Adragh fills 200 pages with anecdotes from people who have been affected by the Oneness Blessing. He tries to explain how it works on the brain, and how that then sets the stage for the other blessings of peace, creativity, healing, and prosperity that follow. Like Michael Harner, who explains the spiritual experience of shamanic drumming as the effect of sound waves on the cerebral cortex, Adragh also looks for a scientific reason for a spiritual phenomenon.

I found the scientific evidence slim but interesting, and wondered at our western need to prove that something spiritual works. The reports by people who have been affected by the deeksha, however, were what I expected to hear from people undergoing profound spiritual change. Yet, those statements were intriguing and even a bit seductive. The change looked like something that I might want to experience someday. However, I am always a bit skeptical when a teacher/guru/saint comes out of nowhere with "the answer."

I don’t know that Ardagh actually accomplished his goal to explain what this phenomenon is. Let me first say that I have the deepest respect for anyone who is seeking and experiencing spiritual renewal. I myself was curious to find out what the Oneness Blessing was that I kept hearing about and wondered if it was for me. Unfortunately, I came away feeling that I had been reading a book that was offering me something -like a religious tract or even an infomercial- but I had to seek that something out from another source. Many people who read Ardagh’s book will take that next step. I’m not sure I’m there yet.