Why this book: It was referred to in Eben Alexander’s book Living in a Mindful Universe and then I saw a hard copy that my wife had (but hadn’t read) on the table in our family room. Interesting coincidence and interesting topic – I chose to listen to it on audible rather than read it. But I did read and review parts of her copy.

Summary in 4 Sentences: The author is a hypnotherapist who after many of his clients under hypnosis referred to lives before their birth, decided to see how common that was and eventually interviewed well over a thousand people who in a hypnotic trance described an existence in a different realm before their birth. This book is in the form of transcriptions and highlights from 29 of his most interesting cases that describe not only an existence but also experiences in a non-physical world with other souls, between incarnations on earth. They describe relations with other souls, how they digested lessons learned from previous incarnations and how they prepared for future incarnations. The author makes his comments on some of the differences in how these subjects describe their experiences and gives his overall lessons and key take-aways.

My Impressions: This is a very interesting read which challenges our common sense view of consensus reality. It almost seemed like science fiction to me – in fact, the between-lives spiritual world he described had some similarities to the other-world dimension that characters in the science fiction book Hyperion experienced.

It was strange – even bizarre – to me to have these “subjects” (which is how Newton referred to those he was interviewing under hypnosis) describe a non-physical, spiritual dimension of reality that has its own hierarchy, structure, and organization, with masters, beginners, teachers, students, training protocols etc, but with no physical existence. There are similarities in the goals and objectives that these disembodied spirits shared from their time in this other, non-physical dimension, but the concept is so different from my empirical experience that I sometimes wondered whether the author/hypnotist wasn’t “leading the witnesses” with the questions he asked.

And yet, there was an uncanny consistency in the stories these subjects told as they described their experiences, and the realm and reality of this discarnate spiritual world from which we all come, and to which we will all return. Many of the subjects recalled multiple previous lives, recalled how issues in one life carried over into future lives, and affected and contributed to the challenges they faced in their current incarnation. While in a trance, each of the subjects described their discarnate existence between lives, fully cognizant of the incarnate life they were living as they lay on the couch answering questions from Dr Newton.

This spiritual world/existence they described in their life-between-lives has a moral and spiritual structure. “Karma” is a key driver in the flow and purpose in the series of lives we lead. At the conclusion of the book, Newton describes the non-physical/”spiritual” reality that he has deduced from his hundreds/thousands of interviews with subjects describing their experiences between incarnate lives. In short, we live each life with the goal of continuing to learn and evolve spiritually, seeking advancement and evolution very similar to the descriptions in the Buddhist and Hindu religions. His subjects describe working out karma with the goal of spiritual advancement toward “Nirvana,” or a one-ness with the Source, and getting out of the cycle of birth, rebirth, and death. In between lives, we digest and learn from the life/lives we have lived, and we enter our incarnate lives to spiritually build on lessons learned, see if and how well we have learned from previous incarnations, as well as how well we have absorbed lessons from our in-between lives experience with our teachers and mentors. Each life gives us an opportunity to try again and do better – this time perhaps in a different gender, different setting, a different body with different genetics, with some different friends, different challenges and opportunities. Though one thing is clear – we often live our lives with many of those with whom we’ve lived before and have associated with between lives.

In that other world – the spiritual dimension – there are masters who teach and provide oversight of intermediate level guides who coach and help less advanced spirits. At the top of the hierarchy is an ineffable “Source” which encompasses all souls including the masters all the way down to stumbling beginners on the path.

As “crazy” and counter to “common sense” that this description of a Greater (spiritual) Reality may be, it is consistent with much of the spiritual teaching that psychics and spiritual teachers have been saying over millennia in many different cultures. It is consistent with what Eben Alexander describes in Living in a Mindful Universe, and consistent with what Edgar Cayce describes in his readings, what Seth and other channelers have reported, when they share perspectives and insights from “the other side.” My own view – though I haven’t directly experienced such phenomena, I can’t believe all these teachers and spiritual leaders are charlatans, and I sense that there is a Truth there, that I should take seriously.

But how? And just what does that mean? That is the question….