THE WISDOM OF THE SOUL

The last 20 years have witnessed an extension of psychology and psychotherapy into previously uncharted areas where subjects spontaneously begin to speak about experiences from previous lives and states of consciousness apparently emanating from what has come to been called the interlife. There is some disagreement amongst practitioners about whether these recollections are genuine memories, but they do seem to tap into a deeper level of the mind. Ian Lawton's earlier Book of the Soul set out to correlate insights from these sources relating to the perennial questions about the meaning and purpose of human life, on the basis of which is has built what he calls 'rational spirituality.' Here he teams up with Andy Tomlinson, himself an author in the same field, in a research project involving asking a structured series of questions to 10 different subjects and correlating their responses. The book presupposes the reality of a reincarnation model of human development, a conclusion which Ian Lawton arrived at after much careful thought and research.

He takes a critical view of his own enterprise, examining the reliability of the material provided and trying to assess the extent to which the conscious mind of the subjects might have interfered with some of the answers. The four main chapters address unusual soul behaviour, soul development, humanity's past and future, and questions relating to the reality of time. The author structures the book with his own commentary and interpretation, while the subjects are quoted speak by way of illustration and confirmation. There is indeed a large degree of concordance between the responses, with some variation according to individual understanding. This itself is a fascinating finding, although it is impossible to rule out the possibility of some unconscious influence on the part of the researchers themselves whose ideas seem largely to be confirmed by the responses given.

Some very interesting questions are addressed: can souls become trapped in the earth's astral plane? Can the physical characteristics be carried over from one life to another? Are there differences between human and animal soul energy? How our new souls created? Do we create our own reality by the power of our thoughts and intentions? The understanding of life conveyed is similar to that of Neale Donald Walsch when he says that God wants to experience everything in a multiplicity of forms; this entails a process of learning, experience and growth, which is a familiar thought pattern among writers in this field. Soul consciousness is said to be holographic, which I found an interesting analogy since it helps reconcile the many with the One.

This links in with a major theme in the chapter about the past and future of humanity, namely that we have forgotten our sense of oneness and our connection with hidden spiritual dimensions, with each other and with the earth. The subjects do not feel that the future of the Earth is fixed, but stress our responsibility for co-creating a new culture. They feel that we are excessively focused on the outer and material aspect of life but that there is an awakening impulse arising in humanity and carried more explicitly by many young people who have a lower level of spiritual amnesia. With respect to time, the subjects generally agree that it is a necessary perception for earth life, but that all time is really in the present. It is in the present that we are creating our future. I think the cover of the book overstates the case when it says that these reports 'are the most profound source of spiritual wisdom ever available to humanity', but they do reinforce the central messages of the need for compassion and self understanding.