Reunions

Rating:
Summary: Talking To The Dead 101
Review: Dr. Moody describes simple instructions on how to communicate with a deceased loved one. In a nutshell, he recommends sitting before a mirror in a darkened room and gently gazing into the "empty space" beyond the glass and before long...gulp...you will see a mist develop, and perhaps a face from the other side. I've made several weak attempts at this, but am too afraid I may invite a bad presence into my home. Dr. Moody's numerous anecdotes have frightened me way too much to give it a try.

Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly Informative!
Review: I bought this book sight unseen, on the strength of one of Raymond Moody's previous books that I had read and loved, many years ago, Life After Life. I was hoping for more of the same, and was quite surprised to find that this book is not at all about reincarnation, but about mirror-gazing. This was not something I was initially interested in, but having liked his previous book so much, and having paid for this book, I decided to persevere. I'm glad I did. It was a very worthwhile read.

Being new to this subject, I knew absolutely nothing about it before. More than half of the book is devoted to the HISTORY of mirror gazing in various cultures, throughout time. I didn't even know that there had been a history. One of the most fascinating parts was reading all about the ancient Greek oracles, and how they had worked. I had heard of the Oracles, but previously just imagined they had some kind of fortune-teller. Actually, it was quite complicated. People consulting the Oracles had to undergo a month of preparation, in near total darkness. Then there was a huge, underground metal mirror that they were taken to consult, in which they then had visions. Moody and his wife visited the remains of one of the Oracles, and he describes his trip there, and how he was able to find all the various parts of the oracle chambers.

Moody describes how mirror gazing was a well-accepted diversion during the Middle Ages, and before, in almost every culture, and how it went out with the rise of science, especially after 1900. Even the American Indians had a form of mirror gazing which they practiced. Different cultures had different ways of gazing to try to conjure spirits, including looking into water, looking at shiny silver cups or mugs, and gazing into crystal balls (mentioned only briefly).

The most fascinating historical information was a description of how the Xhosa (pronounded Khosa) people of South Africa, in 1856, after fighting many unsuccessful battles with the British, gazed into the river, and saw the spiritis of six dead ancestors. These ancestors convinced the whole tribe that if they would sacrifice all of their cattle to the ancestors, that the ancestors would come back to life, and lead them to a victory over the British. I asked someone I know from South Africa if they had ever heard of this, and they had not, but they suggested to me that I check on the internet. I did, and found MANY references to The Great Cattle Killing of 1856-1857, in which because of the visions seen in the river, they killed ALL of their cattle, AND did not plant their crops. Apparently, the British even tried to stop them. However, they didn't listen, and the subsequent year, 20,000 Xhosa starved to death.

After aquainting the reader with the complete history of mirror gazing, Moody tries to research the practice scientifically. He builds a chamber in which to mirror gaze, following the same methods he has researched from historical cultures. He chooses a number of people, who fit certain criteria-such as being professional, well-balanced, no belief in metaphysics, and lastly, having a relative or friend who has died that they would like to see again, if it were possible. He then has them follow a preparation procedure similar to what the ancients did-although he devised his chamber and preparation from a melange of historical research, synthesizing his own ritual to experiment with. Before he started, he was expecting a very low success ratio, if any success at all. To his surprise, about 50 percent of the subjects reported communication. A number of interesting case histories are included in the book.

Lastly, he gives the reader good directions, and suggestions, as to how they can pursue mirror gazing, if they are interested in trying it on their own.

I would not recommend this book to the average reader. However, if you are interested in mirror-gazing, or a person of a very open scientific mind, this book will interest you. I think Moody has done a careful, scientific study, and presented his findings.




Rating:
Summary: An interesting read
Review: I decided to give this book a try a couple months after the passing of my father. His image never appeared to me in the mirror, and I had no success whatsoever for several nights. Then one night after having been unsuccessful at the mirror gazing, I had the most memorable dream of my life. I'm a little shy to admit this, but the dream was lit up by a bright shining light and telepathic communication. It was better than any sci-fi movie. To this day I keep asking mysyelf, "Was it really just a dream?" Anyway, different strokes for different folks. Judging from the reviews, this is a book you'll either love or hate. I enjoyed it very much.

Rating:
Summary: Too far out to be believed
Review: I found the book very interesting, but don't believe anyone is meeting the dead. At best, some kind of optical illusion or hallucination may be happening. At worst, its a hoax. Has anyone in 'the theater of the mind' tried to summon a living person? I found the book, 'Life After Life', spiritually strengthing. This book has the opposite effect and even casts doubt on the credibility of the author's earlier books.

Rating:
Summary: This Book Is Worth The Read
Review: I needed to write this review after some previous comments here first held me back from buying the book. Eventually I decided to find out for myself: The book is not as bad as some readers make it sound.

Dr. Moody wrote this book with the same careful approach, and after extensive research into this matter, as he wrote 'Life After Life'. The fact that some readers feel turned off by the use of mirrors does not necessarily speak against Dr. Moody, as there were many famous people in history who used the same techniques. Discrediting Dr. Moody more or less only means to blame the messenger for the news.

I came to read these books after I had lost my beloved wife to cancer. Since there were so many lose ends and since I wasn't with her at the time of her death, I really got sick of grief and of blaming myself for leaving her alone during her final hour. My doctor helped my body and my mind by prescribing antidepressants, and these books eventually cured my soul. I needed to have some 'proof' that my wife was not gone forever, and I desperately wanted to contact her to clear up the misunderstandings at her final hour.

George Anderson's conversations with the other side in 'We Don't Die' and Dr. Moody's 'Life After Life' were as convincing as can be that there actually is life after death. My next step then was to contact my late wife.

Whether someone actually wants to communicate with a departed loved-one, or whether someone reads this book to heal his soul, it actually makes no difference. After I was done reading, I felt that there was no more need to contact my late wife. Dr. Moody's reports of the many successful sessions and the conversations held with the departed loved-ones showed me that there are more important things in the afterlife than some minor misunderstandings. And to cure one's soul, this book is well worth the read.

But if someone really wants to have contact with departed loved-ones, Dr. Moody's very high success rate with these sessions seems to prove the fact that there is more to this than just gimmicks and mirror tricks. The reason I might give his book a rating of only 4 is that Dr. Moody, in my opinion, sometimes got a bit too carried away and too excited about the surprisingly high success rate and the outcome of his studies, but that certainly is understandable...

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Rating:
Summary: Valuable for those willing to push the envelope
Review: I was surprised at the few poor reviews, and can only suggest that people who don't like this well-written, courageous and informative book are those who are consciously or unconsciously afraid of the unknown, don't trust people who aren't, or who need a narrower definition of reality to feel secure. That is fine for them, but this book deserves a more open minded look. It is an unusual topic and as such is certainly not for everyone. But Reunions is well balanced between science and the mystical, and Moody's generous and well thought out suggestions for reproducing the experiences he reports offer hope for those who are interested in what can be a healing if not mind-expanding experience. Moody goes out on a limb here and I applaud him for doing it, and doing it so well. This book should be considered a classic in its field, and one I a glad to have on my bookshelf. I have recommended it to many.

Rating:
Summary: This Book Is Worth The Read
Review: I was very disappointed, after having just read Life After Life, a book I found particularly uplifting. Since I find mirror gazing, and crystal balls, on the same level as Ouija boards, I didn't find this book especially awe inspiring. As a matter of fact, I struggled to finish it.

Rating:
Summary: Sorry, No Mirrors, Please
Review: I was very disappointed, after having just read Life After Life, a book I found particularly uplifting. Since I find mirror gazing, and crystal balls, on the same level as Ouija boards, I didn't find this book especially awe inspiring. As a matter of fact, I struggled to finish it.

Rating:
Summary: Historical reunions - Moody set a course for a happy future.
Review: Raymond Moody, one of the fathers of the modern-day metaphysical resurgence continues to share his learned insight through this book, Reunions. Life After Life, Moody's preliminary look into the afterlife was expanded in Reunions by Moody's look into the use of the Psychomantium both historically and currently.

After covering The Nature of Visions in Chapter I, Moody gives a quick and informative review of not only the Greek's use of their underground psychomantiums in Chapter II, Gazing Through History, he also delightfully touches on other gazing forefathers such as the Tungus shamans in Siberia with their copper mirrors, the Malagasy of Madagascar, the Pawnee Indians of North America, the Africans of Fez, and the Nkomis tribe of Cap Lopez to name a few.

After grounding the reader in the history of gazing, Moody shares his own experience in selecting property and adapting a gristmill in Alabama into his own therapeutic psychomantium. He relays personal experiences as well as those of his visitors/patients and left this reader with the impression that the use of a psychomantium, wisely done and well directed, could easily lead to lessening of grief and an increase of spiritual insight. Thank you, Dr. Moody.

Rating:
Summary: Historical reunions - Moody set a course for a happy future.
Review: Raymond Moody, one of the fathers of the modern-day metaphysical resurgence continues to share his learned insight through this book, Reunions. Life After Life, Moody's preliminary look into the afterlife was expanded in Reunions by Moody's look into the use of the Psychomantium both historically and currently.

After covering The Nature of Visions in Chapter I, Moody gives a quick and informative review of not only the Greek's use of their underground psychomantiums in Chapter II, Gazing Through History, he also delightfully touches on other gazing forefathers such as the Tungus shamans in Siberia with their copper mirrors, the Malagasy of Madagascar, the Pawnee Indians of North America, the Africans of Fez, and the Nkomis tribe of Cap Lopez to name a few.

After grounding the reader in the history of gazing, Moody shares his own experience in selecting property and adapting a gristmill in Alabama into his own therapeutic psychomantium. He relays personal experiences as well as those of his visitors/patients and left this reader with the impression that the use of a psychomantium, wisely done and well directed, could easily lead to lessening of grief and an increase of spiritual insight. Thank you, Dr. Moody.