Your help is gratefully needed.
I am putting together a reading list for a coming course ‘Experiential Metaphysics.’ It is the reading list for what we were calling a modern Mystery School.
Below you will see a provisional list. I hope to bring it down to twelve titles that students must read. The books need to cover the essentials: cocepts and practices.
Please put your suggestions and edits in the comments box at the bottom of the page.
Many thanks đ
A Course in Miracles: Book 2 Work Book and Manual for teachers
Alice Bailey: Glamour â A World Problem
Barbara A. Brennan: Hands of Light: A Guide to Healing through the Human Energy
W. Y. Evans-Wentz: Tibetan Yoga and Secret Doctrines: Books of Wisdom of the Great Path
Dion Fortune: The Mystical Qabalah
George Frazer: The Golden Bough
Michael Harner: The Way of the Shaman
Marvin Harris: Cannibals and Kings
William James: Varieties of Religious Experience
John & Caitlin Matthews: Walkers Between the Worlds â The Western Mysteries from Shaman to Magus
Jane Roberts: Seth Speaks â The Eternal Validity of the Soul
Edouard SchurĂ©: The Great Initiates â A Study of the Secret History of Religions
Stephen Skinner: The Complete Magicianâs Tables
Starhawk: The Spiral Dance â A Rebirth of the Religion of the Ancient Goddess
Malidoma Patrice Somé: Of Water and the Spirit: Ritual, Magic and Initiation in the Life of an African Shaman
Rudolph Steiner: Knowledge of the Higher Worlds
Tenzin Wangyyal Rinpoche: Wonders of the Natural Mind – The essence of Dzogchen in the Native Bon Tradition of Tibet
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (Trans Alistair Shearer)
Hello William,
What about “Initiation into Hermetics” by Franz Bardon?
This book is I feel an invaluable treasure: beyond the occult and magical layers, it is a self-contained initiation system meant to lead one to union with the Divine Self.
I wish you well in this beautiful endeavour.
Three books, all by the same author, who is Raynor Winn. She writes so beautifully, and so movingly. She and her husband faced huge challenges, loss and fear, but through walking the coastal paths found the wildness both in the land and within them selves, reconnecting with Mother Earth in amazing ways.
The Salt Path
The Wild Silence
Landlines
Not sure if someone’s already mentioned, but Jack Kornfield’s ‘A Path with Heart’?
Here are some of books that you may want to add to your list.
Brian Weiss, MD–Messages from the Masters
Andrew Newberg, MD & Mark Robert Waldman–How God Changes Your Brain
Colin C. Tipping–Radical Forgiveness (Making Room for a Miracle)
Susan Shumsky, DD—Awaken Your Divine Intuition
Dawson Church, PhD–The Genie in Your Genes
Dawson Church, PhD–Mind to Matter (How Your Brain Creates Material Reality)
Dr. Joe Dispenza — You Are the Placebo (making your mind matter)
Great idea William and blessings as you proceed. I suggest including the following books on your list:
The writings of Annie Besant
The writings of John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila
The writings of Kalill Gibran
Hymn of the Universe and other writings by Theillard de Chardin
Gospel and other mystical music of the various traditions.
Hi William, thank you for sharing your list, i have none to add, but wanted to thank you for yours.
This feels like a fabulous project and will no doubt be an excellent course! Thank you for shinning you light đ
In addition to your comprehensive list you might consider adding THE DREAM OF THE COSMOS by Anne Baring. Beautiful. As an addition to her book many of the chapters are available without charge as audio recordings (read by a former BBC broadcaster) which could be a plus for your students.
I think my all time favorite book, which Iâve read at least four times, is Tao, the Watercourse Way by Alan Watts. With love
The best book ever …….
AWARENESS
By Anthony De Mello
If one isn.t aware, one is unable to see or feel ……. đ
1.Paramahansa Yogananda :The Autobiography of A Yogi
2.The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna (https://www.rarebooksocietyofindia.org/book_archive/196174216674_10157124182531675.pdf
3.Lama Anagarika Govinda: Foundations Of Tibetan Mysticism https://archive.org/details/FoundationsOfTibetanMysticismLamaAnagarikaGovinda
4. The magic of Findhorn by Paul Hawken
5.Ramakrishna and His Disciples by Christopher Isherwood
6.The Tibetan Book of the Dead: The Great Liberation Through Hearing In The Bardo Chogyam Trungpa and Francesca Fremantle
7. Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda (including the Yogas) (https://estudantedavedanta.net/Complete%20Works%20of%20Swami%20Vivekananda.pdf
8. Robert Monroe Journeys Out of The Body
https://selfdefinition.org/afterlife/Robert-Monroe-Journeys-Out-Of-The-Body.pdf
9. Joel S. Goldsmith Practicing The Presence & The Thunder of Silence
10. Itzhak Bentov Stalking The Wild Pendulum
11. Chogyam Trungpa Awakening from the Daydream: Reimagining the Buddha’s Wheel of Life
by David Nichtern and Chogyam Trungpa
12. Transcending Madness: The Experience of the Six Bardos (Dharma Ocean Series) Chogyam Trungpa
13. Pima Chodron No Time to Lose: A Timely Guide to the Way of the Bodhisattva
14. HH Dalai Lama The Wheel of Life: Buddhist Perspectives on Cause and Effect
I forgot Dorothy Maclean!!!
It’s a great list!!! Lovely to see Steiner’s Knowledge of the Higher Worlds.
I wondered about Alice Bailey’s A Treatise on White Magic, although her book on Glamour is fantastic, and I can see you want to have a range of sources/authors rather than more than one by a single author.
I also wondered about Vera Stanley Alder…
Any psychic protection books – your own or Judy Hall’s? Any Findhorn – the Findhorn Garden?
I have a few other thoughts but guess they might be a bit tangential for the ‘essential reading’.
Lots of love, Susie
William, What a list!
Many of the authors listed are familiar to me, and I have studied some of the titles with great care, such as Alice Bailey’s. I’ve noticed your selection of “Glamour” out of the entire body of work; it is a very pertinent choice for our current, often distorted reality.
I’ve found that over time my metaphysical interests have moved from the heady occult to the poetic and mystical. I have just read Susan Tiberghien’s Writing Towards Wholeness, Lessons inspired by C. G. Jung. She notes that Carl Jung, in his old age, writes that only the memories which touched his soul were worth sharing. Isn’t “touching the soul” the purpose of a mystery school? My very best wishes to you!
I have read most of the books in the top third of your list and agree with your choices.
I recommend that you consider the two books by Vadim Zeland. One is called “Reality Transurfing Steps 1-4” and the other is “Tufti The Priestess”. Zeland trained as a physicist in Russia and now teaches metaphysics through his books. The language of his examples would appeal to anyone, like myself, who has a background in science or engineering.
I would also suggest the last book published by Gary R Renard titled “The Lifetimes when Jesus and Buddha Knew Each Other.” Renard’s book begins with a concise and complete summary of the metaphysics of A course In Miracles and then continues with some very entertaining stories.
hi William, i was a student of ACIM for 24 years, and then something in me ceased to resonate with it. not long after that i was introduced to A Course of Love (also channelled from Jesus) which i have found so powerful- a ‘sequel’ to ACIM (?). its focus is on the presence and power of our hearts ( whereas i feel ACIM was focusing more on the mind. xx
Personally, I’m not interested in signing up for any “have to” obligations to any “official” Mystery School. We’re all already automatically signed into Life’s Mysteries just by being. I like to think that as unique individuals,we each get attracted to what we most need to know, and that can be very different from what another individual needs at any particular time. Of course, there are shared learning experiences that are fun or not, depending on how well it fits the individual’s needs at the time. I like looking in on others’ viewpoints for the sake of broadening my own individual perspective, provided my right to independently decide for myself is respected. Lately, my focus of attention is on re-reading all the Seth Books by Jane Roberts, and I sort of don’t want to be distracted for a while… I notice you did include Seth Speaks on your required reading list. I have at least skimmed through several of the other titles you’ve listed too, as well as many of the titles others have also suggested. I’ve always enjoyed your Newsletter and what talks I’ve had time to tune into. If individuals feel like they need an “official course” to plunge into, I’ll bet you devise one that will be extraordinary for all drawn to it! But, for now, I’ll just poke my head in when it’s easiest to do so, and leave it at that. I wish you the best with all my heart, anyway!
The course sounds brilliant William and something I would love to join so I’ll look forward to seeing this live! In the meantime, I think your list sounds excellent with several on there that I hadn’t heard of. Some suggestions on additional core books:
The Secret Teachings of All Ages by Manly P Hall
Metaphysical Anatomy by Evette Rose
And I agree with Janice above that it would be interesting to include some poetry such as Rumi to open up a different style of reflection and wisdom. Good luck!
My suggestion is that you consider including one of the books written by Neale Donald Walsch – for example, Conversations With God: Book One. Itâs good to see Varieties of Religious Experience and Knowledge of Higher Worlds in the list. Hope this helps.
For those who are in the Glastonbury area, it might be useful to know that the Library of Avalon has most of those books in its collection, available for loan to members.
*Johanson and Kurtz . (1991). Grace Unfolding: Psychotherapy in the Spirit Of the Tao-the Ching. Bell Tower US
Such an interesting list of books, William, some of which are familiar to me and some of which are not. I couldn’t resist ordering ‘Cannibals and Kings’. What a great title.
I like Barbara Brennan’s book. There is a kindle edition, but I think the printed version is out of print with second hand copies expensive.
I take it that you mean the abridged version of the Golden Bough rather than the full 12 volume version.
There are so many books that could be added, but the one that I think is missing is the Bhagavad Gita. Personally I like the Eknath Easwaran translation as it has an excellent and easy to understand commentary, but I know people who highly rate the Penguin Classis translated by Juan Mascaro.
You might include David Spangler’s Apprenticed to Spirit from Riverhead Books or Subtle Worlds or Working with Subtle Energies from Lorian Press.
Mr. Bloom – I will only add in this order the most important author’s that I rely on on my journey that seems to need any additional nuance from any author I see listed by others in any forum, William. #1 Ouspenksky, Gurdjoeff and Carl Jung. All in the turning towards the first great war in early 1900’s and to those true soothsayers and private investigators – “research the little unpublished “little red đ book” of Jung’s and if one doesn’t have the time to kill – look up a couple issues of THE TOWNSMAN from London, England.
Quite a read it twas! They say in London Towne in the heady days of rags & mags before LOOK took the world by storm – with pictures.
I love it soul brother #1 William Bloom!!!
– as always you dirty little street urchin belting it out in the wastelands of south carolina, USA, 2023.
God help us ÆȘâ (â Ëâ âŁâ Ëâ )â Ê
I would heartedly second that recommendation. I was just coming on to suggest those books by David Spangler
Wonderful ideas William! It was belatedly and only via The Healing Trust that I encountered your invaluable lifetime work; and (as I said previously) you confirmed it is normal I am one of many who see beyond the material.
So I wonder if one of Harry Edwards publications re spiritual/energy healing would fit here… or maybe an appropriate publication linked to (NFHS/The Healing Trust)? Wishing you well with the new venture!
Hi William, Though I visit your web page and read your blogs I am not following any of the courses you are offering…yet! I am a friend and colleague of John A and am am engaged in AUM Masonry, another type of masonic mystery school.
There are so many good books available now on metaphysics covering a wide range. But I would warmly recommed the follwowing books which have greatly contributed to expanding my understanding of the metaphysicl realities:
Destiny of Souls – Michael Newton Phd- Case studies of Life between Lives
A Celtic Book of Dying – Phyllida Anam-Aire. One of the best handbooks I have come across on watching with the dying and travelling with the dead. Phyllida was a student and friend of Elizabeth Kubler Ross and is a celtic priestess and student/practitioner of celtic wisdom teachings.
Kingdom of the Gods- Geoffrey Hodson. The clearest information I have found on the Angel/Deva Hierarchy
The books of Zachary Landsdowne on the Ageless Wisdom, for instance ‘Rules for Spiritual Initiation, the chakras and Esoteric Healing, the Rays and Esoteric Psychology.
The Secret of the Atomic Age Vera Stanley Alder, How to harness the untapped energy within ourselves
The Initiation of the World – ” ” ”
Personally The Autobiography of a Yogi by Swami Yogananda gave me much inspiration in the early years of my spiritual journeying.
as is Alice Baileys – Unfinished Autobiography.
Cosmic Memory – Rudolph Steiner on the history of Atlantis and Lemuria
and some books which I’m consciously working with and find extremely useful by Gary M Douglas originator of Access Consciousness which offers useful tools for clearing old thoughtforms and other stuff out of our system on many levels, as far as past lives to the present: ‘Living Beyond Distraction’. ‘Projections, expectations, separations, judgements, rejections’ (how these distract us from being our true, authentic self). A little book on ‘Animal Communication’ also by Gary Douglas and Dain Heer “Talk to the Animals.”
I also follow Nassim Haramein’s online Quantum physics information where he indicates how knowledge of the the ancient mystery teachings is mirrored in present day discoveries in quantum science (he is a genius and able to explain his Q. Physics insights into understandable lay wording). also Greg Braden another great scientist and speaker.
Its quite a wide range of subjects as also listed by other contributors above.
Good luck in sifting through to find the best material for your Mystery School Metaphics Course!
Hi William.
I listened to one of your talks several times, I think it was a donor event, as it seemed very important what you were saying regarding the “bad science brigade”..
suggestions:
The Teachings of Silver Birch
David Spangler Conversations with the Sidhe
A good list, but I feel it needs to be balanced out with the influence and importance of mother nature. Maybe a secondary reading list halfway through the course.
Love and blessings
Many of the books listed have a profound love of Mother Nature and encourage green awareness.
In my experience each book came according to life and spiritual development. To cover the many pathways will be very hard. I have read about five off list, but how will peoples understanding of book be accessed? Best of luck William.
glad to see at least some William James … How about Evelyn Underwood’s classic, Mysticism???
. enough! enough!
I prefer: C. Isherwood’s and Prabhavananda’stranslation of How to Know God: Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali
No Villoldo .. he’s dead wrong and vety disgeartening, I find.
the sign of jonas, thomas merton (THE Western mystic of the 20th century, AND given the title Geshe by H.H. Dalai Lama )
and
The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying Sogyal Rinpoche (SO MUCH MORE READABLE and true to origin than Evans-Wentz or other popular ‘mindfulness’ or Buddhist etc. writers, respectively)
Hi William
Such a difficult task! I strongly second for: Barbara Brennan: Hands of Light; Starhawk, the spiral dance; W. Y. Evans-Wentz: Tibetan Yoga and Secret Doctrines; Michael Harner: The Way of the Shaman; John & Caitlin Matthews: Walkers Between the Worlds. I am less enthusiastic about a course in miracles altho am unfamiliar with the manual for teachers. some of the others have been on my to read list and I have not yet found/accessed them. I also second for the subtle body (and energetic boundaries) by cyndi dale, the tibetan book of living and dying and jean houston and am less enthusiastic for eckhardt tolle.
My additional suggestions:
Dorothy MacLean, to hear the angels sing; Ram Dass, Journey of Awakening and/or be here now; William Bloom, the endorphin effect and/or working with fairies, etc(!); Jack Schwartz, voluntary controls; Daniel Goleman, Varieties of the meditative experience; Lama Surya Das, awakening the buddha within as well as other titles by these same authours…
Thank you for all your work!
I havenât read all the suggestions but so far cannot see any of Omraam Mikhael Aivanhovâs books! There are so many to choose from but as a starter I think the best would be âThe Living Book of Natureâ – canât go wrong with that!
Hi William,
2 books from me, one physical and another metaphysical.
1)The metaphysical one: “The Universe”, fortunately you don’t need to buy this as it’s available for free all around us, it can be read it using some or a combination of the 5 senses.
2)The physical book is the universe compressed into a book, this book is called “The “Quran, BUT unfortunately it has to be read in its original language i.e. Arabic, as it’s simply impossible to grasp the meaning using a translation. You also don’t need to buy this, it’s available for free.
Very challenging reading list! Missing from the list for me is Sri Aurobindo – I suggest The Life Divine, or even his epic poem Savitri, which contains the essence of his metaphysical work. But I recognise you simply can’t fit them all in!!
Julian of Norwich as translated by Mirabai Starr, “The Divine Showings.” This late-medieval near death experience testimonial is so many things at once: A historical wonder preserved for centuries by women who kept it safe amid religious persecution and revolution in England and France, respectively; a joyous affirmation of the Divine as Mother; a divine lexicon of such extraordinary words as “oneing” with the Divine; and a broader perspective of our time here incorporated with the mantra, “All will be well, and all will be well, and all manner of things shall be well.” Here is a wonderful way in to one of Julian’s visions, a short meditation with the always inspiring Matthew Fox: https://dailymeditationswithmatthewfox.org/2022/08/21/julian-of-norwich-and-the-universe-in-the-palm-of-her-hand/
The Subtle Body Cyndi Dale
Breathe James Nestor
Also consider Mindfulness/Spiritual books by Jon Kabat Zinn
Also Mother Julians work of The Showings.
I think your book list is great. I also love the suggestions your community is contributing. I was thrilled to see “The Cloud of Unknowing” (Butcher translation) in the suggestions! It’s a direct “how to” of contemplation and contemplative prayer – and it’s uncannily readable – weirdly, I found it to be a real “page turner!”
Below are a couple of suggestions for your expanded list:
-“The Re-Enchantment of Everyday Life” by Thomas Moore. I almost feel this is essential reading for modern man who has become so denatured – divorced from his own nature, and thereby separated from the beauty, the mysticism and the magic of life on the day to day. If we don’t get back there, I feel we will have lost ourselves.
-“Showings of Julian of Norwich: A New Translation” by Mirabai Starr. The story of Julian belongs in most spiritual curricula. Mirabai’s translations make the original essence sing – her writing is a pleasure to read.
-“Wild Mercy: Living the Fierce and Tender Wisdom of the Women Mystics,” by Mirabai Starr. Her knowledge and understanding across all traditions is extraordinary, but her in depth understanding of women mystics across time and traditions is also incredibly intuitive.
-“Activation of Energy” by Pierre Teilard de Chardin. He was thinking about the intersection or overlap of esoterics/mysticism and science/technology a long time ago.
-“The Secret Doctrine” by HP Blavatsky (this is hard going-I didn’t make it all the way through – but so interesting)
-“Blavatsky Unveiled : the writings of H.P. Blavatsky in modern English. V.1.” by Moon Laramie. (This title is definitely more accessible than The Secret Doctrine, and still very comprehensive in its scope.)
-And how about some poetry…? A small selection of Rumi poems to ponder – such timeless wisdom! Or how about some David Whyte! Quite beautiful and poignant observations of life and emotion.
Sending love to all,
janice
I would suggest the Circleofa.org Complete and Annotated Edition
The softcover of A Course in Miracles Complete & Annotated Edition (CE) features:
1. BRAND NEW SECTION: The softcover includes a new 4-paragraph section entitled The Journey Into Fear (T-12.III). When we first published the CE, this material became the subject of cameo essay 21 (found in the back of the book), but after careful consideration, it has now been included in Chapter 12 where it appeared in Helen’s notebook.
2. HIGH QUALITY VINYL COVER: Vinyl covers offer more durability and less scuffing so you can keep your Course in good shape.
3. THINNER AND LIGHTER DESIGN: The softcover weighs just under 3 pounds, making it a more portable option for travel.
The Gathering by William Gammill
Your list hardly covers the Abrahamic paths, I strongly advocate Desert Wisdom by Neil Douglas Klotz.
Alan xx
Sydney Banks, The Missing Link. Testimonies of Light, Helen Greaves. Creating, Fritz. Not I, Not Other Than I, Russell Williams. Iâd also agree Hands of Light as a seminal world, and The Varieties of Religious Experience. Iâd stay away from a course in miracles as too much dogma – although not read the teachers guide.
Iâd be interested in seeing a masters Curriculum but I wouldnât be travelling internationally for this. Iâm UK based. I have a psych degree and am a qualified hypnotherapist – I didnât do a masters as couldnât find one that was useful to clients. My hypnotherapist training and the work of Sydney Banks gave me insight that was foundational for your work
No pressure then William! đ
I would swap out Rudolf Steiner’s Knowledge of Higher Worlds for his Intuitive Thinking as a Spiritual Path, also called the Philosophy of Freedom. Steiner thought it would be the one most accessible still in our time. It certainly has been for me.
Elaine MacInnes, Light Sitting in Light, a Christian’s Experience in Zen. She ‘brought the way of Zen into the already rich storehouse of Christian spirituality
Jean Houston. The Search for the Beloved, journeys in Sacred Psychology. She is less well-known in the UK but is such an important person in the development of personal/spiritual development in the world and this book is a PRACTICAL guide for spiritual journeying in any culture/faith (she’s worked in over a hundred countries). having taken part in her workshops in person I cannot rate her more highly. Of her many books I feel this is the one most fitting for your booklist.
Hi William, Thanks for all the great work you do to help us!!! I recommend the addition of a book and here is my story with this book.
The Intention Experiment by Lynne McTaggart. I was a computer programmer who left IBM and became a healer. During my first decade as a corporate-escapee, I read TONS of books in my new field, as well as attending many classes. When âThe Intention Experimentâ came out I devoured that as well. One of my main thoughts as I read this book, was that I wished it had been out 10 years earlier, as so much of the material had been in like 100+ of the books I had read. I even got my atheist Dad who thought I was totally whacked for leaving IBM and doing Healing Touch, to read âThe Intention Experimentâ. After reading it he said to me – is metaphysics the reason you are doing the Healing Touch? I said yes and my Dad went on a focus reading for a while on metaphysics.
Any of David Spanglerâs many books.
Conversations with the Sidhe by David Spangler
Itâs a real mind opener to the Faery Folk.
Anything by Paul Levy on Wetiko. We have to know what we’re up against, always, and particularly now … these are bold and very contemporary books that shine a light on the current madness in the world … and how to deal with it.
Hi William. You mentioned possibly linking it to a Masters or a PhD so, ideally, it would be good to see the course programme, how it would be assessed and the learning outcomes first, but I’m guessing that they might not exist yet, so… I would retain the William James and the Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, and add ‘Awake: It’s Your Turn’ by Angelo Dilullo, ‘Who Am I’ by Ramana Maharshi, ‘The Direct Way’ by Adyashanti, ‘The Power of Now’ by Eckhart Tolle, ‘Spiritual Awakenings: Scientists and Academics Describe Their Experiences’ edited by Marjorie Woollacott and David Lorimer, ‘Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art’ by James Nestor, ‘Right Concentration’ by Leigh Brasington, and (finally!) ‘Spiritual Science’ by Steve Taylor. That would keep them busy for a while…
Thanks Peter
You’ll see the first draft outline here: https://williambloom.com/2022/10/23/draft-mystery-school-curriculum/
Formal learning outcomes in process.
Appreciate your list.
And thanks to others too for your input đ
Lovely to see books on writers from 19th century our heritage. The Mysteries of the Holy Grail. Rudolf Steiner. Hara. The Vital Centre of Man. Karlfried Graf Durckheim. The Web of Life. John Davidson. The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. Sogyal Rinpoche. Hope that helps.
What an exciting project and future opportunity for all of us. Thank you so much for all you’re doing!
Of all the books you are listing, the only one I’m familiar with and have studied for years is ACIM. Otherwise, I’ve found so many teachers helpful, such as Adyashanti, Eckhart Tolle, and Byron Katie among them. However, Michael Singer’s The Untethered Soul has a very practical feel to it that I believe most would be able to relate to, no matter what background.
Maybe it could serve as an entry level book into the this big topic of awareness and practical/experiential metaphysics.
I’m currently reading The Direct Path to Healing: A Trinity of Energy, Light & Information by Eric Pearl and Jillian Fleer as how I look at healing keeps changing.
Warmly, Tone-Lise
âCloud of Unknowing. Carmen Acevedo Butcher (translator)
âTeresa of Avila. Interior Castle.
what about ‘Your Soul’s Plan by Robert Schwartz?
How about adding Robert Bruce’s “Practical Psychic Self-Defense Handbook”. I found it to be such a great practical guide if you find yourself up against a challenge / initiation. And an earthy guide as to the reality of other worlds.
I would add “Journey to the East” by Herman Hesse. As you know, it isn’t a “how to” type of book but a short book whose contents are useful to contemplate. It is thus more of an allegorical and conceptual book of the entire process that we are each on. Well, that’s my view anyway.
I’d also add “The Waking Dream”, Ray Grasse as a practical contemplative text which encourages an individual to reflect on their journey and what things mean in the context of their culture and life as opposed to a cookbook like Stephen Skinner (which might be useful for reference later on).
The other thought that came to mind is that this is like creating a near-perfect salad, there needs to be green leaves, sharp radishes, tomatoes, maybe edible flowers, some carbs in some shape or form and so on. Consequently, there should not be too many of the same type of thing ie book/ subject.
These titles may be more biographical but they were very moving to me:
Autobiography of a Yogi
There is a River – the biography of Edgar Cayce
The Team by Teddy and Frances Key
Plant Intelligence and the Imaginal Realm by Stephen Harrod Buhner
Divine Beauty, The Invisible Embrace by John O’Donohue
Conversations with the Soul, a Psychiatrist Reflects on Life, Death and Beyond by Dr Andrew Powell.
Alberto Villoldo; how to Grow a New Body