From Science to God

The Mystery of Consciouness and the Meaning of Light

Russell takes us from the halls of Cambridge, where he studied with Stephen Hawking, to an ashram in the foothills of the Indian Himalayas. Integrating an in-depth knowledge of science with his own experiences of meditation, Russell arrives at a universe similar to that described by many mystics - one in which science and spirit no longer conflict. The bridge between them, he shows, is light. From Science to God invites us to cross that bridge to a radically different, and ultimately healing, view of ourselves and the universe - one in which God takes on new meaning, and spiritual practice a deeper significance.

From Science to God is the story of Peter Russell's lifelong exploration into the nature of consciousness. From being a convinced atheist, studying mathematics and physics, to blending his own tale of curiosity and deep exploration with physics, psychology, and philosophy - he reaches a new worldview in which consciousness is a fundamental quality of creation.

Peter Russell has been a consultant to IBM, Apple, American Express, Barclays Bank, Swedish Telecom, Nike, Shell, BP, and other major corporations.

"Far more than most other books on the subject, From Science to God identifies a possible basis for true reconciliation between science and spirituality."

- Winston Franklin, president of The Institute of Noetic Sciences

Peter Russell gained an honors degree in physics and experimental psychology at the University of Cambridge, England, and a postgraduate degree in computer science. He studied meditation and Eastern philosophy in India, and on his return conducted research into the neurophysiology of meditation at the University of Bristol.

As an author and lecturer, he has explored the potentials of human consciousness-integrating Eastern wisdom with the facts of Western science—and shared with audiences worldwide his discoveries and insights about the nature of consciousness, global change, and human evolution.

Peter Russell was one of the first to present personal development programs to business. Over the past twenty years, he has been a consultant to IBM, Apple, American Express, Barclays Bank, Swedish Telecom, Nike, Shell, British Petroleum, and other major corporations.

His previous books include The TM Technique, The Brain Book, The Upanishads, The Global Brain Awakens, and Waking Up in Time. He also created the award-winning videos The Global Brain and The White Hole in Time.

The first version of this book was a pre-publication edition. With previous books, I made reading copies of the final manuscript for friends, publishers, publicists, and others. With today's technologies, a small print run had become an attractive alternative. I could seed the ideas more widely and get feedback from more people.

As a result of feedback from many readers, I have made some changes in this trade edition. I have reworked the material concerning the relationship between light and God, and the mystical identity of self and God, to make my meaning clearer. In addition, I have rewritten a large part of the final chapter to reflect my own changing views.

It was the spring of 1996; I had been invited to a small seminar, deep in the California redwoods, to discuss the evolution of consciousness. As I sat there listening to various debates about the nature of mind, recent discoveries in neurochemistry, and theories on the origins of consciousness, I felt increasingly frustrated. I wanted to say, “We've got it all backwards,” or words to that effect. But I couldn't express my misgivings in a coherent, well-reasoned manner—which one needs to do in those settings to be taken seriously. So I bit my lip and sat with my frustration.

A few weeks later, on a plane from Los Angeles to San Francisco, I opened an old book I had recently come across. The author, a Dutchman writing in the 1920s, was not saying anything that was new to me, but he reminded me of the processes of perception and the way we construct our experience of reality. My readings in philosophy, particularly the writings of Immanuel Kant, came flooding back; so did my studies in physics on the nature of light, and my explorations into Eastern philosophy and meditation.

**Contents and Sample Pages**