What do you think?
Rate this book
Time, Myth and Matter
What is time? How is consciousness related to the physical world? Why is the simulation hypothesis so popular? These are just some of the questions LD Deutsch tackles in her first collection of essays, Time, Myth and Matter.
This book consists of five long essays, including revised and expanded versions of Deutsch’s highly esteemed zines published by Sacred Bones Books between 2018-2023, and an exclusive, previously unreleased essay, all of which explore the intersections between techno-scientific thinking and mythological narratives as they relate to life’s attempt at self-definition. Known for her ability to render complicated scientific and esoteric subjects accessible to wider audiences, Deutsch deftly traces the relationships between different theories and events in the history of science and technology, and various aspects of mythology, psychology, philosophy, (meta)physics and mysticism—resulting in a riveting inquiry into the nature of the self and the foundations of reality. By treating both science and mythology as serious subjects worthy of respect and rigor, Time, Myth and Matter opens up new avenues of thought and theory as to how the inner world of man and the outer world of Nature intersect and affect each other.
The essays in this book
The history and cultural synchronicities between the discovery of the planet Pluto and the discovery of the element plutonium and development of the atomic bombDifferent scientific and philosophical theories about time and how these relate to mythological models of time and the psychological experience of synchronicityThe prevalence and popularity of the simulation hypothesis, and how it may be viewed as an actively operating mythological modelThe quantum history of matter and the metaphors we use to discuss how and from where matter emerges into the physical universeThe relationship between consciousness and the material world and how this relationship has been expressed in science, philosophy and mythology
Time, Myth and Matter covers the theories and ideas of world-renowned philosophers, scientists and psychologists such as Carl Jung, Marie-Louise von Franz, Carlo Rovelli, Brian Greene, Nick Bostrom, Bernardo Kastrup, Ruth Kastner, Jacques Vallée, Jeffrey Kripal, Hans-Peter Dürr, Albert Einstein, and more.
This book consists of five long essays, including revised and expanded versions of Deutsch’s highly esteemed zines published by Sacred Bones Books between 2018-2023, and an exclusive, previously unreleased essay, all of which explore the intersections between techno-scientific thinking and mythological narratives as they relate to life’s attempt at self-definition. Known for her ability to render complicated scientific and esoteric subjects accessible to wider audiences, Deutsch deftly traces the relationships between different theories and events in the history of science and technology, and various aspects of mythology, psychology, philosophy, (meta)physics and mysticism—resulting in a riveting inquiry into the nature of the self and the foundations of reality. By treating both science and mythology as serious subjects worthy of respect and rigor, Time, Myth and Matter opens up new avenues of thought and theory as to how the inner world of man and the outer world of Nature intersect and affect each other.
The essays in this book
The history and cultural synchronicities between the discovery of the planet Pluto and the discovery of the element plutonium and development of the atomic bombDifferent scientific and philosophical theories about time and how these relate to mythological models of time and the psychological experience of synchronicityThe prevalence and popularity of the simulation hypothesis, and how it may be viewed as an actively operating mythological modelThe quantum history of matter and the metaphors we use to discuss how and from where matter emerges into the physical universeThe relationship between consciousness and the material world and how this relationship has been expressed in science, philosophy and mythology
Time, Myth and Matter covers the theories and ideas of world-renowned philosophers, scientists and psychologists such as Carl Jung, Marie-Louise von Franz, Carlo Rovelli, Brian Greene, Nick Bostrom, Bernardo Kastrup, Ruth Kastner, Jacques Vallée, Jeffrey Kripal, Hans-Peter Dürr, Albert Einstein, and more.
240 pages, Hardcover
Published May 20, 2025
17 people are currently reading
84 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 30, 2025
A weird, compelling little book that throws ancient mythology, modern physics, and late-night what-if questions into conversation with each other. It collects five long essays (most of them expanded from earlier zines) that jump between Jung, contemporary science writing, and speculative philosophy.
What works here is the synthesis. Deutsch moves from Greek and Chinese myth to Carlo Rovelli and Nick Bostrom without getting bogged down in chronology or extensive footnoting It feels more like making a map by feel than writing a textbook—a mythic image suddenly illuminates some scientific weirdness, or the other way around.
The standout is the essay on time. Deutsch moves from cosmological models to ritual imagination with real skill, and she's good at catching those moments when technical description tips over into metaphor and gets uncanny. The best pages feel like a little philosophy of perception, especially the part on synchronicity and our need to impose narrative on time.
The writing is conversational and erudite without being stuffy. Deutsch keeps her sentences tight, her analogies sharp, and she's clearly happiest making sideways connections rather than building formal arguments. It's the kind of book that works best when you're reading in a distracted mood: good for afternoons staring out at trees, maybe a little stoned, noticing how the veins in a leaf look like capillaries in your wrist. If that vibe appeals to you, this book is tuned to that frequency.
The downside is that the associative method sometimes tips into speculation. If you want high academia and sustained technical depth, you may be disappointed. There are moments of hand-waving, interesting leaps nonetheless but they don't entirely have the scaffolding to support them. Yes, that is when ideas like this can be exciting and adventurous. But this can also produce jumps that'll thrill some readers and irritate others.
All told, it's a small, generous book that encourages associative thinking letting myth and physics sit together and enjoying the strange, often beautiful friction. I look forward to my young daughters finding it on my shelf when they're teenagers and getting lost in the weirdo psychic wilderness of it all.
Read on a Sacred Bones hardcover.
What works here is the synthesis. Deutsch moves from Greek and Chinese myth to Carlo Rovelli and Nick Bostrom without getting bogged down in chronology or extensive footnoting It feels more like making a map by feel than writing a textbook—a mythic image suddenly illuminates some scientific weirdness, or the other way around.
The standout is the essay on time. Deutsch moves from cosmological models to ritual imagination with real skill, and she's good at catching those moments when technical description tips over into metaphor and gets uncanny. The best pages feel like a little philosophy of perception, especially the part on synchronicity and our need to impose narrative on time.
The writing is conversational and erudite without being stuffy. Deutsch keeps her sentences tight, her analogies sharp, and she's clearly happiest making sideways connections rather than building formal arguments. It's the kind of book that works best when you're reading in a distracted mood: good for afternoons staring out at trees, maybe a little stoned, noticing how the veins in a leaf look like capillaries in your wrist. If that vibe appeals to you, this book is tuned to that frequency.
The downside is that the associative method sometimes tips into speculation. If you want high academia and sustained technical depth, you may be disappointed. There are moments of hand-waving, interesting leaps nonetheless but they don't entirely have the scaffolding to support them. Yes, that is when ideas like this can be exciting and adventurous. But this can also produce jumps that'll thrill some readers and irritate others.
All told, it's a small, generous book that encourages associative thinking letting myth and physics sit together and enjoying the strange, often beautiful friction. I look forward to my young daughters finding it on my shelf when they're teenagers and getting lost in the weirdo psychic wilderness of it all.
Read on a Sacred Bones hardcover.
July 17, 2025
This book is incredible! LD describes topics I thought would be too complex for me to comprehend within metaphysics in such a digestible way. The combination of mythology, metaphysics, and philosophy had me captivated indefinitely. Highly recommend!
July 8, 2025
forst 80% was meh, last 20% made me cry fr
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews