Books

Before Jed McKenna's "Spiritual Enlightenment" is put away on a shelf, I wanted to add some positivity to my previous mostly negative post about the book -- which I finished today.I still don't like how McKenna fictionalizes what is presented as reality: that he is an enlightened teacher who presides over a fawning group of non-dual truth seekers at his quasi-ashram in rural Iowa. And I still doubt both that enlightenment exists, at least in the fashion McKenna describes it to be, or that he has achieved the state of all-knowing clarity which McKenna annoyingly claims on page after page…

I'm not a believer in mediums or channeling. But I'm open to the possibility of tapping into some sort of cosmic consciousness that is way beyond the bounds of everyday human awareness.So when a publicist for Carole Lynne, who wrote "Cosmic Connection: Messages for a Better World," asked me in an email if I'd be willing to read the book and write a review, I replied "sure."Free books attract me. Plus, an overview of Cosmic Connection said that Lynne felt that she was tapping into an impersonal consciousness, not the psyches of departed souls. That makes more sense to me…

At the age of sixty, I seem to be coming full circle -- back to one of my favorite 60's personalities, Alan Watts. I've been reading or re-reading quite a few of his books lately. Most recently, "The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are."For a long time I thought of Watts as a philosophical light-weight, a popularizer of Eastern wisdom who possessed more wit than substance. But now he seems to me to get things almost exactly right, which shows how I've changed.I saw Watts once in person. He gave a talk at San Jose State College…

After I got an email pitch for a book that demolishes religion but promotes a free-ranging scientific and mystical inquiry into the "wild wonder of it all" I soon found myself handing over $13.47 for a copy of Lew Paz's "Pushing Ultimates: Fundamentals of Authentic Self-Knowledge."It's a self-published book, which I have absolutely no problem with -- having done the same with my own examination of ultimacy, "Return to the One." Paz is well-informed and positively disposed toward science. He's also well-read in an impressive number of other subjects: mysticism, philosophy, politics, psychology, history, anthropology, to name a few.You can…

Given how many mystical, spiritual, and philosophical books I buy from Amazon, my favorite online book store should be cautious about carrying this title:"Beyond Awakening: The End of the Spiritual Search," by Jeff FosterIndeed, since I read this slim book (141 pages, whose message could be encapsulated on one or two) I haven't bought anything in the What's It All About genre. But give me time. I doubt that I'm really at the end of my spiritual search. Could be, though. I like a lot of what Foster has to say, which is supremely simple. He ends the book with...Yes,…

After learning about Julia Sweeney's "Letting Go of God" monologue several years ago, I wrote a post about her evolution from Christian believer to scientific skeptic – without having heard her entire take on the God thing. "Letting Go of God" has been sitting on my iPod, but until yesterday I'd hadn't gotten around to listening to all of it. A long car trip to central Oregon and back was the perfect opportunity to fill my questioning psyche with Sweeney's words. Which, it turned out, described a spiritual journey that bore considerable resemblance to mine. And, I'm sure, that of…

What's in a word, a movement, an expression? Everything. Potentially, at least. This is the intriguing premise of "The Beauty of Gesture: The Invisible Keyboard of Piano and Tai Chi," by Catherine David. To be present in every step means that the forward motion of one's foot, if experienced fully, embodies the whole of reality at a given time. Being a Tai Chi practitioner myself, I understand what David is saying. The key word here is "fully." When I'm moving through a Tai Chi form, often my mind is only partially engaged in what I'm doing. So my reality is…

It's the only line from Dante's Divine Comedy that I know: "Abandon all hope, you who enter here." (one of various translations of what's inscribed on the gate of hell) For me, it's what I feel nowadays when I peruse the spiritual, mystical, metaphysical, and religious volumes in my book collection. I used to read these books voraciously, devouring them for insights into the Meaning of It All. I went through phases where I'd study a single subject for weeks or months. Sant Mat. Rumi. Meister Eckhart. Other medieval Christian mystics. The "desert fathers." Zen. Taoism. Plotinus. Emerson. To name…

I've got to keep my churchless credibility intact. I don't want to sound like I've become a Ken Wilber groupie after speaking favorably about his "Integral Spirituality" in some recent posts – here, here, and here. So now that I've finished the book, and visited (or re-visited) some web sites that criticize Wilber's Integral "theory of everything," I'll share what I don't like about Wilber's take on reality. Main objection: his complex theories about how everything in existence fits together strike me as much more reflective of the inside of Ken Wilber's head than of how the universe really works.…

Last Sunday a friend loaned me a copy of "There Is Nothing Wrong With You" by Cheri Huber. The title appealed to me instantly, since it's so obviously right. I mean, most of the time it's crystal clear to me that I'm absolutely fine. It's other people who are all screwed up, the way they don't behave like I want them to. Problem is, they feel the same. So the conventional wisdom is that the world is made up of six billion humans chanting a mantra of "I'm right and you're wrong." This certainly seems to be the foundation of…

Watching a recording of PBS' "A Brief History of Disbelief" last night, I learned a fact that could come in handy if you're ever on a high-stakes quiz show. They ask: Who wrote the first atheist book? You say, Baron d'Holbach. (When you win the million dollars, be sure to remember with gratitude what blogger informed you of this.) Baron d'Holbach (1723-1789) hosted a notable salon in Paris where free-thinkers gathered for serious conversation. My wife and I belong to a Salem, Oregon salon group, so we've got that in common. Philosophically, the Baron and I also are on much…

I’m an avid reader of spiritual books. Not the overly religious kind, but the edgy variety – mystical and meditational writings that stretch my psyche’s understanding of what reality is all about.

Last year Ron Gardner sent me a marvelous recommended spiritual reading list that I shared in a blog post. Now Ron has emailed me a new and improved list, “improved” naturally being in the eye of the list-maker, as likes and dislikes in any literary arena are necessarily personal.

However, just as there are classics in other genres, so also in esoteric spiritual writings. No one will agree with the placement of all of Ron’s “highly recommended” selections, but I’m hugely impressed with the thoughtful care that has gone into the making of his list.

Thank you, Ron, for this gift. For many years, if not a lifetime, it’ll help keep UPS trucks coming to my home with offerings from Amazon.

If you like, comment away on the list. Additions are especially welcome. Click below to read Ron’s recommendations.

Kudos to Grey Austin. Not only has he written a thoughtful, readable book about his search for a universal ultimacy that makes more sense than the personalized Christian God, but he's evolved a terrific white beard. I've been thinking of letting mine grow out a bit. Not to Austin's Father Christmas length, but he's inspired me. Both beardly and spiritually. I'm a sucker for self-published books that are carefully written/edited and present a unique perspective. "Wholly Spirit" fills the bill on both counts. (So does mine, in my not-humble opinion.) Austin's book has an unvarnished honest feel to it. He's…

A few years ago I made my first pilgrimage to Hollywood's Bodhi Tree Bookstore, one of the wonders of the metaphysical book-selling world. I went again yesterday, leaving my month-old granddaughter and her mother (my daughter) cooling their heels in a neighboring restaurant. Wise place to wait. Slower the service, the better. When I enter the Bodhi Tree Bookstore, I'm not going to be emerging for quite a while. Wandering through the store's sections is a voyage of spiritual self-discovery. The patrons, me included, appear darn serious as they browse the shelves. After all, we're not looking for a book…

It's hard enough to simply haul myself around some days. Yet I'm still spry enough to have little trouble managing these garage crawlspace stairs. (After all, I just took twenty years off of my life). But pushing a heavy box of books up the stairs and through the narrow opening, that's an extra energetic load. I just repeated the job a dozen times, putting back stored books that had to be removed when our garage got some earthquake strengthening. The light at the top of the stairs came to seem more than metaphorical. After a few trips up and down,…

What books turn you on spiritually? I’ll show you mine if you’ll show me yours—your list. Heck, I’ll even expose myself first. But before I do, I’ve got to thank Ron Gardner. He emailed me last month, saying: I'm a long-time serious student of the Perennial Philosophy, and I want to commend you on "Return to the One." I derived both intellectual enjoyment and spiritual inspiration from reading it, and I plan on placing the book on the Recommended Spiritual Reading List that I'm in the process of putting together. Well, that intrigued me. Both the praise of my book…