Reaching to Heaven: A Spiritual Journey Through Life and Death [Large Print] [Hardcover]

James Van Praagh (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1999

"Reaching to Heaven" continues the exploration of the "other world" that began with the bestselling "Talking to Heaven". Complete with van Praagh's famous psychic sessions, this audiobook emphasizes the practical side of his work and engages listeners interactively, with specific exercises to help them realize their psychic potential.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Professional medium James Van Praagh (Talking to Heaven) offers a guidebook for the living, which charts the course of the soul as it journeys through life, death, and rebirth. Beyond his psychic gifts, Van Praagh has a gift for simplifying complex spiritual ideas and writing about them in a conversational tone. Most appealing for Van Praagh fans are his detailed theories on death and the afterlife. For example, when people die sudden deaths, Van Praagh reports, spirits of the dead often linger over their bodies, unable to comprehend what has happened (but still able to see and hear everything that is being done and said around the corpse). This is why spirits of the already-deceased are so useful in helping the dead transition to the other side.

Speaking of the afterlife, or heaven, Van Praagh writes:

In the higher realms everyone is on the same level of spiritual understanding, like a symphony of beings in tune with one another. For some this may mean a reunion with members of their earth family. For others it could be a meeting with former friends and lovers from previous incarnations.

Finally, Van Praagh returns to his fascinating stories of channeling the deceased to illustrate how the living can stay on task with their raison d'être. If we want to help our souls along on their eternal journeys toward enlightenment, then we must remove the emotional obstacles that are blocking their paths, says Van Praagh, who devotes entire chapters to guilt, fear, forgiveness, and love. --Gail Hudson --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From AudioFile

Van Praagh begins with some elementary principles familiar to most students of metaphysics. While he relies on these spiritual touchstones and even resorts to aphorisms and basic guidelines for living in attunement with God, Van Praagh seasons his lecture with remarkable accounts of his contact with the souls of the dead. We learn what the afterlife may look like and how one spends time there. A recurring theme is forgiveness by and for the dead, once they contact the living. Van Praagh has been lambasted by some as a charlatan becoming wealthy on people's hopes and fears. But the author seems truly concerned with his listeners' evolution and happiness. D.J.B. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 244 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press (July 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786220112
• ISBN-13: 978-0786220113
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (64 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,298,608 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

James Van Praagh is the New York Times bestselling author of Unfinished Business, Ghosts Among Us, Talking to Heaven, Reaching to Heaven, Meditations, and Healing Grief, among others. He is considered a pioneer in the mediumship movement throughout the world and has been the voice of the Spirit World for over twenty-five years. He has read people from all walks of life and from all over the world. Some of his more known clients include various political heads of state, throughout the world, religious leaders and celebrities such as Cher, Shirley Maclaine, Goldie Hawn, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Loretta Lynn and many many more. He has brought through many well known personalities such as Rock Hudson, Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Slim Pickins, Andrew Carnagie, Roy Orbison, Lucille Ball, Liberace, Johnny Carson, Princess Diana, Edgar Cayce, Ghandi, Abraham Lincoln and Benjamin Franklin among others. His messages have brought solace, peace, and spiritual insights to millions, changing their view of both life and death. James has also been a celebrated producer for CBS television network, creating several successful projects including: Living with the Dead, a mini-series based on his life, and a television movie, The Dead Will Tell. While in production, an unknown actress named Eva Longoria asked James if the pilot she just finished would be picked up for ABC. He looked at her and told her it would change her life forever. Desperate Housewives has done just that! Interestingly, it was when shooting one of CBS's most successful shows, Ghost Whisperer, which he developed and produced, which brought him and Eva back together again. His CBS show Ghost Whisperer, used to shoot in the studio next door to Desperate Housewives. While shooting Ghost Whisperer, he did readings for many of the network executives as well as the other show producers and completely shocked even the most hardened cynic among them. He has appeared on numerous television and radio shows including, Oprah, Larry King Live, 48 Hours, Unsolved Mysteries, Biography, The View, Coast to Coast, The Howard Stern Show and many more. His books have enjoyed international appeal, having been published in over 50 countries and translated in over 60 languages. He has a state of the art website, which was the very first website in history to discuss grief and loss on the internet over fifteen years ago and it still is active with users from around the world. Anyone and everyone are welcome to share their insights of life, death and the beyond. www.vanpraagh.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerfull!, May 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Reaching to Heaven: A Spiritual Journey Through Life and Death (Hardcover)

I am extremely pleased with Van Praagh newest book. I have read both books in just two days!. From the moment I started reading Talking To Heaven I felt like I couldn't put it down, so after finishing that one I couldn't help myself but to read his newest book Reaching to Heaven, which I found to be outstanding!. Before reading this books, I was living a big depresion, and it affected every part of my life. Then something very cool happen. I had a dream with my my Grandfather who past away about a year ago. In the dream he looked much younger, and he told that he was going to be watching me for sometime. At first I was skeptic, but as time pass on, I decided to give it a try to this books related to the after-life. In my search I found James Van Praagh book and while reading it, I found out that a lot of the stuff my Granfather told was also in the book. From then on I have became a more spiritual person, non-judgmental, and all the depression and toughts of suicide that I have before I started reading this book, have completely gone. Thanks to James Van Praagh and his Powerfull book for putting my life in order and learned to live to its fullest.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Intriguing and Inspirational Journey into the Afterlife, March 7, 1999

By 

Michael E. Tymn (Kailua, Hawaii) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Reaching to Heaven: A Spiritual Journey Through Life and Death (Hardcover)

While orthodox Christianity offers us a two- or three-dimensional afterlife (heaven and hell for most Protestants along with purgatory for Catholics), James Van Praagh presents us with the unorthodox multi-dimensional afterlife that is much more consistent with varying degrees of achievement on the earthly plane. Part I of the book summarizes the various afterlife planes or spheres from the low spheres, where earthbound souls dwell, many of them unaware they have passed over, on up to the higher realms (Seventh Heaven?) inhabited by more enlightened souls. Much of Part I appears to be based on his metaphysical research rather than what he has learned from his abilities as a medium. Generally, the souls that communicate through a medium seem to be from the middle or lower planes rather than the higher ones.

In Part II, Van Praagh presents some very interesting case histories from his experiences as a medium able to communicate with souls on the "other side."

For those who have not read Van Praagh's first book, "Talking to Heaven" or are unfamiliar with the abilities of a medium, I would recommend reading Part II before Part I.

As someone who has read more than 400 metaphysical/spiritual books, I would place this on my "top 10" list. It's definitely a treasure.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, understandable, and makes complete sense., March 7, 1999

By 

R. G. Pickering "ritapick" (Coral Springs, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Reaching to Heaven: A Spiritual Journey Through Life and Death (Hardcover)

Last night I read this book in one sitting from about 9 PM till 1 AM with a few breaks. It is absolutely fascinating. I liked it even better than his first book because it was details that I have never read before. He wrote in such a way that I completely understood what he was saying and why things are the way he explains them. The feeling I had when reading this book was the same as I've experienced when reading CONVERSATIONS WITH GOD - Yes! I've always believed that and never had someone conceptualize it and put it into words! But I also gained a great deal of new knowledge. I feel much better about my concerns about some of my loved ones who may act in unloving ways due to mental illness, when I wondered if that way of being would continue on after death. Now I have a better understanding of how they continue their existence. If only the world would read & understand this - and other books which point out that love is all there is - then we would, indeed, have heaven on earth!