4 out of 4 stars
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Have you ever thought about how you would react to having vivid dreams and visions of spiritual entities? Would you consider drinking plant concoctions to achieve altered states of consciousness? The Unbound Soul: A Visionary Guide to Spiritual Transformation and Enlightenment, by Richard L. Haight, brings these unconventional questions – and many more of the kind – to mind. Using the first-person point of view, the author weaves together his personal stories and tools that may be used in order to achieve spiritual growth.
My curiosity about this intriguing book arose as soon as I saw the purposeful title. Indeed, stemming from the author’s remarkable and hardly conceivable mystical episodes, the book intends to help readers to also procure spiritual awakening. I loved that Haight starts the book quoting the Tao – an ancient and intricate Chinese tradition not easy for westerners to grasp. So, I was immediately interested in it.
Throughout The Unbound Soul, we learn the unusual and striking events that happened to the author. He was just eight years old when, during a vision, he made Jesus a solemn promise: to find the essence of his teachings. He then overcomes several challenges, which include learning disorders and suicidal thoughts, and, in his early twenties, he again has a vision of an all-loving, limitless presence that points him in the way of enlightenment. His love of martial arts takes him to live in Tokyo for many years. He also spends time with a tribe in the Amazon, where he experiments with substances that alter consciousness.
Springing from these uncanny experiences, Haight develops the guide he promises readers in the title. The path to enlightenment is shown in a practical way, with techniques to develop awareness and reach spiritual transformation. Meditation, prayer, chanting, exercise, and proper nourishment are a few examples. Of particular interest to me was his analysis of resolving disharmony. I could really relate to it and see how his suggestions could be put to practice.
I am rating The Unbound Soul 4 out of 4 stars. It is very well edited. I did not find any errors in it. Kudos to the author for coming across as such a lovable man with the purest intentions – the kind of person I would like to meet. I definitely recommend this book to open-minded readers who are interested in eastern philosophies and traditions, as well as spiritual experiences. More skeptical readers - along with those who are less inclined to value spirituality - might not like it as much.
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The Unbound Soul
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