I love to learn. And I love to share what I’ve learned.
If you’ve read my book, You Have 4 Minutes to Change Your Life, and you’re someone who reads a lot of self-help or spiritual content, you might have noticed the influence of some very well-known spiritual and thought leaders on its pages.
From the first time I picked up Ram Dass’ Be Here Now in a used book store nearly 25 years ago, I’ve been on a mission to devour as many spiritual and personal development texts that I could get my hands on.
And because I’m always on the run, sometimes logging several 2-hour-long+ car trips a week, I’m also a huge fan of audio books. I’m providing a link to the audio version of each book when one is available.
It was nearly impossible to narrow my list down to only 10 books, so I picked the titles I keep close to me at all times—the books that live in the stacks all over my work desk or those I have gifted to family and friends over the years.
You’ll find content on religion, spiritual development, self-help, social justice and politics, and business. I inject spirituality into all aspects of living—there is no separation between my soul’s purpose and my everyday life.
Please enjoy this list, pick up the titles that speak to you, and spread the love by sharing this post on social media by copying the URL or clicking this message to share on Twitter:
This diverse list of my favorite books for creating spiritual shifts is presented in alphabetical order. While Be Here Now is the book that started me on my journey of self-discovery, they have all played a crucial role in my spiritual growth. They’re all magic.
1. Be Here Now by Ram Dass
“Be Here Now is a 1971 book on spirituality, yoga and meditation by the Western-born yogi and spiritual teacher Ram Dass (born Richard Alpert). The title comes from a statement his guide, Bhagavan Das, made during Ram Dass’s journeys in India. The cover features a mandala incorporating the title, a chair, radial lines, and the word ‘remember’ repeated four times.” – Wikipedia.com
2. Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert
“Readers of all ages and walks of life have drawn inspiration and empowerment from Elizabeth Gilbert’s books for years. Now this beloved author digs deep into her own generative process to share her wisdom and unique perspective about creativity. With profound empathy and radiant generosity, she offers potent insights into the mysterious nature of inspiration. She asks us to embrace our curiosity and let go of needless suffering. She shows us how to tackle what we most love, and how to face down what we most fear. She discusses the attitudes, approaches, and habits we need in order to live our most creative lives.” – Amazon.com
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3. Excuses Be Gone by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
“Within the pages of this transformational book, Dr. Wayne W. Dyer reveals how to change the self-defeating thinking patterns that have prevented you from living at the highest levels of success, happiness, and health. Even though you may know what to think, actually changing those thinking habits that have been with you since childhood might be somewhat challenging.” – Goodreads.com
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4. Many Lives, Many Masters by Brian L. Weiss, M.D.
“As a traditional psychotherapist, Dr. Brian Weiss was astonished and skeptical when one of his patients began recalling past-life traumas that seemed to hold the key to her recurring nightmares and anxiety attacks. His skepticism was eroded, however, when she began to channel messages from the ‘space between lives,’ which contained remarkable revelations about Dr. Weiss’ family and his dead son.” – Amazon.com
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5. Soul On Ice by Eldridge Cleaver
“Soul On Ice is a memoir and collection of essays by Eldridge Cleaver. Originally written in Folsom State Prison in 1965, and published three years later in 1968, it is Cleaver’s best known writing and remains a seminal work in African-American literature. The treatises were first printed in the nationally-circulated monthly Ramparts and became widely read (even praised by Norman Mailer) for their illustration and commentary on Black America. Throughout his narrative, Cleaver describes not only his transformation from a marijuana dealer and serial rapist into a convinced Malcolm X adherent and Marxist revolutionary, but also his analogous relationship to the politics of America.” – Wikipedia.com
6. The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks, PhD
“In The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level, Gay Hendricks, the New York Times bestselling author of Five Wishes, demonstrates how to eliminate the barriers to success by overcoming false fears and beliefs. Fans of Wayne Dyer, Eckhart Tolle, Marianne Williamson, and The Secret will find useful, effective tips for breaking down the walls to a better life in The Big Leap.” – Goodreads.com
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7. The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz
The Four Agreements has been a New York Times bestseller for over 8 years and has sold more than 6 million copies. “In The Four Agreements, bestselling author Don Miguel Ruiz reveals the source of self-limiting beliefs that rob us of joy and create needless suffering. Based on ancient Toltec wisdom, The Four Agreements offer a powerful code of conduct that can rapidly transform our lives to a new experience of freedom, true happiness, and love.” – Amazon.com
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8. The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
“To make the journey into the Now we will need to leave our analytical mind and its false created self, the ego, behind. From the very first page of this extraordinary book, we move rapidly into a significantly higher altitude where we breathe a lighter air. We become connected to the indestructible essence of our Being, ‘The eternal, ever present One Life beyond the myriad forms of life that are subject to birth and death.'” – EckhartTolle.com
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9. The Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav
“Using his scientist’s eye and philosopher’s heart, Zukav shows how infusing the activities of life with reverence, compassion, and trust makes them come alive with meaning and purpose. He illustrates how the emerging values of the spirit are changing marriages into spiritual partnerships, psychology into spiritual psychology, and transforming our everyday lives. The Seat of the Soul describes the remarkable journey to the spirit that each of us is on.” – Amazon.com
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10. Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Aslan
“From the internationally best-selling author of No god but God comes a fascinating, provocative, and meticulously researched biography that challenges long-held assumptions about the man we know as Jesus of Nazareth […] Balancing the Jesus of the Gospels against the historical sources, Aslan describes a man full of conviction and passion, yet rife with contradiction; a man of peace who exhorted his followers to arm themselves with swords; an exorcist and faith healer who urged his disciples to keep his identity a secret; and ultimately the seditious ‘King of the Jews’ whose promise of liberation from Rome went unfulfilled in his brief lifetime.” – Amazon.com
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UPDATE: I have two more lists to share with you! Check out 9 MORE Books for Creating Spiritual (Money, Relationship, and Happiness) Shifts and 9 Inspirational Books & Affirmation Decks to Gift Yourself. These lists feature my favorite books and affirmation decks of the moment. You’ll probably want to gift at least a few of them to your friends.
Rebekah “Bex” Borucki, founder of BexLife.com and the Blissed In® wellness movement, is a mother-of-five, TV host, meditation guide, author, speaker, birth doula, fitness and yoga instructor, and popular social media personality. Her first book, You Have 4 Minutes to Change Your Life (Hay House 2017), is available now, wherever books are sold.
