Maarseveen (Breukelen, 1950) works as a family doctor in Eemnes, Laren and Blaricum. Her favourite book: The Whole Elephant by Marja de Vries. “That books can have such a great influence on your life and your philosophy of life is something of great beauty,” says Willy Sandelowsky-van Maarseveen. “First this column drew my attention to the beautiful book De herontdekking van het ware zelf (The rediscovering of the true self) by Ingeborg Bosch, next my old and wise uncle of 86 shared with me his enthusiasm for the book The Whole Elephant by Marja de Vries. Those two books have had great influence on how I as a human being and as a medical practitioner live my life at the moment.”
According to Sandelowsky-van Maarseveen The Whole Elephant makes clear why the modern human in spite of all the developments in science keeps getting stuck in the search for the truth: because we only see a small part of the truth. “The title of the book refers to a parable from the Sufi tradition: an elephant arrives in a town, were all of its inhabitants are blind. One of them feels the tail, another feels the trunk and again another feels a leg. They all felt something different and created their own reality based on that. We do the same with our understanding of the world and the universe. We only know a small part of the whole and from that perspective we will never understand the interconnectedness. De Vries shows in a way that is certainly worth reading how everything is connected with everything else: all religions, belief systems and scientific disciplines.”
This insight has initiated a process of awakening by Sandelowsky-van Maarseveen. “I now realize that I as a human being and as doctor should not look at the separate parts, but at that which goes beyond all parts. But that's not how we doctors are educated. Medical science is focused on analysis and measurable results. This way we create more and more specialisms, but instead of looking with a magnifying glass we also can look with a wide-angle lens. Like the internet, which at the moment also offers the possibility to look beyond the edges of your own reality. But too often we are caught in our own piece of the large puzzle. When you choose for a holistic approach you deal with patients in a different way. Earlier, when a smoker entered the consulting room by definition I had already judged that patient. Now I understand that there has to be something else that pushes him toward his addiction. My patients are aware of the difference too. They say doctor, you have become so open and peaceful. It is a feeling of relief to not approach the world in a judging and condemning way anymore.”
= Text written by Oswin Schneeweisz, at
http://www.artsenauto.nl/lifestyle/lezenkijken/mijnfavorietepil/Pages/
overderandenvanjeeigenwerkelijkheenkijken.aspx
You will find your own answers in this valuable book
Spring 2009: "Universal questions are covered in this accessible, clear book. It starts with a Sufi story about a king who travels with his elephant through the country. Blind people who feel the elephant and based on that they all develop a different 'image' of it. All true in their own right. With this metaphor the auteur gives the reader an insight into the working of the universe and also offers a frame of reference in which to place the different aspects of yourself and of the world around you, while keeping your own discernment. How can we restore the balance in ourselves, find more harmony in the world around us? And how can we at this moment in time transform education so that it will be more in line with who in essence the present children are? You will find your own answers in this valuable book."
= in Seizoenen, magazine for Waldorf Schools, spring 2009.
The Whole Elephant as a metaphor for the universe
February 10, 2009: The Whole Elephant is a metaphor for the universe. The author explains that everything we know about the universe are only pieces, without seeing the whole picture. In this book all kind of different knowledge is put together (syntesis) to discover how that elephant looks like. The author realizes, amongst other things because of an old book called The Kybalion, that everything boils down to 7 universal laws. The laws are: The law of Oneness, The law of Correspondence, The law of Vibration, The law of Polarity, The law of Rhythm, The law of Cause and Effect, The law of Dynamic Balance. For each law first the main properties are mentioned. Next these properties are explained. After that the practical application is covered and finally the scientific connection. For me the structure was very clarifying and how further I got reading the book, the more the interconnectedness between the laws became clear. According the Law of Oneness everything is one and so that is also true for the 7 laws.
In the description of the laws I recognized very well things I already knew existed. Suddenly now their place in the whole became clear. Like for example the law of attraction, on which the film The Secret is based. This is a derived law of the law of vibration. The book is a clarification for me and it gives me the possibility to recognize the pieces which make up the puzzle of the Highest Truth and to make a start to get a clearer view of the picture of the whole Elephant.
= Roland Guijt at http://www.spiritueelactueel.nl/Recensies/tabid/81/Default.aspx
A sound and solid book that certainly deserves studying and attention
Fall 2008: "The book The Whole Elephant starts with the Sufi story about the blind people who feel an elephant and all come to a different conclusion. A beautiful metaphor like the one about the cave of Plato. Marja de Vries is an artist, studied biology and ecology and felt the need to undertake this huge project. It is a voluminous book with more than 300 pages. I found the first chapters a little tedious and it seems she changes her writingstyle in the other chapters. It becomes interesting beginning at chapter 3. She doesn't use examples of how to apply the laws, which makes the book a handbook, a reference book. She describes seven laws and also makes the connection with the most recent and cutting-edge scientific discoveries, which are in correspondence with these ancient insights. The sixth law is the law of cause and effect. Above this chapter is the quote of Sogyal Rinpoche the Tibetan Buddhist: 'And it is important never to forget that the effect of our actions depends entirely upon the intention or motivation behind them, and not upon their scale.'
A shortened part of this chapter so you can taste the writing style and intent: 'The Law of Cause and Effect is also known by the name 'action and reaction'. Chance doesn't exist, because all effects have a cause. Because according to this law all effects have a cause and in the universe nothing happens outside of this context, nothing happens 'by chance'. There doesn't exist something like pure chance or a coincidental combination of circumstances. Chance is just a word that we use because we don't recognize the Law of Cause and Effect directly or miss the greater overview. When chance doesn't exist, there don't exist accidents in the universe either, and from this point of view victims don't exist either.'
It is a solid and sound book that certainly deserves studying and attention.
= AvG, in PANTA, Transpersonal Magazine, ITANT (International Transpersonal Association Dutch Regions ) nr. 49, fall 2008.
A lot of recognition... while reading I got a paramount positive feeling
April 26, 2008: “Are there natural laws and values (truths) which are for all individuals and cultures the same? And if so, what are they about? Is it possible to describe those universal principles and connect them with each other, so we can better understand ourselves and the world - enabling us to restore the balance in ourselves and in the world? Marja de Vries, biologist and ecologist, took up the challenge and presents her findings in the voluminous book 'The Whole Elephant'. The title refers to an old Sufi story in which blind people each feel a part of an elephant and [try to] describe the animal in its entirety. After studying the 'whole elephant' Marja de Vries concludes that universal laws really do exist. When something operates in line with the universal laws it goes easier, takes less effort, is more in tune with who we really are and is more in harmony with the greater whole. With her book she wants to offer insight into the common 'universal truth', which is at the foundation of all the mystical and religious traditions and the scientific understandings that seem to confirm this truth. She describes seven universal laws: the law of oneness, correspondence, vibration and laws derived from the law of vibration; the law of polarity, rhythm, cause and effect, and the law of dynamic balance. And she covers the phenomenon of the Golden Ratio. It is a 'complete' book with a mix of physics, holism, mysticism, philosophy, culture, psychology and a lot more. Maybe it is because of that, that the book gives a lot of recognition; it is about so many aspects of our own life and about the world around us. I have to confess, that I have not at all finished reading the book yet; I found I need some time to be able to read the book quietly and concentrated - and that time most often is not there. While reading I got a paramount positive feeling. Maybe because I assume that people are basically not so different and that there are more similarities than differences between religions. Only, I don't belief in 'truths'. This book is an attempt to get to the bottom of the mystery of life and our socially (dis) functioning; for this it offers foundations and perspectives in abundance.”
= Marta Resink, in ZOZ, magazine for doers-thinkers, may/june 2008, p. 28-29
This great book blew my mind
January 20, 2008. “A few months ago I got a new book from a friend. It is a Dutch book with the title: "The Whole Elephant". This great book written by Marja de Vries took me on a journey along several world religions, views, scientific revelations all working towards a comprehensive and universal set of laws. The book blew my mind because in earlier philosophical discussions I made several sketches that are coming very close to the view of the writer of the book. She just connected some more dots to a view that made complete sense to me.”
= Martin Kuipers,
Docent/Teacher in Interaction Design at Noordelijke Hogeschool Leeuwarden, (at http://www.liftconference.com/magic-number-seven-designing-according-laws-universe )
I hope that many people will read this book (Karin Bosveld, journalist)
Oct. 29, 2007: “Last summer I read this book and I hope many people will read this book too. It shows us how we as human beings can restore balance, getting in harmony with ourselves and with the greater whole. If we live in line with the seven universal laws. The author of The Whole Elephant, Marja de Vries, focuses on new ways of education that are more in line with who we are and that
will give children the opportunity to develop their full potential. In other words: not only to develop their physical and rational capacities, but also their spiritual ones. For we are born into this world as a spiritual being, but when there is no appreciation for this aspect, it disappears to the background. Marja de Vries understood that for such a transformation of public education she needed universal principles without being coloured by a specific culture, belief system or period to be acceptable for everyone. She decided to look for the common perceptions of the different wisdom traditions from all over the world and so came across the hermetic philosophy of ancient Egypt. The seven hermetic principles - the law of oneness, correspondence, vibration, polarity, rhythm, cause and effect, and dynamic balance - can also be found in each of the different wisdom traditions. There are differences in emphasis in describing the same universal laws in Buddhism and Taoism, and again there is a difference in emphasis in the teachings of the Kabbalah or Christianity, but the underlying principles are traceable in all traditions.
To make her book accessible for a public as broad as possible, Marja de Vries completes the esoteric wisdom with understandings from the modern science, like quantum physics, that seem to confirm the universal principles. For readers who are already familiar with spirituality, the book is a profound aha-erlebnis. For just as the title of the book (derived from an old Sufi story about blind people 'seeing' for the first time an elephant) suggests, all the separate pieces of the puzzle, we already came across once here and there, are falling into place, resulting in a complete worldview. This is a very different worldview than the rational, linear, static, mechanistic worldview, that we carry with us since the Age of Reason, in which the balance has tipped toward overvaluing the rational mind. Marja de Vries sketches a picture of a dynamic cosmos in which everything is connected with everything else. She pleads for the restoration of balance between the rational mind and intuition, for when we embody this balance we are capable of much more than we thought possible. Besides she has written all of this in a very accessible and clarifying way. A very inspiring book, that can be used as a frame of reference for all our individual and social transformations which aim at a greater harmony within ourselves and with the greater whole.
= Karin Bosveld, journalist, oct. 29, 2007, review at her blog
That the most complete description of how life works fits in one book!
Oct. 7, 2007 “We can't help but have to recommend a very special book to all of you. It has just been published by Ankh-Hermes and is written by the still unknown Marja de Vries. 'The Whole Elephant' gives a complete, deep and very clear written explanation of the universal laws of existence. She has done a very good research job through ages, disciplines and wisdom traditions and all of this confirmed with scientific information too. That the most complete description of how life works fits in one book! So read it! A must for everyone who focuses on positive thinking, healing, meditation, rising their vibration or broadening their consciousness and for everyone who is looking for answers to their questions about how life works and how you can let life operate against you and for you.”
= Nirvan & Christine at Hyves
A book to put upfront in your bookcase and consult often (in magazine Onkruid)
sept/oct. 2007:“At the foundation of all religions, spiritual traditions and belief systems exists a common mystical insight about the true nature of reality. And so, also about who you are in essence. This universal truth expresses itself in seven ancient laws, which make up the foundation of all life. That sounds vague or farfetched, but this book is not at all vague or farfetched. It is also not meant to read from cover to cover in one go, but to put upfront in your bookcase. You will consult it often. For example when there is again a story in the newspaper about 'new' scientific understandings.”
= review in magazine Onkruid, nr. 179, sept/oct. 2007, p. 108
A beautiful synthesis, good written, well-founded, good to read (in magazine Symbolon)
2007: “Fascinating correspondences between ancient traditions and modern scientific understanding and a beautiful synthesis between wisdom traditions and science. Good written, well-founded, good to read.”
= review in magazine Symbolon, nr.?, 2007, p. 44
One of the few books, which makes clear the Greater Whole (Ajapajapam Bookstore, Zutphen)
summer 2007:“Insights into the existence and operation of Universal Laws and the Golden Ratio. A very interesting book, but if we may give you an advice (based on our own experience): only read this book from begin to end. When you just leaf through the book, the chance is great, that you will get lost. But make no mistake, this book is written in a very thoroughly and not at all unclear way. In contrary, from many wisdom traditions common insights are brought together, leading to the conclusion that in a miraculous way the Universal Laws and the Golden Ratio correspond with recent and cutting-edge scientific discoveries (or rather the other way round). One of the few books, which makes clear the Greater Whole by using good and thorough details. Yes, this is a very nice book about and for insights.”
= Ajapajapam - Bookstore in Zutphen (review at www.ajapajapam.nl)
A strongly recommended book (teacher on the permanent staff of the College for Psycho-Social Welfare, Utrecht)
Summer 2007: “This book gives a clear overview of the universal laws as they are known in the esoteric traditions enriched with understandings from modern science. The author connects in a clear way this knowledge from ancient traditions with the results of modern scientific research, so a understandable worldview emerges for us, modern human beings. The book is written in such a way that it is accessible for everyone with a reasonable general knowledge. It starts with the story of the blind people and the elephant, in which the blind people try to create a complete image of the elephant by each studying a part of it. A very appropriate parable for everyday use as becomes clear by reading the remainder of the book. The universal laws are explained in understandable language and provided with applications for living. So one can learn to determine his or her course oneself and become aware of capacities which are usually not known. By thoroughly studying this book and applying the concepts and principles mentioned therein, one can make one's life definitely much more valuable, healthier and happier. The scientific approach is refreshing and verifiable. The reader is not put on a wrong track, by dogma's or unclear propositions. So, in short, a strongly recommended book, and because of the plain language a clear guide with an abundance of valuable and useful information. The reader is not distracted by vague descriptions or 'woolly' language but brought directly to the essence of Being.”
= Drs. C.J.Th. Gunsing, teacher on the permanent staff of the College for Psycho-Social Welfare, Utrecht, (review at www.gunsing.org)