Good Books for a Contemplative Life

In a previous article, Reading About Spirituality: Inspiration for learning and growth, I defined spirituality as “our sense that we are part of something greater than ourselves and our search for meaning and a sense of the sacred in our lives” and Interspirituality as “finding and connecting to spirituality across traditions.”

Although I live an active life, I also live a contemplative life. It’s easy to think of contemplatives as folks who have separated themselves from the world, who either live cloistered among other contemplatives or alone, hermit-like. However, as Paul wrote in Romans 12, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds.”

It is possible to live a productive life while also living prayerfully and spiritually.

A study of spiritual things

Part of this life is the study of spiritual things. That is, reading sacred texts and spiritual writings, meditating upon them, focusing on growing more compassionate, and living into a life that reflects the values of one’s beliefs. This obviously means different things to different people, for there are many spiritual paths in this multicultural world. As an Interspiritual person, I have a foundation in the teaching of Jesus while also finding truth in other paths, including esoteric magical traditions.

I understand and respect the fact that others follow different traditions and that many would not find my path to be of service to them. That is the beauty of Interspiritual and Interfaith practices. That is the beauty of understanding that we do not all resonate with the Divine in the same way. To walk in Love is to recognize that we each are responsible for our own spiritual life and to respect the choices made by others for their own lives.

The short list of books I’ve chosen to share in this article have helped me in my own spiritual walk. They have given me food for thought. Reading them, I have found new ways of looking at the world, at the Divine, and at my relationship to both. They have provided insight into my relationship with other people.

As I did in the previous article, I am including a couple of my own books in this list. I do so humbly, admitting that in writing them, I was able to more closely examine my own walk and the way I interacted with both the world and the Divine at the time of the writing.

The other books I’ve chosen here are reflections of the paths which others have undertaken. I stand in awe of some of the writers represented here. Some of the titles may seem odd to you, but each one of them provided me with something meaningful, if not answers to some deep and abiding questions, often unspoken.

The books

• Practical Mysticism by Evelyn Underhill
• The Cloister Walk by Kathleen Norris
• A Monk in the World: Cultivating a Spiritual Life by Wayne Teasdale
• The Unobstructed Universe by Stewart Edward White
• The Seth Materials by Jane Roberts
• Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig
• Celtic Devotional by Caitlin Matthews
• Sun Among Stars: A Brigit of Ireland Devotional by Mael Brigde
• …And She Pondered Them in Her Heart by Suzy Jacobson Cherry
• In Silent Meditation by Suzy Jacobson Cherry
• Odin: Ecstasy, Runes, & Norse Magic by Diana L. Paxson
• Sabbatical Journey by Henri Nouwen
• Our Religions: The Seven World Religions Introduced by Preeminent Scholars from Each Tradition by Arvind Sharma
• Contemplative Prayer: Praying When the Well Runs Dry by Joann Nesser
• The Path of Celtic Prayer by Calvin Miller
• Great Goddesses by Nikita Gill
• Meditations on the Tarot: A Journey into Christian Hermeticism by Anonymous, translated by Robert Powell

I know there are many other books worthy of reading and study. In fact, these are but a few of the ones I’ve learned from over the years. I look forward to reading many more books, including more by practitioners of traditions that are not my own.

If you have not read works by individuals who follow a spiritual tradition that is not the same as yours, I encourage you to consider doing so. True faith can only be deepened with the experience of looking within and understanding who we are in this world.

I believe this is one way that we truly become “in the world, but not of it.”

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This story, as well as Reading About Spirituality: Inspiration for learning and growth first appeared in a different form in Brigid's Arrow on Medium. Both were also published on Newsbreak.