What books changed your life?
Not a unique question, certainly, but a meaningful one — the answers are revealing and can be fascinatingly different from one person to another.
Below are some of the titles that transformed my thinking, guided me on my path, and opened my mind in a big way.
What are yours?
- Journeys Out of the Body and Far Journeys by Robert A. Monroe
- All of the Jane Roberts books about the Seth material, for instance, The Nature of Personal Reality
- All of the Carlos Castaneda books; wise and wonderful companions for decades
- All of the Abraham-Hicks books, including, The Amazing Power of Deliberate Intent: Living the Art of Allowing, and Ask and It Is Given: Learning to Manifest Your Desires
- By Eckhart Tolle: The Power of Now and A New Earth
- Everything published by cartoonist, Gary Larson, author of The Far Side
St. Germaine Alchemy changed my life. While reading this book until wee hours of the morning, my spiritual hands lifted above my physical hands that were holding this book. That began a rapid succession of out-of-body experiences the next several nights along with kundulini rising on the third night.
This happened in 1988 and I still read a few pages several times per week. It is hard for me to put this book down. It carries new information each time I read it. The cover is gone but the power is still there.
The Key by Whitley Strieber. Whitley is visited by The Master of the Key at a Canadain Hotel room. He then asks him a serious of metaphysical questions and soem down to earth ones also.
A great read for a small book. I reread it every season it seems.
Conversations with God I, II, III
How to Know God
Everyday Grace
Energy Medicine
Meditation As Medicine
The HeartMath Solution
The Power of the Heart
Reversing Heart Disease
The Healing Power of Qigong
Brain Longevity
The China Study
The Food Revolution
Foods That Fight Pain
Plan B
The End of Poverty
* All of Mary Summer Rain, especially “Spirit Song” and “The Visitation”
* “The Prophet’s Way” by Thom Hartmann. Also “Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight”
* “Muddy Tracks” by Frank DeMarco
* “Original Wisdom” by Robert Wolfe
* “Eros Ascending” by John Maxwell Taylor
* “Extraordinary Knowing” by Elizabeth Lloyd Mayer
* “Social Intelligence” by Daniel Goleman
* “My Stroke of Insight” by Jill Bolte Taylor
* “The Cultural Creatives” by Ray and Anderson
* “Nothing Special, Living Zen” by Charlotte Jocko Beck
I am currently reading:
* “The Pathwork of Self Transformation” by Eva Pierrakos
* “Zen and Psychotherapy” by Mruk and Hartzell
* “Everyday Creativity” Edited by Ruth Richards is next on my list.
These are the highlights, mostly in order. There are many others. Igniting the spark. Keeping it bright. Shining from the heart to others.
The Power of Your Subconscious Mind by Joseph Murphy, and on a related note, the Science of Miracles books by Max Freedom Long. Wonderful reading!
Some great books there. The Monroe books are ubiquitous. However I have some different ones:
“The Tao of Pooh” by Benjamin Hoff was a gentle introduction into the concepts of Taoist philosophy.
“Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching” by Timothy Freke was the taoist text brought up to date in a refreshing way.
“Mind Over Matter” by Shi Ming and Siao Weijia introduced me to the concept of consciousness evolution from the point of view of a martial artist.
The “My Big TOE” Trilogy by Thomas Campbell expanded my notions of consciousness and challenged my many illusions.
All epic reads for different reasons.
Hi,
My first two choices are the same as yours (Bob Monroe and Jane Roberts). Then I have:
*Joseph Campbell and all his books and DVD’s on myths
* Thomas Campbell and his “My Big Toe” book
* Michael Newton and his books on Life Between Lifes
* Andrew Jackson Davis’s books
* Tristan Jone’s books – I now realize he lied for some of his books but his accomplishments still stir my mind
• African Genesis by Robert Ardrey, and his later books, The Territorial Imperative & The Social Contract: how we’re connected to the animal world with our instincts, brain, culture – our need for territory and power, our social connections with family and tribe. These concepts explained to me why we behave the way we do. It’s a necessary part of our survival and evolution.
• Teilhard de Chardin in his work continued the idea of evolution into our spiritual development. His concept of evolution as a spiral – starting with biology & zoology (plants and animals), our mental development (apes, humans, the brain & civilization) and finally our spiritual development, the Noosphere. His work gave me optimism, that we’re going somewhere.
• Work put out by authors for Institute of Noetic Science and their magazine, Shift. Now is the time for a shift in consciousness on our planet – recognizing that we’re all one and energetically connected, and it’s happening.
• Transforming Through 2012, Leading Perspectives on the New Global Paradigm, presented by Debra Giusti. It features 33 authors – scientists, researchers, futurists, mystic, astrologers,indigenous elders and luminaries.
All this has been part of my quest to connect science and spirit in a oneness.
While a great many books, including several mentioned here, have significantly influenced my thinking–and thus my life–one book stands out as having actually changed my life.
That is Illusions by Richard Bach. I was 12 when I read it. By the time I’d finished its 144 pages I KNEW my life purpose. That knowing has guided me ever since, influencing my choices of high school and college courses, jobs and career decisions, as well as what I read and do for fun, who my friends and colleagues are, etc.
It’s an interesting exercise to trace so much back to a particular moment in time and to recognize where the path began.
Thanks for asking a wonderful question.
“Illusions,” of course! That goes on my list, too — what a powerfully illuminating book. It led me to the other fine books by Richard Bach, but “Illusions” remains my favorite.
Earth Ascending and Surfers of the Zuvuya by Jose Arguelles
Here are mine, from most recently read:
Avalanche, by Brugh Joy
The Jesus Mysteries, by Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy
Start Where You Are, by Pema Chodron
Kitchen Table Wisdom, by Rachel Naomi Remen
Sense Wide Open, by Johanna Putnoi
The Bhagavad Gita, translated by Eknath Eswaran
Remote Viewers, by Jim Schnabel
Lucid Dreaming, by Stephen LaBerge
The Seth Material, by Jane Roberts
The Teachings of Don Juan, by Carlos Castaneda
Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse
Flatland, by Edwin Abbott
Some of these, such as Remote Viewers, were life-changing in that they pointed me elsewhere. Some, such as Kitchen Table Wisdom, are continual favorites.
Karl
The book that really got me thinking that there was more to life than the life I was leading was Robert Peterson’s “Lessons out of the Body”. From there to all of Michael Newton’s book, Bruce Moen’s and of course Robert Monroe.
Irene
Life After Life ~ Raymond Moody (inspired a huge shift in a young mind, the beginning of the real search, the continual adventure)
Way of the Peaceful Warrior ~ Dan Millman
Illusions, One, A Bridge Across Forever ~ Richard Bach
Celestine Prophecy ~ James Redfield
Life and Teachings of the Master’s of the Far East ~ Baird Spalding
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance ~ Robert Pirsig
Tao Te Ching
Conversations With God (series) ~ Neale Donald Walsh
Seat of the Soul ~ Gary Zukov
First, it was MAD magazine. That set me free when I was around 10. “What me worry?” is still pretty profound!
In my late teens Edgar Cayce’s stuff was a shock, but I kept with it.
Then Jane Robert’s – even her tapes were fascinating.
The Ultimate Frontier. I see it’s bunk now, but it did affect me at the time.
Thomas Merton – Mostly books about him, and not his writings.
“Autobiography of a Yogi” by Paramahansa Yogananda. Still tops.
Books about ‘A Course In Miracles’ – Wapnick, Singh, esp “Absence from Felicty.”
Spirit Speaks magazine, published in the 1980s. I made tapes of many of them, and used them for daily meditative walks.
Sailing Along Around the World – Joshua Slocum
The Ginger Man – J.P. Donleavy
Borstal Boy – Brendan Behan
Amen to the MAD influence!