Amazon.ca:Customer reviews: The Altar Within: A Radical Devotional Guide to Liberate the Divine Self

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skippy

Racist AF !

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 8, 2022

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My name is Jessica Perez and I’m reviewing under my husbands account.

This book is garbage, and why are my reasons below:

The author comes off as angry, aggressive, and downright racist towards white people. Why is nobody talking about that? Is it because you can't possibly be racist towards a white person? Racism only applies to white people? That's what I'm getting here. Page after page of just blatant racism…it’s a wonder how this was even published!

Her claim that love and light and good vibe ways of thinking is "whitewashed" just really pisses me off. I get that there's toxic positivity. What does that have to do with ones race? Absolutely nothing yet, she somehow manages to throw race in there! I understand her frustrations with cultural appropriations and s--- like that but, COME ON. Sounds like she's just reaching for straws and WANTS to be angry for no damn reason.

The blame game is real with this one. And I bet you anything there’s not one white soul who told her that she wasn’t good enough, wasn’t worthy enough, like she leads you to believe throughout this book. I bet you anything She put those own damn thoughts into her head. Or, more than likely her community put those thoughts into her head- as they often do. Don’t get it twisted- me being a POC knows exactly how it goes down in our communities. They like to blame everything on white people and take no accountability for their own actions and feelings. Stop. Just stop. If you’re not successful in life, if you’re too gullible to see through the scams and BS that these wellness places possess, if you can’t afford going to fancy retreats (eye roll) that’s ON YOU. That’s not on WHITE PEOPLE. THAT’S YOUR OWN FAULT. TAKE SOME RESPONSIBILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY.

Another thing? Not all spiritual people are women. Not all people who buy this book are women. This book is aimed at, I will say, women only. “You’re a bad bitch, a queen who puts self first, before anything or anyone else” on page 24. Last I checked, (some) men don’t like to refer to themselves as “queens”. She claims to be such an activist on inclusivity yet manages to miss that important factor.

And the Hashtags....and overall immature language...I mean, do you want people to take you seriously? It's like reading sh-- on social media, but in a book! All that was missing was the memes. Dude, you're 40 and a grown ass woman. Why are you calling everyone BFF, Bestie, Honie, etc.? Because you’re trying to appeal to a certain demographic, one who you think can’t possibly read this text otherwise. Dumbing down your book Can be considered RACIST- FYI.

Oh, and FYI- if you’re triggered easily from having PTSD or childhood trauma, brace yourselves for page 17. That s—- comes out of nowhere with no fair warning. Pretty reckless for a self-help kind of book, IMO.

I can't with this book. So completely and utterly disappointed it’s not even funny.

53 people found this helpful

Lourdes

Ehh if you're white, might not be for you.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 11, 2022

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I was under the impression it was more like a break free from the matrix or rebel agains the system, break away from the brainwashed crap the system feeds us. But its not. I REALLY wanted to like this book but unfortunately I was more uncomfortable reading it. I'm not really sure how race plays into divine self, since I thought race or physical appearances has nothing to do with being in touch with higher self. But apparently it's got a lot to do with it. As a mixed race person, I felt a bit put off at how heavy it was aimed towards poc. Nothing wrong with that, but as a half and half, I felt like it was shaming me for being half white, and not mexican or native enough. It was a weird experience. At times she also contradicts herself saying darkness and shadow I
is not divine, but then goes on to say that it is a part of divinity. The language is also strange, "honie, bestie, bad b!tch, BFF" and so many "#hashtags" to the point where it was cringy. This is not like her usual books. I understand the author was trying to connect with a more poc female audience but it leaves out the males and non poc. I think it should be stated that this is the case since it's not blatantly obvious when purchasing this book. I was not a fan. I still like the authors previous books, but I'll have to be more wary in the future in case future works are like this. So glad I returned this. 😊

229 people found this helpful

Moutheeone

Read Via Hedera instead for radical insights on change from a multicultural backrgound

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 26, 2022

Verified Purchase

The first 20 some pages make you think… like what is happening here because the agenda pushing and flippant writing behavior was so erratic, then left You to do research, since the author provides no actual tangible evidence of her accusations against light and love white women of social media, that she implores you to decolonize from spirituality. The author mocks those who have beautiful ritual baths on their comical media as a form of self love, and yet later in the book offers a similar concept in the form of a shower where you mediate and chant that you love yourself. The author also mentions in the first chapter that you have to face the uncomfortable things to overcome and become divine, then later in the book suggests journaling to free your mind of the bad stuff and make room for the good stuff. The most radical part of this book, is that 90% (200 pages) of it has already been said for years through self help, therapy, shadow work, forgiving yourself, journal prompts. There was nothing original offered, outside of the ramblings in the first 20 pages. I kept waiting to be struck by all the hard and dark work we would do in the book later! It didn’t come. I am beyond disappointed to have been duped by such an edgy title and claim by the author.

26 people found this helpful

Crystal

New hardcover: Pages falling out!?

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 27, 2023

Verified Purchase

Purchased a new hardcover copy of book . First day I started reading it multiple pages began falling out. I was excited to read the book after reading good reviews. Once the pages kept falling out lost interest in reading since I kept having to fix the book itself . Book now sits on dresser with no interest in reading.Hopefully this was just a bad copy I received. Better quality needs to be put in making, possibly.

Jennifer

Fine line between self reflective and self absorbed

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 15, 2022

Verified Purchase

This book is one long Insta-worthy monologue, sprinkled with catch phrases, hashtags (oh, so many hashtags), repeated promotion of content linked to a QR code (hidden in the book's third eye, I kid you not), and enough virtue signaling to gag a horse.

The actionable content in this book could easily be pulled into a few pages and is nothing revoluntary. In fact, it feels like someone absorbed too many Gwyneth Paltrow blog postings and #livingmybestlife selfies and then just synethized the results to sprinkle over thinly veiled (repeativeAF) memoir highlights. Build an altar- check. Practice mindfulness- check. Use deep breathing - check.

Very disappointed at buying a book in which a note-worthy moment was the decision to temporarily give up social media (followed by non-stop pop culture phrases and hashtags). Is this book actually sponsored by social media platforms???

30 people found this helpful

Leigh

An author teacher who lacks compassion and inclusivity

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 21, 2022

Verified Purchase

As a non-bipoc and non-racist person I found the language around views on white people to be unkind, and did not find this book to be wholely inclusive and collaborative for all people. I could not align myself with the rest of the book, the introduction really put me off. The author discusses not having judgement towards any people yet I did not feel that had been held for myself and felt unsafe reading the rest. There needs to be space for vulnerability, compassion and unconditional love in undertaking any spiritual growth and learning. I have compassion for the author as I believe she does speak from her own (unhealed) experience with colonialism and white people and I hope she knows that those attitudes are held within the minority of us, not the majority and surely not at all in the vast majority of us who are waking up to universal love light and consciousness.

109 people found this helpful

AmazonSucks

Not inclusive of white people

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 29, 2022

Verified Purchase

I don’t really write reviews but here I am. I am on page 94 and at this point I have decided I need to stop reading this book because it is skewed so angrily towards white people that I don’t feel comfortable reading it. For a book that speaks about self worship, self-love, inclusivity, and healing it sure does throw a lot of punches at the entire white race. It’s hurtful and triggering and I wish I could return this book. I’ve never in my life read a book where I felt pure animosity from the author towards myself as the reader. We are definitely not besties.

61 people found this helpful

Hope

Politicizing spirituality

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 30, 2022

Verified Purchase

I really loved Juliet until this book. But it seemed the book was full of resentment. Mostly toward anyone not of color. And I felt there wasn't much of actual substance. Complaining that a bunch of white women were at a spiritual retreat? Absolutely ridiculous and I AM of color. Don't pollute spirituality with your politics. It doesn't goes go there. I ended up trashing the book when I was done.

TLDR: resentful author.

40 people found this helpful

Kristina Garrett

Absolute Garbage

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 20, 2022

Verified Purchase

The author took the opportunity to publish a book about how systematic racism and systemic oppression have over taken the spiritual movement, holding back people of color from accessing Spirit. Absolute garbage from start to page 26 where I shut it down and tossed it out.

22 people found this helpful

Marie

If you are white then don’t bother

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 11, 2022

Verified Purchase

Not inclusive of white “colonial “ people. Could have made it clear before I bought this book.

One person found this helpful

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