What a lovely book this is!December 10, 2008 Don't get me wrong - I wouldn't say this is the perfect all-around OBE book or anything like that. Some of it is a little sketchy, and actually Buhlman's first effort ('Adventures Beyond the Body') is far superior as a how-to guide - although this one does have some handy extra stuff.
But what makes this book special is the concept behind it. Buhlman had the brilliant idea of sending out a survey, asking for people's experiences of OBE. He received over 16,000 responses (!) and he quotes many of the most interesting ones in here.
From the mum who goes 'flying' with her daughter ('on one occasion we were inside a bubble of soap!') to the jailbird who escaped from his prison cell ('How can I tell people without sounding like a nutcase?'); from meditators who have huge experiences of revelation ('Words cannot describe any of this') to those who speak to animals ('to my amazement the cat seemed to speak to my mind...') their tales are wonderful to digest for those of us who work in these realms and who enjoy hearing of others doing the same. There are so many here!
In addition there is a lovely overview from Buhlman of all the spiritual traditions and their OBE elements - not only the major religions are represented here, there are sufis and Swedenborg and Shamanism too. I loved Hafiz!
If I had a complaint, it would be that Buhlman is slightly too concerned for his readers to reject the physical realms and 'adventure' in the beyond - not a great attitude. We are all here for a reason, to learn, and if we learn well our 'adventures' in the astral will be far more successful. Living well here in the material is very important and must be mastered somewhat before astral projection can really be done safely.
Apart from that though, the information in this book is well worth knowing and it always gives me a smile when I pull it down from the shelf - a keeper.
Survey ResultsNovember 20, 2008 This is the next book written by the same author to follow "Adventures Beyond the Body". The format follows the results of his OBE survey that he conducted. The survey was and still can be conducted on line or you can send it by mail directly to the author. The results are interesting but not as awe inspiring as the authors journal from his first book. The following is a sampling of what I would call "points of interest".
-It is easier for children to experience OBEs than adults. The author's evidence suggests that this is because children have not been fully indoctrinated into the physical belief system. The author offers advice on how to mitigate the fears that can accompany the child's OBE experiences. There are many survey results that convey night "terrors" of children as well as adults not knowing what is happening to them during the early stages of an OBE. -The Biblical Book of Revelation is one man's journal of an inward journey. -As one approaches death, OBE's cluster as a type of transition to the next state of consciousness. -At physical death, most of us experience the religious heavens as our homes. IE the Apostle Paul's "third heaven" does exist but it is a shared environment and is NOT our true spiritual home. This assures the ancient cycle of death/rebirth in the physical plane. -We experience an OBE when we sleep as our "energy body" moves out of phase with our "physical body". This allows our body to rest or regenerate. We have all experienced at one time the jerking of the physical body as we awake to the realignment of the energy bodies with the physical body. -Our energy bodies are connected to our physical bodies thru energy centers known as chakras. IE The Book of Revelations "SEVEN CHURCHES".
Of the most help are the additional OBE techniques available with quotes from those who participated in the author's survey and workshops. Of a technique unknown to me is the use of what is called a "Mind Machine" that uses frequencies as a catalyst to "tune" the inner vibration. This attunement appears to help many experience inward exploration.
While this is a good book, the author tends to repeat material from his first book. While this works to maintain continuity, it does tend to tinge this book with feelings of boredom and not the excitement that one would expect for a reader standing at the threshold of the OBE.
very informativeAugust 1, 2008 This book includes many brief letters and stories from people who have lost loved ones as well as the authors own experiences which are quite fascinating and out of this world. It has been a great asset in my soul searching.
YES! Add this to your library on the study of ConsciousnessJune 22, 2008 2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This book is invaluable to the person who is exploring consciousness through experiential techniques such as OBE, Astral projection, Channeling, Past Life Regression, Guided Imagery, Creative Visualization. Buhlman explains levels of consciousness, multiple dimensions, the chakra coorespondences and various techniques of OBE in a direct and straight forward manner. The few diagrams and check lists alone are worth the price of the book. As a hypnotherapist, I have read hundred of books on this and related subjects and this one is clear, concise and accurate. His advise on what to do to overcome fear and obstacles along the way is most helpful. BRAVO! If you are looking for in depth info on cross cultural religious practices or healing techniques this isnt it. But, for practical information on OBE's with some interesting examples...go for it!
Outstanding.November 15, 2007 4 out of 5 found this review helpful
I bought this book after hearing Mr. Buhlman on the Coast to Coast AM radio show. He was so articulate and profound I immediately went and ordered this book and I wasn't disappointed.
I wasn't necessarily interested in the subject of OBEs and I haven't had one (yet) but I feel pretty confident if I continue to follow the guidelines in this book (along with the confidence that the information within it has given me) it will happen. I am making progress because I used to go years in between having lucid dreams and now I have been having them quite often, two in a row just last night and the night before. There is something in the book about using lucid dreams as a jump start for OBEs. Anyway, this book is a good place to start if this subject is at all interesting to you.
