Journey: From One Life to Another by Paco Rabanne About this title: World-renowned couturier Paco Rabanne presents a personal account of his search for spiritual understanding and tells how he has applied the results of this search to his creative work. Past Book Reviews JOURNEY: FROM ONE LIFE TO ANOTHERBy Paco Rabanne, Element Books Limited, 1997, 165 pages, $24.95The very last place I would expect to find spirituality is in the highly materialistic world of high fashion, the ¿haute couture¿ of Parisian design. It was an unexpected surprise then to discover an autobiography of Paris Fashion designer, Paco Rabanne, on a ¿New Age¿ bookshelf in a bookstore. It must be a shelving error, I thought.But when I examined Paco Rabanne¿s Journey: From One Life To Another, I discovered a deeply thoughtful examination of the meaning of life and one man¿s exploration of his own spiritual journey. Rabanne speaks of his life long psychic experiences, his spiritual guides, his past-life memories, astral voyages, alchemy, oriental religions, the first Christians and passages in the Gospel. He discusses karma, the chakras, and higher spiritual planes. The book is a delightful experience for readers who enjoy both biographies and spiritual journeys.Rabanne, perhaps best known as a designer of metallic dresses and his best-selling scent for men, Paco, shares a number of original points of view about reincarnation. His views offer many insights to consider.Rabanne shares many wise thoughts about finding meaning in life and accepting responsibility for our actions. ¿It is here and now that man progresses and attains divine light,¿ he says. ¿It is... an opportunity for evolution. It is by our daily behavior that we can make our karma lighter.¿ He sees reincarnation as ¿an encouragement to act in the present.¿Rabanne comments on the distractions of modern ¿conveniences.¿ He views television and radio as a modern day Tower of Babel. Instead of the usual absorption in the hypnotic babble of the television set, Rabanne recommends meditation ¿anywhere and as soon as an opportunity arises.¿ He even discusses how thoughts can be positive or negative. All thoughts ¿rebound towards us¿ like boomerangs. Therefore he warns readers about the dangers of negative thoughts, especially willful, bad thoughts sent out to others.Although Rabanne himself is highly psychic and has studied astrology, numerology, and the tarot, he warns against consulting clairvoyants too often because by doing so, ¿one ends up... relinquishing one¿s own will in the process.¿ Occasional consultations, however, can be useful, he says, for providing possible insights or options to consider in making important decisions.This is a fascinating book to read. I expected a life story, but instead I discovered the serious, insightful thoughts of a metaphysical philosopher. Rabanne shares his thoughts on nearly every possible spiritual topic in easy to understand prose. He provides plenty to stimulate every reader to think and ponder his vision of the world. This book is a real ¿page-turner.¿Reviewed by Gayl Woityra
