Customer Reviews

The Dreamer's Book of the Dead: A Soul Traveler's Guide to Death, Dying, and the Other Side

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I think our ancestors knew some things we've forgotten. I'm not sure WHY we forgot but it's definitely time to start remembering. This is the third or fourth book by Robert Moss I've read and he always stirs me in ways I can't fully express.

This book reminded me of one morning when I was ten and I got up and found my grandmother crying. I asked her why and she recounted a dream that she'd had thirty years earlier that had accurately predicted the death of her only son.

All of our lives are full of such anomalies, such little bits of magic, until we quickly sweep them under the carpet.

Conscensus reality is like a carefully constructed stage set we all agree to believe in--until we see some pipes or wiring sticking out where they shouldn't be. We quickly scissor those moments out of our awareness because they don't fit.

Those moments are what this book is about.

"The Dreamer's Book of the Dead" reminded me of another book I read called "Lincoln's unknown private life, an oral history by his black housekeeper." At one point in this book this very ancient black lady (who reminded me of rosa parks) reported discussing the after-life with Lincoln and concluded by saying, "When you get right down to it, the only thing Mr. Lincoln REALLY believed in was dreams."

Indeed. Interesting an iconic figure like Lincoln, at the center of our culture, should hold views like that--and yet nobody ever talks about it. It's swept under the carpet.

This is a book about bringing things OUT from under that cultural carpet, a book about remembering things our ancestors knew.

My point is this--Moss's book says that being visited by the dead in dreams is something our ancestors accepted. Then he takes you on a very entertaining spiritual tour of the various imaginal realms where the dead might reside (and into which we will all be moving before too long).

He weaves that together with several colorful threads: the mystical beliefs of that arch-romantic William Butler Yeats, and that fascinating gathering of geniuses, cranks and visionaries known as The Golden Dawn who revived western magic in the early twentieth century.

It's not all entertainment, though, he offers practical advice on how to deal with spirits or ghosts in various stages of stuckness in the after-life. (Advice I hope I never personally need).

As always he mentions, in passing, things that fascinate and tweak the imagination--for example, british magicians (golden dawn?) battling nazi occultists during world war two. (Ha! What could be more fun than that?)

But what I really enjoyed about this was the sense that you journey back into the ancestral mists to revisit the spiritual beliefs that sustained our celtic ancestors for uncounted centuries before the coming of Christianity. That's actually one of the things about this I resonated to most strongly.

And, as he makes clear, encounters with spirits (humans who are "dead"), faeries (non-human energies), and various magical beings isn't really uncommon.

If you think about your life, you've had such encounters. It's just that we live in an era when we are encouraged to screen such anomalies out of our awareness (that cultural rug again).

How sad and how boring.

It denies a large part of who and what we are. Wouldn't you really rather open the door to the wider reality? What if we spun that oppressive cultural rug into a flying carpet?

If you agree, Moss will give you flying lessons.

In his new book, "Dreamer's Book of the Dead", Robert Moss puts forth the startling theory that the path of the soul after death is the path of the soul in dreams. Drawing upon personal stories of his own dreams, as well as those of thousands of people who have attended his workshops, Moss makes a compelling argument that we don't need to wait for death to remember what the soul knows: how and why we came into our present bodies and where we will go when we leave them. An incredible book - I intend to share it broadly with friends and family!

In THE DREAMER'S BOOK OF THE DEAD, Robert Moss works his best magic, weaving a cultural tapestry across time and space, reminding each of us that "when the dead come calling" we are reviewing our own shadowed fears, pleasures and personal mythology against very real visions, belief systems, and dreams of death, confirming the haunting - and sometimes downright spooky - beauty of each story, thereby enhancing its wisdom, warning, and message to us - the living. Robert Moss' writing gives each story's mystery a firm place in the readers' own dreams/lives and unravels meaning without destroying fantasy, wonder, or beauty. Every reader will recognize these stories as their own - from visits from dead relatives to the song of the Bean Sidhe turned to terrifying death wail upon a soul's departure.

Robert honors the story of my own father's death, which I tell in my book SHE WHO DREAMS - with fresh perspective, reminding me that dreams of healing between myself and my father became an important emotional bridge during my illness when he appeared in my dreams as a guide, warning me of illness, gifting me with spiritual blessings, and then assisting me when he appeared in my dreams during my recovery.

Robert also opens his heart and shares his own personal stories, including a profound visionary and intellectual relationship with William Butler Yeats, who mentors and guides Robert into a mysterious realm outside the physical world, which is as real as the conversations between the two as they compare notes and discoveries in a complex structure Robert calls the House of Time. In this magic library we can all join the great poets and writers and eavesdrop on Robert's conversations with Yeats as they confirm our personal dreams and visions and give us the confidence to pay attention to our experiences even when we think them a little on the scary or way out side. If Yeats and Robert Moss can sit in a library in the House of Time and invite us all to scan the shelves and find our own favorite writer or poet and explore the path of our own soul before and after death, then perhaps we really can sit down with the departed - after a bit of instruction on death-after-life etiquette and appropriate role-playing with the living - and find the stories of our lives in shared experiences through dreams, visions and visitations from family and friends who wish to keep in touch - or maybe just check in now and then.

A favorite dream of mine is one I had after my mother's death. She has been gone for almost ten years, but has taught me much about life after death through dreams.

I dreamed that my sisters and I were helping at a community church event. Mom was there. We knew she was dead. This was a very special visit. Someone asked me to run an errand, but I refused. I did not know how long Mom would be with us. Sure enough, in the time that I would have been away, Mom told us she had to go. She showed us some sort of gadget that reminded me of an electronic university calendar. It listed many "courses" that one could take. Each course had a button next to it to facilitate movement and choice. Each button had a protective cover to prevent accidental activation of a new course. Mom explained that she was ready to move on. We went outside with her and watched as she pushed the button for her next course. She floated up off the ground and then slowly drifted away across the fields until she disappeared.

Robert's book is in three parts. The first is about this sort of dream, visits with the dead. The second details his own experiences with the poet Yeats, who wanted to write a Western Book of the Dead, and has long served as a guide for Robert. The final section can prepare us for our own deaths, and outlines how to use dreams to assist the dying. Life after death is like a dream, where none of the rules of our earthly life apply.

The Dreamer's Book of the Dead is massively researched, full of stories from myth, dreams, and near death experiences. I expect that some Christian people would be offended or frightened by the idea of an afterlife which we can visit or even create in dreaming, and warn against any attempt to connect with those who have passed over. Robert Moss does address the dangers of connections with the heavy energies of addicted personalities, for example. But even Christian people can fear death, and can find comfort in the words of this book. In fact, pages 235 and 236 hold the most beautiful example of a healing encounter with Jesus, from one woman's conscious dream experience.

Death does not need to be a fearsome thing. Our loved ones may not be with us in a physical body, but are not so far away at all. This book will be a comfort to many.

CUSTOMER REVIEW: The Dreamer's Book of the Dead.
In THE DREAMER'S BOOK OF THE DEAD, Robert Moss magically demystifies the journey beyond death. What a gift of reassurance for those of us who have lost a loved one, those who are preparing to imminently leave this earth walk, and those who can now embrace their lives with passion, joy and deeper meaning because fear of death is no longer an issue.

Robert shares his own story of his long-standing relationship with William Butler Yeats, mentor and guide into the Imaginal Realm. Robert's sincerity inspires those among us who are shy, cautious, or even skeptical, to be attentive to our experiences and honor our imaginations, however outside the box or the mainstream they may be.

While working in a Hospice, I was honored to help patients open paths for their soul journeys. Feedback from their loving relatives reinforced Robert's message that each one of us can remember our soul's agreement, explore the world beyond the physical, and know that there is life beyond physical death with guidance and comfort from those who have crossed over. The gifts in The Dreamer's Book of the Dead are for the dead, the dying and the living in this world and the worlds beyond.

Robert Moss celebrates Life, Death and Rebirth by bridging the inner and outer worlds with energy and wisdom from dreams, with experiences and conversations with the departed, and with honor for the beings of both worlds. I believe that Robert's experiences of revelation and despair, including three "near death" experiences as a young child, prepared him to be knowledgeable, strong and credible enough to teach us what we really do know and yearn to remember. In his wisdom as a spiritual teacher, Robert reassures us how natural it is to receive visits, guidance and requests for help from the departed. It is just as natural for us to visit the departed for guidance and help. We will remember this when we honor our dreams.

Like all books by Moss, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Although he comes back more deeply in subjects he may have covered a bit in his former books, Moss does not repeat tirelessly. Instead, he manages to bring new stories and bright insights along with a quick review of particular points whenever it is needed.

In the first part, Robert Moss goes over the realm of death and its inhabitants, what they do, what they want, how to contact them through dreams. In the second part of the book he moves on to recount his adventures in the astral with the poet Yeats. He explains that his inspiration in writing this book came through his imaginary relationship with the poet. This book of the dead is meant as a sort of continuation of Yeats's own book of the dead, left unfinished by his death.

Despite the subject, the author is as playful as ever. Here's how he tells of the birthing process: "The Moon priest helps me into my body suit. Part of me recoils from this limiting, this confinement to such a primitive form, with only one organ of generation. Yet this body suit is flexible and moves with my thoughts.(...)It pulls back into its default mode - that of a biped that cannot eat and talk safely at the same time (...)".

He offers one of the few accounts of what happens before birth and the possibility of parallel lives across the space-time continuum. Karma is now! I would certainly have liked more discussion on that particular subject. Instead, Robert Moss stops there, leaving us wanting more explanation and a more adequate conclusion. The rest is as fun-filled and rich as his other books.

If you want a more experiential and intelligent approach to dreamwork (as opposed to just dream interpretation), Robert Moss' books are the way to go.

I initially read through this book very quickly, and am now re-reading it with much more care and attention. This book is dense with wonderful insights and instruction on the nature of consciousness in ordinary time, dreamtime, and beyond. The text is informative, and the notes and bibliography are detailed and complete...Mr. Moss has obviously done his homework. The subject matter is, needless to say, compelling. There's a lot here to study and work on as well as many leads to related resources. I was happy to learn so much more about the Order of the Golden Dawn, "A Vision" by WB Yeats, and Dante's "Divine Comedy", among other things. This book is now one of my favorites which is saying something because I have lots of 'em.

This is the lastest in a series of fabulous dream books by Robert Moss. In Dreamer's Book of the Dead, Robert explores the realms of the dead and of dreams and describes how they relate to each other. I read this book in three nights --it was captivating.

Robert Moss gives important advice on how to help those we love die with peace and hope. By sharing dreams together, and by giving dreams of beauty and hope to those who need them, we can be active participants and helpers during this sacred time that we all will eventually face. This book has changed my way of looking at life and death.

Personal experience blends with ancient teachings in Robert Moss'sTHE DREAMER'S BOOK OF THE DEAD: A SOUL TRAVELER'S GUIDE TO DEATH, DYING, AND THE OTHER SIDE which offers accounts of death and its survival. Author Robert Moss survived three near-death experiences in childhood and has been dreaming of the departed all his life: DREAMER'S BOOK OF THE DEAD is nearly an escort service, offering insights on dreams, the afterlife, and healing.