The most recommended numinous books

Who picked these books? Meet our 4 experts.

4 authors created a book list connected to numinous, and here are their favorite numinous books.
When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Book cover of An End to Upside Down Thinking: Dispelling the Myth That the Brain Produces Consciousness, and the Implications for Everyday Life

Liz Jensen Author Of The Rapture

From my list on psychic powers, consciousness, and the numinous.

Why am I passionate about this?

From when I first learned to read, books opened a whole new world, which has given me vast pleasure ever since. I think it’s made me wiser, too. But it wasn’t until the sudden death of my younger son in 2020 that I began to read about the edges of the known world, and to discover that by opening my mind I could re-learn what I instinctively knew as a young child: that we come from somewhere else. Even before encountering tragedy, I’d been fascinated by the dividing line between what science can prove, and what still remains conjecture: it’s a theme I have returned to again and again in my fiction. 

Liz's book list on psychic powers, consciousness, and the numinous

Liz Jensen Why did Liz love this book?

If you are curious about the science of the unexplained realms of consciousness, and how to explore their possibilities, then this accessible, well-researched guide is the perfect place to start. Citing peer-reviewed studies, Gober covers near-death experiences, telepathy, “remote viewing,” and other phenomena which, though part of the anecdotal heritage of all cultures, remain unexplored by all but the bravest scientists. 

By Mark Gober, Mark Gober,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked An End to Upside Down Thinking as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Consciousness creates all material reality. Biological processes do not create consciousness. This conceptual breakthrough turns traditional scientific thinking upside down. In An End to Upside Down Thinking, Mark Gober traces his journey - he explores compelling scientific evidence from a diverse set of disciplines, ranging from psychic phenomena, to near-death experiences, to quantum physics. With cutting-edge thinkers like two-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee Dr. Ervin Laszlo, Chief Scientist at the Institute of Noetic Sciences Dr. Dean Radin, and New York Times bestselling author Larry Dossey, MD supporting this thesis, this book will rock the scientific community and mainstream generalists interested…


Book cover of The Numinous Tarot Guide: A New Way to Read the Cards

Mark Horn Author Of Tarot and the Gates of Light: A Kabbalistic Path to Liberation

From my list on tarot personal growth and spiritual development.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been studying and reading tarot for more than 50 years—starting when I was a teenager. I feel called to do this work—I think of it as holy work, because every reading is an inner journey for my client, I merely serve as a guide for them to discover the insights and wisdom that already exists hidden within them. Over the years I’ve studied with some of today’s top tarot teachers, I’ve studied Kabbalah with respected rabbis. I’ve studied psychological principles with leading therapists. And I’ve studied storytelling with world-famous performers. Tarot brings all these disciplines together in a way that makes every reading an encounter with the Divine that lives within each of us.  

Mark's book list on tarot personal growth and spiritual development

Mark Horn Why did Mark love this book?

This is a very recent book that I love for its deceptive simplicity. The explanations are easy, the language is conversational, and each card is described in contemporary terms so that you’ll recognize yourself or people you know on every page. And for each card, there are a series of questions and journal prompts that on the surface seem simple, but that takes you on a deep inner journey. The subtitle of this book is “Know the cards to know yourself” and it’s a promise this book will help you keep.  

By Rashunda Tramble,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

The Numinous Tarot Guide is an interactive, self-study guide that unlocks the meaning of the cards in an instant - and in a way that is deeply personal to every reader of every level. Designed to be used with any deck, a reading for each of the 78 cards offers a modern, evolved interpretation of the card's meaning, along with prompts and journal exercises, to help guide the reader into a space of deep reflection.

The traditional way to interact with the Tarot is to ask a question and then pull a card to divine the 'answer'-this guide instead offers…


Book cover of The Illustrated Signs & Symbols Sourcebook

Nick Inman Author Of A Guide to Mystical France: Secrets, Mysteries, Sacred Sites

From my list on seeing what isn’t there (or is it?).

Why am I passionate about this?

A while ago I lived with the extraordinary spiritual Findhorn community in Scotland and that experience opened my eyes to the mysteries that we are and that surround us. Subsequently, I became a professional travel guide writer and as I visited churches and megaliths, it gradually occurred to me that the ancients may have recorded information useful to us if only we could work out how to interpret it. Twenty years ago I settled in France, a country densely packed with extraordinary places. Here, I have been able to deepen my understanding of the universal, greater reality of which we are part.  

Nick's book list on seeing what isn’t there (or is it?)

Nick Inman Why did Nick love this book?

Every mystery hunter needs a guide to symbols and this profusely illustrated book is the best I have found so far. Symbols, by definition, point directly to the non-obvious aspects of a greater reality. In religious buildings they are a way to escape the material and approach the numinous, which is beyond the scope of words. Sometimes the meaning of a symbol is clear but in other cases the explanation has been forgotten and you need suggestions as how to interpret it. This is where this book comes in.  

By Adele Nozedar,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Illustrated Signs & Symbols Sourcebook as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The book is in excellent condition.


Book cover of The Price of the Stars

Sherwood Smith Author Of Inda

From my list on epic sci-fi series that let you live in another world.

Why am I passionate about this?

I started writing about another world when I was eight years old. I was already a reader, but books for kids were full of adventuring boys, with girls mostly sidelined. My world started with a gang of adventuring girls, and as I aged up, it kept getting bigger, and deeper, especially as I studied history. All fiction is a mirror to our contemporary society, and in conversation with other fiction; so is epic fantasy written over a lifetime. Many books later, I still get to adventure, wield magic, and be a hero, through my characters!

Sherwood's book list on epic sci-fi series that let you live in another world

Sherwood Smith Why did Sherwood love this book?

This is my favorite type of space opera: bigger-than-life characters, tons of action, with great sense of wonder and a world full of surprises. The women characters are excellent, as well.

There is a touch of fantasy in this series that I found sparked a hint of the numinous.

By Debra Doyle, James D. MacDonald,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

When an assassination on the Senate floor threatens the thirty-year peace between the human Republic and the mysterious Mageworlds, the victim's daughter is forced to become accustomed to the galactic intrigue, but the Galaxy may never get used to her. Reissue.


Book cover of The Awakened Brain: The New Science of Spirituality and Our Quest for an Inspired Life

Liz Jensen Author Of The Rapture

From my list on psychic powers, consciousness, and the numinous.

Why am I passionate about this?

From when I first learned to read, books opened a whole new world, which has given me vast pleasure ever since. I think it’s made me wiser, too. But it wasn’t until the sudden death of my younger son in 2020 that I began to read about the edges of the known world, and to discover that by opening my mind I could re-learn what I instinctively knew as a young child: that we come from somewhere else. Even before encountering tragedy, I’d been fascinated by the dividing line between what science can prove, and what still remains conjecture: it’s a theme I have returned to again and again in my fiction. 

Liz's book list on psychic powers, consciousness, and the numinous

Liz Jensen Why did Liz love this book?

As a professor of psychology and education at Columbia University, and a life-long researcher into psychology and spirituality, Lisa Miller is well-placed to write about the hard scientific data that validate the awareness of a deeper meaning. Her own pioneering study of the relationship between spirituality and mental health was the first to demonstrate that people with strong belief systems are less vulnerable to depression. In The Awakened Brain Miller builds on this discovery by exploring her own and others’ experiences of depression, synchronicity, premonition, and intuitive “knowing” in a sweeping, fascinating, and highly readable account of how spiritual awareness leads to a “visibly stronger brain.”   

By Lisa Miller,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

A groundbreaking exploration of the neuroscience of spirituality and a bold new paradigm for health, healing, and resilience

'Lisa Miller is the leading psychologist of her generation' Martin Seligman

'We can live chasing goals and rewards, lost in worries and regrets. Or we can awaken to the true fabric of the world, an evolving tapestry that we both behold and help to create, in which every thread matters and no strand stands alone'

Whether it's meditation or a walk in nature, reading a sacred text or saying a prayer, there are many ways to tap into a heightened awareness of…


Book cover of The In-Betweens: The Spiritualists, Mediums, and Legends of Camp Etna

Liz Jensen Author Of The Rapture

From my list on psychic powers, consciousness, and the numinous.

Why am I passionate about this?

From when I first learned to read, books opened a whole new world, which has given me vast pleasure ever since. I think it’s made me wiser, too. But it wasn’t until the sudden death of my younger son in 2020 that I began to read about the edges of the known world, and to discover that by opening my mind I could re-learn what I instinctively knew as a young child: that we come from somewhere else. Even before encountering tragedy, I’d been fascinated by the dividing line between what science can prove, and what still remains conjecture: it’s a theme I have returned to again and again in my fiction. 

Liz's book list on psychic powers, consciousness, and the numinous

Liz Jensen Why did Liz love this book?

I was deeply moved by Poor Your Soul, Mira Ptacin’s beautifully-wrought memoir about the grief of losing first her brother, and then her unborn child. So I knew I was in good hands when I opened her engaging, compassionate portrait of the denizens of Camp Etna, the once-famous epicenter of the American Spiritualist movement. Shifting seamlessly between the settlement’s grand history in the late 1800s and its more modest 21st-century existence, Ptacin profiles psychics and mediums of all stripes, and reports on her own experiences of the paranormal with humor, intelligence, and grace. 

By Mira Ptacin,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

They believed they would live forever. So begins Mira Ptacin's haunting account of the women of Camp Etna-an otherworldly community in the woods of Maine that has, since 1876, played host to generations of Spiritualists and mediums dedicated to preserving the links between the mortal realm and the afterlife. Beginning her narrative in 1848 with two sisters who claimed they could speak to the dead, Ptacin reveals how Spiritualism first blossomed into a national practice during the Civil War, yet continues-even thrives-to this very day. Immersing herself in this community and its practices-from ghost hunting to releasing trapped spirits to…


Book cover of An End to Upside Down Thinking: Dispelling the Myth That the Brain Produces Consciousness, and the Implications for Everyday Life
Book cover of The Numinous Tarot Guide: A New Way to Read the Cards
Book cover of The Illustrated Signs & Symbols Sourcebook

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,587

readers submitted
so far, will you?