An Altar in the World

brown taylor's core argument is that you can access god/the divine/the more/whatever you call that which we can't fully grasp anywhere and everywhere, in the big and the small and the mundane. this isn't a new argument, but she lays out several places and methods to practically apply the idea, from putting your bare feet on the earth to having a headache to washing the windows.

as someone on their own faith journey who doesn't feel much resonance with like, dogma or the rituals of most organized religions, i found this book such an affirming companion to the places where i feel the divine in my own life. her turn of phrase is also so lovely - every time i go for my early evening walk, i've thought about the piece about the garden turning to gold. i also think a lot about the line in which angels come down to shut one's mouth, which makes me feel the same as that one picture of jemima kirke saying "i think you all think about yourselves too much." true!

i would recommend this for people who have a sense of spirituality that they'd like to nurture but get really turned off by the idea of following a specific religion to the letter - it is great for forging your own path (or really, recognizing that the path has always been there for you to appreciate on your own power)