RECOMMENDED READING & LINKS
This page contains a collection of books and links which you may find useful in exploring Omnism.
Here’s a fascinating fact:
“Researchers said the study underscores the growing popularity of the Internet as a source for spiritual information. It is still the case that more people use the Internet for religious or spiritual activities than have gambled online, used Web auctions sites, traded stocks online or used Internet-based dating services, the Pew researchers wrote.”
excerpted from:
http://msnbc-cnet.com.com/2100-1023-979468.html
RECOMMENDED READING
Please Note: Though there are hundreds and thousands of great books on religion and spirituality out there, I am only recommending quality books that I have read all, or parts of, myself. This list will be updated as I reevaluate more of the books I’ve read over the years, buy and read new ones, and get more recommendations from others.
To help fund this site we have joined the associates program at Amazon.com. This means that if you click on the book titles a new window will open taking you to the Amazon site and we will receive a small referral fee for whatever you purchase. However, we also encourage you to compare other on-line book sites such as Barnes & Noble and Powells (a great independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon). And don’t forget to support your neighborhood bookstores!
SQ: Connecting with Our Spiritual Intelligence, by Danah Zohar
Working on God, by Winifred Gallagher
A History of God, by Karen Armstrong
The Illustrated World's Religions: A Guide to Our Wisdom Traditions, by Huston Smith
How to Know God: The Soul's Journey into the Mystery of Mysteries, by Deepak Chopra
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, by Eckhart Tolle
Pagans and Christians: The Personal Spiritual Experience, by Gus Dizerega
The New Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology (originally published in 1959, new edition 1968, my copy is from the 16th impression 1981)
The Five Stages of the Soul: Charting the Spiritual Passages That Shape Our Lives, by Harry R. Moody
The Varieties of Religious Experience, by William James
History of Christianity
The Gnostic Gospels, by Elaine Pagels
Adam, Eve and the Serpent, by Elaine Pagels
The Origin of Satan, by Elaine Pagels
Christian Mysticism & Esoteric Christianity
Esoteric Christianity or the Lesser Mysteries, by Annie Wood Besant
Mysticism, by Evelyn Underhill
Returning to the Source: The Way to the Experience of God, by Wilson Van Dusen
Kabbalah (Jewish Mysticism)
Kabbalah: An Introduction and Illumination for the World Today, by Charles Ponce
Buddhism
Diamond Sutra: Transforming the Way We Perceive the World, by Mu Soeng
Bodhisattva of Compassion: The Mystical Tradition of Kuan Yin, by John Blofeld
Zen Flesh, Zen Bones: A Collection of Zen and Pre-Zen Writings, transcribed by Paul Reps and Nyogen Senzaki (an easy to read collection of Zen parables - great intro to the Zen heart/mind)
Zen Buddhism, D.T. Suzuki
Taoism
Tao Te Ching, a translation of Lao Tsu by Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English
The Tao of Pooh, by Benjamin Hoff (an entertaining, non-academic intro to Taoism)
Hinduism
Autobiography of a Yogi, by Paramahansa Yogananda
Sufism (the mystical branch of Islam)
The Sufis, by Idries Shah
The Essential Rumi, by Coleman Barks (translator, in modern English, of the spiritual poetry of Jalalu'l-Din Rumi, a 13th century Islamic mystic - a delightful intro to the Sufi heart/mind)
Western Esoteric Tradition
Hidden Wisdom: A Guide to the Western Inner Traditions, by Richard Smoley and Jay Kinney
The Western Way, by Caitlin and John Matthews
Goddess Spirituality
The Feminine Face of God: The Unfolding of the Sacred in Women, by Sherry Ruth Anderson and Patricia Hopkins
The Living Goddess, by Linda Johnsen
SOPHIA: Goddess of Wisdom, Bride of God, by Caitlin Matthews
New Age
Pathwork of Self-Transformation, by Eva Pierakkos
The Nature of Personal Reality, by Jane Roberts
Shamanism
Shamanism, by Mircea Eliade (the classic research text of shamanic forms throughout the world)
The Way of the Shaman, by Michael J. Harner (contemporary shamanism based on his experience with several South American native traditions)
Science, Mathematics & Spirituality
(note: some books are more overtly spiritual than others)
Chaos: Making a New Science, by James Gleick
Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions, by Edwin A. Abbott
The Tao of Physics: An Exploration of the Parallels Between Modern Physics and Eastern Mysticism, by Fritjof Capra
The Dancing Wu Li Masters: An Overview of the New Physics, by Gary Zukav
RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY & PHILOSOPHY
Here are two great websites for learning more about many of the different world religions, spiritual philosophies and ethical systems.
From the University of Virginia’s sociology of religion program:
http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/profiles/listalpha.htm
From the Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
http://www.religioustolerance.org/
Here is a site that has a freely available non-profit archive of electronic texts about religion, mythology, legends and folklore, and occult and esoteric topics. This includes sacred texts as well as secondary materials. You read them there for free or buy a CD-Rom with all the info on it.
http://www.sacred-texts.com/index.htm
The Vatican Homepage (in English)
http://www.vatican.va/phome_en.htm
Buddhanet, a Buddhist Education and Information Network serving all branches of Buddhism.
Manjushri, the Buddhist online community
The Hindu Universe - Hindu Resource Center
Introduction and Overview of Hinduism
http://www.uni-giessen.de/~gk1415/hinduism.htm
The Vedanta Society of Southern California
Fr. Bede Griffiths (1906-1993) English-born Benedictine monk who was the head of an ashram in India for 37 years. He sought to bridge all religions and bring Christianity together with Hindu practices.
The Theosophical Society of America
The Theosophical Society in England
http://www.theosophical-society.org.uk/
The Krishnamurti Information Network
A.A. Bailey’s Esoteric Philosophy Books - published on line
http://beaskund.helloyou.ws/netnews/bk/toc.html
Islamic Thought
http://wings.buffalo.edu/sa/muslim/isl/thought.html
Sufism
Taoism
http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/gthursby/taoism/
Mysticism in World Religions
http://www.digiserve.com/mystic/
The Mysticism Resources Page
http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/gthursby/mys/index.htm
The Alchemy Website, Alchemical Texts Online
http://www.levity.com/alchemy/texts.html
The Gnostic Society Library
http://www.gnosis.org/library.html
The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/
Neo-Platonism. Introduction and overview of Neo-Platonic philosophy. This last great school of Classical pagan philosophy has had a huge impact on mystical Christianity, Judaism (Kabbalah), Islam (Sufism), Bahaism (a relatively recent offshoot of Islam) and Theosophy. It is a fundamental component of the Western Esoteric Tradition and it’s legacy can also be seen in some components of the New Age Movement.
http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/n/neoplato.htm (academic site)
http://www.kheper.net/topics/Neoplatonism/ (an easier read)
Esoterica: The Journal. An on-line peer-reviewed academic journal devoted to the transdisciplinary study of Western esotericism (aka the Western Esoteric Tradition) - sponsored by Michigan State University.
SCIENCE & MATHEMATICS
The Institute of Noetic Sciences, Exploring the Frontiers of Consciousness
http://www.noetic.org/ions/new.html
The Institute for Neuroscience and Consciousness Studies
http://www.inacs.org/network.htm
Chaos Theory and Fractals
http://www.mathjmendl.org/chaos/
UltraFractal Software for creating your own fabulous fractal art. Please note that all the fractal art on this site was created by Bob & Kate using UltraFractal.
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