Secret Of The Soul The (Paperback)

Written in a clear and concise fashion by William Buhlman, best-selling author of Adventures Beyond the Body, The Secret of the Soul presents details about the out-of-body experience (OBE) that have never before been presented. Based upon an international out-of-body survey that has elicited over 16,000 responses from 32 countries, The Secret of the Soul provides a convincing testimonial to the fact that OBEs are by no means relegated to the mystic but are indeed a natural phenomena available to all of us.

Survey data suggests that many people experience their first OBE during childhood, but all too often the adult world greets the child's revelations with disbelief and instruction about "the way things really are"-the physical world that is seen with the physical eyes only. Buhlman offers helpful advice to parents who are faced with a child who encounters visitation from unseen friends and loved ones, night terrors, or the paralysis and sounds that can accompany the "vibrational state" which often precedes an OBE.

Throughout The Secret of the Soul, Buhlman scatters anecdotal reports by survey respondents that lend credibility and life to contentions made about topics as varied as: contact with spiritual beings and departed loved ones, non-physical sexual encounters, trauma-induced OBEs, physical sensations and perceptual shifts which frequently accompany the OBE state, past-life revelations, the concept of a multi-dimensional self, spiritual healing, and extraterrestrial contact.

Based upon his own self-initiated OBE experiences and those reported by respondents to the survey Buhlman postulates that the OBE is "the direct path to the soul" and constitutes a true spiritual journey. He writes, "When we transcend the body we become the ultimate explorers of consciousness and open the door to the answers to our existence. It is our destiny to evolve beyond the dense forms we see around us and experience our spiritual self. This will occur. The only real question is when."

The Secret of the Soul, with its many testimonies, engrossing stories and suggested techniques makes the mysterious and miraculous seem attainable. It is a guidebook for the serious student of expanded awareness and spiritual growth. Read it. Experiment with the described methods for achieving safe, self-initiated, out-of-body experiences and you will agree: This book can change your life!

In "The Secret of the Soul" Buhlman probably reiterates half of the information from the previous book (which is necessary to make the topic accessible to those who haven't read the previous book) but shifts the focus from the structure of the universe to the use of Astral Projection for spiritual development. He also includes various accounts of Astral Projections and results from his ongoing survey into the phenomina.

Overall I found his ideas compelling and found the book well-worth reading. However, considering that the book concerns itself with spiritual development I would have liked to have seen a discussion of how this type of spiritual seeking relates to prevailing worldwide religious thought: Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, etc. Most people's spirituality is practiced within one of these traditions so by advocating astral projection as a means for spiritual growth without tying it into these various traditions - the proponents of astral projection unwittingly doom astral projection to be regarded as a weird, marginal or occult activity.

Overall, well-worth reading.