Cool Spirituality-Related Books

(Sorry this list is quite out of date... it's been a couple decades!)

Sad to say, but there are few books out there that I can recommend.

C.S. Lewis. One particularly recommendable set are C.S. Lewis' books on Christianity. The insights he has seem particularly interesting to "the thinking man or woman," a tribute to his intelligence, intuition, and reasoning skills. The Screwtape Letters and The Great Divorce are great. His other books are also enlightening, minus certain small aspects that seem more dogma than rational thinking. Almost everything of his overflows with humor, light, and incredible insight. (Nope, I don't agree with everything he says, but I enjoy most of it anyway.) Unlike many other authors, I find his writing got better the older he got!

Divine Healing Made Simple. This book seriously upended my thinking and challenged my theology. Does Jesus give us the power, authority, and responsibility to command healing? Are so few people healed on Earth because we aren't doing it? P.S. I do not personally follow the political direction the author took after this book.

Stephen Covey. A great book and cassette is The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey. (The audio cassette version is better than the book in my opinion: more succinct.) It's not at all related to the psychic realm, but it conveys a lot of what I think is truth. For instance, it mentions the progression from dependence, to independence, to interdependence --- which is in some ways more profound than one might think. Covey also teaches a return to principles, instead of the quick-fix "technique" craze of modern society. The book, like Saint Francis, advocates "Seek first to understand, rather than be understood." Excellent!

Prayer Can Change Your Life, William Parker and Elaine St. Johns -- how to pray, how some types of prayer can be ineffective. Used to be available from Guideposts. Try Amazon.com.

The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander. Includes "wow!" stories of taking a higher path and letting the inner spirit soar free. Benjamin Zander exudes enthusiasm for life and music.

One of these days I need to get Tom (Tom's of Maine) Chappell's Seven Intentions....

Other really helpful books:

Logotherapy philosophy by Victor Frankl, a concentration camp survivor who hypothesizes that people need to look for meaning within their lives.
Booker T. Washington's autobiography is not specifically about spiritualism, but fairly shines with inspiration.
Harriet: The Moses of Her People by Sarah H. Bradford (or other books on Harriet Tubman), who was deeply religious.
Also, try reading some of the speeches by Sojourner Truth, who "heard voices" and was "called."
Uncle Tom's Cabin was also written by a woman who was supposedly spiritually inspired.
I also liked many parts of Hellen Keller's autobiography.
Peace Pilgrim: Her Life and Work in Her Own Words: available free online and free in print; well worth reading.
The Alcoholics Anonymous' Big Book is fascinating reading that depicts the power of spirituality put into practice. Available free online and also available in print form.

You can read these works and see if you can find a common thread among them, a common "feel," a common message.

Speaking of a common message and a good "feel," here are some very good spiritual (sometimes inadvertently) books that just happen to also be about animals:

So That Others May Live: Caroline Hebard and Her Search-and-Rescue Dogs by Hank Whittemore and Caroline Hebard
The Dog Who Rescues Cats: The True Story of Ginny Philip Gonzalez and Leonore Fleischer
Out of Harm's Way Terri Crisp and Samantha Glen. Stories of rescuing animals, and the rewards (and costs) of dedication and compassion.
The Man Who Listens to Horses ... Horse Sense for People, and Shy Boy by Monty Roberts. Roberts seems particularly profound when he speaks of the pain we have inflicted on others (animal and human), and how the cycle of abuse might be overcome through understanding, compassion, and discipline. Embodies again the principles of "Seek first to understand" and the aikido principle of harmony. Looks not just at the good, but also the ugly. (Note: there is controversy about the veracity of some of what Roberts writes; however, there is no doubt his horse techniques are gentle and effective.)
When Elephants Weep: The Emotional Lives of Animals (Susan McCarthy and Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson) and in a similar vein,
The Parrot's Lament (Eugene Linden). Both contain a huge number of fascinating anecdotes about animals' abilities to think, feel, lie, cheat, innovate, play games, love, and grieve.
BIRD TALK magazine, when I last read it some years ago, used to regularly contain readers' stories about how pet birds and their human companions have enriched each others' lives... sometimes amazingly so.
(See also my Spiritual Up-Links page for other (non-book) resources.)

A number of Near-Death Experiences cross the spectrum from Catholic to Mormon to New Age to Buddhist! Two that I found most compelling and (IMHO) evidencing good fruit are both categorizable as "Christian"; they are Embraced by the Light (Eadie) and Return from Tomorrow (Dr. Ritchie). Also, I've enjoyed Howard Storm's NDE book and Sandra Rogers' NDE book as well.

Much spiritual information can be gleaned by carefully reading and comparing various books in all sorts of fields. It's absolutely vital to remain objective when reading these books in a research capacity, as some of them contain material that may lead one seriously astray (not that I can say which is which). Some fields to look into: Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism (such as the Bhagavad-gita text, concerning Krisna's teachings), non-standard Christian gospels, Mormon texts, Muslim texts, New Age texts, Wiccan texts, and general occult texts (including books on reincarnation, past-life regression, and near death experiences). Go out on the WWW and read the hard-line religious sites. Notice how they all sound sort of similar, no matter which religion is concerned.

As you read, you'll probably find most texts demanding that you believe a particular thing that might be markedly or very subtely different from what all the other texts say. Instead of believing any one of the texts, you might try looking at each one closely and saying, "Where does this lead me? What is the author's attitude? Does the information lead to obvious self-improvement and a subtly bigger ego? Does it lead to utter, blind dependence on someone else? Does it justify hatred of others? Or does it lead to caring and self-discipline, and real humility? What do these books have in common? What makes each different?" Remember that there are spirits out there who are "wolves in sheeps' clothing"; not even that which sounds good on the surface can necessarily be trusted. Look deeper.