The Book of the Soul: Rational Spirituality for the 21st Century by Ian Lawton

Reviewed by Louis Siron, C.Ht.
In JRT Issue 20, 2005

 

I had the pleasure recently of reading “The Book of the Soul: Rational Spirituality for the 21st Century” by Ian Lawton.

You might wonder at the term “rational spirituality.” What does this mean? How can spirituality be rational? I had the impression of a subject that is typically faith based being defined in a logical factual way. As it turns out, that impression was not far off the mark.

According to Webster’s Dictionary, 1) rational: able to reason, not foolish or silly, sensible; synonym reasonable and 2) spirituality: spiritual nature, character, or quality.

Here we have a very unusual book; a book that fills a void in the literature concerning spirituality. There are so many books written concerning spirituality. Most are based on different aspects of the subject that we all have a soul, we incarnate to learn lessons, evolve and gain wisdom, our spiritual baggage can affect our current life both physically and emotionally/mentally, etc. To support their viewpoints, the various authors use such things as “enlightened teachings/ancient wisdom,” sessions/interviews with clients/experiencers, channeled information, etc.

Ian’s approach is to gather data gleaned from those he calls “the pioneering psychologists.” He addresses in a very methodical way via the various chapters all of the different aspects of the topic of “soul.”

The book begins with his experience of a past life regression, his own spiritual journey and addresses those he calls “materialists.” This first chapter lays the groundwork for the rest of the book. In subsequent chapters he addresses particular topics that include near death experiences, children’s past lives, hypnotic regression/progression, past life reviews, life plans and choices, Karma and spirit possession.

This is a book you will recommend easily to those who wish to know more about the soul; those who are more open to information based on fact and reason. I believe this book will appeal to those who question things of faith because there is not scientific evidence, no way to methodically prove it is a reality.

I highly recommend that anyone who wishes to educate as well as help heal souls invest in this book. The book is currently available only through Ian’s website, www.ianlawton.com .