Summary from book cover:
Modern science tells us there is far more to the universe than the physical world we all perceive. And the explanation that most closely fits the facts for a range of verifiable phenomena, from near-death experiences to past-life memories, is that the soul exists separately from the physical body and reincarnates repeatedly.
This book could only have been written in the the twenty-first century, because it uses the latest breakthroughs in scientific and psychological research to produce a truly revolutionary view of spirituality. By comparing this modern evidence with thousands of years of spiritual traditions, it finally provides rational answers to some of the most significant and intriguing questions ever posed by the human race.
Piece by piece, this book uncovers startling evidence to support a scientific and rational belief in reincarnation and the interlife. It brings together a wide range of research--including the incredible insights of thousands of ordinary regression subjects--in a logical, objective way to produce a major breakthrough in our approach to spirituality.
No one who reads this book will ever view life in the same way again. The spiritual worldview it describes is coherent and rational, and has the capability to propel humanity forwards to previously unexplored levels..if only we will let it.
Key Conclusions, as summarized at the end of the book
Chapter 1: There is indisputable scientific evidence that the physical world is made up of pure energy and not physical matter, and that multiple nonphysical dimensions exist that scientists cannot as yet analyze.
Chapter 2: The evidence of near-death experiences suggests strongly that there is an element of individual consciousness that exists entirely independent of the physical body and brain. Skeptics' attempts to dismiss this evidence are simplistic and reductionist.
Chapter 3: The evidence of children who spontaneously remember past lives is strongly suggestive of reincarnation, especially when birthmark and defect cases are brought into play. Again, skeptics' attempts at more materialistic explanations are simplistic and reductionist.
Chapter 4: A huge number of case studies now suggest that hypnotic regression can produce verifiable evidence of past lives, which in the vast majority of cases can only be explained by the reincarnation of the individual. In addition, a number of pioneering psychologists and psychiatrists who were initially skeptics became convinced of reincarnation by the unprecedented therapeutic results they received with regression. Some of these went on to discover the interlife experience, mostly by accident and almost certainly independent of each other.
Chapter 5: Regression subjects consistently report on their transition to the ethereal realms in similar ways to near-death experiencers. Once in the interlife proper, they engage in life reviews in a variety of settings. Some of these are emphasized more by one pioneer than another, but there is considerable consistency in respect of the general principle.
Chapter 6: Regression subjects consistently report on a variety of life-planning activities. Again, certain aspects are emphasized more by one pioneer than another, but there is considerable consistency in respect of the general principle. This is also true of their subjects' reports of their return into incarnation, and of their experiences in the womb.
Chapter7: We can identify four stages of karmic evolution through which individual souls progress. In particular, souls still in the repetitive stage may not have the full interlife experience, and these are encountered more often by regressors who are concentrating exclusively on therapy. Their repetitive karma is characterized by facing similar adverse circumstances in successive lives, and results from intense emotions being carried forward that they need to assimilate, as well as learning to react to adverse circumstances in a more balanced way. They are not paying off karmic debts, and any punishment is entirely self-inflicted. Souls in the progressive state may choose ostensibly disadvantageous life circumstances, but again these are opportunities for learning and advancement rather than any form of karmic punishment. So all karma is primarily about learning, and not about 'action and reaction' but rather 'right action'. The concept of hell has no underlying reality, and is only ever created by our own expectation and perceptions; and nor are we punished for supposed misdemeanors by reversion to animal form. Above all, modern regression insights provide a massively important alternative source of spiritual information to the revealed wisdom of old.
Chapter 8: Hypnotic progressions into the future are not reliable indicators of what will happen. They may derive from tapping into a complete version of the future that is envisaged in the ethereal realms at that time, but this version will never be realized in actuality because karmic choices and free will constantly change its dynamics. Nevertheless, mass perceptions of the future may have the power to influence the course of events.
Chapter 9: Possession by earthbound spirits is a possibility, but if it does occur it is relatively rare. Given that there is no such thing as hell, demonic possession is likely to be a construct with no underlying reality. A variety of phenomena related to possession have greater or lesser degrees of plausibility, but there is no convincing evidence that detracts from the individualized nature of the human soul and its personal responsibility for its own karma.
Chapter 10: Our objective is to escape the earthly karmic round, but after this there is a great deal of further learning to do in the ethereal realms before we get anywhere near our logos, let alone the Ultimate Source itself. There are a number of general pieces of advice that we can all follow in our attempts to progress our karma while in incarnate life, and these can be usefully combined into meditation practice. Above all, although the immediate future of humanity may not look promising, the more we as individuals take responsibility for our spiritual growth and lead a practically spirit life, the more chance we have of getting back on course as a collective.
This book draws upon many of the sources which are listed on the Afterlife 102 section of this website and uses the results from these pioneers to create a very credible structure of the afterlife and how humans should relate to it. These sources and the distillation and synthesis of this material result in a description of the afterlife which is amazingly similar to that provided by the spirit guides in the chapters of the Afterlife 101 book of this website.
Summary from book cover:
For thousands of years our view of the afterlife has been handed down to us by a variety of prophets and gurus, but in the last few decades thousands of ordinary people have been taken back into their 'life between lives' in the light realms. Their consistent reports are the most profound source of spiritual wisdom ever available to humanity. And now two researchers have decided to push this source to its limits...
It is important enough that we should understand what happens to us between lives; how we receive energy healing to lighten our vibrations; how we review our lives without judgment from higher beings; and how we choose and plan our next lives along with close soul mates, in order to face the lessons and experiences that will most allow us to grow.
But what if we could use this interlife experience to answer a host of more universal questions of spiritual, historical and philosphical importance? What if multiple regression subjects came up with consistent answers? And what if they displayed wisdom so profound as to be way beyond any normal human capacity?
Between life regression results, as provided by various pioneers such as Michael Newton (as found in the "life between lives" pages on this website), have often resulted from allowing individuals who have been regressed to describe their experiences without much specific direction. Lawton has taken this one step further, in that he has selected 10 individuals who had demonstrated the ability to be regressed into their previous afterlife, and asked each to answer the same questions, over 50 in number, about specific features of: Unusual Soul behavior, Soul Development, Humanity's Past and Future, Reality and Time, and several concluding questions. The primary thrust of this book is the correlation of the various responses received through these regressed individuals, with the sources of these responses being advanced spiritual beings. The correlation is high but not perfect, and the correlated results agree quite closely with the spirit guides description of the afterlife in the Afterlife 101 book here.
Ian Lawton's website This website provides a good summary of Ian Lawton's spiritual findings, which he calls Rational Spirituality, together with descriptions of his books (including a new miniature book, The Little Book of the Soul), and discussion papers he has prepared. Lawton refers to this Afterlife 101 website as channelled communications which are extremely consistent with his Rational Spirituality worldview.