Customer Reviews

The Secret of the Soul: Using Out-of-Body Experiences to Understand Our True Nature

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Secret Of The Soul is an excellent book, not only for those interested in out-of-body travel, but also anyone interested in the nature of the soul and the astral plane. Included are survey results from nearly 17,000 people from all walks of life who have had some form of out-of-body experiences. These fasinating excerpts make this book a wealth of information on astral travel and the unseen universe around us. Reading this book really encourages one to think about the nature of our reality, to question our physical limits and how we interact with physical world. There are numerous, effective exercises that the reader can use to push beyond their physical limits and initiate out-of-body travel Readers are guided not only to experience leaving the body, but also contacting guides and loved ones that have passed over. There are also informative guidelines for self-protection and how to overcome fears and challenges. This is a wonderful follow up to William Buhlman's first book, Adventures Beyond the Body, and is sure to delight and inform the reader, whether they are a novice at out-of-body experiences or a seasoned traveler.

I've read a large number of books on Astral Projection and this one was completely different for its range of topics. The author sent out a survey and received first-hand accounts from 16,000 people who have had various degrees of out-of-body experiences from accidental to controlled, from enjoyable to unwelcome. Buhlman lets the stories speak for themselves, and categorizes the experiences by subject: meetings and messages beyond the body, childhood OBEs, combat- and trauma-induced experiences and transformational experiences. Buhlman also discusses what can be expected from an OBE and what benefits there are.

Chapter 6 was unique in the entire literature of OBEs: could alien abductions be unexpected out-of-body experiences? Buhlman does a masterful job of analyzing the reported experiences of alien abductees and drawing parallels to the sensations of OBEs.

His "Brief History" of OBEs is an eye-opening re-examination of descriptions of the mystical experience, synthesizing historical and biblical accounts from the Egyptians through the Greeks and Tibetans, to the Christian and Sufi mystics, including Swedenborg, Yogis, Aborigines, Native Americans and Shamans. It's all too brief, serving to point the way for the reader to research further, but does argue for the ubiquitous OBE in our religions and spiritual paths.

Chapter 8, "A New Vision of Death and Dying," is another unique feature of this book in the Astral Travel library. OBEs are not dealt with as simply enjoyable anomalies in consciousness, but as life-changing spiritual experiences demanding a transformation of our definition of reality.

The "Art and Practice" section of the book deals specifically with the sensations the practitioner will feel when attempting to leave the body. The trance state is discussed, and the all-important vibrational phenomena are revisited throughout the book until they are pretty much memorized. Very few other books on Astral Projection are so detailed in their descriptions of what you can expect to feel when trying to leave the body. They may tell you what to imagine or visualize, but then you do the practices and then feel/see/hear things and wonder if you're on the right track. For example, the paralysis and vibrations that frighten many people are the very signals of an imminent OBE!

Many different visualizations are offered, and readers can choose the ones that appeal to them, or the ones that they find easiest to work with: climbing, floating, rocking, rotating, rotating, and so on.

Other techniques that may aid the reader in leaving the body are discussed briefly, from drumming and medicinal plants to meditation and brain-wave technology. A chapter on trouble-shooting is very helpful for those experiencing fear or distractions.

Like anything, Astral Projection can be learned through practice. No book can guarantee an OBE; that depends on your motivation and power of concentration, not to mention your ability to persevere through failure and learn from your mistakes. But "Secret of the Soul" is a wide-ranging and fascinating read even for earth-bound souls.

William Buhlman's THE SECRET OF THE SOUL is an excellent sequel to his definitive book on out-of-body experiences, ADVENTURES BEYOND THE BODY. It gives purpose to seeking and having OBEs-- spiritual growth and development. Many spiritual seekers have had OBEs as part of the spiritual discipline they practice but they don't know how to use them for their spiritual growth. Bill Buhlman tell us how to have OBEs and then how to use them for our spiritual developement. With only a few phrases we can move to higher levels and encounter our soul and spirit guides. Buhlman takes the fear out of OBEs and gives us understanding and control. Through OBEs we have a direct path to spirtual exploration.

This book has awakened me from lifetimes of sleep! Out of body experiences and numerous aspects of spirituality are exceptionally well explained and logically related in its passages that touch me profoundly enough to understand and apply them well. For those who encounter situations or difficulties in these states, this book explains from a vantage point of a highly experienced Master and excellent teacher. It leaves me speechless that such clarity is presented to me successfully as if one has just met one's favorite teacher! I was able to remember some of my out of body experiences long since forgotten and even feel again its freshness. There would be no longer firm divisions between current reality and the neighboring realms or beyond. They all now seem real to me enough to be understood, after all, as he states in this book, "We are immortal. We are powerful creative spiritual beings. We mold the energies around us both positive and negative by the use of our focused thoughts." This book is a spiritually academic marvel! I immediately took to revitalizing my out of body experiences with relish daily since.

The Secret of the Soul is a 'must-read' if you are at all interested in answering the question: "If I'm more than my body, who am I?" Whether you are one of the 30% of people who have experienced an out-of-body adventure yourself or whether you simply wish to better understand the phenomenon and perhaps learn how to self-initiate this form of personal exploration, this book will entertain, inform and enlighten.

Written in a clear and concise fashion by William Buhlman, best-selling author of Adventures Beyond the Body, The Secret of the Soul presents details about the out-of-body experience (OBE) that have never before been presented. Based upon an international out-of-body survey that has elicited over 16,000 responses from 32 countries, The Secret of the Soul provides a convincing testimonial to the fact that OBEs are by no means relegated to the mystic but are indeed a natural phenomena available to all of us.

Survey data suggests that many people experience their first OBE during childhood, but all too often the adult world greets the child's revelations with disbelief and instruction about "the way things really are"-the physical world that is seen with the physical eyes only. Buhlman offers helpful advice to parents who are faced with a child who encounters visitation from unseen friends and loved ones, night terrors, or the paralysis and sounds that can accompany the "vibrational state" which often precedes an OBE.

Throughout The Secret of the Soul, Buhlman scatters anecdotal reports by survey respondents that lend credibility and life to contentions made about topics as varied as: contact with spiritual beings and departed loved ones, non-physical sexual encounters, trauma-induced OBEs, physical sensations and perceptual shifts which frequently accompany the OBE state, past-life revelations, the concept of a multi-dimensional self, spiritual healing, and extraterrestrial contact.

Based upon his own self-initiated OBE experiences and those reported by respondents to the survey Buhlman postulates that the OBE is "the direct path to the soul" and constitutes a true spiritual journey. He writes, "When we transcend the body we become the ultimate explorers of consciousness and open the door to the answers to our existence. It is our destiny to evolve beyond the dense forms we see around us and experience our spiritual self. This will occur. The only real question is when."

The Secret of the Soul, with its many testimonies, engrossing stories and suggested techniques makes the mysterious and miraculous seem attainable. It is a guidebook for the serious student of expanded awareness and spiritual growth. Read it. Experiment with the described methods for achieving safe, self-initiated, out-of-body experiences and you will agree: This book can change your life!

This book is for the person who wants to learn how to have O.B.E.'s and easily understand what they are. Buhlman again writes an incredible book filled with many techniques, and new informative information from survey results around the whole world. The book gets straight to the point of what soul and spirituality really is. He has put in many new techniques to have an out of body experience. Peolpe like William Buhlman is helping this world to understand what we are and where we can go. Buy this book if you want to learn how to evolve your soul!!!

I have read several books about astral projection and found "The Secret of the Soul" to be the most practical and useful. I liked the personal stories combined with the wide selection of easy to understand how-to methods. Most other books teach only one approach for initiating out-of-body experiences and are really limited in their scope. I think this book is a must read for anyone interested in the topic.

I would like to say that in addition to reading "The Secret of the Soul", you should read "Adventures Beyond the Body" - William Buhlman's first book. There is such a wealth of knowledge and experience in these two books.

This book is one of the best OBE books. You looking for OBE techniques ? You can found more than 20 in this book !!! You looking for protection techniques while OBE ? O yes, you can found them here. How about to guide some one whose dying ? You can found it here too. About similarity OBE with Alien's abduction ? Yup, it's here too....
I also will review CD version of this book. It's contains 4 CD : 1. The Christos Technique (you can find it from other OBE books). 2. The Energy Body Technique (similar with Denning-Philips and Crowleys.. transfer your consciousness to astral body). 3. The Rope Technique (read Astral Dynamics by Robert Bruce !). 4. The Shaman / Bird Technique (you can find it in Adventures Beyond the Body..the best, number one.. OBE book!). If you like practice with guiding.. this is for you. The sound (background) strong enough to direct your mind to non physical realms.

Once again, William Buhlman has offered a book that will empower people to have their own out-of-body experience (OBE). I personally used one of William's techniques to go out-of-body myself after working on it every night for 30 days. This is way past dreaming! William shows you how to be in control of what you do and where you go on the other side.

In this second book, additional OBE techniques are offered with good information on how to use them and what to expect.

Buhlman talks about the OBE survey he did with over 16,000 responses and a number of these personal stories are included.

If you are like thousands of people having vibrations, paralysis or strange night events, the information in this book may take away all the mystery and fear. I really enjoyed reading about these events and the people that spontaneously find themselves fully awake and out-of-body.

"Secrets of the Soul' is another great ride...but the best ride is the one that you will be empowered to take yourself.

Buhlman's last book on Astral Projection "Adventures Beyond the Body", in addition to covering the basics of Astral Projection tended to focus on Buhlman's ideas regarding the structure of the multidimensional universe. My main complaint about that book was it's lack of focus on the spirutal implications of Astral Projection.

In "The Secret of the Soul" Buhlman probably reiterates half of the information from the previous book (which is necessary to make the topic accessible to those who haven't read the previous book) but shifts the focus from the structure of the universe to the use of Astral Projection for spiritual development. He also includes various accounts of Astral Projections and results from his ongoing survey into the phenomina.

Overall I found his ideas compelling and found the book well-worth reading. However, considering that the book concerns itself with spiritual development I would have liked to have seen a discussion of how this type of spiritual seeking relates to prevailing worldwide religious thought: Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, etc. Most people's spirituality is practiced within one of these traditions so by advocating astral projection as a means for spiritual growth without tying it into these various traditions - the proponents of astral projection unwittingly doom astral projection to be regarded as a weird, marginal or occult activity.

Overall, well-worth reading.