Book review and partial exegesis: 'The Untethered Soul'

The systems of energy in the physical world (like the atom bomb for instance) can be utilized to better understand the stunning phenomena at work within a person, and concordantly their psychological and physiological constitutions.

“Just like energy waves, the energy that comes into you must keep moving. But that doesn’t mean it can’t get blocked within you. There is a way that energy can both keep moving and stay in one place – and that is to circle around itself. We see this in atoms and in planetary orbits. Everything is energy, and energy will just expand outward if it’s not contained. For there to be manifest creation, energy must get in the dynamic of cycling around itself to create a stable unit. That’s why energy manifesting as an atom forms the basic building block of this entire physical universe.” – Michael A. Singer, 'The Untethered Soul'

With this understanding – imagine pain, and hurt, and jealously, and joy, and anger, and fear, and any other emotion we can think of as actual physical waves of energy. Sometimes, when these waves irritate and monopolize our consciousness we may begin, as most all do, to task the mind with protecting, or clinging to the experience - till the intensity of their energy is “manageable” for us. This could range from distracting ourselves for some time, to trying to build a world that holds in the joy we feel – whatever – it’s some natural (but unhealthy) neurosis in us humans.

Any reaction, clinging or protecting, does not allow these energy waves to pass through us; thus, as they do in the physical world, these wave patterns begin to circle around themselves and create little ‘pockets of energy’ stored in our minds and heart; and should one keep that much energy harnessed – the result is explosions - at an atomic level of emotionality. Peace becomes harder to feel and becomes more something you work to create a culture for (which is a lack of peace in and of itself). Based on the lack of true peace - true happiness and contentment and finally - enlightenment, become harder realities to attain.

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The book goes on to describe life lived out of an ever expanding, and infinite source of energy while giving easy guidance along the way with some interesting experiments in vigorous self-examination. It has some pretty terrible writing frankly, thus, it is an easy, but slightly annoying read; but not so overtly grotesque that it’s entirely undesirable.

To wrap up, 'The Untethered Soul' is very wholly worth the slight irritation it may or may not cause you reading it for the higher understanding and solutions it provides – besides, style here is a matter of taste, so you might actually enjoy it. The horse running free on a white serene beach as part of the turquoise cover however...? Well, then there is that.

I will be buying three for Christmas gifts.