In practice, Rotaru’s spiritual psychoanalysis is related to meditation, an effort to “detect manifestations of negative energies in our lives and eliminate them through practical methods.” His teaching draws on established studies of chakras and negative energies, though Rotaru also presents much unique material, such as his conception of the “family law theory of the universe,” which posits that the relationships between God and matter, body and soul, and husband and wife reflect each other. “God commissioned me to deliver His spiritual message,” Rotaru declares, a claim that readers not on his wavelength may balk at. The same goes for his characterization of homosexuals and transgender individuals as “lost souls.”
A dense, lengthy mix of spiritual autobiography and prophetic screed, studded with bible quotes and summaries of conversations, this is not an inviting book. Readers curious about spiritual psychoanalysis first face over a hundred pages of family and personal history. Rather than lay out practical steps to aid in communicating with God, Rotaru considers a host of topics (tips for marriage; how the economic structure of a country shapes its citizenry; theories about souls) between passages about his life. This volume may appeal to believers open to spiritualism from outside traditional religion.
Takeaway: A provocative autobiography and spiritual journey that makes the case for a “spiritual psychoanalysis.”
Great for fans of: Sri Aurobindo, Neale Donald Walsch’s The Complete Conversations With God.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: B-
Illustrations: A-
Editing: C+
Marketing copy: C+
The Destiny and Signs of God: Spiritual Psychoanalysis
Ionel Rotaru
Publisher: iUniverse Pages: 534 Price: (paperback) $28.99 ISBN: 9781663203618Reviewed: January, 2021Author Website: Visit »
In this work of “spiritual psychoanalysis,” psychiatrist Ionel Rotaru recounts his life story and spiritual development, focusing primarily on how he came to understand how God communicates with us in different ways. While personal stories drive the narrative, the author’s underlying aim is to help others answer life’s big questions, including, “Who are we? Where do we come from? How can the paths we choose determine our destiny?”
Translated from Romanian into English, Rotaru’s narrative recounts his hardscrabble life growing up in Eastern Europe’s Moldova, his years practicing psychiatry in Romania, and his emigration with his family to Canada in 2005. He shares intimate stories about his family relationships and offers stimulating social, political, and personal commentaries. Overall, he urges readers to decrease dependency on life’s material aspects and embrace God more fully. Although he denounces Communism, he believes a global shift to more spiritual living will lead to a greater communal and supportive way of treating each other.
The book covers tremendous ground. In addition to the linear biographical story, the author shares his spiritual visions, explorations of yoga and the chakra system, insights on mental and physical pain and pleasure, and the role consciousness plays in our lives. In discussing how God speaks to us, he talks of signs, symbols, and unique encounters.
This book is lengthy, and while Rotaru addresses why his highly detailed biographical stories are relevant—allowing readers greater psychological and spiritual understanding of the subject—he could have summarized parts of his earlier life more succinctly. Additionally, although mostly an easy read, the narrative contains several awkward and wordy sentences (e.g., “I told my wife that my ideas were not coming from me but from her, and I would [sic] discussing with other people in her presence what was going to happen”).
Despite its copious detail and length, Rotaru’s book tells an intriguing spiritual journey that may appeal to those interested in metaphysics, personal development, and biographies of everyday people.
Also available in hardcover and ebook.
Promising nothing less than “specific solutions save yourself and our civilization from the nightmare of the material life,” Rotaru’s debut offers an epic-length account of his “first steps to a spiritual psychoanalysis” paired with teachings about communication with God, all rooted in a revelatory vision that Rotaru reports experiencing soon after immigrating to Canada from Romania. A psychiatrist and psychologist, Rotaru writes that “spiritual psychoanalysis” involves “techniques of communication with God, relationships between the spirit and the matter.” To re-orient our selves and our society from a focus on the material, he argues we must find the answers to questions like “What should we do to live in harmony with [God]?”
In practice, Rotaru’s spiritual psychoanalysis is related to meditation, an effort to “detect manifestations of negative energies in our lives and eliminate them through practical methods.” His teaching draws on established studies of chakras and negative energies, though Rotaru also presents much unique material, such as his conception of the “family law theory of the universe,” which posits that the relationships between God and matter, body and soul, and husband and wife reflect each other. “God commissioned me to deliver His spiritual message,” Rotaru declares, a claim that readers not on his wavelength may balk at. The same goes for his characterization of homosexuals and transgender individuals as “lost souls.”
A dense, lengthy mix of spiritual autobiography and prophetic screed, studded with bible quotes and summaries of conversations, this is not an inviting book. Readers curious about spiritual psychoanalysis first face over a hundred pages of family and personal history. Rather than lay out practical steps to aid in communicating with God, Rotaru considers a host of topics (tips for marriage; how the economic structure of a country shapes its citizenry; theories about souls) between passages about his life. This volume may appeal to believers open to spiritualism from outside traditional religion.
Takeaway: A provocative autobiography and spiritual journey that makes the case for a “spiritual psychoanalysis.”
Great for fans of: Sri Aurobindo, Neale Donald Walsch’s The Complete Conversations With God.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: B-
Illustrations: A-
Editing: C+
Marketing copy: C+
Print Date: 08/09/2021
Promising nothing less than “specific solutions save yourself and our civilization from the nightmare of the material life,” Rotaru’s debut offers an epic-length account of his “first steps to a spiritual psychoanalysis” paired with teachings about communication with God, all rooted in a revelatory vision that Rotaru reports experiencing soon after immigrating to Canada from Romania. A psychiatrist and psychologist, Rotaru writes that “spiritual psychoanalysis” involves “techniques of communication with God, relationships between the spirit and the matter.” To re-orient our selves and our society from a focus on the material, he argues we must find the answers to questions like “What should we do to live in harmony with [God]?”
In practice, Rotaru’s spiritual psychoanalysis is related to meditation, an effort to “detect manifestations of negative energies in our lives and eliminate them through practical methods.” His teaching draws on established studies of chakras and negative energies, though Rotaru also presents much unique material, such as his conception of the “family law theory of the universe,” which posits that the relationships between God and matter, body and soul, and husband and wife reflect each other. “God commissioned me to deliver His spiritual message,” Rotaru declares, a claim that readers not on his wavelength may balk at. The same goes for his characterization of homosexuals and transgender individuals as “lost souls.”
A dense, lengthy mix of spiritual autobiography and prophetic screed, studded with bible quotes and summaries of conversations, this is not an inviting book. Readers curious about spiritual psychoanalysis first face over a hundred pages of family and personal history. Rather than lay out practical steps to aid in communicating with God, Rotaru considers a host of topics (tips for marriage; how the economic structure of a country shapes its citizenry; theories about souls) between passages about his life. This volume may appeal to believers open to spiritualism from outside traditional religion.
Takeaway: A provocative autobiography and spiritual journey that makes the case for a “spiritual psychoanalysis.”
Great for fans of: Sri Aurobindo, Neale Donald Walsch’s The Complete Conversations With God.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: B-
Illustrations: A-
Editing: C+
Marketing copy: C+
Print Date: 08/09/2021
Promising nothing less than “specific solutions save yourself and our civilization from the nightmare of the material life,” Rotaru’s debut offers an epic-length account of his “first steps to a spiritual psychoanalysis” paired with teachings about communication with God, all rooted in a revelatory vision that Rotaru reports experiencing soon after immigrating to Canada from Romania. A psychiatrist and psychologist, Rotaru writes that “spiritual psychoanalysis” involves “techniques of communication with God, relationships between the spirit and the matter.” To re-orient our selves and our society from a focus on the material, he argues we must find the answers to questions like “What should we do to live in harmony with [God]?”
In practice, Rotaru’s spiritual psychoanalysis is related to meditation, an effort to “detect manifestations of negative energies in our lives and eliminate them through practical methods.” His teaching draws on established studies of chakras and negative energies, though Rotaru also presents much unique material, such as his conception of the “family law theory of the universe,” which posits that the relationships between God and matter, body and soul, and husband and wife reflect each other. “God commissioned me to deliver His spiritual message,” Rotaru declares, a claim that readers not on his wavelength may balk at. The same goes for his characterization of homosexuals and transgender individuals as “lost souls.”
A dense, lengthy mix of spiritual autobiography and prophetic screed, studded with bible quotes and summaries of conversations, this is not an inviting book. Readers curious about spiritual psychoanalysis first face over a hundred pages of family and personal history. Rather than lay out practical steps to aid in communicating with God, Rotaru considers a host of topics (tips for marriage; how the economic structure of a country shapes its citizenry; theories about souls) between passages about his life. This volume may appeal to believers open to spiritualism from outside traditional religion.
Takeaway: A provocative autobiography and spiritual journey that makes the case for a “spiritual psychoanalysis.”
Great for fans of: Sri Aurobindo, Neale Donald Walsch’s The Complete Conversations With God.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: B-
Illustrations: A-
Editing: C+
Marketing copy: C+
Print Date: 08/09/2021
