4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
The Unbound Soul by Richard L. Haight is essentially a guide for those seeking spiritual transformation, and I must begin with a resounding, “WOW.”
The book opens with the author giving the reader some background on his life. He tells us about various spiritual visions and insights he experienced from a young age, and in particular, a series of dreams about Jesus. In these dreams, Jesus would appear in his room and ask Richard for help while lying on the floor, apparently missing all the bones in his body. The dreams culminated with Jesus asking Richard to find his bones and deliver an important message to the world.
The story is part autobiographical and part practical teachings. Broken down into four clear parts, the author weaves examples from his own life into the many types of teachings he offers to the reader. The first part is called “My Story,” and is indeed a self-explanatory title for it gives the reader a solid background of the author’s life. This part also defines important terms such as “unfoldment,” “inspirience,” and “Isness.” These are all critical to grasp if one is interested in gaining the insight offered in this book. The second part is called “The Path,” and outlines the process for finding “Isness.” (Defined in the glossary at the end of the book as “the most fundamental foundation of all that is. Formless yet throughout all form. Soul and Isness are interchangeable terms indicating the same thing.”)
The third part is titled “Daily Unfoldment,” and offers sort of a practical day-to-day guide for living. Here, the author details useful advice for taking care of the mind and body, as well as important notes on finding teachers and inspiration. Finally, the fourth part is called “Soul and Spirit,” and is the culmination of everything the book has thus far discussed. As I mentioned before, everything is written very clearly, and so by the time I got to this section, I was fully immersed in the teachings and the culmination made perfect sense to me. Indeed, I already feel compelled to go back again and again, to revisit various perspectives and insights.
It is important to point out that this book will probably ruffle a few feathers, being the religious doctrines it discusses. For example, the topic of the afterlife. While many religious people have set beliefs about what happens to us when we die, Richard L. Haight takes the best from all of these teachings, and details an afterlife that involves reincarnation, as well as a heaven and hell. In his depiction, hell is temporary and there are also “graduates” from heaven. I love this so much. It paints a picture of a world in which I want to live.
I especially love how all of the teachings are straightforward and lacking arrogance. Never do I feel like I’m being judged or manipulated or that if I don’t do things “his way,” then I’d be somehow wrong. I found the author’s overall tone quite refreshing and liberating, indeed. I also truly loved the snippets of personal stories Richard L. Haight shared throughout the book, offering the reader spiritual guidance to take home and use in our own lives. He teaches us about consciousness, and in particular, a meditation practice called the “Observation Meditation.” Richard teaches that we need both this meditation and also the “Dance of Self” in our daily lives to rid ourselves of the disharmony readily found therein. He describes both in great detail, and these are two examples of pages to which I will undoubtedly return in the future.
Overall, I will repeat the “WOW” with which I began this review. While I didn’t swallow every single detail whole (which is to say I am still absorbing the information!), I am definitely left with much to mull over. For me, this is a sign of a valuable reading experience and I’m so grateful I picked up this book. I absolutely give The Unbound Soul 4 out of 4 stars and highly recommend it to anyone seeking true spiritual guidance and/or inner freedom.
******
The Unbound Soul
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
Like AmandaReadsBooks1's review? Post a comment saying so!
