Summer books… “woo woo” edition

I feel compelled to write a short intro here for the benefit of those of you with rational minds (which includes Mr. B and my immediate family).  While I have been interested in learning more so I can find answers my own existential questions (where do we come from? where do we go when we die? what purpose does it all serve? are there other conscious life forms out there somewhere?), be assured that I am not going to run away to an ashram somewhere in India, don long flowing robes, and abandon all sense of reason.

That said, I find it hugely refreshing to learn about where we (Earth) fit into the many universes out there.  That perspective has given me such a calm sense of reassurance that not only are we not alone, but that there is a compassionate Divine purpose for everything.  We have free will, and yet we can’t make a choice that wouldn’t teach us something.  On our journeys over lifetimes, we cannot fail.  We are learning, embodying our experiences, and lovingly helping the evolution of our particular world.

Through my exploration of topics such as past lives and the afterlife, energy medicine, and intuition/spirituality, I am learning how to positively shape my life, to better keep things in perspective, and to find peace from worry, anxiety, and negativity.

The Map of Heaven: How Science, Religion, and Ordinary People Are Proving the Afterlife by Eben Alexander

Dr. Alexander, a neurosurgeon, wrote the bestseller Proof of Heaven, which I loved, and here he follows up with more stories people have told him and shows how they are echoed both in the world’s faiths and in its latest scientific insights.  If only for the history of science, philosophy, and alchemy alone, this book is fascinating.  He explores the nature of consciousness with his underlying message: “though it might be impossible to catch spiritual experiences and examine them in a laboratory, that doesn’t mean they aren’t real.” Highly recommend.

“There is a larger world behind the one we see around us every day. That larger world loves us more than we can possibly imagine, and it is watching us at every moment, hoping that we will see hints in the world around us that it is there.”

Frank Talk: A Book of Channeled Wisdom by Tracy Farquhar

I heard about this one from Mike Dooley at tut.  This short book from a group of souls (who call themselves “Frank”) from another universe has 9 chapters which cover the story of their own civilization, plus fascinating discussions about the nature of reality, science, spiritual wisdom, a different perspective on time, the animal kingdom and more.  It may be a bit “out there” for most, but I found its words reassuring and comforting.  I had to dole out the pages sparingly or I would have read it all in an hour.

“It is through your challenges and deepest despair that the greatest opportunities for growth live, and so remember that this brief time in this dimensional space is all for your highest good, and that you simply can’t get it wrong, no matter what choices you make.”

“It is always essential to find ways to express this creativity and honor your divine light, as these are gifts which are meant to be shared with the world to inspire others to create their own lives. There is no gift which is bestowed upon someone by mistake, or which has the danger of leading someone down a wrong path. These gifts have many properties which can assist in the learning of practical life skills and decision-making.”

I read this right after the South Carolina shooting, so these words were helpful:

“It is these shifts which will inaugurate the need for changes in your political, social and economic structures world-wide. It simply will not be possible for your world to continue to operate under the old structures for much longer with the types of shifts that are occurring right now. These changes are already occurring in your governments and leadership, and in the corporate structures which have reached their absolute peak of growth and stability. It is essential for some of these systems to fail, in order to make room for new structures which will create more of a balanced system among the people of your planet. The wide disparities in economic and social structures need to be balanced and healed in order for your social systems to thrive. This is creating fear among those who hold the vast majority of the world’s wealth as they feel their grip on this wealth and power slipping away. This will create a huge backlash which will threaten the viability of the new-found systems; however, those on the cutting edge of these new systems will be stalwart and resilient in their efforts to create lasting change which is designed to heal the planet and help it to flourish.”

“Within the chaos of change there is a silent, still center of peace. There is a calm that can be found in knowing that change is occurring and that the things that need to be altered are being carried through the process of change. As you navigate your way through these days of seemingly unrelenting negative energy from those who see no hope or even a sense of purpose within the world, know that these feelings are temporary, and that they arise from the growing pains of a new society.”

How to Read the Akashic Records: Accessing the Archive of the Soul and Its Journey by Linda Howe

The book is divided into two parts. Part One is about how to read the Akashic Records; Part Two offers techniques and exercises for using the Records to heal yourself and others.

The Akashic Records contain a vibrational record of every soul and its journey and contain everything that every soul has ever thought, said, and done over the course of its existence, as well as all its future possibilities.  Whereas it used to be that only a select few could access these Records, today “anyone with a conscious commitment to seeking and spreading Divine Light and healing can access this body of wisdom, insight, and guidance.”

This is the one and only book I have read on this subject, so I don’t know how to compare it to “fact,” but I found it compelling, easy to read, and highly informative.

Anatomy of the Spirit: The Seven Stages of Power and Healing by Caroline Myss

“Your biography becomes your biology.” Myss writes in Part I that our emotions, our choices, and our stresses integrate themselves into our physical bodies, often becoming diseases.  Certain emotional or spiritual crises become particular problems in the body.  Myss is a medical intuitive and she can read a body like a book, determining where someone’s personal power has been weakened and also it’s possible cause.  She can examine the energy state of an illness and help treat it’s cause, not just symptoms. She’s identified the emotional, psychological, and physical stress patterns of nearly a hundred different illnesses.

Here’s the idea in a nutshell: “Each illness and each body organ, I learned, has its own ‘frequency’ or vibrational pattern… Just as radio stations operate according to specific energy wavelengths, each organ and system in the body is calibrated to absorb and process specific emotional and psychological energies. That is, each area of the body transmits energy on a specific, detailed frequency, and when we are healthy, all are ‘in tune.’ An area of the body that is not transmitting at its normal frequency indicates the location of a problem. A change in intensity of the frequency indicates a change in the nature and seriousness of the illness and reveals the stress pattern that has contributed to the development of the illness.”

Part II of this book is about the seven power centers in our bodies.  She integrates Judaism’s Kabbalah, Christian sacraments, and the chakras into seven universal spiritual truths.  Energy is power, and each of the seven energy centers houses a particular set of powers.  This section is the majority of the book and it is wholly fascinating.

After reading this, I feel far more conscious of how my emotions are affecting me physically.  So much of what are/were my patterns have caused energy depletion.  Some days I hardly did anything and yet I was exhausted.  Now I know exactly why.  I refer to earlier periods of depression but also something as relatively minor as needing gallbladder surgery.  All of that pain stemmed from my own untrue judgements, illusions of separation, pressures to conform, and lack of love for myself.  Myss could most likely find the cause of a run-of-the-mill headache too.

Think of how this could help people for the betterment of their health if only they’d learn about this!

“All our thoughts, regardless of their content, first enter our systems as energy. Those that carry emotional, mental, psychological, or spiritual energy produce biological responses that are then stored in our cellular memory… Accepting the idea that every part of your life—from your physical history to your relationships to every attitude, opinion, and belief you carry inside yourself—affects your biological makeup is only part of the healing process, however. You also have to get that acceptance to move from the mental level into the physical level, into your body, to feel the truth viscerally and cellularly and believe it wholly.”

Of course we can’t blame someone for falling ill, for nobody would consciously choose to create an illness. But sickness develops “as a consequence of behavioral patterns and attitudes that we don’t realize are biologically toxic until they have already become so.” That is what’s in our control.  And whereas going to a doctor and following their prescribed treatment is mostly passive, energy healing is 100% active and “an internal process that includes investigating one’s attitudes, memories, and beliefs with the desire to release all negative patterns that prevent one’s full emotional and spiritual recovery. This internal review inevitably leads one to review one’s external circumstances in an effort to recreate one’s life in a way that serves activation of will—the will to see and accept truths about one’s life and how one has used one’s energies; and the will to begin to use energy for the creation of love, self-esteem, and health.”

The thing is, though, you have to want to be healthy.  If you feel a sense of power from being unhealthy, there’s not much anyone can do to help you change.

OH! And a huge helpful aha for me…

“Learn what rather than who draws power from you. Understand that the person who seems to be drawing your energy is actually only a reflection of some part of yourself. For instance, if you are jealous of someone, the important issue for you is not that specific person but the shadow side of your nature as it is reflected in that person. In effect, that person serves as your teacher. Concentrating on the person of whom you are jealous will not heal you. You will only be sent more and more teachers, each more intense than the previous one. Your task is to learn the lesson that the teacher has for you rather than to resent the teacher.”

Archetypes: Who Are You? by Caroline Myss

Myss describes Archetypes as “universal patterns of power emerging from our myths and beliefs, and that these myths and beliefs, in turn, invisibly weave their influential threads into the way we view every aspect of our lives.”

For example, if I pointed someone out to you and told you she is the Perfect Mom, you’d have a mental conception of what that means.  Your concept wouldn’t be very different from mine.

“Although archetypes are collective symbols that everyone in the culture shares, they can also speak to us individually, as personal archetypal patterns that are the foundation of our beliefs, drives, motivations, and actions, organizing and energizing all our relationships in life.”

Upon discovering which archetypes are guiding your life, you step into the core of your being, perhaps for the first time.  Myss describes 10 archetypes that we are most likely to see today: the Advocate, the Artist/Creative, the Athlete, the Caregiver, the Fashionista, the Intellectual, the Queen/Executive, the Rebel, the Spiritual Seeker, and the Visionary.

“Each archetype is presented as the representative of an archetypal family, a team of archetypes with similar patterns. These general archetypal families cover both men and women. The Caregiver, for example, is the lead member of the Caring family, a team associated with nurturing that includes the Mother, the Rescuer, the Teacher, the Healer, and the Companion.”

Very interesting… I’d recommend this one as a quick reference book.

Journey of Souls: Case Studies of Life Between Lives by Michael Newton

I know this one is a bit woo-woo, but I found it fascinating.  It consists of 29 case studies that explain our soul’s purpose, the different levels of souls, and how souls evaluate and grow between incarnations.

Here are a couple of excerpts:

“Earth is in a sparse section of the Milky Way with only eight stars that are ten light years from the sun. We know our own galaxy has more than two-hundred billion stars within a universe currently speculated at one-hundred-billion galaxies. The worlds around the suns which might support life are staggering to the imagination. Consider, if only a small fraction of one percent of the stars in our galaxy had planets with intelligent life useful to souls, the number would still be in the millions.”

“Our eternal identity never leaves us alone in the bodies we choose, despite our current status. In reflection, meditation, or prayer, the memories of who we really are do filter down to us in selective thought each day. In small, intuitive ways-through the cloud of amnesia-we are given clues for the justification of our being.”

“While speaking of a ‘paradise planet,’ with few people and a quieter, simpler version of Earth, he added this world was not far from Earth. ‘Oh,’ I interrupted, ‘then it must only be a few light years from Earth?’ He patiently explained that the planet was not in our universe, but closer to Earth than many planets in our own galaxy.”

“Dr. N: Why does a source, who is ostensibly perfect already, need to create further intelligence which is less than perfect? S: To help the creator create. In this way, by self-transformation and rising to higher plateaus of fulfillment, we add to the building blocks of life.”

Memories of the Afterlife: Life Between Lives Stories of Personal Transformation by Michael Newton

I was curious to learn more after reading Journey of Souls.  This one is made up of 32 experienced practitioners from the Michael Newton Institute reporting stories of their own clients and how their sessions together changed their lives.

Emotional Freedom: Liberate Yourself from Negative Emotions and Transform Your Life by Judith Orloff

Another example of reading another of an author’s books to learn more (see Second Sight review below). This is such an amazing book! One of the little blurbs at the beginning by Rosanna Arquette spoke to me: “I keep re-reading it to remind myself to stay positive and that it is a choice not to go to a negative place. It taught me to feel good about my own sensitivities and deal with difficult personalities without going mad! We have the power to change any negative emotion into a positive one.” 

This book is divided into two parts. Part I is about the 4 components of emotions; Part II presents a hands-on approach for facing the seven most prevalent difficult emotions and building positive ones.  In a pressure-cooker culture where most people are pushed past their limits, it’s refreshing to learn about a compassionate and loving way to be more comfortable, to have more nurturing relationships, and to better learn how to react constructively and communicate effectively.  Highly recommend!

Second Sight: An Intuitive Psychiatrist Tells Her Extraordinary Story and Shows You How to Tap Your Own Inner Wisdom by Judith Orloff

Orloff’s honest transparence about her journey of intuition, dreams, psychic impressions, healing, and community is inspirational.  She tells interesting stories about the links between intuition and community, intimate knowledge and love.  Her belief in a divine intelligence and the interconnectedness of all things mirrors my own, and Orloff’s clinical healing work is inspirational to me.  She taps into the importance of our inner wisdom, our dreams as guides, and how being open and receptive can cause a huge difference in our life experience.

I have dozens of favorite quotations from this one, but my favorites are “To awaken is an act of courage” and “Make space for your own brilliance.” Highly recommend.

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Thanks for reading! Do you have any spiritual books you’d recommend?

What have you been reading lately? And are you on Goodreads? I’d love to connect there.

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