Book Review by David lorimer
Programme Director Scientific Medical Network
Editor, Paradigm Explorer
Chair, Galileo Commission
COSMIC CHOREOGRAPHY
David Lorimer
LOVED BY THE LIGHT
John R. Audette – https://AffirmingGod.com
Foreword by Dr Raymond Moody
Eternea Inc., 2023, 311 pp., $19.95, p/b – ISBN 978-8-9872633-0-3
John’s highly acclaimed book is a remarkable contribution to the literature of STEs, and is endorsed by a galaxy of well-known authors in the field and even by Jane Goodall, who writes that John ‘shares the extraordinary and compelling experiences that changed him from an agnostic to a believer. Whether or not you believe in God or some great spiritual power you cannot fail to be fascinated by this book.’
Subtitled ‘True Stories of Divine Intervention and Providence’, these include accounts of angel encounters, deathbed visions, shared-death experiences, terminal lucidity, after-death communications, a vision quest, and more general reflections about God and divine emulation. Readers of such accounts like myself will have gleaned a great deal of insight into the profound guidance for life they contain in terms of love, wisdom and life purpose. This book reinforces such insights and brings them together in a structured form with profound practical applications to life.
The eight angel encounters are clear instances of divine intervention, many involving driving while too tired and one where ‘Michael’ flagged down a lift and completely disappeared once out of the car. Some significant details were later confirmed by a medium. I myself have had one such experience when I came round a blind corner to find a large lorry coming straight towards me on my side of the road. I thought I was going to die, but miraculously my car just shaved past. For equally unusual experiences, see the three classic works by Dr. Hans Moolenburg. John was also given details by a sensitive of his mother’s attempts to abort him in utero, which she herself subsequently confirmed, much to her embarrassment and astonishment.
The experiences around death include accounts by non-believers in survival, one of whom acknowledges the ‘welcoming committee’ and admits that he was wrong, while the other continues to insist that they are figments of his imagination, but he later returns with proof of his own survival. There is also an evidential post-mortem encounter with Edgar Mitchell, whom John knew well and with whom he had many discussions on the nature of consciousness. Ed’s post-mortem view is modified by his experience where he is able to assert that consciousness is not the brain and the brain is not consciousness. He continues: ‘Rather, consciousness is core immortal inner essence. It is the God-given capacity for awareness, curiosity, creativity and thought. It is what animates physical form. It is also that which drives the longing and yearning to return to Source from whence all things came. It is what produces the inner craving to be reunited with the Source that brought all things into being in the first place.’ (p. 145)
John’s vision quest in the Mojave Desert, which he characterises as ‘solitary refinement’, is another important initiation under the supervision a shaman, who tells him to ‘stop being who you are not and start being who you are, one who is devotedly aligned with God’s love and light, one who believes in miracles and the workings of Spirit.’ (p. 208) He has the profound realisation that evolutionary transformation cannot be sudden, but it is like turning up the dimmer switch to intensify the energy and light. He receives the insight that ‘Spirit waits patiently for you and all humanity to stop waiting for Spirit – to accept, know, revere and align with Spirit.’ (p. 215) He is further encouraged in his path of service by an Apache Shaman, who warns that the time of fire is coming soon, and ‘all will be set aflame by humanity’s own hand unless a critical mass comes to fully embrace God. (p. 230) John proposes six catalysts powerful enough in potential to bring about such a revolutionary systemic change (pp. 237-8)
The final part of the book brings together a metaphysical understanding as the basis for transformation, based on the three pillars of timeless wisdom, essential teachings from world’s religions and modern scientific research from the study of spiritually transformative experiences and consciousness. I found myself in complete agreement with the seven statements relating to consciousness, the interconnected nature of reality and causality, the oneness of life and mind, and the statement that ‘unconditional love is the organising principle of the universe.’ (p. 243) Evil can only be transmuted through love: ‘be as love unto all things at all times – perfect unconditional love’ (p. 248) – which means aligning with the divine will and divine attributes which we quintessentially are.
John has created a beautiful daily prayer (p. 261), and proposes a radical personal experiment of ‘being God for a Day’ – a living and resonant example of God on earth: to become such an example is in fact the goal of life. He also gives guidance on personal epiphany induction techniques. I agree that the qualities God represents ‘are the very qualities humanity seriously lacks and sorely needs in order to prevent self-destruction or a dark dystopian future’ championed by soulless and heartless technocrats operating in a wholly corrupt system. The kind of transcendent experiences described in this book are in fact inherently transformative and they provide in my view sound guidance for spiritual and social advancement in the light of ‘an evidence-based consensus about God, consciousness, the afterlife, the nature of reality… about who we really are and why we are really here…about the true meaning and purpose of human existence. (p. 306) This book conveys a richly informative and inspiring vision - one that we are here to help enact.