ILLUMINATED UNIVERSE

In her debut book, a holistic therapy practitioner, reflexologist, and artist relates her story of a near-death experience and its resulting insights.

In January 2015, author Guadalupe, disheartened by difficulties in her professional and personal lives, asked herself, “Is anything I do any good at all? Does it even make a difference?” Just a few minutes later, her car spun out of control on the road, and she experienced a transformative encounter with “The Light” (which she also calls “Source” or “God”). She says that she came to realize, among other things, that people’s lives on Earth are just a small part of their existence. She also says that she heard a voice ask her, “Do you want to live?”; after she responded affirmatively, she found herself back in her car, with no indication that an accident ever happened. She says that she then went on to experience a sense of heightened awareness over the next several months, even sensing life in inanimate objects. However, she became depressed when she tried to reconcile her experience with her profession, but by exchanging therapy sessions with a colleague, she was able to better integrate her encounter into the rest of her life. Her realization that all life is sentient, and that everyone chooses their own life, informed by beliefs, attitudes, and decisions, made her accept her connection with the Source. Overall, Guadalupe presents complex ideas in an easily comprehensible manner. Her account of her near-death experience is engaging, but its true significance in the narrative is in how it affected her professional practice. As a result, readers who are merely looking for a thrilling, supernatural account may be disappointed. The book also includes a clear discussion of polarity therapy, a holistic healing technique based on the idea of energy flow within the body. The final chapter, “Alignment and Transformation,” reads like a self-help book, and as such, it provides invaluable practical advice on changing one’s viewpoint in order to effect positive change in one’s life.

A memoir that offers intriguing insights into how one’s decisions affect one’s body and mind.