Every “full disclosure” the author makes at the beginning of this remarkably fresh take on consciousness and living feels like a brisk, cleansing shower for the reader’s brain.

Bruce Lee said it best:

“Empty your cup so that it may be filled; become devoid to gain totality.”

Readers new to the subject will naturally approach this book in the right spirit; for those of us who’ve spent a lifetime inquiring into and investigating the great wealth of existing material, the preliminary cleansing is not just pleasurable but vital. Where Nicholas Ferguson confesses things that might disqualify him from “professional inclusion,” the astute mind will recognize something extraordinary: an entirely new, untainted perspective on life and meaning.

Given the author’s introductory disclaimers about academic motivation or brilliance, it is remarkable how academically precise and brilliant his devotion to vocabulary is—something helpful, possibly essential, to higher spiritual understanding. Indeed, his reverence for the proper, perfect word choice gives this work deeper meaning while maintaining a beautiful continuity of exposition and expression. Above all, the book is lucid and accessible; the reader won’t be left guessing at the author’s meaning.

Lest you think this is merely some high-minded conceptual treatment of existence—physical and transcendental—I must emphasize that it is one of the most practical guides to living a meaningful and enjoyable life that I have ever come across. One need only fully implement the author’s admonition to “Tune” and “Focus” to see tangible results that validate the conceptual underpinnings.

Less formally, reading this book—including the large print, which enhances the experience—is an exciting, uplifting, positive activity. One may shed a few tears of relief as they “let go” and release old constraints, but those are cleansing tears, shed to “open up” and “let in” a stream of unexpected joy.

What a beautiful surprise!