Product Description

After spending eight years in a monastery, Joseph Dispenza walked away from his life as a monk and the religion of his youth in search of a different kind of spiritual path. Outside the confines of organized religion, Dispenza was able to create a spiritual life that gives direction and meaning to all he does and all he is. God on Your Own is written for anyone who has left (or is thinking of leaving) organized religion but wants to continue on a spiritual path. Written by noted author and retreat leader Joseph Dispenza, this book provides a spiritual road map for those who want to make the transition from conventional religion toward a richer and more satisfying direct relationship with the Source, without rules, dogmas, or doctrines. Throughout the book, Dispenza offers wise, compassionate guidance, speaking as one seeker to another. He has made this journey himself, gleaning spiritual truth from across traditions and practices.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #157718 in Books
• Published on: 2006-06-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

From Publishers Weekly
In this book—part memoir, part self-help guide designed to shepherd readers from "religion to personal spirituality"—Dispenza, a former Roman Catholic monk, recounts his decades-long search beyond institutional religion. Weaving back and forth between memories of his journey into and out of the monastic life and his subsequent meanderings as a "Seeker" who has embarked on "a sacred quest for spiritual truths," Dispenza uses a wide variety of traditional religious and philosophical sources (Teilhard de Chardin, Aristotle, Jung, Zen meditation) as springboards beyond the trappings of not only traditional Catholicism but any institutionalized form of religion. Dispenza's story will appeal primarily to those spiritual seekers who are not interested in the New Age movement, yet are looking for something substantial outside organized religion. However, whether or not this particular audience will be able to stomach some of his more cringe-inducing moments (including accounts such as a "perfectly spherical soap bubble" out-of-body experience and the Rolling Stones' simplistic "Satisfaction" lyrics offered up for serious dissection) is difficult to judge, though Dispenza consistently manages to follow up the fantastic-sounding and the ridiculous with sound, intelligent reflection. (May)
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Review
In this book—part memoir, part self-help guide designed to shepherd readers from "religion to personal spirituality"—Dispenza, a former Roman Catholic monk, recounts his decades-long search beyond institutional religion. Weaving back and forth between memories of his journey into and out of the monastic life and his subsequent meanderings as a "Seeker" who has embarked on "a sacred quest for spiritual truths," Dispenza uses a wide variety of traditional religious and philosophical sources (Teilhard de Chardin, Aristotle, Jung, Zen meditation) as springboards beyond the trappings of not only traditional Catholicism but any institutionalized form of religion. Dispenza's story will appeal primarily to those spiritual seekers who are not interested in the New Age movement, yet are looking for something substantial outside organized religion. However, whether or not this particular audience will be able to stomach some of his more cringe-inducing moments (including accounts such as a "perfectly spherical soap bubble" out-of-body experience and the Rolling Stones' simplistic "Satisfaction" lyrics offered up for serious dissection) is difficult to judge, though Dispenza consistently manages to follow up the fantastic-sounding and the ridiculous with sound, intelligent reflection. (May) (Publishers Weekly, February 27, 2006)

"Dispenza … offers encouragement to all those seeking independence from the secure confines of traditional religious doctrine by detailing his own courageous journey."
"The prospect of relinquishing codified church dogma and community to travel an uncharted, unconventional path can be daunting. In his latest book, Dispenza (founder, LifePath Retreats; The Way of the Traveler) offers encouragement to all those seeking independence from the secure confines of traditional religious doctrine by detailing his own courageous journey. Through thoughtful reflection, he relates the crisis of faith he experienced as a young monk in the Roman Catholic Church, which manifested itself in the inability to reconcile his emerging beliefs with the rigid tenets of catechism. Taking enormously uncertain steps, he left the faith in search of more experiential alternatives that would grant him a more fulfilling relationship with his 'Source' (or God). The resulting narrative richly illustrates both the challenges and the rewards of embarking on such a journey and 'provides a wealth of relevant discussion material and welcome support for anyone contemplating this course.' This 'survival guide' by someone further along 'the road less traveled' is appropriate for public and academic libraries, especially those with traditional and alternative spirituality collections." (Library Journal, 2006)

Review
"Joseph Dispenza and I have much in common. We know monastic life firsthand, and we know Christian theology. When we were very young, something stirred to turn us toward an unknown spiritual focus, through the forms shifted over the years, the path of seeking is intact. I admire many elements in his story, especially willingness to pursue intuition in service of his unique spiritual destiny. He takes the spiritual life seriously and yet wears it lightly."
—From the Foreword by Thomas Moore

"Dispenza offers a thoughtful, openhearted, profoundly humane vision of authentic spirituality lived outside the walls of conventional religion. He shows how, through honest, persistent seeking, we can open to the direct experience of the sacred, beyond belief."
—Dean Sluyter, author, Cinema Nirvana: Enlightenment Lessons from the Movies

"Every now and then a book nourishes our deepest and often unstated need. For those of us stepping out from organized religion, learning to incarnate the divine and to discern the deeper meaning of all great mystical revelation as sovereign persons, this book is literally a God-send! We are taken on a journey to spiritual freedom and fulfillment as a personal revelation. It's a remarkably good book."
—Barbara Marx Hubbard, president, Foundation for Conscious Evolution

"A piercingly honest look at humanity's weakest condition, belief.  In this work, Joseph Dispenza stokes the emotional, intellectual, and spiritual drive within each of us to know God and not surrender ourselves to some dogma of belief. An oracle work in which each reader will be challenged to know their calling, define their life, and live on purpose."
—David A. Morehouse, David Morehouse Productions

Customer Reviews

Finaly, a book that understands me!
I have been on a spiritual journey for many years now, turned way off by organized religion. I knew that religion was doing more bad than good in this world and this book helped me verbalize and put into context ideas inside of me that have been clawing at me to reveal themselves. The author presents the information without overt religion bashing, but does take shots at all three "Big Religions" and their antiquated ideas and power schemes. He gives the reader a sense that it is OK to go thru life without having to succumb to ancient and flawed dogmas and rules of another time. He further leads one to start their own spiritual journey, thinking for themselves and discovering the pure love and energy that is the Source. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and promptly ordered 2 more of his books.

God on your own: Finding a Spiritual Path Outside Religion
I found this book very wise. I especially appreciated the biographical information provided, taking us on Mr. Dispenza's spiritual journey from his early life ephiphanies to decision to enter a monastery to his departure and ongoing evolving spirituality outside of "organized" religion. Historically people are always seeking to understand our place in the universe and to find meaning. Life, especially as we age, is a personal "mine field" and these days, given what's happening in our planet both good and bad, there is a hunger for ways of reaching God and or/personal meaning in our lives. It's a search for roots and connection and an evolving evaluation of our own unique narratives.

Mr. Dispenza did not merely "dispense" with organized religion, his path was an evolving one, as are so many of our journeys, requiring as it did, his own changing consciousness. He writes with wisdom about other paths, such as the path some people took in the sixties and beyond toward spiritual enlightenment through mind altering drugs like LSD and through mushrooms. I could relate to this having lived through that sixties time of turmoil and I was fascinated by the study of people who took mind altering drugs in the spiritual environment of Marsh Chapel, how this affected their future spiritual outlook. I am living in the house Dr. Timnothy Leary lived in years ago when he was doing these Harvard experiments so I found this research particularly interesting.

I want to laud this book for both its honesty and its truth and also in providing some answers to seekers along the path. There are many forks in the road. Mr. Dispenza provides a nourishing book for those among us who are not sure they want to continue with traditional structures, but who are, nonetheless hungry to find others like them, who have chosen a different, and equally valid route toward this difficult quest for meaning, which of course begets, answers and ongoing questions.

I enjoyed this book so much I wrote to the author and he responded in "kind".

Recovering Catholics and Spirituality
At first reading, Joseph Dispenza's book struck me like the few critical books that left me with that "aha" experience. Like Silent Spring, Future Shock, The Hidden Persuaders, my generation's wakeup calls, God on Your Own spoke to me in an almost organic way.

When I was growing up, my status now in the Catholic Church would be one of "fallen away Catholic" or, as some would say, a "recovering Catholic". Given that history, Dispenza's book has been, for me, a definitive commentary in a long search for spirituality outside the Catholic religion. Understanding Dispenza's reference to humanity as "spiritual beings on a human journey" really allowed me a release from years of dogma and doctrine, initiating the paradigm shift necessary to jump start my own spiritual search outside of religion.

I was able to make connections to so many other facets in my life from reading this book. I could see clearly the paradigm shifts in the other careers I have had as a fashion model and educator: from the sixties models who were vacuous, unsmiling mannequins to the savvy career minded business women models of today, or the pedantic lecturers who have become fosterers of critical thinking in their students. How had I missed that shift in religion? I had also spent many months in European countries, especially Scandinavia, and seen the churches as the museums they have become and still the people are incredibly enlightened and very spiritual. Somehow I had missed that shift until reading God on Your Own.

It's obvious that organized religion hasn't been able to bring about peace in the world. Perhaps if we truly could view ourselves as spiritual beings on a human journey, Joseph Dispenza just may have found a key to peace on both a personal and a global level.