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
Ever since getting into this New Thought/New Age spirituality thing, I’ve been confused about something: If God isn’t God as I once thought him to be, but instead the substance of all that is and ever will be, who should I be praying to? I’ve been praying to God, since presumably the message still gets through. But it doesn’t feel quite right. Well, earlier this week, I remembered some advice from Kryon to talk out loud to the many angels and guides that surround us constantly … and so, that is what I did. I imagined a group of real beings with individuality and personality listening to me and going to work on my behalf (since, again, presumably that’s what they do). Beings who know me, like me, and are like me–not some ethereal love-fluff in the air.
About ten years ago, I gathered a bunch of law of attraction success stories from my readers and created this series. At the time, I was reading all the spirituality books I could get my hands on, and noticing a lot of interesting changes for the better in my own life. I wanted to keep the positive stuff coming.
Since my law of attraction phase, my perspective on the concept has shifted a bit. I don’t know how much God or the universe or quantum mechanics has to do with our tendency to manifest what we visualize. These days, it seems to me that the law of attraction works because of the power of our minds. We know what we’re capable of, and what opportunities might come our way. Then we imagine the best of those things and seek out ways to bring them to us.
Sure, it sometimes seems like magic, or God, or the larger intentions of the universe–and maybe sometimes it is. But I tend to believe we create our own magic by getting in touch with our intuition, which is based on innumerable observations and experiences and contains more data than any supercomputer ever built.
Or maybe it’s just subatomic particles. Who knows?
Here, a labor of love for you: a list of over five hundred books that deal with the law of attraction and New Thought spirituality.
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 law of attraction books I’ve come across but may not have read yet.
You’re welcome.
As far as I know, this is the most comprehensive list of its kind on the Internet. My hope is that it will help you discover books and authors you otherwise wouldn’t.
Best Law of Attraction Books
Zero Limits: The Secret Hawaiian System for Wealth, Health, Peace, and More, Joe Vitale At Zero, Joe Vitale The Secret, Rhonda Byrne You Can Heal Your Life, Louise Hay How Quantum Physicists Build New Beliefs, Greg Kuhn Choosing Easy World, Julia Rogers Hamrick As a Man Thinketh, James Allen The Secret of the Ages, Robert Collier Think and Grow Rich, Napolean Hill The Science of Mind, Ernest Holmes The Power of Positive Thinking, Norman Vincent Peale Scientific Christian Mental Practice, Emma Curtis Hopkins The Magic of Thinking Big, David Joseph Schwartz The Strangest Secret, Earl Nightingale
Other Recommended Law of Attraction Books: Best-Selling
Rhonda Byrne
The Power, Rhonda Byrne The Magic, Rhonda Byrne Hero, Rhonda Byrne
Louise Hay
You Can Create and Exceptional Life, Louise Hay and Cheryl Richardson The Magic Path of Intuition, Florence Scovel Shinn and Louise Hay All is Well: Heal Your Body, Louise Hay Loving Yourself to Great Health: Thoughts & Food: the Ultimate Diet, Louise Hay You Can Heal Your Heart: Finding Peace After a Breakup, Divorce, or Death, Louise Hay and David Kessler Life Loves You: 7 Spiritual Experiments to Heal Your Life, Louise Hay I Think, I Am, Louise Hay Heal Your Body: The Mental Causes for Physical Illness and the Metaphysical Way to Overcome Them, Louise Hay A Garden of Thoughts: My Affirmation Journal, Louise Hay Love Yourself, Heal Your Life, Louise Hay The Power Is Within You, Louise Hay Heart Thoughts, Louise Hay Loving Thoughts For Increasing Prosperity, Louise Hay Gratitude: A Way Of Life, Louise Hay Life! Reflections On Your Journey, Louise Hay Living Perfect Love: Empowering Rituals For Women, Louise Hay Heal Your Body A-Z: The Mental Causes for Physical Illness and the Way to Overcome Them, Louise Hay 101 Ways To Health And Healing, Louise Hay
Joe Vitale
The Key: The Missing Secret for Attracting Anything You Want!, Joe Vitale Attract Money Now, Joe Vitale Expect Miracles, Joe Vitale Faith, Joe Vitale Healing Music, Joe Vitale How to Attain Your Desires by Letting Your Subconscious Mind Work for You, Joe Vitale How to Attain Your Desires: How to Live Life and Love It, Joe Vitale Instant Manifestation, Joe Vitale Life’s Missing Instruction Manual, Joe Vitale Meet and Grow Rich, Joe Vitale The Miracles Manual, Volumes 1-3, Joe Vitale The Abundance Manifesto, Joe Vitale The Attraction Factor, Joe Vitale The Awakened Millionaire, Joe Vitale The Awakening Course, Joe Vitale The Greatest Money-making Secret in History, Joe Vitale The Secret Prayer, Joe Vitale The Seven Lost Secrets, Joe Vitale
Deepak Chopra
Reinventing the Body, Resurrecting the Soul, Deepak Chopra Life After Death: The Burden of Proof, Deepak Chopra Why Is God Laughing? The Path to Joy and Spiritual Optimism, Deepak Chopra Brotherhood: Dharma, Destiny, and the American Dream, Deepak Chopra and Sanjiv Chopra What Are You Hungry For?, Deepak Chopra God: A Story of Revelation, Deepak Chopra The Seven Spiritual Laws of Superheroes: Harnessing Our Power to Change the World, Deepak Chopra and Gotham Chopra Super Genes, Deepak Chopra and Rudolph Tanzi Super Brain, Deepak Chopra and Rudolph Tanzi War of the Worldviews, Deepak Chopra and Leonard Mlodinow The Third Jesus, Deepak Chopra The Soul of Leadership, Deepak Chopra The Book of Secrets, Deepak Chopra The Chopra Center Herbal Handbook, Deepak Chopra and David Simon The Path to Love, Deepak Chopra The Way of the Wizard, Deepak Chopra The Return of Merlin, Deepak Chopra Ageless Body Timeless Mind, Deepak Chopra The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, Deepak Chopra Return of the Rishi: A Doctor’s Story of Spiritual Transformation and Ayurvedic Healing, Deepak Chopra Perfect Health, Deepak Chopra Quantum Healing, Deepak Chopra Creating Health, Deepak Chopra
Wayne Dyer
Power of Intention, Wayne Dyer The Secrets of the Power of Intention, Wayne Dyer Getting in the Gap: Making Conscious Contact With God Through Meditation, Wayne Dyer Wishes Fulfilled: Mastering the Art of Manifesting, Wayne Dyer Your Erroneous Zones, Wayne Dyer Pulling Your Own Strings, Wayne Dyer The Sky’s the Limit, Wayne Dyer Gifts from Eykis, Wayne Dyer What Do You Really Want For Your Children, Wayne Dyer Happy Holidays, Wayne Dyer Everyday Wisdom, Wayne Dyer You’ll See It When You Believe It, Wayne Dyer Real Magic, Wayne Dyer Your Sacred Self, Wayne Dyer A Promise is a Promise, Wayne Dyer and Marcelene Dyer Manifest Your Destiny, Wayne Dyer Wisdom of the Ages, Wayne Dyer There’s a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem, Wayne Dyer 10 Secrets for Success and Inner Peace, Wayne Dyer Inspiration, Wayne Dyer Being in Balance, Wayne Dyer Change Your Thoughts – Change Your Life, Wayne Dyer Don’t Die with Your Music Still in You, Wayne Dyer and Serena Dyer The Incredible ForceThe Incredible Force, Wayne Dyer Living the Wisdom of the Tao, Wayne Dyer My Greatest Teacher, Wayne Dyer and Lynn Lauber Staying on the Path, Wayne Dyer The Shift, Wayne Dyer Excuses Begone, Wayne Dyer Wishes Fulfilled, Wayne Dyer I Can See Clearly Now, Wayne Dyer
Mike Dooley
Infinite Possibilities: The Art of Living your Dreams, Mike Dooley Manifesting Change: It Couldn’t Be Easier, Mike Dooley The Top Ten Things Dead People Want to Tell YOU, Mike Dooley Totally Unique Thoughts, Mike Dooley Lost in Space, Mike Dooley Thoughts Become Things – LIVE (Audio), Mike Dooley Notes from the Universe Book 1: New Perspectives From an Old Friend, Mike Dooley Notes from the Universe Book 2: Life, Dreams & Happiness, Mike Dooley Notes from the Universe Book 3: Dancing Life’s Dance, Mike Dooley Leveraging the Universe (Audio), Mike Dooley Choose Them Wisely: Thoughts Become Things, Mike Dooley Thoughts Become Things (DVD), Mike Dooley Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Life… But Were Afraid to Ask, Mike Dooley A Wrinkle in Time (DVD), Mike Dooley Manifesting Change: The Law of Attraction (DVD), Mike Dooley Leveraging the Universe: 7 Steps to Engaging Life’s Magic, Mike Dooley Notes from the Universe Perpetual Calendar, Mike Dooley Notes from the Universe: A 60-Card Deck, Mike Dooley An Adventurer’s Guide to the Jungles of Time and Space, Mike Dooley The Path Less Traveled (DVD), Mike Dooley Dreams Come True, All They Need is You!, Mike Dooley Your Magical Life, Mike Dooley
Other Authors
A Happy Pocket Full of Money: Infinite Wealth and Abundance in the Here and Now, David Cameron Gikandi and Bob Doyle Follow Your Passion, Find Your Power, Bob Doyle The Power of Focus, Jack Canfield Success Principles, Jack Canfield Jack Canfield’s Key to Living the Law of Attraction: A Simple Guide to Creating the Life of Your Dreams, Jack Canfield and D.D. Watkins
Other Recommended Law of Attraction Books: General
Debianne De Rose
How I Met the Man of My Dreams: A Guide to MANifesting Yours, Debianne De Rose The MANifesting Workbook, Debianne De Rose Resistance is Feudal: Modernize your Mind to Manifest like a Mofo!, Debianne De Rose Manifesting for Simpletons: A 30-Day Outrageously Simple Guide to Gettin’ the Goods, Debianne De Rose What I Did On My Midlife Crisis Vacation, Debianne De Rose YOU are a Spiritual Bad-Ass: Kicking Butt in the Earth Game, Debianne De Rose Beyond Forgiveness: The Missing Link to Manifesting Your Dreams, Debianne De Rose Adventures in Consciousness, Debianne De Rose
Pam Grout
E-Squared: Nine Do-It-Yourself Energy Experiments That Prove Your Thoughts Create Your Reality, Pam Grout E-Cubed: Nine More Energy Experiments That Prove Manifesting Magic and Miracles Is Your Full-Time Gig, Pam Grout Thank & Grow Rich: A 30-Day Experiment in Shameless Gratitude and Unabashed Joy, Pam Grout Jumpstart Your Metabolism: How To Lose Weight By Changing The Way You Breathe, Pam Grout Living Big: Embrace Your Passion and Leap into an Extraordinary Life, Pam Grout
Jeannette Maw
The Magic of Pray Rain Journaling, Jeannette Maw Money Mojo Magic, Jeannette Maw LOA for Love, Jeannette Maw Manifesting Made Simple, Jeannette Maw Slacker Manifesting, Jeannette Maw Adventures In Manifesting, Jeannette Maw The Art of Self-Love, Jeannette Maw LOA for the Real World, Jeannette Maw 3 LOA Keys to Unlock Your Financial Fortune, Jeannette Maw 10 Life Skills (Never Taught But Totally Essential To Happy Living), Jeannette Maw Core Values Uncovered – Live In The Sweet Spot By Revealing What Matters, Jeannette Maw
Kathie Anne Lewis
Forty Days of Love, Kathie Anne Lewis Forty Days of Freedom, Kathie Anne Lewis Forty Days to Prosperity, Kathie Anne Lewis
Greg Kuhn
Why Quantum Physicists Do Not Fail, Greg Kahn Why Quantum Physicists Create More Abundance, Greg Kuhn Why Quantum Physicists Play “Grow a Greater You”: Learn How to Live the Most Truly Fulfilling Life Humanly Possible, Greg Kuhn Why Quantum Physicists Do Not Suffer, Greg Kuhn The 30-Minute Soulmate: An Un-Exercise Program That Can Finally Solve Relationship Pain, Greg Kuhn
Frederick Zappone
How Your Subconscious Mind Keeps You BROKE!, Frederick Zappone Open Up, Receive Your GOOD, Frederick Zappone 299 ‘LIFE INSIGHTS’ from The Wizard: Inspiring, Empowering, Thought Provoking, Frederick Zappone More LIFE INSIGHTS From The Wizard, Frederick Zappone Love Is All I Know, Frederick Zappone The Tough LOVE Book About MONEY, Frederick Zappone
Other Authors
The Thought Exchange: Overcoming Our Resistance to Living A Sensational Life, Daniel Friedman
Deliberate Receiving: Finally, the Universe Makes Some Freakin’ Sense!, Melody Fletcher Hustle Believe Receive: An 8-Step Plan to Changing Your Life and Living Your Dream, Sarah Centrella The Law of Distraction & Art of Intending, Tamara Lee Dorris The Moses Code: The Most Powerful Manifestation Tool in the History of the World, James Twyman Your Heart’s Desire: Instructions for Creating the Life You Really Want, Sonia Choquette The Greatest Secret of All: Moving Beyond Abundance to A Life of True Fulfillment, Mark Allen Law of Attraction, Plain, and Simple: Create the Extraordinary Life That You Deserve, Sonia Ricotti Napoleon Hill’s Keys to Positive Thinking, Michael Ritt The Soulmate Secret, Arielle Ford Your Quantum Breakthrough Code: The Simple Technique That Brings Everlasting Joy and Success, Sandra Anne Taylor Excuse Me, Your Life Is Waiting: The Astonishing Power of Feelings, Lynn Grabhorn The Intention Experiment: Using Your Thoughts to Change Your Life and the World, Lynne McTaggart The Field: The Quest for the Secret Force of the Universe, Lynne McTaggart Beyond the Secret: Spiritual Power and the Law of Attraction, Lisa Love The Science Behind the Secret, Travis S. Taylor The Law of Happiness, Henry Cloud Your Road Map to Lifelong Happiness: A Guide to the Life You Want, Ken Keyes How to Solve the Paradox of the Universal Laws of Attraction: 8 Shortcuts to Using Coincidence and Sychronicity to Untangle the Mystery, Cary David Richards Leap of Perception: The Transforming Power of Your Attention, Penney Peirce Manifesting: The Secret Behind the Law of Attraction, Alexander Janze Creating Money: Attracting Abundance, Sanaya Roman and Duane Packer Frequency: The Power of Personal Vibration, Penney Peirce Feel It Real! A Guided Approach to Bringing the Law of Attraction Into your Life, Denise Coates The Energy of Money: A Spiritual Guide to Financial and Personal Fulfillment, Maria Nemeth Ph.D. Real Alchemy: A Primer of Practical Alchemy, Robert Allen Bartlett and Dennis William Hauck Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia, Revised and Expanded, Rob Brezsny The Inside-Out Revolution: The Only Thing You Need to Know to Change Your Life Forever, Michael Neill Do You QuantumThink?: New Thinking That Will Rock Your World, Dianne Collins The Simple Abundance Companion: Following Your Authentic Path to Something More, Sarah Ban Breathnach Living with Joy: Keys to Personal Power and Spiritual Transformation, Sanaya Roman The Map To Our Responsive Universe, Where Dreams Really Do Come True!, Boni Lonnsburry The Path to Wealth, May McCarthy The History of New Thought: From Mind Cure to Positive Thinking and Prosperity Gospel, John S. Haller, Jr. Beyond the Secret: The Truth Behind Today’s Pop Mysticisms, Robert Price The Key: Identity, Kenneth G. Mills Change Your Standpoint, Change Your World, Kenneth G. Mills Powerful Attitudes, Michael Murphy A New Philosophy of Life, J. Herman Randall Creating Your Reality, Steven Redhead The Science of Faith, Masaharu Taniguchi Spiritual Liberation: Fulfilling Your Soul’s Potential, Michael Beckwith Mind and Manifestation, Dr. Kenneth D Gordon Spiritual Healing: A Simple Guide for the Healing of Body, Mind, and Spirit, Stuart Grayson Joseph Perry Green Power of Will: A Practical Companion Book for the Unfoldment of the Powers of Mind, Frank Channing Haddock The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have, Mark Nepo New Thought: A 21st Century Awakening, Charles Brodie Patterson Soul Currency: Investing Your Inner Wealth for Fulfillment and Abundance, Ernest D. Chu
Other Recommended Law of Attraction Books: Well-Known Classics
Ernest Holmes
New Thought Terms and Their Meanings, Ernest Holmes Philosophy of Jesus, Ernest Holmes Lessons in Spiritual Mind Healing, Ernest Holmes Ebell Lectures on Spiritual Science, Ernest Holmes Creative Mind, Ernest Holmes Creative Mind and Success, Ernest Holmes The Science of Mind: A Philosophy, A Faith, A Way of Life, Ernest Holmes and Jean Houston This Thing Called You, Ernest Holmes Living the Science of Mind, Ernest Holmes The Hidden Power of the Bible, Ernest Holmes 365 Science of Mind: A Year of Daily Wisdom from Ernest Holmes, Ernest Holmes How to Change Your Life: An Inspirational, Life-Changing Classic from the Ernest Holmes Library, Ernest Holmes Prayer: How to Pray Effectively, Ernest Holmes Love and Law, Ernest Holmes
Ella Wheeler Wilcox
The Heart of the New Thought, Ella Wheeler Wilcox An Ambitious Man, Ella Wheeler Wilcox New Thought Common Sense, Ella Wheeler Wilcox New Thought Pastels, Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Wallace Wattles
The Science of Getting Rich, Wallace Wattles The Science of Being Great, Wallace Wattles The Science of Being Well, Wallace Wattles Health through New Thought and Fasting, Wallace Wattles Jesus: The Man and His Work, Wallace Wattles How to Get What You Want, Wallace Wattles
Warren Felt Evans
The Mental-Cure, Warren Felt Evans Illustrating the Influence of the Mind on the Body, Warren Felt Evans The Divine Law of Cure, Warren Felt Evans The Spiritual Writings of Warren Felt Evans, Warren Felt Evans Mental Medicine, Warren Felt Evans Soul and Body, Warren Felt Evans The Primitive Mind Cure, Warren Felt Evans Esoteric Christianity and Mental Therapeutics, Warren Felt Evans
Elizabeth Towne
Making of the Man Who Can/ How to Promote Yourself, Elizabeth Towne New Science of Living and Healing/ Health Through New Thought and Fasting, Elizabeth Towne Scientific Marriage, Elizabeth Towne What Is Truth?, Elizabeth Towne
Nona Lovell Brooks
Divine Science and the Truth, Nona Lovell Brooks Short Lessons in Divine Science, Nona Lovell Brooks Mysteries, Nona Lovell Brooks The Prayer that Never Fails, Nona Lovell Brooks What is Real and What Illusion?, Nona Lovell Brooks The Training of Children: Based upon the Practical Principles of Life Studies of Health, Nona Lovell Brooks The Kingdom of Law, Nona Lovell Brooks
Florence Scovel Shinn
The Wisdom of Florence Scovel Shinn, Florence Scovel Shinn Your Word is Your Wand, Florence Scovel Shinn The Power of the Spoken Word, Florence Scovel Shinn The Secret Door to Success, Florence Scovel Shinn The Game of Life and How to Play It, Florence Scovel Shinn
Napoleon Hill
Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill Outwitting the Devil: The Secret to Freedom and Success, Napoleon Hill The Law of Success, Napoleon Hill The Magic Ladder To Success, Napoleon Hill The Master-Key to Riches, Napoleon Hill How to Raise Your Own Salary, Napoleon Hill Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude, Napoleon Hill and W. Clement Stone Grow Rich!: With Peace of Mind, Napoleon Hill You Can Work Your Own Miracles, Napoleon Hill
Emma Curtis Hopkins
High Mysticism: Studies in the Wisdom of the Sages of the Ages, Emma Curtis Hopkins A Golden Promise, Emma Curtis Hopkins According to Thy Faith, Emma Curtis Hopkins All is Divine Order, Emma Curtis Hopkins Awake Thou That Sleepest, Emma Curtis Hopkins Bible Instruction Series, Emma Curtis Hopkins Bible Interpretations, Emma Curtis Hopkins Bible Lessons, Emma Curtis Hopkins But One Substance, Emma Curtis Hopkins Christ at Samaria, Emma Curtis Hopkins Christian Mysticism and the Victorious Life: First Study, The Sacred Edict and Estoric Discipline, Emma Curtis Hopkins Class Lessons, Emma Curtis Hopkins Continue the Work, Emma Curtis Hopkins Drops of Gold, Emma Curtis Hopkins Emma Curtis Hopkins, Emma Curtis Hopkins Esoteric Philosophy Deeper Teachings in Spiritual Science, Emma Curtis Hopkins Esoteric Philosophy in Spiritual Science, Emma Curtis Hopkins Lessons in Christian Science Series, Emma Curtis Hopkins For Unto Us a Child Is Born, Emma Curtis Hopkins God and Man Are One, Emma Curtis Hopkins How to Attain Your Good, Emma Curtis Hopkins Jesus and Judas, Emma Curtis Hopkins Judgment Series in Spiritual Science, Emma Curtis Hopkins Justice of Jehovah, Emma Curtis Hopkins Magic of His Name, Emma Curtis Hopkins Résumé: Practice Book for the Twelve Chapters in High Mysticism, Emma Curtis Hopkins Self Treatment, Emma Curtis Hopkins Spiritual Law in the Natural World, Emma Curtis Hopkins Teachings of Emma Curtis Hopkins, Emma Curtis Hopkins The Bread of Life, Emma Curtis Hopkins The Chief Thought, Emma Curtis Hokins The Gospel Series in Spiritual Science, Emma Curtis Hopkins The Key to Power, Emma Curtis Hopkins The Ministry of the Holy Mother, Emma Curtis Hopkins The Radiant I Am, Emma Curtis Hopkins The Real Kingdom, Emma Curtis Hopkins The Resurrection of Christ, Emma Curtis Hopkins Two Great Lessons, Emma Curtis Hopkins Who Are Drunkards, Emma Curtis Hopkins Your Idea of God, Emma Curtis Hopkins
James Allen
Above Life’s Turmoil, James Allen Byways to Blessedness, James Allen Poems of Peace, James Allen The Shining Gateway, James Allen Out From the Heart, James Allen From Poverty to Power, James Allen The Path to Prosperity, James Allen The Life Triumphant, James Allen Light on Life’s Difficulties, James Allen Man: King of Mind, Body and Circumstance, James Allen The Master of Destiny, James Allen Happiness and Success, James Allen Foundation Stones, James Allen From Passion to Peace, James Allen Eight Pillars of Prosperity, James Allen Entering the Kingdom, James Allen Christ and Conduct, James Allen Men and Systems, James Allen All These Things Added, James Allen The Way of Peace, James Allen Morning and Evening Thoughts, James Allen Meditations: A Year Book, James Allen The Divine Companion, James Allen
Charles Fillmore
The Twelve Powers of Man, Charles Fillmore The Revealing Word, Charles Fillmore Prosperity, Charles Fillmore Talks on Truth, Charles Fillmore Atom-Smashing Power of Mind, Charles Fillmore Metaphysical Bible Dictionary, Charles Fillmore Jesus Christ Heals, Charles Fillmore Dynamics for Living, Charles Fillmore Christian Healing, Charles Fillmore Mysteries of Genesis, Charles Fillmore Mysteries of John, Charles Fillmore Keep a True Lent, Charles Fillmore
Dale Carnegie
How to Stop Worrying and Start Living, Dale Carnegie Dale Carnegie’s Scrapbook: a Treasury of the Wisdom of the Ages, Dale Carnegie
Emmet Fox
Be Still, Emmet Fox The Sermon on the Mount: The Key to Success in Life, Emmet Fox The Ten Commandments, Emmet Fox Power Through Constructive Thinking, Emmet Fox Around the Year with Emmet Fox: A Book of Daily Readings, Emmet Fox Alter Your Life, Emmet Fox Make Your Life Worthwhile, Emmet Fox Diagrams for Living: The Bible Unveiled, Emmet Fox The Seven Day Mental Diet: How to Change Your Life in a Week, Emmet Fox Find and Use Your Inner Power, Emmet Fox Stake Your Claim: Exploring the Gold Mine Within, Emmet Fox The Mental Equivalent: The Secret of Demonstration, Emmet Fox
Norman Vincent Peale
The Positive Power of Jesus Christ, Norman Vincent Peale Why Some Positive Thinkers Get Powerful Results, Norman Vincent Peale Guide to Confident Living, Norman Vincent Peale Six Attitudes for Winners, Norman Vincent Peale Positive Thinking Every Day : An Inspiration for Each Day of the Year, Norman Vincent Peale Positive Imaging, Norman Vincent Peale You Can If You Think You Can, Norman Vincent Peale Thought Conditioners, Norman Vincent Peale In God We Trust, Norman Vincent Peale Norman Vincent Peale’s Treasury of Courage and Confidence, Norman Vincent Peale My Favorite Hymns and the Stories Behind Them, Norman Vincent Peale The Power of Positive Thinking for Young People, Norman Vincent Peale The Amazing Results of Positive Thinking, Norman Vincent Peale Stay Alive All Your Life, Norman Vincent Peale You Can Have God’s Help with Daily Problems, Norman Vincent Peale Faith Is the Answer: A Psychiatrist and a Pastor Discuss Your Problems, Smiley Blanton and Norman Vincent Peale Power of the Plus Factor, Norman Vincent Peale
Neville Goddard
Feeling Is The Secret, Neville Goddard The Power of Awareness, Neville Goddard Your Faith is Your Fortune, Neville Goddard The Neville Reader, Neville Goddard The Law & the Promise, Neville Goddard At Your Command, Neville Goddard Prayer: The Art of Believing, Neville Goddard Resurrection, Neville Goddard Awakened Imagination/The Search, Neville Goddard Seedtime & Harvest, Neville Goddard Out of This World: Thinking Fourth-Dimensionally, Neville Goddard
Other Recommended Law of Attraction Books: Obscure Classics
Dolores Cannon
The Search for Hidden Sacred Knowledge, Dolores Cannon The Convoluted Universe, Dolores Cannon The Three Waves of Volunteers and the New Earth, Dolores Cannon Jesus and the Essenes, Dolores Cannon The Custodians: Beyond Abduction, Dolores Cannon Conversations With Nostradamus: His Prophecies Explained, Dolores Cannon Five Lives Remembered, Dolores Cannon Conversations with Nostradamus: His Prophecies Explained Series, Dolores Cannon A Soul Remembers Hiroshima, Dolores Cannon Between Death and Life, formerly, Conversations With a Spirit, Dolores Cannon They Walked with Jesus, Dolores Cannon Legacy From the Stars, Dolores Cannon Sri Sathya Sai Baba & the Golden Age: The Fourth Dimension That Will Change the World, Dolores Cannon Keepers of the Garden: An Extraterrestrial Document, Dolores Cannon
Fenwicke Holmes
The Science of Faith, Fenwicke Holmes Ernest Holmes: His Life and Times, Fenwicke Holmes Faith That Heals, Fenwicke Holmes Healing at a Distance, Fenwicke Holmes and Ernest Holmes The Law of Mind in Action: Daily Lessons and Treatments in Mental and Spiritual Science, Fenwicke Holmes How to Develop Faith That Heals, Fenwicke Holmes The Unfailing Formula, Fenwicke Holmes Being and Becoming: A Book of Lessons in the Science of Mind Showing How to Find the Personal Spirit, Fenwicke Holmes Practical Healing, Fenwicke Holmes Text Book in the Science of Mind: Psychology and Metaphysics Applied to Everyday Living, Fenwicke Holmes Religion and Mental Science: Lyrics of Life and Love, Fenwicke Holmes Joan’s Voices, Fenwicke Holmes How to Solve Your Personal Problem: The God-law and the Key to Power, Fenwicke Holmes Text Book of Practical Healing, Fenwicke Holmes The “Just How Course” In Healing the Mental Science Way, Fenwicke Holmes Healing Treatments in Verse, Fenwicke Holmes Tiny Textbook of Meditation and the Lord’s Prayer, Fenwicke Holmes Calm Yourself: A Key to Serenity, Fenwicke Holmes Tiny Textbook of Mental Healing, Fenwicke Holmes The Science of Faith: How to Make Yourself Believe, Fenwicke Holmes Psycho-Dietetics: How to Eat, Drink, and Think for Health, Including the Holmes Food Chemistry and Vitamins Chart, Fenwicke Holmes
Robert Collier
The Life Magnet, Robert Collier The God in You, Robert Collier The Magic Word, Robert Collier The Secret Power, Robert Collier Riches Within Your Reach: The Law of the Higher Potential, Robert Collier Be Rich! The Science of Getting What You Want, Robert Collier The Book of Life (Volumes 1-7), Robert Collier
Kate Atkinson Boehme
The Attainment of Happiness, Kate Atkinson Boehme The Radiant Path to Achievement, Kate Atkinson Boehme Mental Healing Made Plain, Kate Atkinson Boehme New Thought Healing Made Plain, Kate Boehme
Annie Rix Militz
Atonement Understood, Annie Rix Militz Both Riches and Honor/Prosperity, Annie Rix Militz Concentration, Annie Rix Militz Sermon on the Mount, Annie Rix Militz Primary Lessons in Christian Living and Healing, Annie Rix Militz
Elizabeth Clare Prophet
Violet Flame To Heal Body, Mind And Soul, Elizabeth Clare Prophet In My Own Words, Elizabeth Clare Prophet Climb the Highest Mountain: The Everlasting Gospel, Elizabeth Clare Prophet and Mark Prophet The Science of the Spoken Word, Elizabeth Clare Prophet and Mark Prophet
Catherine Ponder
Catherine Ponder Prosperity Secrets of the Ages, Catherine Ponder The Dynamic Laws of Healing, Catherine Ponder The Healing Secrets of the Ages, Catherine Ponder Pray and Grow Rich, Catherine Ponder Open Your Mind To Prosperity, Catherine Ponder The Millionaires of Genesis, Catherine Ponder The Millionaire Moses, Catherine Ponder The Millionaire Joshua, Catherine Ponder The Millionaire from Nazareth, Catherine Ponder Open Your Mind To Receive, Catherine Ponder Secret of Unlimited Prosperity, Catherine Ponder The Prospering Power of Prayer, Catherine Ponder Dare to Prosper!, Catherine Ponder The Dynamic Laws of Prayer, Catherine Ponder A Prosperity Love Story: Rags to Enrichment, Catherine Ponder Giving Thanks: The Art of Tithing, Catherine Ponder The Prospering Power of Love, Catherine Ponder
Prentice Mulford
Thoughts Are Things, Prentice Mulford Your Forces and How to Use Them, Prentice Mulford The Gift of Understanding, Prentice Mulford Thought Forces, Prentice Mulford Prentice Mulford’s Story: Life By Land and Sea, Prentice Mulford Gift of the Spirit, Prentice Mulford
Henry Thomas Hamblin
The Power of Thought, Henry Thomas Hamblin Dynamic Thought: Harmony, Health, Success, Achievement, Henry Thomas Hamblin Within You is the Power, Henry Thomas Hamblin Science of Thought, Henry Thomas Hamblin The Message of a Flower, Henry Thomas Hamblin The Open Door, Henry Thomas Hamblin Divine Adjustment, Henry Thomas Hamblin My Search For Truth, Henry Thomas Hamblin The Way of the Practical Mystic, Henry Thomas Hamblin The Story of my Life, Henry Thomas Hamblin My Search for Truth, Henry Thomas Hamblin Life Without Strain, Henry Thomas Hamblin The Life of the Spirit, Henry Thomas Hamblin
H. Emilie Cady
Lessons in Truth, H. Emilie Cady The Complete Works of H. Emilie Cady, H. Emilie Cady Finding The Christ in Ourselves, H. Emilie Cady How I Used the Truth, H. Emilie Cady God: A Present Help, H. Emilie Cady
Horatio Dresser
Education and the Philosophical Ideal, Horatio Dresser Manuscripts, Horatio Dresser The Power of Silence, Horatio Dresser Spiritual Health and Healing, Horatio Dresser The Greatest Truth, Horatio Dresser Human Efficiency, Horatio Willis Dresser A History of the New Thought Movement, Horatio Dresser
Elizabeth Towne
Joy Philosophy, Elizabeth Towne Experiences in Self-Healing, Elizabeth Towne Just How to Wake the Solar Plexus, Elizabeth Towne
Fannie James
Dawning Truth, Fannie James Divine Science, Fannie James Truth and Health, Fannie James
Ralph Waldo Trine
What All the World’s A-Seeking, Ralph Waldo Trine In Tune With the Infinite: Fullness of Peace, Power and Plenty, Ralph Waldo Trine Higher Powers of Mind and Spirit, Ralph Waldo Trine The Greatest Thing Ever Known, Ralph Waldo Trine Character-Building Thought Power, Ralph Waldo Trine This Mystical Life of Ours, Ralph Waldo Trine Thoughts I Met on the Highway, Ralph Waldo Trine
Henry Drummond
Pax Vobiscum, Henry Drummond Programme of Christianity, Henry Drummond Stones Rolled Away, Henry Drummond Life For All, Henry Drummond The Greatest Thing Ever Known, Henry Drummond The Greatest Thing in the World, Henry Drummond Eternal Life, Henry Drummond City Without a Church, Henry Drummond Changed Life, Henry Drummond A Life for a Life, Henry Drummond
William Walker Atkinson
Thought Force in Business and Everyday Life: Succeed Through the Power of Thought, William Walker Atkinson Thought Vibration, or The Law of Attraction in the Thought World, William Walker Atkinson The Mastery of Being, William Walker Atkinson Your Mind and How to Use It, William Walker Atkinson The 12-Volume Personal Power Series, William Walker Atkinson Practical Mental Influence, William Walker Atkinson Nuggets of New Thought, William Walker Atkinson New Thought Bhagavad Gita, William Walker Atkinson
Thomas Troward
The Creative Process in the Individual, Thomas Troward The Edinburgh & Dore Lectures on Mental Science, Thomas Troward Three Initiates, Thomas Troward The Kybalion, Thomas Troward The Law and the Word, Thomas Troward The Hidden Power, Thomas Troward Comments on the Psalms, Thomas Troward
Christian D. Larson
Your Forces and How to Use Them, Christian Larson What is Truth?, Christian Larson Concentration, Christian Larson The Ideal Made Real/Metaphysics for Beginners, Christian Larson The Mind Cure, Christian Larson
Other Authors
The New Psycho-Cybernetics: A Mind Technology for Living Your Life Without Limits, Maxwell Maltz Be!, James Dillet Freeman The Story of Unity, James Dillet Freeman Conquest of Fear, Morris Lichtenstein Conquest of Poverty, Morris Lichtenstein Jewish Science and Health, Morris Lichtenstein The Call of the Century, Henry Brown Dollars Want Me!, Henry Brown Concentration: The Road to Success, Henry Brown New Thought Simplified, Henry Wood Ideal Suggestion Through Mental Photography, Henry Wood How to Control Fate, Henry Brown Divine Science Principles & Practice, Malinda Cramer Harmony, Malinda Cramer Lessons in the Science of Infinite Spirit, Malinda Cramer Happiness is the Secret of Secrets, U.S. Andersen Three Magic Words, U.S. Andersen Coming into Freedom: Emilie Cady’s Lessons in Truth for the 21st Century, Ruth L. Miller Take the Leap, Frederick Bailes Hidden Power for Human Problems, Frederick Bailes Your Mind Can Heal You, Frederick Bailes The Angels Within Us, John Randolph Price The Abundance Book, John Randolph Price The Way to Perfect Healing, William Towne Stepping Stones to Peace, Jane Grey Syme Studies In Divine Science, C. L. “Daisy” Baum The Creative Visualization Workbook, Shakti Gawain Mental Chemistry, Charles Haannel The Master Key System, Charles Haanel The Quimby Manuscripts, Phineas Quimby The Power of Your Subconscious Mind, Joseph Murphy Attaining Your Desires, Genevieve Behrend How to Live Life and Love it!, Genevieve Behrend Attaining Your Heart’s Desire, Genevieve Behrend Your Invisible Power, Genevieve Behrend Working With God, Gardner Hunting Practical Healing for Mind & Body, Jane Yarnall 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7, Mildred Mann Become What You Believe, Mildred Mann Teach Us To Pray, Cora Fillmore How to Let God Help You, Myrtle Fillmore Myrtle Fillmore’s Healing Letters, Myrtle Fillmore Privilege of Choice, Norma Sackheim Prosperity Through Thought Force, Bruce Maclelland Into The Light, Bruce Maclelland The Unknown Stranger, Maurice Maeterlinck The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature, William James Acres of Diamonds, Russell Conwell The Art of Money Getting/Golden Rules for Making Money, P.T. Barnum Common Sense and How to Exercise It, Yoritomo-Tashi Cosmic Consciousness, Richard Maurice Buck The Divine Art of Living, Kathleen Besly Divine Science Bible Text Book, A.B. Faye Esoteric Osteopathy, Herbert Hoffman The Evolution of Psychic Healing, Harmon McQuilkin First Lessons in New Thought, J.W. Winkley God Never Fails, Mary Kupferle Good Cheer, Lillian de Waters The Gospel of Emerson, Newton Dillaway Gospel of Ramakrishna The Heart of Being or Truth and Destiny, Uriel Buchana Home Study Course in Mental Science, Helen Wilman How I Eliminated Fear, George Wharton James How To Make Money, B.F. Austin The Impersonal Life, Joseph Benner Natural Theology, John Bascom Self-Suggestion and the New Huna Theory of Mesmerism and Hypnosis, Max Freedom Long Moving Through Parallel Worlds to Achieve Your Dreams, Kevin L. Michel Your Soul’s Plan, Robert Schwartz Secrets of the Millionaire Mind: Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth, T. Harv Eker Choosing Your Destiny, Alexzandra de la Iglesia The Lazy Man’s Guide to Enlightenment, Thaddeus Golas Message of New Thought, Abel Allen The Law of Psychic Phenomena, Thomson Hudson The Metaphysics of Balzac, Ursula Gestefld The Breath of Life: A Series of Self-Treatments, Ursula Gestefld Another View of Metaphysical Healing, Ursula Gestefld Pentateuch, Ursula Gestefld Treat Yourself to Life, Raymond Charles Barker Money is God in Action, Raymond Charles Barker The Power of Decision: A Step-By-Step Program to Overcome Indecision and Live Without Failure Forever, Raymond Charles Barker Peace Begins At Home, Clara Beranger Wake Up and Live, Dorothea Brande The Answer is Simple, Sonia Choquette Divine Science & Healing, Malinda Cramer The Thought Exchange, David Friedman It Is Wonderful, Walter C. Lanyon Ask, Walter C. Lanyon Peace, Power, and Plenty, Orison Swett Marden Every Man A King, or, Might in Mind-Mastery, Orison Swett Marden Love Your Neighbor, Art Maxin The Infinite Way, Joel S. Goldsmith God: The Substance of All Form, Joel Goldsmith
At a playdate the other week, one of my sons hit another kid. The playdate wasn’t with just one other family; a whole big group of us was there.
Sometimes, when something like this happens, I have a moment of, “Okay. How do I handle this situation calmly but effectively, in a way that makes me look like a good mom?” I didn’t know the others well, so this response may have been even more likely–normally.
That day, though, wasn’t a normal day. That day I was “in the zone.”
In You’re Getting Closer, I discuss this phenomenon–this state of continuous meditation, during which everything you do feels inspired. That morning, I decided this would be one of those days; I’d listen for guidance on what to do–even the little stuff.
And so, when I saw what happened, I knew without hesitation what to do. I talked to my son, and gave him the choice to either apologize or to leave the playdate.
Then, we left the playdate.
It’s so, so nice to have that feeling of clarity, of knowing exactly what to do and how. I don’t have it nearly often enough.
A while back, I resolved to learn how to accept what is, give up compulsiveness, in order to become more, you know, Buddhist monk-like. The only part of this resolution that stuck, however, was cleaning my house less often.
Right now, I’m sitting in a comfy spot on our playroom floor, drinking coffee and watching the baby eat baked apple slices. It’s morning and all the noises are soft ones: distant bird calls, faint refrigerator whirring, the sound of my hand sliding across this paper. Soon, my older son—the not-so-quiet one—will wake up. And all I can think is, Am I ready?
What can I do with this precious hour before the real work begins? What feels most useful, most inspired? Should I meditate a while longer? Read a book? Get some writing done? How can I best “go with the flow”?
In You’re Getting Closer, I talk about my daily effort to live in The Zone—to do only what feels most inspired. Times like these, though, I can’t seem to figure it out, not even when it’s quiet and calm. How, then, will I be able to do so the rest of the day, when distractions (like my older child) are everywhere?
Going with the flow sounds easy enough. But it sure takes a long time to learn.
Love what is. That’s Matt Kahn’s simple message, and even though he believes in angels, channelling, reincarnation, etc. etc., he doesn’t really focus on it too much.
My mantra this week based on this amazing YouTube video of his:
All week, when my mind has gotten a bit crazy, I’ve been thinking about a person I love or thinking up a way to show love right then–to focus on someone other than myself.
For a day, a week, even a month at a time, she had the feeling continuously. She had it while she read, while she drove, while she ate, and while she played with her child. Which is why each time the feeling left, it was a great disappointment.
It was the feeling of connection with the Divine, and Mollie Player wanted to hold on to it forever. But how?
What was the key to continuous meditation?
Following You’re Getting Closer: One Year of Finding God and a Few Good Friends, The Power of Acceptance is her answer to that question. In this year-long journal she shares her attempt to do a sitting meditation each day, then remain in the state of meditation as much as possible after that. Featuring interviews on meditation from long-time practitioners, The Power of Acceptance isn’t a meditation prescription, but rather a personal story of one woman’s spiritual struggles . . . and breakthroughs.
Thanks to my support system for helping me fill up the corners left in my day with writing time. Much love.
When a friend of mine mentioned her love of the library recently, a idyllic image came to mind. There was a mother, there were two happy children, and there were three large piles of loved books.
I really should take my kids, too, I thought. It’s time I stopped slacking off. So, I packed us up and off we went.
There was screaming. There was peeing. And there was a dramatic parking lot escape. And the next day, all I had to show for it was a pile of books in the trunk of my car that would soon have to be returned . . . to the library.
Last time I compare myself to anyone ever again. Last, I tell you. Maybe.
1. A difficult three-year-old is almost twice the work of an easy baby. Added bonus: they don’t nap.
2. A fireman costume layered over a bathing suit layered over regular clothes and topped with a motorcycle helmet is appropriate attire for every occasion.
3. Television isn’t nearly as bad for kids as I used to think.
Recently, I posted a summary of a great book called 10% 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 by news anchor Dan Harris. In it, he says that just maintaining the meditation discipline is enough; it’s not necessary to actually feel better afterwards. Sitting down, coming back, trying again is “the whole game.”
Sometimes, meditation is just hard work.
I like this idea, and yet … I kinda hate it. Esther Hicks always harps on the importance of finding a good-feeling place. Feeling good, grateful, etc. helps us manifest what we desire, after all. If there’s a day in which meditation isn’t doing this for me, shouldn’t I spend my free time on something that does? Like going for a walk in the woods, or playing volleyball, and doing it in a meditative frame of mind?
Recently, I wrote about a book called Autobigraphy of a Yogi by Paramhausa Yogananda. The book is, more or less, a litany of miracles and gurus the author witnessed firsthand—and it is quite lengthy. My first reaction: how did one fairly normal young man growing up in India meet so many enlightened masters in one lifetime? I mean, granted, he was training to be one, too. But seriously.
My conclusion, which may or may not be true, was that at least at the time the book was written, India was a culture of belief. Even people who were without the author’s fanatical, wholehearted search for God (like his brother Ananda) believed strongly in omens, predictions, etc., as evidenced by the stories in the book. Therefore, more miracles actually occurred.
This reminds me of the beloved Indonesian guru in Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love. His parents told him his whole life that he was spiritually gifted, so he just never questioned it. As a result, he became a very intuitive miracle worker.
There is, and was, and always will be, a whole lot to be said for simple faith.
What do you think? Does more faith mean more miracles? Or are there the same number of miracles happening either way, but when less faith is present more of them just go unnoticed?
Two years ago I had the pleasure of holding a book signing for my latest book, You’re Getting Closer: One Year of Finding God and a Few Good Friends. Here, a reblog for you: the piece I wrote promoting the event–and my perspective on the goal of my writing as I see it right now.
Mollie Player is just a regular person. And yet, she is trying—sometimes very, very hard—to be different. And the way Mollie wants to be different is this: she wants to stay the same.
She just wants to be more of herself.
She wants to learn how to be aware of the Divine inside her at all times. She wants to communicate with God.
In other words: she wants to get enlightened.
Lofty goal? Maybe. Is she there yet? Probably not.
But she is, just maybe, on her way.
Often when people describe their lives these are the things they talk about:
What they did or do;
What they had or have;
Who they knew or know.
If you ask Mollie, though, she’d tell you that those things aren’t what life is at all.
Life, she says, is what goes on inside your mind.
It’s what you care about. It’s what you dream about.
It’s what you think about every day.
And so, even though she is just a regular person, Mollie decided to write about some of the thoughts that have made up her real life so far—and with which other regular people may be able to relate.
Mollie hopes that you like them, but more than that: she hopes they’ll make you different—even if that just means being more of yourself.
You know how you sometimes meet those old people that look so serene and Mother Teresa-like and all? And you think, I want to be like that when I’m old, instead of one of the crochety complainers.
Well, ever since starting my spiritual practice of acceptance, I’ve begun to suspect something. I suspect that the difference between the saints and the complainers is that the complainers are still always trying to fix things, whereas the saints have somehow learned to merely observe and love.
I think there is a single word behind their stunningly beautiful eyes.
Seth, Abraham, Kryon, Archangel Michael … these are just a few of the many spirit entities to be channeled for the benefit of the individual and the masses. And yet, reading them kinda makes you wonder: do these guys and gals really know everything?
Here’s the thing: they never say they do. They just say they know a lot more than us. In one oft-repeated spiritual analogy, each spirit, whether human or otherwise, is a drop of water in the large ocean that is God, the All-That-Is. Their knowledge, while vaster than ours by a long shot (temporarily) is still limited by their unique perspective (as well as certain limitations of the channeler).
So let’s love our spirit guides. Let’s honor our channeled entities.
