Hoping this book would grab me from page one. Was disappointed. Had to work to keep my interest. I am a big fan of MEDIUM, the TV series. After learning that it was taken from Van Praagh stories, thought I would try the book. Will still watch the show but not read the books.

James Van Praagh is author of the New York Times bestseller, Talking to Heaven. A psychic who works primarily as a spirit medium, Van Praagh has established a considerable reputation for himself through lectures, tours, and interviews with such talk-show luminaries as Oprah Winfrey and Larry King.

* "Heaven and Earth" relies very heavily on the concept of spirit guides to introduce readers to their own psychic abilities. Rather than present exercises to help readers develop abilities on their own, Van Praagh focuses on putting readers in contact with disincarnate guides who are then supposed to do the actual work of guidance and instruction.
* Van Praagh comes at theories of psychic experience from the "white light" worldview that has become paradigmatic of the New Age. While the language of this white light paradigm speaks to a number of older practitioners, it may be a turn-off for younger practitioners, especially those coming from Generations X and Y.
* As a New Age author, Van Praagh writes from a very spiritual perspective and all of the anecdotes from his personal experience are accordingly uplifting and inspirational. However, Van Praagh frequently takes an overly credulous stance when relating psychic experiences, blurring the lines between faith and objective reality.
* Like many psychic development authors, Van Praagh teaches by example, relating many engaging and enlightening stories from his own life experiences. Although the stories Van Praagh uses to illustrate his points in Heaven and Earth are enjoyable to read, after a while one begins to wonder how much "Heaven and Earth" is about psychic development and how much of the book is about Van Praagh.

Van Praagh is clearly a lauded authority on the subject of psychic experience. "Heaven and Earth" is a very uplifting text that attempts to share the secret of Van Praagh's abilities with the reader. Perhaps the highlight of the book, at least for me, was the material on study groups, as groups can be tricky to put together and participate in, but are often essential to personal development.

Even with the criticms outlined above, I feel that there is a very sizable audience who will find this book both useful and inspirational. Readers under the age of thirty-five, neo-Pagans, and more traditional occultists may find the book a little too fluffy for their tastes, however.

--Michelle Belanger