THE MAP OF HEAVEN

An afterlife proponent expounds upon the existence of heaven.

Academic neurosurgeon Alexander (Proof of Heaven: A Journey into the Afterlife, 2012) further mines the metaphysical terrain he claims to have encountered while in a coma in 2008 as well as the transformational effects it had on his mental and spiritual perceptions. With generous references to the philosophies of Plato and Aristotle, the author also includes theories from an array of historic physicists and scientists, along with supportive letters and stories from people who endured near-death experiences and emerged psychologically transformed. Most support his belief in the existence of “a series of supraphysical realms” beyond the physical plane, which he believes carries answers to our true origins and our future. Alexander believes all earthbound human beings possess latent suppressed memories of visiting a heavenly dominion, and both belief and acceptance will spiritually usher us to return to it. Doing so, he writes, also requires a basic understanding of a series of complimentary, self-explanatory “gifts”: knowledge, meaning, vision, strength, belonging, joy and hope. Though neuroscience is Alexander’s field, his newly enhanced spirituality and belief in the preternatural are firmly asserted throughout a text written with assertive yet compassionate prose. An optimistic visionary, the author believes the coming era will be challenging, tarnished with the kind of anxious concern that could very well be mitigated by a belief in heaven and the afterlife. Skeptics will have a field day with the author’s frequently nebulous correlations and real-life anecdotes of post-mortem butterflies and levitating orbs, but Alexander does provide a larger concept of collective consciousness moving souls onward toward an otherworldly plane where serenity, compassion and goodness prevail. However, Alexander argues, courage, a true heart and an open mind are required to appreciate these gifts.

Though saddled with the burden of tangible proof, Alexander’s impassioned report nevertheless forms a buoyant testimonial.