I view these as books which aren’t allied to a specific religion but that encompass something bigger than us and our lives. They are books that address the question; ‘why are we here and what’s the point?’. All they require is an open mind and a willingness to consider new ideas. In return they can provide enormous support and guidance on how we can live our lives in a happier, more relaxed way. (The links to books and other materials to purchase are via Amazon and I receive a commission payment from any purchases made via the links as an affiliate. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.)

I’ve also included some links to nature-based and Native American spirituality books which you can review in the Nature-based Spirituality page.

Conversations with God, Book 1: An Uncommon Dialogue

Neale Donald Walsch. There are three books in the series, the premise of which is that the author sat down one day and asked the big questions in life such as ‘why are we here?’ and ‘is there a God?’. He got answers and scribbled them down in his yellow notepad which later became the three books in the series. Don’t get too hung up on whether this is true or not and whether he really did get answered by God – that’s not the point and is a bit like asking whether Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code is based on fact or not. It doesn’t matter, it’s an excellent book regardless.

If you’re not a big God fan or ‘don’t do God’, then don’t worry about it. Read the book anyway but with an open mind and treat the conversational approach as just a mechanic with which to put across a message. The message will blow you away if you open to it. Book 1 gives the answers to the big questions such as ‘is there a God?’ and ‘why does he never talk to me?’, Book 2 addresses issues such as relationships and careers, and Book 3 looks at how we might structure our societies. Read Book 1 again and again as each time will lead to greater understanding and getting more out of it.

The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment

Eckhart Tolle. There is only one way to live, and that’s in the present. If we live in the past, we will be filled with regret and can’t do anything about it. If we live in the future, we will be filled with anxiety and fear about something unknown that may never happen. But each and every moment is now. In the future, every moment will be now, and this moment will be the past. So there is nothing else other than this moment. Only this moment. Things have never been any different and never can be. This book shows the importance of living in the moment – the ‘now’ – and how to do it. It will change your life beyond recognition if you open to it and use mindfulness to practise the messages contained within it.

The Biology of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter & Miracles

Bruce Lipton. Science and spirituality aren’t in opposition to each other, they are intimately interlinked – but we don’t realise it. That was the realisation that Dr Bruce Lipton Ph.D, a research biologist, came to and it changed his life as he was now able to see how they worked together. If you are torn between which is right – science or spirituality – this book will show that it is the wrong question as it provides understanding of how they fit together.  I haven’t personally read this book, but I have read articles by Dr Bruce Lipton and I feel his work adds a valuable contribution to those who are torn between science and spirituality.

The Deepest Acceptance: Radical Awakening in Ordinary Life

Jeff Foster. Like Eckhart Tolle (The Power of Now), Jeff is an ordinary bloke who suddenly ‘got it’ whilst suffering from severe depression and then turned his life around based on spiritual principles. Jeff’s particular area is ‘non-duality’ which is like the Buddhist concept of emptiness, but don’t be put off by this. The central message of the book is learning how to accept what’s happening in our lives. This doesn’t mean we should lie down like a doormat and take what comes at us. On the contrary, we are more likely to be fully energised and working to make our lives and everyone else’s better. Acceptance in this context means ‘not denying’, rather than the opposite of ‘resist’. As an example, pretending we’re not angry or upset at something achieves nothing, other than to make us more unhappy, more angry and more upset. It also makes the feeling worse so that it comes back and bites us later.

Instead, using mindfulness, we can see how we are feeling and accept it but without engaging in it (such as being consumed by the anger). This means we can investigate the cause without getting upset, then take action that is more appropriate, wise and compassionate, rather than blowing up and throwing oil on the flames, which is what many of us usually do. Accept what’s happening, investigate thoroughly, then act wisely. Imagine how much better, calmer and happier the world would be if we all did that. With Deepest Acceptance we don’t have to imagine it, we can “be the change we want to see in the world”, as Ghandi said.

Intuitive Living: A Sacred Path

Alan Seale. Alan uses spiritual principles and the concepts of the chakras to show how we can develop happier and more peaceful lives. The basic premise is that we find happiness and peace by living in tune with spirit and our intuition. These will guide us on our journey through life and create the necessary internal balance and energy we need to fulfil our true potential. The book uses exercises and meditations to help us get more in tune with this way of living and understand more about ourselves. This is a book that’s worth having on the shelf to return to periodically. As you move through your journey and discover more about yourself, different parts of it will resonate more strongly each time and an exercise that perhaps didn’t mean much before will now take on much greater importance.

The Five Levels of Attachment: Toltec Wisdom for the Modern World

don Miguel Ruiz Jr. This is a lovely little book packing a powerful message. The more attached we are to something, the less likely we are to see clearly and the more likely we are to become upset in the future. The thing we are attached to will eventually cease to give us pleasure or will let us down one way or another. Non-attachment is a basic principle of many spiritual teachings and this book explores why this is so, plus helps us to identify the scale of attachment we have to what we experience around us.

A Course in Miracles: Combined Volume

This is not an easy read for those unfamiliar with basic spiritual concepts, but with some understanding it will radically alter your life. The language is difficult but somehow it keeps drawing you into it, changing your life gradually, moment-by-moment, day-by-day. Using Christian terminology, it presents the path to enlightenment, or becoming Christ-like. If you understand spirituality and concepts of enlightenment then the Workbook with its daily exercises gives you a path to work through. For an introduction to the concepts, read the Text first then do the Workbook. They are both contained within the same volume. I haven’t mentioned an author for this book. The name of the author is not relevant as you’ll see when you read it. It is published by the Foundation for Inner Peace.

Many writers have written about A Course in Miracles and demonstrated how it can be used in our daily lives. Two particular authors are Gabrielle Bernstein and Marianne Williamson.

Spirit Junkie: A Radical Road to Discovering Self-Love and Miracles

Gabby Bernstein writes from a young female perspective so combines high heels, fashion and relationships with a path of peace and enlightenment. Her story is well-presented in Spirit Junkie which I would say is ideally positioned towards females aged 25-35.

The Age Of Miracles: Embracing The New Midlife

Marianne Williamson caters for an older audience, with a slightly female bias but may be a bit too American in places for a UK audience. Her message is incredibly powerful though. She talks about middle-age and the trials it brings (especially in The Age of Miracles) but also shows how the lessons from A Course in Miracles can be applied to bring us peace, happiness and comfort no matter what our middle to older age brings us. Try the short The Law of Divine Compensation – On Work, Money and Miracles for an introduction to the principles of A Course in Miracles and Return to Love for guidance on how to bring it more into our lives.

Spiritual Novels

The great spiritual teachers have all used stories and parables in their teaching. Stories help us understand their message by creating a tale that we can relate to, perhaps through identifying with the characters or a plot that reflects some of our life experiences. The modern equivalent of this is what I call the ‘spiritual novel’ and some of my favourites are given below.

The Celestine Prophecy: An Adventure

James Redfield. Set in Peru, the plot follows a group of people chasing after a historical manuscript before the authorities find and destroy it. During the adventure they learn to act on intuition and how humans relate to each other, both in close relationships and the world at large. Prepare to seek the Nine Insights…

Jonathan Livingston Seagull: A story

Richard Bach. For anyone uninterested in spirituality, this is a book about flying. But for those who are interested, it presents the entire journey in a neat little story about someone (actually, a seagull) who is made an outcast from their flock for daring to dream and grow. The novel follows Jonathan’s journey of learning and exploration from feeling lonely, depressed and isolated to becoming an inspirational teacher for other outcast gulls but who is, in essence, just a bird that loves to fly. It isn’t really about flying or seagulls, it’s about us and the meaning of our lives.