Waking from Sleep [Paperback]

Steve Taylor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2010

How much of your waking time are you fully awake? How often do you stumble through the day on auto-pilot, half asleep and out of contact with yourself, instead of feeling connected and alive? In this astounding book, Steve Taylor suggests that our normal consciousness is really a kind of 'sleep' from which we sometimes 'wake up', into a more intense and complete reality. "Waking from Sleep" provides what is perhaps the first ever clear explanation of higher states of consciousness, or 'awakening experiences'. This book examines: the methods that human beings have used throughout history to induce awakening experiences, including meditation, sex, nature, sport, psychedelic drugs and sleep deprivation; how higher states of consciousness were normal and natural to some of the world's people (and still are in some cases); how we can make 'wakefulness' our normal state again. By fully explaining awakening experiences, this book makes them much more accessible, and may even lead to a revolution in our psychological development as human beings.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“One of the best books on spiritual awakening I have come across.  An important contribution to the shift in consciousness that is happening on our planet at this time.” Eckhart Tolle

“The most enlightening book about enlightenment I have ever read.” Ervin Laszlo

‘An astounding book, which has the potential to awaken is readers.’ Stanley Krippner, PhD, Co-author Personal Mythology

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Steve Taylor is an author and teacher whose main interests are spirituality and psychology. He taught courses on personal development at the University of Manchester for several years and is now a researcher at Liverpool John Moores University. Steve lives in Manchester with his wife and young children. www.stevenmtaylor.com

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Hay House Publishers (February 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 184850179X
• ISBN-13: 978-1848501799
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,389,066 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Steve Taylor is the author of The Fall, Making Time and his new book Waking From Sleep. Eckhart Tolle has described his work as 'an important contribution to the global shift in consciousness' while Ervin Laszlo has called Waking From Sleep 'the most enlightening book about enlightenment I have ever read.' Steve is a lecturer in psychology at Leeds Metropolitan University in the UK, and is now a researcher in transpersonal psychology at Liverpool John Moores University. He also writes poetry and music. For more information see www.stevenmtaylor.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A gentle reminder of forgotten knowledge!, January 1, 2011

By 

S. Schreiber (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Waking From Sleep: Why Awakening Experiences Occur and How to Make Them Permanent (Paperback)

I was given a copy of 'Waking From Sleep' by a good friend...best gift, by far!

'Waking From Sleep' is a gentle reminder of knowledge that we have forgotten. We have all had "Ah ha!" moments, where EVERYTHING suddenly makes sense. We have a greater comprehension of the Universe, our role in the Universe, our connection to everything & everyone. These moments are often clarifying, humbling, awe-inspiring, and incredibly indescribable...and yet many of us never speak of or share the experiences with others. Having had quite a number of these experiences throughout my life, it was beautiful to read of others having similar experiences!

'Waking' is not a "how-to" book, which I found wonderful. It seeks to explore the nature of awakening experiences, and offers practical suggestions to bring these moments of clarity into your life, as well as make them last as long as possible. It's a gentle nudge onto the path that is right for you, and a gentle reminder of knowledge that we already have within us but seem to have forgotten.

I've suggested this book to many close friends, and suggest it to you as well! VERY enlightening read!

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fantastic and enlightening, November 26, 2010

By 

Janie "Jane O'Neill" (Brighton, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Waking From Sleep: Why Awakening Experiences Occur and How to Make Them Permanent (Paperback)

I loved this book - it was very readable while expressing some deep spiritual and psychological truths. Steve Taylor has a great gift for making profound and potentially difficult concepts very accessible. It's not a book of spiritual teachings as such, but a book that tries to understand temporary spiritual experiences, how they occur and if it's possible to make them permanent. It's rare to find a person of such obvious spiritual awareness combined with a very acute intellect. A very important book.

22 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars amazing, April 6, 2010

By 

Rizo Gibonious (Oxford) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Waking from Sleep (Paperback)

This book delivered all i was expecting from my reading of Taylor's other books - making time and the fall.

it gives and excellent overview of the whole area of enlightenment , and spiritual / religious experiences. and then goes on to provide a road map we can follow to get there ourselves. of particular use to me was his deconstruction and classification of the different types of experience and their differing sources. he has done what i imagine Victorian / Edwardian gentlemen to have done in the early days of modern science - taken a chaotic jumble of different 'types' and organized them into species, genre, genus and so on. - an order (much like the periodic table)that gives us a much more complete and instant understanding of where everything lies. fantastic -

highly recommended

i'd also recommend; How to Live in the Here and Now: A Guide for Accelerated Practical Enlightenment! for a detailed description of how to apply various techniques to release one's self from ego / time / values and so on.- compared to so many enlightenment atlases out there - I'd say this is the travelers guide.