Ways to Go Beyond and Why They Work - by Rupert Sheldrake (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

We are in the midst of a spiritual revival. This book is an essential guide.

"Wonderfully clear and inspiring... I regard this as one of the most important books of our generation." -Larry Dossey, MD, author of One Mind

"... a rare and needed voice in an apocalyptic time like ours. The practices he espouses do not take us out of the world but put us back in." -Matthew Fox, author of Original Blessing

"An affable, erudite manual..." -The Times Literary Supplement

To go beyond is to move into a higher state of consciousness, to a place of bliss, greater understanding, love, and deep connectedness, a realm where we finally find life's meaning.

Scientist and spiritual explorer Rupert Sheldrake looks at seven spiritual practices that are personally transformative and have scientifically measurable effects. He combines the latest scientific research with his extensive knowledge of mystical traditions to show how we may tune into more-than-human realms of consciousness through psychedelics such as ayahuasca, and how everyday activities can have mystical dimensions, including sports and learning from animals. He discusses traditional religious practices such as fasting, prayer, and the celebration of festivals and holy days.

Why do these practices work? Are their effects solely inside our brains and essentially illusory? Or can we really make contact with forms of consciousness greater than our own?

Dr. Rupert Sheldrake is a biologist and the author of more than ninety technical papers and fourteen books, including Science Set Free. After studying at Cambridge and Harvard Universities, he worked in Hyderabad, India, as principal plant physiologist at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, and lived for two years in the Benedictine ashram of Father Bede Griffiths. From 2005 to 2010, he was director of the Perrott-Warrick Project for the study of unexplained human and animal abilities, funded by Trinity College, Cambridge.

He is currently a Fellow of the Institute of Noetic Sciences in Petaluma, California, and of Schumacher College in Dartington, Devon, UK. He lives in London with his wife Jill Purce, with whom he has two sons.

Review Quotes

"[T]his book, together with his earlier book, Science and Spiritual Practices, is a map of some of the portals which have traditionally been used to reach the more-than-human world. That of course includes the natural world. All the practices increase the porosity of our shells, help us to see our own place in the nexus of things, and help us get closer not just to God (don't be put off by the word 'spiritual') but also to badgers and leaf-veins and molecular biology and the faces in clouds. Because I suppose that's what we're looking for when we're going out into nature, and in nature writing: that sense of being part of something bigger than ourselves." -Charles Foster, "Best of Nature Writing, 2019"

"Rupert Sheldrake's book is good to follow no matter what spiritual, religious, or philosophical path that you are in. Any Reader can find some advice that they can use to change their lives for the better." -Julie Sara Porter, Bookworm Reviews

"I am so glad to say that Rupert Sheldrake has released his new book, Ways to Go Beyond and Why They Work, which is a practical companion to Metahuman." -Deepak Chopra