Spirituality Books

5 stars what more can I say.

I first read this book about 5 years ago. At the time I had no idea that it would have such a dramatic effect on me. Currently, I am on my 2nd copy and will probably order a 3rd soon. (just to be sure). I cant imagine life without this book to reference, espechially when times are tough. Once, when someone asked me what 3 things I would bring to a deserted island, ( Im sure youre all familiar with that question)--this book was one of the 3 things. I have trained myself to pick up this book anytime I find myself being tossed around by any difficulty I might find myself in. I can open it to any page, and there I find helpful advice on ANY problem. Not only wisdom but Truthful, honest solutions and to every problem that has ever been known to man. All the answers are contained in its pages, and I know they are all the answers that I will ever need.

Of the thousands of books I have read over the years _The Mystic Path to Cosmic Power_ has been by far the most important, at least on a personal level. When I first read it - I came across it by chance - I felt a rather strange but pleasant emotion of inner freedom and release. Now I turn to this book whenever I feel anxious or oppressed and the weight just falls from my shoulders. Vernon presents some of the greatest spiritual truths of the ages in very clear language, without dogma, jargon, psychobabble or new age fluff. The 'cosmic power' he talks about is about peace and clarity of mind, about realisation of one's true self by breaking free from the conditioned ego or social self that we normally live from. Through the ages there have been a small number of men and women who knew Truth and Vernon was one of them. Read this book and find out for yourself. jonathancolman@hotmail.com

Mystic Path to Cosmic Power by Vernon Howard is a perfect book. It was written by an awakened man and it explains in clear language the way to become awakened. I attended classes and personally met this man and he embodied everything he taught about awakedness. He spoke clearly and directly to the ignorance that enslaved me and called it out for me to observe, and in that observation, I have seen freedom. There's nothing to "do" to awaken. There is something to see. Vernon Howard explains the darkness so perfectly that light becomes apparent. He was teaching these truths before so many others, yet his words are still the purest. If you are suffering, you need this book. Vernon will show you why you suffer and how to leave that suffering behind. Whether you suffer from guilt, loss, fear, jealousy, anger, or anything else, he will show you the thought patterns that have created that suffering and how those thought patterns can be seen through and risen above. Before I read Vernon's work I was depressed and hostile. His teachings have released me from this painful way of living. He can do the same for you.

The mystic path has never been so simplistically put into words. The wisdom of mysticism is hardily the best philosophy to explicate into tangible, solid practices. The nature of Howard's parables teach truths otherwise missed in daily life. The book hits on key events of typical life as seem from the eyes of mundane trivialities, though later boarders on the line of cultism. I must stress that this book reads well, as it's beautifully narrated through format and relevance. The end of the book leaves the reader with tough choices, being that the book easily compels the reader to 'act' by quickly adopting many of the advice scattered through the chapters, the final step might be beyond the realm of possibility for most. Whether you choose to fully implement your Cosmic Power into your everyday life and seek to conglomerate with others of the same 'mystic level', or extract key concepts in which you will utilize for selfish purposes, The Mystic Path to Cosmic Power will get you there.

I first thought the book was simple and repetitive. But when I experienced a loss and re-read the book, I finally realized how profound this book really is.
I had been dealing with the subject of death for quite a few years. (I started with the book HAGAKURE, by Tsunetomo Yamamoto. You may or may not like to check that out. It's a more stoic approach to similar subjects). Anyway, I wanted to conquer the idea of my own inevitable mortality, so that when the time comes, I will handle it with grace. So, my approach was to prepare beforehand.
As I said, I was working on my OWN mortality. It never occured to me that I might also apply it to someone else. Someone I love recently died. That was the 1st real loss that I've encountered, so I was devastated. All those years of preparing myself didn't really mean much (though at the time, I thought I was ready and that I knew it all). I had already owned a copy of this book and read it several years ago. Feeling in the pits, I decided to pull the book out and read it again, as this time it is much more applicable (since I'm experiencing loss).
The book seemed so simple beforehand. It was a quick read. Thich Nhat Hanh also seemed repetitive; I felt bored several times. This, as it turns out, was my fault, not his. He is such a good teacher that he makes everything seem so simple. However, after someone I loved very much died, I re-read this book, and I realized how profound it really is. The reason why Thich is so repetitive, is because you need to drill it into you head so that you really understand it. It's like learning how to count to ten. No one is born knowing how to count to ten. But you drill it until the day when you know it all by heart. Trust me, this book is more profound than it seems; do not just read through it and think that it's all obvious and that you already know it. Reading and learning is not good enough; you have to experience it!
It's like this: death is not real. You cannot create something out of nothing, and you cannot become nothing from something. It's not the reality of things. (Physics will agree with that, for you scientists out there). The problem is that we're deluded. This delusion creates in us a false sense of reality, and that leads to our suffering. We fear death because we think we become nothing. We fear death, because we do not understand it. The problem is that we've learned the wrong way; we need to unlearn our delusions and see death as it really is: simply a change in form. Basically, it's moving on. We want to stay in one place, but the fact of the universe is that it is always changing. We are deluded into remaining stagnant in a universe that, let's face it, is not going to stop and wait for us.
This book helped me immensely in my loss. But it's neverending; you can't just reach a certain point and then stop; you'll lose it. You have to keep going. It's one of those books I will always keep with me. Get this book beforehand, and slowly introduce it into your life and try to apply it. Don't wait until you experience a loss. You will be too devastated. It's never too late to prepare youself for what's inevitable. It will greatly diminish your sense of despair. That much I can gaurantee.

Hanh quickly grabs the reader's attention and mindfully drifts off in euphamism and metaphor as he meanders over, under and through this difficult topic (difficult for most people).

Calming in his approach to death, life, beginning (no beginning) and end (no end), the author seems to have an excellent hold on his spiritual beliefs and his desire to share. For those of any and all faiths, death is a frightening subject, but Hanh paints a wonderful picture of immortality through all that a person touches in his/her life.

The only, and I stress only, misgiving I found with this short read are the over-used metaphorical analysis between human life and that of an oceanic wave. I wish the author could draw similarities shared by all breathing life organisms, rather than something as translucent as water (although I think I understand WHY he often describes life in terms of water).

I would certainly recommend this book.

I read this book after the passing of my Grandparents and it helped me deal with their passing. I recommend this book to anyone who is searching for answers about life and death. Great book!

This has been one of the most powerful books I've ever read. It helped me through the death of my father. My mother is now nearing the end of her life in this body and I'm re-reading it. I suspect that I will revisit it many times . . .

This is an incredible book. If one is not familiar with Buddhism, one must
read past some aspects of it that most of us might not fully believe, mainly, reincarnation, which Thich Nhat Hahn and other Buddhists do believe. That said, the prayers to recite for the dying, and the philosophy that nothing ever dies is invaluable. It's hard to let go of loved ones, so to think of it as simply returning to our physical elements, dissolving into the earth, evaporating to become the clouds, can give one some comfort. If you haven't read other works by Thich Nhat Hahn, I don't know if this book will be as powerful for you, but I think that anyone can gain great insight from it, and hopefully, some inner peace. I have given many copies as gifts.

I will read this book over and over again. If you desire to know God intimately, there is no book I've seen apart from the Bible that will help you as much in your relationship with God as this book.

A wonderful book that will present to you the relationship a very Godly man had with his Lord. It will challenge you and inspire you if you let it.

A must for those who wish to know their creator better. Something you'll read over and over again.

This is one of those books that one can read multiple times over the years and get something new out of it each time.

Tozer wrote the book decades ago, but many of the issues in the church that he was concerned about are even more pressing today than they were in 1949. In our present culture, it is an enormous challenge to seek God alone. Tozer asserts that many if not most of the problems (and attendant unhappiness) in our Christian lives involve our seeking "God-plus" and not God alone.

Tozer enumerates some of the attributes of God and explains how the knowledge of those attributes should increase our trust in God and devotion to Him, and should give us peace in our daily lives.

This book is a classic and is a great aid to spiritual growth.

In all of my years growing up as a "conservative evangelical"... I heard of A.W. Tozer quite often, but I have just now stopped to read my first Tozer book. After reading Tozer's "The Pursuit of God: The Human Thirst for the Divine", I can't help but wonder if all those preachers and teachers were speaking of another A.W. Tozer. I keep thinking, "How did they miss this?"

Tozer writes of spiritual things, not of the religious outward works of the flesh. His concern is that we all might tune in our spiritual receptors and begin letting the Lord take us deeper into him. I resonated with this book in many things the Lord is presently teaching me.

Tozer writes, "We have almost forgotten that God is a person and, as such, can be cultivated as any person can. It is inherent in personality to be able to know other personalities, but full knowledge of one personality by another cannot be achieved in one encounter."

He goes on to say,"God is a person, and in the deep of His mighty nature He thinks, wills, enjoys, feels, loves, desires and suffers as any other person may... He communicates with us through the avenues of our minds, our wills, and our emotions."

Yet, we must know that it is through the inner man (i.e. our spirit) that Christ's life governs the soul life and the body. Watchman Nee has written an excellent work regarding this matter. I encourage you to read "The Spiritual Man" and "The Release of the Spirit."

Tozer has done a great thing to point out the flaws of the "smug and content" churches in America. Christ's 'forgiveness of sins' seems to be the resting place of most Christians... never moving on in purusit of Christ in all things. These people settle for programs, passions, ministries, and movements... they never grow up into Christ.

Tozer writes, "Why do some persons "find" God in a way that others do not?" He answers, "The difference lies not with God but with us."

If I could sum up this book in one phrase... it would be: SPIRITUAL RECEPTIVITY. Tozer beckons us to press on to Christ in God as person, not as a floating spirit hovering on the ceiling during worship and prayer time. Those who follow the urge to press on further into Christ and do something about that urge instead of ignoring it... will know the depths and the riches of the Living God.

We must move on past our doctrinal knowledge of God and enter into Christ, the Person. Tozer writes, "the highest love of God is not intellectual, it is spiritual. God is Spirit and only the spirit of a man can know Him really."

There are many who will label this kind of book as "Christian mysticism" or "the deeper Christian life". I am uncomfortable with using both of these phrases regularly... and lean toward not using them at all. The confusion comes by a failure to distinguish between what is "normal" and what is "common".

What I mean is... it may not be common for man to speak of experience with Christ in the way of a Tozer, Sparks, Nee, Merton, or Madame Guyon. Nevertheless, it is not abnormal and should not be considered "deeper" or "mystical". These are not words used of the first disciples and I see them being completely unnecessary, and even distracting, when speaking of the normal Christian life Christ has lived, died, and been resurrected to freely give to all.

The apostle Paul spoke of the life of Christ in the same way as the so-called "mystical" Christian writers. We should not think that Paul was speaking of life that only a few can experience. Coming into the life that is described by Paul and many of the Christian "mystics"... is nothing deserving of any name or title other than the normal worship of Christ, the Person of God.

We should understand this "deeper" part of our journey with Christ as being a normal progression of the working out of salvation and us being made complete in Christ (Phil. 2:12; Col. 2:2-3). These unnecessary words and phrases do not put the emphasis on the person of Christ, but on the person who worships him. I see no need for the distractive adjectives and the luring language of super Christians.

I also recommend reading:
The Spiritual Man (3 volume set)
The Centrality of Jesus Christ (Works of T. Austin-Sparks) Volume One
The Release of the Spirit
Christ the Center (Harper's Ministers Paperback Library)
Christ the Sum of All Spiritual Things
The Normal Christian Life (Hendrickson Christian Classics)
Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ (Library of Spiritual Classics, Volume 2)

This book teaches in depth about the various stages of relationships. Munroe deals very specifically on being whole and complete and how not to control people to meet your needs.

I would recommend this book for all ages, singles and married couples. It provides great insight for personal growth and maturity. It also helps point out potential pitfalls that befall many.

I highly recommend this book for every walk of life wheather you find yourself single, going through a divorce,seperated or divorced... and married just like the title says. It is a book you will want to refer back to over and over again. Be blessed.

It is true that we need to learn to be whole before becoming complete. Everyone should grab this concept before getting married. I would highly recommend another book, "Why Singles are not Married & the Married are Single". Truly compliments this writing. Mike Marra really gets to the basics of each gender and thoroughly discusses modern day situations like no other I have read.

I am recently separated and after 22 years of marriage, the thought of being single terrified me. This book gave me a whole new perspective on what it actually means to be single, which is different than being alone. Knowing that we are all created to be unique, whole, "single" humanbeings first and that God made us that way, gives me the strength to stay focused on my healing as a person and not go searching for it with someone else. Being in a relationship with others doesn't make me a whole person and when I enter into a new relationship in the future, I plan on being a strong, unique, whole and single person first this time.
I highly recommend this book to those who are struggling with the myth that being single isn't the norm.

The spoken word of the spirit hit home for me.The variety of topics and insight it gave me about my own situations was uncanny.I felt as though it was written just for me.I'm sure everyone who reads this book will feel the same way. This book is informative and easy read.

The Spoken Word of Spirit will open your mind, heart and soul. The messages that Jim relates are thought provoking, comforting and moving. Each message shows us that no matter what we think or feel, we are never alone. All we need to do is to open and listen. Very inspirational, easy to read. Almost every message seemed to speak to me about something important in my life. How can one book of messages touch so many? Jim has done a wonderful job of allowing Spirit to work through him giving us so many reasons to think, feel and understand.

The Spoken Words Of Spirit is both enlightening and enriching. The lessons are thought provoking and comforting. Each message enables the reader to a new understanding of the relevance of Self and Spirit. Truly a Gem! I highly recommend this book. It truly brings the spirit world and physical world together and helps one find inner peace.

In a world that has become overwhelmingly confusing, Jim Fargiano shares the most important of messages in "The Spoken Words of Spirit". These messages are a combination of tremendous depth and outright simplicity. This book gives us hope; it gives us truth; it gives us a place to rest our worries. It is comforting and invigorating and is just filled with information to accompany us throughout our lives.

I have just completed the book and have to say that I am so much clearer and better adjusted in my outlook since reading it. It seemed like every time I picked the book up to read the next chapter, it applied to exactly what I was going through that day. But, of course, that is how Spirit works in our lives. Jim has given us something truly wonderful by sharing his Spirit and his Higher Self with us. I was truly inspired to reignite my Spiritual Path to a new level. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

This book serves a wonderful purpose. It helped me understand a side of God that most of us don't stop to think about. (Reality) Seeing is not believing. Believing is within a feeling connected to the mind that came to a realization to me from reading this book. This book will help you if your searching for God in your life. I can't say enough about it and I highly recommend it to thoses who need a boost.

I have read this book several times and have found something more to think about. If your looking for a meaning with God this book is inspirational and picks up the soul. This book is truly wonderful and is easy to read. Another recommendation is "Conversations with God" in which the Author also has connection with God in his writing.

This book is beautiful and I want to express the loving, forgiving beautiful God in this book. He forsees the future and warns us about the time coming near. We have but two choices to make and that is restore ourselves to him, or stay as we are in the dark side. I don't believe the year 2000 has come. History tells me that our timing is mis-calculated and we still have little time left. Wheather you agree with me or not don't matter. What matters is God. Books like this one help restore what is lost. This book helped me vizulize a loving, understanding forgiving God, and not an angry God as I have known through my life. Sincere regards to the author. Deb Seme

Though none of us can come up with an explaination as to how or why some people have unusual communication, I have to say that this book is comforting. I'd recommend this book to my friends. Its inspirational and helpful to understand that maybe God is not punishing. I was raised to believe that God was punishing. What good can come from us, if we think we're going to hell, regardless what we do? My perspectives have changed. I can't imagine how it feels to the writer, but I can imagine the disapointment God must have in the human race. This book encourages humanity toward love, forgive and understand each other. I'm eagerly waiting for the second edition. The Journey To Fruition.

TTTIN is an unusual book to read...but what I liked most was the effectivness felt which gave me a sense of God's love and understanding of humanity. I was raised to know a punishing angry God which gave me no reason to restore my faith or beliefs. This book has a way of getting a message through to seek a better path toward God...if your spiritually seeking relating to matters in your life.

This book is amazing although I guess you could say that it is really common sense. There are a lot of things in it that I already knew, or almost understood, and this book somehow explained it so directly and simply that it is crystal clear to me now -- things like being the person I want to attract, focussing on the positive to create more positivity, taking responsibility for myself, understanding that no one is perfect, and much much more. I have been dating more since I first read this book a couple of months ago and even though I have yet to meet anyone I want to start a serious relationship with, it is obvious how much happier the process of finding true love is for me now that I understand the points in this book.

In this lifetime, I have chosen to come back to learn. And I believe that the greatest gift a person can offer to a friend is his religion. It is what you do with that gift that matters. I was offered such a gift by a wonderful friend, Hiroshi 'Ted' Morodami. I am not a Buddist but do consider myself a proudly protesting Christian with Buddhist leanings.

A Simple Buddhist Guide to Romantic happiness is what is offered in "What is Love?." At the same time this beautifully written guide offers wonderful insights into this powerful emotion. I enjoyed the quotes cited from ancient to modern writers along side beautiful Buddhist writings. With his use of narrative tales one learns and grows in love. Each of us struggles with our need to find love. In the search for fulfillent, Taro Gold offers wisdom and the beauty of the many faces of love following the Outer, Middle and Inner Paths of Buddhism.

I highly recommend this lovely worded book. One learns and grows. I appreciate Mr. Gold's words, he offers a wonderful way to look at love. And I want to thank him for reminding me of a great friendship and the quiet pleasure of the special gift that was offered to me. Learn of Love, as a healthy, happy emotion and the development of such beautiful relationships through the self awareness of Eastern Religion.

My husband gave me this book for our anniversary and I fell in love with it. I am giving many more away this weekend at a wedding shower because if people only knew the kind of wisdom that this books shares I am sure the divorce rate in our country would be much much lower. Wish we could require kids to read this kind of material in grade school so that they could see what real love is supposed to mean instead of the fake images of love they see on tv all day. The subtitle says its Buddhist wisdom but it is really just common sense so don't let that scare you. ANyone and everyone will love this book. My husband gave a copy to his brother who is a Baptist minister and he even loves it! He said its universal truth and that it is.

The book is flowery and full of pretty pictures. There are some interesting ideas but none of them are original and they are not fully fleshed out. The author claims to use ideas from Buddhism but it appears has only a superficial understanding of it's priciples. Lots of nice quotes, etc. but they get cloying after a while.

I bought this for myself and found that when I was having a challenging day I would read it to change my mood and lift my spirits. I found myself reading it over and over again. I ended up writing a few of my favorite tidbits on pieces of paper and leaving them around my house to remind me of the more important things in life. I'm buying this book for the third time to give as a gift to friends. It really is one of the best I have found and is light enough to read anytime and take anywhere.

If you are looking for something to add a little wisdom and self confidence to your life this is it.

I've had opportunity to give this book to several people who are currently fighting cancer. My husband had a 9 year battle with this disease and could easily have been one of the people Lynn wrote about if their paths had crossed. The thing I like best about this book is that Lynn includes a message of encouragement at the end of each chapter.

The books arrived in great shape. As a 17 year cancer survivor (Stage I in 1993, Stage IV in 2001) I found this book to be fantastic and great support. I highly recommend this book.

I typically don't recommend books that deal with religion/God in any way because of the variety of beliefs in the people I associate with, however I felt this book did a good job in not specifying any one belief system and would likely not offend anyone, God-fearing or not. Helps gives those in despair a reason to hang on, meaning to their pain. Recommended highly.

I am the sister that Barry Hidey speaks about in his review of this book. He gave me this book during my bout with breast cancer. It deals with all kinds of people and how they dealt with their cancer. In my experience I have found that people respond differently to cancer and everyone will find stories that touch their hearts. I too have used the book when after my own cancer a dear friend found she also had breast cancer.

In this book, Lynn Eib shares stories of people she has worked with as a hospice counselor. There are stories of people with all sorts of cancer and different outcomes, but in each story there is a nugget of peace and hope, even in the grimmest of situations. As described in one of the stories, "either way, we win." We will either live with cancer or get rid of the cancer and go to Heaven, and either way God has us in His hand.

I gave this book to a friend who is battling cancer, and she was riveted to it the whole evening.

I could babble on about how wonderful Story Waters' books are but let's simplify -- magnificent, powerful, emotional, poetic.

I am still in the process of reading and letting the information in this book sink in. It's a wonderful book, really speaks to me. I like the fact that each chapter is only 2-3 pgs long. He says alot in 3 pages. If you are on the path to becoming more spiritual I would definately recommend this book.

I do understand what the author is trying to say, but I feel the author is throwing words around and to the point of extreme. First, we must define 'God', and then we break it down from there. Yes, we are the Masters of our own choices, and decision that we do or don't do in our lives, but that doesn't make us 'Gods'. Are we good enough role models to be called 'God' for others to follow? Sometimes we hurt other people, dis-respect other people, judge other people, to look upon the homeless people or less fortunate people as lower than ourselves, is this what you call being 'God'? When we stop having this negative ego, and start loving each other as we want to be loved, than we become a decent human being. To be called a 'God' is so far down the road, it becomes an illusion. When a person starts to love an enemy who hates you, hurt you, and so much more, I mean 'Love' with understanding, not loving the action of the negative person. If we do that, then 'Better than Human' is around the corner. To just love others who loves you is nothing special. De-program your mind, and that would be a start. Good day

About a year ago, I came across this book by Story Waters. Since then I have downloaded an audio version of his other books from Limitlessness.com. For me, his books have greatly accelerated my spiritual growth and brought me to many new understandings. If you are not sure about buying this book, please visit the Limitlessness website. You'll get a better of idea of whether this book is part of your path. You'll also get introduced to the work of Lee Harris.

Good journeying!

This book beautifully summarized what I have learned during 40 years of studying the works of metaphysical authors such as J. Krishnamurti, Paramahansa Yogananda, Ernest Holmes, Joel Goldsmith, Deepak Chopra, Eckhart Tolle, Byron Katie and Abraham-Hicks.

In 33 short, three page chapters, Story Waters took me through an "Unfolding" that reminded me of watching an exquisitely crafted diamond as it turns in the light. The irreverent title made it all the better.

This is a piece to be read and re-read. The chapters are like meditations and could easily be used as a daily devotional reading, since each is so short.

I knew I was in for something wonderful after reading the introductory poem:

"Freedom is not superior to limitation;
with this realization I am able to choose freedom.

Happiness is not superior to suffering;
with this realization I am able to let go of suffering.

Abundance is not superior to poverty;
with this realization my abundance flows.

Nothing is superior to anything;
with this knowing I step out from
hierarchy, competition, and struggle.

In this state I do not judge life;
therefore I do not feel separate from it......"

I'll leave the rest for you to read once you get the book.

This lovely book of poems came into my life just as I am committing myself to spending the next twenty years as intelligence officer to the poor. We are going to create a global free public grid for early warning and decision support and free multilingual education "one cell call at a time," with a prioritization of needs able to influence three trillion dollars a year: the trillion that foundations give out willy-nilly; the trillion in corporate services that can profit from going green; and the trillion now spent on war that we can over time, through public education, redirect toward waging peace.

This volume is especially valuable to me not just for its open and peaceful thoughts, but because it was written in English, translated into French, and the facing pages offer the poem in French to the left and English to the right. I can think of no finer way to begin my long road back to mastery of the language of diplomacy, than by ensuring I read one poem a night, in both languages, for a very long time to come.

El Recuerdo (the Memory) is already a favorite within this volume.

See also the volume by Philip Levine that I have carried with me all these years that will now be joined by The Astonished Universe:
7 years from somewhere: Poems

If human emotions are the vibrations of the brain, then they will exhibit a resonance when encountering the words in this book.

If human thought is a river, it will seep over its banks when encountering the words in this book.

If reading poetry can bring momentary solace, it will find a restful equilibrium when encountering the words in this book.

If memory is fleeting it will absorb as a sponge when encountering the words in this book.

If the universe could feel astonishment, it would do so when encountering the words in this book.

Hélène Cardona's poems transport us to the realm of myth and spirit, where nothing is tangible yet everything is essential. In French or English, her words speak to our soul.

I LOVED this gem of a book! I especially liked the chapter Life in Suspension as I identified with the fleeting and random memories from my own childhood that came floating up as I was reading...
there is a unique 'sound' to each poem - clear and strong, but with a delicate, fragile echo.

I was absolutely delighted! The writing is moving and deep, so delicate and fine. Helene is able to nourish our souls, to give us a hope, to erase the line between dreams and reality! And I felt such a strength that was coming out of her words.