Prayer
Foster, Richard J
Prayer, Finding the Heart's True Home
Harper, 1992
In a gentle, clear, simple way Foster describes all of the types of prayer there are: the prayer of rest, simple prayer, healing prayer, the prayer of examen, intercessory prayer and many others. For each type of prayer, Foster has given examples to guide you in forming your own prayers.

Merton, Thomas
Thoughts in Solitude
Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1956
This is an extremely powerful book written about Thomas Merton’s life in solitude, addressing the power of silence in the life. There are two prayers I found important to me on page 66 and page 79.

Williamson, Marianne
Illuminated Prayers
Simon and Schuster, 1997
A beautiful collection of prayers written by Marianne Williamson. A representative collection of heart felt prayers. (This book is currently out of print but may be obtained as a used book through Amazon.com)

Braden, Gregg
The Isaiah Effect
Three Rivers Press, 2000
Scientist and visionary Gregg Braden offers a radical departure from traditional interpretations of Isaiah’s text (Holy Bible). Weaving state-of-the-art research with his extensive knowledge of the ancient Essenes (the creators of the scroll texts), Braden invites us on a journey where science and miracles are merged into a new wisdom -and lead to a startling conclusion. He suggests that Isaiah, the first Old Testament prophet, left precise instructions to the people of the future describing an unconventional mode of prayer.

Books to Help Us Cope
Chodron, Pema
The Places that Scare You, A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times
Shambhala, 2001
We always have a choice. Pema Chodron teaches: We can let the circumstances of our lives harden us and make us increasingly resentful and afraid, or we can let them soften us and make us kinder. There is a great deal of teaching on meditation in this book. Pema Chodron is an American Buddhist nun and a teacher at Gamp Abbey, Nova Scotia, the first Tibetan monastery in North American established for Westerners.

Buechner, Frederick (pronounced Beekner)
The Hungering Dark
Harper, 1969
Drawing on texts from the Old and New Testaments, Buechner invites us to discover the hidden face of God, the manifestation of his grace, revealed in stillness, in unexpected places. I am not sure now why this book moved me so much when I was struggling, but I feel like I want it on the list.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler, M.D.
The Art of Happiness, A Handbook for Living
Riverheard Pr (Penguin-Putnam) Three Rivers Press, 1998
A book that not only can propels us, but sustain us. The first section of the book is The Purpose of Life, (captivating, huh?) Here is a quote from the Dalai Lama, "I believe that the very purpose of our life is to seek happiness. That is clear. Whether one believes in religion or not, whether one believes in this religion or that religion, we are all seeking something better in life. So, I think the very motion of our life is toward happiness..."

Hoff, Benjamin
The Tao of Pooh
Penguin, 1982
This is a wonderful book! And even "bears" re-reading. As Hoff says it is Taoism explained by Winnie-the-Pooh and Winnie-the-Pooh explained by Taoism. A fun and interesting read! Coping with a sense of humor.

Curtis, Brent and John Eldredge
The Sacred Romance, Drawing Closer to the Heart of God
Thomas Nelson Pub., 1997
Curtis and Eldredge with masterful storytelling help us to see how God draws us closer and closer for the most intimate, loving relationship of our lives. I will quote two things that struck me from the book, "Freedom is part of the explanation for the problem of evil. God is the author of some storms directly; but he is the author of the possibility of all storms in giving us freedom. And we opened Pandora’s box." And "Not realizing it is a journey of the heart that is called for, we make a crucial mistake. We come to a place in our spiritual life where we hear God calling us. We know he is calling us to give up the less-wild lovers that have become so much a part of our identity, embrace our nakedness, and trust in his goodness."

Lamott, Anne
Traveling Mercies, Some Thoughts on Faith
Anchor (Random), 1999
A wonderful laugh-filled and poignant look at Anne Lamott’s life and her struggles to come to believe in something more than herself that would bring love and care. "She is walking proof that a person can be both reverent and irreverent in the same lifetimes." She has a great slant on life.

Nouwen, Henri J.
The Inner Voice of Love, A Journey Through Anguish to Freedom
Image (Doubleday), 1996
This may sound from its title like something entirely too heavy to be helpful. Henri Nouwen is a Catholic Priest who kept a journal during the time of greatest anguish and depression in his life. It was only with a push from God and friends that he finally published it. He wrote for himself many "spiritual imperatives" which can help all of us. Try reading just one entry a day.

Dyer, Wayne
There is a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem
Harper Collins, 2001
Spirit has often referred to Dyer as a synthesizer to the common man. He has taken the compilation of the latest information on understanding energy, distillation of some ancient texts, and formed an excellent text on problem solving in such beautiful, heartfelt and practical ways.

Borysenko, Joan Z and Gordon F. Dveirin
Saying Yes to Change, Essential Wisdom for Your Journey
Hay House, 2006
Change is both scary business and an inescapable fact of life. Everything is impermanent and eventually passes away. Some changes are natural, like aging through the lifecycle. Others are sudden and catastrophic, such as illness, bankruptcy, or the death of a loved one. Change is an opportunity to shed the limitations of the lower self and be reborn to the higher self. This book is an inspiring and practical guide to that process, incorporating personal stories, cutting-edge psychological research, and the perennial philosophy of the world’s great wisdom traditions.

Roth, Geneen
The Craggy Hole in My Heart and the Cat who Fixed It
Three Rivers Press, 2004
Roth’s witty and self-deprecating personality comes across on every page as she recounts how the adoption of a cat changed her life, allowing her to open up, as well as to accept and give love.

Baldwin, Christine
Storycatcher, Making Sense of Our Lives through the Power and Practice of Story
New World Library, 2005
Christina Baldwin's work on Story...the art, the practice, the importance of telling and re-telling stories in our lives is a stunning masterpiece. Woven beautifully with fragments and selections of her own stories, Baldwin once again instructs, enchants and inspires the reader about the critical nature and importance of the individual stories of all of us. Whether it's to build community, heal generational wounds, create stronger organizations, leave a legacy, or simply to pass on information, Baldwin's narrative builds a compelling case for the power of "storycatching."

Baldwin, Christine
Seven Whispers
New World Library, 2002
The connection with our spirit is like a phone line, explains Christina Baldwin in The Seven Whispers. "Sometimes I turn the ringer off. Sometimes I ignore the ringing. Sometimes I pick up the phone with suspicion. Sometimes I get impatient with the interruption." The irony, of course, is that "unlike a lot of other calls, the one from Spirit is the one we are hoping to receive." Baldwin (Life's Companion) excels in helping readers converse with the divine. Here, she devotes a chapter to each of the "Seven Whispers of spiritual commonsense.

Psychic Development and Energy Dimensions
Hoffman, Enid
Develop Your Psychic Skills
Whitford Press (Schiffer Pub), 1981
A classic work containing excellent background information on the whole field of psychic perception and many exercises for the development of all perceptive skills, including telepathy, psychometry, psychokinesis, and others. The exercises are designed for both individual and group practice.

Hoffman, Enid
Expand Your Psychic Skills
Para Research (Schiffer Pub), 1987
In this companion book , Hoffman gives additional exercises and discusses the application of these perceptual skills to many areas of our lives. Topics such as life energies, trance states, sleep and dreams, and healing are covered.

Hewitt, William H.
Psychic Development for Beginners: An Easy Guide to Releasing and Developing Your Psychic Abilities
Llwellyn Publications, 1996
The utilization of the psychic to everyday life with many practical exercises. It also includes 28 psychic case studies. I am not at familiar with this book, have only selected some exercises from it to use in class.

Swami Panchadasi
Clairvoyance and Occult Powers
Yogi Publication Society, 1916
This is a reprint of this 1916 book devoted to this subject. The information, in large part, remains valid in the present. The subjects are dealt with common sense and practicality. Some of the subjects included are: clairvoyance, clairaudience, psychometry, crystal-gazing, prevision, astral-body traveling, psychic healing and telepathy.

Swami Bhakta Vishta
Genuine Mediumship or Invisible Powers
Yogi Publication Society, 1919
A reprint of this classic text on mediumship. It covers mental vibrations and transmission, clairvoyance, mediumship, mediumistic conditions, how to develop mediumship, mediumistic phenomena, experiences in the circle, and higher spirit manifestations.

Carrington, Hereward
Your Psychic Powers and How to Develop Them
Paperback - Cosimo Classics, 2007 (originally published in 1975)
This material was originally semi-privately circulated among a number of psychical and spiritualistic societies in the New York and vicinity. It represents the views of those members so be clear that it is the opinions of the psychics and groups who produced them. Much of the information is practical and helpful. There is information on the "spirit world," the human aura, symbolism, the health of mediums and psychics, color and its interpretation, automatic writing, spiritual healing, prophecy, and many others.

Leadbeater, Charles W.
Invisible Helpers
Theosophical Publishing House, first published in 1896
Charles Leadbeater was a world famous clairvoyant and very active in the Theosophical Movement. This intriguing book of his details situations and accounts of assistance in lives by those who are "beyond the veil."

Leadbeater, Charles W.
The Inner Life
Theosophical Publishing House, London, 1978
This is a compilation of lectures given by the famous clairvoyant, Charles Leadbeater, during the early 1900's. Pretty difficult to read cover to cover, but has wonderful discussions on The Great Ones and the Way to Them, Religion, the Theosophical Attitude, The Higher Planes, The After-Death Life, Devas and Nature Spirits, Reincarnation, Psychic Faculties, and Karma just the list some of the sections in the book.

Steiner, Rudolf
Knowledge of the Higher Worlds and Its Attainment
FQ Classics, 2007 (originally published in 1937)
Steiner delineates the process of psychic development with an understanding of what the student can expect during each of the stages of initiation. Not an easy read, but excellent information.

Healing
There are a large number of books on healing. I have only listed a few here.

Olson, Stuart Alve
Tao of No Stress
Healing Arts Press, Rochester, Vermont, 2002
Tao of No Stress offers easy-to-use techniques to help us let go of tension and strain in the mind, body, and spirit through the three paths of mental relaxation, massage, and breathing.

Borysenko, Joan
Minding the Body, Mending the Mind
Bantam, 1987
"Based on the groundbreaking work at the Mind/Body Clinic at New England Deaconess Hospital, This book shows you how to take control of your own physical and emotional well-being."

Haas, Elson M.
Staying Healthy with the Seasons
Celestial Arts, Berkeley, California, 1981
An excellent guide to overall health, but a lot of valuable information on what each season brings in the way of needs for the body. Haas uses Chinese medicine, herbology, and folk medicine information.

Moen, Larry
Meditations for Healing
United States Publishing, Naples, Florida, 1994
A compilation of guided meditations touching on all aspects of healing.

Hendricks, Gay
Conscious Breathing
Bantam, 1995
An excellent work on breathwork and body-centered therapy. Three easy foundation lessons to correct unhealthy breathing patterns. Also contains advanced techniques for treating asthma, addition, post-traumatic syndrome, chronic pain, and depression.

Goldsmith, Joel S.
The Art of Spiritual Healing
Harper, 1959
An essential read for any healer. Joel Goldsmith (1892-1964) says, "The world is not in need of a new religion, nor is the world in need of a new philosophy. What the world needs is a healing and regeneration. The world needs people who, through devotion to God, are so filled with the Spirit that they can be instruments through which healings take place, because healing is important to everybody." An excellent chapter on care of the healer.

Inspiration
Morgan, Marlo
Mutant Message Down Under
Harper Collins, 1991
An American woman summoned to Australia to receive a prize finds that she is accompanying a remote tribe of Aboriginals on a four-month walk-about in rugged terrain. A breath-taking odyssey!

Armstrong, Lance
It's Not About the Bike, My Journey Back to Life
Berkeley, 2000
Lance Armstrong, world renowned cyclist, takes you on the healing adventure he must go on to reclaim himself.

Peace Pilgrim, Her Life and Work in Her Own Words, Complied by Some Of Her Friends Ocean Tree Books, 1982
She walked 25,000 miles with the clothes on her back talking about peace on earth and trusting the God would provide food and shelter for her. A Wonderful book about a wonderful life.

Wright, Machaelle Small
Behaving as if the God in All Life Mattered
Perelandra, 1983
A compelling story of a life transformed as Machaelle Wright sees her destiny take her to communication with the earth and its inhabitants. She uses her profound ability to "see" and "hear" the invisible forces of nature.