Powers of the Mind

ADAM SMITH (PSEUDONYM) DOES WHAT FEW WRITERS ON NEW AGE TOPICS DO. HE HAD THE TIME, AND TOOK IT, TO ACTUALLY PARTICIPATE IN THESE PROCESSES. HIS WRITING STYLE IS EXCELLENT, WITH NONE OF THE SPECIAL, ESOTERIC-SOUNDING, LANGUAGE YOU GET FROM MANY AUTHORS ON SUCH TOPICS. HIS CHAPTER "ZEN AND THE CROSS COURT BACKHAND" IS PARTICULARLY GOOD. HIS SELF-DEPRECATING HUMOR IS CHARMING AND MAKES HIS CONCLUSIONS HAVE THE RING OF AUTHENTICITY AND COMMON SENSE. HARVARD OKIE

5.5 stars You will NEVER find a better deal on this site than Powers Of Mind for a penny. This is one of the most underrated and unfairly forgotten books I can think of. When I found it in my Dad's library and read it at age 12, it changed the way I saw life and my mind and why I am on this planet. Reading it 30 years later, it's just as powerful and enjoyable. Smith is really George Goodman, a brilliant mind who wrote some of the best books on money and Wall St, including Paper Money and The Money Game. Here he turns his brilliant brain to the various modalities of consciousness expansion around in the mid-70s, the peak of such pursuits. From yoga to acid, biofeedback to tennis, sensory deprivation tanks to EST, and on and on, he checks it all out. What makes this book so enthralling and loveable is the author's constant awareness of multiple perspectives and his willingness to be deeply curious, wrong, and in awe, often all at once. Smith calls it exactly as he sees it; if he thinks something or someone is a fraud, he gently points that out. If there is more to something or someone than meets the eye (a major theme), he evokes the mystery while never judging or discounting the "impossible". It's tough to write about the nebulous, but Smith does it in such an elegant way that you feel both smarter and happier every time you put down this book. He's also funny as hell at many points; imagine the 200-IQ uncle/grandfather/best friend you always wanted, and here he is. Great writing can be like a drug in your brain, expanding and enlightening your basic take on the world as you read. This is just such a book. I can not recommend this book highly enough. At a penny for a beautifully bound hardcover first edition, this is well beyond the no-brainer category. It's a full-brainer, and it'll be even fuller and happier once it's encountered this book. God bless you, Mr, Goodman, wherever you are. You've made my life a lot more fun.

I first saw this book in 1982, and even after 20 years of being a "fan" of how the mind works, this one stands out as unique. Interestingly, he looks at all the different mind mysteries (from Yaqui sorcerers to est (now Landmark) to Aldous Huxley to floating in a sensory deprivation tank) as being different applications of the same "secret ingredients", and seeks the commonalities as clues to what's really going on under the surface. I learned a lot, and his analysis has stood the test of time.

Powers of Mind is brain candy. It is intuitive, original, and fascinating. One of the most informative and interesting books on the subject that I have read. The author lightens up normally dry reading with humor, sarcasm, and other literary devices. If you are interested in the extended issues of psychology, and parapsychology, then this book is a must read. Everything from LSD and "mind opening" experiences to ancient perspectives and interesting historical fact.s

I was amazed at the effects that this book had on my Bird-brain. Our mind is only limited by our beliefs. The author backs up all of his assertions with facts and real life examples. Several mind-expanding accounts of people all over the world who are not limited by a "confined consensual reality". Changes your beliefs and your experiences will follow. I highly recommend reading this book.