Customer Reviews

Luminous Night's Journey: An Autobiographical Fragment

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I have been reading about and studying higher states of consciousness for 30 years, and in all that time I have never read such personal, detailed, in depth descriptions of experiences of Unity Consciousness. Almaas has an amazing facility to describe profoundly subtle experiences. His descriptions are consistent with classical descriptions of that state, yet at the same time he adds an element of examining his own "ego structures" in the light of the Untiy experiences. If you are into this type of thing, this is a truely facinating book.

I have read this book twice, and each time I had a very different experience. The second time was a real adventure, because the concerns the author grapples with in this book are now similar to those I have in my own life. So, there was a real sense of affinity in the second reading.

The book is a series of journal passages written over what appears to be a number of years, in which Hameed Ali (A.H.Almaas) shares, and wonderfully describes, his most intimate mystical reflections. He describes in beautiful language his encounters with the fears and exhilarations he experiences as he manifests new and increasingly powerful dynamics on the ascent of Being. Eventually he arrives at a temporary "state" of experiencing the "Absolute." Some time later, this achievement of bonding and unity with the Absolute becomes a "station," in that it has become a permanent state of consciousness.

This book is very well written, with descriptions of feelings and insights that are at times astounding in their beauty and fullness. A word of warning, though: this book will appeal far more to a more mature reader who has familiarity with actual mystical experience, an abundance of metaphysical and, especially, mystical study and practice, or a strong background in Hameed Ali's works on the Diamond Approach. I would recommend a reading of John Davis's The Diamond Approach for an overview, then plunging in to the Diamond Mind, Diamond Body, and Diamond Heart books. I would also suggest reading Evelyn Underhill's books on western mysticism, Idries Shah's works on Sufism, D.T. Suzuki's writings on Zen Buddhism, and the Tibetan Book of the Dead.

With those books and concepts in mind, Hameed Ali's writings on his personal and deeply intimate mystical experiences will take on even more flavor and beauty.

This is the most precise, detailed, self-revealing, honest and fascinating personal account of the enlightenment (or self-realization) process that I have ever read. An amazing and moving book.

Accessible, profound and inspiring. Tastes like freedom to me.