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Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating for the genre
Review: I discovered the Monroe Institute in the early 80's, and have taken the hemi-synch training and have eagerly read the several books penned by Robert Monroe. Recently, there have been a number of books by Monroe "graduates", including this interesting series. My thoughts after reading the first 3 Moen books(in what promises to be a continuing series of adventures)? I do not regret the purchase and time spent to read the books, although I view them almost purely as metaphorical rather than literal recitations of experiences in other levels of realities (known as focus levels). This particular edition struck me as a bit "over the top" in terms of its assertions, some of which seemed to mirror relatively classic New Age cliches (e.g., we are facing a millenial shift with horrendous earth changes, the earth is actually enshrined within a grid of energies projected by a crystaline center, aliens are here to watch THE GATHERING....). One quick question to anyone else who has read the book: Moen asserts at one point that the crystaline iron core of the earth acts as a Spiritual Gravity to pull spirit beings into various so-called astral levels around the earth, e.g., when your body dies, you end up on a level surrounding the earth that fits your consciousness level. Well, this is all very charming as a concept, but might become quite anacronistic in the 21st century if humankind ventures into the cosmos. What happens if you die between Saturn and Neptune or on the way to Alpha Centauri? Does your soul get sucked into the vortex of the nearest physical heavenly body? This sounds more like something from the middle ages than 21st century spiritual thought. The idea that our spiritual selves are somehow dragged into a semi-physical location around physical planets after death seems very peculiar to me, although I am good natured enough to shrug and let it go. Like another reviewer, I was truly bored to distraction by Moen's description of his various out-of-body leaping exercises which were meant to teach him some great cosmic truths (just tell me what they were Moen, I don't need continual calistenics descriptions). I also was not impressed with his out-of-body sexual encounters, all with the obvious fact (at least to a gay man like me! ) that we each include both male and female aspects. Big deal. Get used to it (perhaps to Moen, a straight man, this was a cosmic revelation. I will be kind). In fact, much of the book's supposed mystery and revelation was very predictable, like a network made-for-TV movie (where they must keep the surprises rather simple!). Moen has a strategy of writing where he introduces mysterious strangers, the identity of which is later revealed. Unfortunately for any sense of mystery, it is often quite obvious to the reader who these strangers are (and their significance) long before Moen himself supposedly realizes it (yawn). All in all, the books are worth the reasonable price, but (if I can be allowed a few words of advice), don't take all this stuff literally. I don't really picture the great mystery beyond death to be a slightly souped up mechanized version of the Willie Wonka Chocolate Factory (e.g., numerous cheerful to cranky guides taking Moen around various educational and planning centers for the universe...although I was amused by his chat with an astral dolphin. At times, I thought about the only "over the top" character missing was Dr. Smith from LOST IN SPACE. Will the next edition include a lovely chat with Princess Diana perhaps? I will have to leave it up to the Monroe Institute to tell us if Moen was really such an intimate friend of Bob and Nancy Monroe that they would continually visit with him after their deaths, and in fact assert that he was part of their overall soul being (rather bleakly described as a huge "disk" in the books). Enjoy the books as a great addition to the genre, but hold them loosely, OK? This area needs no new dogmas, although there is always room for anecdotal fun stories like Moen's.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating for the genre
Review: I discovered the Monroe Institute in the early 80's, and have taken the hemi-synch training and have eagerly read the several books penned by Robert Monroe. Recently, there have been a number of books by Monroe "graduates", including this interesting series. My thoughts after reading the first 3 Moen books(in what promises to be a continuing series of adventures)? I do not regret the purchase and time spent to read the books, although I view them almost purely as metaphorical rather than literal recitations of experiences in other levels of realities (known as focus levels). This particular edition struck me as a bit "over the top" in terms of its assertions, some of which seemed to mirror relatively classic New Age cliches (e.g., we are facing a millenial shift with horrendous earth changes, the earth is actually enshrined within a grid of energies projected by a crystaline center, aliens are here to watch THE GATHERING....). One quick question to anyone else who has read the book: Moen asserts at one point that the crystaline iron core of the earth acts as a Spiritual Gravity to pull spirit beings into various so-called astral levels around the earth, e.g., when your body dies, you end up on a level surrounding the earth that fits your consciousness level. Well, this is all very charming as a concept, but might become quite anacronistic in the 21st century if humankind ventures into the cosmos. What happens if you die between Saturn and Neptune or on the way to Alpha Centauri? Does your soul get sucked into the vortex of the nearest physical heavenly body? This sounds more like something from the middle ages than 21st century spiritual thought. The idea that our spiritual selves are somehow dragged into a semi-physical location around physical planets after death seems very peculiar to me, although I am good natured enough to shrug and let it go. Like another reviewer, I was truly bored to distraction by Moen's description of his various out-of-body leaping exercises which were meant to teach him some great cosmic truths (just tell me what they were Moen, I don't need continual calistenics descriptions). I also was not impressed with his out-of-body sexual encounters, all with the obvious fact (at least to a gay man like me! ) that we each include both male and female aspects. Big deal. Get used to it (perhaps to Moen, a straight man, this was a cosmic revelation. I will be kind). In fact, much of the book's supposed mystery and revelation was very predictable, like a network made-for-TV movie (where they must keep the surprises rather simple!). Moen has a strategy of writing where he introduces mysterious strangers, the identity of which is later revealed. Unfortunately for any sense of mystery, it is often quite obvious to the reader who these strangers are (and their significance) long before Moen himself supposedly realizes it (yawn). All in all, the books are worth the reasonable price, but (if I can be allowed a few words of advice), don't take all this stuff literally. I don't really picture the great mystery beyond death to be a slightly souped up mechanized version of the Willie Wonka Chocolate Factory (e.g., numerous cheerful to cranky guides taking Moen around various educational and planning centers for the universe...although I was amused by his chat with an astral dolphin. At times, I thought about the only "over the top" character missing was Dr. Smith from LOST IN SPACE. Will the next edition include a lovely chat with Princess Diana perhaps? I will have to leave it up to the Monroe Institute to tell us if Moen was really such an intimate friend of Bob and Nancy Monroe that they would continually visit with him after their deaths, and in fact assert that he was part of their overall soul being (rather bleakly described as a huge "disk" in the books). Enjoy the books as a great addition to the genre, but hold them loosely, OK? This area needs no new dogmas, although there is always room for anecdotal fun stories like Moen's.
Rating: 
Summary: The Plot Thickens and Gets Deeeep!
Review: Ok, having voraciously read the first book, Voyages into the Unknown, and sort of plodded through the second one, Voyage Beyond Doubt (a slight mis-lead, as Bruce continues to doubt on occasion), all I can say is WHOW about this book. Bruce continues his mechanistic perceptions of what happens "over there." As a mechanical engineer, I would expect him to describe in certain details the machine-like aspects of the various functionalities of how things work, in reference to The Coordinating Intelligences, the Entry Director and the Planning Center. What this gives me, is a mechanistic approach to how things are done. But what I am wondering is if this is how certain spiritual things which are beyond our comprehension are brought into comprehension for Bruce. What I am saying here is that these spiritual "functions" may not be as they appeared to Bruce, but in order for Bruce to understand what he was experiencing, it was made to appear as he experienced it...thus, if it were you or me experiencing these things...would we experience them just as Bruce did? Just because our experience is "different" does not lessen the value of how Bruce perceived these things. What is important, is that they DO exist, however they are truely carried out in whatever reality they really exist in. God continuously makes for us what is incomprehensible, comprehensible to the extent that we may perceive in some fashion, at our own level of spiritual development, what IS. Therefore, I do not doubt what Bruce experienced, I only wonder if a different individual would perceive the same functionalities differently, depending upon level of understanding and level of spiritual development in context of soul development. What I did find very tedious was the jumping exercizes with White Bear, which gave me little relevance and sort of bored me to death. Bruce could have shortened his extensive discourse on this, and gotten down to the facts a little bit quicker. What I found most strange, was The Earth Core Crystal thing, and the necessity to boomerange one's soul into a higher focus level (readers who are unfamiliar, read book 1!). This was so that Bruce and others could contact the aliens who didn't know what emotion was. I found this part to be incredulous, considering that I believe God creates everything as a reflection of God, including aliens...though I cannot say for sure that God has not experimented with creating alternate beings NOT of God's personal image and likeness who may not possess the essential qualities of emotion. I am one of those people who believe God in God's Absolute Condition is Pure Unconditional Love. Therefore, its very hard for me to imagine God creating beings who lack any concept whatsoever of emotion and need to learn it from us earthbound souls. The alien races were here to witness a massive deathkill of humanity...so we are lead to believe, but instead, came away stunned with first contact with the experience of LOVE! Bruce calls this, the GroupGathering...a group of alien races gathered here to witness the massive deathkill (so they think) or massive reduction of the human race. I cannot say that this will not happen in my reality of experience here as the future is yet to unfold, and obviously, our world is headed for serious ecological turmoil as portended by the Climatologists. I am a little doubtful that its necessary to boomerang ourselves to get to higher spiritual levels. TM in purest form of "I" allows for migration to the higher spiritual planes. I am thinking that the entire Monroe Method is designed to investigate the low and medium level astral planes immediately adjacent to Earth...while not being able to explore the higher relms of purer, lighter spirit. I knew all along that Bruce was going to discover that the other lady was merely his feminine self expressed...what took so long Bruce for you to realize that Spirit can express as either male of female? There was no mention of reincarnation in this series...once again, a serious lack of interpretation in regard to the Divine and the purpose of the development of the Soul. While I consider these three books to be highly valuable in terms of their contribution to the enlightenment of who we are, I find the lack of context to the Divine and to the Soul to be a drawback. Bruce, you need to get into these areas to fully explain what its really all about that you are doing and experiencing! In Spirit, there is no room for agnosticism. I look forward to Book 4, I hope it leaves out the tedious exercizes of jumping and other such things, and gets more into what is actually SEEN. My grade is A- for this book, A+ for effort
Rating:
Summary: five stars
Review: This is the third book in an evolving story of afterlife adventures with Bruce Moen. Skillfully explained without interpretive fluff. He tells it like it is and explains the structure of the Afterlife like no one else. The first two books explain how he came about his abilities to percieve the afterlife and are well worth the read. This third one is where the fun begins! Keep a look out for his fourth book where he gets an extensive look within the Afterlife with tour guide the late Robert A. Monroe.
Rating:
Summary: Voyages Into The Afterlife
Review: Voyages Into the Afterlife, by Bruce Moen, is the third book in his Exploring the Afterlife series. The series is a continuing account of his exploration into non-physical realms, which he began in 1992. Moen, who studies with the Monroe Institute in Virginia, first learned "retrieval," which is helping people who have recently died and need assistance with moving fully into the Afterlife. Once he learned the basics, he began serious exploration, the fascinating details of which he describes in this book. In his out-of-body, or non-physical form, Moen travels to the center of the Earth, where he enters the "earth-core crystal," as well to the far reaches of the Universe. He also meets with other non-physical beings, some from outer space and some from Earth. Some beings are previously deceased humans, while others are the out-of-body manifestations of still-living humans. Wherever he travels, and whomever he contacts, one message is emphasized again and again to Moen: that "pure, unconditional love" is the center of all existence. He speculates that the upcoming "Earth Changes" will initiate an unimaginably powerful infusion of pure, unconditional love that could change humankind forever. Moen says that his explorations have shown that the Afterlife provides an "opportunity to live in complete freedom" after we die. He also says that you don't have to take his word for it, that "you can explore There yourself and learn from your own direct experience. There you might discover not just hope, but also knowledge" which can erase the fear of death. Voyages Into the Afterlife, along with the first two volumes in the series, belong on the shelves of every reader curious about what exists beyond the physical world.
Rating:
Summary: Voyages Into The Afterlife
Review: Voyages Into the Afterlife, by Bruce Moen, is the third book in his Exploring the Afterlife series. The series is a continuing account of his exploration into non-physical realms, which he began in 1992. Moen, who studies with the Monroe Institute in Virginia, first learned "retrieval," which is helping people who have recently died and need assistance with moving fully into the Afterlife. Once he learned the basics, he began serious exploration, the fascinating details of which he describes in this book. In his out-of-body, or non-physical form, Moen travels to the center of the Earth, where he enters the "earth-core crystal," as well to the far reaches of the Universe. He also meets with other non-physical beings, some from outer space and some from Earth. Some beings are previously deceased humans, while others are the out-of-body manifestations of still-living humans. Wherever he travels, and whomever he contacts, one message is emphasized again and again to Moen: that "pure, unconditional love" is the center of all existence. He speculates that the upcoming "Earth Changes" will initiate an unimaginably powerful infusion of pure, unconditional love that could change humankind forever. Moen says that his explorations have shown that the Afterlife provides an "opportunity to live in complete freedom" after we die. He also says that you don't have to take his word for it, that "you can explore There yourself and learn from your own direct experience. There you might discover not just hope, but also knowledge" which can erase the fear of death. Voyages Into the Afterlife, along with the first two volumes in the series, belong on the shelves of every reader curious about what exists beyond the physical world.
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