Books : Explorers of the Infinite: The Secret Spiritual Lives of Extreme Athletes-and What They Reveal About Near-Death Experiences, Psychic Communication, and Touching the Beyond
Product Description: Real-life psychic, near-death, and paranormal experiences are combined with cutting-edge science and vivid adventure stories in this energetic look at why extreme athletes and mountaineers take the risks that allow them to push the limits of consciousness, and what they encounter there.
In the life-or-death world of extreme adventure sports, there is one thing that athletes often keep quiet about: the “forbidden” territory of paranormal experiences. Ranging from fleeting moments of transcendence to full-blown encounters with ghosts and everything in between—visions, near-death experiences, psychic communication—many extreme athletes have experienced these moments of connection with the beyond, but have been reluctant to talk about them.
In Explorers of the Infinite, award-winning outdoors journalist and lifelong adventure sports devotee Maria Coffey probes the mystical and paranormal experiences of mountaineers, snowboarders, surfers, and more. She reviews cutting-edge science, and consults the history of philosophy and spirituality to answer the question: Could the state of intense “aliveness” that is the allure of extreme sports for so many actually be a route to a connection with the beyond?
Coffey investigates the scientific explanations for mystical phenomena, ranging from simple explanations to theories from consciousness studies and quantum physics, and leaves us wondering where science ends and spirituality begins.
An energetic, you-are-there look at the spiritual lives of extreme athletes, Explorers of the Infinite asks why extreme athletes take the risks that allow them to push the limits of consciousness, what they encounter there, and what we can learn from them.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Great Stories, but...
First of all, the stories in this book are incredible...riveting...fascinating. Really. This could have even been a great book if the author left it at that--stories that show the spiritual side of adventure ... Read More
Rating: - Fascinating portrait of extremes
I bought the Kindle version after hearing Coffey on Oprah's Soul Series. I read it more as a spiritual searcher than as an endurance athlete. The book was comprehensive in its exploration of what drives people ... Read More
Rating: - What is Man's Connection to the Great Outdoors?
I found this to be an interesting and thought provoking examination of why many extreme athletes do what they do and what their minds?/spirits? do when the are doing what they do. However, it has application to ... Read More
Rating: - good read
This is an insightful book for those non-adrenaline-seeking types, and an affirmation of what us junkies already know about pushing the limits. Easy to read in sections as it isn't one long story but interesting ... Read More
Rating: - Gobble this up!
Maria Coffey will be on Oprah in a few weeks (November 2008) because of this book - get a copy now and love it as much as I did! She gets right to the heart of what makes those who push physical limits tick, and does ... Read More
- Great Stories, but...
- Fascinating portrait of extremes