Destiny of Souls by Dr. Newton, M.D. - Book Review I wasn't sure if this eclectic book was compatible with my mandate in "Alternative Health and Medicine," but the more I read, the more I realized that it was simply a report on "alternative life." There's more to life than meets the eye today. Many, many people have undergone hypnosis to find out why they act the way they do and why they do certain strange and not-so-strange things. There's now a never-ending supply of information on what people have lived through in previous eras and previous incarnations. Dr. Newton has dedicated his life to researching and recording what people reveal while under hypnosis. It is easy to say that a person can lie and make things look a certain way when they are speaking with their conscious minds, but when it's the subconscious that comes forward as it does in hypnosis, things become very different. This is Dr. Newton's second book...his first being Journey of Souls which was received with great acclaim in 1994. He conducted numerous case studies and blew open a Pandora's Box with the information given to him by hypnotized subjects. Many people have wondered why some "ghosts" roam the earth, never being able to settle down or leave the world as we know it, and others move on to a wonderful paradise where love, learning and the best of everything never ceases. This book reveals how spirits can become bogged down in negative experiences or family problems that they cannot overcome because they may be new spirits or weak in certain areas... and have trouble moving on to a higher plane and a more progressive existence either on earth or in the spririt world. Dr. Newton's explanations and detailed interviews with patients both under hypnosis and not, make for very interesting reading...partly in the fact that many of the subjects corroberate each others' testimonies to a T. The purpose of this book was to highlight the spirit world between our present world and others that may be or, are very likely to be, out there. As Christians, we use the term Purgatory, or Limbo....and most of us realize that there is a transition place before moving on to a new level. It delves into why we are here, who we're closest akin to, and what we have to work through if we've been less than exemplary in this human life. I've always wondered what happened to criminals in the grand scheme of things and now realize that they must have to atone for their sins in a way different from the norm. According to Dr. Newton and his subjects, even people who've made life miserable for others in their families and communites, must go through a time of learning, training and renewal before they can move on to another life anywhere whether it be heaven or nirvana. To my, inexperienced mind, it's almost as if we have heaven and earth right here, but on different planes. It seems the air is full of happy spirits who are moving up the ladder to heaven, and at the same time there are many lower beings who have failed in their attempt to become better citizens and must go back for retraining to wherever it is that spirits go. There is a certain pattern that seems to be followed over and over again, and when things go wrong...spirits stay in the form of ghosts and wander the world in their former areas trying to come to grips with what happened or didn't happen to them. This process can take a few days, years, hundreds of years before the spirit is ready to move out of that "classroom" and on to the next space. Right now my 84 year old mother is becoming a bit senile where she's been wonderful for her whole life up till now. I'm finding the lessons and truths I've learned in Destiny of Souls to be a helping hand in dealing with her foibles and outbursts. She, of course, feels that she's completely right in all situations, but knowing that things might not be as they seem, helps me immensely. I love my mom very much, and knowing that she may not be long for this world is not nearly as distressing as before I read "Destiny of Souls." I recommend "Destiny of Souls" highly to any enterprising person who's interested in the afterlife, out-of-body experiences, soulmates, spirit guides, soul recreation, and the spirit world in general. Not only is it entertaining with 65 testimonial interivews, it will give you a new idea of life on Earth and the possibilities of future lives. Back to the Writing Index