Customer Reviews

Memoirs of a Spiritual Outsider

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is an excellent book for someone who, like the author, is seeking spiritual fulfillment--or for anyone who simply wants to know more about Eastern and "alternative" religions. Clores is brutally honest about the ups and downs of her spiritual quest. She is a likable and entertaining guide, and the tone is light, despite the seriousness of the topic. This probably sounds funny, but I think that this book would make an excellent Christmas/Hanukkah gift. Too many of us forget that there is a rich spiritual world outside the gates of the major organized religions.

Throughout the book Ms. Clores wrote that there were many things wrong in her life, and because of that, she was searching for the right spiritual answers. Still, she refused to think about committing to any path. She focused her spiritual journey on quick answers, but no relationship is instantaneous. Certainly a spiritual practice is about building a relationship to the divine.

Even when she enjoyed a spiritual event, she found a reason not to participate in a second one. With one excuse or another, she held herself apart. She intellectually analyzed what she might be feeling instead of focusing on what she truly did feel. Most of the time, she did not try to understand the various beliefs. She didn't even ask questions.

And so, she learned next to nothing. Bouncing from one spiritual practice to another, she rarely asked questions and often walked away with incorrect assumptions. There was so much she could have learned, but her assumptions blocked the way. She offered a frustrating lack of involvement in her own journey. Much of the information provided in the book is extremely basic and some of it is totally inaccurate.

I read this book when I was in my late twenties and still "searching". It was the PERFECT book for that time period because it addressed the spiritual angst I was feeling at a similar age. I had accomplished all my goals (get a degree, get a job, get married) and I was still a member of the church/religion in which I was raised. I *SHOULD* have been content. I was not. When I picked up this book, I had hoped it would address some other options for spiritual fulfillment and it did just that. I never anticipated it would show me how I SHOULD worship; afterall, my life had been filled with people doing THAT and look how it turned out. While the score of 1 review points out that Suzanne's path was never committed to any specific religion as a negative, I, in turn, found that to be a positive. It was the FIRST time I'd ever read ANYTHING that--- rather than attempting to persuade me to see it THEIR way--- gave me logical, thoughtful, and non-biased way to look at spirituality and a multitude of paths. Rather than telling me where to look, this book gave me the knowledge and strength of self to begin my OWN search to find a relationship with the Divine. Is it going to answer all your questions? No. If anything, it should raise even more. THAT is what a great book does :)