Dr. Lipton's new book is Spontaneous Evolution and was just published just a few days ago. In this interview, he discusses "the four myth perceptions of the Apocalypse." These are the myths that society has bought, up to now, as actual science. Over the last two decades or so, leading edge science has shown them to be not only flawed, but entirely false, providing such profoundly different answers that it will undoubtedly change the way we live in the future.

Myth # 1 : You Live in a Mechanical Universe

The first myth perception is that the world, especially biology and medicine, operates through Newtonian physics. It says you live in a mechanical universe.

According to this belief, your body is a physical machine, so by modifying the parts of the machine, you can modify your health. As a physical machine, your body responds to physical "things" like chemicals and drugs, and by adjusting the drugs that modify your machinery, doctors can modify and control life.

Now, with the advent of quantum physics, scientists have realized that this theory is flawed because quantum physics show that the invisible, immaterial realm is far more important than the material realm. In fact, your thoughts may shape your environment far more than physical matter.

Einstein himself is quoted as saying: "The field is the sole governing agency of the particle."

What that means is that invisible energy is the sole governing agency of matter (the physical world). It's interesting to note that the word 'spirit' by spiritualists, and the word 'field' by physicists, use the same definition for those two words.

So, the new science is actually taking us back, and shows that your thoughts, your attitudes, your beliefs, and the invisible environment, are more primary in shaping your life than anything in the physical world is.

Myth # 2: Your Genes Control Your Life

In his book, The Biology of Belief, Dr. Lipton explains the foundation of epigenetics, and how the true secret to life does not lie within your DNA, but rather within the mechanisms of the cell membrane. In this way - which is contrary to conventional medical science - it is actually the cell's membrane -- operating in response to environmental signals picked up by the membrane's receptors -- that control the "reading" of the genes inside.

What does this mean?

It means that you are not controlled by your genetic make-up. Instead, your genetic readout (which genes are turned "on" and which are turned "off") is primarily determined by your thoughts, attitudes, and perceptions! The major problem with believing the myth that your genes control your life is that you become a victim of your heredity. Since you can't change your genes, it essentially means that your life is predetermined, and therefore you have very little control over your health. With any luck, modern medicine will find the gene responsible and be able to alter it, or devise some other form of drug to modify your body's chemistry, but aside from that, you're out of luck.

The new science, however, reveals that your perceptions control your biology, and this places you in the role of Master, because if you can change your perceptions, you can shape and direct your own genetic readout. It places YOU in the power position, for better or worse. As Dr. Lipton says, "This is very relevant to the world that we are in because we have to take back a belief that we have power over our lives. Because our current perception is that we are victims, and since perceptions control life, if you believe you are a victim, you become a victim.

When we change our perceptions, we can become masters. So we are moving out of "victimhood" into mastery."

Myth # 3: Life is Based on Survival of the Fittest

The third misperception is the Darwinian belief that life and evolution is based on the survival of the fittest, which is an inherent competition and a struggle for existence that goes on forever. The new science, however, shows that this is incorrect; that evolution was not based on competition, but rather on cooperation.

This is a profound difference, and it tells us that if we want to evolve as a species, we must stop competing, and begin to recognize our coherence - that we evolved to live as a harmonious community of people, living on this planet as one living "thing" called humanity.

Myth # 4: Life Evolved as a Random Process

This is another Darwinian theory. The significance of this myth is that, based upon it, you have no purpose here, and humans are somewhat disconnected from the environment altogether. It says that you got here by accident, and since humanity was accidental, humans have no real purpose here on planet earth.

The new biology, on the other hand, reveals that you are in fact an extension of your environment. In fact, every time an organism is introduced into an ecosystem, its function is to balance it and keep it stable. When viewed from this perspective, you realize that the function of your existence here on earth is to create harmony and stability within your environment. Says Dr. Lipton, " humanity evolved as a compliment to an environment. The very scary situation is, if we destroy the environment that created us, then essentially, we are destroying the foundation of our existence." New Solutions for Old Problems

I have long maintained that your emotional state plays a role in nearly every physical disease -- from heart disease, to depression, to arthritis and cancer. Even the conservative Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that 85 percent of all diseases have an emotional element. If your thoughts and emotions play such a significant role in modifying your biology and your health (and I believe they do), then treating your emotions becomes an essential part of optimal health. Terms like "energy medicine" and "energy psychology" are terms that have sprung up in response to these shifts in perception of reality, and I've long been an advocate of energy psychology tools to address underlying emotional traumas that can trigger disease, or keep you locked in a disease pattern. Meridian tapping techniques, for example, which work on several levels of your collective mind-body-spirit simultaneously, can help you get a better handle on your emotions and buried pain, including the stress from unexpected tragedies. Optimal health might really hinge on dealing with, and resolving your emotional traumas as quickly as possible; not letting old emotional wounds linger and fester. In severe cases you might not be able to perform the techniques satisfactorily on yourself, in which case I would highly recommend you seek out a trained professional.

Human Body