Author Martine Racine is a Jungian psychoanalyst and ordained minister. In The God Within, she describes how the divine lives in all of us.

Racine posits that our center of power, creativity, and morality doesn’t come from extrinsic sources. Rather, they reside in our being and are tapped into when we feel from our hearts. All of the destruction in the world, according to Racine, comes from the unhealthy imbalance of putting too much emphasis on the mind. The mind is a tool that should be used only through the guidance of heart because our heart is what is connected to our inner god. Our god does not only know our own experiences, but is intertwined with the collective consciences of the world.

Racine divides the book into 12 chapters. Each chapter describes a different lens from which the god within can be viewed. For example, she discusses nature, children, and love as different ways that our inner divinity can be expressed and seen.

While her premise is intriguing, Racine’s chapters lack organization. She meanders through lofty ideas and falls back on cultural assumptions, rather than showing readers evidence for her claims. For example, she maintains that children are “seedlings” who don’t try to “control or overpower anyone.” Anyone who has spent time with a two year old knows this romanticized version of children isn’t exactly accurate. She also fails to expand on her ideas in ways that help the reader fully understand her logic or see the world from her perspective. She states, for instance, that while we sleep, “other dimensions of ourselves are active,” but never explains this statement further.

Racine’s book touches on many interesting ideas. But in tackling this large spiritual concept, she fails to draw the reader in. The result is a lackluster read that leaves her audience with more questions than answers.

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