Some books just stick with you, and being I still have plenty of life ahead of me, I suspect I’ll have a few more books to add as I grow, but these are my top 5 books that changed my life.
Mists of Avalon. From the point of view of three leading ladies in the King Arthur Tales, Marion Zimmer-Bradely introduces a plot line realistic to visualize the sequence of events in real world view. Paganism, Druidism, and Christianity face off, from a feministic point of view, that details how much influence women might have had in this legend.
I read this book in high school. I didn’t do a lot of reading as a kid, and I’m not sure how I read through this monster of a book, but I remember finishing it and crying at the end. It was the first time I had ever been exposed to spirituality that was not christianity of some form. This was the first time I was introduced to the idea that every religion has validity, and also, opened my eyes to how Christianity truly became mainstream (Mists of Avalon sent me down a rabbit hole of exploring other religions, history, and spirit).
Thank God For Evolution by Dr. Micheal Dowd. Coming in during my depression, this book took me to higher understanding of why science enhances spirituality, and spiritually makes science magical. This is the first book that gave me a confirmative feeling of purpose for the human race, and hope that heaven on earth is a reality that anyone can reach.
The Life Changing Magic of Tiding Up by Mari Kondo. Not many around the U.S. that don’t know the KonMari Method, or at least heard of it. I came later to the party, but at least well before the Netflix T.V. series. I listened to this book twice in one week, and rampaged through the house thanking every item I choose to keep or discard. Since then my home, no matter the mess, or disrepair that inevitably invade life, I have a much better energy in my home that makes me happy. I also found myself in a space that was easier to care for, and it’s easier to find motivation to reorganize.
Sacred Rest by Dr. Sandra Dalton. This book finally gave me permission to let go on any guilt that I had regarding letting priorities drop. I found balance in allowing myself to enjoy time out with my friends, time doing art, and time doing other self care activities, that I never felt I had “earned”. This book helped me realize that these are needs, and you do not have to earn them. What I found to be really enlightening is after I gave myself permission to do the things that I wanted to do, I found that more often than not, I actually wanted to do the things that I had been complaining about needing to do.
Atomic Habits by James Clear. This book is a great book on it’s own, and a perfect companion to The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. Atomic Habits really breakdown the habit building and breaking process, based of psychologically proven methods. The power in this book is really slowing down to apply the methods. Atomic Habits helped me build the habit of meditating everyday, which inevitably led to a major shift in managing my anxiety. I use Atomic Habits method whenever I am determined to accomplish something.
There you have it. The five books that changed my life.
Comments