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 35 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. The Institute allowed him to initiate research in areas of study previously neglected by mainstream science and where he constructed a theory that could not only explain the mysteries consciousness, but the psychic event – what spiritualists call a "e;miracle"e; 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 nor preordained by deities nor infinitely malleable. While human actions are generally subject to the laws of physics, these laws are, also, influenced by the mind. Mitchell was one of the Atronauts featured in the documentary 'In the Shadow of the Moon', released in November 2007.
