Immortal Diamond: The Search for Our True Self

by Richard Rohr

Dissolve the distractions of ego to find our authentic selves in God In his bestselling book Falling Upward, Richard Rohr talked about ego (or the False Self) and how it gets in the way of spiritual maturity. But if there's a False Self, is there also a True Self? What is it? How is it found? Why does it matter? And what does it have to do with the spiritual journey? This book likens True Self to a diamond, buried deep within us, formed under the intense pressure of our lives, that must be searched for, uncovered, separated from all the debris of ego that surrounds it. In a sense True Self must, like Jesus, be resurrected, and that process is not resuscitation but transformation.

Shows how to navigate spiritually difficult terrain with clear vision and tools to uncover our True Selves Written by Father Richard Rohr, the bestselling author of Falling Upward Examines the fundamental issues of who we are and helps us on our path of spiritual maturity Immortal Diamond (whose title is taken from a line in a Gerard Manley Hopkins poem) explores the deepest questions of identity, spirituality, and meaning in Richard Rohr's inimitable style.

Genres: Spirituality, Religion, Nonfiction, Christian, Theology, Faith, Christianity

222 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Fr. Richard Rohr is a globally recognized ecumenical teacher bearing witness to the universal awakening within Christian mysticism and the Perennial Tradition. He is a Franciscan priest of the New Mexico Province and founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Fr. Richard's teaching is grounded in the Franciscan alternative orthodoxy—practices of contemplation and expressing itself in radical compassion, particularly for the socially marginalized.

Fr. Richard is author of numerous books, including Everything Belongs, Adam’s Return, The Naked Now, Breathing Under Water, Falling Upward, Immortal Diamond, Eager to Love, and The Divine Dance: The Trinity and Your Transformation (with Mike Morrell).

Fr. Richard is academic Dean of the Living School for Action and Contemplation. Drawing upon Christianity's place within the Perennial Tradition, the mission of the Living School is to produce compassionate and powerfully learned individuals who will work for positive change in the world based on awareness of our common union with God and all beings. Visit cac.org for more information.

Reviews

[Elizabeth Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t remember the last time I finished a book, thought to myself, “I will never be the same again,” and began rereading to figure out why. Richard Rohr’s Immortal Diamond did this to me.

What changed? Rohr reframed the story of Jesus—the Christian story—as an invitation for human transformation. Writing this makes it sound obvious, but the real implications are huge, for Christians and everyone who has to live in our pseudo-Christian culture.

To Rohr, birth, death, and resurrection aren’t just events that happened to Jesus. They’re a path humans travel. Christians tend to believe this literally: We’re born (as bits of incarnated Spirit), we live, we die, we go to heaven. What Rohr did for me was frame this path figuratively, as a spiritual journey bringing us ever nearer to our best and truest selves—if we participate with intention. We can die to that which stands in the way of life. We can let go of what’s false and experience the “revelation of our True Selves”—Rohr’s interpretation of resurrection. The False Self—who we are on the surface—sees in parts, hierarchies, and only in reference to itself. The True Self—who we are at our core—sees in wholeness and communion; it shows itself when we’re deeply silent or in love.

None of this has anything to do with what we believe or don’t believe. It’s the way the world works. Our job is to die to falsehood and be born in truth.

The great gift of Christianity’s teaching is divine incarnation, the union of holiness and matter. Jesus is divine and human—sure; Christians say this all the time—but to Rohr the risen Christ is emblematic of, or rather is, our True Self, our essential nature, what’s possible for you and me when we’re fully conscious. In the paradoxical way of our world works, this union is what we long for and it already exists. We know endless life when we know love. We shamelessly, beautifully, want more and more love. This longing for love is divinity in us, aching to come alive.

I won’t ever see the faith of my upbringing the same. And I’m deeply grateful.
--Elizabeth Jarrett Andrew

[Shelie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I confess to being a Richard Rohr fan. I enjoyed Falling Upward but found this book to be much deeper. He speaks from a Christian perspective but only in that he references scripture to back up his points. His concepts are far broader in scope and if you have more Buddhist leanings you will see that he is only trying to show that Christianity is saying the same thing, if you know where to look. He is also very frank about where Christianity has gone wrong in their teachings and he tries to reclaim its original good purpose. I highly recommend it.

[Lee Harmon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ready to experience the mystical side of Christianity with a Franciscan friar? Here’s a journey that Father Richard Rohr promises will secure a happier existence. It’s the quest for your True Self … the resurrected self, the “immortal diamond” deep within you, which he says is neither God nor human, but both at the same time.

It took me a little longer than usual to get into the book, which keeps it below a five-star review, but it was worth the persistence. My problem was that Rohr writes with a sort of matter-of-fact authority that left me wondering if I missed the proof text somewhere along the way. Perhaps I did; Rohr has published around two dozen books since his first in 1976, and this is the first I’ve read.

Rohr’s target is those who sense God is closer than they’ve been told. If you find yourself “in recovery from religion,” you’re in Rohr’s crosshairs. He wants to introduce you to a deeper meaning to life, deeper even than the surface Christian tradition that has been your paradigm to date. While Rohr’s heritage is clearly Judeo-Christian, and many of his quotes come from the Bible, he aims at uncovering the perennial truths that all religions share.

Resurrection is key, both of our Lord and of ourselves. Resurrection is necessary for new life, life in unity with God. As “children of the resurrection” (Luke 20:36), our relationship with God changes … we “breath God in and out—much more than we ‘know’ God, understand God, or even talk to God.” There is an intimacy with God at this level that we never reach within our selfish, base existence, the “False Self.”

A deep read, if you’re ready to take the leap.

[Theodore · Rating 2 out of 5]

For most people, the book is going to fall on one of two ends of the spectrum for people.... Either you are going to find the book truly uplifting, life changing and/or affirming or you are going to be unable to appreciate the book in any way, shape or form. A small subsection of people are probably going to be like me.... on the fence on this book.

Firstly know that this book is first and foremost completely and utterly of a SPIRITUAL/RELIGIOUS nature. I did not know this when I originally got the title and I can assure you probably wouldn't have gotten it if I had known. I seldom, if ever, venture into this particular type of books for a number of reasons. If you are into these types of books and specifically you are a Christian, this book will be absolutely perfect. The author, Richard Rohr, was able to draw on biblical verses as well own life experiences to bring across his point regarding finding one's 'True Self'. He goes into defining what he means by this and also what he means of 'False Self', as well. The entire book speaks highly of 'transformation' and speaks a lot of the 'soul', 'love' and 'God'.

The book has a number of ‘gems’; moments that made me really sit back and think. That being said there is a lot of 'God talk' which might just be where the book will lose a lot of people. And the God talk does increase as you proceed into the book, especially when you get to the Appendixes at the end of the book (you have at least 5 or 6 Appendix I believe). For those who are atheist, anti-Christianity or anti-religion in any way they will find this book completely annoying, uninspiring and the very narrator will seem irksome to them. Veer far from this title if you are in any of the previously mentioned categories, simply save your credit and your time.

The book was pretty short and to me flew by quickly (I literally spent just one day to listen the entire thing). I found some useful things in the book, some interesting sections that had me think a bit more. There were also sections that I found completely irrelevant and essentially common sense.

This is simply one of those hit or miss books. It's very pigeonholed if you ask me. It was mostly miss for me, but the hits were good enough for me to not be too vicious while reviewing.

[Hoyt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rohr wants to do something he says can't be done in his previous book, Falling Upward. In the previous book, it was highly doubtful that anyone in the first half of life could appreciate the second half. In the current title, his purpose is precisely to push his readers into that realization.
In Falling Upward, Rohr used too many parenthetical asides which simply interrupted the flow of the book. In Diamond, he has largely managed to avoid those distractions, and the reading is more fluid for it. However, the book doesn't seem to have gone through a good edit. For instance, on page 112, we find this: "...into a recent "desert of nonparticipation," as Barfield calls it." Then, on page 115 we read this: "...they also ushered in the "Desert of Nonparticipation," as Barfield called it..." Not only do we have differences in capitalization, but in three pages we have almost a verbatim repetition of what is essentially an introductory statement. OK, not a show stopper but indicative of the seeming lack of final editing these last two books seem to have suffered.
Rohr is enthusiastic, almost effusive of the love of God. Surely, this is a good thing but in Rohr's case it results in a book that might fit in Brueggemann's psalms of Orientation or distant Re-orientation. For instance, we find this on page 157: "..any notion of God not giving, not outpouring, not surrendering itself, not totally loving is a theological impossibility and absurdity. God only and always loves. You cannot reverse, slow down, or limit an overflowing waterwheel of divine compassion and mercy." It seems to me that a not-quite convinced reader might find that statement and others like it to not match well with stories of the same God in the Hebrew Scriptures that in fact do posit a God that doesn't seem overly loving if you happen to be an Edomite.
There are other seemingly naive passages, and we will look at one more. On page 131, Rohr resorts to the standard Catholic saw of having held "...that which has been believed everywhere, always, and by all. This alone is truly and properly "catholic," Rohr seems to be saying that Vincent was acknowledging beliefs held around the world as catholic, when it is apparent that Vincent was arguing specifically against Christian heresies rather trying to fit the Catholic church into the flow of history. The Vincentian Canon further reveals a clear duality - one of avoiding the "morbid and corrupt limb." There is no room in the Vincentian Canon for those who fail to follow the ancient Christian faith. Vincent goes so far as to argue for the abandonment of the entire extant Catholic Church if she becomes corrupt, preferring to cling to the ancient teachings of the Catholic church--which apparently must be correct.
Having said all that - and these are not minor points in either the book's production or in Rohr's argument, there are in fact some gems which are common insights in the world of mysticism. Here are a handful of statements that can benefit any reader.
"Your True Self is that part of you that knows who you are and whose you are, although largely unconsciously. Your False Self is just who you think you are--but thinking doesn't make it so." (vii-viii)
"...there is a capacity, a similarity, and a desire for divine reality inside all humans." (xii)
"Spirituality seems to be more about unlearning than learning. And when the slag and dross are removed, that which evokes reverence is right there waiting!" (xviii)
"We must return to practice-based spirituality where the vantage point switches from looking at God to looking out from God." (xxiv)
"Perfect spirituality is just to imitate God." (xxv)
"But do know this: every time you choose to love, you have also just chosen to die." (65)
"Jesus did not come to change the mind of God about humanity but to change the mind of humanity about God."

Good stuff there, and plenty more, and worth the read for those who know what's coming. As an intro book though, as Rohr seems to think this one might be, the problems mentioned at the beginning may well be off-putting. For those who have cut their teeth on Merton and Nouwen, and who are familiar a bit with some of the more arcane mystics in the Christian tradition, this book will ring largely true and provide enough nuggets to justify reading it. Diamond seems to be the second half of Falling Upward and the two books complement each other. Both would have been better if a better editing process had been employed. As they are, they seem to have been published straight from Rohr's stream of consciousness. In that aspect, they could be better.

I suspect my hesitancy about this book is a sense of a lack of discipline in its writing which is revealed in the comments above and other aspects of the book which are similar.

[Jonathan Greer · Rating 5 out of 5]

14th book of 2017. Checked out from the Dallas Public Library. Recommended by good friend Gil Stafford.

When I began my year of reading, I reached out to a few close friends who are avid readers for books that were important to them. I left the request broad so each friend could decide how to respond. For Gil, the response came from our chats during the Pilgrimage journey we took in 2015. Those conversations in Ireland have stayed with me, and this book is a continuation of the dialogue.

On his website, Richard Rohr describes himself as "a globally recognized ecumenical teacher bearing witness to the universal awakening within Christian mysticism and the Perennial Tradition." He is a Franciscan priest and I feel a strong leaning towards his theology and spiritual nature. Had I read a book like this 20 years ago, I would have considered it remarkably liberal and heretical. In my present life, I consider it confirming much of my thoughts and beliefs on life.

It's hard to put into words a book that leads the reader to great introspection. But Rohr's use of the terms "True Self" and "False Self" spoke volumes to me. It was a great reminder of the lessons I learned about my own journey while on that Pilgrimage in 2015 and certainly is a good book for preparation for my journey this year.

Highly suggested read. I will be buying this book simply because I'll need it to gently remind me of the truth of finding my "True Self". Certainly makes me want to read more of Rohr.

[John Simon · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I remember a few years back.

An author had written a blog post for The Gospel Coalition, a mildly reformed, conservative evangelical conglomerate. His blog post expanded on a point that Christian mystics have explored for centuries: that there is a connection between our human search for intimacy (even physical intimacy) and the intimacy that we experience with Christ. It was an interesting read, but it was also weird. Because, to our eyes and ears, that’s a weird concept, even if it’s found a place in Christian history for a long time. And people REALLY did not like it. Like, they hated it lol.

And reflecting on that made me think to myself, “man, we really don’t know what to do with the mystics.” This odd, eclectic bunch of Christians who spoke of ecstatic experiences and emphasized deep, intimate unity with Christ. The Catherine of Siennas and the John of the Crosses of church history. The people who weren’t afraid to perceive Christ in borderline romantic terminology. The saints who begged God that they could take a sinner’s place in hell out passionate love. The writers who scolded the intellectual side of theology. It’s a weird thing to hear with Western ears.

Anyways. Richard Rohr. He’s an interesting guy, because he fearlessly looks to the mystics (and honestly, at all kinds of theological and existential questions) and says “oh yeah, I get them. I see what’s going on here.” And then he just runs with the ball. This was such a weird read to me. Because his fearlessness actually allows him to say some things where I was like “oh, yeah, that’s a really good point.” And then other times I’d be like “….what did you just say? Like, what?”

On one hand, much of the core of his point is something I find hard to argue with on a base Christian level: that we are broken beings, filled with lies and maladaptive coping mechanisms that need to be re-centered in Christ, our Creator, experience our true selves through the grace of God, and then allow the equalizing nature of grace to extend to all other humans with kindness and compassion. That’s, uh, pretty good. I can’t hate on that.

On the other hand, the seeds of his universal Christ spiel is all over this, and I just can’t vibe with it man, I can’t. He makes apology after apology for the harm of rigid Christianity and the aggressive behaviors of misplaced Christian culture, which, I get. But he offers zero religious criticism for the Buddha, or the Hindu mystics, or those other faiths who have supposedly experienced Christ in a universal form. This is speculative theology at its most dangerous, and it feels painfully irresponsible for a man that is clearly capable of some credible insight. Not to mention an ordained Catholic priest.

So I don’t know how I feel about this book. I’m glad that I read it. I don’t know who I would recommend it to. I feel like my friend list would be split on those who wouldn’t be able to spit out the bones and those who wouldn’t be able to enjoy the meat because of the bones.

But hey, I read a thing by a guy I disagree with on a lot of things. I feel like maybe THAT was the real diamond, right?

[Robert D. Cornwall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Richard Rohr has a way of bringing to the fore ways of understanding spirituality that is both future oriented, broad in concept and outreach, and revelatory. He has a way of connecting as well with a person like me who isn't by inclination contemplative. He challenges me, pushes me, and enlightens me.

In this book Rohr speaks of a search for our true self -- that is union with God. Too often we're satisfied with a false self, a self that is disconnected from the divine that has been implanted within us. It is the false self that gives place to greed, pride, anger, vanity, whereas the true self allows the love and grace of God to burst forth from our lives. Although Rohr's thinking is rooted in his Christian faith, he seeks to draw from other traditions, what he calls the Perennial Tradition, that builds bridges across our religious boundaries.

I should note that while Rohr addresses traditional Christians, the community he truly desires to reach is that which lies beyond the church walls, seeking to connect with their own search for intimacy with God.

I do recommend it highly.

[Vianey H · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I began this book-it seemed simple and fairly straightforward. But the depth of meaning in his words, thoughts and beliefs...I was often left in doubt of what I thought I knew. I began to question my own beliefs and what has been driving me. At one point in the book—I stopped reading. It was too much. But I returned because I felt too challenged and unclear to walk away. Page 150–whoa! Huge turning point for me. This book is about love and life. It is about finding that we are what we seek!! I will read this again because I know I didn’t get it all. And there is more to uncover. But as he wrote.. Amor vincit omnia! Love will win!!! Contemplate on that.

[Reed Fagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Behind "The Universal Christ", this is my favorite book of Rohr's I've read.

[Rhodelta · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rohr starts by discussing “What is the True Self” in Chapter 1 and “What is the False Self” in Chapter 2. However he does not seek first to establish that these are valid psychological concepts. Although popular in folk psychology these concepts have little acceptance in professional circles.
Although they have some intuitive appeal, at least to me, whether they can be extended to a full fledged theory of self perception and improvement is doubtful.

Rohr claims to be a Christian and remains a Franciscan Friar so we can assume that he still thinks he is. The book is peppered with quoted from the Bible saying in the preface “”I will cite Scripture generously to demonstrate that these are not just my ideas. I am standing on the Judeo-Christian tradition and in that light will also be quoting scholars, saints, theologians, and poets to get us to the perennial truths that all religions share.” That reference to “perennial” is not accidental; through the book Rohr makes it clear that he follows perennialism which views all of the world's religious traditions as sharing a single, metaphysical truth or origin. Perennialism has also been described as “the most common false teaching that no one's ever heard of”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxpLp...

When reading this book it is handy to have a Bible or Bible App to hand to check Rohr’s references, making sure to include the preceding and following text so the qoute can be seen in context. When this is done it will be found that many of the references do not actually support the claims that Rohr is making. This is something I had noticed before reading this book while watching some of Rohr’s videos on YouTube. In “What is “The True Self?” talking about the True Self he says “What else would be “good news for all the people,” which is what the angels promised the Bethlehem shepherds (Luke 2:10)?”. Of course the reference is not talking about the True Self but about the birth “this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.” (NRSV) (Rohr does not use any particular translation. He says, “the edited form I use is often my own translation or a combination of the versions I have noted”.) It becomes pretty clear after a while that Rohr is not just selectively the Bible to support his ideas but he is actively reinterpreting the Bible to match his theories.

The above was written at the end of Chapter 2 to capture my thoughts. I am now about ½ way, “Thou art that” and it continues to get worse. It would be tedious to document all of Rohr’s misquotes from the Bible so let’s look at some other things. Here’s one I couldn’t resist. In “The knife ede of experience he says, “True symbols somehow are the thing itself”. Sorry Richard, but if it is the thing itself it is not a symbol, from the definition of the word. In that chapter he asks, “Why do we read novels, have belaboured conversations, go to movies, or have sex? Is it not to seek an answer to that most human of questions: “What does this this thing called my life mean?” ” Speaking for myself I can do all those things without considering that existential question at all. What does it all mean? Perhaps Rohr should read “Man’s Search for Meaning” by Viktor Frankl.

So far I have discovered that Rohr thinks Jesus was a good person who only became Christ on his death (What dies and who lives). I’m currently in a study group on the Gospel of Mark and this is NOT what the gospels say. More specifically in the reference used by Rohr above Jesus is identified as a Saviour, the Messiah, from his birth.

Rohr says that “Once we made Jesus only divine, we ended up being only human, and the whole process of human transformation ground to a halt.” and “Christianity lost its natural movement and momentum … when it pulled Jesus out of the Trinity” (Thou art that). Perhaps this is a Franciscan thing but speaking as an Anglican we regard Jesus as fully human AND fully divine, and Jesus remains firmly in the Trinity.

Rohr disparages those who disagree with him as atheist or fundamentalist/literalist. Here he falls into the type of dichotomy and stereotyping he rails against elsewhere. I disagree with him and I describe myself as a traditional Christian who follows a Historical- Grammatical exegesis, versus Rohr’s eisegesis. i.e. neither atheist nor fundamentalist in the modern pejorative sense nor literalist.

Conclusion:
This is a book to be strenuously avoided by anybody who holds to a traditional Christian faith.

You could stop there but here’s a few more examples of how Rohr twists things to suit his story.

In “What Dies and Who Lives” Rohr says “Biblically it is foreshadowed in the killing of the innocent Passover lamb, which had already been taken into the home and likely already named by the children.” This is clearly an attempt to tug on our heartstrings -just picture that cute little lamb being cuddled by the children. Being the Biblical scholar he tells us he is would know that this lamb is a year old sexually mature ram and nowhere does it say it would be taken into the home.

In “If It Is True It Is True Everywhere” Rohr refers to the Vincentian Canon which says to hold that which has been believed everywhere, always, and by all. I had never heard of the Vincentian Canon so I looked it up, just as you can. Reading the canon we find “everywhere” means the whole Church throughout the world; “always” means held by our holy ancestors and fathers; and “by all” means all, or at the least of almost all priests and doctors. By this standard of the Vincentian Canon Rohr’s book and ideas would be heretical and what should we do but “prefer the soundness of the whole body to the unsoundness of a pestilent and corrupt member?”

In “Intimate with Everything” Rohr retells the road to Emmaus story as “he joins in an easy walk with two ordinary travellers, invites them to tell their story of heartbreak, and accepts their invitation to stay with them; when he leaves them it is with ‘burning hearts.’ He explains to them his own life narrative - he ‘opens up,’ as we say - and sure enough, “their eyes are opened up too.” This is is a significant rewriting of this event. Jesus does not share his life narrative, rather he first berates them as being foolish and slow of heart then “beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.”; hardly ‘opening up’ to them.

[Breck Echelberger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I unintentionally read Unclean by Richard Beck and Immortal Diamonds back to back, they complimented each other very well. This is an amazing book, would highly recommend.

[Maree · Rating 4 out of 5]

I also took this class with Fr Rohr. It forever changed me.

[Julia Alberino · Rating 4 out of 5]

As anyone who follow me knows, I am a huge Richard Rohr fan. I was fortunate enough to read this book slowly as part of an online course that features a lot of video discussions with Fr. Richard. This book particularly resonated with me because it deals with the search for the True Self, which is a task of the second half of life, where I definitely am at present. The True Self is the "Immortal Diamond"of the title; it's always there waiting to be "mined" like a diamond in the present. Each of the nine short chapters gives the reader plenty of material upon which to reflect. For anyone who has read "Falling Upward," you'll find "Immortal Diamond" to be a sequel, but it's equally possible to start with the latter.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I personally am a huge Richard Rohr fan and so I had high hopes for this book. Unfortunately, I felt like the presentation was a bit jumbled and hard to follow. It could be that the subject matter is difficult to describe simply, but I read each chapter and left unsure what I had just read. It felt very much like a wise man's musings. I think I may read this book again but very slowly or with a guide. I did find the appendices extremely insightful though!

[Marc Arlt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I find Rohr to be very helpful in conversations on podcasts but quite difficult to grasp in his written form. This is my second Rohr book and this was again my experience. He is an exceptional gift to spiritual seekers but if I’m honest, I have benefited more from reading those whom he has referenced than his own writings.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The distinction between false and true selves is useful and so was the reminder not to hate our false self, but to go beyond it. However, I’m not sure what the rest of the book was about, other than rooting the notion of truth telling and knowing oneself into the Christian tradition.

[Barbara Conn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Father Richard's masterpiece, in my opinion.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Rohr’s follow up book to “Falling Upward” which was largely on the False Self and how suffering in life exposes its limitations and draws us towards our True Self. Immortal Diamond now turns to the exploration of the True Self. I found it insightful and thought provoking , but it didn’t resonate with me as much as “ Falling Upward” did. In fact, I ended up taking a detour and reading “ The Grace in Dying”, which Rohr recommends as a companion book to “ Immortal Diamond”. I found TGID to be far more helpful in giving me a sense of how our true self is rooted in the Divine and how suffering and the dying process lead us closer and closer to our true self. I think part of why TGID was more helpful is that its perspective draws from many religious traditions, including Christianity, Buddhism, and Sufi Mysticism, rather than only Christianity. Rohr does believe in what he calls the “perennial wisdom “ underlying many of the major religions. However, “Immortal Diamond” draws mostly on the Bible and Christian tradition to discuss the true self. While this was a disadvantage for me( I think extensive Bible quoting still is a turn off from my painful experiences in evangelical Christianity), for those who are not comfortable veering outside of Christian thought, this book is a great option to begin exploring the concept of the true self. Finally, the appendices are not to be missed- lots of helpful info on transitioning into deeper forms of prayer.

[Amber]

This book started off strong, but as I got further along, it didn't sit well with me. I stumbled across too many allusions to gnosticism and critical theory dialectic presented as biblical truths. "In this consciousness, we can now make use of the unique contributions of every era to enjoy intuitive and body knowledge, along with rational critique and deeper synthesis..." I wonder if Rohr intends for his readers to actually understand what in the world he's saying. He writes with authority, yet I'm not convinced his ideas come from biblical authority. I suspect he's leaning on other worldviews and philosophy. Ultimately, I decided I'm better off seeking other sources.

[Mark Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a soul-searching explanation of the difference between our “false self” (how we present ourselves, who we perceive ourselves to be) and our “true self” (who God has created us to be) and an exposition of how to let go of the former and embrace the latter. Like Rohr always seems to do, this one will force you to step back, reflect, and do some serious internal work in light of the truth he shares.

[Colin Timbrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a mind and soul stretching work from Richard Rohr. There are quotable quotes on nearly every page, and I found myself doing a lot of note taking and journaling to soak up the insights. Do I agree with everything he says? Not sure. My brain hurts just thinking about it. But my spirit feels uplifted nonetheless.

[Sean Deegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Becoming my routine is to read a book about faith in the morning to start my day. I enjoyed Richard Rohrs book. Similar to his previous book Falling Upward and the idea that we have two halves or life. This book was about the true self v. the false self. He explains how often Christianity can fall into the trap of limiting ourselves and others access, of definitions, of self importance. The True Self is who we were made to be. It’s a beautiful reminder to think through some things that Christians have resigned to believing or never take into re-account.

[Maureen Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/2 stars. Beautiful nuggets of truth throughout the entire work. Took me a long time to get through because it’s deep and very thought provoking. Lost half a star because I couldn’t quite follow a sense of organization or clear path. (Might’ve just been me.) But this is the best work I’ve read on True Self compared to False Self. Definitely recommend to anyone interested in this subject.

[Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not since I discovered C.S. Lewis for myself have I read a book that speaks as clearly as this to my personal experience of religion in general and Christianity in particular. As I grow more distant from my somewhat fundamentalist roots, books like this show me a path forward for my own faith that I have nearly despaired of finding.

[Katelyn Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book I needed to give me the courage and faith to enter my reconstruction phase.

[Luke Caldwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rohr gets into the journey of uncovering the “True Self” beneath our ego-driven identities. Through metaphors of death and resurrection, Rohr invites you to embrace vulnerability and let go of false personas to discover their divine essence.

A key lesson for me was the importance of authenticity in building connections. This insight has reshaped how I approach my work, encouraging deeper, more meaningful conversations about life and faith. Rohr’s emphasis on humility as a path to transformation is both challenging and inspiring.

I’d recommend this book to anyone exploring spiritual growth or searching for deeper meaning, especially those feeling stuck in their faith.

[Bob Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thor explains spiritual life in an intellectual, yet uplifting manner. This is a mature and thoughtful approach to faith which embraces science and the diversity of human experience. It can get heavy, but is well worth the effort.

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rohr is definitely one of my favorite authors. Here he explains our True Selves and how it is both different from our False Selves and connects us to God. In short, it is an important paradigm shift for me in how I understand my faith, my relationship to God and Jesus Christ, and how I hope to grow as a person. A beautiful book!

I could go on and on with quotes, but toward the beginning of the book he identifies the "four major splits from reality that we have all made...to create our False Self:"

1. We split from out shadow self and pretend to be our idealized self.
2. We split our mind from our body and soul and live in our minds.
3. We split life from death and try to live out live without any "death."
4. We split ourselves from other selves and try to live apart, superior, and separate.

Overcoming these four splits is the primary message of the book. (p. 29)

I hope to read it again after reading a few more of his others!

[Susan Ksiezopolski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this along side of taking the on-line program related to this helped to deepen my understanding of self. Father Rohrs work speaks to the soul in such a deep way. Truly love his work.