Dr. Edgar Mitchell

On January 31, 1971, Navy Captain Dr. Edgar Mitchell embarked on a journey into outer space that resulted in becoming the sixth man to walk on the moon. The Apollo 14 mission was NASA's third manned lunar landing. This historic journey ended safely nine days later on February 9, 1971. It was an audacious time in the history of mankind. For Mitchell, however, the most extraordinary journey was yet to come.

As he hurtled earthward through the abyss between the two worlds, Mitchell became engulfed by a profound sensation "a sense of universal connectedness." He intuitively sensed that his presence, that of his fellow astronauts, 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.

Scientist, test pilot, naval officer, astronaut, entrepreneur, author and lecturer, Dr. Mitchell's extraordinary career personifies humankind's eternal thrust to widen its horizons as well as its inner soul.

His academic background includes a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Management from Carnegie Mellon University, a Bachelor of Science from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School and a Doctor of Science in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT. In addition he has received honorary doctorates in engineering from New Mexico State University, the University of Akron, Carnegie Mellon University and a ScD from Embry-Riddle University.

Dr. Mitchell has received many awards and honors including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the USN Distinguished Medal and three NASA Group Achievement Awards. He was inducted to the Space Hall of Fame in 1979 and the Astronaut Hall of Fame in 1998. He was a nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005.

After retiring from the Navy in 1972, Dr. Mitchell founded the Institute of Noetic Sciences to sponsor research into the nature of consciousness as it relates to cosmology and causality. In 1984, he was a co-founder of the Association of Space Explorers, an international organization of those who have experienced space travel.

He is the author of "Psychic Exploration," 1974, "The Way of the Explorer," 1996, (Third edition, 2006) as well as dozens of articles in both professional and popular periodicals. He has devoted the last 35 years to studying human consciousness and psychic and paranormal phenomena in the search for a common ground between science and spirit.

The following poetry items titled “Search” and “Insight” were presented by Edgar Mitchell during recent appearances. They were created and written during a retreat in the late 1970’s and were only recently rediscovered in his archives. They may be printed as a memento and are presented here for personal viewing. Copyright © 2006 All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction for commercial use is prohibited.
SEARCH

Life’s been a very curious road,
The twists and turns are legion;
It’s led me up the highest mount
And wound through every season.

It’s held the hope that soon enough
I’d find that dream-come-true,
By plunging ever forward
Along a path that’s new.

But each new path I’ve followed,
With hopes so high and bright;
Has turned into another,
That goes on out of sight.

I followed ‘long each pathway,
To choose the best I can;
At each and every crossing
A branch that met my plan

To find the great Tomorrow
Where all the wants are met.
I’ve searched and hoped, dreamt and chose,
But haven’t found it yet!

The secret is to plan and dream.
To walk life’s paths, you see
But the glory that each searches for
Is right here in you and me.

Nature lets us go our seeking way
To find what’s to behold,
But smugly keeps the secret
That will for each unfold.

The key to life is deep inside
The mind and heart of each;
For love, life and beauty
That’s all there is to teach.

Along the path each learns the truth
That the goal’s not ahead of me;
For all along its wondrous route
As we learn to love, we see

INSIGHT

Evening stars bright, a breeze cool and light
Leaves with the rustle of Spring,
Wonders of nature abound in the night
Their majesty mostly unseen.

Human eyes seldom view the pattern of dew
That forms on each leaf in the dawn.
Too busy with care, we move unaware
Of creations’ unfolding love song.

The sky’s all aglow, rare gases, slow flow
Form worlds in the fullness of time.
Stars spin in their flight, tiny pinpoints of light
Beam life into Nature’s glad rhyme.

My mind fills with awe, comprehends what it saw
Spirit yearns to fathom the plan
How movement so fine, and each tiny line
Ties one to the other to Man.

The light the eye sees from each stately tree
But a pattern of energy whirling
As atoms that spin, disappear now and then
But emerge to show nature unfurling.

It’s all part of One, a song that is sung
Each note at its place in the tune.
In this Universe wide, each segment is tied
The earth to the stars to the moon.

Each level of life has its joy, its strife
Awareness ever ascending
From the dust at my feet to a mind wise and deep
The flow of time comprehending.

Not just out there is this Universe so fair,
It’s not only in spaces so wide,
But deep in my heart and cerebral part
As well as the mutt at my side.

A tapestry bold with bright hues with gold,
Each thread a part of the story
The tiniest mite, a star large and bright,
Together must share their glory.

Spun from the sea this world’s tapestry
The scene, giving birth on this globe
Beginnings of life, then new creatures rife
To give Earth her living robe.

Thought arose from this mass, at some age now past
To bring purpose and will to the plan
Of God manifest, of species all blessed,
Together, in peace on the land.

The mind we all share, that creates us here,
Drives the process that Nature unfolds.
All human hearts and minds play a part
Each thought our tomorrow molds.

If fears race in our head and hearts fill with dread,
Nature weeps and shuts tight Her door;
Fear’s not Her way, nor the game we should play
Nay, live life in abundance, e’ermore.

Let go of fears and love reappears;
At its natural place in the scheme.
The doubts we create that make the heart ache
Are the villains in life’s precious theme.

A mind that is free, reaches out to destiny
Holding thoughts filled with awe and with love;
To allow Nature’s plan to unfold in every Man
For here below is just like that above.

Return to top

Flash and Images Designed by Mike Constantine
Site redesign by David Vesely