I was initially attracted to this book by a referral from another Hays House author's email. And being a consciousness researcher and a big fan of The Matrix movie, how could I not be attracted to a book entitled "The Divine Matrix"?
I eagerly awaited the book to arrive from Amazon. When it arrived, I immediately started to delve into the text. Pretty soon I found myself getting annoyed. I stopped to reflect "why"? What was being triggered within? The simple answer is that the author's conclusions do not follow the examples. Repeatedly, Mr. Braden presents an overview of a series of (quantum physics) experiments and draws a series of conclusions from each one. Unfortunately, one or more of these conclusions do not seem to follow "logically" from the experimental results described. Sometimes a conclusion is simply inserted and repeated as an obvious fact, as if repeating often enough makes it true.
In all fairness, I must disclose that I have been reading, studying and absorbing quantum physics ideas since early high school. I have been immersed in a hybrid Buddhist-quantum perspective since that time, as well:
In the Buddhist world view, we are all stuck in karmic cycles of cause and effect - suffering from delusions and root fears due to these delusions. Because of the matrix that interconnects all transitory things ("holographically"), the karmic effects of delusion will never be eliminated until all beings are transformed into Buddhas. To acheive this is the primary goal of any thinking, feeling person. Thus, each person applies him/herself to this transformation NOW, not waiting for a more convienent time or a different life. Each person walks the path of Dharma teachings with the goal of transforming self so as to be of service transforming all other beings. In this process, meditation, visualization, the energy of emotions and so forth are applied. A key practice is that of "taking on" the energy or form of a Buddha, pretending in the present moment to be that which you are not (yet). Over time, this forms an energetic space in which you actually become that which is imagined. The goal is to transform not simply self, but to transform the shared world of delusion into the Pure Land of Bliss.
I mention this Buddhist outlook because it embodies thru daily practice many of the "keys" presented in "The Divine Matrix". So perhaps Mr. Braden's book is simply too much of a primer for me. Even so, as a reader, I want more than breathless assertions. I want something to chew on, to think and meditate on. Something that addresses not just my logical mind but my inner wisdom mind as well.
That said, the 20 keys in this book will be a useful read for many! It does not matter that these keys can be gleaned in many other sources or from introspection, nor that the keys could probably be edited into a more concise set. As I read this material, I can't help but think of so many of my own primary sources that opened my eyes to the "real world" - Jane Robert's Seth books, John Lily's 1960's classic "Programming and Metaprogramming in the Human Biocomputer", books by Fred Allen Wolf and other physicists-turned-mystics, Buddhist texts, to name a few.
In conclusion, this book is a nice light (as another reviewer said "fluffy") intro to important information and ideas for many readers. For the more advanced and experimental reader, I'd like to suggest another book which I have been absorbing in parallel to "The Divine Matrix" --> "The Four Insights: Wisdom, Power and Grace of the Earthkeepers" by Alberto Villoldo, PhD. This is his newest offering in a series of books covering shamic and mystical ideas and practices of South American (Inka and Amazonian) Earthkeepers. Its about the power to re-vision your world, to clear your Light Body of karmic implants and to help heal all beings around you. It is well worth your time!