Review: Higher Self Now! by William & Susan Buhlman

Review: Higher Self Now!

by William Buhlman & Susan Buhlman

I took a few months' hiatus from my blog to enjoy a very active autumn. Now I'm starting to pick up the torch again. While December may be busy, I expect to be more active with my blog starting in January.

Today I'm reviewing Higher Self Now!: Accelerating Your Spiritual Evolution by one of my favorite out-of-body experience authors, William Buhlman, and his wife Susan. Buhlman was kind enough to send me a copy of the book so I could review it. What's funny is that he sent me an email a few days later apologizing for spelling and grammar problems, and assuring me his publisher would correct them. Surprisingly, I found very few errors in the text. Sure, there were a few, but that's not uncommon, and certainly not enough to warrant an email.

This book, in a nutshell, is about preparing for your final out-of-body experience: physical death. Death is a subject most of us don't want to face, but as a major life event, it's important to prepare and plan for it. OBEs are the perfect tool to prepare for the journey into the afterlife.

The book is split into two parts. The first part was written by William Buhlman, and it's mainly about using OBEs, meditation, affirmations and techniques to prepare for death, with a goal of merging with your Higher Self. The second part was written by his wife, Susan Buhlman, who served as a hospice worker. It's about hospice and dealing with the terminally ill and the death of others (and your own death).

Each chapter has an inspirational quote, and they're really good. Perhaps my favorite is the very first quote in chapter 1:

"If you want to awaken all of humanity, then awaken yourself.
If you want to eliminate the suffering in the world, then eliminate
all that is dark and negative in yourself.
Truly, the greatest gift you have to give is that of your own self-transformation." --Lao Tzu

But hey, I've always loved Taoist philosophy, and read texts like the Tao Te Ching many times.

In chapter 1, Buhlman talks about the importance of self-transformation, awakening, and how important OBEs and self-discovery are in that journey. Here's a quote I liked:

"This awakening becomes a pivotal turning point in your life. You are no longer satisfied with the status quo. You quickly discover that it can be difficult to express your driving need for answers when your family and friends have remained content to follow the established beliefs and rituals of their childhood. Many find that their loved ones don't share their burning desire for self-knowledge and soon realize that their quest is an individual path of discovery. And so begins the most important exploration of your life." (pg 6-7)

 So true. And another:

"Spiritual awakening is an individual experience. There are no leaders or followers, just you and your drive for self-discovery. It may be helpful to study the practices of others, but then make a commitment to connect with your spiritual essence through personal experience rather than man-made texts." (pg. 12)

Chapter 2 is titled "Recognizing our Physical Anchors" and it talks about attachment. I love this quote:

"Instead of instantly reacting, stop and think - what is the lesson here? What is the purpose?" (pg. 14)

I've always seen my life as a series of spiritual lessons.

Chapter 3 is titled "Becoming Aware of our Energy Attachments," and it talks about different kinds of attachments, and again, recognizing spiritual learning opportunities.

Chapter 4 is "The 21 Day Transformation Challenge" and it gives a series of steps for spiritual transformation, including asking ourselves the tough questions about our lives.

Chapter 5, "A Question of Enlightenment," is about the exploration of consciousness. Buhlman talks about different tools, such as breath work, yoga, Lucid dreaming, OBEs, Sound technology, chanting, drumming, and so forth. I loved this quote:

"The exploration of consciousness is an individual inner journey. The true nature of enlightenment is about clearing away the mountain of programming that has buried the radiance of our inner spiritual essence. Meditative practices are designed to assist in this pursuit." (pg. 49)

Chapter 6, "The Higher Self," gives some techniques on contacting your Higher Self, and many of them reminded me of my own book, Answers Within. For example:

"2. Sincerely request that your heart provide you with a clear visual symbol or image of your higher self. Be open to all impressions without judgment." (pg. 54)

He also gives an interesting OBE narrative that reminded me of an NDE that a friend of mine once shared:

"After an instant I arrived before a blazing Sun, it was close but I felt no sense of temperature from it." (pg. 55)

In chapter 8, "Achieving Escape Velocity," the author gives some information about how to obtain spiritual liberation. One of the first steps is:

"Awaken to the raw reality of your existence. Seek the truth; reject all forms of religious and intellectual indoctrination." (pg. 72)

I couldn't agree more. One of my favorite quotes of the whole book is in chapter 11, "Navigating Nonphysical States of Consciousness":

"As explorers we must be prepared for rapid shifts of consciousness and the reality changes that will result. As we raise our internal vibration we are essentially moving our conscious awareness inward. As this occurs your current "solid" reality will often appear to quickly melt or morph before you. Your state of consciousness will always determine your perceived reality." (pg. 118)

That's sounds like something Seth/Jane Roberts would say, and I totally agree.

The second half of the book, written by Susan Buhlman, is about hospice, dealing with terminal illness, the death of another person, and preparing for your own transition. The information is not only rock solid and practical, it's also touching and heartwarming. A lot of it is down to Earth common sense: what to expect, how to behave, and how to treat the dying with love and respect. But common sense often flies out the window when we're faced with losing a loved one, so I found the information very warm and comforting. What I loved most about Part 2 were the many stories Susan shares from her hospice work. I loved her heartfelt writing style. It left me wanting more.

I once attended a lecture by Dannion Brinkley, author of Saved by the Light (and others) where he talked about his life-changing Near Death Experiences (NDEs). He also talked about volunteering as a hospice worker, and it was very moving. Susan's Part 2 brought me back to that special place.

Make no mistake: If you're looking for an OBE book, this is not it. There are no OBE techniques, and just the one narrative. However, it is important information about something we all need to know: how to prepare for our ultimate OBE, our final exit from the physical body: death.

The book is 323 pages long, with good text, good margins and good size. So there's a good amount of text. You won't feel shortchanged. And despite Bill's email, there were very few spelling and grammar problems.

The only negative thing I can say about it is that the first half had some redundancy and he spent a little too much time touting his previous work. But as a fellow author, I can relate: When you need to say something as important as this, is it better to cite a previous work (at the risk of pissing off people who don't own it) or be redundant (at the risk of pissing off people who do own it)? It's a delicate balance, and a game I've played myself.

All in all, it was a good read. I give it a thumbs up. Now I'm psyched to get back to OBE books.

Bob Peterson
13 December 2016