These Books Have Been My Greatest Teachers
Dearest reader,
Let me play Oprah for a minute here and present to you my very own book club. I’ve been wanting to write this post for quite a while now. But like everything else, I just never got around to it. Now is as good a time as any to share with you the books that have been my greatest teachers.
I love to read. So much so that I’m usually reading 2-3 books at a time. Like many of us, as a child I used to love getting lost in books, but once high school came around, I got too busy trying to figure life out. And that lasted up until my late twenties. I didn’t do much reading until I got laid off at 28 and decided to take a year off to travel. That year, I ended up with so much time and anxiety on my hands, I finally picked up a book for pure pleasure.
I gravitated towards the “New-Age” section of the bookstore. Didn’t even know that was a thing. It’s the section you go crawling to in tears when you’ve hit your own personal rock bottom and demand some answers. The section you don’t want anyone to know you’re crawling to. The section that will suck you in and spit you back out a transformed, third-eye opened hippie.
The first book I picked up was The Celestine Prophecy. I. Was. Hooked.
I’m obsessed with this stuff you guys! I cannot put it down. And just when I’m finishing one book, the next teacher miraculously finds its way to me. I never have to wonder what I’m going to read next. The book always finds me.
And I believe you are reading this right now because these books are now finding you.
Over the years I have read well over 100 of these new-age books. I believe they aren’t just books, but teachers and sign posts pointing you in the right direction. The words in the pages jump out at you, showing you EXACTLY what you need to read EXACTLY when you need to read it. They know what questions you have and they came to answer them.
Are you searching for a deeper meaning in life? Are you curious about spirituality? Do you intuitively know that there’s more to life than what you see?
If yes, then these books are for you. If no, then these books are for you.
I narrowed this book club to the 10 books that have been my greatest teachers. I share what they’re about and what they’ve taught me. I also include links to purchase on the title. My prayer is that you pick up the book(s) that speaks to you and get your questions answered.
1) The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself, by Michael A. Singer
What I learned: I am not my thoughts.
This was the book that woke my a** up. I remember the exact moment, sitting on my bunk bed in a hostel in Nosara, Costa Rica. I was knee deep in this book, and it FINALLY assimilated. I am not my thoughts. I am the observer. Singer has a way of describing the soul-mind connection in a way that is easy to understand and grasp. It’s not a super heavy read, but there are some golden nuggets that can help you recognize thoughts before you believe them.
2) Autobiography of a Yogi, by Paramahansa Yogananda
What I learned: Who I am.
This book has had the biggest impact on my journey into awakening. The words I use to describe it will never do it justice. While reading this book it felt like I was given all of the secrets to life. Where we came from, where we’re going, why we’re here. It’s like I finally understood WTF is going on. Yogananda’s life story might just be mere entertainment for some, but for me, it was became my bible.
3) Dying To Be Me: My Journey From Cancer, to Near Death, to True Healing, by Anita Moorjani
What I learned: What happens when we die.
This was my first NDE book, near death experience. This book single handedly removed my fear of death. After this, I was hooked. I got my hands on all of the NDE stories I could find. I wanted an insight into the afterlife. I wanted to compare notes. I wanted so bad to know that things are good after this. Now I know they’re even better. Moorjani’s story is fascinating, one that must be read if you too are curious about the afterlife.
4) The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth, by M. Scott Peck, M.D.
What I learned: How to approach life with more logic.
I picked up this book last year. By this time, I had a good number of spiritual self-help books under my belt. I started asking God for more of a logical perspective to life. I mastered the emotional side, but I needed some help with the intellectual side. She brought me this book. It’s written by a man. A doctor man. I don’t believe it gets any more logical than this. Peck shares with his readers a new psychology on love, traditional values and spiritual growth. If you’re looking to tap into your masculinity, (yes ladies, we have a masculine side which can serve just as effectively as our emotional side), then this is the book for you. Or if you’re a guy that’s new to the path, this speaks your language.
5) Letting Go: The Pathway of Surrender, by David Hawkins
What I learned: How to let go.
This was another intellectual spiritual book that found its way to me when I was searching for logic. Hawkins is a clinical psychiatrist that discovered inner mechanisms to help readers let go of the obstacles to enlightenment and free themselves of suffering. It’s one of only two books on surrendering I can find. This one in particular taught me how to let go of the feelings that are attached to triggering thoughts. That, my friends, is true freedom.
6) The Instruction: Living the Life Your Soul Intended, by Ainslie MacLeod
What I learned: My soul’s age and purpose.
This book was one of my greatest compassion teachers. As a psychic, Macleod connects with his spirit guides who have given him a systematic approach to uncovering who you really are. This book discusses the soul’s age and type. It explains why certain people have certain traits, which helps to expand awareness of yourself and others.. Realizing that Trump isn’t just an insensitive prick, he’s a young soul, helped me to see the world and the souls inhabiting it with much more understanding and compassionate eyes.
7) A New Earth: Awakening To Your Life’s Purpose, by Eckhart Tolle
What I learned: How to be here now.
This list is no particular order, but if it were, this would be number two on the list. Eckhart is no ordinary spiritual author. This man is woke. Like, enlightened woke. His main message is a simple one; be here now. This entire book is basically a dissertation on how to be present. He fills over 330 pages with words to say one word; NOW. I received so much clarity reading this book, that by the end of it the world looked a little brighter. It’s as if he put into words everything my soul was feeling. I even dedicated an entire blog post to this book. It was THAT profound.
8) Conversations with God: An Uncommon Dialogue, by Neale Donald Walsch
What I learned: I am perfect as I am.
This book had me in tears the entire time. Because for the first time since I set off on this path, I felt understood and loved unconditionally. I finally understood what it meant to love myself unconditionally and that I was loved unconditionally. After reading this book, I removed the words “discipline” and “strict” from my practice, and allowed myself to just be who I am. Neale’s conversation with God felt like a permission slip to be myself. I don’t have to try to be anything. I just have to be myself because God loves me exactly how I am. The words in this book assimilated that message into by being.
9) The Surrender Experiment: My Journey into Life’s Perfection, by Michael A. Singer
What I learned: How to live a life of surrender.
Singer is the only author listed twice on my list. His words and message are that impactful. Because they’re profound enough to make you dig deeper, but simple enough so you can actually understand. This book is Michael’s story about what happened when he just let go. It’s a fascinating story of perfect synchronicities, faith-testing challenges, and unexpected miracles. I made a commitment to let go and live a life of surrender after reading this book, a commitment I will never break.
10) Radical Forgiveness: A Revolutionary Five-Stage Process to Heal Relationships, Let Go of Anger and Blame, and Find Peace in Any Situation, by Colin Tipping
What I learned: How to be at peace with anything that happens to me.
This has been my most recent teacher. This book came to me when I was in the midst of a painful lesson. I wouldn’t have learned the lesson and found true inner peace had it not been for this book. Tipping gives us step-by-step instruction in what begins as a healing process, and ends with realizing everything has a purpose. If you’re willing to journey into your pain, learn to forgive yourself and others, analyze the s%*t out of yourself, your life can truly change.
Those are the ten books that have been my greatest teachers. If you’re willing to dig deep, do the work, and stop playing victim, I am confident that these books can transform your life and bring you great peace and wisdom.
Thank you for reading my words! Please share the books that have been your greatest teachers in the comments below. I would love to hear from you.
