The phrase “mind over matter” is a pithy proverb that has withstood the test of time and taken on a variety of interpretations, and its evolution will likely continue.  This most curious phrase is reported to have first appeared in 1863 in the book “The Geological Evidence of the Antiquity of Man” by Sir Charles Lyell, however, its context pertained to the evolution of man”.

Some contend its origins date back to 19 BC, with the saying “the mind drives the mass“, which appeared in the lengthy latin poem titled Aeneid, by the Roman poet Publius Vergilius Maro, who lived during the reign of Caesar Augustus.

For those who are NOT Bible aficionados of the New Testament, Augustus is the dude who issued the now famous decree calling for a census of the entire Roman empire, as it had gotten so big, he wanted to know his constituency better by imposing a hefty tax on every resident.  Importantly, it was this decree that played a significant role in the events leading up to birth of Christianity.

The Birth of Christianity

At the time of this decree, a carpenter in Nazareth named Joseph Christ (a/k/a “Joey the Hammer” or simply “Joe”) was low on cash, and with his pregnant fiancée Mary Joachim  (a/k/a “the Madonna”) already in her ninth month, he was looking at a Caesar Augustus tax bill he most certainly couldn’t afford.  And the punishment for not paying taxes ranged from a “brink-of-death” flogging to outright execution (crucifixion was especially popular at the time).

Anyway, this particular decree scared the bejesus out of Joe, who was already reeling from Mary having earlier confided to him “you are NOT the father” and then further blew his mind by saying the fellow who “popped her cherry” was someone named “God“.  And to make matters worse, she said it was a one night stand, and she wasn’t sure if that was his first or last name.

Can you imagine Joe and Mary appearing on The Maury (Povich) Show?  How would Joe have reacted to the news?  Would it have been along the lines of Clip #1 or Clip #2? Watch and decide for yourself . . .

Clip # 1

Clip #2

[Warning the soundtrack at the end of this clip contains expletives]

In reality, no one knows how Joe actually reacted to what amounted to Christianity’s “first confession“, but it probably began with Mary saying “Joe, we need to talk.  You may find this hard to believe, but . . . “.  Notwithstanding, Christianity’s conventional wisdom  suggests Joe didn’t mind, so the fact that Mary was knocked up by someone known only as “God” really didn’t matter.

Anyway, in order to dodge in impending tax bill and the certainty of an accompanying punishment of great consequence, Joe and Mary hightailed it out of Nazareth on a donkey, heading north to Bethlehem, which was 111 kilometers away (or roughly 70 miles).  However, to avoid detection along the way, they had to directionally zig zag throughout their sojourn, thus extending the trip to 80 miles and resulting in their arriving in Bethlehem late at night on December 25, 0000.

Although Joe thoughtfully made advance reservations via carrier pigeon, he forgot to request a guaranteed late arrival using his Judea Express Card.  So when they arrived at The Bethlehem Inn they were disappointed to learn that particular night had been overbooked, and since there was a Shepherd’s Convention going on, there was not a single room available in Bethlehem.  To make matters worse, when Mary jumped off her donkey to check-in, her water broke!  So they scrambled to the nearest manger, where their son Jesus was born shortly after their arrival . . . and the rest is history.

Note:  Although I may have digressed a bit, at least you a have better appreciation for the origins of the subject phrase, as well as insight about the events leading up to the birth of Christianity.  You’re welcome. 🙂

So What Is “Mind Over Matter“?

Now let’s address some of the more common interpretations and manifestations of “mind over matter”, or “MOM” for purposes of this section.  To begin with, there are a variety of definitions and situations where this proverb would be applicable.  For instance:

• Prioritization — In this case, MOM refers to how someone may go about prioritizing what’s important in their lives (e.g., the love a significant other over material possessions);
• Abstinence — This is where MOM is used to describe how someone may abstain from something for religious or health reasons (e.g., a Catholic priest maintaining his vow of celibacy or an alcoholic resisting temptations to “fall off the wagon”);
• Adversity — When confronted by an imposing threat, chronic difficulties or a vexing dilemma with significant downside associated with all known alternatives, one may need to summon a “fifth gear” in creative thinking through MOM, such that by thinking “outside the box” a omnipotent panacea suddenly crystalizes; or
• Metaphysics — This represents the most literal, but least believable interpretation of MOM, whereby the ethereal energy of one’s thoughts (i.e., the mind) directly impacts outcomes and realities of the physical world (i.e., the matter)

As it is the form most subject to debate, we are going to focus on the metaphysical side of MOM, and briefly summarize some empirical examples which seem to support its veracity.

Metaphysical Instances of Mind Over Matter

Reflected below are some situations where there appears to be an intangible cause (i.e., thought emanating from the mind) that is directly linked to a tangible physical effect (i.e., matter being observably influenced):

1. Tibetan Monks — These selfless practitioners of Buddhism devote their entire being to a life of compassionate deeds for others, striving to help disadvantaged others in need and committing to seeking enlightenment, which is akin to rewiring one’s mind to see things most others are oblivious to.  They are known to be able to modify their physiological processes (.e.g., blood pressure and body temperature) through deep meditative thought that medical professionals find astounding.  And they are unabashed in demonstrating this publicly.  In one well-known exhibition, several monks were cloaked in wet sheets in a refrigerated room of 40 degrees fahrenheit.  This should have resulted in uncontrollable shivering and lead to deadly hypothermia.  However, while in an entranced state of meditative yoga, heat generated steam began to emanate from their sheets, and within an hour, each monk was comfortably thriving in this environment, and their sheets were completely dry.  This a compelling well-documented instance of Mind Over Matter.
2. Multiple Personality Disorders — Those who have been diagnosed with this mental condition have developed readily observable and measurable physiological changes between personalities.  For instance, while in one personality state, a patient would have type 2 diabetes blood sugar levels and significant astigmatic myopia that required thick corrective lenses.  When that same patient entered into another personality state, their blood sugar levels would miraculously normalize and they would suddenly have perfect uncorrected 20/20 vision.  This is another well-documented instance of Mind Over Matter.
3. Placebo Effect — This is used in virtually all scientific testing to filter out the Mind Over Matter effect from the trial testing of say a new drug on humans.  This is where ALL of those being tested are told they are being given a new drug to treat the malady they each share.  However, only some are actually given drug being tested, while the others are provided an inert alternative with no medicinal value, but there is no social interaction between those being tested.  There will ALWAYS be some people who were administered the placebo, whose condition will dramatically improve.  These are also instances of Mind Over Matter.
4. Power of Suggestion — This is similar to the Placebo effect; however, social interaction is introduced as an important element of evaluating behavior change, and has been  found to have a multiplier effect.  One such instance was carried out with Princeton students who were invited to a “keg party”; however, all the kegs were filled with non-alcoholic beer (e.g., O’Douls).  Observers involved in the “switcheroo” were astounded to see many exhibiting extreme levels of drunken behavior, such as slurred speech, loud boisterous yelling, tripping over each other, peeing in the bushes, sleeping on the ground, etc.  This is a somewhat hilarious example of Mind Over Matter.
5. Nocebo Effect — This is also a derivation of the Placebo effect, but instead of tricking the test subjects into thinking a positive outcome would result, they were informed of a negative expectation, such as telling test subjects that the freshly cut leaves they were asked to pick up with their hands were poison ivy.  Although the leaves were entirely inert, many broke out in skin rashes on their hands and arms that mimicked the effect of poison ivy.  This is also an example of Mind Over Matter.
6. Indian Yogis — These deeply meditative fellows take mind-procreated physiological  change to an entirely different level vis-á-vis the Tibetan Monks.  For example, Some Yogis have been being buried alive for up to 28 days and survived by slowing their heartbeat and other metabolic processes to nearly negligible levels during their intense meditative state; and
7. Visualization — This is often used by athletes before important games, where they play out in their mind a vivid visualization of a positive expected outcome, which later materializes on the field of play in the manner they had earlier envisioned it.  The author of this blog played competitive sports through college and can personally attest to  this, but admits this is difficult to do, and seem to work only in advance of the most important and publicly hyped games.

While there is so very much more to this subject, suffice it to say, there are many well-documented instances of metaphysics-driven mind over matter, that simply can’t be explained any other way.

Musical Rendition of “Mind Over Matter”

Now armed with a cogent overview (and presumably understanding) of this most interesting concept, it is hoped you will better appreciate the  performance of “Mind Over Matter” in the below music video by the band  known as “Young the Giant“.  And for you ÜBER-NERDS, there is a separate section (following the lyrics) to engage your intellect on this subject even further.

Mind Over Matter

Mind over matter
Does it matter to any of us?
Don’t change the subject
I’m heavy on your love
I missed that train, New York city – it rains!
Fly to east L.A. in big jet planes
You know you’re on my mind

And if the world don’t break
I’ll be shakin’ it
‘Cause I’m a young man after all
And when the seasons change
Will you stand by me?
‘Cause I’m a young man built to fall

Mind over matter,
I’m in tatters thinkin’ about her
Taste my disaster
It’s heavy on my tongue
All the lights aglow
Tokyo – snows
Go to watch the show
Curtain’s closed!
I’m watching you this time

And if the world don’t break
I’ll be shakin’ it
‘Cause I’m a young man after all
And when the seasons change
Will you stand by me?
‘Cause I’m a young man built to fall
I missed that train
New York city – it rains!
Fly to east L.A. in big jet planes
You know you’re on my mind
All the lights aglow
Tokyo – sno-ooows
Go to watch the show – curtain’s closed
I’m watching you this time

Mind over matter
Mind over matter,
You know you’re on my mind!

And if the world don’t break
I’ll be shakin’ it
‘Cause I’m a young man after all
And when the seasons change
I missed that train, will you stand by me!
(Fly to east L.A.)
‘Cause I’m a young man built to fall
And if the world don’t break!
All the lights aglow
(Tokyo – sno-ooows
Go to watch the show – curtain’s closed)
And when the seasons change, will you stand by me?
‘Cause I’m a young man built to fall

Warning

The remainder of this blog posting is intended FOR ÜBER-NERDS ONLY as the information and scientific findings contained therein is presented at a highly advanced academic level.  Thus if you do not possess a cognitive intellect equal akin to a “rocket scientist”, you should NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES view ANYTHING below the red line . . .

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For those so inclined and wish to take this topic to “the next level” these FIVE videos should at least get you started:

(1)  The Princeton PEAR Study — This video reveals how a Princeton research team headed up by Robert John, then the Dean of Princeton’s School of Engineering, whose expertise is in “Rocket Science” (I kid you NOT), supervised a student-driven metaphysics project involving extensive high precision studies conducted over more than a quarter century, which tested the hypothesis that human thought can tangibly impact physical outcomes, and concluded this beyond all doubt to be TRUE, albeit to a small, but measurable extent.

Psyleron – Princeton Mind-Matter Interaction Research from Psyleron on Vimeo.

(2)  Secrets Of The Human Aura Revealed — This is a news broadcast on American RT network, reporting on a Russian Scientist (Dr. Konstantin Korotkov) who reveals the existence of the human energy aura suggests our emotions and intentions can be channeled to positively impact the world.

(3)  How To See The Human Aura — In this video, author Eric Robinson explains how to see your own energy procreated aura.

(4)  How To Activate And Open Your Third Eye — Author Teal Swan publicly represents herself as a “Spiritual Catalyst”, “Clairvoyant” and “Healer”, and is featured in this video explaining how to engage the use of one’s pineal gland, and activate one’s “sixth sense”, which includes such abilities as: (1) intuition; (2) clairvoyance (i.e., seeing beyond normal sight); (3) precognition; (4) out of body experiences; (5) the ability to see auras; (6) precision-based recognition (i.e., seeing patterns and associations before others do); (7) unconventional imagination; (8) visualization of distant events; (9) vivid dreaming; (10) perception of hidden images others miss; and (11) ESP, or extra-sensory perception.  These are abilities which those who represent themselves as Psychics profess to have.

(5)  How to Decalcify Your Pineal Gland –This video features candid advice on optimizing pineal gland health and is presented by a young Canadian woman, Erin Janus.  She publicly presents herself as a “human/animal rights activist, public speaker, health freak, vegan, writer, musician, video director, and photographer.”