Ian Lawton's The Book of the Soul: Rational Spirituality for the Twenty-First Century

"This fine book is masterly and scholarly. It is invaluable to anyone interested in what a soul is, how it originated, and what happens to it after death; and to other researchers who want to further our understanding of an aspect of ourselves that has been of interest to philosophers through the ages." Edith Fiore, pioneering regression therapist and author of You Have Been Here Before

"This book is very competent and I will recommend it to students who want a philosophical treatment." Roger Woolger, pioneering regression therapist and author of Other Lives, Other Selves

"This is a great book; the kind I’ve been looking for to recommend to my various classes." Lou Siron, Journal of Regression Studies

"After reading this book, I will be recommending it to my students. Though I disagree with the author in a number of particulars, I agree with his approach. It seems he has a mind that is both open and critical. This is a book that intellectuals need not be ashamed of having on their shelves." Hans TenDam, pioneering regression therapist and author of Exploring Reincarnation

"The most comprehensive book on the soul, and evidence of its existence, ever produced. It is an incredibly informative and well-written book that will be used for reference well into the millennium." Andy Tomlinson, author of Exploring the Eternal Soul

OVERVIEW

Rational spirituality… surely this is a contradiction in terms?

How can spirituality be rational, when it relies on faith and revelation?

The simple answer is it does not have to any more.

Modern science tells us there is far more to the universe than the physical world we all perceive. And the explanation that most closely fits the facts for a range of verifiable phenomena, from near-death experiences to past-life memories, is that the soul exists separately from the physical body and reincarnates repeatedly.

This book could only have been written in the twenty-first century, because it uses the latest breakthroughs in scientific and psychological research to produce a truly revolutionary view of spirituality. By comparing this modern evidence with thousands of years of spiritual traditions, it finally provides rational answers to some of the most significant and intriguing questions ever posed by the human race:

What experiences do we have in the interlife between incarnations?
Do we plan all the major circumstances of our lives, both good and bad?
How does karma operate? Does it really involve 'action and reaction’?
What practical steps can we take to ensure our karma is progressive rather than repetitive?
Can we be punished in the ways that traditional religions suggest?

Piece by piece, this book uncovers startling evidence to support a scientific and rational belief in reincarnation and the interlife. It brings together a wide range of research – including the incredible insights of thousands of ordinary regression subjects – in a logical, objective way to produce a major breakthrough in our approach to spirituality.

No one who reads this book will ever view life in the same way again. The spiritual worldview it describes is coherent and rational, and has the capability to propel humanity forwards to previously unexplored levels... if only we will let it.

CONTENTS

PREFACE

1 A PERSONAL JOURNEY: Who Was I, Who Am I Now?

Torture during the Inquisition; dissatisfaction with orthodox religion; developing a broad spiritual worldview; rational spirituality and support from modern physics; chancing upon interlife research.

2 NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES: Does Our Soul Survive After Death?

A case of verifiable recall during brain surgery; core elements of the experience; unsatisfactory attempts at psychological and physiological explanations; two more cases of verifiable recall.

3 CHILDREN WHO REMEMBER PAST LIVES: Are They Making It Up?

Two impressive cases of verifiable recall; common characteristics; unsatisfactory materialistic and paranormal alternatives; five birthmark cases and three birth defect cases, and more unsatisfactory alternatives; skeptics' simplistic dismissals.

4 HYPNOTIC REGRESSION: How Reliable Is It?

Revisiting the Bridey Murphy case; source amnesia, imagination and suggestive leading; an incredible verified case; five cases of speaking unlearned foreign languages; the history of past-life therapy, and the pioneering psychologists involved; paranormal alternatives; the interlife pioneers, and the independence of their discoveries.

5 PAST-LIFE REVIEWS: Are We Judged?

Ancient sources; death and the transition to the interlife; reorientation and energy restoration; initial life reviews; soul groups; the review council; group classes; the akashic library; group role-playing; recreation and training in the interlife; life reviews during near-death experiences; corroboration of pioneers; summary of the transition and review stages.

6 LIFE PLANS AND CHOICES: Are We In Control?

Another personal experience; choosing lives; planning interactions with others; the planning council; corroboration of pioneers; summary of the planning stage; returning into incarnation; the birth experience.

7 THE DYNAMICS OF KARMA: Are We Punished?

Pioneers' views on karma; repetitive and progressive karma; different interlife experiences; the four stages of karmic evolution; repetitive karma as learning rather than paying off debts; any punishments are self-inflicted; untimely death and disability as progressive learning experiences; carrying forward talents and abilities; gender misidentity and nature versus nurture; the sleeping prophet on karma; reliability of channeled material; perceptions of hell; the concept of reversion to animal form; regression insights as alternatives to revealed wisdom.

8 HYPNOTIC PROGRESSION: Can We See Into the Future?

The sleeping prophet on earth changes; individual progressions in current lives; group expectations of catastrophe; group progressions to the twenty-second and twenty-fourth centuries; individual progressions into future lives; detailed but changeable futures; preeminence of karmic choice and free will.

9 SPIRIT POSSESSION: Are We Really Who We Think We Are?

Soul energy division; sub-personalities; spirit possession; demonic possession; soul fragmentation; walk-ins; the soul as individuality; imprints and cross-talk; the binary soul doctrine.

10 ENDGAME: Why Are We Here, What Should We Do?

Logistics of reincarnation; human soul birthing; alternative animal or elemental origins of souls; accelerating rates of reincarnation; soul advancement and levels; physical versus astral versus ethereal planes; body versus spirit versus soul, and the process of death; incarnations on other planets, evolution by intelligent design, and the meaning of 'human'; Atlantis and Lemuria, root races and life swarms; levels of amnesia, and humanity's fall from grace; returning to the Source; practical advice; an approach to meditation; stress, and the importance of personal control; the emerging synthesis of philosophy, religion and science.