Customer Reviews

Your Truest Self: Embracing the Woman You Are Meant to Be

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(22)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you love reading about other women, and are looking for an interfaith spiritual book, this book is a great read. The author presents twelve spiritual principles by profiling twelve different spiritual teachers and authors. Some of the women are well-known, such as singer Naomi Judd, who in recent years has become a proponent of mind-body medicine, and Rev. Dr. Iyanla Vanzant, New Thought minister and author of five NY Times bestsellers. Others are less well-known (at least to me) such as Joyce Rupp, member of the Catholic order Servants of Mary, and Mari Gayatri Stein, author of The Buddha Smiles: A Collection of Dharmatoons.

Ms. Lundy interviews each of these twelve women, and every single one comes across as someone I'd love to have dinner with (and I'm not that social.) They are down to earth, wise, honest, and, in the hands of Ms. Lundy, very revealing about the joys and challenges of their own spiritual journeys. The intimate experiences they reveal are the best thing about the book, and the most useful, for those of us journeying ourselves. Rev. Vanzant talks about the crises of faith she experienced after the death of her 31-year old daughter, and Ms. Judd discusses her battle with hepatitis C. Many discuss the self-doubt, stress in personal relationships, and fears of social ostracization that they faced as they explored new spiritual paths and practices.

This book is contemplative in nature, and includes questions for the reader to think about in each chapter, as well as mindfulness or meditative exercises to try. It does not present a 'step-by-step' self-help growth plan, although the themes are progressive from chapter to chapter. Frankly, for me that is a plus, as too often today spirituality is presented like a workout plan or diet, with specific instructions and techniques that end up undermining the very personal and individual nature of the process.

So, overall, I found it a compelling, and often moving, read. Especially if you think of your spirituality as exploratory, rather than prescriptive, this book is for you.

I received Your Truest Self a couple of days ago and I couldn't put it down. This book is written for all of us women looking for inspiration, insight and inner peace. This beautifully written book has the ability to open your heart and touch your soul.

We learn our best lessons from the courageous women who have gone before and cleared a path for us. Each chapter is an inspired story of self-determination and spiritual awakening.

Reading Your Truest Self is about making the commitment to discover your own unique spiritual path. You owe it to yourself to make time and take time to read, reflect and work this book. It's a journey of self-discovery that should be taken seriously. Work the Reflection Questions from a heartfelt place. Make quiet time to enjoy the Peaceful Pause.

What a blessing to have such valuable spiritual and life lessons from so many wise women all compiled in one book. I highly recommend you set aside a special time each day and work with Your Truest Self to find, develop and appreciate your own truest self.

I feel torn about this book. I loved the idea of exploring a profound set of idea through the lives of 12 amazing women. And I really appreciated getting to know 12 women better through the eyes of Lundy. She is a good writer and made them very real and alive.

I did wonder several times what these women would think of her interpretation of their lives and the meaning she took from them. Were they a bit embarrassed by what might be over simplification in some cases? Some I felt were reduced to New Age homilies. When she described learning from Holy Woman I was expecting some deeper spiritual discoveries and less about overcoming my weakness on living in a difficult world.

If you seek deep spiritual discovery, this is not a book for you. But it has advantages for woman who are struggling with the adversities of life that invite them not to stand up for themselves, not to be open and authentic and not to become their own best friend. If you seek a self-help guide through what I will call "biographical" learning, it is a very useful book.

The first chapter is great. Most of the concepts presented ring very true, and it's good to be reminded of them because the world has a way of making us forget.

The rest of the book is disappointing because Lundy sinks into worshipping the people who supposedly taught her each titular truth. It's like reading 12 infomercials for these women's books and CDs.

Also distressing is the victim mentality that underlies Lundy's extreme effort to apply these 'spiritual truths' to women only. The enlightened are not segregated. Spiritual truths are universal. It's not just that every woman is a 'holy woman', every person is a 'holy person'. True unity will all life is probably the most basic spiritual truth, and it is the subject of one chapter in this book, but Lundy does not show signs of living it.

I tried to get through this book with an open mind but by the end I was so sorry I read it. What you get here is a compilation of interviews retold by the author. If you're interested in hearing about talking angels and so forth, this might be for you but I found it very easy to put down. I don't say this lightly, I was bored to tears.. Definitely not a best seller in the making and I found it to be little more than a waste of time.

I'm sure Ms. Lundy knows what she's talking about. But this book is just too preachy for my tastes. It's not an easy read - it makes you think, but also makes you feel a little defensive. I started to wonder "hmmm...am I not as good of a person that I think I am?" She mentions things that are so common sense, yet if you don't do them, you're not realizing your truest potential.

I found that this book made me feel worse about myself than better - take that for what it's worth.

This book displays the storied spiritual paths of thirteen women-the author's and those of the twelve women she interviewed for the book. Each of the twelve women's stories (chapters) is intended to highlight a certain suggestion of principle as proposed by the author. For example, "I am free to live a spiritual life of my own making", followed by a chapter on Joyce Rupp. Each "story" is indeed highly distinct from one another and shows how diverse spirituality can be, but we all already know that. The author's own story is woven throughout the entire book. It's obvious that life is rich with outlets to express spirituality-I hadn't considered photography as one of them, but, okay.

The overarching theme of this book is that it's okay to break from the tradition you're most familiar with and explore other (and even multiple) means of expressing "who you are", rather than sticking to what you do by rote and not feeling authentic about it. I confess I had a hard time getting started with this book when I smelled that statement early in its pages, as I am SO over that--I made my break from what I grew up with and found my own spiritual niche some time ago--but that's me. This book shows options (like a series of infomercials!) if a reader is so inclined to look.

I didn't care for the writer's creative visions of her subjects at the end of each chapter. Someone gliding into the sunset in the ocean on a dolphin's back in a polka-dot swimsuit and crazy hair overfull with glee, kisses, and waves? I just plain don't need to know that. That kind of stuff is so hokey. I understand holding the high watch for the energy of each person, but, really...and each chapter was really the author just gloating over her subjects. There's no new ground broken, here.

What little value I find in this book is that I felt assured no one goes forth in their walk of life with complete fearlessness and self-assurance-not even the famous and published. Then again, we all already know that. I ended up enjoying the book more than I thought I would. It's okay for a rainy day, I suppose.

I'm often curious about people who want to tell you that you can find a "true self" as it seems to imply there is some mystical or destined version of "you" that you need to find or uncover. Lundy's book doesn't quite do that.
The book is divided into chapters on women who have inspired Lundy, one way or another, on her so-called spiritual journey (ideas which she "gobbled up" as she says. Each is intended to show a unique, inspirational path to some sort of "truth."
There's lots of very mystical stuff here. Some of it reminds me of Parmenides (a lot about this "Divine One" that women should open themselves to.) There's also things about angels, and a whole diverse range of new-agey and religious stuff.
Ultimately, Lundy does say it is "your birthright and destiny" to "reclaim yourself as holy and live as your truest self." (xvi) There's a lot of stuff that sounds like that in here.
Mostly the book is confusing and, I think, creepy. It can be entertaining, though. I'm still not sure what people like her think they are looking for, or what they hope to find.

I could use a little inspiration, so I ordered this book. After I read the first chapter, I thought I was taking a walk down the usual new age spiritualistic route and was a tad skeptical. I am happy to report it wasn't so.

Each chapter tells a story about a woman - and each chapter has a theme. Each theme teaches you something. There are twelve wonderful chapters that end with reflection questions that help you relate to that chapter. Some chapters will mean more to you then others and you will relish the ones that speak directly to you.

Some of the ideas that Janice Lundy relates are not new and you may have read them before, however, a refresher never hurts and it's good to be reminded of Angels, or that there is hope to rise above what troubles you. Take Naomi Judd for example - diagnosed with Hep C - basically a death sentence. Today, she is disease free and her story is in this book.

Each chapter resounds with hope and mind changing ideas to get you out of a slump and to think positively with hope regarding life's inevitable ups and downs.

I also loved Michelle Tsosie Sisneros story. She is a Native American that overcame a painful childhood and alcoholism to become an artist. Her story is powerful.

Many of the chapters involve people who have written inspirational books so, there is a wealth of further reading to embark upon if you choose. The book also offers a website for more inspiration.

Time spent with this book is not wasted - it opens the door to possibility and lifts you up.

I understand perfectly the concept of "finding a God of Your Own Understanding" due to my own addiction problem years ago. "Church God" would not have worked for me. Once a woman (since this book is about spiritual growth for women) wants to find a God of her own personal understanding, she is then ready to take her first deliberate step of her personal spiritual journey and begin to grow and become the person she truly is. But, what's nice is that you don't need to understand at first who or what your God is, that happens in bits as you progress on your journey - and that's the fun part. Ms. Lundy did a good job explaining the importance of letting go of old religious baggage, especially that baggage which has been very good at keeping women subjugated and obedient for thousands of years to the patriarchy of the society they were born into. And it's very much o.k., and highly encouraged to let go that concept of "Fatherly God" instilled in us as children by those patriarchs, and to finally discover a loving, tender, caring, humorous, and personal, "Motherly God" of one's own understanding.

I have no problem with this book. As an EX-Christian, I was at first suspicious it might be strewn through with Christian beliefs, but was glad to find it free of much of that. This is a good book for anyone, (not just women although it is directed to them), who would like a much more open-minded way of finding spiritual happiness, and purpose to one's life. And like with most things of a spiritual nature, take what you want from this book that serves you, and leave that which does not.