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@ REVIEWS elusive "St Martin's Land" in Suffolk, and explore realms beyond the known. B oO oO K S England (with strange visitors and green- Twelve years after Monroe's death comes a ; coloured children), and near Monte Alban in _ new biography by Ronald Russell, an Reviewed by Ruth Parnell Oaxaca, Mexico ("The Cavern of Death", Englishman who met Monroe in 1986 and LOST LANDS, FORGOTTEN REALMS which local Indians refuse to enter). along with his wife Jill became a member of by Dr Bob Curran Dr Curran concludes that many legendary _ the Monroe Institute's advisory board. Career Press, Franklin Lakes, USA, 2007 places may well be rooted in historical and Russell gives a no-holds-barred account of ISBN 978-1 5641 4-958-9 (270pp tpb) geographical fact, but others have been Bob Monroe the man, his life and achieve- Available: http://(www.careerpress.com given colour and mystique by the human ments, along with glimpses into his some- imagination. Even if they don't exist outside _ times brusque personality—for instance, aptivation with lands and places beyond . we ee : : n P P y the human mind, they are part of our culture —_ with his intransigence over planning a "New the horizon—the next town, continent or tay! and our relationship with the wider world. Land" community. The reflective foreword even pane as b So egeial Tash oey- The haunting béew illustrations by Ian is by fellow consciousness researcher Dr chologist and historian Dr Bob Curran Daniels are a fitting aid to visualisation. Charles Tart, who met Monroe in 1965 and brings the legends alive in Lost Lands, oye a clo cond ‘ theend, h Forgotten Realms; some of these mysterious THE JOURNEY OF ROBERT Of course, Monroe the visionary is the places have been discovered, but others MONROE image that retains the greatest hold on the remain undiscovered or only appear to the by Ronald Russell public ae arin and Russell puts due locals every once in a while, such as the Hampton Roads, Charlottesville, VA, 2007 Fes asis Gui vines a elim and as romanticised Scottish village of Brigadoon. _ ISBN 978-1-57174-533-0 (384pp hc) Xplorers, ‘suicermes and WArelne anc’ on the many personalities who were part of the grand adventure. To Russell, Monroe's jour- ney was that of a hero who left behind a legacy that continues to enrich humanity. In this fascinating encyclopaedia of "places Available: http://www.hrpub.com that time forgot", Dr Curran regales us with Ox of the great 20th-century researchers tales of the better-known mythical lands into consciousness came not from an such as Atlantis, Avalon, Shangri-La and academic or scientific background but from Lemuria as well as lesser-known secret the world of writing and producing for radio lands. For instance, there's Hy-Brasil (per- in New York City and owning a broadcast- haps an extension of the Celtic Underworld), _ ing station in Virginia. Robert Monroe the sunken land of Lyonesse (said to be (1915-1995) happened by chance at the age located between the tip of Cornwall and the _ of 42 to have an out-of-body experience that Scilly Isles in the English Channel), and changed his life, and he was eventually com- Hyperborea (the furthest northerly point in pelled to make sense of the experience. the world, according to the ancient Greeks). Monroe went on to explore his inner world There are stories of subterranean worlds and wrote about these experiences in his peopled by survivors from disasters such as__ pioneering book Journeys Out of the Body, the Great Flood who fled into the under- published in 1971 but based on his work ground for safety. These are sourced froma _ between 1958 and 1963. He is also variety of cultures including Semitic, Greek, | renowned for his Hemi-Sync audio technol- Assyrian and Roman. There's a selection of — ogy, which utilises selected sound frequen- tales about what's to be found in the cave cies to induce altered states. He set up his systems of California's Monterey Peninsula now-famous institute and inspired many (an intact Viking boat, for instance), in the thousands of people to find their inner spirit and explore realms beyond the known. Twelve years after Monroe's death comes a new biography by Ronald Russell, an Englishman who met Monroe in 1986 and along with his wife Jill became a member of the Monroe Institute's advisory board. Russell gives a no-holds-barred account of Bob Monroe the man, his life and achieve- ments, along with glimpses into his some- times brusque personality—for instance, with his intransigence over planning a "New Land" community. The reflective foreword is by fellow consciousness researcher Dr Charles Tart, who met Monroe in 1965 and stayed a close friend to the end. Of course, Monroe the visionary is the image that retains the greatest hold on the public imagination, and Russell puts due emphasis on the various programs such as Explorers, Guidelines and Lifeline and on the many personalities who were part of the grand adventure. To Russell, Monroe's jour- ney was that of a hero who left behind a legacy that continues to enrich humanity. Dhe Journey of Robert Monroe Rand Russell NEXUS 67 FEBRUARY — MARCH 2008 www.nexusmagazine.com