4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Richard L. Haight invites readers to use The Unbound Soul as a travel guide for their own spiritual journeys. He outlines the steps that he took to achieve his goal and presents a way for the universe to find peace.
Part One - "My Story" documents the author's life from his childhood vision (where he saw Jesus as a boneless body giving him a mission), through his teenage years (where he battled with a learning disability), to a quest in the Amazon as an adult. When the author was 17, he witnessed "the dazzling display of rays of light intersected with particles of dust floating in the air." This scene is one of the examples where I was able to relate to Haight because I have vivid memories of seeing this as a child while my teacher explained that we should realize that God inhabits every speck. Narratives in "My Story" often revolve around martial arts training. At one point, an instructor had Haight hold a gun to his head and pull the trigger. Haight followed the instructions without question. This event made the author aware of his suicidal tendencies. Stories such as the one about being able to "see" the winning raffle ticket are hard to believe, but they don't hinder appreciation. Because the book was not written to be a simple memoir, the lack of details are less annoying. This section of the book merely serves as background credibility for the lessons that the author teaches in the remaining chapters.
Part Two - "The Path" is the shortest section with five chapters. This section was my least favorite part as it required rereading to grasp the ideas that were presented. The author goes into detail about Isness, the Warrior's Method, meditation techniques, and pitfalls. The passages on Electromagnetic Spectrum Classes and Conscious Frequency Classes were beyond my comprehension, but they should prove valuable to mathematically minded readers.
Part Three - "Daily Enfoldment" deals with mystical experiences such as the description of the locked car incident. The inclusion of these anecdotes makes this section palatable. Without the interesting tales, chapters dealing with taking care of the physical and mental body would be a repetition of common knowledge. A redeeming factor in this part is that Haight explains that his teaching is not a belief system. He says, "It comes from direct experiences and is to help others set aside biases, assumptions, and beliefs, so they can experience life more directly for themselves." This revelation was helpful in knowing the author's purpose in telling his story.
Part Four - "Soul and Spirit" is the final section and ties up the earlier parts. Haight further explains the unfolding process and discusses his multiverse view that every atom has immortal soul. Also, in this final section, the author comes back to his original mission: to find the bones of Jesus.
This is a well edited book; in fact, Haight mentioned in an interview that he purposely hired an expensive editor, and I appreciated the results. Another facet that I liked was the decision to include all religious beliefs through quotations and explanations which makes it a book for all belief systems. Because of the universal appeal and the unique format of this self-help memoir, I am rating it as a 4 out of 4. I think that everyone who reads this book will receive a beneficial message that is specifically for them. The author refers to these as inspirences. He writes that "Reading alone is insufficient... It will take sincere dedication." Those words should serve as a caution to anyone looking for a quick unbounding.
******
The Unbound Soul
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like diana lowery's review? Post a comment saying so!