Tools For Your Mind, Soul and Spirit

Inner Work: Using Dreams and Active Imagination for Personal Growth
by Robert A. Johnson

The author is a Jungian psychologist and writes about how to use your personal images in dreams and active imagination to break through old barriers.

It’s one of the few books I’ve read that encourages a person to make their rituals or activities to ground the insights that they’ve gained. And it explains why that part is so necessary. Taking some action acknowledges to the subconscious that the person values the information.

This book has three sections. The first is an introduction to the subconscious (which he calls the unconscious) and its language.

The second part is devoted to dreams and dreamworking. This part gives some instructions on how to interpret your own dreams, then what to integrate the dream into your waking life. This is where the rituals come into play.

The third section addresses active imagination and how to do this on your own. Since imagery is the language of the subconscious, you allow the subconscious to dialogue with you in its own language.

I’ve used many of the processes from this book in my own life with great success. This is a wonderful book, and I wouldn’t let my copy out of my possession.

The Abundance Book
by John Randolph Price

This little book is worth its weight in gold. I used my original one so much that it’s fallen apart, and I keep it in a plastic zip top bag. I now own three copies, just in case.

Quoting from various teachers and books about prosperity, it condenses all the wisdom about prosperity, money and abundance into this tiny volume.

The author writes about the profound idea that you are your own money, and that it’s your energy that circulates. He includes some prosperity “secrets” to help manifest quicker and easier.

Included in this book is a 40 day prosperity plan, which are 10 affirmations you meditate on. Taking one of these affirmations each day, you circulate through them 4 times.

By the end of the 40 days, you’ll have begun to change your consciousness about money, prosperity and abundance. And it works! Money will begin to flow more easily into your coffers.

This book will change your perspective on money and yourself. Whenever I get into fear about finances, I pull this book out and read it again. And when I do, money begins to appear. If you have an issue with money, run, don’t walk, and buy this book!

Copyright 2001, 2010 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved

The Wisdom Of Florence Scovel Shinn
by Florence Scovel Shinn

Many years ago, when I was in the middle of a personal crisis, it was hard for me to read and comprehend classic spiritual and personal development books that had been my anchor. I decided to go back to the basics, to get me grounded again. These were the first books that I read then, and they were exactly what I needed. They helped me get my mindset straightened out and gave me direction.

This is actually a compilation of her four books, “The Game of Life, and How To Play It,” “The Power of the Spoken Word,” “Your Word Is Your Wand,” and “The Secret Door To Success.” I have the four separate books, and would have loved to have them in a single volume. The author was well known for her teachings about affirmations.

“The Game of Life..” is a primer on Universal Laws. It covers such topics as affirmations, prosperity, karma, nonresistance, forgiveness, intuition, the divine design, and more. “The Secret Door To Success” is a sequel to “The Game of Life…” The title, “The Power of the Spoken Word,” speaks for itself. “Your Word Is Your Wand” is filled with affirmations on various topics.

All of these books, which are compiled into “The Wisdom of Florence Scovel Shinn,” utilize affirmations as the way to transform. In this volume, you’ll find hundreds of affirmations for any number of problems. These affirmations have been quoted and reprinted in other spiritual and self-improvement books, mainly because they are simple and they work.

In the midst of my crisis, these four books helped me find my spiritual path and center again. I would have been lost without them and can’t imagine where I would be now if I hadn’t had them to hold onto.

Today, years later, I continue to refer to them, and recommend them to my friends and clients. And I still use some of her affirmations. This is a classic in spiritual  literature, and every spiritual seeker should have it in their library.

Copyright 2001, 2010 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved

Richard Hittleman’s Yoga: 28-Day Exercise Plan
by Richard Hittleman

When I first got involved in yoga over thirty years ago, I didn’t how to practice at home. I’d taken a couple of classes, but knew very little about how to exercise on my own. This was long before VCR’s, videotapes and DVD’s. I discovered this book, and it was exactly what I was looking for. When a client comes to me, and expresses an interest in yoga, I recommend this book.

As its title suggests, it’s a 28-day yoga plan. Every day, you have certain postures that you do. Each fourth day, you review what you’ve learned. The postures are explained step-by-step, and you’re taken through them from a beginner’s perspective and flexibility. At the end of each day, there’s an essay about some aspect of yoga. Some of the titles of these essays: “What is yoga,” “Yoga nutrition,” “Arthritus,” “Weight regulation,” and “Exercising the organs and glands.”

The author claims that this is an “accelerated method of instruction that now enables any serious student to learn and practice 38 Yoga exercises within a four week period.” I can attest to the truth of that statement. At the end of the 28 days, he’s compiled the exercises into three daily routines that you rotate.

Even now, many years later, I still keep and use this book as my main reference for yoga. To this day, despite owning many other books on this subject, I model my routines around the postures from this simple book.

“How To Attract Money: The Law Of Attraction”
by Joseph Murphy

I have many books by Joseph Murphy, as he’s one of my favorite spiritual and abundance authors. I recommend any of his books if you want more prosperity in your life.

This one is smaller and different that most of his books. generally, he has lots of stories that demonstrate spiritual principles along with an affirmation. This book still has some interesting stories, but it focuses mainly on changing the reader’s consciousness about money, riches and wealth. He addresses many of the blocks that people have, and explains why and how they need to change.

I’ve read many of the concepts that are in this book in his other works. But you’d have to read all of them to find the ideas that are present in this one treasure. The ideas to manifest greater riches are condensed and distilled here.

At the end, there are pointers to remember that are spread through the many stories of his other books. In this one, they’re set apart so that you can refer to them easily. For that alone, I love this book.

And of course, there are some affirmations. I have them marked with tabs, so that I can quickly turn to them. I’ve used a couple of them with some great results. For a great grounding in how to use the Law of Attraction, get this book.

The Eight Human Talents: Restore the Balance and Serenity Within You with Kundalini Yoga
By Gurmukh

Many years ago, my first yoga class was a kundalini yoga class. This was before I even knew there were different styles of yoga. In the years since, I’d heard very little about kundalini yoga. Then a friend gave me this book, and I savored it.

Gurmukh is an internationally renowned kundalini yoga teacher. In this book, she writes about the different chakras, which contain our talents. Exploring each one’s strengths and weaknesses, she gives specific exercises to expand the talents, and heal the weaknesses.

She identifies the eight strengths as Acceptance, Creativity, Commitment, Compassion, Truth, Intuition, Boundlessness, and the eighth, our aura, as Radiance. Each of these talents has a “shadow” side, which can pull a person out of balance.

The book is well-written, easily read, and humorous. If you’re interested in yoga, this is a great book to have. I will treasure my copy of this book.

The Silva Mind Control Method
by Jose Silva and Philip Miele

This book is a great resource. Jose Silva was a pioneer in the area of self-hypnosis, even though he claims that isn’t the process he’s teaching now. He began with traditional self-hypnosis and then expanded its techniques. He calls his method “dynamic meditation.”

In this book, he explains the conscious and subconscious minds, the process of dynamic meditation, as well as different ways to utilize it. He instructs the reader how to use it to improve health, solve problems, increase your psychic ablities, learn faster, remember your dreams, and much more. If you’re interested in a systematic way to improve your connection to your inner self and inner power, this is a great book to have, read, and practice.

Remembering Wholeness: A Personal Handbook for Thriving in the 21st Century
by Carol Tuttle

The author is a Rapid Eye Therapist (RET), and writes from the same perspective I would. Her views on how we’re shaped from our childhood experiences, how our beliefs are formed, and how we can change them echoed much of what I tell my clients.

She has a lot of wonderfully clear explanations of how we create our life through our attitudes. I especially liked some of her spiritual approaches, such as the concept that since you’re a co-creator with God, surrendering to God does not mean abdicating responsibility for your life.

The chapters are short, meaning that you can read a chapter at a time. You can either think on what you’ve read or move onto the next idea. At the end, there’s a convenient collection of the prayers and self-help processes covered in the book. This book has many treasures in it, waiting to be uncovered.

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self improvement, self help, personal growth, personal development, motivation, productivity, inspiration

Think and Grow Rich
by Napoleon Hill

I wrote this review in 2001, and it is still relevant today. It was one that rocked my world, helping me get back on the path after a time of turmoil.

This book is a classic in motivational literature. But it teaches so much more than just how to “grow rich.” Mr. Hill explains what to do to reach your dreams, whatever they might be. The techniques in this book are easily understood, and can be used to manifest whatever your desire might be. He goes into great detail about how to use visualization to achieve your goals.

He not only addresses how faith can be increased through affirmations, but also how to use affirmations to reap the benefits from them. Further in the book, he explores what ideas or behaviors might be blocking your desire. In one of the chapters, Mr. Hill discusses the “Master Mind” principle, which is when you have two or more people focusing on the same purpose. This concept is amazingly successful.

If you’ve avoided reading this book because of the prosperity or motivational angle, don’t let that dissuade you anymore. It gives specific instructions on how to realize your dreams.