Recommended Reading

	"Mutant Message Down Under" by Marlo Morgan This book is a fictional account of spiritual odyssey of an American woman in Australia. Summoned by a remote tribe of nomadic Aboriginals to accompany them on a walkabout through the outback, she makes a four-month-long journey with the “real people,” as the tribe calls itself. During this time she learns how they live and thrive in natural harmony with the plants and animals that exist in the rugged geography of the desert region. By traveling with this extraordinary community of individuals, Morgan becomes a witness to their essential way of being in the world based on ancient wisdom and philosophy of their more than 50,000-year-old culture.
	"Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book That Changes Lives " by Dan Millman During his junior year at the University of California, Dan Millman first stumbled upon his mentor (nicknamed Socrates) at an all-night gas station. At the time, Millman hoped to become a world-champion gymnast. "To survive the lessons ahead, you're going to need far more energy than ever before," Socrates warned him that night. "You must cleanse your body of tension, free your mind of stagnant knowledge, and open your heart to the energy of true emotion." From there, the unpredictable Socrates proceeded to teach Millman the "way of the peaceful warrior." At first Socrates shattered every preconceived notion that Millman had about academics, athletics, and achievement. But eventually Millman stopped resisting the lessons, and began to try on a whole new ideology--one that valued being conscious over being smart, and strength in spirit over strength in body. Although the character of the cigarette-smoking Socrates seems like a fictional, modern-day Merlin, Millman asserts that he is based on an actual person. Certain male readers especially appreciate the coming-of-age theme, the haunting love story with the elusive woman Joy, and the challenging of Western beliefs about masculine power and success. Amazon.com
	"Notes to Myself: My Struggle to Become a Person " by Hugh Prather Reading Notes To Myself is one of those rare experiences that comes only once in a great while. The editor who discovered the book said, "When I first read Prather's manuscript it was late at night and I was tired, but by the time I finished it, I felt rested and alive. Since then I've reread it many times and it says even more to me now." The book serves as a beginning for the reader's exploration of his or her own life and as a treasury of thoughtful and insightful reminders. From the Publisher
	"The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment " by Eckhart Tolle Ekhart Tolle's message is simple: living in the now is the truest path to happiness and enlightenment. And while this message may not seem stunningly original or fresh, Tolle's clear writing, supportive voice, and enthusiasm make this an excellent manual for anyone who's ever wondered what exactly "living in the now" means. Foremost, Tolle is a world-class teacher, able to explain complicated concepts in concrete language. More importantly, within a chapter of reading this book, readers are already holding the world in a different container--more conscious of how thoughts and emotions get in the way of their ability to live in genuine peace and happiness. Tolle packs a lot of information and inspirational ideas into The Power of Now. (Topics include the source of Chi, enlightened relationships, creative use of the mind, impermanence, and the cycle of life.) Thankfully, he's added markers that symbolize "break time." This is when readers should close the book and mull over what they just read. As a result, The Power of Now reads like the highly acclaimed A Course in Miracles--a spiritual guidebook that has the potential to inspire just as many study groups and change just as many lives for the better. Amazon.com
	"The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (A Toltec Wisdom Book)" by Don Miguel Ruiz Ruiz, whose workshop teachings are distilled here, was born into a Mexican family of traditional healers, became a surgeon in adulthood, then underwent a near-death experience that made him reexamine his life, his beliefs. Like the popular works of the late Carlos Castaneda, Ruiz's teachings focus on dreams and visions. "Dreaming," Ruiz argues, "is the main function of the mind." A series of four "agreements" are detailed, which make up a larger picture of unconditional human faith. Despite the New Age- sounding language, Ruiz is refreshingly clear in the presentation of his ideas. From Publishers Weekly
	"Strangers to Ourselves: Discovering the Adaptive Unconscious " by Timothy Wilson, PhD Freud introduced the West to the unconscious, but the last half-century of psychology has reinvented it, argues University of Virginia psychology professor Timothy D. Wilson. In Strangers to Ourselves: Discovering the Adaptive Unconscious, Wilson attempts to explain why there's so much about ourselves that we fail to understand, which can lead to misdirected anger. He points to a revised, post-Freudian understanding of how the mind works: the reason that their own judgments, feelings, [and] motives remain mysterious to people is not repression, as Freud argued, but efficiency so that the mind can process and analyze multiple things at once. Wilson looks at ways that readers can probe their unconscious, suggesting that soliciting the opinions of others is actually more valuable than introspection.
	"Full Catastrophe Living" by Jon Kabat-Zinn Kabat-Zinn, founder of the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, is perhaps the best-known proponent of using meditation to help patients deal with illness. (The somewhat confusing title is from a line in Zorba the Greek in which the title character refers to the ups and downs of family life as "the full catastrophe.") But this book is also a terrific introduction for anyone who has considered meditating but was afraid it would be too difficult or would include religious practices they found foreign. Kabat-Zinn focuses on "mindfulness," a concept that involves living in the moment, paying attention, and simply "being" rather than "doing." While you can practice anything "mindfully," from taking a walk to cleaning your house, Kabat-Zinn presents several meditation techniques that focus the attention most clearly, whether it's on a simple phrase, your breathing, or various parts of your body. The book goes into detail about how hospital patients have either improved their health or simply come to feel better despite their illness by using these techniques, but these meditations can help anyone deal with stress and gain a calmer outlook on life. "When we use the word healing to describe the experiences of people in the stress clinic, what we mean above all is that they are undergoing a profound transformation of view," Kabat-Zinn writes. "Out of this shift in perspective comes an ability to act with greater balance and inner security in the world."
	"The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne Fragments of a Great Secret have been found in the oral traditions, in literature, in religions and philosophies throughout the centuries. For the first time, all the pieces of The Secret come together in an incredible revelation that will be life-transforming for all who experience it. In this book, you'll learn how to use The Secret in every aspect of your life -- money, health, relationships, happiness, and in every interaction you have in the world. You'll begin to understand the hidden, untapped power that's within you, and this revelation can bring joy to every aspect of your life. The Secret contains wisdom from modern-day teachers -- men and women who have used it to achieve health, wealth, and happiness. By applying the knowledge of The Secret, they bring to light compelling stories of eradicating disease, acquiring massive wealth, overcoming obstacles, and achieving what many would regard as impossible.
	"Soaring on Your Strengths: Discover, Use, and Brand Your Best Self for Career Success" by Robin Ryan Robin Ryan's groundbreaking new book is designed to help readers take advantage of a paradigm shift in the workplace. Instead of hiring or promoting generally qualified people and improving their weaknesses, companies are now looking for workers who have the strengths that match particular jobs. Ryan shows readers how to identify those strengths and use that knowledge to advance their careers and better promote themselves to prospective employers. She shows how to establish an appealing career identity using self- branding tools like résumés, Mind Maps, and on-the-job success stories, and outlines fresh approaches to networking with colleagues and negotiating with bosses. Savvy and entertaining, Soaring on Your Strengths will be the job and promotion seekers guide for the twenty-first century.

Additional Reading

1. I am not Afraid
2. Finding Meaning in All Things
3. Finding Your Place
4. The Path We're On
5. Missed Opportunities
6. Why We Hold onto Pain and Unhappiness
7. How Difficult it is to Let Go of Anger
8. Don't be Afraid
9. Where are you Today?
10. Feeling Overwhelmed and Frustrated
11. Accepting Other People's Faults
12. How do you Know When a Relationship is Salvageable?, part one
13. How do you Know When a Relationship is Salvageable?, part two
14. How Can We Get Rid of our Pains
15. It is Beautiful Today
16. Enjoy Your day. Enjoy Your Life.