Some books to help you on your spiritual journey.

‘I thought we’d never speak again’ by Laura Davies published by BCA. A book about strategies for repairing broken relationships – a must read for everyone because it’s about real life. The author looks at the issues that tear people apart – from the extremes such as incest, violence and betrayal to the more everyday things such as money, sex and sibling rivalry. The author uses a practical, yet sensitive approach to explore what causes conflict and provides detailed strategies to achieve reconciliation.

‘The Power of Now’ a guide to spiritual enlightenment (Published by Hodder Mobius) and ‘A New Earth’ - awakening to your life’s purpose (Published by Penguin). Both books are by Eckhart Tolle, spiritual teacher and author. Eckhart’s profound yet simple teachings have already helped countless people throughout the world to find inner peace and greater fulfillment in their lives. At the core of the teaching lies the transformation of consciousness, a spiritual awakening that he sees as the next step in human evolution. An essential aspect of this awakening consists of transcending our ego-based state of consciousness. This is a prerequisite not only for personal happiness but also for the ending of violent conflict endemic on our planet. Biography of Eckhart Tolle.

‘Sacred Spaces’ by Margaret Silf, published by Lion. About Celtic spirituality …the Celts believed that the visible and invisible worlds were one. For them, certain places were sacred – places where the divide between invisible and visible was very thin.

‘Finding Sanctuary’ (Monastic Steps for Everyday Living) by Abbot Christopher Jamison, Phoenix . Worth Abbey Shop

‘The Road Less Travelled’, M. Scott Peck,  Arrow Books.  Drawing on his professional practice, Dr M. Scott Pack suggests ways in which facing our difficulties can enable us to reach a higher level of self-understanding and to grow both mentally and spiritually.

‘How to Practise, the Way to a Meaningful Life’, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Rider.

‘Reaching for the Invisible God’, (‘How do I relate to a God who is invisible when I’m never quite sure he’s there?’), Philip Yancey, Zondervan.

‘When Bad Things Happen to Good People’ (For everyone who has been hurt by life here is a book that heals).  Harold S. Kushner, Pan. Rabbi Kushner writes from a wealth of Jewish wisdom, pastoral devotion and his own experiences.

‘When All You’ve Ever Wanted Isn’t Enough’ (The search for a life that matters). Harold S. Kushner, Pan. 

‘A Return to Love’,  (Reflections on the principles of a Course in Miracles) by Marianne Williamson, Thorsons.  The author shares her insights into how the practical application of love every day can provide an answer to the problems that confront us and reveals how we can each take a spiritual, psychological and emotional journey back to the true inner peace with which we were born.

‘Flow – the Psychology of Happiness’ Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Rider.  The author studied those states in which people report feelings of concentration and deep enjoyment.  He shows that the way to happiness Is not in mindless hedonism but in mindful challenge.

‘To Have or To Be?’ Erich Fromm, Abacus.  The author argues that two ways of existence are struggling for the spirit of mankind. First, and dominant in modern industrial societies, there is what he calls the ‘having’ mode which concentrates on material possessions and power and is based on greed, envy and aggressiveness. The second and alternative way is what he calls the ‘being mode’ which manifests itself in the pleasure of shared experience and truly productive rather than wasteful activity, and is rooted in love and the ascendancy of human over material values.

‘Life Ahead’ by J. Krishnamurti, Victor Gollancz Ltd.  ‘We must awaken the full capacity of the superficial mind that lives in everyday activity, and also understand the hidden.  In understanding the hidden there is a total living in which self-contradiction, with its alternating sorrow and happiness, ceases. …It is only when the mind understands the superficial and the hidden that it can go beyond its own limitations and discover that bliss which is not of time.’ J. Krishnamurti.

‘Gitanjali’ (Song Offerings) by Rabindranath Tagore, Macmillan.   The great Bengali poet.  Someone once wrote ‘I read Rabindranath every day, to read one line of his is to forget all the troubles of the world’.

‘Zen Buddhism’ – The Origins of Wisdom’ O.B. Duane, Brockhampton Press.  Zen Buddhism does not fall easily into the western image of religion. It is perhaps best described as a movement and one which has had a huge impact on the way people think today, both in the East and in the West.  From the roots of early Buddhism grew a knowledge , a new consciousness of the way in which humans could conduct their lives.

‘Buddhism’, by Edward Conze, Bruno Cassier.  A readable survey of the whole range of Buddhist thought from a scientific point of view.

‘What We May Be’ (The Visions and Techniques of Psychosynthesis) by Piero Ferrucci.  Psychosynthesis is a comprehensive approach to self-realisation first formulated by the late Italian psychiatrist Roberto Assagioli. The aim of this book and the aim of psychosynthesis is to help people discover their true essence.  A guide for anyone committed to personal integration and spiritual development.

‘The Tao of Pooh’, by Benjamin Hoff, Methuen.  Winnie the Pooh has a certain way about him which seems strangely close to the ancient Chinese principles of Taoism.

‘Civil Renewal’ (Mending the Hole in the Social Ozone Layer),  by Dr Dick Atkinson, Brewin Books.  About transforming neighbourhoods through community action and includes chapters on rekindling moral authority both nationally and locally.