God, Creation, and Tools for Life

Journey of the Soul #1

by Sylvia Browne

The best-selling author of Adventures of a Psychic discusses such topics as reincarnation, healing and nutrition, one's relationship to God, soulmates, and meditation, in the first volume of her new series on the journey of the spirit.

Genres: Spirituality, Nonfiction, Religion, Paranormal, New Age, Philosophy, Self Help

248 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Sylvia Browne was an American author and self-proclaimed psychic who built a lucrative career through books, television appearances, and psychic readings. Known for her frequent guest spots on The Montel Williams Show and Larry King Live, she claimed to communicate with angels, spirit guides, and the deceased, and said she had psychic visions from the age of three. In 1986, she founded the Society of Novus Spiritus, a Gnostic Christian church, and ran a variety of businesses, reportedly earning millions annually.
Browne wrote over 40 books, many of which were bestsellers, and maintained a dedicated fanbase throughout her life. However, her career was marked by controversy. She made numerous high-profile predictions about missing persons and criminal cases that were later proven false—errors that drew widespread criticism and scrutiny from skeptics and media outlets. A 2010 study by the Skeptical Inquirer concluded she had not been accurate in any verifiable case. Her reputation suffered further after her 1992 conviction for securities fraud.
Despite criticism from figures like James Randi and John Oliver, Browne retained a devoted following. Her vague prediction about a “pneumonia-like illness” spreading around 2020 drew renewed attention during the COVID-19 pandemic. She remained a polarizing figure—revered by some, discredited by others—until her death in 2013 at the age of 77.

Reviews

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second time I've read this book. I love this book. It actually made me happy reading it. It has a great description of the female side of God. I don't agree with everything. I find that Francine the spirit guide can be a little egotistical, especially for someone who has only incarnated on earth once. There is some fear mongering too: don't light red candles cause they are negative, don't wear blue because you will feel blue etc. I don't think that these rules are accurate and seem to come from the unfounded fear of witchcraft. Also the description of God is repetitive and tends to jump around especially in the beginning of the book. But overall a great book.

[tristinrose · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would recommend this book if you want to seek more about the afterlife or about religion, but take what resonates with you and leave the rest. I definitely would not say this is a end all for the explanation of life.

There were a lot of things in this book I found eye opening, but there were a lot of things in this book that felt a bit obnoxious.

There were things that seemed to contradict. In one part they'd explain the Other Side as one thing then later they would explain it another. A lot of it was a bit pretentious. When they couldn't explain something, they just said "your human brain wouldn't understand" then later it would say you can open your brain to understand everything.

It was hard to keep up with some of the repetitive explanations.

I did like how they explained that God wasn't what the modern religion teaches and that there is more to the universe than we know. It was nice for someone to explain how God is just love and energy, and that our minds are more powerful than we give credit for.

[Kate Zirkle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite books by Sylvia Browne. It changed my life when I read it. Some books just resonate within your soul and this was definitely one of them.

[Eve · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had bought one of her books at least 10 years ago. I wanted to like the author, at that time she was quite popular and my boss at the time kept raving about her. In that particular book, she made a reference that native americans were unlikely to be spirit guides as they weren't spiritually evolved enough or something along those lines. I threw the book out. This book was gifted to me from a relative who was a fan of hers, I read up to page 65 and haven't touched it since. Her various predictions of missing children in various interviews prior to her death, were consistently wrong and I honestly felt that she was a fraud and didn't connect with her writing at all. Her ominous warning about using the term Witch to define themselves was also off putting in this book as well.

[Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first of a series of three. I do have all three and will read all three, but this was so packed with thought-provoking information that I need to digest this and skim through it again before I go on to the next. I will read this again. I read this is small bursts. It was a quick read, but at times very dense material.
If you pick this series up please have at least an elementary knowledge of who Sylvia Brown is and have an open mind. Parts of this really spoke to me, other parts weren't so inspiring. As a package I enjoyed this book and the knowledge it imparted to me. It's one I will save and periodically reference or read... I think that's a sign of a good book.

[Joyce Hallgren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I own this book, and have read it several times over. I also own the entire series. They are so beautiful, they are hard to put down. They warm your soul.I wish everybody could read these wondrous books. God Bless Sylvia, for bringing them to us.

[Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh ya baby. Sylvia explains the world (with the help of her Guardian Angel, Francine).

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first of three books. They were one of the first ones that Sylvia wrote and now I have about 35 of her books. So this explains a lot of stuff she reference later on. I really enjoyed it.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it.

[Kris Pride-Helm · Rating 5 out of 5]

My wife and I read this together and discussed. A lot really resonates with me, some is hard to swallow, but fascinating. We've already started the second book in the series, Soul's Perfection.

[Steven H · Rating 1 out of 5]

THE FAMOUS MEDIUM LOOKS AT VARIOUS TOPICS FROM ‘GNOSTIC CHRISTIANITY’

Sylvia Celeste Browne (1936-2013) was a popular (if controversial) American medium who appeared frequently on television and radio. (She also pleaded ‘no contest’ to securities fraud in 1992.)

She wrote in the Introduction to this 2000 book, “The Society of Novus Spiritus is my church, located in Campbell, California. The Tenets in this book, the first in the ‘Journey of the Soul’ series, are based on the philosophy of this church, which I founded several years ago. The knowledge contained in this book represents the integration of several sources of information. First, it reflects knowledge infused by my own psychic ability throughout many years. It also reflects my spirit guide Francine’s tremendous knowledge of life’s plan and of the Other Side. Additional knowledge was passed down from my psychic grandmother, Ada, which represents almost 300 years of psychic oral tradition. In addition, thousands of hypnotic regressions were done independently of the other material, yet it all came together like clockwork, validating it, filling in any gaps, and showing that there is a logical plan to everything God creates… my faith, Gnostic Christianity, teaches that we must always continue to seek for our answers, because seeking is an essential process for spiritual growth.

“I decided to make this philosophy public because of the reaction I receive so often: ‘I have always known this. This is what I have always believed, although I couldn’t put it into words. I just felt this was a truth that resonated in my soul as RIGHT.’… I have always believed that everyone, no matter what their beliefs, should take with them what they need or want, and leave the rest… This book is organized in three parts; the first, ‘God,’ shares Francine’s unique knowledge regarding Mother and Father God. The second, ‘Creation,’ articulates the divine plan and organization of the universe and our spiritual evolution. The final part, ‘Tools for Life,’ discusses ways to remain strong in the face of life’s harsh lessons… I also have two communicating spirit guides, Francine and Raheim, who are the major contributors… By special arrangement with God, I am able to allow Francine and Raheim to take control of my body so that they can communicate directly with others. This is called ‘deep trance mediumship,’ which is best known through the works of Edgar Cayce… We in the Society of Novus Spiritus find that there is a great comfort in walking together in our belief, loving God without fear or guilt. To learn is spiritual, because knowledge, destroys ignorance, prejudice, and greed.”

She wrote in the first chapter, “Trud Gnostics are not afraid, because they know that they stand before God with all their beauty and their soul, and they know that God is nothing but love and knowledge… If there is a loving God, ten He made nothing evil. Life makes evil; God does not. Never let anyone tell you that you are diminished by another. All men and women are equal in the eyes of God…. There have always been both a Mother and a Father God, so it is very hard to talk about one without the other… You have been taught that there is a God, and of course there it---eternal, omnipresent, and a real entity… Father God cannot and will not interfere in your life, yet His love is constant and all-encompassing… In the ‘beginning’ of you, if you want to think of it what way, you first existed in the mind of God. Every single eternal soul… existed in this thought process, each knowing that they were unique.” (Pg. 4-6)

She continues, “God the Father is patriarchal and male. He is pure maleness, not only in disposition but patriarchal rule… Mother God, on the other hand, was always the counterpart, the emotional part… So you see, Father God has both male and female aspects within Himself, and Mother God has both aspects. They are the archetypal figures of the feminine and masculine principles… She is more of a Primary Motivator than He, only because emotion can motivate more than intellect can. Intellect is nothing but a storehouse, more like a library.” (Pg. 9)

In answer to the question, ‘Which religion has the truth?’ she replies: “church teaching should have given knowledge, not just blind faith. This is because the greater your understanding is of God and the Goddess, the greater your live will be. Why should that have been a mystery? Gnostics had it in the beginning. They carried it from one generation to the other until the patriarchal rule changed the rules, because emotion is dangerous to them. The truth is that you should have no fear whether or not to go to church on wSunday, or to festivals!... The church leaders said, ‘We are not getting enough members. We have to do something.’ Thus, hell was created! The vengeful god was brought out more… Then the church hierarchy got further and further away from the people, telling them that they were stupid, that they could not know, and that the mysteries were shrouded and hidden.” (Pg. 21)

She asserts, “Stop and think logically! What sadistic god, what monster, what horribly Satanistic type of god would put people on Earth only to suffer in life, then end up in hellfire and damnation, to lose people we love, to be with hurt children and homeless or crippled people? Do you think it is simply a toss of the dice? Or do you think that if you’re not nice, your child or spouse will be taken away from you? Is all this suffering at the whim of a petty, jealous god? I don’t think so!... The true God of Love allows us to go through school---that is, through the hard knocks of life---because it makes us better people.” (Pg. 46-47)

In Chapter 6, she says, “In the very ‘beginning,’ there was an energy force that was all love and all consciousness, but not in a form. All of us on the Other Side, all of you on your side, and all the beings that inhabit the other dimensions were part of this gigantic swirling mass. That gigantic intelligence began to splinter off, and yet a great deal of the mass remained. The part of it that splintered off was the emotional part…. You have all lived on other planets. You have gone through and whole galactic format gathering up knowledge and feelings. This is the first time in the history of this planet that there have been so many different galactic sparks gathered together on one planet, all converging on what we call the last outpost. You decided to come here because you wanted to perfect more than other entities did…” (Pg. 61)

Of reincarnation, she states, “Some entities evolve faster than others, showing the individuality of each. Because some did not evolve completely with one life, God gave his created entities the opportunity to live more than once, gaining experience and evolving according to a great plan that shows His love and mercy… An entity will go through the chosen number of liver until they get to a point where they know they have completed that theme to the best of their ability… reincarnation on other planets is also possible to gain a ‘new’ type of experience.” (Pg. 71)

She says, “The 12th level is finding your original home world to pursue higher learning, doing research, and knowing your unique God-center. Is it not wonderful to know that when we get to the Other Side, we are not going to be on a cloud with a harp?... when I was young girl, I used to challenge the nuns and priests all of the time. When I was in the Episcopalian church, I used to challenge the bishop all the time. In Judaism, I challenged the rabbis. I was not exactly an obedient kid. The whole idea of going Home to the Other Side and continuing to work, I think, is the most marvelous thing.” (Pg. 104)

She says, “the universe is shaped like a great men, with Pisces as the feet and Aries as the head. I myself tried to visit the farthest reaches of the great man---from head to foot---and in my travels, I have not found anything or anyone that is not of human quality. They all look like us. We do not see any extraterrestrials (ETs) as you have imagined them---no three-fingered salamanders or anything green, no funny skin… Nothing in the universe has one gigantic, cyclops eye. Such ideas are the offshoot of your fear and ignorance.” (Pg. 117)

She asserts, “Religion does not exist anywhere else but on this planet. Spirituality exists throughout the galaxies, but this is the only place in which RELIGIONISTIC practices seem to have taken hold.” (Pg. 122)

Of the origin of races, she states, “You were colonized on at least four planets… the Watusi tribe … were colonized by a planet in Andromeda, who sent their very tall and dark children. Another planet sent smaller people, and thereby you have the Pygmies. Africa is the seat where it all started. In the beginning, the black race was dominant… Different entities chose to use different visages. Other galaxies contain every race you could ever think of…” (Pg. 123) UFOs “are visiting from Andromeda.” (Pg. 124)

She says, “The Council members are also called the master teachers. This is a fancy way to say the same thing. I don’t know why everybody has to have fancy words for everything, such as the Ascended Masters or the White Brotherhood. Really, what the White Brotherhood referred to were the Gnostics… The elders, the master teachers, are the Council.” (Pg. 147)

She warns, “I think there are good Wiccans, but I think anyone who professes to be a witch has to be very careful, because that title in itself carries with it a dark and ominous meaning, it is a power trip, and people have to be very wary. Besides, it what nothing to do with Gnostic Christianity.” (Pg. 183)

She states, “In 1973 I worked with doctors and psychiatrists at Stanford and Agnew State Hospital, where they were testing all types of paranormal activity. I was also tested by several doctors. Everybody asked me, ‘How are you doing what you are doing?’ So I sat down and tried to put it on paper, as best I could. What came out of that was a very marvelous theory that has helped many people. In fact, many of these doctors are using my theory to balance the mind.” (Pg. 217)

This book will appeal to fans of Ms. Browne.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some new ideas for me. I didn't like the vibe I started getting that earth is a grungy, dark place. I also didn't like the concept that we don't have soul mates. The idea that came across for me was that our earth experience is a singular one, and the sharing isn't important.

I'd like to think our loved ones, friends and coworkers are meaningful relationships, and that we've usually met each other before, and will hopefully meet again.

[Moffitt Cheyenne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this book has been bery helpful, there is so many tips and helpful information to gain out of this.

[Debbie Christ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rereading the series now. Something new always rings true.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what I expected and left me disappointed.

[Melissa Simmonds · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Book was an intriguing read. It answered Questions that many people have asked with no clear answers. It's up to the Reader whether they believe in what they read or not. Based off Gnostic Religion, Sylvia's Spirit Guide Francine who resides on the Other Side offers a boatload of knowledge along with Sylvia sharing her wisdom as well. It kept my interest and did make me both question certain aspects as well as believe others. This Book does do something to the Soul, at least it did to mine and in a positive way.

[Vaughn · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was an interesting book.
I'd say this book, unless you appreciate religion to a high degree, is mostly for your information. I saw it like a "dark glass" reflection of the author's life, psychologically speaking. It seems to me that her meditations and trances were showing her innermost fears and hopes projected onto another world.
Despite the psychological metaphors, the ideas of this book are helpful and to pertain to my own beliefs of energy and the universe. Very positive and comforting, and useful to a writer in need of an idea.

[María Greene F · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me encantan los libros de casos reales, y me encantan los libros de temas como estos, qué alivio sería que fuera cierto, qué felicidad me encanta, me encanta... me gustaría saber mucho más de todo esto. Además, a ella le creí todo. Es una pena que en libros más posteriores se ponga más a dar cátedra que a contar casos, y a hablar de espíritus guías, y uno (yo) le crea menos, o se aburra un poquitín.

¡Hasta le seguí en twitter después de leerla! Aunque creo que después la des-seguí porque no la usaba mucho, la cuenta.

[Chandra White · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the first books by Sylvia I have ever read. Not to be totally dramatic, but it literally changed my life. I was, I believe actually touched by the presense of a higher power as I was reading it. I remember weeping uncontrollably several times throughout, and just transformmed somehow. It has brought me closer to God. And Azna for some people. I am having a harder time accepting her somehow, although I don't want to dismiss her totally.

[Cyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, this entire series is a profound life changing experience. This book reached a side of me that no other belief system or religion has ever been able to touch. This entire 3 book series resonated with my inner spirit to such a significant point, that they are literally the beginning of my long spiritual journey. Absolutely recommend these! Especially for those who have an open mind, or have never really known what to believe in. These books are pure love.

[Marla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is very interesting reading. Parts of it seemed more like fantasy but it was certainly thought provoking and I do not believe anyone should bother to read this if they are not willing to read it with an open mind. I will want to read it again to see if my own mind has opened up since first reading it.

[Melinda]

Not my favorite. I read the 2nd in the series (read out of order) and loved that one so much that I HAD to pick up the 1st one. I found this one (the 1st one) really hard to get into with a lot of things I disagreed with or had a hard time swallowing. Had to really push myself to get 1/2 way and after that I ended up just skimming. It didn't feel as comforting as the 2nd book.

[Scorpio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had this book on my shelf for a couple of years, but once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. Sylvia Browne discusses life and the afterlife as she knows it through her spirit guides. She offers explanations for some of life's biggest mysteries. She writes about father God and mother God, spirit guides, dark entities and the soul's journey. Going to read the rest of the series.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like spiritual books and books about the afterlife, but a lot of this stuff seems kind of crazy. Some of it was kind of comforting, but if everything she says is true, then I think it's too much information for me.

[Creative Choices]

Own it haven't read it yet!

[Jackied Delgado]

A different perspective on life...

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

great

[Maureen Davis]

the only book I have EVER written in----and in INK

[Stacey M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read. Liked it, but didn't love it.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one made my head hurt, but very intersesting concepts.