100 books like The Nag Hammadi Scriptures

By Marvin W. Meyer (editor),

Here are 100 books that The Nag Hammadi Scriptures fans have personally recommended if you like The Nag Hammadi Scriptures. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Awakening the Heroes Within: Twelve Archetypes to Help Us Find Ourselves and Transform Our World

Mandy Ingber Author Of Yogalosophy: 28 Days to the Ultimate Mind-Body Makeover

From my list on activity books for mind body spirit.

Why am I passionate about this?

I grew up in Los Angeles and attended a progressive experiential learning school. The libraries were my classroom, the parks my playgrounds, and our twice-weekly field trips developed my journalistic skills. The week began with a contract agreement between myself and my teacher. My education made me a self-starter. My home was emotionally volatile. I became curious about healing: aligning my heart, mind, body, and spirit. My path unfolded to me. I became an actress on Broadway as my parents divorced and my school fell apart. My training in my mobile school delivered me into the real world. I was hungry to feel whole. Thus began my journey. 

Mandy's book list on activity books for mind body spirit

Mandy Ingber Why did Mandy love this book?

This book is an incredible reference book. I used it as an actor in one of my favorite acting classes. During rehearsal, we used archetypes to help flesh out and explore our characters. This technique felt groundbreaking.

Since archetypes are essential to character development, and we each possess every archetype within us, this book was a staple for me in my creative development. I will go so far as to say that this book was a portal for me to access the teacher in me and expanded me out of my actor self and into my author self.

By Carol S. Pearson,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Awakening the Heroes Within as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This companion to the bestselling THE HERO WITHIN outlines twelve archetypal patterns that can aid inner development and the quest for wholeness.


Book cover of Tao Te Ching

Traci Harding Author Of The Twelve Chapters of the Infinite Night

From my list on inciting the imagination.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was in my teens when I discovered that if I focused on something hard enough I could manifest it. During my investigations into whether others had experienced this, I discovered the Adyar Bookstore in the Strand Arcade in Sydney, and that I had an insatiable thirst for all texts metaphysical, historical, and quantum theory. Turns out that many of the greatest thinkers in history believed that humans hold sway over many of the events and occurrence of their own lives, including Einstein, Plato, Tesla, Carl Sagan, and more. My books are the product of my exploration into the nature of personal reality, spirituality, and the meaning of life.

Traci's book list on inciting the imagination

Traci Harding Why did Traci love this book?

Tao de Ching is the basis of the Taoist belief system, which, unlike other spiritual text, is filled with not just profound, but practical advice for navigating this world in a way that benefits the self, others, and the world at large. 

Tao de Ching simply means ‘The Book of the Way’. The name of the sage to whom this book is attributed, Lao-tzu, could be translated to mean ‘the Old Master’.

I was so inspired by these writings that I wished to create a book about such a Master - based in the time of those great adepts like Confucius, the Buddha, and indeed Lao-Tzu - and weave these life-changing teachings throughout. 

Hence the idea for my own book was ignited.

By Lao Tzu, Stephen Mitchell (translator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Tao Te Ching as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

' What is rooted is easy to nourish

What is recent is easy to correct'

Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching (The Book of the Way) is the classic manual on the art of living. In 81 short, poetic chapters, the book looks at the basic predicament of being alive and teaches how to work for the good with the effortless skill that comes from being in accord with the Tao, or the basic principle of the universe.

Stephen Mitchell' s acclaimed translation is accompanied by ancient Chinese paintings that beautifully reflect Lao Tzu' s timeless words.

An illustrated edition of…


Book cover of The Field: The Quest for the Secret Force of the Universe

Traci Harding Author Of The Twelve Chapters of the Infinite Night

From my list on inciting the imagination.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was in my teens when I discovered that if I focused on something hard enough I could manifest it. During my investigations into whether others had experienced this, I discovered the Adyar Bookstore in the Strand Arcade in Sydney, and that I had an insatiable thirst for all texts metaphysical, historical, and quantum theory. Turns out that many of the greatest thinkers in history believed that humans hold sway over many of the events and occurrence of their own lives, including Einstein, Plato, Tesla, Carl Sagan, and more. My books are the product of my exploration into the nature of personal reality, spirituality, and the meaning of life.

Traci's book list on inciting the imagination

Traci Harding Why did Traci love this book?

In all my twenty-five-year career as a Science Fantasy writer, few books have blown my mind like this one did. 

All the esoteric texts and theory I’d read over the years suddenly manifest in world as science in the form of Quantum Physics.

This book brings together the work of several scientific studies from around the world that were all, in their own way uncovering evidence for an underlying energy field that connects all living things. 

What was archaically known as Ether or the Etheric Realm, was now being proven via Zero Point Field Theory,  Lynne does a fantastic job of recounting each scientist’s fascinating story and discoveries, in a way that is both easy to understand and profoundly thought provoking!

By Lynne McTaggart,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Field as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The energy found in the vacuum - or the zero point field - is enough to boil all the oceans of the world. These oscillating waves seem to be the key to all sorts of unexplained phenomena: ESP, homeopathy, energy medicine, spiritual healing, intercessory prayer, psychic phenomena, and the homing instincts of animals are examples. In this work, Lynne McTaggart follows the life and work of disparate physicists who seem to be on the verge of bringing about the same type of revolution that occurred exactly a century ago when quantum theory changed the face of physics forever. This book…


Book cover of The Education of Oversoul Seven

Traci Harding Author Of The Twelve Chapters of the Infinite Night

From my list on inciting the imagination.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was in my teens when I discovered that if I focused on something hard enough I could manifest it. During my investigations into whether others had experienced this, I discovered the Adyar Bookstore in the Strand Arcade in Sydney, and that I had an insatiable thirst for all texts metaphysical, historical, and quantum theory. Turns out that many of the greatest thinkers in history believed that humans hold sway over many of the events and occurrence of their own lives, including Einstein, Plato, Tesla, Carl Sagan, and more. My books are the product of my exploration into the nature of personal reality, spirituality, and the meaning of life.

Traci's book list on inciting the imagination

Traci Harding Why did Traci love this book?

The Education of Oversoul Seven is the only fiction book on my list. 

Most of my books deal with time travel, reincarnation, and karmic themes, and my understanding of simultaneous time came from this gorgeous little novel.

It also opened my eyes to the fact that we don’t necessarily always reincarnate into a future time.

This story tells of four characters, in four different historic periods, and the oversoul responsible for guiding them all. I have such a character in my new book also, whom I call the Inter-dweller. 

When people ask for other books like mine, this is one I always recommend.

By Jane Roberts,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Education of Oversoul Seven as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Education of Oversoul Seven. Jane Roberts, channel of the Seth material, wrote the fictional Oversoul Seven series to further illuminate the ideas described in her nonfiction books. The Education of Oversoul Seven is a playful parable of time and space that opens up a whole new vision of life.


Book cover of Fragments of a Faith Forgotten

Barbara Hand Clow Author Of Revelations of the Ruby Crystal

From my list on finding your soul and discovering ancient knowledge.

Why am I passionate about this?

I completed a Masters in Theology where I studied early Church theology (Patristics) and Jungian analysis. Next, I wanted to pursue a PhD in Patristics to discover how and why the Catholic Church had banished true spirituality for stifling dogma and randy sexual abuse, but I was the mother of four children and had to go to work. I became an acquisitions editor for a Catholic publishing house, which enabled me to continue my research on the building deviation from real spirit in Catholicism. I wrote the Revelations Trilogy instead of doing a thesis in graduate school. This trilogy is very hot and controversial because nobody could control me.

Barbara's book list on finding your soul and discovering ancient knowledge

Barbara Hand Clow Why did Barbara love this book?

Fragments of a Faith Forgotten is a great book on the real teachings of the ancient Gnostics and how they differed from Judeo-Christianity two thousand years ago.

Since this book was published, lost Gnostic texts were discovered in 1947 that support Mead’s earlier conclusions.

Bringing back the importance of Gnostic beliefs as Roman Catholicism collapses is a core theme in my book. Because the Catholic Church defeated the Gnostics and destroyed their great library in Alexandria, Egypt, almost all current information on the Gnostics is derogatory.

Mead’s work is a deep and balanced presentation of what they actually believed.

By G R S Mead,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Fragments of a Faith Forgotten as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.


Book cover of Reincarnation: The Missing Link In Christianity

Tina Proffitt Author Of Come Back: How Past Lives with Animals Changed the Way I Think about Death

From my list on reincarnation.

Why am I passionate about this?

Tina Proffitt is a former educator in love with writing romance novels, who believes there’s nothing more romantic than reincarnating with those she loves. After her first one-on-one past life reading with Dr. Doris E. Cohen, she was hooked and has never looked back. (Pun intended) She wants to share her passion for living a life free from fear and full of love. She writes reincarnation romance novels in the genres of mystery, science fiction, contemporary, and YA.

Tina's book list on reincarnation

Tina Proffitt Why did Tina love this book?

For those with a religious upbringing like mine, Elizabeth Clare Prophet’s book, Reincarnation: The Missing Link in Christianity, may prove a fascinating read. And for those many brought up in the Southern Baptist culture of fear and punishment like I was, the idea of living other lives can be a frightening one or a welcome one, particularly when seen as a second chance, instead of through the lens of the Biblical concepts of judgment and Hell. It is a scholarly read, in that the more you know about the Bible, the more you will get out of reading it.

By Elizabeth Clare Prophet, Erin Lynn Prophet,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Reincarnation as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A long time ago Christians believed in reincarnation

“This is an extremely important book, a book providing profound insight and truth, a book which will open minds and remove fears.”―Brian Weiss, M.D., New York Times bestselling author of Many Lives, Many Masters

This groundbreaking work makes the case that Jesus taught reincarnation and traces the history of reincarnation in Christianity―from Jesus and early Christians through Church councils and the persecution of so-called heretics. Using the latest scholarship and evidence from the Dead Sea Scrolls and Gnostic texts, it also argues persuasively that Jesus was a mystic who taught that our…


Book cover of Not in His Image: Gnostic Vision, Sacred Ecology, and the Future of Belief

Barbara Hand Clow Author Of Revelations of the Ruby Crystal

From my list on finding your soul and discovering ancient knowledge.

Why am I passionate about this?

I completed a Masters in Theology where I studied early Church theology (Patristics) and Jungian analysis. Next, I wanted to pursue a PhD in Patristics to discover how and why the Catholic Church had banished true spirituality for stifling dogma and randy sexual abuse, but I was the mother of four children and had to go to work. I became an acquisitions editor for a Catholic publishing house, which enabled me to continue my research on the building deviation from real spirit in Catholicism. I wrote the Revelations Trilogy instead of doing a thesis in graduate school. This trilogy is very hot and controversial because nobody could control me.

Barbara's book list on finding your soul and discovering ancient knowledge

Barbara Hand Clow Why did Barbara love this book?

John Lash’s deep study about the real truth about the Gnostics, an early Christian sect, reveals that true Christianity was hijacked 2000 years ago by Roman Catholicism.

He shows how Catholicism suppressed thousands of years of ancient spirituality that could benefit us now.

I believe that as we move into the Age of Aquarius, we need to access an entirely new spirituality based on ancient wisdom, and Lash and I think this is Gnosticism.

By John Lamb Lash,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Not in His Image as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"Lash is capable of explaining the mind-bending concepts of Gnosticism and pagan mystery cults with bracing clarity and startling insight. . . . [His] arguments are often lively and entertaining."-Los Angeles Times

Fully revised and with a new preface by the author, this timely update is perfect for readers of The Immortality Key.

Since its initial release to wide acclaim in 2006, Not in His Image has transformed the lives of readers around the world by presenting the living presence of the Wisdom Goddess as never before revealed, illustrating that the truth of an impactful Gnostic message cannot be hidden…


Book cover of Demian: The Story of a Youth

Viktoria Duda Author Of Twenty-Five Centuries Without You

From my list on spiritual adventure books to open new doors to your consciousness.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a writer, a hypnotherapist, and a consciousness researcher. Ever since I was a baby, I had the memory and the sense that there was more to our existence than meets the eye. Even though I started my career as a lawyer in Vienna, Austria, after a transformative illness and a series of spiritually awakening experiences, I left for Mexico to pursue my calling as a metaphysical explorer and writer. Ever since, I’ve spent my life mapping out various dimensions of the psyche. When I’m not traveling, I like to retreat into my small highland cottage with Marius, the border collie, and Kasiopea, the black magic cat.

Viktoria's book list on spiritual adventure books to open new doors to your consciousness

Viktoria Duda Why did Viktoria love this book?

I read this wonderful coming-of-age tale when I was in my teens, but its magical mood remained with me ever since.

Reading the story of Emil Sinclair meeting the enigmatic Demian at school–who not only freed him from bullies but showed him that there was another world usually invisible to the common senses–set me on a life-long journey in search of the miraculous. 

By Hermann Hesse,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Demian as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

2011 Reprint of 1948 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. The main character of this classic novel, Emil Sinclair, is a young boy raised in a bourgeois home, amidst what is described as a Scheinwelt, a play on words that means "world of light" as well as "world of illusion". Emil's entire existence can be summarized as a struggle between two worlds: the show world of illusion (related to the Hindu concept of maya) and the real world, the world of spiritual truth. In the course of the novel, accompanied and prompted by…


Book cover of Valis

Jeff Hopp Author Of Legend of the Mind

From my list on science fiction written by Philip K. Dick.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a professional artist and musician, and I owe a huge debt to Philip K. Dick. I started to read his works at a very young age (I believe I’ve read most everything he’s written at least twice), and my love of his work has continued throughout my life and he has been the greatest inspiration to my music, writing, and art. I felt so influenced and indebted that a created a comic book to honor him and to tell my stories and ideas that have populated my imagination as a result of his books.

Jeff's book list on science fiction written by Philip K. Dick

Jeff Hopp Why did Jeff love this book?

I consider myself a very spiritual person and I believe that it is a person’s responsibility to question what it means to be spiritual in order to better understand one’s own faith.

As I am, Philip K. Dick was obviously obsessed with wanting spiritual answers. Valis is very entertaining, but it also made me question all that I believe in a way that expanded and made my spirituality stronger.

By Philip K. Dick,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked Valis as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

It began with a blinding light, a divine revelation from a mysterious intelligence that called itself VALIS (Vast Active Living Intelligence System). And with that, the fabric of reality was torn apart and laid bare so that anything seemed possible, but nothing seemed quite right.

It was madness, pure and simple. But what if it were true?


Book cover of The Lost Art of Resurrection: Initiation, secret chambers and the quest for the Otherworld

Karen Martin Author Of The Bringer of Happiness

From my list on writing about death, religion, and spirituality.

Why am I passionate about this?

Our history is spoken through the voice of the conqueror – notably white male. My work seeks to balance our narratives through insight from women’s perspectives. I support my creative writing with extensive research in history, archeology, and myths, and include in situ interpretations of the relevant landscape. There are many truths to be told, not simply one ordained story and I wish to shine the light on stories that have been hidden and/or silenced. The themed series title, Women Unveiled, pertains to this.

Karen's book list on writing about death, religion, and spirituality

Karen Martin Why did Karen love this book?

I chose this book for its interesting exploration of spiritual resurrections that were common throughout ancient civilizations including the Egyptians, Phoenicians, Greek, Persian, and Indians. Silva says these mystical rituals lead initiates (including Plato and Socrates) onto a path of self-empowerment and spiritual awakening. Silva includes the gnostic teachings practiced by the Cathars, who claimed the literal resurrection of Jesus was a lie, and were persecuted by the Church to suppress such gospel teachings by Mary Magdalene and Phillip.

By Freddy Silva,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Lost Art of Resurrection as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

“Those who say they will die first and then rise are in error,” states the once banned Gospel of Philip. For centuries, every esoteric and Gnostic sect was aware that the literal interpretation of the resurrection of Christ promoted by the Church was a fraud. And with good reason: thousands of years before Jesus, initiates from Egypt and China to Celtic Britain and North America practiced a mystical ritual, and its adepts — from Zoroaster to Plato —regarded the experience as the pinnacle of spiritual development: a life-altering awakening that disclosed insights into the nature of reality and the self.…


Book cover of Awakening the Heroes Within: Twelve Archetypes to Help Us Find Ourselves and Transform Our World
Book cover of Tao Te Ching
Book cover of The Field: The Quest for the Secret Force of the Universe

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Interested in Gnosticism, quantum physics, and Egypt?

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