December 2013 Reading List, for those of you who asked me to list the books we are enjoying these days.  We read a portion of each of these during the week.  Our early morning routine allows time to read .    We take turns reading to each other before our morning meditation.   This is one of the best practices we have in our marriage.  I am so glad Paul likes it, too.  The following are the stack of books we choose from every day.  We read a paragraph or a section, marking the place for next time.

 

Wild and Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed.  She is the columnist who writes an advice column, using the name “Dear Sugar”–great stuff.

Wild is her story of her solo walk on the Pacific Coast Trail.  Thrilling to read about her journey.

 

To Be and How to Be by Peggy Rubin.  Peggy is a phenomenal artist who brings the drama of daily living into personal aliveness for each person.  Paul and I both adore her and have benefited greatly from our time with her and Jean Houston.

 

The Wizard of Us by Jean Houston.  Jean’s work has been so central in my life. I read every book she writes, using her mind and her genius to create my own adventures.  She is the most empowering person I know.  I cannot say enough good things about this woman.  We participated in her work in the 80s.  I attended her mystery schools as often as I could.

 

Faith by Dr. Joe Vitale–a practical, down-to-earth application of the need to trust and have faith in the future.

 

Shift Happens, by Robert Holden, Ph.D.  I would go and study with Robert Holden if he didn’t live across the ocean.  I like all his work on happiness and am ready to read anything he writes.  He is funny and extremely authentic, which means he has great wisdom to offer.  Basically, he has proven that happiness can be learned and it can be taught!

 

The End of Your Life Book Club, by Will Schwalbe.  I am so amazed at this man and his mother.  She was one of those rare women who fostered growth in her children at the same time she had a professional career.  Reading and learning were part of the childhood gift she gave them.  The account of her death and life by her son are gripping and fascinating.

 

Herb Kent-Westpoint Fullback, by Graham Dean (published in 1936).  Don’t buy this book since it is one of those old old worn and weathered books that I found online.  The reason I include it here is that Paul read it eleven times when he was a young boy.  He is now re-living that time through the re-reading of it.  A boy’s hero on his journey–a football hero but also a kind and compassionate boy who saved an old couple from drowning.

 

How Yoga Works, by Geshe Michael Roach.  This is one I would recommend everyone buy and read.  The oral tradition of yoga and the ultimate version as we know it today come to life in this delightful story.  This book reveals the secrets we need to know in order to heal both body and heart, resulting in a place of health, strength, and peace.  Michael Roach is the first Westerner in 600 years to pass the rigorous test for the title of Geshe (Master).  He also wrote The Diamond Cutter.

 

Supernormal, by Dean Radin.  I like his writing (the last one I read was Entangled Minds).  He has a way of bringing deep scientific truth into synchrony with spiritual miracles.  His middle section on yoga is excellent for someone like me who knows very little about the subject.  Radin has brought forth the evidence for extraordinary psychic abilities.

 

Spirit in Nature, a Book of Inspiration and Beauty by Kay and Tom Seliskar.  My dear friend, Bobbie Matthews gave me this book and it is a feast for the soul as well as the eyes.  The statements are affirmations and the photographs are breathtaking.  Bobbie said it is a gift from “you” to “you.”  Thanks, Bobbie!

 

Divine Moments, by Nancy Clark.  Nancy Clark is a very sane woman who has had a near-death experience as well as a near-death-like experience where she left her body without being near death.  She has compiled lots of stories that are illustrating this fascinating part of our soul’s journey.  People share with her the secrets they didn’t reveal for fear of being thought to be “crazy.”

 

Untie the Strong Woman, by Clarissa Pinkola Estes.   Dr. Estes writes from the depths of her knowledge of the Holy Mother, inviting the reader to encounter the force of Immaculate Love–“so that your memory of her is renewed, or so that the knowledge of her miraculous, fierce, enduring ways is drawn into your heart for the very first time.”  This was also a gift book and I have read it piece meal, always enjoying the mind and spirit of  this incredible woman–she is a Jungian analyst who wrote Women Who Run With Wolves.

 

Even Mystics Have to Pay Bills, by Jim Rosemergy.  I am doing his 40 day Guide to Prosperous Living and finding it to be good for my growth at this time of my life.  I will be 85 next month and am looking ahead to the next few years of abundant living.

 

Source, by Joseph Jaworski.  I loved Synchronicity and am finding once again that his writing stimulates creative thinking and deep knowing.  He is revealing the nature of visionary leadership, as well as individual growth through relationships, consciousness, and reality itself.  Good read!!

 

Eat, Move, Sleep by Tom Rath.  Tom Rath is a marvelous writer, very real, coming from his own life experience.  He is the author of many books.  I use two in my seminars, StrengthsFinder 2.0 and How Full Is Your Bucket?  I should add another one, Vital Friends.  All of his books are easy to read and understand and they contain great wisdom for life, living, and leadership.

 

One Mind, by Larry Dossey, M.D.   Just imagine a united consciousness, an awareness that we are all connected, and the possibility of a shift into realizing our possibilities as a species.  Good news for us humans.  His books are always interesting and hold the mystery of what might be possible.  His work with the validity of prayer was most helpful and this new book is like bringing together science and wisdom.

 

Leading from the Emerging Future, by Otto Scharmer and Katrin Kaufer.  I have been a devotee of Presencing for many years now. This newest book by the pioneers of Theory U, is great for today’s business leader.  I like the sub-title, From Ego-System to Eco-System Economies.   Again, my optimistic nature sees hope for our future through this kind of world leadership.  Look at their tools in the website, presencing.com.