4 out of 4 stars
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In The Unbound Soul , Richard Haight takes the reader on his extraordinary journey to achieve his personal spiritual awakening. Beginning with his childhood, the author describes his vision, as an eight-year-old, that precipitated his lifelong quest. Jesus Christ appears in this dream and tells Haight "Help me". When Haight inquires how to accomplish this feat, Jesus answers "Find my bones, for they are the core of my teaching".
Haight's relentless search takes him to Japan, where he studies and masters the highest rankings and titles in martial arts. Also, the reader is invited to join Haight on his spiritual journey including vision quests, studies, teachings, and the high and low points of his life. Eventually, the author shares with the reader what he determines to be the "bones" of Jesus Christ. I will leave that mystery for each reader to discover.
I award The Unbound Soul by Richard Haight 4 out of 4 stars for several reasons. First, I liked that the author provided very simple examples to explain many of his more complex ideas. These examples made it so much easier to visualize and understand these concepts. He also included a glossary, an appendix and an index.
Additionally, the author went into very explicit detail on how to perform some of his techniques, specifically, the Warrior Meditation and the Dance of the Self. I have already bookmarked both of these entries, as I plan to refer to them often. While the Warrior Meditation is initially performed sitting or lying down, it should be expanded into standing and walking to incorporate the remainder of our daily lives. Also, it was a relief to learn that even a few seconds or minutes of this Warrior Meditation can be beneficial. As for the Dance of the Self, I will let each reader conquer this concept. I can see where this exercise could certainly be beneficial in removing disharmony from the body; but, his description certainly conjures up an interesting image for the reader.
I loved that Haight managed to weave quotes and examples from a few different religions into this amazing tapestry of spiritual growth and mastery. And he touched on several intriguing topics such as forgiveness and reconciliation, "energy-vampirism", "attention-vampirism", what happens to us at death, blissful ascent, painful and hellish descent, rebirth and reincarnation.
There really was nothing about The Unbound Soul that I disliked, as it was exceptionally flawless. The book does appear to have been professionally edited, as I only noticed a couple of very minor errors.
I believe this book will appeal to anyone interested in self-discipline, the art of meditation and anyone attempting to attain the enlightenment that Haight describes. The reader does not have to agree with every point in the book to benefit from reading it, as there truly is something for everyone. However, someone who is not interested in any form of self-improvement might not enjoy this read. I highly recommend this book and expect that I will refer to it often.
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The Unbound Soul
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