EXPERIENCING THE NEXT WORLD NOW

Grosso, a parapsychology commentator trained as a philosopher, exhorts readers to "stick our own heads through the crack in the cosmic egg" by seeking first- or secondhand experiences of disembodied consciousness or life beyond death. The book's argument begins at a measured pace, with an emphasis on scientifically observed cases; but after the first few chapters Grosso's standards of evidence, or conceptual consistency, become quite relaxed. Interpreted as signposts to the afterlife, these experiences and stories appear to point in divergent directions: ghostly survival, reincarnation, union with the Light, out-of-body experiences, altered states, uncanny dreams, UFO encounters, past-life memories and spontaneous or induced mystical experiences. These phenomena are so diverse that collectively they seem to have, if no natural explanation, no coherent supernatural explanation either. Fans of the paranormal may appreciate Grosso's wide-ranging survey, which includes not only familiar cases but some rescued from historical obscurity. But readers of a critical—let alone skeptical—bent will be nonplussed by Grosso's tendency to place all these reports on the same footing: they are treated equally whether attested by witnesses or little more than rumor, whether supported by documented evidence or passed on as fairy tales. Readers looking for a serious how-to of otherworldly experience will probably be disappointed by the book's final section, "In Practice," which describes initiation rites and ascetic practices at the extremes of human experience but gives only a few specific suggestions for appropriating these techniques in daily life. (Jan. 6)