The best books with words of encouragement for creative and spiritual souls

If you are on a spiritual hunt this book would be the one to open those doors and let the light shine in. De Mello was an Indian yogi, Jesuit Catholic Priest, and Psychotherapist. His reflections and insights are deep and wide. This book changed my life. I continue to work in conjunction with the De Mello Center to this day. This book offers insight into the way that we perceive our own reality and invites us to widen the lens. The greatest takeaway from this book is our approach to attachment. He said that as a priest he often heard in confession the priests talk about sex and the prostitutes talk about God. Why? Because they were not allowed to have them in their life, and so they immediately formed an almost addiction to what they cannot have. Instead of simply not having the attachment. Everything comes down to our own awareness of everything around us. I highly recommend this book to all who are seekers and soul searchers. This book is easy to read and you may find yourself contemplating the text for years to come.

I recommend this book, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, especially on audio because it is read by the author and it feels like going to tea with your very best friend mixed with your spiritual ferry Godmother. This book is my anthem. I have listened to it well over fifty times. It drives me to go forward not just in my own writing career, but in my whole life. It asks me to question who I am and what I want for my life. It asks me to examine what fears might be holding me back and then move beyond them in pursuit of a life of creativity and passion. This book makes me feel like I’m not alone in my quest to write quality books and get them out into the world. She captures the life of the creative so exquisitely. It’s a must-read, or rather, a must-listen. I recommend this to every friend who wants to do something more with their life. 

This book challenges us to be brave and backs it up with ample research to show us how our lives can be so much bigger than we ever thought possible when we dare to step into the arena and get dirty with our lives. Not only does this book resonate deeply in my soul and wake me up to the possibility that my life is just as valuable and worthy as anyone else’s but she has a Netflix talk about this work and it is guaranteed to fire you up and light a spark under you to get moving! There is no one in the world like Brené Brown. She is the real deal. I could and do listen to her all the time. A doctor of social work, she has thousands upon thousands of research, data, and life experiences to offer her information and insights. You want to play bigger with your life? Start right here. 

I am recommending this book because it’s a must-read for every single person who has something in their life that needs to be recovered and healed. I became friends with Amy after finding her books and she is truly the real deal. A young woman who had end-stage Lyme disease with no more hope of surviving it, went to India for a possible life-saving stem cell treatment that had an equal chance of killing her as it did of saving her. She takes us with her through India and through her treatment. When she went through all of this, she was not yet a writer, she was just trying to save her life. Now she shares with the world everything she had to learn in order to do that. Her story is heartwarming, terrifying, hilarious, and also heartbreaking. If you or anyone you know is faced with some sort of health challenge and no one can seem to find the path to health and healing, read this book and know that healing happens all around the world in various ways. 

I recommend this book because Ruiz breaks down a path to create Heaven on Earth in very simple ways. When I say simple however, do not be fooled. The four agreements are anything but simple. It took me more than two years to fully incorporate the first agreement: Be impeccable with your word. These four simple agreements: Be Impeccable with Your Word, Don’t Take Anything Personally, Don’t Make Assumptions, and Always Do Your Best are insights that, when applied in full to your life, your life will transform into something magical and honest. You may grow and expand as a human being and as part of the sacred consciousness of this planet. I try to read parts to my children but in small pieces. I’d prefer to teach the young these qualities from an early age instead of having to relearn from the conditioning that wasn’t healthy. I try my best to surround myself with people who follow these agreements. It’s a simple book with deep and vast pathways if you follow each one as it is intended.