While Spiritual Living for Busy People: How to Nourish Your Soul in Today’s Hectic World, written by José de la Torre, has many practical suggestions, it is much more than a “how-to” book. The author presents a logical, understandable model, or framework, of the spiritual connectedness between humans and the Divine, complete with illustrations. His definition: “….spirituality is recognizing the Divine spark that is within each of us” permeates the remainder of the book. One repeated belief is that a person does not need to do anything to live a spiritual life; however, as one learns to co-create and develop one’s own spirituality, the doing may become a life of service. Mr. de la Torre’s sharing his own journey from growing up Catholic, learning about other religions and belief systems, and finding his own authentic truth is a testament to forging one’s own spiritual path.

This book is easy to read, due to clear, concise writing and information given in an accessible manner. The organization of the book itself begins with a wonderful Table of Contents, and the acronym of “ MAP IT FIRST, DUDE” demonstrates how such a serious topic can be absorbed in an enjoyable way. Perhaps the topic of spirituality should be approached in a joyful way, rather than a somber way! José de la Torre displays this message throughout his work, Spiritual Living for Busy People: How to Nourish Your Soul in Today’s Hectic World. Most importantly, the last chapter reiterates the main purpose of living a spiritual life: Be At Peace.

I believe that every one of us has wondered what their purpose in life was, whether there was some kind of force watching over us, or else had some other spiritually charged question, no matter what we believe or how we were raised. Spiritual Living for Busy People: How to Nourish Your Soul in Today’s Hectic World by José Luis de la Torre Jr is a beautifully written piece that does an excellent job talking about spirituality while separating it from culture or any specific religious denomination.

I loved how the author draws from multiple sources in this book, including cultural references, historical references, references from different myth beliefs, or religions. These really help to carry us through the book and make it an interesting read, as well as to help us understand the model that he lays out in this book. One of my favorite statements in Spiritual Living for Busy People, although there were quite a few, was on page 128 which says: “we cannot expect nations and tribes to come to peace with each other, until we have come to peace with ourselves.”

The writing and editing was of a professional quality. The flow and progression of the book was natural and made it an easy read. The author’s passion for the topic of the book is obvious throughout and really spoke to me as a reader without being pretentious. The book has the feel of a user’s guide, which I found to be unique. I believe this would be helpful to those wishing to take these concepts and do more than just read them for curiosity’s sake.

Spiritual Living for Busy People: How to Nourish Your Soul in Today’s Hectic World is the result of a twenty-year search by José Luis de la Torre Jr to reconcile the heartfelt spirituality he experienced as a Catholic youth with the logic and reason of his adult mathematician’s mind. After sharing his personal model about the nature of the spirit (or Divine spark) within us and its relation to our Creator, he presents a practical approach for living spiritual lives within the demands of the modern world. Although his approach is based on his model, it doesn’t require an acceptance of it. A person who holds differing philosophical or doctrinal views, or even an anti-religious view, can benefit just as well. Simple graphics convey the concept and a mnemonic device -- MAP IT FIRST, DUDE! -- crystallizes the key components.

The relationship between our faith and our reason is one which each of us resolves in our own way. De la Torre offers his concept for the reader's consideration in a straightforward, understandable narrative style which comes across as peaceful, gentle, and respectful in tone. His message is two-fold. For the individual: spirituality is innately within us and spiritual living doesn’t take a lot of time. For all of us: our collective future could be a “heaven on earth” if enough of us believed it. I especially liked the Winged Lion (rather than an aggressive lion) and the Warrior Monk (peaceful, but capable of defending himself) as behavior models. Spiritual Living for Busy People is a thoughtful and thought-provoking book with a positive message for every reader... a message of hope, peace, forgiveness, respect, and service to others which is in wonderful contrast to so much of what we see happening around us.

Spiritual Living for Busy People: How to Nourish Your Soul in Today’s Hectic World by José Luis de la Torre Jr is a book that takes an intelligent approach to helping those caught up in the frenzied, present day environment get out of our own way, clear the emotional baggage, and to connect spiritually both externally and from within ourselves. Using decades of research and the author's personal journey, spiritualism is presented in a candid and insightful narrative, guiding readers to "recognize the Source of the Creator from which we come from, and follow the guidance of the Divine spark in our hearts provided through our connection with the Oversoul." From here, the author breaks down the complexity of the concept with a series of relatable mnemonics and a model for applying it to everyday life in order to achieve what we all ultimately strive for: peace.

I found Spiritual Living for Busy People: How to Nourish Your Soul in Today’s Hectic World by José Luis de la Torre Jr to be unique in that it's one of the few books I've read on the topic of spiritualism that felt more like an astute conversation than a fluffy philosophy. I'm sure many know what the latter is, but this is not rainbows, butterflies, and vegan cotton candy. It's reflective and apt on a human level, allowing a reader the room to discover their purpose for themselves and bridge the gap between where we are and where we want and deserve to be.