Review of The Unbound Soul

[Bethany Kroeger]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Unbound Soul" by Richard L. Haight.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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If you do not want to change your view on life after reading The Unbound Soul by Richard L. Haight, you are not being honest with yourself. What a transformative journey! Haight’s memoir gives you the tools needed to consciously shift your focus inward throughout your daily life and awaken your heart and mind to all the areas of the brain neglected, therefore bringing liberation. Haight’s story begins as a child; he begins having visions (which at eight years old had to be decently disturbing) that he not only takes seriously but then begins his lifelong quest for truth. Along the way, he shares many personal stories about his spiritual journey and all he did to arrive at the place of complete awareness he is at now. He focuses on separating the mind (the source of suffering) and consciousness and instructs you on how to go about this through meditation, prayer, and chanting to enhance your perception of the world. Once one can accomplish this, freedom can occur. His mission is to help others begin their spiritual unfoldment and apply it to their lives. If one was unfamiliar with these concepts before reading this memoir, Haight does an admirable job instructing how to have the best spiritual awakening possible.

As someone who struggles to focus inward, The Unbound Soul was like a breath of fresh air to my weary spirit. It challenged me and made me want to acknowledge parts of my life that I have ignored for far too long, regardless of how difficult they were to relive or accept. The memoir is broken up into four sections, which I appreciate because it allowed me to pause after each part and look at how I was affected by what I was reading. It also made for an easier read that way. One thing I learned to do was engage my senses fully, especially during meditation. I have tried to meditate in the way multiple acquaintances have succeeded but to no avail. I found his methods (especially The Warrior’s Meditation) easy to follow and can now say I better understand the difference between mind and consciousness.

What I wrestled with was all the terminology! Granted, Haight does his job well, as his concepts and ideologies are clearly labeled, so that is not my complaint. My issue is with all the different, unique terms he created to describe his ideologies. I have a degree in psychology and am no stranger to uncommon terms, but even I had a hard time with words such as insperience, unfoldment, and Isness. In his mission to help the reader progress through their spiritual unfoldment, he almost includes too much information at once in many of the chapters, especially the ones on how to have your own awakening experience. One must slow down and try to make sense of the point he is trying to get across. I found myself having to take many breaks and reread many paragraphs.

I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. I did not find much fault with this memoir; it seemed professionally edited, making it a pleasant read for me, as I was not having to mentally correct sentence structure and spelling the entire time. I cannot give it a perfect rating due to my opinion on the amount of information he packed into choice chapters and some of the terminology. Overall it is worth your consideration and time if you are looking for a jumpstart to your spirituality.

If you are like me and struggle to dive into the depths of your mind and consciousness, you will want to give your soul a gift and read this book. If you are not interested in having a spiritual awakening or shifting your view on life, this book is not for you. The whole purpose of this memoir is to guide you on your path to being complete and the best person possible.

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The Unbound Soul
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