Half-Gospel

It hasn't changed my life, but it's working to - it's been instrumental to me and there couldn't have been a better year to read it.



Journeys Out of the Body was first published in 1971 and Robert Monroe had been having these 'second state' (out-of-body/astral) experiences and taking notes since the 1950s, so at the time this was released to the public it would have been very much a fringe interest - can imagine all the pot smokers and LSD experimenters with their pocket book copies, discussing it in parks and in college dorms. It was the right time, wasn't it, really. If it had been published in the 50s, it would have been too much for people to consider and Robert would have unquestionably been labelled a nut and shipped off to cuckoo land.

A young Robert Monroe.

You could almost believe that the whole 60s hippy movement was manufactured or, at the least, infiltrated and steered; directed. And Robert alone couldn't have known how his book was to be received up until that point. So I just hope that this wasn't part of a scheme, tying neatly with the New Age movement that grew out of that time. Also, the Monroe Institute (which Robert established in the early 70s) has had links to United States Military Intelligence, who, at that time, were interested in staring goats to death, walking through walls and just generally a ton of mind-blowing psychological operations - which you can read about in Jon Ronson's The Men Who Stare At Goats.

The redeeming factor is that I can relate to many of the experiences that Robert Monroe mentions in Journeys Out of the Body, so I know that what he says isn't complete fabrication. I know that if it has any downside, it's because it is misleading through means of disinformation, though I can make no certain claim of this.

It was so incredible to read though because of its relatability. I've had similar experiences since I was around the age of fourteen and they've only intensified (as I've harnessed them) over the years. My own experiences transpired of their own accord, so it's not a simple matter of power of suggestion. Aside from what I can relate to, I trust a lot of what Monroe's saying and feel that he recorded his experiences to the best of his abilities and if there are any discrepancies they're down to the brain's interpretation of events. This book is pretty much gospel for me, there's a lot to sink your teeth into.

The most profound element wasn't the reality of out-of-body experiences, but how many answers and solutions his experiences and subsequent writings provided for me, it's helped tie together a lot of loose ends, even if temporarily. The only thing I wish is that I'd been posting on here when I started reading it, as I've had lots of overwhelming thoughts I could have shared. It's taken from around March/April until now to finish it, I re-read quite a few chapters and took notes, allowed my mind to wonder/wander and absorb the information, it's been a buzz. Oh wow, it's been such a buzz.

I've yet to read his two other books, Far Journeys (1985) and Ultimate Journey (1994), so it'll be interesting to see how his validity holds. Apparently, according to some reviews, they get a bit far out (or further out, depending on your initial stance). That's part of the enjoyment, I can't tell you how enthusiastic I am to get around to them! Before that though I'm going to begin with Kundalini Tales by Richard Sauder - I read an excerpt online here and thought it would be worth getting hold of a copy. Richard seems to have had a respect for Robert Monroe's work, however, as he noted himself, the connections between the Monroe Institute and the military intelligence are dubious and worth being aware of. Still, this could be innocent enough and it'd be unwise to discount Monroe's work completely on that connection alone, and I know firsthand that much of what he says in Journeys Out of the Body is truthful. Additionally, if a government orders an institute to comply, there are surely two options: comply or decline and expect to be met with hostility.

I already know one of the subject matters in Far Journeys, since I read a couple of reviews on it. Apparently it delves into the topic of energy harvesting (or the peculiarly termed 'loosh farming'), which I've been fascinated with for a few months and I didn't realise he had written about the subject in one of his books, so that's a bit of synchronicity. Until I entertained the concept of some of these 'wackier' theories, I totally avoided them, considering them to be ridiculous. It seems like natural progression to move on to them and give them a chance, well, that's what I've done and I can't ignore how much this resonated with me. It'll be compelling to read what Monroe had to say on the matter way back then. The fact that the military were in correspondence with him, does that insinuate that his works were heavily propagandised or does it indicate that they knew he had valuable information and therefore were using him to obtain additional data? I'm in two minds about it, but would suspect if it's not just for the latter then it's for both of those purposes. The U.S. military clearly had a vested interest in the Monroe Institute, as they confirmedly sent officers there in the 70s and 80s for out-of-body training.

An elderly Robert Monroe.

Robert Monroe died in 1995, aged 79. His research has been continued by members of his family. The Monroe Institute still exists to this day and is based in Virginia, United States, with facilitators of the programs to be found in many countries.