Official Review: The Unbound Soul by Richard L. Haight [March 2019 Book of the Month]

kislany · Post by **kislany** » 23 May 2018, 02:21

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Unbound Soul" by Richard L. Haight.]

4 out of 4 stars

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The Unbound Soul by Richard L. Haight is a self-help book that guides readers towards finding their own spiritual ways in life.

The first part of the book is the author’s autobiography, which details his early life that defined his current path. It starts with his childhood years, which were pretty average by any normal standards, right until he had a strange, mythical experience through a dream in which he met Jesus. This was an encounter that altered the course of Richard’s entire life. In the dream, Jesus told him to “find my bones for they are the core of my teachings,” and ever since that early dream, Richard has been on a quest to fulfill that long-given promise.

The narrative is engaging, humorous, and inspirational. There are many anecdotes that highlight the points the author is making in each chapter. One such example is an incident where he was about to be mugged. The way he turned the situation to his advantage was nothing short of spectacular (and no, it didn’t involve any fight at all).

While he was still in the U.S., Richard went on a vision quest, something he felt he had to do. Once he went through it, he understood he had to further those spiritual insights he had just gained. Thus, his path took him to the Amazon to live for a while with a local tribe, then to Japan, where he learned and also taught martial arts, then to the U.S. again, always going where he knew he was needed as a spiritual seeker and teacher.

As the author walks us through the journey of his life, he sprinkles the pages with spiritual teachings we can all take home to implement in our own transformation journey. Richard teaches us about consciousness, about a particular meditation technique called Observation Meditation, and a strange dance he practices called Dance of Self to restore harmony in one’s environment. He is also teaching Shinkaido, a unique training method that combines martial arts with healing.

In each guiding chapter, the author gives us instructional exercises, some of which are easy to do at home (some are even common-sense, such as tips about what to eat and what not to eat, exercise for health, and meditation), and some that are not as easy without personal coaching.

Everyone has their own opinion on what spirituality means to them. For some, it’s straight-up Christian religion. For others, it’s something closer to what some people call New Age; yet for others, like Richard L. Haight, it’s taking the best of every teaching and applying it to oneself. Religious people might shake their heads at some of the author’s comments about reincarnation, which is not part of the Western religious teachings. In return, people who believe in reincarnation but don’t believe in a God, and in Heaven and Hell, might raise their eyebrows at the author’s mention and belief in those.

So the book might ruffle a few feathers. Yet, there is something for everyone in it. You don’t have to agree with all its points to take the lessons you need to apply to your own life.

For example, I rather subscribe to Michael Newton’s theories about the afterlife, however, I was so intrigued by the author’s meditation technique that I decided to research it more in-depth so I can start practicing it at home. Also, I can’t see myself dancing wildly at home to banish negativity, but I am already eating cleaner foods by avoiding sugar and eating a balanced diet devoid of hydrogenated fats.

Overall, while I don’t agree fully with every single point the author makes in the book, there is enough for me to ponder on for a long time. There are many lessons that are worth implementing.

One of my biggest surprises about the book is that for a self-published manuscript it is devoid of grammatical errors. I only found a single punctuation error throughout the entire text. Also, The Unbound Soul is a well-structured book where the main message comes through clearly, using easy words accessible to everyone. It is really a pleasure to read. Thus, I give the book 4 out of 4 stars and recommend it to anyone who needs spiritual guidance, to people who love reading self-help and spiritual books, and to those who aspire to reach their own inner freedom.

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The Unbound Soul
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gen_g · Post by **gen_g** » 24 May 2018, 00:38

Thank you for the detailed review! It sounds like a really inspirational read, and sounds similar to a book I reviewed titled Tears in His Bottle. I love it when books are well-structured with few grammatical errors, and it seems like this book is exactly it.

Aliyuoniye · Post by **Aliyuoniye** » 24 May 2018, 07:01

wow this review is good. I like it because I love anything adventures.

Post by **kandscreeley** » 24 May 2018, 07:41

In a book such as this, I think it's good that the author gives a bit of an introduction of who he is. I think it strengthens his position for the other half of the book. I'm glad you enjoyed it, but it still doesn't sound like something for me. Thanks so much, though.

emmkus · Post by **emmkus** » 24 May 2018, 08:44

Spectacular review of the book. the author should keep doing more great works. I enjoy reading book that inspired oneself.

JJNP · Post by **JJNP** » 24 May 2018, 11:10

Thanks for the review, I have put the book on my 'Want to read' list.

NL Hartje · Post by **NL Hartje** » 24 May 2018, 19:35

kislany wrote: ↑23 May 2018, 02:21 Everyone has their own opinion on what spirituality means to them. For some, it’s straight-up Christian religion. For others, it’s something closer to what some people call New Age; yet for others, like Richard L. Haight, it’s taking the best of every teaching and applying it to oneself.

I love this synopsis you've put together. I agree that we each have our own personally meaningful beliefs and I am glad for them because they make my friends who they are.

I would like to think I'm a bit like Haight though. Just because I was raised staunchly Catholic, and take my children to Catholic mass now (even if it is more for the sense of tradition and community than the teachings), I hope that as an educated woman I can acknowledge the faults in my own faith and embrace the beauties in others; for me, those beauties are found particularly in eastern religions.

Libs_Books · Post by **Libs_Books** » 25 May 2018, 13:23

This sounds like a really helpful book - I particularly like the sound of Observation Meditation. Thanks for your review - I'm glad you've been able to get some benefit from the author's suggestions.

Tega_melisa · Post by **Tega_melisa** » 26 May 2018, 10:01

I love that the author gave his life experience on how he found jesus and his life afterwards...for people out there struggling this book will surely help them spiritually....

crediblereading2 · Post by **crediblereading2** » 28 May 2018, 09:16

Thank you for your thorough review. This book sounds really inspirational as it contains all the valuable lessons in life that we need for our spiritual progression.

Eckhart Aurelius Hughes · Post by **Scott** » 01 Jun 2018, 14:01

I am posting the following clarification from the author:

Richard L. Haight wrote:Apologies. I don't say I believe in God, although I certainly mention God, but more in the sense that what I had read of God as compared with the experience of the consciousness of All that Is.

I stated that as I child I believed in God, but that was in the context of having that belief destroyed by an experience of the consciousness of All that Is, which I call Isness (for it simply IS).

Isness is not bound by any specific religion or specific form (female/Male), or any particular belief, although it runs through all specific things. What I describe in the book is an experience - not a belief.

My concern is that a misrepresentation about my beliefs could cause people to purchase a book that is not fit for them, which would be an awful shame.

Suzy1611 · Post by **Suzy1611** » 22 Jun 2018, 22:33

What a inspirational dream. With superlative teaching, and self-help guidance. Thank you for a very good
review.

Michael Lilly · Post by **Michael Lilly** » 02 Jul 2018, 01:03

While I appreciate that the book was well-written, my understanding of its content (both from this official review and from the book's advertisement) makes it a book I could not recommend to anyone. I am wary of anyone promoting "spiritual guidance" that is not plugged into a community of faith (whether this be Christian (my preference) any of the other major living religious traditions) because that person will inevitably lack any objective spiritual accountability to the larger group, which makes their teaching difficult to evaluate. I am also wary of individuals and books that promote a syncretic religious/"spiritual" path, because they tend to take the various traditions that they amalgamate out of their intended contexts and thus make their insights meaningless. I understand that the author felt called to write this book, I am just unable to accept, much less condone his position.

I am impressed at the review itself though; far from just rehashing what's in the book, the reviewer took the time to research elements of the book and the author, and then add them into the review.

Charlaigne · Post by **Charlaigne** » 02 Jul 2018, 07:23

Things that make you go hmm... I'm interested to see what's in the book that is worth a ponder. I like reading about others' spiritual insights and viewpoints. Doesn't mean I have to agree with them, it just interests me how people think. Each to their own, I'd say.

This book popped up in my emails from a Facebook group so maybe I'll have to add this to my list.