Resources
These are books and other resources that I have found useful and interesting on my journey. They might be helpful to you too.
I have divided them into four categories, but most belong in more than one, so you might want to just scroll through the whole list to see what draws your attention.
People
Books
Peace is Every Step, The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life
by Thich Nhat Hanh
This is a slender volume full of the wisdom of being in the present moment and feeling the joy of being alive. Includes walking meditations. Each section is two to three pages long, making it great to dip into when inspiration is needed. Although Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, this book is not about Buddhism. It is about feeling peace and joy even in our stressful modern lives.
You Can Heal Your Life
by Louise Hay
www.louisehay.com
This classic book is still useful, more than twenty years since I first read it. Lots of affirmations and sensible ways to take back the story of your past and reclaim your future. Most important is remembering to love yourself exactly as you are today.
Heal Your Body
by Louise Hay
www.louisehay.com
Affirmations for the emotions/thought patterns held in the parts of your body. A useful resource when you’re feeling challenged by your body.
Creative Visualization
by Shakti Gawain
www.shaktigawain.com
This is the first book I ever read on creative visualization, and I still consider it the best. Treasure maps, goal-setting, gentle yet powerful exercises in visualization—simple ways to train your mind to create the reality you want.
The Gift of Fear and Other Survival Signals that Protect us from Violence
by Gavin deBecker
This security expert impresses the need to listen and act on your gut feelings where your safety is concerned. An excellent reminder for women raised to be “nice.” Trust your inner voice first.
Healing Wise
by Susun S. Weed
www.susunweed.com
One in a series of excellent books by herbalist and Wise Woman Susun Weed. She uses simple plants, many of them considered weeds, as food and medicine to keep the body nourished and strong. Look also for her books on childbearing and menopause.
The Wealthy Spirit: Daily Affirmations for Financial Stress Reduction
by Chellie Campbell
www.chellie.com
The first book I recommend to anyone looking for more money in their lives. Daily affirmations and short stories that help reset your energy for abundance.
Women Who Run With the Wolves
by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Ph.D.
Great stories on the hidden power of women who open themselves up to their true selves. Really good to read in your forties or older—younger women might not be able to relate as well.
The Dark Side of the Light Chasers
by Debbie Ford
The shadow is not to be ignored but to be brought out of the shadows and into the light so its gifts can be appreciated. And so it doesn’t control you from your subconscious. Debbie Ford’s simple yet powerful visualization exercises offer a metaphor for uncovering the hidden parts of you, thus releasing all the energy you’ve been using to suppress them. This is a pretty intense book. If you need help as you go through it, give me a call.
Feet First
by Laura Norman
www.lauranorman.com
An excellent reflexology book with suggestions on working on yourself and your family. The feet are the foundation of health—treat them well.
Audio
Science of Deliberate Creation Special Subjects 1 and 2
www.abraham-hicks.com
These are lectures given by Abraham, a group of nonphysical entities channeled through Esther Hicks. While I’m normally not a fan of channeled material, these talks are full of simple wisdom that is worth hearing again and again.
Useful Links
Caroline Casey
coyotenetworknews.com
Astrologer and visionary activist, Caroline’s quarterly talks on the planetary cycles are always interesting—full of mythology and modern-world anecdotes and tie-ins. She also has a regular show on Pacifica Radio.
Law of Attraction—the Abraham-Hicks material
www.abraham-hicks.com
Learn more about the Law of Attraction and the Science of Deliberate Creation.
Distant Healing
www.trtia.org
Make a request at the free online healing ashram run by The Radiance Technique® International Association.
Animals
Books
If a Dog’s Prayers Were Answered, Bones Would Rain From the Sky
by Suzanne Clothier
My favorite book on dogs and humans. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to understand their dogs better, and to enter into a deeper, more satisfying relationship with them. This is not a how-to book. Instead, Suzanne Clothier emphasizes the ongoing daily work of creating trust and understanding between human and dog. She explains how dogs see the world and what they want from a relationship with a human. With stories of individual dogs she’s interacted with, she shows how the work of creating relationship has to come first, and how it is fully worth the time and effort involved.
Animals in Translation
by Temple Grandin
Animals are aware of and notice things that humans don’t. And things that really bother humans, animals don’t give a hoot about. Temple Grandin does a great job of explaining this, and showing how this knowledge can help humans treat animals in a more humane way. A lot about slaughter houses, but in a much more reassuring way than you would think. (Remember, animals think about death differently to us, but they suffer from different things to humans.) Fascinating read.
Useful Links
Holistic Vet Website—find a holistic vet near you:
Vet Acupuncture site—find a vet who does acupuncture:
Find a vet near you who uses Traditional Chinese Medicine:
Create a living trust for your pet for $500. This organization works with Best Friends.
Nature
Books
Behaving as if the God in All Life Mattered
by Machaelle Small Wright
Transformational. Must read if you’re interested in developing or enhancing your relationship with nature.
World as Lover, World as Self
by Joanna Macy
A beautiful reflection by an American Buddhist on living in the real world.
To Honor The Earth—Reflections on Living in Harmony With Nature
by Dorothy Maclean
An inspiring book by one of the cofounders of Findhorn.
Secrets of the Soil
by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird
Soil (and all the micro-organisms in it) is the foundation of our health. This book, by the authors of The Secret Life of Plants, reviews studies and anecdotes about the life of soil and how we humans affect it.
The Findhorn Garden
by the Findhorn Community
This is the story of the garden created on the rocky coast of Scotland where the humans listened to nature, worked in harmony with it, and grew enormous cabbages and great yields of vegetables. I visited Findhorn in 1997, and even though the founders have moved on, it is still a magical place.
To Hear the Angels Sing
by Dorothy Maclean
Dorothy Maclean is one of the cofounders of Findhorn. She and Eileen Caddy would listen to the angels (otherwise known as devas of the plants and soil) to find out how to garden in the rocky soil. This is the story of her life as a person straddling the worlds of the physical and nonphysical.
The Garden Workbook I and II
by Machaelle Small Wright
Machaelle took up where Findhorn left off. She has an analytical mind, and an ability to take huge amounts of information and synthesize it down to simple steps. I visited her garden, Perelandra, outside Washington, D.C., a few times in the 1990s when she was still giving lectures. Fascinating stuff. These books explain how to work with nature spirits and devas (plant spirits) to create a vibrant garden. Flower essences are required, either hers or any other company’s (or mine), or those you make yourself. You will get a deeper connection with nature in a really interesting way. Can be overly mental, but if you can allow yourself to feel the energy, you’ll have a blast.
Energy
Books
Energy Medicine and Energy Medicine for Women
by Donna Eden
www.innersource.net
A simple explanation of the many energy patterns of the body, and easy exercises you can do to keep your energy flowing. Her jet lag exercises really work.
Hands of Light and Light Emerging
by Barbara Ann Brennan
www.barbarabrennan.com
These two books by the founder of the Barbara Brennan School of Healing are excellent foundations in the energy systems of the body. She touches on energy in interpersonal relationships, the psychological energy structures, and exercises to keep your energy running well. Also excellent suggestions for working with healers to maintain your health, and ideas for ways healers can take care of themselves.
Wheels of Light
by Anodea Judith
A great big book on the chakras.
The Dancing Wu Li Masters
by Gary Zukav
Working with energy is really working in the realm of post-Einsteinian physics. Gary Zukav makes physics relatively easy to understand. An engrossing book.
The Hidden Messages in Water
by Mesaru Emoto
Water carries vibration. (That’s why flower essences are effective.) Emoto has taken pictures of water from various places using an electron microscope so the cellular structure is revealed. Water which is yelled at looks lifeless, water which is prayed over or loved looks vibrant. A fascinating study.
Useful Links
To learn more about The Radiance Technique® International Association, its annual student peace essay, and the services it offers:
www.trtia.org
To learn more about the Radiant Peace Foundation: