100 books like Your Soul's Plan

This million-copy bestselling classic is one of the breakthrough texts in past-life regression therapy. As a traditional therapist, Dr. Brian Weiss was skeptical when one of his patients recalled past-life traumas—until she began channeling messages that contained remarkable revelations about Dr. Weiss’ family.

This book is a wonderful introduction to the way that our past lives exert a powerful impact on our current lives and can obstruct our psycho-spiritual growth.

The experience of past life regression therapy is so impactful on your understanding of life on earth and in the thereafter that it transformed Michael Newton from an atheist into the spiritual believer he is today.

Through Newton's research and case studies, I found solace in knowing that our souls continue to evolve and learn between lives and that the trauma of past lives can often follow us into the present. The book's detailed accounts of the afterlife and soul’s journey provided deep insights, expanded my understanding of existence, and ignited a sense of purpose and interconnectedness that resonated deeply with me.

In October 2004, I tuned the television to the series, Unsolved Mysteries, to provide background noise while I had lunch.

When George Anderson’s story was featured, I was riveted, and ordered We Don’t Die as soon as the show ended. That led me to a myriad of other metaphysical books and experiences, and a fascination that has not waned in the nearly two decades since I first heard of George and his ability to speak with those who have passed from physical life.

As I have learned over the years, it was not by accident that I saw that TV show. It was a soul signal that I’d set for myself before birth, to guide me to a new phase of my life.

As part of my metaphysical quest, I had several readings through a medium my sister-in-law recommended.

In the second reading, my late husband came through loud and clear, and I was given a recommendation to read Echoes of the Soul. When I read it, it was as if I remembered it, rather than reading it for the first time. I understand this book, too, was a soul signal I set before birth that kept me moving toward my destiny.

My wife and I had the opportunity several years later to attend a seminar Echo Bodine conducted in Atlanta, and Echo was as impressive in person as on the pages of Echoes of the Soul.

This book relates to a lot of what I’ve learned in my own research about rituals. Contrary to conventional wisdom, it argues that we humans are not hedonists by nature. Yes, we desire comfort and we pursue all kinds of pleasures. But we also often embrace struggle, effort, and even fear and pain, and those are in fact the things that make our lives truly meaningful. From watching horror films and climbing mountains to raising children and performing painful rituals, Paul Bloom argues that, in the right context, suffering can be part of a life well-lived.

As much as I appreciate the mega-bestselling devotional Jesus Calling, I honestly think that Carol Kent’s He Holds My Hand is even better. This book is a page-per-day devotional written as if God the Father is speaking directly to you. 

Over 25 years ago, the author’s only son was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Out of her deep grief, Carol Kent turned to the Scriptures and began to journal what she heard God saying to her: words of comfort and healing, presence and protection. A book does not get any more authentic than that. I recommend this devotional to anyone needing to know that God is with them even in the worst experiences life can throw at us. 

It’s a little weird that this book should find a place on my list. It’s a book about how society has become resistant to anything that is difficult and painful and the kinds of people that we have become as a result. But mathematics is difficult! To understand mathematics you have to think hard, sometimes for a long time. Moreover understanding something hard is discontinuous, it requires a leap to a new way of thinking. You have to start with a problem and this problem might be an ambiguity or a contradiction. A is true and B is true but A and B seem to contradict one another. When you sort out this problem you will have learned something.

The moral here is to embrace things that are difficult if you want to learn significant new things. “No pain, no gain.” You don’t have to worry about some super AI… show more.

I have read almost 40 books from Thich Nhat Hanh and every time I read his books, I feel a deep sense of peace.

I recommend this book to deal with the inner critic because it is about transforming suffering. Instead of running away from our emotional pain, the book teaches us to be present with it. I love how the author uses lotus as an analogy to help us see the beneficial aspects of all things. 

In his book, he wrote “We need to have mud for lotuses to grow. Without mud, there can be no lotus.” This reminds me to not reject the inner critic, but use it as an excellent teacher for my own growth.

A friend once asked to whom I’d most want to be apprenticed. I thought about it for a while and answered, “Joan Chittister.” She invariably speaks deeply from a spirituality not limited to her Catholic orthodoxy, but inclusive of many other religious traditions. I never stop learning from her wisdom which often arises from her own experience.

In Chittister’s chapter about endurance, I am reminded of my own struggles as a writer and as a minister and how these struggles have deepened my spiritual understanding. Her words always give me hope and help me to persevere.

Sometimes the pain of our suffering is multiplied because those around us act as though grieving is a sign of weakness and lack of faith. Although we live in a world with many wonderful things, we will all experience suffering at some point. And trying to numb or avoid our pain doesn’t make our hurt and grief disappear. For that reason, I’ve been helped and encouraged by Mark Vroegop’s book because it teaches us to lament, which is acknowledging our grief and pain to God, giving ourselves the space and time to grieve while holding onto hope at the same time.