Spirituality is more than choosing a God and following him or her blindly. It’s a daily practice that is supposed to be nourishing and enjoyable and sincere. That’s the conclusion that refreshes me.
If you’re also at a loss when it comes to identifying your higher power, you may be looking for guidance.
Here is a list of books that I’m reading to dig deeper into my experience of God (or higher wisdom) and whatever that means to me.
For Deconstructing Myths about Religion and Getting Started
“God On Your Own: Finding a Spiritual Path Outside Religion” by Joseph Dispenza
This book guides you to find direction and meaning outside of organized religious practice. If you have left, or are considering leaving, the religion of your youth, this compassionate book explains how to create a roadmap for your own spiritual progress, and connect with deep truths without strict rules, dogma, or doctrines.
Now we have an opportunity to rewrite the ending of our creation myth and re-imagine our human destiny. In this version, we are not cast outside the gates of paradise by an avenging angel but are at home among the lush forests, waterfalls, mountains…
This book can be invaluable for the person who grew up in an organized Christian (or otherwise) structure that didn’t suit them. It breaks down some passages from the Bible and helps provide some peace and clarity with real life context.
Teach Yourself to Meditate in 10 Simple Lessons by Eric Harrison
The slogan for this book is: discover relaxation and clarity of mind in a few minutes each day! This non-theistic book can get you started with meditation without asking you to commit to one spiritual pathway or another.
As the mind lets go of its hidden tensions, it becomes easier to focus and enter deep states of absorption. Once you leave all sense of self behind, what remains is pure consciousness. In this state, you barely know who or what you are. Yet it’s utterly radiant and blissful. It can be profoundly tranquil or rich in visionary images. In this state, unhealthy emotions vanish utterly, like snowflakes in a fire. With no self to defend, all fear and anger disappear. It is so lovely that all desire and craving for other things evaporate. No aversion or attraction, conscious or unconscious, can get a foothold. All that remains is effortless love and acceptance.
from page 21: Bliss and Trance
“Original Self: Living with Paradox and Originality” by Thomas Moore
This book is about recapturing the effortless, eternal person within, that may have been lost during childhood due to trauma. When life gets strained and the monotony is making me depressed, this is the book that calls to me.
It’s easy today to lose the deep, direct, and vivid sense of living with passion and originality. We are “chronically trying to be someone other than the original self; persuaded that we are not adequate and should fit some normal of health or correctness, we may find a cool distance may gradually separate us from the deep and eternal person, that God-given personality, and we may forget both who we were and who we might be. The fifty meditations in this collection offer fresh interpretations of living with originality rather than conformity, presenting multi-dimensional portraits of the creative self and different angles from which to tap one’s primal emotions and possibilities. These pages show what it means to live from the burning essence of the heart…
The Fifth Agreement: A Practical Guide to Self-Mastery (A Toltec Wisdom Book) by Don Miguel Ruiz
This is also a non-theistic book, making no concrete claims about religion, but rather preparing us to understand self-mastery and wise decision making. It focuses on the agreements that we make within ourselves and within the community of society- agreements that will dictate our reality, or our “dream.” This is a recovery staple that you may have already heard of- highly recommend it if you have ever struggled with mental health or addiction.
We want our freedom; we want to be ourselves, but we are also afraid to be by ourselves.
Humans have a need to explain and justify everything; we have a need for knowledge, and we make assumptions to fulfill our need to know.Making assumptions and then taking them personally is the beginning of hell in this world. Almost all of our conflicts are based on this…
Forging an Individualized Path Ahead
“The Soul’s Religion: Cultivating a Profoundly Spiritual Way of Life” by Thomas Moore
Moore provokes the reader to reimagine how a rich and personal spiritual life can be within the grasp of every seeker.
Healing is of the essence of spirituality, and all real healing is spiritual…We need a spiritual point of view in order to heal and be healed…Without taking anything away from the professions of medicine and various therapies, we are all called to heal as part of our spirituality. We heal from our compassion and in our daily relationships to others and to society. A spiritual point of view allows us to appreciate the source of our illnesses and the means of their healing, both of which arise, says Paracelsus, from the same place.
Beauty: The Invisible Embrace by John O’Donohue
This book is all about rediscovering the true sources of compassion, serenity, and hope. It draws on what is within and without us to appreciate. It’s a great book for the individual seeking to define their values, feel more positive, and approach life with gratitude. I find it can help me re-work my ideas about what is beautiful and good in a difficult world.
There are times when life seems little more than a matter of struggle and endurance, when difficulty and disappointment form a crust around the heart. Because it can be deeply hurt, the heart hardens. There are corners in every heart which are utterly devoid of illusion, places where we know and remember the nature of devastation… Yet there is in each of us an unprotected place that beauty can always reach out and touch… When the mind is festering with trouble or the heart torn, we can find healing among the silence of mountains or fields, or listen to the simple, steadying rhythm of waves. The slowness and the stillness gradually take us over. Our breathing deepens and our hearts calm and our hungers relent. When serenity is restored, new perspectives open to us and difficulty can begin to seem like an invitation to new growth. This is also the experience of prayer. The tired machinations of the ego are abandoned. It no longer needs to push or prove itself in the combat of competition. Beneath the frenetic streams of thought, the quieter, elemental nature of the self takes over and calms our presence…
From pg. 17 , In Difficult Times to Keep Something Beautiful in Your Heart
Written by Women
Sober Spirituality: The Joy of a Mindful Relationship with Alcohol
by Erin Jean Warde
This Christian book was helpful to me in reframing internalized ideas from a culture obsessed with mind-altering substances and consumerism. It emphasizes the importance of community.
“Self and Soul: A Woman’s Guide to Enhancing Self-Esteem through Spirituality” by Adele Wilcox
This book guides women to form new spiritual habits that will support the development of confidence.
Listen to your body. It will tell you when to say no, when to rest, and when to move forward. It will give you messages about your world. When you finally get to the point where you love your body and treat it appropriately, you will no longer obsess about it…It will be your body.
Reframing my Understanding of Death, Suffering, and Loss
“Destiny of Souls” by Michael Newton
This book is unusual to some, but even if you don’t agree with the idea of reincarnation, maybe give the audiobook a listen, anyways. This book really helped me understand that the spirit-self is on a journey that continues after we’re gone (and is shared with other beings!) allowing me to re-frame my perception of grief and pain in this life.
Taking Ownership and Aligning with Purpose
“The Book of Truth” by Paul Selig
I listen to this audiobook as I walk outside or fall asleep, because it really helps me focus on honesty within myself and with the world, which allows us to self-actualize and understand our roles in life.
“The Book of Love and Creation” by Paul Selig
I haven’t started it yet, but the reviews of this audiobook say it can create radical change and help create empowered, capable, and resilient individuals.
“Becoming Supernatural: How Common People are Doing the Uncommon” by Joe Dispenza
This audiobook applies meditations, scientific information, and ancient wisdom, helping people to achieve balance of mind and body.
I am always aware of the power within me and all around me. I believe in myself. I embrace the unknown. We don’t perceive things in our reality the way they are; we perceive reality the way we are.
Especially great for anyone interested in yoga, the Amazon description is below.
In this book, you will:
- Identify default behaviors and free yourself from reactive habits.
- Harness the power of practices like journaling and meditation to uncover unconscious patterns.
- Transform emotional triggers into opportunities for creation.
- Balance effort and ease, inspired by yogic principles, for a more fulfilling life.
- Align daily actions with personal values to live intentionally.
This book is a fresh, engaging guide for self-growth seekers, yoga enthusiasts, and emotionally curious professionals. It’ll help you navigate the dance between ego and higher self and equip you with practical tools to live authentically.
For People Interested in Creative Writing as a way to Heal
This fascinating, beautifully written book connects spiritual principles of magic and mysticism to the process of writing. It includes specific exercises, such as journal prompts, to get started healing through the power of the written word.
“Soul Therapy: A 365 Day Journal for Self-Exploration, Healing, and Reflection”
I own this guided journal and it has great prompts that were instrumental in helping me to understand myself.
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