In June of this year we published Maya: The World As a Virtual Reality, which introduces a virtual reality theory of consciousness. We received some very positive initial reviews from scholars in the fields of neurology, religion, and psychiatry (appended to this message). We are trying to get additional reviews and schedule Dr. Thompson on more radio shows. Sales have been very encouraging to the Internet bookstore Amazon.com, the distributor Adventures Unlimited which sells to many new age bookstores, a mail order company called Arcturus Books in Florida, and at a book tables on college campuses in the mid-West.

Description of Maya: The World As a Virtual Reality:

In the world of modern science, consciousness is reduced to a fading epiphenomenon, left over after the brain has been physically explained. It seems to arise when matter is suitably organized, but scientists and philosophers have been unable to explain why complex organization should produce anything beyond complex physical behavior. Yet consciousness won't go away.
      One possibility is that, instead of being produced by matter, consciousness is a separate element, added to physical systems. This can be modeled using the idea of a virtual reality, in which a human subject enters a computer-simulated world through a sensory interface. In this book, virtual reality is used as a metaphor for our situation as conscious beings. The basic theme is that what we can imagine doing in a virtual reality system may actually be happening in nature on a vastly greater scale. Nature may be like a computer simulation interfaced with conscious observer/participants.
      This groundbreaking book shows how conscious beings could interact with a physically realistic virtual world. It shows how paranormal phenomena can be reconciled in a natural way with the laws of physics, and it sheds light on paradoxes of time, on life beyond the body, and on cosmic and terrestrial evolution. In a sweeping synthesis, the ideas and data of modern science are used to illuminate the ancient theme of consciousness in a world of illusion.

Intended readership for Maya: The World As a Virtual Reality:
People interested in such varied topics as:
   consciousness and the mind/body question
   spiritual subject matter in relation to science
   computers, artificial intelligence, and speculations that computers can equal or surpass human capabilities
   paranormal phenomena, especially possible explanations of them
   evolutionary theory and alternatives besides standard creationism
   mysticism and self-realization from a philosophical standpoint

Dr. Thompson is planning to write a popular book on his 1994 trip to India in which he met a lot of interesting people with fascinating experiences and abilities.

To stimulate sales during holiday times we are offering 20% off retail sales of all books, CDs, and videos during the month of December. Come to our web site and order now!

“Using the metaphor of ‘virtual reality,’ Richard Thompson weaves a tapestry of theory and research integrating body, mind, and spirit that can be understood by scientists and laymen alike. A joy to read and ponder.”

“Maya is an invitation to a big game hunt in which the big game is no less than the universe itself and the hunt does no harm to any creature. Instead this book generates an enhanced appreciation for the complexity, depth, and value of life. The author has a knack for adventure and guides us through the far reaches of science and even into fringe phenomena while helping us to stay oriented to the key question: is there something behind and prior to this great panorama of amazing effects that has priority over them? He has written a marvelously contemporary, courageous, and creative exploration of metaphysical dualism that leads us toward a Ground Reality that makes possible the whole range of virtual realities from the most utilitarian and ordinary to the most bizarre and improbable. Richard L. Thompson keeps us interested right through Maya, from start to finish, and awakens the sense of wonder that the world’s great classical philosophers recognized as the transforming experience in which religion and philosophy, indeed all wisdom, begins.”

“Maya: The World As Virtual Reality is a wakeup call for all who are curious and wonder about where they have come from and what overall meaning might be attached to their existence—the role of the “extended mind” and consciousness: its implications and consequences. In a brilliantly developed, highly original synthesis, Richard Thompson, a poly man, presents his virtual reality model in a plausible, highly readable, step-by-step, clearly thought-through form. Rather than merely skirting the fringes of paranormal phenomena, he probes deeply and dares to incorporate the enigmatic and sometimes intoxicating foreign body known as psi data into the latest advances of physics, medicine, and other branches of science. Maya is a mind-tweaking, titillating, transformative read. . . . For those who digest its meanings, life will never be the same.”