The Beginner's Guide for the Recently Deceased

by David Staume

Who isn't curious to know what life is like after we die? In this humorous yet thought-provoking glimpse into other realms, David Staume asks you to open your mind and leave your body behind as he takes you on a tour of the afterlife.

Find out everything you need to know about the astral how to get around, what's going on, and who and what you might bump into on your travels. Explore the big questions regarding the whys and wherefores of Is there a hell? What about reincarnation? Who am I? Who is God?

The Beginners Guide for the Recently Deceased also offers practical tips on how to use your new understanding to make life better on the physical plane.

Genres: Metaphysics

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Natalie Corrigan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A good friend lent me this book, and after reading Staume's Beginners Guide to Sex in the Afterlife (and loving every bit of it), I dug into this title with vigor. Cannot say I was quite as pleased however. As with his other book, Sex in the Afterlife, he tackles the questions of where we go after we pass from a metaphorical standpoint, from viewing what nature does and applying the hermetical belief of 'as below so above'. What he lacks in his toolbelt here however is actual spiritual evidence, whether from his own channeled explorations or from the experiences of others. As a shaman and medium who speaks to those on the other side on a daily basis, I found this absence crippling in its presentation. There is no one way that the afterlife will occur. No guidebook that will apply to all. And it will benefit the reader to keep this thought in mind... No one author has all the answers. I did enjoy his chapters on the Laws of Equilibrium (karma) and Affinity (like attracts like). He expanded those concepts in a light I have never seen presented. And I found the section where he speaks of the chakras and controlling whether they were yin or yang or neutral quite helpful. Toward the end of the book, I had (mostly) excused his suppositions presented as fact and his veiled blows against psychics (I won't even go there). But it was when I read these lines where I lost what faith in this book I had managed to build: 'In the middle stages of human evolution, as our consciousness develops and strengthens, the friction between desire and will starts to get serious. This is where we slowly realize that it's our desires that cause suffering, and we apply our will to subdue them. This, then, is the core issue of human evolution, this long tug of war between desire and will ... Will, fortunately, is stronger than desire, and given enough time, enough battles, it's will that triumphs.' Now although the author claims no religion nor any belief system, this dualistic viewpoint is at the core of many of our religions, and I find it a stifling one. What will escaping your desires, or beating them, accomplish? Will without desire, without want, makes one into naught but a mind without a heart. What about understanding why you have these desires? Living with them side by side, learning control when it is needed? Being balanced and not top heavy with your energies, and transcending but not defeating lower self? He speaks of Oneness earlier in the book, but this paragraph crushes it. What is Oneness if you chose to dismiss and not look at the part of you that desires? How can the idea of the Enfolded All only include part? It cannot. And as for our desires causing suffering... It is a commonly misconstrued Buddhist belief I have seen put forth many times over. It isn't our desires that make us suffer so, but our attachments to the objects of our desire. HUGE difference. And where does will come from if not from desire, from the wanting of something more? Of course, as with anything, desire can lead us down the path of darkness, but it can also show us the universe's greatest of gems. Just one viewpoint in a sea of billions, however, so take as you desire ;), or toss it altogether. Better yet, ask yourself what is true for you and what is not... Blessings, love, and light.

[Jean-Pierre Vidrine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I confess that the reason I bought this book is because its title reminded me of that book in the movie Beetlejuice that was so helpful to Gina Davis and Alec Baldwin.
First: the good. The author actually does begin the book addressing the reader as though he were actually writing for a dead person. This is nice quirky touch that adds to the humor of the book.
Now: the rest. The obvious problem with this book is the question of, presuming David Staume was alive when he wrote the thing, how could he possibly tell us about the hereafter? There really is no explanation given.
Forgiving that and moving on, more problems creep up. I am not sure if Staume's declaration about the Astral Bureau of Statistics was a joke or a serious statement of what he believes is fact. Though he does state earlier in the book that the reader should keep a sense of humor, the statement about a bureaucracy in the afterlife seemed to be made in all seriousness.
More problems arise as Staume piles metaphors upon metaphors to describe things. Metaphors or fine things and are often necessary, but using five of them at once to describe one situation is just weird and confusing.
The last chapter and the "extroduction" of the book are just plain incomprehensible and confounding.
This will not be a serious addition to my spiritual library, but rather a novelty on the shelf.

[Axel Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Few books written in prose manage to be as concise on a subjects such as multi-dimensionality, karma vs. will, astral bodies and the like, as does "The Beginner's Guide". In this 192 pager (with several white pages and thick margins), the author tackles the depths of reality with the sharp pencil tip of a well-established philosopher, where every word counts and the cadences dance. It is an absolute spiritual page-turner, well, it's a guide after all!

As the title suggest, the author welcomes us as newcomers through the journey on 'the other side'. With grace, humor and extreme pragmatism, we are explained where we were, where we are now, and WHO we always were. The pedagogy is not unlike Edwin A. Abbott's "Flatland", where seemingly enormous concepts are boiled down to their mere essence, and metaphors are fresh and immediate. It's not often that I have to put a book down and gaze into the beyond in order to absorb what I just read. This book cemented various ideas that I understood in abstract ways, aiding my comprehension by vividly exposing what is sometimes hard to grasp with the common overly logic approach.

Staume himself seems to be slightly ghostly - not much is found online about him. Who is he? How did he gain access to all this knowledge? Despite this, and rather unusually for me, I never doubted what I was reading, as it felt legitimate and "true". That is, the info he shares expanded my knowledge and advanced me in this ever-growing evolutionary trip we are immersed in.

A very though-provoking book to say the least.

[Hugo Fiallos · Rating 1 out of 5]

Empecé a leer este libro creyendo se trataba del manual de beetlejuice. Imaginen ustedes mi sorpresa al descubrir que habla en serio. Un viaje a través de muchas culturas simplificado (al menos lo intenta) pero que lamentablemente se vuelve académico y te sientes en clase de filosofía. Pesado, lento, aburrido y en ocasiones incomprensible. Un tema como la vida en el más allá no debe tomarse tan seriamente. Después de todo,, llegado a ese punto no te queda más que aceptarlo.. si no tienen más remedio léanlo pero si pueden, busquen a Beetlejuice.

[Jana · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've read too many to know that I didn't read anything new and if this book happened to be the first on my list, I would have been very confused and agitated.

[P.K. Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Reading it will make you want to be a better person--not from fear of fire and brimstone but because, according to Staume, we'll get exactly what we deserve, no more, no less, which is an exhilarating idea! I've read many different religious philosophies but have never found such a refreshing (and often humorous) take on the after life. It's a short book, easy to read. Do yourself a favor and get a copy.

[SugarNViolence · Rating 5 out of 5]

My gosh this book is hilarious and extraordinary at the very same time. I can't believe I didn't take the hint with the Betelgeuse movie and Google the book title sooner!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading it again in the future. I agree with many things that David Staume explains so very explicitly.

I can't really do this book justice, please, read the first few pages and decide for yourself!!

[Andrew Porteus · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very disappointing - I was expecting something along the nature of Beetlejuice, due to a review I'd read, and instead it turned out to be an exploration of the afterlife in astral projection, karmic and transmodification terms. Oh, well, off to the next book!

[Autumn · Rating 3 out of 5]

i honestly bought it because i was so fascinated with the book from beetlejuice. it does give some good insight into what it may be like in the astral plane and other various states of existence.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS BOOK IS AWESOME!!!

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating and (deliberately) humorous Theosophical travel guide to the physical, astral and further realms. Whether you accept some, all or none of its premises, this makes for an engaging read.

[Nichelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it! An interesting take on what happens in the afterlife... :)