The best books on extrasensory perception

This fascinating memoir, written in journal style of all the highly unusual, paranormal incidents that have happened to the author from the time he was a youngster. It is a chronicle of the many supernatural events experienced by one ordinary man, a former deputy sheriff. Time after time, a divine power intervenes to heal and save him, leaving him a stunned witness to his own salvation. This unusual story reaffirms my faith in the unseen and the 6th sense not everyone has.

Part researcher, part mad scientist, and complete magickal genius, Ivo consistently provides information and techniques that push boundaries in terms of innovation within witchcraft, occultism, and psychic development.  Ivo is another one of those witches with a highly unique approach to energy work. The Keys to Perception will deeply enrich your psychic skills and magickal skills. Blending elements from many different esoteric techniques such as Wicca, Ceremonial Magick, and Eastern Traditions along with his own insight and wisdom from years of practice and experience, Ivo presents time-tested, practical methods for the psychic witch. Ivo's work is groundbreaking and pioneering in many ways, and this is a must-have on every psychic witch's bookshelf. Every time I read Ivo's books, I'm incredibly inspired and influenced by them. This book, in particular, is probably his most influential upon my work.

This book didn’t necessarily have a grinding spooky element so much as mysterious unknown indicators, but it’s haunting just the same. And romantic. I believe in second sight or psychic ability, that there are those out there with the true gift. Frankly, I’ve had a few “premonition” dreams myself that led me to an avid interest in the subject. The topic was well-written, relatable, and gave me many story ideas. The setting is an old ancestral home in the Louisiana Bayou, so it hit all the history and boo feels, plus it has a suspense angle. Sharon is an amazing soul with an open mind, who I met at a couple events, and I loved chatting with her.

There is so much going on in this book that brings it together into a rich, beautiful tale, and there’s nothing else quite like it. Demon and angel analogues combine with casual magic in a retro urban fantasy in a post-apocalyptic eternal winter that goes on an epic quest as good as any classic high fantasy novel. It all weaves together into a story that drew me right in and wouldn’t let go. As if that wasn’t enough, each character’s arc is so natural and smooth that you feel exactly what they feel. It’s a gorgeous piece of writing and there’s a lot of it to enjoy.

I’ve always had an interest in the Salem Witch Trials. So Gallows Hills is a spine-tingling novel that ticks a lot of boxes for me! 17-year-old Sarah moves to a new town and is asked to be a fortune teller at a local fair. When her fortunes start coming true, people question her. Is she a witch? Then she starts having visions that link her to a time and place long ago. I love the idea that our past is always with us, and that we are doomed to repeat the past until we can deal with it!

I loved this atmospheric debut, often described as a collection of interlinked short stories. Set on an isolated group of islands off the coast of Virginia, the stories span more than two centuries of the same family’s history: from the 19th century and far ahead into a post-apocalyptic, post-pandemic future. There are intimations that a supernatural ‘second sight’ runs in the family and the book’s Southern Gothic vibe is nothing short of intriguing. But for all the hints of magic realism, the focus on female characters contending with obstacles of class and gender at different points in history is rooted in an understandable reality. Beautifully written descriptions of the natural environment, poignant characters, and local color all demonstrate Taylor’s imagination to be visionary and impressive. 

You won’t often see books about the nature of reality and consciousness alongside political and economic theory. So why do I include it? Because politics and economics are, at their core, tied to fundamental questions like “who are we?" and "why are we here?”

Larry Dossey’s One Mind is one of the books that helped me view reality in a new way (and was one of the influences behind my first book). Previously, I viewed life as random and meaningless because I thought science was moving us away from “superstitious” ideas of “spirituality.” 

The topics covered in One Mind shifted me away from that viewpoint by examining scientific evidence that I didn’t know existed.

Science points to our innate—and invisible—interconnectedness, which creates a moral framework for thinking about how to structure society in new ways.

Much Scottish historical fiction is set at the time of the 1745 uprising against the Hanoverian King George II by supporters of Charles Edward Stuart, known as Bonnie Prince Charlie. This is not surprising since it was a deeply traumatic time, which has left scars to this day. The first I read as a young teenager was written by an Englishwoman, D.K. Broster, in the 1920’s: The Flight of the Heron, the first of a trilogy (the others were The Gleam in the North and The Dark Mile). 

This book made me into a Jacobite, despite my own forbears being mostly Lowlanders, who would probably have fought for King George. It tells the exciting, tense, and tragic epic of the ’45 through the stories of Ewen Cameron of Ardroy, a kinsman of Cameron of Lochiel, and a discontented army officer called Keith Windham; their paths cross several times… show more.

I received The Book of Awakening in 2015 after my husband, Jamie, died of ALS. It collected dust on my bookshelf for far too long. Once I finally cracked it, I made up for lost time by returning time and again to this beautiful, inspiring collection of deeply personal essays — one for each day of the year. Among other things, Nepo is a poet, a teacher, and a cancer survivor. He brings his considerable literary skill to telling moving, high-impact stories about what really matters in life, along with sprinklings of wisdom from a variety of ancient traditions. God isn’t referenced as the Big White Guy in the Sky who’s pulling the strings, but rather as a beautiful, ineffable presence that connects the divine light in each individual. 

Henry Blake is a very likeable, witty writer from Wales who has produced three classic books on understanding the horse temperament. I discovered them when I was a first-time horse owner and devoured this and his other two titles, Thinking with Horses and Horse Sense. Blake’s books are peppered with self-deprecating anecdotes on how he fumbled his way from the age of four to understanding the animal that would become the center of his working life. His books are worthy precursors to the many “horse whisperer” books that have emerged since Robert Redford played the role.  There is strong, practical, usable advice in what Blake says—because he’s done it all, and is letting us in on his secret, which is really quite simple—learn to think like a horse, honor his approach to life, and always keep a treat of two in your corduroy jacket.