“Perhaps palate cleansing is the first phase of rebranding God” Joseph, who was intensely curious about religion long before she crossed paths with Mills, writes. She goes on to share, "I was seeking answers while also seeking acceptance and belonging," and through Mills's unique style of public speaking, which incorporated "the oral tradition of spontaneous poetry and prose," Joseph discovered “God-consciousness,” a sense of Oneness and connection to a greater whole. She acknowledges struggling initially with conventional religious constructs, but through much soul-searching, Joseph eventually “rebranded” her own spirituality and initiated a research project to identify how others were doing the very same thing.
Joseph is a skilled writer, able to explore the nature of organized religion and spirituality from a global perspective while modeling how to personalize spiritual beliefs at the same time. Though the research statistics she includes are heavily focused on Canada (Joseph’s birthplace), any spiritually curious readers will find a wealth of information here. "The stigma and cult label surrounding spirituality outside of religion [has been] replaced by a new openness… to find meaning and satisfaction beyond what the material world or religion [has] to offer," Joseph pens—a convincing reminder that “releasement from the impediment of otherness” is the ultimate freedom.
Takeaway: Transformative exploration of God, organized religion, and spirituality.
Comparable Titles: Eckhart Tolle's The Power of Now, Stephen Shaw's I Am.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: NA
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
