I love reading. It is something I have always done as a child and will most likely do until the day I leave this body. Thankfully most of us humans have the tools to be able to read and write with our hands, eyes, and minds! I am grateful for all of these books for helping me dive deeper into my consciousness and the workings of my inner self.
I would like to add that knowledge can be power. But always use this power with good intentions. Sometimes I find myself reading just because I want more knowledge, which can be another ego trap. (I’ll get into that in another post). I always try to remind myself as to why I am reading what I’m reading, what do I feel about the content, and how can I implement it within my life if it resonates with me. Taking time to rest, reflect, and digest can do wonders for the soul.
Now then, here is a list I have cultivated. Feel free to add any more you feel align in the comments below! Most can probably be found on Amazon, or perhaps used bookstores (shopping local is a good idea).
The Alchemist-Paulo Coelho: Purpose/Dharma/Personal Legend
Siddhartha-Hermann Hesse: Enlightenment
Mother Earth Spirituality-Ed McGaa: Native American Spirituality
Rainbow Tribe-Ed McGaa: How non-natives can practice/incorporate Native American Spirituality
Dancing the dream-Jamie Sams: Paths to the inner self, Native American Spirituality
The Book of Awakening-Mark Nepo: Poetry and everyday examples and stories
A New Earth- Eckhart Tolle: Becoming aware, calming the mind and emotions
The Power of Now- Eckhart Tolle: Focusing awareness on present moments
The Untethered Soul-Michael A. Singer: Releasing attachments
How to Change Your Mind- Michael Pollan: History and uses of psychedelics
The Way of Zen-Alan Watts: How to live according to the way of Zen perspectives
The Wisdom of Insecurity-Alan Watts: One of my favorite books, I’ve read it many times, and learn something new every time.
The Yamas & Niyamas-Deborah Adele- Goes through the first two limbs of yoga. Five ways to practice restraint, and five ways to embrace on and off the mat. Highly recommend, even if you don’t practice yoga!
The Bhagavad Gita-This one has a lot to say about consciousness, the mind, and emotions, a lot of layers, a lot of profound wisdom.
Healing Wise-Susun Weed-A different way of healing the body, mind, and spirit! Not necessarily western, not alternative, but a mix/third approach. I really enjoyed this one as well, especially as a woman who experiences monthly cycles.
Ayurveda-Sahara Rose-Bringing the traditional ways of the sister science of yoga (Ayurveda) to the western audience in more simplistic terms. Great for anyone interested in healing themselves with Ayurvedic techniques.
On the Road- Jack Kerouac-Isn’t considered as spiritual. But I really love this book and what it had to say about living life in the moment and enjoying the ride.
Daring Greatly- Brene Brown-This book is what the title says. Let going of our fears that keep us from living a loving life with an open heart. Its all about daring greatly and diving into the uncomfortable by living a vulnerable life. I’ve read this book twice and will most likely read it many more times.
The Four Agreements-Don Miguel Ruiz-Living your life by the four agreements as described by Ruiz: 1. Be impeccable with your word. 2. Don’t take anything personally. 3. Don’t make assumptions. 4. Always do your best.
Break The Norms-Chandresh Bhardwaj- He talks about myths that are associated with spirituality/society and how we can break them as well as decide for ourselves what works best.
Ishmael-Daniel Quinn-My bf really wanted me to read this and I am glad that I did. It is about a gorilla criticizing modern society and how it is harming us all.
Awakening Intuition-Frances Vaughn-This is a good book if you want to become more acquainted with your intuition. Vaughn gives many different practices you can engage in and also talks about roadblocks on the road to intuition.
Ecological Intelligence-Ian McCallum-Wonderful book about our connection to the natural world and what we can do to become more connected to ourselves, nature, as well as what we can do to help the environment. Also includes a lot of poetry, whoo!!
You Are A Badass: How To Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living An Awesome Life-Jen Sincero-A friend recommended this book to me (thanks Bri!!) and I think I read it in like two days. Life-Changing. If you are ready to leave your doubts and fears behind, to take control of your life, and make some much-needed changes, then pick this book up! It fucking rules.
How To Do The Work: Dr. Nicole LaPera: Beautiful book written by psychologist Nicole LaPera. She takes a holistic approach to our healing and offers us things we can do along the way back to our journey of health and wholeness. It isn’t an easy journey but it is definitely worth it. Just like reading this book!
Braiding Sweetgrass: Robin Wall Kimmerer: A very enlightening book on our lost connection to our plant siblings and how we can re-establish this connection through indigenous wisdom and spending time communing in the natural world. A truly beautiful story.
If Women Rose Rooted: A life-changing journey to authenticity and belonging: Sharon Blackie: Wow. I think this is one of my absolute favorite books. Blackie talks about her own journey towards reclaiming her authentic self as a woman through myths and personal stories. Highly recommend.
Walking Softly: Thomas D. Peacock: A story about the path of an Ojibwe man’s life to becoming an elder and what it means to be in alignment with ourselves and the world around us. I really loved this story.
