 Reincarnation is a topic that is near and dear to my heart. Whether or not a person believes in reincarnation is a very fundamental consideration for anyone who wants to define himself and his place in the universe. No matter how much evidence one compiles, and there are endless chains of evidence for reincarnation, it is not possible to "prove" reincarnation as a fact of life. Of course, we cannot prove we exist either. There are thousands of documented past life cases that have contributed to the widespread belief in reincarnation in the West. In the West, the most scholarly approach of documentation has been undertaken by Dr. Ian Stevenson, a psychoanalyst and former chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Virginia Medical School. Unlike many of the other documented cases of reincarnation, which rely on hypnosis, Stevenson has investigated over 1000 cases of past life memories, none of which involved hypnosis. The doctrine of reincarnation, which is intricately woven in with the belief in karma, is really the only way to conceive of a "just universe." If one doesn't believe in reincarnation and karma, then we live in a cruel and random universe with no rhyme or reason; where one child is born horribly deformed and/or mentally disabled, while another is born a perfect healthy specimen into a family of wealth and ease. There are an endless number of books that deal with this topic. The ones we list below, we believe, are the most convincing and the best written. (We are not listing any books by Stevenson, as they are scholarly, expensive, and often out of print.) 
$16.95PaperbackReturn of the Revolutionaries: The Case for Reincarnation and Soul Groups ReunitedWalter SemkiwWhether you believe the author’s reasoning or even if you do not, you will have to admit that this book’s basic premise is quite unique. The author feels we are on the verge of some sort of political golden age, due to the fact that a group soul reincarnation of our founding fathers is happening. He shows photos and similarities between our Revolutionary heroes and our current batch of politicians, linking them together through similar facial and personal traits. You may be shocked by some of the choices and amused by others. For local, or people with a Fairfield connection, the names John Hagelin & Bobby Roth will ring a few bells. I found this book to be a great conversation piece. When it was first published I kept a copy on the checkout counter of our bookstore to share with our customers. Many found it quite fascinating, while others debated the whole concept. It was quite the conversation starter. This book is truly one of a kind, no matter what your political persuasion. Review by Tony Kainauskas. Return of the Revolutionaries by Walter Semkiw, M. D. aka John Adams is certainly a unique journey into the subject of reincarnation. He sets out to prove a thesis about group reincarnation. It is his claim that a group of key figures in the American Revolution are back, in new bodies, and for the most part involved in today’s political scene. He claims to have been led to his beliefs, and/or had these beliefs corroborated by a discarnate spirit. He also uses what I would call circumstantial evidence from facial appearances, writing styles, personal interests, etc. to bolster his case. I am not sure I find his conclusions or evidence compelling, but the man is intelligent and thorough in his presentation, and the book is quite interesting. I found the chapter on Uri Geller very informative and most interesting. If you want to see who he claims were previous incarnations for people like Gore, Bush, the Kennedy’s, Clinton, Hagelin, Nader, Oprah, Shirley MacLaine, and many others the book will keep you interested. Review by Len Oppenheim. 
$7.95PaperbackThe Story of Edgar Cayce: There Is a RiverThomas SugrueThis is the best book to start learning about Cayce. This book was written in 1942, about 4 years before Cayce died, by Sugrue, who was a college buddy of one of Cayce’s sons, and who lived for a few years with the Cayce family. It is a straightforward biography. Sugrue does a nice job of storytelling along with capturing the esoteric import of the Cayce data and phenomena. I have given away 20 or 30 copies of this book to friends over the years. It seems to me to present compelling and unassailable evidence of the existence of ESP or clairvoyance. I can never understand how people can read this book and still doubt the validity of more subtle planes of existence than most materialists will admit exist. Read it, and let us know what you think. Review by Len Oppenheim. 
$6.99PaperbackMany Mansions: The Edgar Cayce Story of ReincarnationGina CerminaraCerminara’s book is a must read for anyone interested in the subject of reincarnation. The author uses the Cayce materials to present compelling evidence for the acceptance of reincarnation as a fact of existence. The book is a joy to read and is a classic study of karma and reincarnation. I think everyone ought to read and enjoy this book. However, if you just want the author’s conclusions, here they are: She states that, "In outline form this pattern seems to be as follows:"
In the assurance of the above postulates, man is enjoined as follows:
Review by Len Oppenheim. 
$13.00PaperbackMany Lives, Many MastersBrian L.Weiss, M.D.This is a book I highly recommend to both believers and skeptics about reincarnation. Dr. Weiss and I have never met, but we do have a few things in common. We are almost contemporaries, attended the same college (he graduated from Columbia two years before me), had children in the same graduation class of Columbia (his daughter, my son), had Jewish upbringings, and never considered reincarnation to be anything but myth, until certain evidence, encountered as adults, changed our minds. Brian Weiss, a Yale trained medical doctor and psychiatrist, used hypnosis to treat patients. This is the story of how he “accidentally” regressed a patient to a past life and how the evidence unfolded the author’s spiritual awaking. Weiss is an extremely credible source or resource, and an excellent writer. This is the first in a series of books he has written, and if the reader enjoys this one I am sure he or she will be interested in reading his second book, treating the same subject matter, titled, Only Love Is Real Review by Len Oppenheim. 
$14.95PaperbackReincarnation: The Missing Link in ChristianityElizabeth Clare ProphetA book that people interested in the history of Christianity will find very compelling. The book is an interesting mix of scholarliness and personal narrative. I learned a tremendous amount about how the Church has evolved over the years and what the Church fathers thought when they added or shed doctrines. The bottom line here is a compelling case for concluding that Jesus believed in and taught reincarnation, and a clear historical account of how and why these teachings were expurgated from church doctrine. The story of Emperor Constantine, and the Council of Nicea is well presented and makes the book worth reading. Finally, the author does a masterful job of going beyond the mere historical aspects of the story, getting into a wonderful and very lucid description of mysticism, modern mysticism, and how mysticism ties into quantum physics. I was enthralled by her description of how the discoveries of quantum physics tie in with the Gnostics’ description of "the Kingdom". "The Kingdom" is described by Prophet as that place "Where there is no time and space." Not only does she introduce this concept from the mystic’s point of view, but also she explains how the principle of non-locality was demonstrated in a series of quantum physics experiments during the 1980’s. Is sum, there is a lot of territory covered in this book, and it is done carefully and professionally. Review by Len Oppenheim. 
$23.95PaperbackCosmic CradleElizabeth M. Carman & Neil J. Carman, Ph.D.Pre-conception is an untold cosmic story—the most mysterious, poorly researched stage of human life. This phase transpires before the union of egg with a sperm. This book offers over 200 inspiring stories on the baby's passage from heavenly worlds into the mother's womb. The stories are told by parents, gifted children, Christian saints, East Indian saints, Tibetan lamas, ancient Greek philosophers, and indigenous peoples of North America, Africa, and Australian, and more. 
$25.00HardcoverSame Soul, Many Bodies: Discover the Healing Power of Future Lives Through Progression TherapyBrian L. Weiss, M.D.The cover of this book has the promotional subtitle: Discover the Healing Power of Future Lives Through Progression Therapy. There is a treatment of progression therapy in most of the cases in this book, but for the most part the primary treatment for the cases remains regression to past lives. Despite that caveat, this is a book I would highly recommend. When I read Dr. Weiss's first book, Many Lives, Many Masters, I became an immediate fan of Brian Weiss. Here was a mainstream psychiatrist, undergraduate degree from Columbia, Yale Medical School, who went out on a limb and exposed his beliefs about reincarnation and many spiritual themes. I even went to one of his seminars in San Francisco. I found his following books to be less enthralling and thought he was becoming both too commercial, and also too self-impressed with his burgeoning "guru status". Also, I have reservations about the validity of data obtained from hypnotic states. After all, the subject certainly might be "suggestible." However, Weiss is thorough and careful and he presents very compelling evidence. This book was much better than any of his other books with the exception of Many Lives, Many Masters, which I do highly recommend. The cases are fascinating and the new wrinkle of taking patients forward into the future is worth exploring. All sorts of issues about free will, karma, and the nature of reality are raised in these studies. Also there are some very thought-provoking glimpses into the future of our planet and the human race. My bottom line is that I found this book not only fascinating and intellectually stimulating, but I also felt very uplifted and found the experiences related to be very inspirational. This is worth reading. Review by Len Oppenheim 
$19.95PaperbackThis House is on Fire: The Life of Shri DhyanyogiShri Anandi MaA half dozen times or more every year I am fortunate enough to discover a book that I enjoy so much and find so compelling that I really can’t wait to review and recommend it. This House is on Fire falls into that category. I must admit that I am drawn towards reading biographies or autobiographies of saints and/or seekers of truth or self-realization, so a book like this has somewhat of an easy time in trying to please me. However, often I am disappointed by either the life described or by the poor quality of writing. This book suffers from neither of these faults. Shri Dhyanyogi left his body in 1992 at the ripe old age of 114. Before he departed he touched the lives of thousands, and appears to have been universally loved by all who knew him. The text and photos in this new spiritual classic make me very jealous of those who were fortunate enough to enjoy his presence and the Shaktipat he delivered. Dhyanyogi is an authentic master and saint. Everything in this book rings true and thus it is very enlivening to the reader. The fact that this is pretty much a contemporary story and is so well-documented adds tremendous value to this reader. I doubt that this will ever attain the popularity of everyone’s all-time favorite story of a Yogi, Autobiography of a Yogi , but I think all those who enjoyed the story of Yogananda have a treat in store if they will read this book. Review by Len Oppenheim |
