Paranormal and Spiritual Book Recommendations
September 28th, 2006 by Erin Pavlina
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I am often asked to recommend good books on topics such as lucid dreaming, astral projection, spirits and guides, angels, meditation, psychic development, and more. The problem is that I don’t have any.
Let me explain. I grew up reading Lois Duncan books, like Stranger with My Face, Down a Dark Hall, and Daughters of Eve. These books appealed to me because of the personal experiences I was having. Later, I read the entire Christopher Pike collection of young adult books. All fantastic!
When I did my science fair project back in junior high, I read 11 non-fiction books on the subject of dreams, dream intrepretation, and astral projection. But I can’t really recommend any of those books since they were all written in the 1970’s. I’m sure there are wonderful books out today that are more updated.
I read some of Robert Monroe’s books on astral projection but I didn’t have the same experiences he had so they were of little help to me. In some cases, I just didn’t get what he was talking about.
So when people ask me for recommendations, I’m hard-pressed to come up with anything I’d really recommend. I’m a big believer in personal experience, but I know it’s helpful to read about others’ experiences so you can get an idea of what’s even possible.
Lately, the authors over at Hay House are really floating my boat. Doreen Virtue, John Holland, Gary Renard, and Esther Hicks are all wonderful authors who really seem to know what they’re talking about. So there you have it, my official recommendations.
Let’s throw Shirley Maclaine in here too. I loved her “Out on a Limb” series. I read those at a time when I was a seeker, just like she was. Boy would I love to have lunch with her. I first learned about channeling from those books.
Books are great to learn about what’s possible, but there’s no substitute for personal experience and pushing your own boundaries. I’ve had experiences that I’ve never read about in a book. Don’t let books limit you. Explore. The unknown is vast! It’s fine to have a guide book now and then, but sometimes you’ve got to throw the book out the window and blaze your own trail.
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September 28th, 2006 at 10:23 am
I was wondering about the books also. Last year I read one of Christopher Pikes books - It was very good!.
By the way your link to Gary Renard shows a error page 404.
September 28th, 2006 at 11:04 am
“The teaching that is written on paper is not the true teaching. Written teaching is a kind of food for your brain. Of course it is necessary to take some food for your brain, but it is more important to be yourself by practicing the right way of life.” Shunryu Suzuki, “Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind”
September 28th, 2006 at 12:09 pm
I grew up on Christopher Pike and absolutely LOVE his work. “Eternal Enemy” changed my perspective deeply, as did a lot of his other work. Amazing that you mention him here.
September 28th, 2006 at 7:43 pm
Erin –
Not to forget “A Wrinkle in Time” by Madeleine L’Engle. Amazing, amazing book, written for young people, but should be required reading for all human beings of all ages. Moving, thoughtful, tremendous.
Did I mention I liked it?
Daniel
September 30th, 2006 at 4:38 pm
Wow- I should begin by saying I have lurked around here for a bit and I have enjoyed reading your blog. I have identified with you strongly on several occassions. My jaw dropped when I read this entry. I am amazed at how much reading could affect my life further down the road. Between the ages of 8-12 I would read 6-7 books a week every summer. I devoured as many books as I could during the school year as well, but of course school work took center stage. Anyway- at one point I had read EVERY Christopher Pike book written. I LOVED his work. A few weeks ago, I was actually thinking about rereading some of his books! Wow…
I’m also a big fan of some of the Hay House authors. Reading has been such a huge part of my life. I have learned so much, but I agree with you completely- we must experience life’s lessons personally, too. I liketo think of it like this: With some lessons, it is quite sufficient to learn from other people and other times we must have those experiences for ourselves in order to best understand.
Thank you so much for the work you do here. Its nice to see the light here.
Daniel- LOVED “A Wrinkle In Time”!!
October 10th, 2006 at 11:22 am
someone else mentioned Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time, and while i definitely definitely recommend this book, the subsequent two (A Wind in the Door, and A Swiftly Titlting Planet) are even more important reads. I was going to send you an email, encouraging you to read these three books, when i saw this article. Synchronicity abounds.
Madeleine L’Engle is Here, Erin.
your site, and your husband’s, are wonderful tools for me, and i am grateful to you both. when i feel myself sinking into a lower level, your sites, as well as http://www.ranprieur.com, help remind me of my path.
namaste