It’s a rare thing for me to rave about a book. I love to read and
consequently, I read a lot of books and am often disappointed. Not so
with “Is There
Life after
Death” by Anthony Peake. In fact, this was a
book that I couldn’t and didn’t want to put down and yet had to just to
think about its content. It’s well researched, well written and frankly
well published in the sense that it’s a quality book too for the price.
Peake has a slightly humorous writing style yet delivers on content and
punch.
So what is the book about?
Well, it’s
really not about life after death and to some extent the
title seems an odd choice. Peake lucidly explores quantum physics,
medicine, psychology, certain aspects of
occult thinking, gnosis,
history and more besides, to progressively and comprehensively build a
picture that supports his thesis. It’s a book that needed writing
because, as I have noted many times, many disciplines are coming
together to point to some startling conclusions about
reality and Peake
manages to communicate the complex with simplicity.
One of the most interesting parts of the book deals with ‘Déjà vu’
and also with foretelling the future. This is skillfully inter weaved
with findings on epilepsy, what happens in the
brain when we die,
near-death experiences and more besides to set up Peake’s theorem. By
starting with quantum physics, he is able to show convincingly
scientific, medical and psychological support for his views which are
neatly and simply summarized in the penultimate chapter of the book.
He deftly explains the nature of reality and time as constructs of
the brain. He uses the idea of the Higher Self or Daemon as a sort of
eternal life partner that co-habits our brain and has a totally
different perception of what is really ‘out there’. In essence, he
argues that our brain ‘dumbs’ down actuality so that we can create a
holographic reality that we can deal with and continue to create that
reality through our life. He calls it a ‘Bohemian IMAX’ going on in our
head and nothing, not one detail off that life is forgotten – it''''s all
there, stored in the brain in a sort of hologram but not usually
accessible. Until, that is, we die…..
It’s unfortunate because I really want to talk about what happens
when we die in Peake’s theory but to do so would be the ultimate
spoiler for the reader of this book. Needless to say, his theory is
startling and yet believable. If you have seen the movie ‘Vanilla Sky’
then there are some similarities and indeed, Peake uses that movie as
an example in the book. In essence, on death, we fall out of time and
thus we are eternal. Our Daemon sees everything for what it is and
might try to guide us through our life choices indirectly or directly.
In supporting these ideas, Peake draws upon research in all areas of
science but finds much evidence in the arena of epilepsy to provide a
glimpse into a different kind of reality.
The book made me think. I had to stop reading and assimilate and
think periodically. In those moments of profound thought, personal
examples assailed me and provided a sense that this is close to the
ultimate truth.
How Peake managed to write this book is a marvel
in of itself. It is so densely packed with information and so well
written that it must have been a nightmare to organize and structure to
make the sense that it does. Yet, it is written in a style that makes
one smile from time to time and that anyone could comprehend.
None the less, the book does leave some issues unanswered in my
view. What about the idea of reincarnation and past life memory? Where
would this fit in Peake’s theory? And, more sinister, if Peake is
right, why wouldn’t we just commit suicide if life isn’t going right?
Where do new people come from and what is the chance I won’t be born at
all? In fact, the more you think (and think you will), the more
questions arise. And that to me is the proof that this is a great book and it de
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