The Teachings of Mr P.

This unusual and profound channelled work originated during the author's healing process from cancer. She had no previous specific knowledge about the contents, nor of Plato, ostensibly the alter ego of Mr P, although both characters feature in dialogue. She also found the process liberating in terms of healing from unhelpful emotions, images and thoughts. There are 154 sessions with sequential developments discussing love, emotions, trust, purpose, desire, virtue, self-realisation, time and space. There is no doubt that the reader is engaging with a penetrating mind in view of the exposition, while a number of themes were of course examined by Plato himself. Readers are encouraged to make life choices from within through wisdom and knowingness and to experience emotions fully, for instance joy and love.

On the philosophical side, there are many interesting ideas such as the notion of time-lines, principally those of the current physical lifetime and what is called the master time-line relating to our lessons and loves and the expression of our full capacity. We are encouraged to trust and let go, making time for silence and stillness; then there are 20 practices at the end, mainly designed to quiet the mind and allow inspiring thoughts to come through. The amount of time we live is less important than its quality, as the following quotation indicates: 'Did he or she lead a good life? An enjoyable and purposeful life, spreading love and joy? A life another would be happy living? Did this person cause learning and comfort to flow from their very being? To inspire and receive gratitude? To provoke thought and discussions? Reflection and diversity?' There is much to ponder in this book, so I would recommend reading it as it was written, one session at a time over a period of six months.