A selection of recommended books about Science for anyone on the path to awakening and self-knowledge. These are some of the books I’ve found particularly interesting or inspiring over the years. Longer reviews to come… Fritjof Capra – The Tao of Physics A classic exploration of the connections between Eastern mysticism and modern subatomic physics.… Continue reading Science Bookshelf
Three ants met on the nose of a man who was asleep in the sun. And after they had saluted one another, each according to the custom of his tribe, they stood there conversing. The first ant said, “These hills and plains are the most barren I have known. I have searched all day for… Continue reading The Three Ants
A selection of recommended books on Religion for anyone on the path to awakening and self-knowledge. These are some of the books I’ve found particularly interesting or inspiring over the years, plus links to online texts… Karen Armstrong – The Great Transformation This book is a fascinating exploration of the Axial Age which occurred between… Continue reading Religion Bookshelf
In 2008 Eben Alexander fell into a coma and had a Near Death Experience. He was suffering from an ultra rare form of bacterial meningitis which caused extensive damage to his brain, giving him a 97% mortality rate. Proof of Heaven is his account of what happened and it’s a fascinating read. What makes this… Continue reading Proof of Heaven: Review
Following my epic article on the Dark Night of the Soul, I wanted to go into a little more detail on the symptoms of the Dark Night and strategies for surviving it. I was going to include this information at the end of the previous article but it was already too long. To summarise: the… Continue reading How to Survive a Dark Night of the Soul
John of the Cross was born into poverty in Spain in 1542. He joined the Carmelite Order of the Roman Catholic Church but quickly became disillusioned by the dogma and yearned for direct experience of the divine. When he was 25, John met St Teresa of Avila, a 52 year old nun busy trying to… Continue reading St John of the Cross: Dark Night of the Soul Review
A Dark Night of the Soul always arrives uninvited, yet it could be the best thing to ever happen. It’s a sacred initiation into the underbelly of the soul that will make you feel cursed and blessed at the same time. Dark Nights of the Soul are all the rage these days. Our civilisation is self-destructing… Continue reading Love’s Ordeal: The Dark Night of the Soul
“You often hear about believers who have a crisis of faith, but what of the sceptics among us who have a crisis of doubt? For years we sceptics have decisively refuted the metaphysical claims of the great religions and scoffed at the pretentions of newfangled spiritual fashions. But then our doubt is suddenly shaken by… Continue reading Sceptical Mysticism
A mystic is someone who seeks to know God This may or may not involve religion or conventional definitions of ‘God’. Mystics transgress boundaries and colour outside the lines. They are notoriously difficult to pin down and get a straight answer from. For this reason, mystics are often misunderstood and even feared. At the very… Continue reading What is a Mystic?
I started life as a default atheist. My family weren’t religious and spirituality wasn’t part of my daily life. I never thought about it or questioned it. Unlike America, the UK and Europe are mostly secular. In the UK, if you admit to believing in God, or even being mildly curious, people tend to assume… Continue reading From Atheist to Agnostic
Addled: Adventures of a Reluctant Mystic is a novel about spiritual awakening for the postmodern era. It follows Zoe Popper for a year in the life of a modern mystic and asks: What would you risk for a glimpse of God? Zoe Popper is a cleaner who walks a lot and thinks too much. She… Continue reading Addled: Spiritual Awakening for Atheists
Moksha is a Sanskrit word meaning liberation or release from illusion. It is freedom from the cycle of birth and death, or samsara. Moksha is achieved through the identification of your true Self or the true nature of reality, and can be gained through many different practices or paths, such as devotion or service to… Continue reading Spiritual Glossary: Moksha
Jessica Davidson 