The Way of the Explorer: An Apollo Astronaut's Journey Through the Material and Mystical Worlds, Revised Edition

by Edgar D. Mitchell

In February 1971, as Apollo 14 astroanaut Edgar Mitchell hurtled Earthward through space, he was engulfed by a profound sense of universal connectedness. He intuitively sensed that his presence and that of the planet in the window were all part of a deliberate, universal process and that the glittering cosmos itself was in some way conscious. The experience was so overwhelming, Mitchell knew his life would never be the same.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Philosophy, Memoir, Space, Metaphysics, Biography

288 pages, Paperback

First published May 7, 1996

About the author

Captain Edgar Dean "Ed" Mitchell, Sc.D. is a former U.S. Naval officer, aeronautical engineer, and NASA astronaut, having served as the Lunar Module Pilot of the 1971 Apollo 14 mission and the 6th man to walk on the moon. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1970 by Richard Nixon.

He is the founder of the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) for the purpose of consciousness research and related phenomena. His experience as an astronaut provided some of the inspiration for the phenomenon labeled the "Overview effect" by Frank White.

Reviews

[Ridealong Atlas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written, too well at times; when so, one may have to consult their dic. & write the definition in the book. I had to do this so I can read it smoother. Goes into the 'Very Interesting' category. Quite frankly, if extraterrestrial life tickles your fancy, then this is a step above. Yep, a step above. Made more remarkable by the fact that he was the 6th man on the moon and devoted his life to merging archaic theology with cutting edge science a year after setting foot on the moon. The author is either in the top 5% of scientists, or is in the top 5% of Americanised jerks. Personally, I'd have to say he's in the to 5% of scientists. The book does not suit people who have patience issues. It is very likely best read word for word, and it will not suit speed reading as it is contemplating book with many concepts intertwined in single pages (at least in the last quarter of the book). It describes events that are not looked at kindly by any indoctrinated mind. Don't read it if your not open minded...you just won't get what he's trying to say. He explains very complicated theories to the unscientific person well. For it's genre, it is a 5 star book for the contemplative technical mind. It is probably around a 3 star book for others.
This book will be remembered in 50-100 years as it is a pioneering book. Such books, often, go unnoticed till years after the authors have passed away.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the non-traditional science jargon was challenging to understand at first, it did have several interesting sections. However, I enjoyed the autobiographical elements of the book more than the Noetic Science parts. Even though I found some of Dr. Mitchell's scientific theories to be a little "far out" for my tastes, I nonetheless respect him for being willing to stake his reputation on such theories.

[Chad Bunch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have become very interested in the spiritual and mystical worlds as of late. I was already familiar with Dr. Mitchell and the Institute of Noetic Sciences, having read about IONS in Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol and writing both Dr. Mitchell and the institute into my own fiction.

This short book is a challenge for even those like myself who have read about or studied quantum physics, quantum holography, mind/body/matter symmetry and other challenging topics, but Dr. Mitchell does a good job of keeping the topics as simple to comprehend as possible. I enjoyed reading about his opinions of evolution, psychokinesis, telekinesis, ESP and even the future of humankind and our role in the living universe.

Mix all the technical topics in with his description of his journey to and from the moon, as well as his experiences before, during and after this amazing journey, and this is one fascinating tale to dig into.

[Victor Kurzweil · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a brilliant book! Edgar Mitchells life as a moon walking astronaut is quite secondary to the work and possible conclusions he has written about in this synthesis of science and spirituality. He has taken a much more holistic approach to the whole concept of life, the universe, conciousness, the self etc and made it all compatible from both the scientific/objective and the subjective/conciousness aspects.

[CatReader · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this book up as I particularly enjoy astronaut memoirs, and the first quarter of this book delivered. The late Dr. Mitchell was selected to be a member of the 5th group of NASA astronauts in 1966 and completed one space mission, Apollo 14, where he was one of only 12 people (to date) who've walked on the moon.

Unfortunately, the rest of the book deals with Dr. Mitchell's post-NASA career investing paranormal phenomena, which I found significantly less interesting and grounded in reality. I skimmed and eventually skipped this part of the book.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

more scientific than philosophical .. but being that it's from Edgar Mitchell I suppose that's to be expected. It's a tough read laden with stiff vocabulary and repeating details but if you're willing to trudge through it, it does paint an incredible perspective that only a few in history can speak from: an American astronaut who had a profound first-hand experience in space and spent decades exploring the science that we are all connected at a sub-atomic level, not just in kinship through our environment but actually at a quantum-energy level where kinetic transfer of information is real.. deep stuff that will definitely leave you wondering if there's more to be discovered or if Mitchell was obsessed with proving the science behind his own theory

[Jonathon Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

After leaving NASA, he founded IONS to explore the profound metanoia (savikalpa samadhi in Sanskrit) he experienced during his years as a test pilot, on the Apollo 14 moonwalk near the rim of Cone Crater and while travelling in space.

[Magnus Mayus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting all the way through...

[Alessandro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hope for the future. Not knowledgable enough to fully understand everything yet. There is no way Morphic Resonance and Kundalini are common concepts which can be casually inserted into sentences. Will need to revisit after I fill in some of the knowledge gaps, I suspect my rating will improve.

[Jeanette Rivard · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ideas presented in this book are fascinating to me. It's sending me back to reread Biocentrism and purchase a copy of Beyond Biocentrism.

[Eric Decamps · Rating 1 out of 5]

Super boring. It's too much about psychic stuff and not enough about space. I thought this book was a waste of time. I didn't finish reading it.

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting thoughts of an interesting man.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

He has a lot of interesting ideas, but he's making a whole lotta soup out of very little meat indeed.

[Squall · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book starts off well but gets boring halfway through. The author talks about his experience being an astronaut but he tries to connect that to his faith but it just falls flat.

[Janet Dougherty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ian bought this book to read and I started reading it. It's written by the astronaut Edgar Mitchell. It's very interesting.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great read, interesting..

[Rana Sinha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating journey! Dr Mutchell's work is a great leap for mankind in releasing understanding and awareness from 'scientific' or religious dogmas.

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

At times entertaining, at times dull, this book ended up prooving « in a scientific way » that the NASA psychiatric evaluation is not that good.