What do you think?
Rate this book
Becoming the Light: Realize Your True Enlightened Nature
From untruth to truth, darkness to light, ignorance to enlightenment, this is Vivianne Nantel’s journey. Intimately chronicling Vivianne’s quest to overcome a battered childhood, survive depression, advanced breast cancer, and near-death experiences, along with her journey seeking in India Becoming the Light is more than a compelling spiritual memoir; it is a moving odyssey.
You can join the author as she walks the spiritual path with several enlightened masters such as Yogiraj Gurunath Siddhanath, His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and Vasudev Sadhguru Jaggi.
Becoming the Light: Realize Your True Enlightened Nature can be a gateway to unleashing your true and blissful nature. Filled with wisdom and spiritual knowledge, it is a narrative of duality and transcendence expressed in all its nuances. Vivianne shares invaluable knowledge about—
• the science of yoga
• consecration and mysticism
• the many forms of love
• transcendence in the pursuit of self-realization
Whether you are already on a journey for well-being and enlightenment or just at its threshold, may this book provide the insights, inspiration, and courage you need in order to find your way.
You can join the author as she walks the spiritual path with several enlightened masters such as Yogiraj Gurunath Siddhanath, His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and Vasudev Sadhguru Jaggi.
Becoming the Light: Realize Your True Enlightened Nature can be a gateway to unleashing your true and blissful nature. Filled with wisdom and spiritual knowledge, it is a narrative of duality and transcendence expressed in all its nuances. Vivianne shares invaluable knowledge about—
• the science of yoga
• consecration and mysticism
• the many forms of love
• transcendence in the pursuit of self-realization
Whether you are already on a journey for well-being and enlightenment or just at its threshold, may this book provide the insights, inspiration, and courage you need in order to find your way.
- GenresSelf HelpNonfiction
447 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 21, 2018
31 people are currently reading
448 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
January 8, 2019
Goodreads Giveaway Competition
It has been a while since I have read a memoir, and this one is unlike any other memoir I have read before. It was fascinating to read of her spiritual experiences and of her travel adventures in India.
Reading about the ups and downs of Vivianne's life was hard at times, so much pain and suffering and illness after illness. The resilience of her human spirit really shone through. I admired her courage to do something about the poor treatment of stray dogs/animals in India. I have heard from others of the juxtaposition of the magnificent Taj Mahal and the poverty surrounding it.
It took me a while to read this I'm not going to lie. I don't think I was in the right frame of mind when I started reading it, and when it got too heavy I found myself just taking a break from reading altogether.
I sometimes got overwhelmed/confused with all the spiritual practice jargon, but I understand why she included it - for seekers who are on their own spiritual path. She provides lengthy background passages and and quotes from spiritual leaders.
It's part memoir, part textbook and call to action.
Everyone wake up. We are all connected.
Everyone's spiritual journey is different.
Take care of the environment.
Treat every being with love and compassion.
Thank you Vivi for sharing your personal journey.
It has been a while since I have read a memoir, and this one is unlike any other memoir I have read before. It was fascinating to read of her spiritual experiences and of her travel adventures in India.
Reading about the ups and downs of Vivianne's life was hard at times, so much pain and suffering and illness after illness. The resilience of her human spirit really shone through. I admired her courage to do something about the poor treatment of stray dogs/animals in India. I have heard from others of the juxtaposition of the magnificent Taj Mahal and the poverty surrounding it.
It took me a while to read this I'm not going to lie. I don't think I was in the right frame of mind when I started reading it, and when it got too heavy I found myself just taking a break from reading altogether.
I sometimes got overwhelmed/confused with all the spiritual practice jargon, but I understand why she included it - for seekers who are on their own spiritual path. She provides lengthy background passages and and quotes from spiritual leaders.
It's part memoir, part textbook and call to action.
Everyone wake up. We are all connected.
Everyone's spiritual journey is different.
Take care of the environment.
Treat every being with love and compassion.
Thank you Vivi for sharing your personal journey.
January 19, 2023
My home looks like a cross between a comfortable living space and a spiritual library. I am no longer inclined to read so many books. But I am glad that I picked up Becoming The Light, Realizing Your True Enlightened Nature. This is simply one of the most beautifully written books I ever read. The story itself is just as good. This story demonstrates what is possible, perhaps in some ways inevitable, if one gives oneself completely to the quest to find Truth and to embody Divine love. The story begins with a little girl enduring a battered childhood, while she looks for and finds love in her family and her cat. She goes on traverse a passionate love affair and a broken heart, life threatening illnesses, major depression and a suicide attempt, finding happiness in a long-devoted marriage, deep spiritual practice with well-known Indian and Buddhist masters, feeling loved and connected with Jesus Christ, kundalini awakenings and mystical revelations, and a deep commitment to the love, care, and protection of animals. Her quest to embody Divine love is the thread that ties it all together, though she didn’t articulate it to herself this way when she was young. If you want to find a beautifully written passage, open to any page and point your finger. I opened to this one, “My suffering helped me transform my entire being into a more loving and joyous human being who is active in the world. If you allow your suffering and are receptive to it, your heart will blossom in unimageable ways. It will render you very humble and grateful by rekindling in you great joy of being, especially when you realize most of our suffering is self-created. So we have the choice – either we carry our wounds as a load of garbage or as a guiding light to shine the truth to help us liberate ourselves and others.” Honestly, there is one and only one word in this book that didn’t feel exactly right to me. That word is “Becoming,” the first word of the title. I am glad that the author clarified this towards the end of the book. “The truth is – it is not about “becoming the light.” This is only the title of the book in reference to my unfolding story within the narrative. We don’t become the light, per se. We realize that we already are the light when we realize our true divine nature and tap into the beyond.” Yes, that is exactly right, and that is what she implicitly expressed in every page of the story. Although “realizing” is a more accurate way of saying it; the word “Becoming’ is more empowering, and thus, in my view, a better first word for the title. As I was reading this book, I began to follow the author’s implicit guidance to allow myself to become softer, more vulnerable, yet feeling protected, inspired, lighter. I am grateful for her offering.
Being mindful that every single person is a work in progress, I share the author’s conviction that spending time in the company of those who have progressed far along the spiritual path can be a great blessing and immensely beneficial. As such, I recently attended a Satsang or meeting with the author, Devi Ma, as she is now affectionately called. Not surprisingly, I found her to be a wise and assured, light-hearted, bright Light. I am looking forward to returning.
*** Almost immediately after I finished reading the book a miracle occurred! I was in a café in Berkeley. I closed the book and briefly sat quietly. I had a quiet mind and I was feeling peacefully serene. I then stood and placed the book in my backpack. I noticed that the young man who was sitting across from me was wearing a sweatshirt showing these works, “It all was a dream.” I blurted out, “It all IS a dream!” He replied, “Yes, unless you wake up.” I responded, “Yes! Exactly right.” He then asked, “How do you wake up?” I took “Becoming The Light” out of my backpack and showed it to him. He asked to see it, and he briefly took a look. He asked me if he could find it on Amazon. I said “Yes, if you look later, you can find my book review.” I concluded saying, “If you want to see a complementary approach, check out Angelo Dilullo.” I wrote Angelo’s name for him.
Being mindful that every single person is a work in progress, I share the author’s conviction that spending time in the company of those who have progressed far along the spiritual path can be a great blessing and immensely beneficial. As such, I recently attended a Satsang or meeting with the author, Devi Ma, as she is now affectionately called. Not surprisingly, I found her to be a wise and assured, light-hearted, bright Light. I am looking forward to returning.
*** Almost immediately after I finished reading the book a miracle occurred! I was in a café in Berkeley. I closed the book and briefly sat quietly. I had a quiet mind and I was feeling peacefully serene. I then stood and placed the book in my backpack. I noticed that the young man who was sitting across from me was wearing a sweatshirt showing these works, “It all was a dream.” I blurted out, “It all IS a dream!” He replied, “Yes, unless you wake up.” I responded, “Yes! Exactly right.” He then asked, “How do you wake up?” I took “Becoming The Light” out of my backpack and showed it to him. He asked to see it, and he briefly took a look. He asked me if he could find it on Amazon. I said “Yes, if you look later, you can find my book review.” I concluded saying, “If you want to see a complementary approach, check out Angelo Dilullo.” I wrote Angelo’s name for him.
May 27, 2024
I have read many spiritual books but few have had the profound effect that this one has had.
It is, in essence, a biography about a very special soul and her journey to enlightenment. It is a story about the irrepressible human spirit and how the burning desire to merge with the divine can overcome unimaginable obstacles like advanced cancer, suicide attempts, a battered childhood and ongoing health problems caused by traditional medicines.
I believe it is the author’s deep desire to remain on earth to be a voice for the voiceless, and her love for humanity, that she chooses to remain in her being. Through her will she has transcended all and is quite literally an earth angel.
The book also makes the Yogic tradition accessible and explains in simple English, the main concepts of this and other religions, relevant to our journeys. Her travels to India come alive in this book and you can visualise being there.
She is a character that you just immediately fall in love with. She demonstrates how human relationships are supposed to be. How unconditional love is our true nature, and encourages you to stand in your power and be authentic.
This is an important book for the serious seeker, it really hits you in the feels and shows you the way to experience your true Divine nature.
I cannot possibly say what my biggest take is on this book because it achieves so much, but I would say that it has increased my capacity to love. It has fundamentally changed me. In the book, she describes how she looks after the animals in the ashram in India and dares to bring up questions of their welfare, even although faced with much opposition from volunteers. She stands her ground, liaises with local charities and establishes a foundation to care for them. The opposition she receives is quite eye opening, for you would assume that people so far along the path would automatically be compassionate to animals. What we learn is that we develop unevenly, but if you are a serious initiate, you must develop compassion for those in need and the animals. So in this respect also, she encourages them to open their hearts.
I loved this book, it is up there with the best of the best and I urge you to read it.
I would also recommend her YouTube channel - DeviMayiMa, she has posted many amazing videos and covers a huge variety of topics for her followers. I cannot stress enough just how much she has helped me in my spiritual journey.
It is, in essence, a biography about a very special soul and her journey to enlightenment. It is a story about the irrepressible human spirit and how the burning desire to merge with the divine can overcome unimaginable obstacles like advanced cancer, suicide attempts, a battered childhood and ongoing health problems caused by traditional medicines.
I believe it is the author’s deep desire to remain on earth to be a voice for the voiceless, and her love for humanity, that she chooses to remain in her being. Through her will she has transcended all and is quite literally an earth angel.
The book also makes the Yogic tradition accessible and explains in simple English, the main concepts of this and other religions, relevant to our journeys. Her travels to India come alive in this book and you can visualise being there.
She is a character that you just immediately fall in love with. She demonstrates how human relationships are supposed to be. How unconditional love is our true nature, and encourages you to stand in your power and be authentic.
This is an important book for the serious seeker, it really hits you in the feels and shows you the way to experience your true Divine nature.
I cannot possibly say what my biggest take is on this book because it achieves so much, but I would say that it has increased my capacity to love. It has fundamentally changed me. In the book, she describes how she looks after the animals in the ashram in India and dares to bring up questions of their welfare, even although faced with much opposition from volunteers. She stands her ground, liaises with local charities and establishes a foundation to care for them. The opposition she receives is quite eye opening, for you would assume that people so far along the path would automatically be compassionate to animals. What we learn is that we develop unevenly, but if you are a serious initiate, you must develop compassion for those in need and the animals. So in this respect also, she encourages them to open their hearts.
I loved this book, it is up there with the best of the best and I urge you to read it.
I would also recommend her YouTube channel - DeviMayiMa, she has posted many amazing videos and covers a huge variety of topics for her followers. I cannot stress enough just how much she has helped me in my spiritual journey.
February 2, 2021
What a gripping fascinating emotional story!
You HAVE to read this if you have an open mind and are interested in yoga or spirituality.
I started being more interested in spiritual things the last several years. I used to be a voracious reader of fantasy novels and long series of thousands of pages. I would go into the world in the book like an addict. I stopped reading so many fantasy books when I got more involved in the world here. However Vivi's story here is just as intense and amazing as any fantasy book I have read. Also it is so amazing because I met Vivianne, or Devi, because we live in the same town! And it was so synchronistic.
She told me to get her book and read it, told me it would be very inspiring. It was definitely inspiring and also just such a good heartfelt story. So raw and intense. Towards the latter half of the book when Vivi or Devi was almost entirely purely sharing her amazing spiritual experiences, I was so excited to start to read it again the next day. I also follow Sadhguru and so having all this story which is like a fantasy story but right here, real in my life is so amazing.
All the stories, everything is real. I always knew that this existence was magical, but it can be forgotten from hoping and being disappointed countless times. It's time for us to make everything magical and miraculous again. Something like the moon, which so many take for granted is something out of a science fiction book! Some giant bright body in the heavens! wow!
So I am very glad Devi wrote this book and looking forward to connecting with her in the future and exploring my own spiritual path :)
You HAVE to read this if you have an open mind and are interested in yoga or spirituality.
I started being more interested in spiritual things the last several years. I used to be a voracious reader of fantasy novels and long series of thousands of pages. I would go into the world in the book like an addict. I stopped reading so many fantasy books when I got more involved in the world here. However Vivi's story here is just as intense and amazing as any fantasy book I have read. Also it is so amazing because I met Vivianne, or Devi, because we live in the same town! And it was so synchronistic.
She told me to get her book and read it, told me it would be very inspiring. It was definitely inspiring and also just such a good heartfelt story. So raw and intense. Towards the latter half of the book when Vivi or Devi was almost entirely purely sharing her amazing spiritual experiences, I was so excited to start to read it again the next day. I also follow Sadhguru and so having all this story which is like a fantasy story but right here, real in my life is so amazing.
All the stories, everything is real. I always knew that this existence was magical, but it can be forgotten from hoping and being disappointed countless times. It's time for us to make everything magical and miraculous again. Something like the moon, which so many take for granted is something out of a science fiction book! Some giant bright body in the heavens! wow!
So I am very glad Devi wrote this book and looking forward to connecting with her in the future and exploring my own spiritual path :)
May 5, 2024
I am a little on the fence about this one. I read other reviews of those who loved it.
I started the book in November 2018 and set it aside within a couple of weeks. I picked it back up about 10 days ago and started it over again and finished this morning.
I think it is a beautifully written memoir of a specific aspect and attainment goal of the author's life. I highlighted several passages as they struck a chord with me. I am glad I read the epilogue and the Q&A in the back as it provided more perspective for the reader. She provides backstory of family, abuse, abandonment and support. It's heart wrenching in some aspects. She goes through much illness, cancer and depression. She has a strong mother and familial bonds, but then the family is rarely in the rest of the book. Her quest to find enlightenment through chasing yoga gurus and experience and the miracles of healing is the story. Her experiences are incredible and often not the norm for most people. I love yoga philosophy and have read a plethora of all kinds of books and this one is very different from all the others including yoga fiction. I did not love it, but it does leave an impression and provokes thoughts on how one might handle similar situations.
I started the book in November 2018 and set it aside within a couple of weeks. I picked it back up about 10 days ago and started it over again and finished this morning.
I think it is a beautifully written memoir of a specific aspect and attainment goal of the author's life. I highlighted several passages as they struck a chord with me. I am glad I read the epilogue and the Q&A in the back as it provided more perspective for the reader. She provides backstory of family, abuse, abandonment and support. It's heart wrenching in some aspects. She goes through much illness, cancer and depression. She has a strong mother and familial bonds, but then the family is rarely in the rest of the book. Her quest to find enlightenment through chasing yoga gurus and experience and the miracles of healing is the story. Her experiences are incredible and often not the norm for most people. I love yoga philosophy and have read a plethora of all kinds of books and this one is very different from all the others including yoga fiction. I did not love it, but it does leave an impression and provokes thoughts on how one might handle similar situations.
May 1, 2019
Becoming The Light is the true story of author Vivianne Nantel’s spiritual journey. She begins writing about her childhood and teenage years. Then about college and a dysfunctional relationship. She marries and starts following a Spiritual Master. She travels the world going to retreats while experiencing some major health problems. I enjoyed the book and found it truly interesting. She mostly identifies with Hinduism but doesn’t follow any particular religion. I struggled a bit with all the Hindu phrases and terms. Vivianne does a nice job explaining the different Hindu terminologies.
There were so many Hindu phrases and words that I was not familiar with, I had a difficult time keeping track of all the different words and their meanings. I can recommend this book to anyone who is on a spiritual journey or would like to be on one.
I received a free Kindle copy of this book from Goodreads Giveaway
There were so many Hindu phrases and words that I was not familiar with, I had a difficult time keeping track of all the different words and their meanings. I can recommend this book to anyone who is on a spiritual journey or would like to be on one.
I received a free Kindle copy of this book from Goodreads Giveaway
August 5, 2025
I had the privilege of meeting the author while at a spiritual retreat a few months ago and she recommended that I read her book. Honestly, I don’t read much, but I decided to order the book since I was intrigued by her presence. The book chronicles her spiritual awakening and numerous challenges along the way. There are many golden nuggets of spiritual insight all throughout the book which were extremely helpful to me. I reached out to the author through her website and have been doing the Divine Alchemy Empowerment sessions with her and they have been absolutely life changing!! If you have been curious about connecting with the divine feminine, I highly recommend you read the book and contact her!!
October 2, 2018
Overall, good. I really enjoyed the first 1/4 of the book. I personally related to a lot of this and a lot of this resonated deep within my heart and mind. Tword the middle/end of the book there is a chapter that basically repeats itself over and over, with different wording, which I found exhausting. There are parts of the book which come across as shaming the reader and extremely preachy with wording such as "must" "need" rather than "should" "could" or something similar.
There are a lot of great chapters and explanations for unexplained experiences that, again, resonated with my being. Very interesting read and I do recommend it, if you're open minded.
There are a lot of great chapters and explanations for unexplained experiences that, again, resonated with my being. Very interesting read and I do recommend it, if you're open minded.
September 4, 2018
Not my cup of tea
Well written. Honest. Through the best of times and the worst of times this woman has been knocked down and gotten back up. The topic of the book doesn't suit my personal interests. As much as I like learning the beliefs, customs, and traditions of different faiths as a whole. One persons journey doesn't get my motor running, so don't take the low star count into consideration if that does not apply to you. Giveaway win
Well written. Honest. Through the best of times and the worst of times this woman has been knocked down and gotten back up. The topic of the book doesn't suit my personal interests. As much as I like learning the beliefs, customs, and traditions of different faiths as a whole. One persons journey doesn't get my motor running, so don't take the low star count into consideration if that does not apply to you. Giveaway win
September 14, 2018
I got this book for free via a giveaway, but now that I have read it, I would definitely buy it. The author's story is amazing and inspiring. I find it easier to read books on spiritual growth that contain stories from the author's life. This is why Autobiography of a Yogi resonated with me years ago when I first read it. If you are interested in spiritual growth, this is a must read!
October 14, 2018
I won this book on a giveaway. This book was just ok for me. I am a fan of spiritual journey books but this book seemed a bit redundant. It is the author's memoir and is a very sweet story about her journey.
April 6, 2020
This book was very inspiring, especially for the seeker going through similar struggles. Vivi's entire journey gives hope to the reader that our paths, however different, all lead to the same place eventually. I have revisited the book several times and learn something new each time!
October 14, 2018
This was an inspirational and thought provoking book.
October 23, 2018
Well written and honest read
November 27, 2018
Anyone interested in enlightenment should definitely check this book out, it's great!
August 3, 2018
This is a beautiful book. The journey of this author is one I can relate to myself. It was written beautifully. It will help anyone on a spiritual journey.
I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion of it.
I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion of it.
Want to read
September 22, 2018Haven't finished the book yet... so sorry
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews