Paths Beyond Ego: The Transpersonal Vision (New Consciousness Reader)

Rating:
Summary: One of the best "New Consciousness" books
Review: An outstanding book on the subject of transpersonal psychology. This is a collection of essays from the leaders in the field. I Especially enjoyed the articles by Ken Wilber (of course) and Roger Walsh

Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Introduction to a Hopeful Vision of Humanity
Review: I love this book and am glad to see it has passed the test of twenty years of use. I found its first incarnation as "Beyond Ego," a wonderful distillation of transpersonal psychology and consciousness research, and am happy to recommend what is now a completely rewritten, updated, and even better version to clients and friends today. I appreciate writing that makes learning easy, and the current "Paths Beyond Ego" succinctly introduces its readers to the key ideas of more than thirty five of the most influential thinkers in the field, thus saving the effort of wading through the hundreds of original texts.

Although easy to read, this is a rigorous work that integrates scientific and psychological thinking with the spiritual traditions to create a comprehensive transpersonal vision of the highest possibilities of what human beings can be. The media is full of the wonders of physical technology, while this book offers a much needed counterbalance by examining the less commonly known wonders of psychospiritual technology. One of the most interesting questions this book explores is how something non physical like spirituality can be studied with scientific rigor rather than being left adrift in the realms of arbitrary belief, superstition, and dogma.

"Paths Beyond Ego" examines some of the major ideas, practices, goals, and experiences, that underlie the spiritual traditions and the new discipline of transpersonal psychology. It does this in a non-denominational way that avoids getting lost in the beliefs and details of any particular path or religion. The editors paint a broad interdisciplinary overview of what leading researchers of consciousness are exploring today, including; personal growth, transpersonal psychotherapy, spiritual emergency, addiction, meditation, enlightenment, gurus, lucid dreaming, psychedelics, science and spirituality, ethics, philosophy, mysticism, love, near death experiences, service, and ecology.

I have used this book as an introductory text for university undergraduates, who rated it highly, as well as an introduction to transpersonal thinking for "growth oriented" therapy clients. I have also recommended it to corporate managers and trainers who wanted a quick overview of how "normal every day consciousness" can be developed by practice into much more effective "higher states of consciousness" through self awareness, self transcendence, and ultimately, enlightenment.

For those who find the gems in this collection of fifty essays engaging and want to go deeper, you will have both the "big picture" and a reading list with which to select among authors and longer works that will take you there. In this field, theory is only proven by personal application of the understanding it offers, so if you are inspired by the possibilities of inner exploration, and ready to move beyond theory into actual exercises and practices, Dr. Walsh's newest book, "Essential Spirituality," is an excellently written, user friendly, and highly recommended place to start. (Recommended by Wilber, Grof, Tart, Ram Dass, Jampolsky, Arrien, and other leaders in the field, with a forward by the Dalai Lama.)

Rating:
Summary: Great book on transpersonal Psychology
Review: This book is a wonderful series of essays for those of us interested in transpersonal experiences. It was very inspiring and helped me experientially get closer to transcendence. The richness in content comes from many people discussing the transpersonal experience from many different perspectives. I'd highly recommend this book. Another book on transpersonal psychology I'd recommend is "The Ever-Transcending Spirit" by Toru Sato. It is the best book that explains what transcendence really means! It explains these things in a way that everyone can understand! Both books are excellent!

Rating:
Summary: Clear Writing, Heh
Review: This book is touted as linking "us to the timeless wisdom of the ages." Its wisdom is about the equivalent of a cow patty splatting on a flat rock. Seriously, it's highly academic and seems to me designed to be read by phd types who are researching a thesis. Anyway, I couldn't finish it. I wanted how-to and got endless "erudite" discussion of well, something like the old theme of how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. But no methodology for "doing" anything but sputter.
Robert