How to Know God

By Emma Sims View Profile
Peppered with his own experiences and those of others, Deepak Chopra draws on many examples from various religions such as Christianity, Hinduism, Sufism and also from Buddhism. He is not comparing religions, rather grouping together facets which are similar. The main theme of the book hinges on his model of the Seven Stages of God, namely how we may perceive God and our relationship to him. With God the Protector at the first stage, we may regard ourselves as children of God. For anyone asking ‘Is there really a God?’ Chopra’s response would be, ‘Who’s asking?’ He demonstrates how as our self-awareness deepens, our perception, our ideas and our biological response can change until we reach stage seven the God of Pure Being.

He combines science with spirituality, referring to quantum physics and physiology and grounding the science with examples that we can relate to in our daily lives. From my own path, I could understand some of the aspects of each of the seven levels, but not all. I could not grasp the book easily for a general overview and would have to read it several times as my own path unfolds, to do this review complete justice. I especially enjoyed the latter chapters, the ‘Strange Powers’ section is a fascinating discussion including topics such as genius, inspiration and telepathy. The ‘Manual for Saints’ is also interesting, covering spiritual awakening and how often we believe we have arrived, only to find that we haven’t, and why that might be so.

I had the added bonus of a practical element too! As I read a few pages, synchronicity abounded as events in my daily life unfolded. I found myself experiencing certain things, I’d read a few pages and there it was in the book, confirmed......more