Astronauts Experience Universal Connectedness, "The Overview Effect"

I've experienced this overview effect twice. Both times were while driving on the freeway between hills and lots of traffic going both ways, on a sunny afternoon. This kind of experience is hard to describe with words.

All you can say is that everything is connected and influences everything else, and you SEE this. When you see a tree and a driver in his car passing in front of it, you can see how the tree is influencing the driver and vice versa. You also see WHY this is happening, and that's the part you can't describe with words.

soulwaxer

originally posted by: EternalSolace
a reply to: onequestion

I saved this thread, The Overview Effect, awhile ago because this phenomena is something that's overwhelmingly desirable and is something we all should be able to experience. Some of the quotes from the astronauts who've been through it, are incredible.

My favorite quote was this one:

The first day or so we all pointed to our countries. The third or fourth day we were pointing to our continents. By the fifth day, we were aware of only one Earth. - Sultan bin Salman Al-Saud

That's a good one.

a reply to: onequestion

I always keep coming back to a theory that the creator of the thread had:

The first thing that struck me (being a conspiracy nut) was; perhaps we had found the answer to the question "Why didn't we go back to the moon?" It was not the lunar pyramids or glass domes, it wasn't even the giant space ships parked in craters. It was the Overview Effect. It was people arriving as technicians and leaving as humanitarians, having had their whole worldview quite literally changed.

That entire line of thinking will never leave me until I see us, as humanity, send humans beyond earth's orbit once again. There is no doubt in my mind that you could stick a member of every religion, every political faction, and of every race and nationality in a space capsule and the instant they look down at the earth from around 200 miles up everything would cease. Every argument, every prejudice, everything would cease.

Maybe the Overview Effect is a threat to those who profit from war.

a reply to: EternalSolace

Exactly.

They want it for themselves.

This also lands credence to the secret space program. This could be used maliciously to gain intelligence. Imagine what a meditation could do in space?

Flying at night, or looking at satellite photos of the earth at night, gives me just a taste of what that feeling must be like. Enough that if someone offered me a ticket, I would absolutely go into space, no questions asked. (After a LOT of physical toughening up, of course!)

Great post, OP! S & F!

I only read a few replies and i stopped so i dont know if im repeating anyone, but when i take time to reflect on my current state of awareness, its strange but i always perceive the earth as it is slowly rotating and i lose myself and my location. I think this is my own personal overview effect, and in just an instant i become aware of just a fraction of what is happening on any given moment at any given location: a random couple sharing an intimate moment, a person being mugged in the middle of the night, a foreign dignitary on the toilet moving their bowels. Just a single stream of occurancesthat connect us, and each typical individual is restricted from knowing other things are happening by way of their own personal experience...excellent post!

I experienced ego death, it was the most blissful moment in my life and honestly something I still pull strength from to this day

Spent an entire night awake, I knew something had "clicked" in my mind. When I got out the next day and looked at simply ordinary daily clouds, I started crying, as if I had never seen clouds before in my life, everything was new, everything was beautiful, there was no hate, anger, frustration,... in the world, only love and beauty, I felt connected to everything, from the oceans to a damn pebble, I KNEW, understood everything on this planet had a role, was of importance, and thus, so was I. I'm chronically depressed, probably MDD or worse (borderline or bipolar) and I've never ever felt as good as I did back then. What it was, I don't know, I used to attribute it to psychosis but was told that's unlikely. Still, whatever it was, I"m 100% sure I experienced something the great shamans of the past and our most inspiring new age teachers must have experienced at some point, because what I experienced was so strong I wanted to teach, share,... but I wasn't personally ready for that, what I learnt was for ME, so it's probably not very useful to anyone here either, but still, felt like sharing, because I believe it to be real

(I think the universe is conscious, you were given a chance in life. Want to waste it? Sure! But life WILL give you lemons, it does to everyone! And even if you try your hardest, you might only end up with lemonade. The universe, or "mother nature" knows what she's doing, a life is meaningless in the bigger scheme of things you know Try and leave a mark, that's not some type of guru bs, it's what I tell MYSELF whenever I get down. It doesn't work instantly, but it does work. You have ONE LIFE, make the most out of it! )

Yes, just stepping out my door one spring morning, it lasted a few years, I still get it once and a while.

a reply to: onequestion

I don't practice any meditation or anything like that, but my view of life isn't all too different. I suppose if you want an analogy, look at a section of your arm. There are billions of cells there each working independently, oblivious to everything else in your body, and to the world around you. But without the actions of those cells, you wouldn't be you. We are those cells, the concept of humanity or society is the body we build.

originally posted by: Aazadan
a reply to: onequestion

I don't practice any meditation or anything like that, but my view of life isn't all too different. I suppose if you want an analogy, look at a section of your arm. There are billions of cells there each working independently, oblivious to everything else in your body, and to the world around you. But without the actions of those cells, you wouldn't be you. We are those cells, the concept of humanity or society is the body we build.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

Reading Mitchell's description, I was immediately reminded of my experiences with 5 MEO '___'. The most beautiful 15 minutes I have ever experienced. It is completely unexplainable to those who haven't experienced it. You feel as if you've been teleported to the center of all existence and are overwhelmed with a POWERFUL sense of oneness and connection with all things. It is incredibly beautiful and completely life changing.

a reply to: onequestion

Edgar Mitchell isn't the only astronaut to experience this phenomena, many, many astronauts have reported this experience.

The singing astronaut (Chris Hadfield) shared a similar experience in a radio interview.

He talked about a spacewalk and how you can look at the earth from above, then you can turn your head and see the enormity of the universe.

It would be a humbling and life changing experience that's for sure.

originally posted by: HalfLeaf
I experienced ego death, it was the most blissful moment in my life and honestly something I still pull strength from to this day

Spent an entire night awake, I knew something had "clicked" in my mind. When I got out the next day and looked at simply ordinary daily clouds, I started crying, as if I had never seen clouds before in my life, everything was new, everything was beautiful, there was no hate, anger, frustration,... in the world, only love and beauty, I felt connected to everything, from the oceans to a damn pebble, I KNEW, understood everything on this planet had a role, was of importance, and thus, so was I. I'm chronically depressed, probably MDD or worse (borderline or bipolar) and I've never ever felt as good as I did back then. What it was, I don't know, I used to attribute it to psychosis but was told that's unlikely. Still, whatever it was, I"m 100% sure I experienced something the great shamans of the past and our most inspiring new age teachers must have experienced at some point, because what I experienced was so strong I wanted to teach, share,... but I wasn't personally ready for that, what I learnt was for ME, so it's probably not very useful to anyone here either, but still, felt like sharing, because I believe it to be real

(I think the universe is conscious, you were given a chance in life. Want to waste it? Sure! But life WILL give you lemons, it does to everyone! And even if you try your hardest, you might only end up with lemonade. The universe, or "mother nature" knows what she's doing, a life is meaningless in the bigger scheme of things you know

Try and leave a mark, that's not some type of guru bs, it's what I tell MYSELF whenever I get down. It doesn't work instantly, but it does work. You have ONE LIFE, make the most out of it! )

Ever dare to question your own experiences? What if so-called "ego death" was actually about turning down your guard?, what if the "all is connected and beautiful" is about being sure you ignore your perspective and pretend all is fine and dandy in Wonderland?, and that the urge to teach was a viral meme spreading tactic? What about if LIFE is what really matters and the "greater scheme of things" has no real purpose?

*deleted by author - double post*

So lucky. I like that picture that astronaut took from space with his hand up to the space stations window with his hand toward earth in the gesture of that peace sign thing from Star Trek after that Star Trek actor passed away

originally posted by: EternalSolace
a reply to: onequestion

There is no doubt in my mind that you could stick a member of every religion, every political faction, and of every race and nationality in a space capsule and the instant they look down at the earth from around 200 miles up everything would cease. Every argument, every prejudice, everything would cease.

Maybe the Overview Effect is a threat to those who profit from war.



I think about the same exact thing except if it were psychedelic mushrooms or auawaska from Brazil that's been used for hundreds of years for spiritual enlightenment. That if everyone where to take a psychedelic war wouldn't exist