I read Destiny of Souls - I didn't read the one before that.
At the time I found the book very interesting as it was a very direct account of personal experiences (although by regression or hypnosis) as opposed to one mans views and philosophies. After I read it I started having a weird sort of feeling of something not being right about the combined stories and the similarity in the telling. I have just read Alice's experiences in this thread and find them very interesting.
In Newton's book, If I remember correctly, there didn't seem to be a lot of freewill involved after death. There seemed to be a lot of beings guiding or directing you into certain areas. That may be the way it really is but a lot of it sounds so much more like the astral plains and not the higher realms. We seem to be herded into soul groups and there is the constant talk of schools or some institutional type of place where you are taught or where you have your thoughts realigned in preparation for the next incarnation. That sounds like manipulation to me.
I believe that our own higher self knows exactly what it needs to be doing and what it did or didn't achieve in the last life and when we die we are then connected and aware of the bigger picture.
In Newtons version the soul seems strangely cut off from it's higher self and in need of guidance at every turn (and also very childlike). There is one bit where it describes these hooded beings whose faces are obscured (alarm bells ringing in my mind) that move you to an area of cleansing or some isolation area where you recover in apparent darkness - do I recall this correctly? There is also a lot of talk of other beings coming and joining with you to restore the balance of your energy -possibly depleted in a rather hard life - and again I would be wary of any being that rushes toward me and tries some sort of energy transfer (even if they have taken on the outward appearance of a long departed loved one.) The co called council or wise beings that we seem to appear before in apparent judgment or assessment doesn't sound right and the fact that they can read every thought and history of yours but you are unaware of their thoughts. The fact that it is always under some kind of domed or chanelling type structure is also strange. It's all a bit Star Trek to me.
Could it be that these descriptions are of souls that are alternating between 3d earthly incarnations and the astral lower dimensions and are being kept from progressing to the higher dimensions by dark beings masquerading as guides and ascended masters. All the programming and preparations in between lives could be to manipulate us into certain positions in the 3D world where we could then carry out the pre-programmed work assigned to us. If that is the case then there is a serious problem with this picture and maybe the great cleansing or ascension is the only way to break free from this endless non-progressive cycle.
I have had glimpses of past lives and higher realms or possibly alternate realities myself and they are very different from the people that Newton writes about. I could of course be completely wrong but I for one will not read any more of his books as I don't feel I benefit spiritually or mentally from them.
Positive vibes to all.
FS