Your Illustrated Guide to Becoming One with the Universe 1

by Yumi Sakugawa

A 9-lesson illustrated guide for becoming one with the universe, from getting in touch with your spirit animal in the middle of the desert to enjoying a cup of tea with your worst inner demons.

Part 1 contains the following lessons:

LESSON 1 You Are a Part of the Universe / The Universe is a Part of You
LESSON 2 Pay Attention and Listen (Emptiness is Everything)
LESSON 3 Breathe In, Breathe Out
LESSON 4 Plant Strange Seeds and Let Strange Things Grow
LESSON 5 Be Wise Like Your Spirit Animals

Part 2 contains the following lessons:

LESSON 6 Have Cake and Tea with Your Demons
LESSON 7 Set Yourself on Fire
LESSON 8 We Are All One Interconnected Web
LESSON 9 Oneness (You Are the Universe)

150 pages divided into two volumes. Two half-letter-sized booklets with gold and silver cardstock covers, printed in black and white.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Nonfiction, Comics, Self Help, Spirituality, Art, Philosophy

75 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

California-based comic artist and illustrator Yumi Sakugawa's work has featured everything from lonely one-eyed monsters to an ode to The Baby-Sitters Club character Claudia Kishi. Her off-beat comics that explore the trials and tribulations of human interaction have been featured in Sadie Magazine and The Rumpus and her comic zine Mundane Fortunes for the Next Ten Billion Years And Other Stories was chosen as a Notable Comic of 2012 by the Best American Comics anthology.

- excerpt from http://www.papermag.com/2013/01/yumi_...

You can find her on: Facebook and Instagram and contributing to The Rumpus and Wonder How To.

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This meditative guide is an instant upper - beautifully crafted words and artwork. A real delight. I read it twice and want my own copy to look through again and again.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book kind of blew my mind. I think I'm highly susceptible to metaphysics right now and when it is combined with quiet cuteness I am just done for. This book is kind of like a guidebook/workbook into meditation. But more in the vein of learning how to be a friend to yourself. And be one with the universe. I am in friend love with this book.

[Kirstine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This may appear pretty silly, too spiritual or alternative.

But I don't think it's meant to be taken entirely at face-value. Or maybe it is, but it doesn't have to be. It's the kind of work you take what you need from. It's trying to give you something unique, and whatever you find in it, big or small, you can freely take with you.

It's just you and these non-judgemental pages. Whatever you need, you should have.

Read on the right day, in the right mood, this book will be exactly what you need. Because it reminds you, not that you are small and insignificant when measured against the universe, but that you are a goddamned miracle.

It may seem a lofty, idealistic, and naive thought, that we are all connected to the universe - and that there is, in a sense, a universe inside each of us. On a good day, it seems silly to me too. But that's because I don't need a thought like that on a good day. I need it on a bad day. And boy, do I have a lot of bad days.

And on bad days, on days where I can hardly get out of bed, the idea that I'm part of something huge and incredible, simply by being alive, it means something to me.

It's essentially a beautifully illustrated invitation to view yourself as something big, and complex, and unfinished. And something incredible.

On the good days, this will stand unnoticed on my shelf, but on the bad days? I'll read it again.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book along with art therapy and the natural world helped connect me back to life after a horrible 2022 year that left me in a major depressive episode. I recommend this along with A New Earth by Tolle, When Things Fall Apart by Chödrön and All About Love by Hooks when grieving endings and working on your mental health.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I saw this book on a best of 2014 list, and I liked the cover. It is a short graphic novel intended to inspire the reader to take deep breaths, feel the amazing connection to all that surrounds us, invite our inner demons for tea and cake, and unleash the wild power of our spirit. I liked the illustrations, and I would have loved the rest ten years ago. Now, not so much.

[b.andherbooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe I need to try harder to become "one with the universe," but this did not speak to me. I wasn't very inspired by the assignments nor the illustrations. And call me juvenile, but to title a chapter "Start yourself on Fire!" just made me laugh and think what if someone ACTUALLY set themselves on fire because of this book?!

[Yoyongg · Rating 5 out of 5]

not me loving this because it's cute and metaphysics related.

I also rushed thru this but I'll revisit this again and mull over this like fine cheese

also I feel like this is PERFECT to read along with the things you can see only when you slow down

both are giving me some type of spiritual high

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m trying to be less of a cynic and misanthrope, and a few parts of this did make me smile, but really, it was all just kind of hippy woo woo for my taste. I get it. We are all star stuff. I’m trying. I want to be a “we are all connected” kind of person, and this isn’t terrible, I’m just not sure it is for me.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a ridiculous human and midway through reading this thought to myself, there is a lot of becoming one with the universe in this book, which is a concept I usually avoid. Then I looked again at the cover and realized that the book is called Your Illustrated Guide To Becoming One with the Universe, and that I had personally and knowingly requested it from the library. Anyway, I decided to just go with it and ended up really enjoying it, so maybe this is for believers and skeptics alike. It’s a delight.

[Raina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Self Help Graphic Novel.

It makes sense that this would be a thing. And it occurs to me that I can't think of another example of such.
It's in second person, telling the reader how to get right with the cosmos - the title does not lie.

Inherently less concrete than I Think I Am In Friend-Love With You, the black-and-white illustrations here are sometimes closer to "fine art" than narrative illustrations.

Didn't do a lot for me personally, but useful in its own right. Possibly better consumed as a long-term study than read in one sitting straight through (as I did). Almost like a devotional?

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars is not enough. Each page is a meditation carefully drawn to reach deep down and grab your soul. I got this book and the library and now realize I need to own it, because I will be returning to it. I am overwhelmed by this book.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

So soothing and peaceful I read it three times. Keeping it for about four months next to my bed, despite the fact that it was loaned to me by a friend. She probably wants it back now to refresh her own journey to achieving tranquility and oneness with the universe.

[Christinne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Your Illustrated Guide to Becoming One with the Universe is a self-reflection book written by a comic book artist, sharing some tips on how to better manage your trauma and emotions. I love the drawings she did on each page and the claming writing style that helps us reflect on our feelings.

[B · Rating 5 out of 5]

such a sweet and beautiful perspective on life

[Adri]

Beautifully illustrated and generates a sense of serenity and calm throughout. Though a majority of this book is dreamlike and metaphorical, it really does make you feel like you have all the tools to improve yourself and, by extension, the universe. Sakugawa really utilizes black and white imagery, specifically the incorporation of white space, to infuse the readers' experience with a sense of calm and serenity.

Not only does this book promote meditation, but it emanates a feeling of peace through its simplicity and "open" drawings. Sakugawa negates traditional paneling in this graphic novel, and I believe that choice encourages a sense of freedom and timelessness in her work.

I really respect Sakugawa's work, and the fact that this book was beautifully crafted is undeniable.

[Brianna Davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is so refreshing- sometimes we need to be reminded that we are just a bunch of atoms that have been floating around for a long time. We all come from the same place. It is a little silly but wonderful and I feel a lot more at peace with myself than I did before quickly reading this book and indulging myself with the breathing and mind exercises.

[Alison Gates · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book - it is a fast read, but it has such insightful and deep thoughts. I read it too quickly the first time and went back and read it again. This would be a wonderful book to have on the bookshelf to pick up every few months and reacquaint yourself with it's wisdom.

[Shannon]

this was my favorite page:

[Taylor T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the illustrations, the meditations, the messages, all of it. Read and re-read forever. Your go-to zen bible for finding inner peace, connections to the universe, and real, honest happiness.

[Lin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay so I first started this on July 10, then I got distracted and kept saying I'd come back to it, and I finally did yesterday but I couldn't remember where I was so I just started over.

Yumi Sakugawa has a great illustration style, and it fits well with the theme of the book. Some people are more visual learners, so it was great to have a visual to the suggestions for finding peace.

I mean, I think the reader's enjoyment of this book is dependent on if they believe meditation works and will help. It's basically a guide to meditating, which is something I've tried off and on over the years. I think the book is helpful if you open your mind to doing the exercises.

Maybe it's best not to be read in one sitting. I enjoyed it though! It's a book I'll probably go back to and read again.

[Maria Corona · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are no words to describe how beautiful and touching is this book. It has such a beautiful way to help you connect with your surroundings and being mindful of your purpose in life. I couldn’t recommend this enough to anyone in search of uplifting words in a world that seems to have a tendency to value more the material than the beauty of ones existence.

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really loved this one! Since it's illustrated, it took me less than an hour to read but I'd be willing to reread it often. This one is worth buying so that you can pick it up whenever you're feeling disconnected from the world and need a reminder that ~we're all in this together~. I particularly liked the chapter about having tea with your demons and asking them to dance.

[Sandy Plants · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the first half of this sober and the second half I read (while being) stoned (on the pot). I loved the second half!! And what about the first half? I did a lot of eye rolling...

[salma · Rating 3 out of 5]

the artwork is stunning

[Emily]

A little woo-woo, even for me, confirmed by the thank you to Eckheart Tolle in the back

[Madison Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Happy to start and end this year with illustrated books that decipher ways to connect with yourself and the universe.

[Abigail May · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cutieeeee

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just what I needed, right now. This book (which I received as two separate zines, almost a decade ago) invites you to breathe, to imagine new galaxies, and importantly, to me, to plant strange seeds and let them bloom into strange, beautiful plants on their own time.

[Katya Luczanko · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very comforting and quick read I return to over the years

[ARZOODLES · Rating 5 out of 5]

The prettiest ink drawings my eyes have seen, my hands have touched. I scanned and printed some of the pages to put up on my wall! I am in love.