As I’ve mentioned before, online lists of spirituality ebooks are often pretty hard to navigate successfully. It’s a hunt-and-peck operation; the few great books that are free are often hidden under figurative mounds of overly difficult or overly simplistic material. For that reason, I created a list called Best Free Spiritual Ebooks. That said, there are likely quite a few more that I could add to this list, if I took the time to look through what’s available.
If you feel inclined to take on the project, here are a few places to start.
Thanks to a hunch and a great title, I purchased Sex, Drugs and Meditation on Amazon–and liked it even more than I expected I would. So I wrote the author, Mary-Lou Stephens, to ask if I could interview her for this site and for an upcoming book of mine. She kindly agreed. (And she was even willing to challenge my beliefs below, which I loved!)
Mollie: Right now I’m working on a book about examining and questioning deeply-held beliefs. The top spiritual beliefs I’ve found within myself so far, which are explained further in the book, are: spirituality is good; life is a game; there are no rules; people are holy; absolutes are fine, but certainty is not; happiness is the truth; God is simply reality–nothing more; and acceptance is “where it’s at.” What do you think? Agree or no?
Mary-Lou:
1. Spirituality is good.
To quote Shakespeare, “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” I don’t think spiritual people are better than non-spiritual people or vice versa. Many people live good, happy and useful lives without any sense of spirituality.
2. Life is a game.
Life is what it is. It’s what we make of it. We get to chose what it is through how we think about it. The word “game” to me is too loaded with meaning. It’s possible to cheat when playing a game, and there are winners and losers. Also, to me, a game is too impersonal, too superficial. Life is an ever-unfolding wonder. Sometimes games are involved. I love playing Scrabble, but life as a game? No, that doesn’t resonate for me.
3. There are no rules.
I believe in boundaries, good healthy demarcations, but are these rules? No. I believe in working out what makes life better for me and those around me and living within that paradigm. As I mentioned before, when I was growing up in a Christian household I thought I had to obey all the rules to be worthy of love, and there were a lot of rules. I didn’t feel loved, no matter what I did. In 12-step programs I discovered that working the steps made my life a whole lot better so I was happy to keep working them again and again. Working those steps made my life work. With meditation I have found that life flows a lot easier. I don’t work the steps anymore. I have no schedule of spirituality I have to adhere to. I just live.
4. People are holy.
I do believe that God is in everyone. We are all part of the One. But once again, “holy” is a loaded word so I’m going to disagree with this one, too!
5. Absolutes are fine. Certainty is not.
There are no certainties, no absolutes. Everything changes, all the time. It’s the nature of the Universe.
6. We have power.
Yes, we have power. We have the power of choice. We can choose what we say, how we respond, how we spend our time, how we treat others. This is power.
7. Happiness is the truth.
Totally disagree with this one. Happiness is a fleeting feeling. The truth is everlasting.
8. God is reality—nothing more.
God is a paradox, everywhere and nowhere, everything and nothing, immeasurable and infinite. God may not even exist. But there is a strong sense within me that s/he does.
9. Acceptance. It’s where it’s at.
Yep! I love acceptance. it gives me so much more space and time to do the things I love to do. I’ve stopped fighting. It was all useless anyway. In the end, even the victories I had mean nothing. Acceptance brings me joy.
Mollie: Do you practice acceptance of what is in a conscious way with the goal of greater inner peace?
Mary-Lou: I practice acceptance every day. It gets easier as I get older, or perhaps I’ve just had more practice. I don’t practice acceptance with any goal in mind. I practice it because it’s easier than any alternative I’ve found … and I’ve tried quite a few. Ranting and railing, pushing the river, complaining, playing the victim, playing the star, being a martyr … none of these proved very successful. Acceptance is a much more peaceful way to be. It’s not a goal, it just is.
Mollie: When and how did you begin this practice? How has it affected your life?
Mary-Lou: I first learned about acceptance in 12-step programs. The Serenity Prayer was a revelation to me. I always thought it was my job to change other people, places and things. When I discovered the only thing I could change was myself I felt as though a huge weight had been lifted from me. I didn’t have to be responsible for all that stuff I thought I was responsible for; in fact, I couldn’t be responsible for it and didn’t have any business trying to be. I just let it all go. This gave me incredible freedom. As my meditation practice grew and became stronger so did my ability to be a witness to what was going on around me without having to buy into it. Being able to witness my own thoughts was an amazing breakthrough. I am not my thoughts … which is just as well because they’re crazy!
Mollie: Can you offer any advice to people who would like to learn how to be more accepting of hardship and to use it to their benefit?
Mary-Lou: Don’t blame yourself. Don’t blame your karma. Things just happen. Most times it has nothing to do with you. It’s horrible and it’s hard but it’s not personal. God, the Universe or karma are not out to get you. Learn the lesson and move on. Also, don’t expect to get over hurts or grief quickly. You won’t. And some things will be with you for the rest of your life. Once I learnt to accept that, I was a lot more peaceful. I used to think I had to rise above the bad, forgive everything and everyone, not have any negative thoughts, blah, blah, blah. Now I know I’m not perfect and I don’t expect to be. Some feelings stick with us for a reason–as a warning or as a blessing. Many situations I’ve been through have helped me to relate to others better. They’ve also been beneficial when offering a shoulder or an ear.
Mollie: What are a few of your foundational spiritual beliefs?
Mary-Lou: When I was growing up my parents were heavily involved with the Charismatic Christian movement—lots of speaking in tongues and prophesying, healing and excitement. As a child I was very much wrapped up in that world … a world where God was love but also any negative feelings or misgivings were pushed away and ignored. If you felt bad, clearly you weren’t praying hard enough. As a teenager I felt bad all the time and so became increasingly disenchanted with those that were reaching to heaven but ignoring what was going on at their feet. In twelve-step programs I was told I could believe in a God of my own understanding. God could be a color, the sun, the wind or anything I wanted, just as long as God was a power greater than myself. This was liberating. Slowly, and with a few missteps, I developed a relationship with a God of my own understanding, one that had nothing to do with religion or other people’s beliefs. This God was a God I could rely on, lean on, talk to, be reassured by. I didn’t have to be good for this God to love me. I didn’t have to do penance or chant the right prayers or go to church. This God loved me just as I was, no matter what I did … but living a life of good thoughts and actions helped me love and live with myself.
These days, God just is. God is in everything, everywhere—a benign, loving presence. This gives me a sense of peace.
Mollie:What are the specific spiritual practices that you prefer (i.e., journaling, meditation, etc.)?
Mary-Lou: I used to use specific techniques—journaling, meditating at a set time for a set amount of time and the like—but now acceptance, witnessing my thoughts and meditation are all part of my day. I don’t put them in specific time slots. It’s more like breathing. It just is without me having to do anything.
Mollie: What do you mean by witnessing your thoughts?
Mary-Lou: I observe my thoughts and decide whether or not to engage with them. This is a benefit of meditation. In meditation I don’t try to stop my thoughts (impossible!). Instead, I watch them as they do their crazy dance. The more I observe my thoughts, the more I realize how funny they are. And to think they used to rule my world. No wonder I was so unhappy. I believed what I was thinking was true when most of it is just reaction and craving. Life is a lot more peaceful now and although peace and happiness might have been my goal when I first started meditating I don’t think about goals at all anymore. So many goals are counter-productive.
Mollie: Do you practice acceptance of what is in a conscious way with the goal of greater inner peace?
Mary-Lou: I practice acceptance every day. It gets easier as I get older, perhaps because I’ve just had more practice. I don’t practice acceptance with any goal in mind. I practice it because it’s easier than any alternative I’ve found … and I’ve tried quite a few: ranting and railing, pushing the river, complaining, playing the victim, playing the star, being a martyr … none of these proved very successful. Acceptance is a much more peaceful way to be. It’s not a goal, it just is.
Mollie: When and how did you begin this practice? How has it affected your life?
Mary-Lou: I first learned about acceptance in twelve-step programs. The Serenity Prayer was a revelation to me. I always thought it was my job to change other people, places and things. When I discovered the only thing I could change was myself I felt as though a huge weight had been lifted from me. I didn’t have to be responsible for all that stuff I thought I was responsible for; in fact, I couldn’t be responsible for it and didn’t have any business trying to be. I just let it all go. This gave me incredible freedom. As my meditation practice grew and became stronger, so did my ability to be a witness to what was going on around me without my having to buy into it. Being able to witness my own thoughts was an amazing breakthrough. I am not my thoughts … which is just as well because they’re crazy!
Mollie: Can you offer any advice to people who would like to learn how to be more accepting of hardship and to use it to their benefit?
Mary-Lou: Don’t blame yourself. Don’t blame your karma. Things just happen. Most times it has nothing to do with you. It’s horrible and it’s hard but it’s not personal. God, the Universe or karma are not out to get you. Learn the lesson and move on. Also, don’t expect to get over hurts or grief quickly. You won’t. And some things will be with you for the rest of your life. Once I learnt to accept that, I was a lot more peaceful. I used to think I had to rise above the bad, forgive everything and everyone, not have any negative thoughts, blah, blah, blah. Now I know I’m not perfect and I don’t expect to be. Some feelings stick with us for a reason—as a warning or as a blessing. Many situations I’ve been through have helped me to relate to others better. They’ve also been beneficial when offering a shoulder or an ear.
It’s not really New Age. (No one seems to love that term, do they?) It’s not really New Thought, since that’s more specific. And it sure as heck isn’t Buddhist, Christian, Jewish or any other more easily defined belief system.
It’s the brand of spirituality we sometimes call “spiritual but not religious.” Even though we know that it’s a terrible term. I mean, it’s a good, accurate way to describe my philosophy and that of a rapidly growing segment of society. But man, is it a mouthful. Maybe we need to use the acronym instead: SBNR. Okay, maybe we don’t.
Let’s do “alternative spirituality” instead.
Here, then, is my Other Best Alternative Spirituality Books list. It follows on the heels of a handful of other, more specific Best Alternative Spirituality Book lists. This is the stuff that is not easily labeled–the stuff that bookstores don’t quite know what to do with, the stuff they might stick in the Spiritual/Inspirational or the New Age category and call it good. Of course, there are plenty more books on my lists that could fit into this category, too. However, if there’s a more specific list on my site that fits it better, I chose to just keep it there.
I chose the books in the first section because they inspired me deeply, changed me for the better and helped me find greater inner peace. The second section features many of the other general inspirational books I’ve come across but may not have read yet.
By the way, don’t let the title fool you: This is one of my favorite book categories. These books are a bit different, but in a good way.
Other Best Alternative Spirituality Books
The Work of Byron Katie: An Introduction, Byron Katie Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life, Byron Katie and Stephen Mitchell Who Would You Be Without Your Story?: Dialogues with Byron Katie, Byron Katie I Need Your Love – Is That True?: How to Stop Seeking Love, Approval, and Appreciation and Start Finding Them, Byron Katie and Michael Katz A Thousand Names for Joy: Living in Harmony with the Way Things Are, Byron Katie and Stephen Mitchell A Mind at Home With Itself: How Asking Four Questions Can Free Your Mind, Open Your Heart and Turn Your World Around, Byron Katie What I Know for Sure, Oprah Winfrey The Shack, William Young Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis Heretics, G.K. Chesterton
Other Recommended Alternative Spirituality Books
Byron Katie
Various Audio and Video Recordings, Byron Katie and Byron Katie International Question Your Thinking, Change The World: Quotations from Byron Katie, Byron Katie A Friendly Universe: Sayings to Inspire and Challenge You, Byron Katie Loving What Is: 52 Meditations on Reality (Card Deck), Byron Katie Byron Katie’s “Katieisms”: Inner Wisdom Cards (Card Deck), Byron Katie and Hans Wilhelm
Gary Zukav
The Dancing Wu Li Masters: An Overview of the New Physics, Gary Zukav The Seat of the Soul, Gary Zukav Thoughts from the Seat of the Soul, Gary Zukav The Heart of the Soul: Emotional Awareness, Gary Zukav and Linda Francis Thoughts from the Heart of the Soul: Meditations for Emotional Awareness, Gary Zukav and Linda Francis The Mind of the Soul: Responsible Choice, Gary Zukav and Linda Francis Self-Empowerment Journal: A Companion to The Mind of the Soul: Responsible Choice, Gary Zukav and Linda Francis Spiritual Partnership, Gary Zukav Soul to Soul, Gary Zukav Soul Stories, Gary Zukav
Don Miguel Ruiz
The Four Agreements, Don Miguel Ruiz The Fifth Agreement: A Practical Guide to Self-Mastery (Toltec Wisdom), Don Miguel Ruiz and Don Jose Ruiz The Mastery of Love: A Practical Guide to the Art of Relationship, Don Miguel Ruiz The Four Agreements Companion Book: Using The Four Agreements to Master the Dream of Your Life, Don Miguel Ruiz Prayers: A Communion with Our Creator, Don Miguel Ruiz Wisdom from the Four Agreements, Don Miguel Ruiz Wisdom from the Mastery of Love, Don Miguel Ruiz The Voice of Knowledge: A Practical Guide To Inner Peace, Don Miguel Ruiz The Toltec Art of Life and Death, Don Miguel Ruiz
Marianne Williamson
A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of a “Course in Miracles,” Marianne Williamson The Law of Divine Compensation: On Work, Money, and Miracles, Marianne Williamson Enchanted Love: The Mystical Power of Intimate Relationships, Marianne Williamson Imagine What America Could Be in the 21st Century: Visions of a Better Future from Leading American Thinkers, Marianne Williamson Healing the Soul of America: Reclaiming Our Voices as Spiritual Citizens, Marianne Williamson A Woman’s Worth, Marianne Williamson Everyday Grace: Having Hope, Finding Forgiveness, And Making Miracles, Marianne Williamson Illuminata: A Return to Prayer, Marianne Williamson The Gift of Change, Marianne Williamson
David R. Hawkins
Power Versus Force: The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior, David Hawkins Letting Go: The Pathway of Surrender, David R. Hawkins Transcending the Levels of Consciousness: The Stairway to Enlightenment, David R. Hawkins Transcending the Levels of Consciousness: Live Your Life Like a Prayer, David R. Hawkins Success Is for You: Using Heart-Centered Power Principles for Lasting Abundance and Fulfillment, David R. Hawkins The Eye of the I: From Which Nothing Is Hidden, David R. Hawkins Truth vs Falsehood:How to Tell the Difference, David R. Hawkins I: Reality and Subjectivity, David R. Hawkins Dissolving the Ego, Realizing the Self: Contemplations from the Teachings of David R. Hawkins, David R. Hawkins and Scott Jeffrey Discovery of the Presence of God: Devotional NonDuality, David R. Hawkins Reality, Spirituality and Modern Man, David R. Hawkins Dealing with the CrazyMakers in Your Life: Setting Boundaries on Unhealthy Relationships, David R. Hawkins Along the Path to Enlightenment: 365 Daily Reflections from David R. Hawkins, David R. Hawkins and Scott Jeffrey The Ultimate David Hawkins Library, David R. Hawkins When Pleasing Others Is Hurting You: Finding God’s Patterns for Healthy Relationships, David R. Hawkins Breaking Everyday Addictions: Finding Freedom from the Things That Trip Us Up, David R. Hawkins Never Fight Again . . . Guaranteed!: Groundbreaking Practices for a Win-Win Marriage, David R. Hawkins The Power of Emotional Decision Making: Using Your God-Given Emotions for Positive Change, David R. Hawkins Stumbling Toward Obedience: Learning from Jonah’s Failure to Love God and the People He Came to Save, David R. Hawkins The Clear Pathway to Enlightenment-Four CD Set, David R. Hawkins Project Y: The Los Alamos Story. Part I: Toward Trinity. Part II: Beyond Trinity, David R. Hawkins and Edith C. Truslow In the World, but Not of It: Living Spiritually in the Modern World, David R. Hawkins Healing and Recovery, David R. Hawkins The Discovery: Revealing the Presence of God in your Life, David R. Hawkins Normal People Do the Craziest Things, David R. Hawkins
Carol Tuttle
Remembering Wholeness: A Personal Handbook for Thriving in the 21st Century, Carol Tuttle It’s Just My Nature!, Carol Tuttle The Path to Wholeness: A Guide to Spiritual Healing & Empowerment for Survivors of Child Sexual & Spiritual Abuse, Carol Tuttle
Other Authors
The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho Burn, Baby, Burn, Evan Griffith Indigo Adults: Understanding Who You Are and What You Can Become, Kabir Jaffe and Ritama Davidson Personal Development for Smart People, Steve Pavlina Human Design: Discover the Person You Were Born to Be, Chetan Parkyn and Steve Dennis Understanding Human Design: The New Science of Astrology: Discover Who You Really Are, Karen Curry Human Design: The Definitive Book of Human Design, The Science of Differentiation, Ra Uru Hu and Lynda Bunnell The Open Secret, Tony Parsons Butterflies Are Free to Fly, Stephen Davis The Book on the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are, Alan Watts Keys to the Ultimate Freedom, Lester Levinson Past the Gate, Esther Teule God Goes to Work, Tom Zender The Outlook Beautiful, Lilian Whiting Kitchen Table Wisdom, Rachel Naomi Remen The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values, and Spiritual Growth, Scott Peck Messages from Water and the Universe, Masaru Emoto Add More Ing to Your Life: A Hip Guide to Happiness, Gabrielle Bernstein In Search of the Miraculous, P. D. Ouspensky Grace, Gaia, and the End of Days: An Alternative Way for the Advanced Soul, Stuart Wilde Live Your Bliss, Terry Cole-Whittaker What You Think of Me is None of My Business, Terry Cole-Whittaker The Future of Love, Daphne Rose Kingma Mystery Teachings From the Living Earth: An Introduction to Spiritual Ecology, John Mihael Greer The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible, Charles Eisenstein Living in the Heart: How to Enter into the Sacred Space within the Heart, Drunvalo Melchizedek Adventures of the Soul: Journeys Through the Physical and Spiritual Dimensions, James Van Praagh The Sculptor in the Sky, Teal Scott The Passion Test: The Effortless Path to Discovering Your Life Purpose, Janet Attwood and Chris Attwood The Soul’s Code: In Search of Character and Calling, James Hillman Living A Course in Miracles: An Essential Guide to the Classic Text, Jon Mundy PhD Kinship with All Life, J. Allen Boone The Reconnection: Heal Others, Heal Yourself, Eric Pearl The Seeker’s Guide, Elizabeth Lesser The Untethered Soul, Michael A. Singer Tao Te Ching, Stephen Mitchell A Monk in the World: Cultivating a Spiritual Life, Wayne Teasdale
Me: Sometimes, we’re happy just because we’re happy. Other times, it takes a lot of work. What do you tell people who, unlike you, struggle with negativity and other emotional stuff on a daily basis?
Leta: My advice is to love what is. Just that.
Me: How? Can you give me a much clearer, more practical idea of what’s going on in your head as you are loving and appreciating throughout your day? Maybe a small example of a few moments inside your head?
Leta: Often, my head is just saying, “I love God.” I have thoughts. I’m human, after all. But my head is empty probably a lot more than most humans.
I will meet people I don’t like. I will encounter things and situations I don’t like. They may even be grotesque to my sensibilities. However, I am challenged to love the divine within all things. I am challenged to be One with all things. I am challenged to broaden my perspective so that I find the divine innocence at the heart of everything. I am challenged to love and accept everyone, even people I don’t like. If I meet someone I don’t like, I ask myself if this is a situation I can change. Am I willing to put forth the effort to like them (which would mean changing everything about myself, going into another personality and being someone I am not)? The answer is no. However, I can see the divine innocence in them. I can understand them and love them even though I may not like them. None of it scares me. I love it all. I have a relationship with myself that allows for constant self-inquiry leading to understanding and love that takes me beyond the disconnected to the connected. I have so much fun.
If you don’t love a great dear neath experience book, check your pulse; you’re probably already dead. (Miss you.) That said, books in this sub-genre are not all created equal. Some are super inspiring, while others just aren’t quite to my taste. A lot of them come from a religious perspective I don’t agree with and others are, well, a bit corny. That said, the stories themselves (sans lesson plan) can be interesting regardless.
I chose the books in the first list below because I’ve read and enjoyed them and because they offer good, practical life advice. If you want to get more immersed the subject, though, try the books in the “Other Recommended Near Death Experience Books” section. I chose them because they’re either well-known, seemingly well-researched, or just recommended on some website somewhere. (High standards, I know.)
My favorite book from this list: Dying To Be Me: My Journey from Cancer, to Near Death, to True Healing by Anita-Moorjani. That book is definitely my friend.
Dying To Be Me: My Journey from Cancer, to Near Death, to True Healing, Anita-Moorjani Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey into the Afterlife, Eben Alexander Life After Life: The Bestselling Original Investigation That Revealed “Near-Death Experiences”, Raymond Moody Science and the Near-Death Experience: How Consciousness Survives Death, Chris Carter Visions, Trips, and Crowded Rooms: Who and What You See Before You Die, David Kessler
Other Recommended Near Death Experience Books
Application of Impossible Things: A Near Death Experience in Iraq, Natalie Sudman Mindsight: Near-Death and Out-of-Body Experiences in the Blind, Kenneth Ring Imagine Heaven: Near-Death Experiences, God’s Promises, and the Exhilarating Future That Awaits You, John Burke and Don Piper Beyond Sight: The True Story of a Near-Death Experience, Marion Rome Near Death in the ICU: Stories from Patients Near Death and Why We Should Listen to Them, Laurin Bellg MD Evidence of the Afterlife: The Science of Near-Death Experiences, Jeffrey Long and Paul Perry God and the Afterlife: The Groundbreaking New Evidence for God and Near-Death Experience, Jeffrey Long and Paul Perry My Journey to Heaven: What I Saw and How It Changed My Life, Marvin J. Besteman and Lorilee Craker Love The Person You’re With: Life-Changing Insights from the Most Compelling Near-Death Experiences Ever Recorded, David Sunfellow Dying to Wake Up: A Doctor’s Voyage into the Afterlife and the Wisdom He Brought Back, Rajiv Parti and Raymond Moody Life After Death, Powerful Evidence You Will Never Die, Stephen Hawley Martin Real Messages From Heaven: And Other True Stories of Miracles, Divine Intervention and Supernatural Occurrences, Faye Aldridge Near-Death Experiences, The Rest of the Story: What They Teach Us About Living and Dying and Our True Purpose, P. M. H. Atwater Embraced By The Light, Betty J. Eadie Consciousness Beyond Life: The Science of the Near-Death Experience, Pim van Lommel Near-Death Experiences Examined: Medical Findings and Testimonies from Lourdes, Patrick Theillier Awakenings from the Light: 12 Life Lessons from a Near Death Experience, Nancy Rynes Near-Death Experiences as Evidence for the Existence of God and Heaven: A Brief Introduction in Plain Language, J. Steve Miller and Jeffrey Long Near Death Experiences of Doctors and Scientists: Doctors, and Scientists Describe Their Personal Near-Death Experiences, John J. Graden Wisdom of Near-Death Experiences: How Understanding NDEs Can Help Us Live More Fully, Penny Sartori and Pim van Lommel The Night I Spoke to God: A Miraculous True Story of A Near-Death Experience, Michael L. Eads The Gifts of Near-Death Experiences: You Don’t Have to Die to Experience Your True Home, Sheila Fabricant Linn and Dennis Linn How To Stop Negative Thoughts: What My Near-Death-Experience Taught Me About Mind Loops, Neuroscience, and Happiness, Barbara Ireland Surviving Death: A Journalist Investigates Evidence for an Afterlife, Leslie Kean NDE: They Went To Heaven And Back – Stories of People That Got A Second Chance, Gerard Radcliff The Big Book of Near-Death Experiences: The Ultimate Guide to What Happens When We Die, P.M.H. Atwater
Me: What is the essence of meditation? What is it, really?
Leta: What is real about meditation other than the practice of being present in your body, experiencing an IS-ness and connecting to a bigger-than-small-you field? There is no real meditation in my experience. Anything that promotes a feeling of bigger-than-small-you experience is a meditation. It can be folding the laundry, washing the dishes, sitting down on the toilet and so much more! There is meditation in everything. It is how you approach the experience that counts. Like a plug, we can plug in anything we do in our daily lives into the socket of “bigger-than-small-me” experience. This is the key to meditation in my experience.
What could be better than a great alternative spirituality book that’s also free? Not much. Not much at all. But if you’ve ever done a Google search for “free spiritual ebook” or “free alternative spirituality ebook,” you know it’s not that easy. There are thousands and thousands of these volumes online, some from ages ago and some published just last week. Where do you start?
My advice: Start with the classics. Not just any of the classics, though; the ones that have received wide appreciation. Then take my advice (and the advice of others) on the modern stuff.
I chose these books because they inspired me deeply, changed me for the better, and helped me find greater inner peace. Let me know what else is out there that deserves to be here and I will gratefully update this list.
Best Free Alternative Spirituality Ebooks
The Work of Byron Katie: An Introduction, Byron Katie Beginning Your Love Revolution, Matt Kahn Hoist on My Own Petard: Or: How Writing 10% Happier Threw My Own Advice Right Back in My Face, Dan Harris Autobiography of A Yogi, Paramahansa Yogananda As a Man Thinketh, James Allen Secret of the Ages, Robert Collier Be Still, Emmet Fox Think and Grow Rich, Napolean Hill Science of Mind, Ernest Holmes Feeling Is The Secret, Neville Goddard The Power of Positive Thinking, Norman Vincent Peale Scientific Christian Mental Practice, Emma Curtis Hopkins The Practice of the Presence of God, Brother Lawrence 100 Daily Messages Volumes One through Four, Leta Hamilton and Archangel Michael
I love buying books for myself. Like, a lot. But guess what? I love buying them for my kids even more.
Unfortunately, when it comes to the topic of alternative spirituality, children’s books are relatively rare. Here’s a list of those I’ve discovered so far. Please let me know of others you discover and fall in love with.
Best Alternative Spirituality Books for Children
Sara, Book 1: Sara Learns the Secret About the Law of Attraction, Esther Hicks and Jerry Hicks Sara, Book 2: Solomon’s Fine Featherless Friend, Esther Hicks Sara, Book 3: A Talking Owl is Worth a Thousand Words!, Esther Hicks Sara and the Foreverness of Friends of a Feather, Esther Hicks and Jerry Hicks Om Baby, Child of the Universe, Schamet Horsfield Sitting Still Like a Frog: Mindfulness Exercises for Kids (and Their Parents), Eline Snel Milton’s Secret, Eckhart Tolle Emir’s Education in the Proper Use of Magical Powers, Jane Roberts New Thought Children Stories, Christopher Morley Emma & Mommy Talk to God, Marianne Williamson I Am, Wayne Dyer and Kristina Tracy Incredible You!, Wayne Dyer and Kristina Tracy It’s Not What You’ve Got!, Wayne Dyer and Kristina Tracy No Excuses!, Wayne Dyer and Kristina Tracy Unstoppable Me!, Wayne Dyer and Kristina Tracy Tiger-Tiger, Is It True?: Four Questions to Make You Smile Again, Byron Katie and Hans Wilhelm The Four Questions: For Henny Penny and Anybody with Stressful Thoughts, Byron Katie and Hans Wilhelm Santa’s God: A Children’s Fable About the Biggest Question Ever,Neale Donald Walsch All the World, Liz Garton Scanlon Oh, The Places You’ll Go!, Dr. Seuss
Me: People describe the feeling of meditation in different ways. For some, it’s just relaxation. For me, it’s slightly increased peace–a bit of space between myself and my neurotic mind. What does meditation feel like to you?
Leta: When I meditate, I see myself as the vast universe. I feel a hugeness from the inside out that can only be described as vast empty space. When I see a photo of the universe, of galaxies and the lights emerging from them, the colors they display, I feel that is the best description, visually speaking, of what I feel inwardly as I meditate.
I feel the whole universe is the space of my inner self.
This feeling is cherished and it is why I return to meditation again and again. Even when I have moments without meditation (without that feeling of vastness from the inside out), I remember it and return to it. Whether I am in the kitchen, car or store, I return to the vastness I feel when I am in meditation. Maybe that explains why I maintain the notion that meditation is more than just sitting with eyes closed and legs crossed. It is any time the feeling of vastness comes over me.
Me: Are you able to feel this anytime, even when you’re not alone?
Leta: It is harder to accomplish in the company of others. When I am with others, I am pulled back into the world and the illusion of separation. I am pulled into the physicality present in our form-sense orientation. I am reminded of my humanness when I am with others. This is not a bad thing in and of itself. However, I desire the balance of isolation as well to accompany it. I desire my own time without having to speak to another soul as much as I desire human interaction, love, friendship, and all the things intertwined with human-experiencing.
So I only have this to say: meditate. Breathe. Give back to society in whatever way you can. Volunteer. Think about others in everything you do. Lose yourself happily, because you are seeking nothing. Nothing means no-thing. Give yourself permission not to have goals–to have the goal of loving what is every moment.
That is the most awesome goal of all.
Vision boards, the law of attraction, bringing into your reality what you visualize/hold in your mind, etc., are part of the game of living on earth and they have their place, but I am more interested in being the galaxy and all the galaxies. I am more interested in returning to that place of great big BIG-ness that I feel when I meditate.
It must be a rush of endorphins or whatever brain chemicals rush through my skull that cause me to be so drawn to that meditative state. It is pure bliss and it comes whenever I am focused, steady and silent in my Self. It comes whenever I tell it to, but that is after years of practice.
I love a heartfelt, person-to-person alternative spirituality blog. And of course, I love to hear different perspectives on spirituality–not just articles, but real opinions. These bloggers deliver on all these points. Hope you like them, too.
He’s not just spiritual. He’s creative. And his whole mission in life is to inspire you to be more creative, too–to make your dreams into goals, and goals into achievements. (Oh, and he’s a really good writer.)
Snarky. Sarcastic. Super fun. Spiritual. All the stuff we want from a blogger. Her posts are long and very well thought-out. And she’s got a huge following, and a book.
Normally, I don’t do online videos. I like the quiet too much. But I’ve gotten addicted to Byron Katie’s amazing, life-altering perspective. She is my new guru, for sure.
What a duo these two are. And their message is really exceptional. Their blog could use a little more TLC, but I like keeping their work in my thoughts and learning about what they’re up to. And if you haven’t yet seen a Matt Kahn YouTube video, well, you may not yet truly be living. His videos are his real blog.
I’ve been following Centrella for some years now, and she’s come a long way, baby. Her book, Hustle Believe Receive, is awesome, and I enjoy her vulnerability on topics from motherhood to midlife.
Spirituality, science, philosophy–always a great combination. This is a blog for people who like to keep up on the latest research in spiritual practice, particularly Buddhist practices and meditation.
Nedkov is a spiritual counselor, and her posts seek to inspire you to treat yourself with more kindness, love and grace. She uses A Course in Miracles as her basic text.
Hesselink asks tough questions, then answers them from her unique perspective. She doesn’t put on airs, though–this is a real person just telling it like she sees it.
Pavlina is a channel who writes about reincarnation, divination, omens and the like, bringing some common sense to her uncommon ability. Here’s a sample of her direct writing style:
“Let’s say you’re some bloke named Oliver Queen and you die, are you still Oliver Queen on the other side, like forever? Or do you become someone else? Something else?
People ask me variations of this question a lot …”
Other Top Alternative Spirituality Blogs:
Maybe these aren’t so much blogs as just websites with a bunch of good content. Either way, they merit attention, for obvious reasons. (Namely, that they have a huge following and promote authors who have changed the world.)
What could be better than reading direct revelations from the other side? Not much, as it turns out. Channeled books give us something we get nowhere else: crazy-sounding rants from spiritual beings who for various reasons haven’t quite perfected their English grammar.
Oh, and some unique, life-changing firsthand insights, too.
For these reasons, Best Channeled Books is a book category that’s close to my heart, as it may be to yours. I chose the books in the first section because they inspired me deeply, changed me for the better and helped me find greater inner peace. The second section features all of the other channeled books I’ve come across but may not have read yet. Let me know what I’ve missed and I will update this list and likely promptly devour.
Best Channeled Books
Conversations with God, Parts One through Three, Neale Donald Walsch The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham, Esther Hicks, Jerry Hicks and Abraham Ask and It Is Given: Learning to Manifest Your Desires, Esther Hicks, Jerry Hicks and Abraham The Magical Approach: Seth Speaks About the Art of Creative Living, Jane Roberts and Seth Seth Speaks: The Eternal Validity of the Soul, Jane Roberts and Seth Whatever Arises, Love That, Matt Kahn A New Dispensation: Plain Talk for Confusing Times, Kryon Book Ten, Lee Carroll and Kryon 100 Daily Messages Volumes One through Four, Leta Hamilton and Archangel Michael
Other Recommended Channeled Books
Neale Donald Walsch
Friendship with God, Neale Donald Walsch Communion with God, Neale Donald Walsch The New Revelations, Neale Donald Walsch Tomorrow’s God: Our Greatest Spiritual Challenge,Neale Donald Walsch Home with God, Neale Donald Walsch
Neale Donald Walsch Books That Aren’t Channeled
Conversations with God – Guidebook, Book 1, Nancy Ways Conversations with God – Guidebook, Book 2, Anne-Marie Barbier Conversations with God – Guidebook, Book 3, Alissa Goefron The Conversations with God Companion: The Essential Tool for Individual and Group Study,Neale Donald Walsch Conversations with God for Teens,Neale Donald Walsch Conversations with God for Teens Guidebook,Neale Donald Walsch Conversations With God for Parents: Sharing the Messages with Children,Neale Donald Walsch Meditations from Conversations With God,Neale Donald Walsch Meditations from Conversations With God: Book 1,Neale Donald Walsch Meditations from Conversations With God, Book 2: A Personal Journal,Neale Donald Walsch Questions and Answers on Conversations With God,Neale Donald Walsch The Wedding Vows from Conversations With God,Neale Donald Walsch and Nancy Fleming-Walsch Neale Donald Walsch on Relationships,Neale Donald Walsch Neale Donald Walsch on Holistic Living,Neale Donald Walsch Neale Donald Walsch on Abundance and Right Livelihood,Neale Donald Walsch Applications for Living from Conversations With God (compilation of three books; Relationships, Holistic Living, and Abundance and Right Livelihood),Neale Donald Walsch Bringers of the Light,Neale Donald Walsch Recreating Your Self,Neale Donald Walsch Moments of Grace: When God Touches Our Lives Unexpectedly, Neale Donald Walsch Part of the Change: Your Role As A Spiritual Helper,Neale Donald Walsch Happier Than God: Turn Ordinary Life into an Extraordinary Experience,Neale Donald Walsch When Everything Changes, Change Everything: In a Time of Turmoil, a Pathway to Peace,Neale Donald Walsch The Little Book of Life: A User’s Manual,Neale Donald Walsch The Mother of Invention: The Legacy of Barbara Marx Hubbard and the Future of YOU,Neale Donald Walsch When God Steps In, Miracles Happen,Neale Donald Walsch The Storm Before the Calm,Neale Donald Walsch What God Wants: A Compelling Answer to Humanity’s Biggest Question, Neale Donald Walsch The Only Thing That Matters,Neale Donald Walsch What God Said,Neale Donald Walsch God’s Message To The World: You’ve Got Me All Wrong,Neale Donald Walsch Conversations with God: The Making of the Movie, Monty Jones with Neale Donald Walsch Re-Minder Cards: Conversations With God, Book 1,Neale Donald Walsch
Esther Hicks, Jerry Hicks and Abraham
Money, and the Law of Attraction: Learning to Attract Wealth, Health, and Happiness, Esther Hicks, Jerry Hicks and Abraham The Vortex: Where the Law of Attraction Assembles All Cooperative Relationships, Esther Hicks, Jerry Hicks and Abraham The Amazing Power of Deliberate Intent: Living the Art of Allowing, Esther Hicks, Jerry Hicks and Abraham The Teachings of Abraham: The Master Course CD Program, 11-CD set, Esther Hicks, Jerry Hicks and Abraham Getting Into The Vortex: Guided Meditations CD and User Guide, Esther Hicks, Jerry Hicks and Abraham The Astonishing Power of Emotions: Let Your Feelings Be Your Guide, Esther Hicks, Jerry Hicks and Abraham A New Beginning I: Handbook for Joyous Survival, Esther Hicks, Jerry Hicks and Abraham A New Beginning II: A Personal Handbook to Enhance Your Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness,Esther Hicks, Jerry Hicks and Abraham
Jane Roberts and Seth
The Nature of Personal Reality, Jane Roberts and Seth The Seth Material, Jane Roberts The “Unknown” Reality, Volume One, Jane Roberts and Seth The “Unknown” Reality, Volume Two, Jane Roberts and Seth The Nature of the Psyche: Its Human Expression, Jane Roberts and Seth Dreams, Evolution and Value Fulfillment, Volume One, Jane Roberts and Seth Dreams, Evolution and Value Fulfillment, Volume Two, Jane Roberts and Seth A Seth Reader, Jane Roberts The Early Sessions (Sessions 1 through 510 of the Seth Material), Jane Roberts The Personal Sessions, Jane Roberts The Early Class Sessions, Jane Roberts Seth, Dreams and Projection of Consciousness, Jane Roberts
Jane Roberts Books That Aren’t Channeled
How To Develop Your ESP Power/ The Coming of Seth, Jane Roberts Adventures in Consciousness: An Introduction to Aspect Psychology, Jane Roberts Dialogues of the Soul and Mortal Self in Time, Jane Roberts Psychic Politics: An Aspect Psychology Book, Jane Roberts The Individual and the Nature of Mass Events, Jane Roberts The Oversoul Seven Trilogy, Jane Roberts The God of Jane: A Psychic Manifesto, Jane Roberts If We Live Again, Or, Public Magic and Private Love, Jane Roberts
Lee Carroll and Kryon
The End Times: New Information for Personal Peace, Kryon Book One, Lee Carroll and Kryon Don’t Think Like a Human: Channelled Answers to Basic Questions, Kryon Book Two, Lee Carroll and Kryon Alchemy of the Human Spirit: A Guide to Human Transition into the New Age, Kryon Book Three, Lee Carroll and Kryon The Parables of Kryon, Kryon Book Four, Lee Carroll and Kryon The Journey Home, Kryon Book Five, Lee Carroll and Kryon Partnering with God: Practical Information for the New Millennium, Kryon Book Six, Lee Carroll and Kryon Letters from Home: Loving Messages from the Family, Kryon Book Seven, Lee Carroll and Kryon Passing The Marker: Understanding the New Millennium Energy, Kryon Book Eight, Lee Carroll and Kryon The New Beginning: 2002 and Beyond, Kryon Book Nine, Lee Carroll and Kryon Lifting the Veil: The New Energy Apolcalypse, Kryon Book Eleven, Lee Carroll and Kryon The Twelve Layers of DNA: An Esoteric Study of the Mastery Within, Kryon Book Twelve, Lee Carroll and Kryon The Recalibration of Humanity: 2013 and Beyond, Kryon Book Thirteen, Lee Carroll and Kryon
Lee Carroll Books That Aren’t Channeled
The Indigo Children: The New Kids Have Arrived, Lee Carroll Indigo Celebration: More Messages, Stories, and Insights from the Indigo Children, Lee Carroll The Indigo Children Ten Years Later: What’s Happening with the Indigo Teenagers!, Lee Carroll and Jan Tober
Geoffrey Hoppe and Tobias
The Creator Series, Geoffrey Hoppe and Tobias Live Your Divinity, Geoffrey Hoppe and Tobias Journey of the Angels, Geoffrey Hoppe and Tobias Masters in the New Energy, Geoffrey Hoppe and Tobias Act of Consciousness, Geoffrey Hoppe and Tobias Crimson Circle Library (video, audio and text), Geoffrey Hoppe and Tobias The Tobias Materials: The Creator Series – New Tools for Our New Spiritual Journey, Geoffrey Hoppe and Tobias Masters in the New Energy, Geoffrey Hoppe and Tobias A Letter to Awakening Humans, Geoffrey Hoppe and Tobias Call to Awaken (Audio CD), Geoffrey Hoppe and Tobias Opening into Consciousness – A Guided Experience (Audio CD), Geoffrey Hoppe and Tobias The Twelve Signs of Your Awakening Divinity, Geoffrey Hoppe and Tobias Journey of the Angels: The Tobias Materials, Geoffrey Hoppe, Tobias and Linda Benyo
Other Recommended Channeled Books and Channels
A Course in Miracles, Helen Shucman The Great Human Potential: Walking in One’s Own Light, Wendy Kennedy Darryl Anka and Bashar A Vision, W.B. Yeats The Great Shift: Co-Creating a New World for 2012 and Beyond, Martine Vallee The Secret of Effortless Doing: Be . . . And It Will Be, Ronny and Zach Sivan Oahspe Bible, John Ballou Newbrough The Cosmic Tradition, Max Theon and Alma Theon Book of the Law, Aleister Crowley Toward the Light, Johanne Agerskov Arten and Pursah Channelings, Gary Renard The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ, Levi H. Dowling The Urantia Book George Van Tassel Gina Lake Eileen Caddy Chelsea Quinn Yarbro JZ Knight Rueckert John Edward Sylvia Browne James Van Praagh Lisa Williams John Holland Sally Morgan Vladimir Megre
Contributor: Author Leta Hamilton, whose books include The Way of the Toddler and a four-book series called 100 Daily Messages
Mollie: Other than saying “I love you, God” repeatedly, is there something you do to stay in touch with the Divine during the day? What do you do when you’re at loose ends?
Leta: When I am at loose ends, I usually muscle test. Muscle testing has been a huge tool in my life and I use it every day. (For more on this, read David Hawkins’ Power Versus Force.) This technique is so useful in my life I don’t know how to emphasize it strongly enough.
Loose ends means time to check in. I think of many things … and check in as I go along. Sometimes the guidance is to just sit, breathe, be patient, wait. Sometimes the guidance is to move to a different room. Sometimes it is to write. Sometimes to watch TV. There is no rule to it.
Listening, centering and checking in are my go-to pauses when I don’t know where to go next, what to do next. I wait until the thing comes. Often, it is a small micro-movement. It can be as simple as turning my body in a different direction.
I think that is why I am called to do yoga once a week. It is full of micro-movements. That is such a big thing for me. I was just thinking about that today … the micro-movements of my yoga class. It totally makes sense now.
I have a fun time on Netflix. I watch these shows that I love and just learn, learn, learn about people. The kids are directed by me about a fifth of the time and the rest is left to peers, Dad, TV and all the rest of the world (church, extended family, school, etc.).
It feels like a balance to me. If that helps, then I am glad. I never know if I am helping or not.
I just do my best to love God. That is pretty much the meaning of everything to me. To love God creates joy in my heart. I love God so much. I can’t express enough how much the love of God plays into my being-ness from moment to moment. It is the reason I live. I feel like a religious fanatic … but that really is how I function from day to day. Life is getting through the days learning how to love God more. God is not a concept or an idea, but a living energy that flows through me with every breath.
Okay, so these aren’t the expected choices. They’re not all classics or best sellers, or even the most substantial, information-heavy works. But I stand by my selections in this list. They’re the alternative spirituality books I liked the most. The most inspiring, the most fun to read–and the ones that helped me the most, too.
So there.
Best of the Best: My Favorite Alternative Spirituality Books of All
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, Eckhart Tolle A New Earth, Eckhart Tolle Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life, Byron Katie and Stephen Mitchell I Need Your Love – Is That True?: How to Stop Seeking Love, Approval, and Appreciation and Start Finding Them, Byron Katie and Michael Katz Who Would You Be Without Your Story?: Dialogues with Byron Katie, Byron Katie Conversations with God, Parts One through Three, Neale Donald Walsch Biocentrism: How Life and Consciousness are the Keys to Understanding the True Nature of the Universe, Robert Lanza and Bob Berman 100 Daily Messages Volumes One through Four, Leta Hamilton and Archangel Michael Ask and It Is Given: Learning to Manifest Your Desires, Esther Hicks, Jerry Hicks and Abraham Molecules of Emotion: Why You Feel the Way You Feel, Candace Pert Dying to Be Me, Anita Moorjani Autobiography of a Yogi, Paramahansa Yogananda The Search For Grace: A Documented Case of Murder and Reincarnation, Bruce Goldberg Zero Limits: The Secret Hawaiian System for Wealth, Health, Peace, and More, Joe Vitale Eat Pray Love, Elizabeth Gilbert Many Lives, Many Masters: The True Story of a Prominent Psychiatrist, His Young Patient, and the Past-Life Therapy That Changed Both Their Lives, Brian Weiss Ten Percent Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works–A True Story, Dan Harris The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation, Thich Nhat Hanh Whatever Arises, Love That, Matt Kahn Fringe-ology: How I Tried to Explain Away the Unexplainable–and Couldn’t, Steve Volk A Field Guide to Lucid Dreaming, Dylan Tuccillo, Jared Zeizel and Thomas Peisel The Shack, William Young A Severe Mercy, Sheldon Vanauken The Practice of the Presence of God, Brother Lawrence
Every day, science is merging with spirituality in new and fascinating ways. The fields of physics, neuroscience, positive psychology and many more are offering us some of the most coffee shop conversation-worthy stories out there.
When you’re in the mood to expand your scientific knowledge (to impress a date, maybe?); to learn more about various super practical, scientifically researched spiritual practices; or simply to become a smarter, more well-rounded person, flip through one or more of these awesome works. There’s so much nerdy fun in their pages. And remember: the more heavy stuff you read, the lighter the next heavy stuff gets. Kinda funny how that works, but it does.
I chose the books in the first section because they inspired me deeply, changed me for the better and helped me find greater inner peace. The second section features many of the other scientific spiritual books that come with a halfway decent recommendation of some kind, either from a friend or online.
If you come across another book that deserves to be here, do let me know.
Best Scientific Spiritual Books
Biocentrism: How Life and Consciousness are the Keys to Understanding the True Nature of the Universe, Robert Lanza and Bob Berman The User Illusion: Cutting Consciousness Down to Size, Tor Nørretranders Lucid Dreaming: Gateway to the Inner Self, Robert Waggoner A Field Guide to Lucid Dreaming,Dylan Tuccillo, Jared Zeizel and Thomas Peisel Lucid Dreaming: A Concise Guide to Awakening in Your Dreams and in Your Life, Stephen LaBerge Fringe-ology: How I Tried to Explain Away the Unexplainable–and Couldn’t, Steve Volk How God Changes Your Brain: Breakthrough Findings From a Leading Neuroscientist, Andrew B. Newberg and Mark Robert Waldman Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself, Joe Dispenza Everything You Need to Know to Feel Go(o)d, Candace Pert Molecules of Emotion: Why You Feel the Way You Feel, Candace Pert
Other Recommended Scientific Spiritual Books
You Are the Placebo: Making Your Mind Matter, Joe Dispenza Evolve Your Brain: The Science of Changing Your Mind, Joe Dispenza The Honeymoon Effect: The Science of Creating Heaven on Earth, Bruce Lipton The Biology of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter, & Miracles, Bruce Lipton The Wisdom of Your Cells: How Your Beliefs Control Your Biology, Bruce Lipton Spontaneous Evolution: Our Positive Future and a Way to Get There from Here, Bruce Lipton and Steve Bhaerman The Spiritual Brain: Science and Religious Experience, Andrew Newberg Why God Won’t Go Away: Brain Science and the Biology of Belief, Andrew B. Newberg Why We Believe What We Believe: Our Biological Need for Meaning, Spirituality, and Truth, Andrew B. Newberg and Mark Robert Waldman Words Can Change Your Brain: 12 Conversation Strategies to Build Trust, Resolve Conflict, and Increase Intimacy, Andrew B. Newberg and Mark Robert Waldman The Mystical Mind: Probing the Biology of Religious Experience, Andrew B. Newberg and Eugene G.d’Aquili The Immortal Mind: Science and the Continuity of Consciousness Beyond the Brain, Ervin Laszlo and Anthony Peake Return to the Brain of Eden: Restoring the Connection between Neurochemistry and Consciousness, Tony Wright and Graham Gynn The Quantum Doctor: A Quantum Physicist Explains the Healing Power of Integrative Medicine, Amit Goswami Secrets of Your Cells: Discovering Your Body’s Inner Intelligence, Sondra Barret The Physics of Angels: Exploring the Realm Where Science and Spirit Meet, Rupert Sheldrake and Matthew Fox Mind Over Medicine: Scientific Proof That You Can Heal Yourself, Lissa Rankin M.D. One Mind: How Our Individual Mind Is Part of a Greater Consciousness and Why It Matters, Larry Dossey The Turning Point: Creating Resilience in a Time of Extremes, Gregg Braden The God Code: The Secret of our Past, the Promise of our Future, Gregg Braden The Spontaneous Healing of Belief: Shattering the Paradigm of False Limits, Gregg Braden The Divine Matrix: Bridging Time, Space, Miracles, and Belief, Gregg Braden How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body, David R. Hamilton
Generally speaking, reading about meditation is much less helpful than just practicing meditation. Maybe that’s why I haven’t read as many books on this spirituality subcategory as I would like to have done.
Yeah. That must be the reason.
In any case. We all need at least a few on our spirituality bookshelf; after all, meditation is a requirement for life these days. Or at least a requirement for “being spiritual.”
And hey–there is good reason for that. First, meditation actually is as awesome as they say it is. Second, and more important: mediation isn’t just one thing. For me and many other alternative spirituality types, meditation is, well, pretty much whatever we say it is. You could walk a dog and call it a dog walking meditation; I do.
Best Meditation Books
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, Eckhart Tolle A New Earth, Eckhart Tolle Stillness Speaks, Eckhart Tolle Practicing the Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle Meditation Without Gurus, Clark Strand When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times, Pema Chodron The Wisdom of No Escape And the Path of Loving-Kindness, Pema Chodron Ten Percent Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works–A True Story, Dan Harris The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation, Thich Nhat Hanh Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life, Thich Nhat Hanh Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness, Jon Kabat-Zinn Meditation: How to Reduce Stress, Get Healthy, and Find Your Happiness in Just 15 Minutes a Day, Rachel Rofe
Other Recommended Meditation Books
Pema Chodron
Always Maintain a Joyful Mind And Other Lojong Teachings on Awakening Compassion and Fearlessness, Pema Chodron Awakening Loving-Kindness, Pema Chodron Comfortable With Uncertainty: 108 Teachings, Pema Chodron Don’t Bite the Hook: Finding Freedom From Anger and Other Destructive Emotions, Pema Chodron Hooked! Buddhist Writings on Greed, Desire, and the Urge to Consume, Pema Chodron Living Beautifully With Uncertainty and Change, Pema Chodron No Time to Lose: A Timely Guide to the Way of the Bodhisattva, Pema Chodron Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living, Pema Chodron Taking the Leap: Freeing Ourselves From Old Habits and Fears, Pema Chodron The Places That Scare You: A Guide To Fearlessness, Pema Chodron The Pocket Pema Chodron, Pema Chodron This Moment is the Perfect Teacher: 10 Buddhist Teachings on Cultivating Inner Strength and Compassion, Pema Chodron Tonglen: The Path of Transformation, Pema Chodron Awakening Compassion: Meditation Practice for Difficult Times, Pema Chodron Awakening Love: Teachings and Practices to Cultivate a Limitless Heart, Pema Chodron Bodhisattva Mind: Teachings to Cultivate Courage and Awareness in the Midst of Suffering, Pema Chodron Coming Closer to Ourselves: Making Everything the Path of Awakening, Pema Chodron Fully Alive: A Retreat with Pema Chödrön on Living Beautifully With Uncertainty and Change, Pema Chodron From Fear to Fearlessness: Teachings on the Four Great Catalysts of Awakening, Pema Chodron Getting Unstuck: Breaking Your Habitual Patterns and Encountering Naked Reality, Pema Chodron Giving Our Best: A Retreat With Pema Chödrön on Practicing the Way of the Bodhisattva, Pema Chodron Good Medicine: How to Turn Pain Into Compassion With Tonglen Meditation, Pema Chodron How to Meditate: A Practical Guide to Making Friends With Your Mind, Pema Chodron In Conversation: On the Meaning of Suffering and the Mystery of Joy, Pema Chodron Karma: Finding Freedom in This Moment, Pema Chodron Natural Awareness: Guided Meditations and Teachings for Welcoming All Experience, Pema Chodron No Time to Lose: A Timely Guide to the Way of the Bodhisattva, Pema Chodron Noble Heart: A Self-Guided Retreat on Befriending Your Obstacles, Pema Chodron Practicing Peace in Times of War, Pema Chodron Pure Meditation: The Tibetan Buddhist Practice Of Inner Peace, Pema Chodron Smile at Fear: A Retreat with Pema Chödrön on Discovering Your Radiant Self-Confidence, Pema Chodron The Pema Chödrön Collection, Pema Chodron The Three Commitments: Walking the Path of Liberation, Pema Chodron The Truth of Our Existence: Four Teachings from the Buddha to Illuminate Your Life, Pema Chodron True Happiness, Pema Chodron Unconditional Confidence For Meeting Any Experience With Trust and Courage, Pema Chodron Walking the Walk: Putting the Teachings Into Practice When it Matters Most, Pema Chodron When Pain is the Doorway: Awakening in the Most Difficult Circumstances, Pema Chodron
Jon Kabat-Zinn
The Power of Meditation and Prayer, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Sogyal Rinpoche, Larry Dossey, and Michael Toms Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life, Jon Kabat-Zinn Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting, Jon Kabat-Zinn and Myla Kabat-Zinn Mindfulness Meditation for Everyday Life, Jon Kabat-Zinn Coming to Our Senses: Healing Ourselves and the World Through Mindfulness, Jon Kabat-Zinn The Mindful Way Through Depression: Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness, J. Mark G. Williams, John D. Teasdale, Zindel V. Segal and Jon Kabat-Zinn Arriving at Your Own Door, Jon Kabat-Zinn Living Buddha, Living Christ, Thich Nhat Hanh Letting Everything Become Your Teacher: 100 Lessons in Mindfulness, Jon Kabat-Zinn The Mind’s Own Physician: A Scientific Dialogue with the Dalai Lama on the Healing Power of Meditation, Jon Kabat-Zinn and Richard Davidson
Sharon Salzberg
Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness, Sharon Salzberg Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation: A 28-Day Program, Sharon Salzberg Heart as Wide as the World, Sharon Salzberg Voices of Insight, Sharon Salzberg Faith: Trusting Your Own Deepest Experience, Sharon Salzberg The Force of Kindness: Change Your Life with Love and Compassion, Sharon Salzberg The Kindness Handbook: A Practical Companion, Sharon Salzberg Real Happiness at Work: Meditations for Accomplishment, Achievement, and Peace, Sharon Salzberg Love Your Enemies: How to Break the Anger Habit & Be a Whole Lot Happier, Sharon Salzberg and Robert Thurman
Joseph Goldstein
Seeking the Heart of Wisdom: The Path of Insight Meditation, Joseph Goldstein and Jack Kornfield The Experience of Insight: A Simple and Direct Guide to Buddhist Meditation, Joseph Goldstein Insight Meditation: The Practice of Freedom, Joseph Goldstein The Path of Insight Meditation, Joseph Goldstein and Jack Kornfield Insight Meditation: A Step-By-Step Course on How to Meditate, Joseph Goldstein, with Sharon Salzberg One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism, Joseph Goldstein A Heart Full of Peace, Joseph Goldstein and Jack Kornfield Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening, Joseph Goldstein and Jack Kornfield
Thich Nhat Hanh
Vietnam: Lotus in a Sea of Fire, Thich Nhat Hanh Being Peace, Thich Nhat Hanh The Sun My Heart, Thich Nhat Hanh Our Appointment with Life: Sutra on Knowing the Better Way to Live Alone, Thich Nhat Hanh Old Path White Clouds: Walking in the Footsteps of the Buddha, Thich Nhat Hanh The Diamond That Cuts Through Illusion, Commentaries on the Prajnaparamita Diamond Sutra, Thich Nhat Hanh ‘Hermitage Among the Clouds’, Thich Nhat Hanh Zen Keys: A Guide to Zen Practice, Thich Nhat Hanh Cultivating The Mind Of Love, Thich Nhat Hanh The Heart Of Understanding, Thich Nhat Hanh Transformation and Healing: Sutra on the Four Establishments of Mindfulness, Thich Nhat Hanh True Love: A Practice for Awakening the Heart, Thich Nhat Hanh Fragrant Palm Leaves: Journals, 1962-1966, Thich Nhat Hanh Going Home: Jesus and Buddha as Brothers, Thich Nhat Hanh The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching, Thich Nhat Hanh The Raft Is Not the Shore: Conversations Toward a Buddhist/Christian Awareness, Thich Nhat Hanh and Daniel Berrigan The Path of Emancipation: Talks from a 21-Day Mindfulness Retreat, Thich Nhat Hanh A Pebble in Your Pocket, Thich Nhat Hanh Essential Writings, Thich Nhat Hanh Anger, Thich Nhat Hanh Be Free Where You Are, Thich Nhat Hanh No Death, No Fear, Thich Nhat Hanh Touching the Earth: Intimate Conversations with the Buddha, Thich Nhat Hanh Teachings on Love, Thich Nhat Hanh Understanding Our Mind, Thich Nhat Hanh Buddha Mind, Buddha Body: Walking Toward Enlightenment, Thich Nhat Hanh The Art of Power, Thich Nhat Hanh Under the Banyan Tree, Thich Nhat Hanh Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life, Thich Nhat Hanh Reconciliation: Healing the Inner Child, Thich Nhat Hanh You Are Here: Discovering the Magic of the Present Moment, Thich Nhat Hanh The Novice: A Story of True Love, Thich Nhat Hanh Your True Home: The Everyday Wisdom of Thich Nhat Hanh, Thich Nhat Hanh Fear: Essential Wisdom for Getting Through the Storm, Thich Nhat Hanh The Pocket, Thich Nhat Hanh The Art of Communicating, Thich Nhat Hanh Blooming of a Lotus, Thich Nhat Hanh No Mud, No Lotus: The Art of Transforming Suffering, Thich Nhat Hanh Is Nothing Something?, Thich Nhat Hanh Mindful Movements, Thich Nhat Hanh
Clark Strand
Waking up to the Dark: Ancient Wisdom for a Sleepless Age, Clark Strand Waking the Buddha: How the Most Dynamic and Empowering Buddhist Movement in History Is Changing Our Concept of Religion, Clark Strand How to Believe in God: Whether You Believe in Religion or Not, Clark Strand The Wooden Bowl: Simple Meditations for Everyday Life, Clark Strand Seeds from a Birch Tree: Writing Haiku and the Spiritual Journey, Clark Strand
Other Authors
Oneness With All Life, Eckhart Tolle Guardians of Being, Eckhart Tolle Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity, David Lynch Zen Meditation in Plain English, John Daishin Buksbazen Buddhism Without Beliefs: A Contemporary Guide to Awakening, Stephen Batchelor The Zen Way, Myokyo-ni How to Be a Yogi, Swami Abhedananda The Way of Zen, Alan Watts Love, Freedom, Aloneness: The Koan of Relationships, Osho Awakening the Buddha Within: Tibetan Wisdom for the Western World, Surya Das
Me: Sometimes it’s hard for me to love his thing we call God, or to even know whether I should. I mean, maybe just loving people is enough. Yes? No? How do you love God, when there’s no face to God?
Leta: I love God as a force at the heart of life. I feel it as a breathtakingly spiritual power at the center of all things, beyond faces, physicality or form. It is not human. It is like Chi of Taoism. It is everywhere, in everything (including me) and part of all expressions of existence. It is like electricity. It is. It has a quality to it that is all-powerful and God-like in a conventional sense of that word. However, it is beyond anthropomorphism. It cannot be labeled as anything “human” in any way, shape or form. It has Presence in my life without form. It is real like my hand is real, but in a way that defies logic or rational explanations. It is the ineffable.
I am constantly connected to this force and love it with every bit of my being. It brings everything good and wonderful into my life and it is everything–even things that others call “bad,” “unlucky,” “tragedy,” “dis-ease” and so on. These are great gifts from my perspective. They are things that come as ways to grow into myself and ever more close to that God-force I have been talking about. It is love for love’s sake. I have no agenda in it. My name for it is God because that makes the most sense.
Me: Do you have a go-to image or set of images that mean “God” to you?
Leta: No. It is life force. It has no feeling to it that can be described. It has a quality to it that is called “bliss” by the masters and gurus of our planet, but even that cannot adequately describe it. It is subjective and experiential. I would say that I am feeling the same thing that others have described as bliss or enlightenment, but I choose to call it nothing and just experience it. To love your life is enough. I won’t call myself blissed-out or in an enlightened state. I am loving life with my breaths. That is enough.
Me: I love God, too–but I really love LIFE. To me, the definition of God is LIFE. Is that what you mean?
Leta: I mean life and more than life. I mean what makes life possible at all. I mean the divine miracle that life is thrust upon the canvas of All That Is. I mean the interconnectedness of all life across all the cosmos. I mean the thing that exists before life is even a thought and the thing that will be there when all life is singing the swan song of existence. I mean the totality of all dimensions, realms of experience and planes of existence–including the multidimensions of the angelic realms and non-physical planes of existence on this planet (elemental beings). I mean the totality of ALL THAT IS. I cannot explain it any other way. God is a way to describe all of that and MORE. It is close as my breath and beyond anything my brain can comprehend. It is real to me. I cannot say it any other way.
Me: You love all that you see, all the time?
Leta: Yes. Pretty much. And if I don’t love it, I love that I don’t love it. Then I go into myself and contemplate until understanding comes. It takes years sometimes. All the while, I have fun!
Me: You once told me that “God is in the poopy diapers.” We were talking about motherhood and such, and you said it casually, but it stuck with me. What exactly did you mean by that?
Leta: David R. Hawkins (Power vs. Force) talks about the perfection of the rusty old garbage can. It is old and rusty, but it is perfect as that. So I think about my life like that. When I have to walk to dog as I did this morning and I think to myself, “I don’t want to be walking this dog,” I am perfectly perfect in that sweet desire not to be doing what I am doing. It is like the rusty garbage can–rusty AND perfect.
When I ask myself, “What do I want?” these answers come up: I want to be with God. I want to expand. I want to find ways to go deeper inside myself and discover new epiphanies along the way.
So what does God do? Gives me opportunities for that. When I see this, I see how the walking of the dog is an answer to that prayer. I see how my kids are the Universe bringing me what I wanted in the form of spiritual supply. I see how the poopy diapers and 4 a.m. wake-up time for the dog to go out are exactly what I had asked for.
Perfect, perfect, perfect IS the rusty garbage can, the dog that I don’t really want, the work in the evening to get homework done when I all I want to do is retreat away from kids for a while and so much more I call “imperfect.”
I have these feelings like, “ugh,” at walking the dog. I think about them, acknowledge them and then see how they are opportunities for me to expand through insights and epiphanies. I realized this morning how win-win it is to walk the dog even though I wanted to be anywhere else! I also checked out a Tich Nach Han CD from the library & he was talking about walking meditations and I focused on that this morning too.
When I had this epiphany it came mostly because I was desperate for a pee. I realized that when I had to pee, I had to focus entirely on getting myself to a place where I could go pee. All that was in my mind was, “Make it back to the car, get the dog in the car and get into Value Village where there is a bathroom.” I was focused in that suffering. I had no other room in my mind for any other thoughts. Then I thought about how liberating suffering can be. It focuses the mind. It creates the conditions where nothing else is flooding us other than that one, focused, thought. I was grateful. I wasn’t busy in my mind. I was truly meditating. It was a meditation of suffering and it was very focusing. Then, I realized that once I peed, I’d have all this space in my mind to be bogged down with all kinds of other thoughts like, “What are we going to have for dinner?” I thought about the moment of freedom from my suffering, but that would also allow a new kind of suffering to come in–the suffering of the busy, chattering, monkey mind.
I realized that suffering was my friend also. It was just as much a part of my liberation as my moments of peace in the heart. When I have expansive perspective, I see that suffering and peace are the same. They are both focus and awareness, one in the direction of “I don’t want this” and one in the direction of “I do want this.” But the coin is the same: eternal being-ness.
With that, I have to go collect my son from preschool, then get home to the dog, then go grocery shopping, then go home again and …. It’s up in the air, but it will be okay however it works out. Hope I don’t find poop in the house when I get back, but I might and it’s going to be a perfect thing no matter what.
Take a deep breath, and prepared to be awed: you’ve just entered my favorite room in my whole library.
What’s that, you say? It looks sort of–normal? But look again, won’t you? There in the corner: my old, ripped green sofa. The fireplace. The ringed coffee table by the window with the lamp that has just the right amount of light. There’s the book with creases and stains from my baby’s spitup.
No, there are no high ceilings here. No stained glass, no ancient works of art. This place is for the everyman. The plain folk.
This is where people like us are allowed to speak.
It’s a beautiful room, but its shelves aren’t yet full. The world needs more spirituality memoirs–many more. And as long as it keeps providing them, I’ll keep reading them–and updating this list.
I chose the books in the first section because they inspired me deeply, changed me for the better, and helped me find greater inner peace. The second section features all of the other spirituality memoirs I’ve come across in the spiritual-but-not-religious sector but may not have read yet. And I do mean all of them. (Like I said: we need lots more.)
By the way, a few of these memoirs come from a Christian, rather than a spiritual-but-not-religious, perspective. Sometimes you just gotta make exceptions.
Best Spiritual Memoirs
Autobiography of A Yogi, Paramahansa Yogananda Learning to Eat Along the Way, Margaret Bendet Sex, Drugs and Meditation: How One Woman Changed Her Life, Saved Her Job and Found a Husband, Mary-Lou Stephens Traveling Mercies, Anne Lamott Plan B, Anne Lamott Grace, Eventually, Anne Lamott Some Assembly Required, Anne Lamott Small Victories: Spotting Improbable Moments of Grace, Anne Lamott Stitches: A Handbook on Meaning, Hope and Repair,Anne Lamott Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers,Anne Lamott Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son’s First Year, Anne Lamott Eat Pray Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia, Elizabeth Gilbert Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage, Elizabeth Gilbert Love Warrior, Glennon Doyle Carry On, Warrior, Glennon Doyle How To Stay Married: The Adventures of a Woman Who Learnt to Travel Light in Life, Love and Relationships, Mary-Lou Stephens Devotion: A Memoir,Dani Shapiro The Craggy Hole in My Heart and the Cat Who Fixed It, Geneen Roth Confessions of A Latter-Day Virgin, Nicole Hardy Mennonite in A Little Black Dress, Rhoda Janzen The Wishing Year: A House, a Man, My Soul: A Memoir of Fulfilled Desire, Noelle Oxenhandler A Grief Observed, C.S. Lewis Surprised by Joy, C.S. Lewis A Severe Mercy, Sheldon Vanauken Tremendous Trifles, G.K. Chesterton The Cross and the Switchblade, David Wilkerson The Practice of the Presence of God, Brother Lawrence He Came to Set the Captives Free, Rebecca Brown My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey, Jill Bolte Taylor Man’s Search for Meaning, Victor Frankl A Field Guide to Happiness: What I Learned in Bhutan about Living, Loving and Waking Up, Linda Leaming The Hiding Place, Corrie Ten Boom
Other Recommended Spiritual Memoirs
Learning to Breathe: My Yearlong Quest to Bring Calm to My Life, Priscilla Warner Medicine Dance: One Woman’s Healing Journey into the World of Native American Sweatlodges, Drumming Meditations and Dance Fasts, Marsha Scarbrough Girl in the Woods: A Memoir, Aspen Matis Chasing Spirits: The Building of the “Ghost Adventures” Crew, Nick Groff and Jeff Belanger Grief, Meth, Addiction, God & Zen: A 45 Year Old Man’s Journey With Death, Reality & Recovery, David Carlyle and Cynthia Sharp Pastrix: The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner and Saint The Ghosts and the Path: A Buddhist Monk’s Memoir, Ngawang Khechog Meditations of a Modern Mystic, Maurine Doerken The Buddha and the Borderline: My Recovery from Borderline Personality Disorder through Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Buddhism and Online Dating, Kiera Van Gelder From Brooklyn to Benares and Back: A Spiritual Memoir, Dada Vedaprajinananda On the Edge: Living with an Enlightened Master, Yoga Punya I: A Meditation and a Memoir, Wiz Ji Walking Home: A Pilgrimage from Humbled to Healed, Sonia Choquette The Curve of the World: Into the Spiritual Heart of Yoga: A Memoir, Andy Douglas
