Astronauts report ecstatic, life-changing “Overview Effect,” and there’s a film to help others feel it too
Edgar Mitchell and other astronauts have reported feelings of awe, heightened awareness, and connection when viewing Earth from space. In 1987 author Frank White gave the phenomenon a name: the “Overview Effect.” Its characteristics include expanded consciousness, awe for the planet, and a profound sense of interconnection.
If experienced by millions, this sense could be a powerful force for positive change; and now it CAN be experienced by anyone.
A group calling themselves the Planetary Collective wanted to document the phenomenon and help ordinary people experience it too. So they created a 19-minutes film titled “Overview,” released in December, 2012. With little fanfare, it has attracted 7.7 million views.
Click below to watch it now; but for best results, you may want to read the rest of this article first.
Information on the social importance of the Overview Effect is found in this Motherboard article:
Complete information is available in Frank White’s groundbreaking book:
For more information on video opportunities, the “Planetary Collective.”
When you’re ready to view the “Overview” film, above, give yourself the best possible chance for a positive altered experience:
- Make sure you have enough time, at least 19 minutes, to view the film all in one sitting, without interruption.
- Before viewing, get yourself into a receptive mood. Take a few deep breaths, relax, meditate briefly, or become mindful and focused.
- Note in particular the segments featuring Edgar Mitchell, whose Overview experience led him to establish the Institute of Noetic Sciences, which investigates the fundamental nature of consciousness and how it interacts with the physical world. Mitchell identified his experience as “samadhi,” an age-old state of intense concentration typically achieved through spiritual practice or meditation.
If you feel little or nothing while watching “Overview,” don’t worry. Thanks to high-resolution photography and virtual reality, other opportunities are on the horizon; and millions of us may soon experience vicariously what astronauts have enjoyed in person.
For example, in January 2015, SpaceVR was established for that express purpose.
SpaceVR is the world’s first virtual reality platform that will allow users to “be an astronaut” and experience space firsthand from any mobile, desktop or VR device. In June 2017, the company plans launch a VR camera into low Earth orbit aboard a SpaceX rocket. The camera’s 4K sensors will capture high resolution, fully immersive, 360-degree video of our home planet.
See related article: Focus, folks! … At a basic level, that’s our power over things, new research suggests.
