Book Review: Journey of Awakening and Higher Consciousness

Reviewed by Erica Ball

A heartfelt meditation on the miracle of our existence and how to become more open to embracing it

In Journey of Awakening and Higher Consciousness, author Jane Kim Yu guides us to a deeper understanding of being alive. From her unexplained illness as a child to a spiritual epiphany in college and beyond, in this book she traverses a life of exploring the largest questions of life and meaning.

Yu has a great deal of value to share, and she says it in a voice tinged with poetic prose. Topics covered here include many of the big conundrums of life—the “why am I here” type questions—as well as the importance of intuition, events unfolding in their own time, and the unity of all people. She also discusses the loneliness that people can experience if they believe they are the only ones on such a journey; adding her own personal story helps this discussion greatly. Yu’s common answer and refrain is to return to love and to marvel at the miracle that any of us exist at all. 

The author zeroes in on some practical tips of pursuing a deepening spiritual practice with meditation, prayer, and creative expressions of different types. This is perhaps the strongest part of the book, as it offers concrete suggestions and explains why the author considers them helpful.

Some readers might disagree with some of the sweeping statements—“Everyone wants to go on that diet and lose 20-30 lbs”—and stumble through the occasional metaphor, but I would encourage readers not to dive too critically into those because the message of the whole is something so valuable.

Much of Yu’s discussion is drawn from or influenced by other works, and which ones aren’t always clear. Some readers may recognize them, but specific attribution can be missing. These particulars aside, the content is rich and fascinating and will appeal to those interested in spiritual self-help, especially those who have had transcendental experiences similar to the author’s own. 

This is an intimate and poetic book that readers of spiritual memoirs will find intriguing. Though she appeals to a variety of faiths and practices, it will be of particular interest to those of a Christian background, as her language of Heaven and God is mainly drawn from that one. 

Journey of Awakening and Higher Consciousness is a spiritual expedition—an attempt to describe the indescribable. Here, the author grapples with the biggest questions of all and comes back again and again with answers that are profoundly simple and have been within us the whole time.

---

Thank you for reading Erica Ball’s book review of Journey of Awakening and Higher Consciousness by Jane Kim Yu! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.