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From Outer Space to Inner Space: An Apollo Astronaut's Journey Through the Material and Mystical Worlds
The sixth man who walked on the moon shares his journey to the stars, into the mind, and beyond.
In February 1971, as Apollo 14 astronaut 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.
For the next thirty-five years, he embarked on another journey, an inward exploration of the ineffable mystery of human consciousness and being. Mitchell left NASA to form the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS). There he initiated research in areas of study previously neglected by mainstream science and constructed a theory that could explain not only the mysteries of consciousness, but also the psychic event―what spiritualists call a “miracle” and scientists dismiss altogether.
Mitchell also created a new dyadic model of reality, revealing a self-aware universe not predetermined by the laws of physics, preordained by deities, or infinitely malleable. While human actions are generally subject to the laws of physics, these laws are also influenced by the mind.
From Outer Space to Inner Space traces two remarkable journeys―one through space and one through the mind. Together they fundamentally alter the way we understand the miracle and mystery of being, and ultimately reveal humankind’s role in its own destiny.
Previously published as The Way of the Explorer, this edition includes a new foreword by Avi Loeb, an afterword by Dean Radin, and a postscript chapter by the author.
In February 1971, as Apollo 14 astronaut 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.
For the next thirty-five years, he embarked on another journey, an inward exploration of the ineffable mystery of human consciousness and being. Mitchell left NASA to form the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS). There he initiated research in areas of study previously neglected by mainstream science and constructed a theory that could explain not only the mysteries of consciousness, but also the psychic event―what spiritualists call a “miracle” and scientists dismiss altogether.
Mitchell also created a new dyadic model of reality, revealing a self-aware universe not predetermined by the laws of physics, preordained by deities, or infinitely malleable. While human actions are generally subject to the laws of physics, these laws are also influenced by the mind.
From Outer Space to Inner Space traces two remarkable journeys―one through space and one through the mind. Together they fundamentally alter the way we understand the miracle and mystery of being, and ultimately reveal humankind’s role in its own destiny.
Previously published as The Way of the Explorer, this edition includes a new foreword by Avi Loeb, an afterword by Dean Radin, and a postscript chapter by the author.
- GenresSpaceNonfiction
320 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 27, 2023
I understand that a lot of the content of this (audio)book was published in another book many years back. This book starts with Edgar Mitchell’s interest in space since his early years, then moves on to his career as an astronaut and later his founding of the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS). This is deeply philosophical in a brave attempt at combining the analytical approach of science with traditional wisdom in spiritual practice.
His experience with outer space itself is less than a quarter of the book, and the rest of the book is devoted to his involvement with Noetic Sciences. Edgar’s lunar mission was a great success and the team stayed on the lunar surface for a few hours, bringing back a lot of lunar samples. As he saw the beauty of the Earth from the moon, and while on his return, he felt something change within him. Based on the reading he did after that, he says the best explanation for what he experienced is the concept of “Savikalpa Samadhi” in the Hindu tradition. He had this simultaneous feeling of experiencing the oneness of everything, while not entirely losing his individuality. He mentions that many astronauts experienced a change of perspective after space missions, and many of them subsequently took up creative pursuits (such as painting, craft, music etc) as hobbies or careers.
The urge to explore this further, without losing the scientific temper he had developed prompted him to start IONS. Incidentally, IONS features prominently in Dan Brown’s “The Lost Symbol”. The IONS had exploring consciousness as its most important goal. This led to his involvement with several interesting experiments, many of which the scientific community tended to dismiss outright. He mentions Uri Geller (his abilities appear quite controversial based on my casual reading on the net) and Norbu Chen as having strengths, which were definitely out of the usual. He also mentions a fascinating episode with his mother who had failing eyesight and improved remarkably with healing sessions. His mother asked Edgar if the healer was Christian and when told reluctantly that he was not, convinced herself that her improvement came from evil powers. This internalized self-belief then caused her eyesight to deteriorate again. Edgar says that this was a close personal experience of the power of what we believe. We see the world based on the beliefs we have accumulated over time and are never truly objective, though we think we are.
There is very detailed content covering our learnings from science – relativity & quantum mechanics, as also wisdom from tradition. Much of the content on the universe is what you would find in many other books, but the correlation to the internal experience is new. This book has the best short explanation of awareness - the ability to quieten the inner noise so that you can experience the further out.
If you have the aptitude for deep and detailed content, this is an excellent book. The audio narration by Charles Constant was very good.
My rating: 4.5 / 5.
Thanks to Netgalley & Tantor Audio for a free electronic review copy.
His experience with outer space itself is less than a quarter of the book, and the rest of the book is devoted to his involvement with Noetic Sciences. Edgar’s lunar mission was a great success and the team stayed on the lunar surface for a few hours, bringing back a lot of lunar samples. As he saw the beauty of the Earth from the moon, and while on his return, he felt something change within him. Based on the reading he did after that, he says the best explanation for what he experienced is the concept of “Savikalpa Samadhi” in the Hindu tradition. He had this simultaneous feeling of experiencing the oneness of everything, while not entirely losing his individuality. He mentions that many astronauts experienced a change of perspective after space missions, and many of them subsequently took up creative pursuits (such as painting, craft, music etc) as hobbies or careers.
The urge to explore this further, without losing the scientific temper he had developed prompted him to start IONS. Incidentally, IONS features prominently in Dan Brown’s “The Lost Symbol”. The IONS had exploring consciousness as its most important goal. This led to his involvement with several interesting experiments, many of which the scientific community tended to dismiss outright. He mentions Uri Geller (his abilities appear quite controversial based on my casual reading on the net) and Norbu Chen as having strengths, which were definitely out of the usual. He also mentions a fascinating episode with his mother who had failing eyesight and improved remarkably with healing sessions. His mother asked Edgar if the healer was Christian and when told reluctantly that he was not, convinced herself that her improvement came from evil powers. This internalized self-belief then caused her eyesight to deteriorate again. Edgar says that this was a close personal experience of the power of what we believe. We see the world based on the beliefs we have accumulated over time and are never truly objective, though we think we are.
There is very detailed content covering our learnings from science – relativity & quantum mechanics, as also wisdom from tradition. Much of the content on the universe is what you would find in many other books, but the correlation to the internal experience is new. This book has the best short explanation of awareness - the ability to quieten the inner noise so that you can experience the further out.
If you have the aptitude for deep and detailed content, this is an excellent book. The audio narration by Charles Constant was very good.
My rating: 4.5 / 5.
Thanks to Netgalley & Tantor Audio for a free electronic review copy.
March 2, 2023
From Outer to Inner Space, An Apollo Astronaut’s Journey Through the Material and Mystical Worlds
Dr. Edgar Mitchell, 2022
Edgar Mitchell was a crewmember on the Apollo 14 mission to the moon in January 1971. He was one of twelve to eventually walk on the moon. Apollo astronauts were drawn from the ranks of military test pilots and fighter plane jocks, hardly the type of person you would pick to eloquently describe one of the most fantastic and historic human journeys of all time, except Edgar Mitchell. Although coming from the same technical background he had the ability to absorb, process and eloquently describe his experience. Here is one of his impressions from walking on the moon:
“There is a dramatic difference between viewing a landscape from behind a window and walking out into it yourself. By entering it and walking among its hills and valleys you become a part of its topography, a part of history When Alan opened the door to the lunar module and descended the ladder to the dusty surface, with me following a few minutes later, I felt we were suddenly native to this land – the only ones it ever had. The stillness seemed to convey that the landscape itself had been patiently waiting our arrival for millions of years. Though there isn’t such an emphatic sense of down on the moon due to reduced gravity, there’s no doubt that you are walking about the surface of another world – a stunningly beautiful and foreign world. The sheer eeriness of the view assaults the senses. The shapes and starkness of the sun-drenched landscape are more dramatic than similar geologic forms on earth, which are softened by atmospheric diffusion. The glare of sunlight relentlessly burns at the edges of shadows, and there is a startling sense of silence in this land that has never known sound. Beyond the curvature of glass of my helmet, inches from my face, lay an infinite vacuum.”
Almost all Apollo astronauts returning from the moon experienced a change of perception about the beauty and fragility of the earth, its relation to the cosmos and the misperception that we as humans are separated by race or nationality, that we have a common destiny as a species to preserve our earth, our home. On his return 3 day flight back to earth he had a more profound experience, an epiphany, a transcendental spiritual experience which changed the course of his life.
“Billions of years ago, the molecules of my body, of Stu’s and Al’s bodies, of this spacecraft, of the world I had come from and was now returning to, were manufactured in the furnace of ancient generations of starts surrounding us. This suddenly meant something different. It was now poignant, and personal, not just intellectual theorizing. Our presence here, outside the domain of the home planet, was not rooted in an accident of nature, not the capricious political whim of a technological civilization. It was rather an extension of the same universal process that evolved our molecules. And what I felt was an extraordinary personal connectedness with it. I experienced what has been described as an ecstasy of unity. I not only saw the connectedness, I felt it and experienced it sentiently. I was overwhelmed with the sensation of physically and mentally expanding out into the cosmos. The restraints and boundaries of flesh and bone fell away. I realized that this was a biological response of my brain attempting to reorganize and give meaning to information about the wonderful and awesome processes I was privileged to view from this vantage point. Though I am now more capable of articulating what I felt then, words somehow still fall short. I am convinced that it always will be a largely ineffable experience. What is clear, however, is that traditional answers to the questions, “Who are we?” and “How did we get here?” as derived both by science and religion cosmologies, are incomplete, archaic, and flawed. There is more to the process than we have yet dreamed.”
Thus began a lifelong quest for Mitchell to try to bridge the gap between science, religion, paranormal experience, and mysticism through the creation of an institution, The Institute of Noetic Sciences.
How to bridge the knowledge, knowing gap between traditional mystical and religious traditions, paranormal experiences, and science? That was the quest that Mitchell embarked on. Does our sensory information relay and inform us to us the actual reality of the world? Mitchell delves into some of the latest science of Quantum Mechanics. We tend to think that the world is composed of the solid matter we perceive. Quantum mechanics tells us that, matter is just another form of energy, that the character of energy is indeterminant and can take either a wave or particle form, that a particle’s behavior can be instantaneously linked across distances through a phenomenon called quantum entanglement. What appears like solid matter to our senses is mostly empty space, that all information is patterns of energy, that we are constantly surrounded by multiple unperceived energy fields . Mitchell posits that computers and our brains and our consciousness are not similar analogs, that we have intuitive powers that may have quantum like characteristics. ESP, intuitions can be possibly explained as transmissions between sentient beings through quantum entanglement. This can all get a bit esoteric if you’re not into it but an interesting aside, the apparitions of ghosts, explained through a phenomenon called Quantum holograms which are energy interference patterns. When you visit Disneyland and view a 3D image of Thomas Jefferson that seems to hover over the stage you are viewing a hologram which is interference light patterns recorded on a 2 dimensional medium and laser projected on to the stage. Ghost apparitions are posited as similar energy interference patterns that may reside locally or be transmitted to receptive brains. Mitchell through his institute has investigated mystical healing powers, unexplained transposition of objects, ESP, UFOs and what is clear is that there are real phenomena in the world not adequately explained either in science or in the spiritual traditions and Mitchell’s quest was to discover the link between the physical sciences and the unexplained paranormal, the experience of consciousness. My own experience with paranormal phenomena changed my thinking in this regard from a science determined rational reality to a genuine openness to the possibility of the unexplained realms.
Edgar Mitchell’s journey into space is in essence the hero’s journey as explained in Joseph Cambell’s book of that name, known to many indigenous cultures, where the explorer voyages to unknown places at great risk to bring back knowledge vital to the survival of their tribe or community. The message Mitchell brings back is urgent. The earth as seen from 250,000 miles is small, finite, a sanctuary for life with a gossamer thin atmosphere that sustains all life on the planet, yet we are in a period of exponential growth of population, in the use of finite resources, the destruction of ecosystems as we pump tens of billions of tons of destabilizing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere each year. As Mitchell eloquently explains:
“Issues of sustainability are too critical and pressing to be ignored. The problem is not simple, but includes concepts that constitute modern lifestyles, cultural traditions and thinking. Untrammeled consumption and growth in all areas of life must be reexamined and subjected to critical thought. Material goods are certainly necessary for sustaining life, but where does success turn into excess? The scientific and technological genius beginning in the 20th century has cracked open Pandora’s box and loosed upon the world the seeds of our own destruction. We must act rapidly to bring our human penchant for viewing material abundance as a panacea for happiness under control. The greatest philosophic and religious teaching of all time have been ignored and perverted as regards this issue. May our descendants forgive us these errors as we struggle to bring our earth back into balance.”
Will the message of the hero’s journey be heeded? Will our descendants forgive us? This book is at times dense and esoteric but if you get though it? Maybe new insights and how you see yourself in the world. JACK
Dr. Edgar Mitchell, 2022
Edgar Mitchell was a crewmember on the Apollo 14 mission to the moon in January 1971. He was one of twelve to eventually walk on the moon. Apollo astronauts were drawn from the ranks of military test pilots and fighter plane jocks, hardly the type of person you would pick to eloquently describe one of the most fantastic and historic human journeys of all time, except Edgar Mitchell. Although coming from the same technical background he had the ability to absorb, process and eloquently describe his experience. Here is one of his impressions from walking on the moon:
“There is a dramatic difference between viewing a landscape from behind a window and walking out into it yourself. By entering it and walking among its hills and valleys you become a part of its topography, a part of history When Alan opened the door to the lunar module and descended the ladder to the dusty surface, with me following a few minutes later, I felt we were suddenly native to this land – the only ones it ever had. The stillness seemed to convey that the landscape itself had been patiently waiting our arrival for millions of years. Though there isn’t such an emphatic sense of down on the moon due to reduced gravity, there’s no doubt that you are walking about the surface of another world – a stunningly beautiful and foreign world. The sheer eeriness of the view assaults the senses. The shapes and starkness of the sun-drenched landscape are more dramatic than similar geologic forms on earth, which are softened by atmospheric diffusion. The glare of sunlight relentlessly burns at the edges of shadows, and there is a startling sense of silence in this land that has never known sound. Beyond the curvature of glass of my helmet, inches from my face, lay an infinite vacuum.”
Almost all Apollo astronauts returning from the moon experienced a change of perception about the beauty and fragility of the earth, its relation to the cosmos and the misperception that we as humans are separated by race or nationality, that we have a common destiny as a species to preserve our earth, our home. On his return 3 day flight back to earth he had a more profound experience, an epiphany, a transcendental spiritual experience which changed the course of his life.
“Billions of years ago, the molecules of my body, of Stu’s and Al’s bodies, of this spacecraft, of the world I had come from and was now returning to, were manufactured in the furnace of ancient generations of starts surrounding us. This suddenly meant something different. It was now poignant, and personal, not just intellectual theorizing. Our presence here, outside the domain of the home planet, was not rooted in an accident of nature, not the capricious political whim of a technological civilization. It was rather an extension of the same universal process that evolved our molecules. And what I felt was an extraordinary personal connectedness with it. I experienced what has been described as an ecstasy of unity. I not only saw the connectedness, I felt it and experienced it sentiently. I was overwhelmed with the sensation of physically and mentally expanding out into the cosmos. The restraints and boundaries of flesh and bone fell away. I realized that this was a biological response of my brain attempting to reorganize and give meaning to information about the wonderful and awesome processes I was privileged to view from this vantage point. Though I am now more capable of articulating what I felt then, words somehow still fall short. I am convinced that it always will be a largely ineffable experience. What is clear, however, is that traditional answers to the questions, “Who are we?” and “How did we get here?” as derived both by science and religion cosmologies, are incomplete, archaic, and flawed. There is more to the process than we have yet dreamed.”
Thus began a lifelong quest for Mitchell to try to bridge the gap between science, religion, paranormal experience, and mysticism through the creation of an institution, The Institute of Noetic Sciences.
How to bridge the knowledge, knowing gap between traditional mystical and religious traditions, paranormal experiences, and science? That was the quest that Mitchell embarked on. Does our sensory information relay and inform us to us the actual reality of the world? Mitchell delves into some of the latest science of Quantum Mechanics. We tend to think that the world is composed of the solid matter we perceive. Quantum mechanics tells us that, matter is just another form of energy, that the character of energy is indeterminant and can take either a wave or particle form, that a particle’s behavior can be instantaneously linked across distances through a phenomenon called quantum entanglement. What appears like solid matter to our senses is mostly empty space, that all information is patterns of energy, that we are constantly surrounded by multiple unperceived energy fields . Mitchell posits that computers and our brains and our consciousness are not similar analogs, that we have intuitive powers that may have quantum like characteristics. ESP, intuitions can be possibly explained as transmissions between sentient beings through quantum entanglement. This can all get a bit esoteric if you’re not into it but an interesting aside, the apparitions of ghosts, explained through a phenomenon called Quantum holograms which are energy interference patterns. When you visit Disneyland and view a 3D image of Thomas Jefferson that seems to hover over the stage you are viewing a hologram which is interference light patterns recorded on a 2 dimensional medium and laser projected on to the stage. Ghost apparitions are posited as similar energy interference patterns that may reside locally or be transmitted to receptive brains. Mitchell through his institute has investigated mystical healing powers, unexplained transposition of objects, ESP, UFOs and what is clear is that there are real phenomena in the world not adequately explained either in science or in the spiritual traditions and Mitchell’s quest was to discover the link between the physical sciences and the unexplained paranormal, the experience of consciousness. My own experience with paranormal phenomena changed my thinking in this regard from a science determined rational reality to a genuine openness to the possibility of the unexplained realms.
Edgar Mitchell’s journey into space is in essence the hero’s journey as explained in Joseph Cambell’s book of that name, known to many indigenous cultures, where the explorer voyages to unknown places at great risk to bring back knowledge vital to the survival of their tribe or community. The message Mitchell brings back is urgent. The earth as seen from 250,000 miles is small, finite, a sanctuary for life with a gossamer thin atmosphere that sustains all life on the planet, yet we are in a period of exponential growth of population, in the use of finite resources, the destruction of ecosystems as we pump tens of billions of tons of destabilizing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere each year. As Mitchell eloquently explains:
“Issues of sustainability are too critical and pressing to be ignored. The problem is not simple, but includes concepts that constitute modern lifestyles, cultural traditions and thinking. Untrammeled consumption and growth in all areas of life must be reexamined and subjected to critical thought. Material goods are certainly necessary for sustaining life, but where does success turn into excess? The scientific and technological genius beginning in the 20th century has cracked open Pandora’s box and loosed upon the world the seeds of our own destruction. We must act rapidly to bring our human penchant for viewing material abundance as a panacea for happiness under control. The greatest philosophic and religious teaching of all time have been ignored and perverted as regards this issue. May our descendants forgive us these errors as we struggle to bring our earth back into balance.”
Will the message of the hero’s journey be heeded? Will our descendants forgive us? This book is at times dense and esoteric but if you get though it? Maybe new insights and how you see yourself in the world. JACK
January 6, 2023
From Outer Space to Inner Space: An Apollo Astronaut's Journey Through the Material and Mystical Worlds by Dr Mitchell was an intriguing expose into looking at your inner self from an outer viewpoint. The orator to this book was very engaging and I felt put as much emphasis as the author did on certain spots in the book but once or twice per chapter.
The book starts off talking about his childhood a little bit as an adopted child and going forth into his relationship and getting married and having a family while trying to get the job of his dreams. He then transitions into speaking to you about what it was like applying to NASA, waiting for phone calls, and eventually being called up for the Apollo mission he endeavored upon.
His description of traveling to the Moon and what happened inside of the space shuttle not just his shall we say secret mission, but also his true mission of getting to the moon and completing his task. His further chapter is talking about what he learned from not just exploring space but also exploring the space of his mind, we're capturing and very easy for me to adapt my thoughts too.
Yes he's speaking about extraterrestrial and paranormal influences, but I felt the gist of the book was about realizing how small we are in such a large world and not to give so much meaning to things that we don't believe in.
This book was a genuinely great read and or listen and I highly suggest.
The book starts off talking about his childhood a little bit as an adopted child and going forth into his relationship and getting married and having a family while trying to get the job of his dreams. He then transitions into speaking to you about what it was like applying to NASA, waiting for phone calls, and eventually being called up for the Apollo mission he endeavored upon.
His description of traveling to the Moon and what happened inside of the space shuttle not just his shall we say secret mission, but also his true mission of getting to the moon and completing his task. His further chapter is talking about what he learned from not just exploring space but also exploring the space of his mind, we're capturing and very easy for me to adapt my thoughts too.
Yes he's speaking about extraterrestrial and paranormal influences, but I felt the gist of the book was about realizing how small we are in such a large world and not to give so much meaning to things that we don't believe in.
This book was a genuinely great read and or listen and I highly suggest.
March 10, 2024
From the ratings it appears I gave a 5 but really it was a 4.5. I dont think anything is perfect, which is how I view the top number of a numerical rating. This was an excellent book for me. I'm a spiritually curious but also a science advocate. And if you are the same, this book is for you. But if you are not and sway one way or the other, then I dont recommend it. Here an astronaut and with a PHD from MIT writes about consciousness, which I thought only spiritual authors did. This story opened up what's happening now in both worlds which I didn't know was going on. So it was a boost to my knowledge base. But it also resonated with me because I have had similar thoughts on consciousness, in which I thought I was alone. So read it if you are curious.
May 28, 2024
This is an excellent book! I have a broad range of interests and an open mind and I felt like I had known this man my whole life and that I was with kindred spirit digesting his words put to the pen. He had just the right level of materialistic and skeptical grounding while also having an openness to idealism and the fundamental nature of consciousness. This is the first author whose book has inspired a truly deeper understanding in me, of the nature of the significant number of mysterious phenomena engaging with and/or being experienced by our species. I highly recommend this book to all people who have come across it or this review.
March 31, 2024
Amazing insight through the mind's author. From his personal experiences and believes demonstrasted through Quantum theory, to other colleagues/mentores important break throughs that only got shared later in their lives to the public.
PS. On a personal note, I had the best luck and timing of finishing these few last chapters with Northern Lights, on a starry night, as a way of conclusion of the author's note on the further exploration of space and consciousness for the future generations of Human kind.
PS. On a personal note, I had the best luck and timing of finishing these few last chapters with Northern Lights, on a starry night, as a way of conclusion of the author's note on the further exploration of space and consciousness for the future generations of Human kind.
January 12, 2023
This was a great audiobook and was certainly very interesting to read. I really loved the first half of the book learning about the authors preparation for his trip to space. The second half was very thought-provoking, looking at the authors studies of consciousness. Also, all different subjects around this as he set up support fun for research. It was certainly very interesting and well wrote. I also like the narrator. He was very fitting for this book and kept my attention. I really enjoyed reading this book and how it had me thinking. I definitely recommend reading this book if you enjoy space travel and consciousness.
Many thanks to the author and publishers for bringing us this very interesting book that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Many thanks to the author and publishers for bringing us this very interesting book that I thoroughly enjoyed.
July 12, 2024
4.75 stars
July 24, 2025
Excellent
Quantum Hologram and zero point field require more research. Mitchell hits all the right topics in this epic. A Masterpiece!
Quantum Hologram and zero point field require more research. Mitchell hits all the right topics in this epic. A Masterpiece!
January 31, 2023
This book is part autobiography, part quantum physics, and part parapsychology. It's interesting, and does offer possible explanations for paranormal phenomena, but it's not exactly persuasive. Still, it's worth reading if you're interested in the topic and willing to keep an open mind.
The audiobook narration was well-done and easy to understand.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.
The audiobook narration was well-done and easy to understand.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.
April 18, 2025
Great practical book,.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews