The Secret of the Soul: Using Out-of-Body Experiences to Understand Our True Nature by William Buhlman

The Secret of the Soul is a great title for beginners who are looking to understand this, sometimes confusing, other times frightening, skill that we all seem to possess — the ability to exit our bodies in a kind of vision or trance.

Some call this the “out of body experience” or OBE.

The first half of the book, Buhlman discusses OBEs, why they are important, and gives countless examples of actual OBEs that folks have had. The second part of the book gives concrete techniques and problem solving tips to assist readers in having their own OBEs.

One of my friends is a long distance runner who has had some OBEs during his ultra marathons. I thought of him in the section entitled “Combat and Trauma-Induced Experiences”: “It was while I was running in a marathon last year that I had a very strange experience. I was at about the eighteen-mile marker when I looked beside me and saw myself running. At first I thought it was someone who was my build and wearing the same shoes, but then I realized it was me!” pg 55

Buhlman has story after story like that.

If you’ve never had an out of body experience of your own, the sheer variety and number of people who have fills you with confidence that you can.

I also liked Chapter 4, “Transformational Experiences”: For thousands of years spiritual masters have taught that the act of withdrawing from the senses is essential in order to consciously experience our spiritual self. pg 61

And the testimony from that chapter: “This is bigger then anything I can imagine; how can I tell people without sounding like a nutcase? This changes everything I ever thought I knew or thought was true.” pg 68

That’s the thing about powerful transformational experiences. Until someone has one him or herself, there’s not really anyway to explain it.

Chapter 6, “Extraterrestrial Contact and Abduction,” was the first time that I’ve read about aliens alongside traditional OBEs. Buhlman writes: “After reading more than two hundred such letters (from his OBE survey), I noticed a startling similarity: The letters describing extraterrestrial contacts and abductions were almost identical to the thousands of letters I have received describing out of body experiences. In fact, I often could not distinguish between letters.” pg 89

In Chapter 7, A Brief History of Out-of-Body Experiences, the reader is given cultures from different time periods, all over the planet, that support and confirm the existence of out of body experiences.

These seem to suggest that OBEs are a “human” experience rather than a culturally specific one.

Take Emanuel Swedenborg’s words: “It has pleased the Lord to… open the interiors of my mind or spirit, whereby I have been permitted to be in the spiritual world with angels, and at the same time in the natural world with people, and this now (has happened for) twenty-seven years.” pg 113

I was surprised at how many of the historical figures presented here as having OBEs were scientists… I guess in my mind I’ve always drawn a line between the artsy/mystic types and the scientists. Line erased. 🙂

I’ll conclude with a few statements from the Appendix of the book, which was compiled from Buhlman’s extensive survey of people who had had OBE’s: “Self-initiated out-of-body exploration is a direct and powerful method to experience our true spiritual essence. It is an effective method to accelerate our personal growth and evolution. … This is achieved by personal spiritual experience and exploration beyond the physical limits.” Appendix pg 253.

Couldn’t have said it better myself.

If you’re looking for more books on the topic of out-of-body experiences, check out Otherwhere by Kurt Leland, Journeys Out of the Body by Robert Monroe, or Multidimensional Man by Jurgen Ziewe.

Thank you for reading!

Grey by E.L. James

We all know what this book is about and why I didn’t like it. If you don’t have any idea what it is, here’s the Goodreads link. Instead of writing a negative review about that, let me tell you a story about Fifty Shades of Grey and my first days as a librarian.

It was March of 2012. After being unemployed for four years to be a stay-at-home mom, I was hired to work behind the circulation desk at the public library in town. That particular day, a line formed at the front desk, which, as I would discover, happens all the time- but it’s stressful to have people waiting while you’re learning the ropes.

At the front of the line, a sweet, little elderly lady asked me, “Honey, do you have that book about the color grey?” I looked at my manager in confusion and he immediately answered, “Yes, ma’am, we do, but all SIX of our copies are currently checked out. Would you like me to put you on hold for it?” He walked me through the process of doing a hold request and then we were on to the next person in line. This time, a teenage girl giggled behind her hand as she asked me about, “That Fifty Shades book, do you have it?” I gave her the answer that we just gave the little old lady, and I put the girl on hold for it too.

All day long, for my first two weeks on the job, women, old/young and from all walks of life, asked me to get the book, Fifty Shades of Grey, for them. I still had no idea what this series was about… remember, this was before E.L. James did the talk show circuit in the states. After she made her appearances on Rachel Ray and, I can’t remember where else- was it Ellen?-, all hell broke lose. We couldn’t keep the books on the shelves and irate patrons were calling and storming the circ desk, wanting to know why the second book in the series arrived on their hold shelf before the first book did. (Short answer-the first book had four times as many holds on it as the others in the series.) To accommodate the demand, the library bought another six copies of the regular print books, bringing our own total copies to a dozen, not counting the audiobooks and large print versions. The library system that we take part in, owned nearly 500 copies of Fifty Shades of Grey, altogether. It was a literary phenomenon.

I decided, that even though it wasn’t my thing, I was going to read this trilogy that was blowing up the library world. So, I did. I wasn’t floored by it, but I could see how it appealed to a certain crowd. Erotica is very popular at the library, after all. Conscientiously, I read all three of the books, because that’s just the kind of professional reader that I am. :p After awhile, I started skipping the sex stuff because, frankly, it became repetitive and boring. I soldiered on because I wanted to know what happened to Ana. And, I found out.

In this book, on the other hand, I knew what was going to happen before I even picked it up so I didn’t bother to finish it when I discovered that it had nothing really new to offer. Grey is just for the true fans of the series and, unfortunately, I am not a true fan. I’ll always equate Fifty Shades with my first days on the job and my whirlwind introduction to the world of public libraries. I believe that it is a cultural touchstone for me in that regard. But, that doesn’t mean that I think it’s worth the ridiculous hype that it has garnered. Pick up Grey if you truly loved the original trilogy and wanted it to go on and on. I’d advise all other readers to steer clear.

Thanks for reading!

Reboot with Joe: Fully Charged: 7 Keys to Losing Weight, Staying Healthy and Thriving by Joe Cross

Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead is one of the main reasons why I bought a juicer and have attempted to incorporate more plants into my diet. I’m not hardcore about it, but I try.

I didn’t know that Joe from that documentary is named Joe Cross and that he’s written multiple companion books for that film. This one, Reboot with Joe: Fully Charged, is excellent.

What I love about Joe is that he’s realistic. He doesn’t expect that he will eat perfectly for the rest of his life- he just wants to do the best that he can today then repeat the process tomorrow.

He pushes the big lifestyle changers: diet, exercise, and rest but not in an extreme, unobtainable manner. In addition to common sense ideas about health and diet, Joe has spent years building an online community to support those who are working on major life changes. http://www.rebootwithjoe.com/weight-loss/

When you read this book, you also read examples of people who have turned their lives around with juicing and exercise. It’s inspiring and could be life changing for many people.

I also like that Joe included some of his go-to juicing recipes towards the back of the book. I’ve tried quite a few different juices, but I haven’t found any that I particularly liked. It’s always nice to have some new options that have appealed to other people in the past.

If you enjoyed Reboot with Joe: Fully Charged, I highly recommend his two documentaries: Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead & Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead 2. Also, I’d recommend the documentary Forks Over Knives which has a couple companion cookbooks out now.

A big thank you to the Goodreads First Reads program and NetGalley for free copies of this book. And, thank you for reading!

The Afterlife of Billy Fingers: How My Bad-Boy Brother Proved to Me There’s Life After Death by Annie Kagan

I think anyone who has lost a loved one wishes to talk to them again. Annie Kagan was granted that wish. She wasn’t a practicing channeler, so it came as a huge surprise to her when she heard her dead brother’s voice speaking to her from a spot above her head.

At the time that this happened, Annie was living a hermit’s life in New England only venturing out to kick ideas around at her writer’s group. So, that gave her the space and time to explore these communications rather than running to the doctor to have the voice medicated away.

Photo by William Alexander on Pexels.com

At first, she was reluctant to share what she was hearing, afraid that Billy’s voice was her mind’s way of holding the grief away or that other people would think she was going insane, but the information imparted became more and more specific until she couldn’t explain it away.

Through the experience and sharing it, Annie came to believe without a doubt that the spirit continues on after death. She took comfort from it and hopes, with this book, to share that comfort with others who may be grieving or afraid of death itself.

The Afterlife of Billy Fingers isn’t going to appeal to everyone. If you don’t believe that communications from beyond the grave are possible, I’d suggest passing on this book. And, towards the end of Billy’s travels into the afterlife, things get really far out as he lets go of his previous self and becomes the universe, embodying the entirety of reality.

It reminded me of Be Here Now by Ram Dass, hippie to the extreme. But, that’s the type of spirituality I’m into, so I loved it.

The introduction by Raymond Moody describes Billy as a modern psychopomp, someone who guides the spirits of others through the afterlife: “The experiences Dr. Kagan relates are completely consistent with the kind of role walkers between the worlds played in antiquity. And that is no surprise to me. I think that such experiences are part of the collective psychological heritage of humankind- not artifacts of any one culture.” pg 11, ebook.

Billy was a drug addict and led a very hard life.

This is what he had to say about it: “How do I know my life wasn’t some punishment for my past transgressions? Well, because there’s no such thing. You’re not on earth to be punished. … That’s a human concept. Something man made up. Humans make up stuff and then they believe it”. pg 24, ebook.

A continuation along that line of thinking later in the book: “Beliefs are big on earth. People collect them. Some of these beliefs are helpful, but others just keep you running around trying to follow rules that others have laid down. They don’t have a lot of personal meaning. It’s a good idea to sort through your beliefs now and then and throw out the ones that don’t serve you.” pg 85, ebook

Annie dealt with a bunch of her own issues in this book, like the fact that by writing this book, people were going to think she was “flaky”. At one point in the narrative, she has a toothache and starts to believe that she’s being punished for revealing universal truths that should be kept secret.

She eventually gets past that attitude, but, when it comes to the unknown, I think fear can be a major hurdle: “After my toothache and the painful root canal and awful infection that followed, I was scared. … who was I to be the one to prove there’s life after death? Maybe some secrets shouldn’t be revealed. Maybe I was breaking a sacred taboo, dabbling in a cosmic Pandora’s box.” pg 41, ebook.

Another of the Be Here Now moments: “In your world, as the earth moves around the sun, there’s nothing but shadow for a good part of the time. The mystery of life on earth cannot exist without the shadow element. You cannot have the sea without storms, the earth without quakes, the wind without tornados. … And sometimes- sometimes darkness is okay too. Don’t overlook the riches contained in the darkness. Life’s very temporary, so don’t let time just pass. Let the moments fill you- the ones you judge to be good as well as bad.” pg 77, ebook. Solid advice.

Let’s end with one more bit of wisdom: “People spend lots of time on things that make them unhappy- too much focus on the sand in the oyster. To cultivate joy, pay attention to what you like.” pg 116

Recommended for spiritual seekers and people who enjoy reading about near death experiences/channeled wisdom.

Some read alikes: Conversations with God: An Uncommon Dialogue, Vol. 1 by Neale Donald Walsch, My Son and the Afterlife: Conversations from the Other Side byElisa Medhus, Ask and It Is Given: Learning to Manifest Your Desires byEsther Hicks or, if you’re looking to introduce more joy into your life:Thank & Grow Rich: A 30-Day Experiment in Shameless Gratitude and Unabashed Joy by Pam Grout.

Thanks for reading!

The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism by Naoki Higashida

Description from Goodreads: “You’ve never read a book like The Reason I Jump. Written by Naoki Higashida, a very smart, very self-aware, and very charming thirteen-year-old boy with autism, it is a one-of-a-kind memoir that demonstrates how an autistic mind thinks, feels, perceives, and responds in ways few of us can imagine. Parents and family members who never thought they could get inside the head of their autistic loved one at last have a way to break through to the curious, subtle, and complex life within.”

The reviews on this one from my Goodreads friends are very mixed and I understand why. The Reason I Jump touches on a very emotional topic.

I’m not an expert on autism so I am completely unqualified to determine if Naoki wrote this book with or without help or the over arching truth of his experiences. However, as a reader, I thought that some of Naoki’s words were very beautiful.

Naoki talks about difficulties in communicating his feelings, the beauty of nature, the impossibility of controlling his emotions or repetitive actions- knowing that he’s not behaving “normally” but not able to do anything about it.

“Please don’t judge us from the outside only. I don’t know why we can’t talk properly. But it’s not that we won’t talk- it’s that we can’t talk and we’re suffering because of it.”pg 24, ebook.

It seems to me that everyone’s lens of perception is different and we can learn from each other if we share our own unique viewpoint. I certainly learned about Naoki’s inner world from this book.

Thank you for reading!

Making the Cut: The 30-Day Diet and Fitness Plan for the Strongest, Sexiest You by Jillian Michaels

“Making the Cut” is a collection of recipes, workout tips, and insider training techniques from Jill Michaels, one of the trainers of the television program: The Biggest Loser. She’s hardcore and this book is a reflection of that.

Definitely not for everyone, myself included, I’d only recommend it to those who are already in very good shape. Let me make one thing clear, I’m not in “bad” shape, but I am not at the level required to complete these exercises.

So, I nearly killed myself trying to do Day 1 of the circuit training. I have a predictable cycle with fitness books. I read them, get all fired up about changing my diet and amping up my workouts, try it for awhile, then give up.

This one, at least, was so hard and I was hurting so bad that I gave it up right away rather than drawing it out to its inevitable conclusion. Her clean eating tips are solid and I’ve added a lot more fresh fruits and veg to my table, but, the workouts are just too hard.

I had my husband helping with the timer and figuring out what I was supposed to do at each step because her descriptions of the exercises are all gathered together in an index at the end. He was encouraging me to stop after the first two minutes, but I insisted on doing at least ten- silly me.

The weird frog push-ups were an impossibility from the start. I almost broke my nose when I tried to lower my face to the floor. I had to laugh, it was ridiculous.

My only saving grace was that I was using the equipment at my home rather than the gym. If I had humiliated myself like that in public, I might not have been able to give this book the “liked it” three stars.

Some read alikes, for those fitness buffs who just can’t get enough! : This Is Why You’re Sick and Tired: by Jackie Warner, Get Me Skinny by Tony Arreola or, if you’re tired of the exercise and diet merry-go-round: Down Size: 12 Truths for Turning Pants-Splitting Frustration into Pants-Fitting Success by Ted Spiker or Confessions of an Unlikely Runner: A Guide to Racing and Obstacle Courses for the Averagely Fit and Halfway Dedicated by Dana L. Ayers.

Thanks for reading!

A Flight of Angels, Illustrated by Rebecca Guay

A Flight of Angels includes stories by Holly Black, Louise Hawes, Todd Mitchell, Alisa Kwitney, Bill Willingham.

Lovely art elevates a so-so collection of short stories about angels. Rebecca Guay, in my opinion, is one of the most talented illustrators I’ve ever seen. The artwork is classic but ephemeral with tasteful nudes and multi-layered backgrounds. In a word: gorgeous.

I picked this one up because of The Last Dragon by Jane Yolen. In that book, as in this, I loved the art but thought that the story was predictable. I feel like the authors that Guay has partnered with, at least so far, don’t measure up to the masterworks she produces.

Borrow this one from your nearest library so that you can see how beautiful it is.

Read alikes: some of the Fables, Vol. 1: Legends in Exile series has art on this level but they’re kind of hit or miss. Saga, Volume 1 is beautiful but the story has some very vulgar moments popped in there. If you can handle that, and I know that some people are huge fans of Saga, then that series might be a good fit. Or, of course, you may want to pick up The Last Dragon as that is done by the same illustrator.

Thanks for reading!

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Spoilers abound in this review, dear readers, so beware! If you haven’t read this one yet, stop now.

I had never read this classic before now. It was one of the options in Advanced Literature, my freshman year of high school, along with Wuthering Heights and Dune. I ended up choosing Wuthering Heights, which, is an excellent read if you’re into the gothic romance stuff. So, I was bringing adult eyes to a book that most people seem to have read as a young adult. And, I have to say, I was enthralled.

As I mentioned in previous reviews, my undergraduate degree is in political science. For whatever reason, I love studying the building blocks of society, the structures of power, and the shifting sands of public opinion and group think. Lord of the Flies is a powerhouse of a book for all of those things.

For those like me who haven’t read this (I imagine there must be somebody out there), we start out on an island. There has been a plane crash and only children have survived. We’re on an island full of boys- no girls, interestingly enough. I guess Golding didn’t want to muddy the waters with gender issues in addition to the social hierarchy stuff. So, there’s a charismatic boy named Ralph who meets an overweight kid. Overweight kid shares with Ralph in confidence that the boys back at school used to call him, ‘Piggy’, but he’d rather be called anything but that. They find a huge conch shell on the beach and use it to call the other survivors to the shoreline. They’re sharing names and Ralph tells the group to call the fat kid, Piggy. Now, that was a huge red flag to me. When you tell somebody a secret and, not ten minutes later, they turn around and use that secret against you, you’ve got to know that you’ve got problems heading your way.

Well, the newly christened Piggy doesn’t have a lot of choice in the matter, because there’s an older group of choir boys on the island and the head of that group doesn’t like Piggy. So, to protect himself from the provocations of the bigger and stronger boy, Piggy allies himself with Ralph. The entire group takes a vote and decides that Ralph is going to lead this rag-tag bunch. Ralph wants to keep a smokey fire burning at all times, in order to attract the attention of any passing ships, and get the heck off of the island. Choir boy leader, Jack, wants to hunt the wild pigs on the island for meat. He becomes strangely obsessed with this chore and begins to go a bit bonkers- sort like Colonel Kurtz in Apocalypse Now. Remember, there are no adults around to keep the peace. And then things start to fall completely apart…

That’s the basic plot. Now for some quotes: “This is our island. It’s a good island. Until the grownups come to fetch us we’ll have fun. pg 54 ebook. Famous last words, right?

Superstition and fear enter the picture in some of the first moments on the beach: “He wants to know what you’re going to do about the snake-thing.”… Either the wandering breezes or perhaps the decline of the sun allowed a little coolness to lie under the trees. The boys felt it and stirred restlessly. pg 55 ebook. Golding could have taken this story a completely different direction and made the beast real. It would have been so cool in a science fiction type of way. Oh well.

My favorite character was, of course, Piggy: “Ralph moved impatiently. The trouble was, if you were a chief you had to think, you had to be wise. And then the occasion slipped by so that you had to grab at a decision… Only, decided Ralph as he faced the chief’s seat, I can’t think. Not like Piggy. … Piggy could think. He could go step by step inside that fat head of his, only Piggy was no chief. But Piggy, for all his ludicrous body, had brains. Ralph was a specialist in thought now, and could recognize thought in another.” pg 125, ebook. You think Roger ever got any psychological treatment for being such a psycho and killing people? One can only hope.

One of the original young adult dystopian reads, Lord of the Flies is an excellent pick for reluctant readers. Don’t let the label of “classic” fool you. It has a very fast pace and I’m still picking apart the details in my head even though I finished it a couple days ago. Some read alikes: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (of course) and The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey (fresh take on a dystopian world, accepted social order, and power struggles between characters).

Thanks for reading!

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, Jack Thorne

There are spoilers further on in this review. Please, dear readers, do not read this if you haven’t had a chance to read the book yet. Thank you 🙂

I had a disagreement with my husband about this book. He’s of the opinion that J.K. Rowling said she wasn’t going to write anymore Harry Potter stuff and that she should just let the seven books remain as they are- like a magnum opus. He was irritated that, with the film coming out in November, and this play being performed, and that new set of Pottermore stories that are being published, it seems like Rowling is just out for more money.

I, on the other hand, just kept saying, “But, it’s Harry Potter!” “But, it’s her creation and she should do whatever the heck she wants with it!” “But, it’s Harry Potter!” Neither of us convinced the other, so I just gave up trying to talk him into reading it and read it myself. I read it through in one sitting and cried and just adored it.

It’s funny- I’d never read a play before and this year I’ve read two, Hamilton: The Revolution and now this. I thought that it’d be annoying with the character listings and stage directions, but, as you read, all of that melts away and you’re just left enjoying the story.

And what a story it is! ***If you have not read it, do not read past this point. I have to talk about things that may ruin your enjoyment of the story and you do not want that. Here’s your warning. You’ve been warned. Seriously. Do yourself a favor and stop now!!!***

Ok. Who else thought that Ron was written like a complete moron in this? I mean, I know he wasn’t the brightest crayon in the box, but come on! He’s bumbling around, constantly eating… at least in the other books, he had moments of brilliance. I was completely let down by the way his character was developed. But, that is really my only complaint in the whole thing.

Hermione continues to be awesome in all the timelines- as it should be. She was always my favorite. I don’t know if it is because she’s a girl, or reads a lot, or both those things, or what. Minister of Magic? Of course! We all knew that she was going straight to the top.

Now Harry… he had Ginny have an interesting relationship. I thought that there’d be more affection and less judgement between the two of them, but maybe that was just me reading between the lines. Also, who else was relieved that Harry finally had a moment to confront Dumbledore and say, totally paraphrasing, “What the heck! I was a kid and you knew all of these terrible things were going to happen, that I’d probably have to die, and you didn’t say a thing! That was not your best moment.” I think we’ve all thought that.

So… FINALLY! It was quite a release. And then, that moment, when he’s there for the death of his parents as an adult- totally understanding what was going down but unable to change it because it would ruin the timeline forever? Oh my gosh, you guys. I don’t cry when I read, but this one had me sobbing. It was so poignant and heartbreaking…

Also, in the alternate timeline when Snape was still alive… aaaaaah! Loved it.

Let me put some of my favorite quotes in here and end this review. I could gush for pages if you let me.

GINNY: “People always look when you three are together. And apart. People always look at you.” pg 14, ebook. Can you imagine having that kind of notoriety? I guess a real world equivalent would be if you were a Kardashian or something… ugh.

DRACO: “I don’t care what you did or who you saved, you are a constant curse on my family, Harry Potter.” pg 58, ebook. Who else missed Draco? Raise your hands, friends…

SCORPIUS: “I, uh, I opened a book. Something which has- in all my years on this planet- never been a particularly dangerous activity. … DELPHI: “She’s weaponized it. She’s weaponized her library.” pg 63, ebook. Good old, Hermione. Fighting back with books.

I’ll leave you with the wisdom of Dumbledore: “Harry, there is never a perfect answer in this messy, emotional world. Perfection is beyond the reach of humankind, beyond the reach of magic. In every shining moment of happiness is that drop of poison: the knowledge that pain will come again. Be honest to those you love, show your pain. To suffer is as human as to breathe. … Those that we love never truly leave us, Harry. There are things that death cannot touch. Paint.. and memory.. and love.” pg 185 & 186 ebook.

Now to see the play performed! If you loved the original series, you will probably get a huge kick out of this. Recommended for ages 10+ or younger, if they can handle some intense magical sequences.

Thank you for reading!

The Help Desk Book Blog

Sharing reviews and deep thoughts about life.

The Secret of the Soul: Using Out-of-Body Experiences to Understand Our True Nature by William Buhlman

Grey by E.L. James

Reboot with Joe: Fully Charged: 7 Keys to Losing Weight, Staying Healthy and Thriving by Joe Cross

The Afterlife of Billy Fingers: How My Bad-Boy Brother Proved to Me There’s Life After Death by Annie Kagan

The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism by Naoki Higashida

A Flight of Angels, Illustrated by Rebecca Guay

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, Jack Thorne

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