100 books like Mind Magic

I love how Francis Lucille’s teaching stays rooted in the most essential question—“Who am I, really?—in ways that are, in turn, serious and playful, gentle and fierce. Love and Beauty and Truth are deeply honored throughout this lovely book, which presents a series of dialogues between Francis and students asking questions about him.

As Francis is fond of saying, “A true answer dissolves not only the question but also the questioner.” I appreciate the opportunity to witness this process, again and again, as Francis so skillfully points (like the proverbial finger to the moon) to “that which can’t be spoken”—but can be most intimately known. 

Both John Wheeler's books and audio interviews have blown my mind—in the best way! I simply adore his unwavering commitment to clear, direct pointers to the self-evident fact of "being" and "awareness" as our true nature and most essential identity.

Again and again, John Wheeler reminds me that this being-awareness—this continuous background of clear, steady presence—is the “space” in which all thoughts, sensations, and perceptions appear and disappear. It is what always remains unchanged, like a vast blue sky through which various clouds come and go. John invites me to clearly understand and joyfully affirm: I am the sky of awareness. 

I’ve read the 52 stories in this book repeatedly, and each time—despite their familiarity—they seem fresh and new. They put a smile on my face and make my heart sing. This is due, in no small part, to how great a storyteller Lex Hixon is.

I love his artful weaving of deep wisdom into each tale of the intimate relationship between master and disciple and his descriptions of that blessèd moment when the disciple himself or herself becomes a master. I’ve long been fascinated by the question: What really happens during spiritual awakening, aka enlightenment? This book explores this question and at least hints at some sublimely satisfying answers. 

This book enters a territory that very few books do—describing ways of facilitating an encounter with our most intimate yet ineffable true nature. Each time I read a few pages (usually the most I can digest at any given time), I feel so grateful for it!

In this uniquely valuable guidebook, I learn things I’ve not learned anywhere else about accessing and sustaining a “field” of nondual awareness in which psychological suffering simply cannot exist. Instead, this apparent suffering naturally dissolves to reveal the radiant awareness that is our true nature.

Kelly McGonigal is nothing short of brilliant in the way that she takes neuroscience, research, and spiritual wisdom traditions and weaves them together into this audiobook/course that is powerfully experiential and hands-on.

She describes and then shows firsthand, through guided practices, how we can cultivate mindfulness and self-compassion and use this to help us change behaviors and habits. Whether one wants to improve their physical health, feel better emotionally, or start or stop a behavior to improve their well-being, this program offers a path forward.

I found the practical, experiential exercises she offers in this book immensely helpful for incorporating what she teaches into my life. This is the hallmark of a great teacher, and Kelly is just that.

I was captivated by this one because it merges neuroscience with contemplative practices in a way that’s both practical and transformative. I appreciate how Hanson provides research-backed exercises to help rewire the brain for greater resilience and happiness.

The book’s approach to harnessing neuroplasticity resonated deeply with me, offering actionable steps to cultivate a more fulfilling and meaningful life. This blend of science and spirituality has truly enriched my personal growth journey, making it an essential read for anyone looking to leverage the brain’s power for lasting change and well-being.

My work on crisis leadership uses applied neuroscience to help people get “smarter their brains” by learning to work with and, in some cases counteracting, their instinctual reactions and ingrained patterns.

Jensen, who has worked with elite athletes as well as executives, draws on some of the same science (and more) in a practical approach to how to handle pressure. He goes through how to use breathing to tame anxiety and increase focus.

One insight I’ve found particularly useful is remembering what’s not at stake in a high-stakes situation. No matter what happens, your family, friends, and pets will still love and support you, for example. Knowing what you can count on makes a seemingly overwhelming challenge more manageable.

Sure, this book was written way back in 1956, but its dark tale of “mind reading” police is still just as captivating and relevant today. In Dick’s imagined future, three mutants are able to foresee crime before it occurs, allowing the cops to stop crime before it gets started. Like the mutants, today’s neural imaging machines are heralded as ways to see what people are thinking, revealing what they can’t or won’t voluntarily describe. The novel explores questions about expectations of privacy, the dangers of authoritarian regimes controlling invasive technologies, and the nature of free will—all issues that society will need to wrestle with as our understanding of the brain advances. 

This gem of a book presents the argument that parents should consider delaying giving their children smartphones until the child becomes an adult and has attained certain life skills. A mother of four, former nurse, and founder of ScreenStrong, author Melanie Hempe lived through digital addiction in her own family and is passionate about helping other families avoid her “mistakes”. At the same time she is well-versed in the current scientific literature across a broad array of tech-related topics, and she successfully “walks the talk”: her teens abstain from gaming/social media/smartphone use, but they are far from being socially ostracized - a common fear amongst parents.

The lion’s share of commentary about the influence of neuroscience on our system of laws has focused on criminal law. What does it mean to punish people for actions that are really the product of biology rather than conscious choice? Alces grapples with what this means for criminal law and its concepts of moral responsibility and builds a thoughtful and compelling argument. But what I really liked was his equally sharp analysis of what this different conception of human agency means when it comes to tort and contract law—legal regimes that we are much more likely to confront in our daily lives.