It’s one thing to assert that the reality we call “mind” is somehow more important or influential than physical reality.
Mystics have been making that claim for centuries, after all.
It’s quite another matter (ha ha ha) to describe the switches and levers by which mind controls matter — which is exactly what Bruce Lipton does in his 2005 book, The Biology of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter, & Miracles
Lipton is a biologist whose first claim to fame was his skepticism about the hypothesis that genes control biology.
Understanding why he’s so skeptical is alone worth the price of the book. For example, have you ever felt anxious after reading a news article about the latest gene researchers have isolated? You know: the article that says if you’ve inherited the wrong gene, you’re at greater risk of some disease, or obesity, or depression, or some other horrible affliction . . .
Genes are not destiny . . .
If so, you need this book. The fact is that, with some rare exceptions, genes are not destiny. The environment is far more important, Lipton shows, because environmental factors cause certain genes to “wake up” and express the traits they’ve encoded.
Sound complicated? It’s not. Lipton uses clear, conversational English and helpful images to explain the inner workings of the cell. You don’t need to be a biology major to understand this book.
Lipton doesn’t stop with toppling genetic determinism, however. He also advocates another another paradigm-shattering idea: we need to apply quantum physics to biology.
“[M]ost biological dysfunctions (except injuries due to physical trauma) start at the level of a cell’s molecules and ions,” Lipton notes. And we know that on a quantum level, “matter” is also energy. So the question becomes: how does energy affect cells? How does it affect gene expression?
Lipton thinks we need to find out. He thinks we should do a better job of studying alternative medicine — in particular, energy medicine — and the placebo effect.
. . . on the contrary — our thoughts affect our cells
He also believes we need to pay attention to how our thoughts affect our cells, and closes the book with a call to parents to consider how their emotional states affect their children.
Many metaphysical books today explore the scientific basis for the primacy of mind over matter. The Biology of Belief is a strong example of that category of book, and as such deserves a place in every spiritual students’ library.
Click here to purchase a copy of The Biology of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter, & Miracles.