The Untethered Soul Review

The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael A. Singer is a guide to the spiritual journey of expanding consciousness, letting go of the conditioned mind and leading an enlightened life. The author takes readers through explaining the inner monologue which appears to comment on various events in our lives, only to cons the self from enjoying the moment fully. The book is divided into several areas of discussion that relate to arenas of knowing oneself, surrender, and the ability to rise above the ego.

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In the first part, Singer discusses what should be considered as the self and consciousness. He offers this piece of thinking that our thoughts do not shape who we are. However, the true self is the witness unto thoughts, feelings, and sensations in the body. This idea persuades readers to stop overanalyzing things throughout their day and start noticing that they can observe events without getting lost in those events.

The book provides readers with an idea of ‘mental and emotional thorns’ which are a generalised notion of past bad experiences or even conditioning weds. In Singer’s account, these thorns lead to suffering because we become resentful and armoured. He says that freedom requires the non-apprehension of these attachments that we discard by noticing and permitting instead of rejecting or repressing them. The approach that supports living with an open attitude towards events and processes is usually called limitation.

Singer stresses about the proper way to live in the present age. The idea is to give up trying to influence all events that happen within or outside of us, we can be happy to read more. To support her arguments the author uses examples from religious texts and literary non-fiction reflecting on overcoming resentment to gain a richer and happier life.

The Final sections of the work cover topics such as death, and the characters call viewers to cherish life temporarily. Accepting the fact that at some point in time, we all are going to die, helps us to savour the moment in an overall way that we practically interact with the world.

Key Strengths

Accessible and Relatable: Because she sings and tells stories, Singer employs basic expressions and describes the matters of the spiritual life with examples that would be easily understood by many of her listeners.

Practical Guidance: Loads of extensive exercises and contemplative questions are presented throughout the book that will have the reader reflecting and not just reading.

Inspiration for Mindfulness: That is why it can be considered a rather convincing reference for those people who are willing to explore the concept of meditation, mindfulness, or self-improvement and dedicate a considerable amount of time to the significance of presence.

Areas of Critique

Repetition: It more often strikes a repetitive note for some readers to the rhythm of the book’s ideas and themes that appear throughout the work.

Abstract Ideas: While Singer gives utilitarian tips, the ideas can be oversimplified and, thus, be quite inapplicable for some people; they’ll need to take the principles of faith or already have an interest in spirituality.

Lack of Scientific Support: Some readers who expect concrete practices may find the intuitional and existential orientations of the book less persuasive.

Conclusion

The Untethered Soul is a remarkable spiritual work that helps each reader to stay alive and to free himself or herself from the chains of one’s mind. Its moral is eternal, people learn about themselves accept who they are and learn how to be content. If people want to find a new way of living life, they will find a lot of meaning in Singer’s creation.

Click here to The Untethered Soul for free with a 30-day free trial.