Synopses & Reviews
A modern exploration of what happens after death, uniting spirituality with philosophy, biology, neuroscience, and rich examples of afterlife experiences. What happens to us after we die? It’s a question humans have always asked, and entire civilizations have been shaped by the ways in which they’ve answered it. All the world’s religions offer their own perspectives on what happens after death, and even in the modern world, where the existence of the soul is so often questioned, channeling and near-death experiences have kept those ancient questions alive. Even in today’s largely secular society, thousands still continue to turn to ancient texts like the Tibetan and Egyptian Books of the Dead for consolation and inspiration. Like the world’s other great sacred works, these Books of the Dead offer wisdom, hope, and comfort.
Part memoir, part history of ideas of the afterlife, and part road map to what might truly await each of us when we leave our bodies behind, The Modern Book of the Dead is a wise and courageous book that approaches the question of the afterlife in a refreshingly intimate manner. Weaving together philosophy, science, stories of near-death experiences, and theology, the author comes to one amazing and uplifting truth: that somehow, human consciousness lives on after death. Both inspiring and informative, this is a modern meditation that allows the reader to think about death a new way.
Review
"A brilliant and absorbing exploration of our ideas about death and the afterlife, that brings much thought, insight, and personal reflection to an area of experience we too often avoid examining. Some might consider this morbid - mistakenly, I'd say - but it prepares the reader for the one spiritual adventure none of us will miss, and can even make us look forward to it."
Review
"The Modern Book of the Dead is a treasure trove of insight into the Afterlife, and its consistency over millennia. Ptolemy Tompkins has delivered a remarkable synthesis of this crucially important reality that is fundamental to comprehending our existence."
Review
"Don't miss this book." Eben Alexander, MD, author of < i=""> Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey through the Afterlife <> (2012)
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"Don't miss this book." Eben Alexander, MD, author of < i=""> Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey through the Afterlife <> (2012)
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"Don't miss this book."
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“A fascinating, impassioned hybrid of memoir and divine supposition.”
Synopsis
A modern exploration of what happens after death, uniting spirituality with philosophy, biology, neuroscience, and rich examples of afterlife experiences.
What happens to us after we die?
It remains perhaps the single most important question we can ask, one that still inspires thousands to turn to the Tibetan and Egyptian Books of the Dead for hope and comfort. But we can no longer rely solely on ancient wisdom for truly useful answers about our own mortality. We must find explanations for the afterlife in the fruits of modern experience.
Critically acclaimed author Ptolemy Tompkins grew up in a family where questions about the shape and fate of the human soul were discussed on a daily basis, but it was only after his father's passing that he began to consider death in a genuinely concrete way. In this boldly unconventional book--part memoir, part history of ideas, part road map to what might truly await us--Tompkins approaches the question of the afterlife with refreshing intimacy. Weaving together philosophy, science, stories of near-death experiences, and theology, he offers readers a new perspective on death and comes to an amazing and uplifting conclusion: that, somehow, human consciousness lives on.
Synopsis
What happens to us after we die? It remains perhaps the single most important question we can ask, one that still inspires thousands to turn to the Tibetan and Egyptian Books of the Dead for hope and comfort. But we can no longer rely solely on ancient wisdom for truly useful answers about our own mortality. We must find explanations for the afterlife in the fruits of modern experience.
Critically acclaimed author Ptolemy Tompkins grew up in a family where questions about the shape and fate of the human soul were discussed on a daily basis, but it was only after his father’s passing that he began to consider death in a genuinely concrete way. In this boldly unconventional book—part memoir, part history of ideas, part road map to what might truly await us—Tompkins approaches the question of the afterlife with refreshing intimacy. Weaving together philosophy, science, stories of near-death experiences, and theology, he offers readers a new perspective on death and comes to an amazing and uplifting conclusion: that, somehow, human consciousness lives on.
About the Author
Ptolemy Tompkins has been an editor at Guideposts and Angels on Earth magazines and is the author of four books. His writing has been featured in Beliefnet.com, Harper’s, The New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times. He lives in New York.