1. The Seat of the Soul. Gary Zukav
The seat of the soul is a book that was published in 1989 and it still has as much influence then as it does now. It will expand the limits of your awareness and challenge your beliefs about your senses, your power, and what you think of as your soul.
It was not an easy read for me because some of the ideas seemed out of this world, but then again, what I thought about the soul sort of felt this way.
Zukav wrote that if you're willing to go from a five sensory being into what he described as a multi-sensory being, your soul can grow, transform, and evolve.
2. The Untethered Soul. Michael A. Singer.
In his book, "The Untethered Soul", the author Michael A. Singer teaches how to live life with more freedom and peace.
He uses Buddhist and Yogic teachings to help you understand the ways in which you create blocks in your life and then teaches you how to release them.
An example is an animal that is confined to its cage and grows accustomed to it over time. If the cage was removed, it would still remain within the imaginary boundaries of the cage because it's internalized.
Singer explained that humans have similar behavior when we stay within the confines of our psyche, and our thoughts, behavior, and actions follow.
Inner freedom starts with releasing yourself from your "inner roommate", or your psyche, and objectively observing your thoughts, feelings, and actions.
The author wrote that the way to break free from your limitations, grow spiritually, and become untethered is through non-attachment and non-resistance.
3. Sensitive is the New Strong. Anita Moorjani
This book is for empaths and highly sensitive people who want to get in touch with what the author calls their "inner mystic."
The author, Anita Moorjani, shared her experience of when she was dying of cancer and essentially came back to life. Her near-death experience allowed her to thrive, love herself fully, and open up the channel to her spiritual side.
The book not only teaches you how to tap into your soul, but it contains practical exercises that help you ground yourself, lift your spirits, protect your energy, and love yourself unconditionally.
I highly recommend this book if you're on a soul-searching journey, you are in need of healing, or you want to learn more about what it means to be an empath & highly sensitive person.
4. The Artist's Way. Julia Cameron
The Artist's Way is for creative types, or even aspiring creative types, who are stuck and want to reignite their creative spark.
Although you could do this on your own, it's recommended that you read this book along with what the author calls a "Sacred Circle", or a group of like-minded people built on mutual respect & trust, because the program is 12 weeks and is not for the faint of heart.
You can start your own Sacred Circle community or find one online where you can arrange to meet up every week.
This book is for you if you want to do spiritual exercises that align with your higher self and the Universe. It encourages you to use your natural creativity so you can dive deep into your soul and uncover blocks to your creativity.
Along with the 12-week program, there are morning pages, the artist's date, a creativity contract, check-ins, and exercises for each of the 12 weeks.
5. The Power of Now. Eckhart Tolle
Eckhart Tolle is a German-born spiritual teacher and writer who suffered long bouts of depression and dark nights of the soul before experiencing spiritual enlightenment.
During his spiritual awakening, Tolle was able to experience the power of the present moment for 5 months while in a state of ultimate bliss.
He spoke a lot about the "pain body", which he explained is the emotional pain we carry in our bodies and can create resistance and block the flow of spiritual energy.
When you can release your pain body, you are able to release suffering for yourself and others and can experience a spiritual awakening of your own.
6. Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life. Hector Garcia, Francesc Miralles
If you want a good and practical way to connect with your soul, take a cue from the Japanese, specifically the Japanese of Okinawa.
Okinawa is 1 of 5 blue zones in the world and is home to some of the longest living people in the world.
One reason for this is, according to the author, your Ikigai, which is your purpose in life, or your reason for being.
According to a study, people who have a strong purpose in life are more likely to live longer. They also have a higher quality of life than those who haven't found their ikigai, according to another study.
The authors, Hector Garcia & Francesc Miralles, include exercises in the book that can help you tap into your soul, as well as become more resilient, stronger, and happier.
7. You Are a Badass. Jen Sincero
Jen Sincero is the author of "You Are a Badass" and is a real-life coach. This book is like having a soul-searching paper coach.
The author gives a lot of no-nonsense, practical advice, like allowing yourself to make mistakes so you create valuable learning experiences and not allow fear to hold you back in life.
The book also contains exercises, anecdotes, and oftentimes hilarious stories on how to tap into your higher self so you can live your best life.
At the very least, your spirit will feel uplifted after you complete this book.
8. Do Nothing. Celeste Headlee.
This book is for those who feel overworked, overwhelmed, and stressed. We live in a world that extols production for the sake of profit and the author, Celeste Headlee, says that the antidote is to simply do nothing.
"Do Nothing" is packed with stories and evidence-based information on the power of rest so you can reset and rejuvenate.
She says that allowing yourself to do nothing gives your mind a well-deserved break and actually gets your creativity flowing if you are stuck.
You need downtime in your life in short bursts so you can reconnect with your mind, body, and soul each day. You also need to give yourself longer breaks if you can swing it allow yourself to truly feel rested.
The author is honest about her struggles with being overworked and also with not working. She gives practical solutions so you can schedule more time for activities that enrich your spirit and fill your soul.
9. Letting Go: The Pathway of Surrender. David R. Hawkins, M.D., Ph.D.
David R. Hawkins was a medical doctor, doctor of philosophy, and spiritual teacher. In his book, "Letting go: The Pathway of Surrender", Hawkins goes into great detail about the process of letting go.
His philosophy is similar to the practice of mindfulness which is the practice of awareness and non-attachment.
The book is packed with useful information and self-help questions about the process of letting go, acceptance, awareness, and transformation.
Some of the ideas might even seem strange, like the section where he wrote about how he was able to completely restore his eyesight through the process of letting go.
However, Hawkins' process of letting go allows you to surrender yourself completely so you can have inner stillness and peace.
10. What happened to you? Oprah Winfrey, Bruce Perry, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Bruce Perry and Oprah Winfrey co-wrote this book about trauma, especially in early childhood, and how it can affect the trajectory of your life.
Dr. Perry studied the effects of trauma for decades and says that how you were loved and whether or not you experienced trauma during the first few months of your life has a profound effect on your health and wellbeing.
He also said that neglect can be as harmful as trauma. One way to overcome neglect and trauma is through desensitization and therapeutic doses.
Of course, this book shouldn't be used to self-treat, and it's best to seek the help of a professional for heavy things like these.
However, what this book can do is expand your awareness about the different ways to deal with trauma and possibly open a pathway to healing spiritually, mentally, and physically.
