all books

~ Soulcraft: Crossing into the Mysteries of Nature and Psyche — by Bill Plotkin ~

Review from Drew: Soulcraft is perhaps my favorite book I’ve ever read, and certainly the most impactful. It served as a sort of jet fuel for me during my first year of spiritual seeking - I remember slowing myself down to make it last longer, and always seemed to open to just the right page to receive the wisdom I needed at that moment. Bill Plotkin is a true living elder, and I highly recommend his books and his programs at the Animas Valley Institute to anyone seeking a nature-based path to healing their wounds and discovering their purpose.

~ Still Life with Woodpecker — by Tom Robbins ~

Review from Eloise: This book just might be the love of my life, and I don’t say that lightly. I sleep with in next to my bed. I go out of my way to bring it up in conversation. It not only is an interpersonal love story, but it is a love story, a love message, a love loving to the moon. It is a dream come true. Just be sure to have a pack of Camel Blue cigarettes (or at least a reference photo) for you will end up spending far too long holding a flashlight/magnifying glass searching for hidden women and words…A short and sweet review, I refuse to say anything more other than, A MUST READ <3

~ Old Path, White Clouds — by Thich Nhat Hanh ~

Review from Drew: This book feels like getting a hug the entire time you’re reading it, which is for a while, because it’s quite long. It’s Tich’s straightforward, low-frills telling of the story of the Buddha in narrative form - how he came to enlightenment and built his sangha, the people he touched along the way, and the main tenets of the teachings of Buddhism. It’s soft and slow and such a joy to come home to in our face-paced world.

~ Emptiness Dancing — by Adyashanti ~

Review from Drew: Adyashanti is another one of those living spiritual elders, who I believe to be a true enlightened being. This book is a collection of his dharma talks that he has given at retreat sessions throughout the years. It’s one of those books that you more feel than comprehend - sometimes at the end of a chapter I’m not quite sure what I read but I feel this glowing in my heart and this closeness to Spirit that always signifies Truth when I feel it.

~ The Alchemist — by Paulo Coelho ~

Review from Drew: I might catch some hate for this one but I loved The Alchemist, especially for the time in which I read it, right near the beginning of my spiritual journey. Sometimes, so much more can be said it short, simple fiction than in any nonfiction format.

~ Siddhartha — by Hermann Hesse ~

Review from Drew: Very similar review as the one I provided for the Alchemist. It’s simple and straightforward, written in an engaging narrative style, and you’ll feel goosebumps all along the way. I also love the fact that Herman Hesse had to pause his writing of this book between Part II and Part III and live alone on a mountain for several years in order to feel enlightenment, before he felt like he could write about it.

~ The 5 Personality Patterns: Your Guide to Understanding Yourself and Others and Developing Emotional Maturity — by Steven Kessler ~

Review from Drew: This is the book that I think of when I hear the phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover.” It looks like any self-help book that your dad might get you to read on outside, but inside it is fucking brilliant - the best psychology book that I have ever read. Kessler mixes human development psychology with energetics in such a powerful, Truthful way that I think this should be required reading for anyone on a spiritual healing journey.

The basic premise is that most humans will go into one of 5 survival patterns when they are distressed: leaving, merging, enduring, aggressive or rigid. Which pattern you go into is coded into you by things you did / did not receive during the early stages of your development. The book will help you diagnose yourself and give you real strategies for how to break out of that pattern in order to spend more time with your real self.

~ Polysecure — by Jessica Fern ~

Review from Olivia: whether you are polyamorous or not, this has the best section on attachment theory I have ever come across

~ The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity — by Julia Cameron ~

Review from Drew: As a writer, this book was such a boon to me when I was just starting. It’s structured as a full 12-week curriculum that guides you through the process of getting in touch with your creative energy. To be totally honest I only made it to week 7 or 8, but I have integrate some of the central tenants (e.g., Morning Pages, where you get up and write three stream-of-consciousness pages every morning) into my daily / weekly practice. I credit this book and the exercise with helping me snap into focus as a writer.

~ Life of Pi — by Yann Martel ~

Review from Drew: Don’t feel like I have to say much for this one, other than - even if you’ve seen the movie, it is so, so, so worth it to read the book. So much nuance and commentary in there, about religion and animals and will to survive and life. And the writing is absolutely spectacular.

~ The Kin of Atta Are Waiting for You — by Dorothy Bryant ~

Review from Drew: This one is a hidden treasure. Slight trigger warning at the beginning, as the narrator commits some horrible domestic violence to kick off the book. But the you drop into a utopian community where the entire society is set up around improving your ability to dream… It’s great food for thought for the new world we hope to build, and I highly recommend.

~ Exhalation — by Ted Chiang ~

Review from Drew: Mix some short stories into your life! And there is no better place to start than with Ted Chiang - he’s brilliant. Many of his stories lean towards science fiction, but in a way that’s really thoughtful and deep and has a lot to say about life and spirituality. His other book Stories of Your Life and Others is just as good - the titular piece Stories of Your Life was the basis for the movie Arrival, which got my brother excited enough to read it.

~ The Dispossessed — by Ursula K. Le Guin ~

Review from Drew: My ex’s favorite book of all time - I just finished it and whole-heartedly agree with her. It’s a science fiction novel about a brilliant physicist who was raised in a utopian anarchist society as he tries to bridge the gap between his world and their sister planet, which looks very much like our own. There are tons of new-paradigm seeds in this story that have planted themselves firmly in my subconscious. And Ursula Le Guin in general is a must-read for any science fiction lover - I’d recommend The Left Hand of Darkness as well.

~ Wild Seed — by Octavia Butler ~

Review from Drew: I’m a little obsessed with the concepts of the Divine Feminine and the Divine Masculine, and I’ve never seen them as clearly portrayed as in this novel. Doro is an ancient spirit with boundless powers, possessing humans and killing without remorse as he jumps from body to body to sustain his own life. He’s immortal, so he spends his time traveling the world and breeding humans with supernatural powers into beings that at least might resemble him. He knows no equal until he meets Anyanwu, who can heal with a bite and transform her own body, mending injuries and reversing aging. She uses her powers to cure her neighbors and birth entire tribes, surrounding herself with kindred who both fear and respect her. The mixing of the two is horrifying, and magical, and fuckin’ well worth the read.

~ The Ethical Slut — by Janet W. Hardy and Dossie Easton ~

Review from Drew: This is the book you’re handed at the front door on your first day of polyamory school. But I honestly think anyone would benefit from reading it - if not cover to cover, then at least skipping around in it and reading the parts that either intrigue or horrify you. The book is written on the radical premise that sex is nice and pleasure is good for you, and are parts of life to be sought after and celebrated, not ashamed of. As I read it I felt a huge weight come off my chest and lots of moments of “Wait - yeah! It should be that way!” Very liberating book, which is what I’m after.

~ On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft — by Stephen King ~

Review from Drew: Whether or not you’re into his stuff, I feel like any writer would benefit from reading Stephen King tell about his story and his writing style. This book is part memoir and part King sharing his process and his writing process. It’s a bit masculine in flavor for my liking, to be honest (that’s how you churn out 65 novels in about as many years), but I’ve incorporated many of his tools and approaches into my own writing process.

~ Citizen: An American Lyric — by Claudia Rankine ~

Review from Eloise: In keeping with shifts of all kinds, Claudia Rankine presents a powerful exploration of race, identity, and systemic injustice in modern America. She works to present and confront encounters of racial microaggressions, violence, and the weight of history through a blend of poetry, essay, and visual imagery. While not necessarily a ‘comfortable’ read, we are drawn to reflect on how racism shapes the emotional and psychological landscape of individuals and communities. Rankine helps us see the layers behind pop-culture events, asking us to engage with the pain, anger, and exhaustion of living in a society that marginalizes and dehumanizes. Engaging with texts, such as these, we are able to further (or challenge) our own perspectives.

~ all about love: new visions — by bell hooks ~

Review from Eloise: Love. bell hooks presents an exploration of love in all of its forms—romantic, familial, communal, and self. And she does so in a way that, in all honesty, is terrifying. Everything I thought that I knew, or more relevant, didn’t know, was turned upside down in the most illuminating way. Western culture has turned love into both a commodity and an ideal. She is able to deconstruct the most common of misconceptions and challenges us to radicalize our evaluation of how we approach love through challenging the cultural norms that distort our perceptions. But, she guides us every step of the way, weaving in philosophical reflections, personal experiences, and wisdom from spiritual traditions, offering a holistic view of love as a transformative force that can heal.

~ Mythologies — by Roland Barthes ~

Review from Eloise: Who doesn’t appreciate a book of short essays?! Mythologies is a collection of just that, dissecting the ‘myths’ of modern life, and showing how cultural signs and symbols are used to create meaning that reinforce social principles. The smallest details can be loaded with hidden messages that are there to serve dominant ideology. By drawing attention to these ‘myths’ we are able to see through the media-saturated environment, where the messages we consume are often layered with implicit social and political agendas. This book is one of my defenses against the age of media that is impossible to escape.