What's on your metaphysical/philosophical bookshelves?

Like most of us, I'm always looking for new stuff to read--things that can broaden my horizon and open my mind. To that end, I thought it'd be cool if we could all share the top three to five books on metaphysics/philosophy we've got sitting around the shelves.

I'm sure there are hundreds of hidden gems out there that I've never heard of, and hopefully we can unearth some of them here. So without further ado, here's my list:

1. Qigong Empowerment--this is the seminal encyclopedic work on Buddhist, Taoist, and Traditional Chinese Medicine healing work. There are literally dozens and dozens of authenticated exercises here, and regardless whether you're looking for healing, spiritual development, additional mental acuity, or simply better health, Qigong Empowerment has something for you.

2. Ta oist Meditation--contrary to the title of the work, the book isn't so much about actual meditation (although it does contain exercises), but is rather a very accessible, very practical treatise on Taoist thought. With much of Taoist work being written in symbolic code language, Taoist Meditation does a good job at stripping away the obfuscating verbiage to reveal the beauty of the advanced mental science beneath.

3. Sut ra of Hui-Neng--Hui-Neng, famously known as the Sixth Patriarch of Zen, was an illiterate woodcutter before he achieved sudden enlightenment upon hearing a single line of scripture from the Diamond Sutra. Important not only for the caliber of the sage who composed it, the Sutra of Hui-Neng is also renowned for describing Buddhist philosophy in simple no-nonsense terms that anyone can understand.

4. Vitality, Energy, Spirit--Like Taoist Meditation above, the work Vitality, Energy, Spirit does a good job at presenting Taoist literature stripped of confusing language and unnecessary mysticism. Plain-written and well-translated, it provides an essential primer into Taoist meditational practice and the underpinning philosophy of biological metaphysics fueling the body.

5. The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep--a well-written and engaging book by a Bon tradition lama, Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep provides a direct and clear-cut approach towards attaining lucidity in dreams, and using that ability to expand the consciousness and work towards enlightenment. This is definitely a must have for any lucid dreamer interested in taking his work to a more spiritual level.

Picking just five was harder than I thought. I've got dozens more I could share with you guys, but I think those cover the essentials.

What about you? What are your go-to books on everything metaphysical?

Say what you want but here's my list:

Dune
Dune Messiah
Children of Dune
Heretics of Dune
God Emperor of Dune
Chapterhouse Dune

reply to post by therealguyfawkes


"Book of Illumination" by Aqualeo.
One of the most interesting books I've come by.

i only got 1 book on my bookshelf and they are the tao te ching and the chuang tzu.

"As a man thinketh." James Allen. Written in 1902 or 1912, I can't remember off hand but it's short and sweet and the style of the English is beautiful, even poetic!

An excerpt: "Mind is the master power that moulds and makes, and man is mind, and evermore he takes the tool of thought,and, shaping what he wills,
Brings forth a thousand joys, a thousand ills:-
He thinks in secret, and it comes to pass:Environment is but his looking-glass."

reply to post by therealguyfawkes


I have none of these types of books on my bookshelf, but this looks like an interesting start, so thank you for sharing.
Wow you just become a "book on my shelf" hehe

Gibraltarego
Say what you want but here's my list:

Dune
Dune Messiah
Children of Dune
Heretics of Dune
God Emperor of Dune
Chapterhouse Dune

From my point of view a perfect study into the difficulty in handling pre knowledge of the future and the having to choose a uncomfortable path for the good of all beings.

Some nice lists...

The Way Of Harmony
Astral Dynamics
The Tibetan Yogas Of Dream And Sleep
Reiki For Life
A New Earth Awakening To Your Life's Purpose
Returning From The Light
The Secret Science

Hi, meta fans.

Can we have DVDs and "others" on our shelf ?? B-)

If yes, then
see the first line of my signature for 3 extraordinary DVDs, and
see the second line of my signature for profound PDF files !!

They changed my way of seeing many things,and answered
many of my important questions !!

Blue skies.

C-JEAN
Hi, meta fans.

Can we have DVDs and "others" on our shelf ?? B-)

Sure DVDs/PDFs can be fair game!

Thanks for the suggestions so far, and keep 'em coming. I'd like to end this thread with enough new reading material to see me through the next couple of years!

Well, I'm sure some will laugh at some of these, but they are entertaining. In no particular order:

The Celestine Prophecy
The Celestine Vision
The Holy Bible
The Koran
Hands of Light
Stars of the First People
Nothing in This Book is True, but It's Exactly How Things Are
Children of the Matrix
Frankenstein

Zhuan Falun .Nothing else for many years now.

...Thus, I hope that you do not have very poor enlightenment quality. A lot of people want to practice cultivation toward high levels. This is now provided right before you, and you may still be unaware of it. You have been everywhere looking for a teacher and spent a fortune, yet you have found nothing. Today, it is offered to you at your doorstep, and maybe you have not realized it!

-Li Hongzhi

wshadow1
Well, I'm sure some will laugh at some of these, but they are entertaining. In no particular order:

The Celestine Prophecy
The Celestine Vision
The Holy Bible
The Koran
Hands of Light
Stars of the First People
Nothing in This Book is True, but It's Exactly How Things Are
Children of the Matrix
Frankenstein

I Don't think anyone here hasn't read a ton of 'entertaining' stuff.

I don't wish to be crude, but metaphysics deals with first principles, philosophy deals with abstract reasoning. Not too many books in this thread have to do with either.

reply to post by therealguyfawkes


Top Five

Occult Principles of Health and Healing - Max Heindel

The Secret Teachings of All Ages - Manly P Hall

The Secret Doctrine - Helena Petrovna Blavatsky

Awakening the Third Eye - Samuel Sagan

A Road to Self-Knowledge - Rudolph Steiner

It was rather hard to limit myself to just listing five books; I have an electronic library of hundreds, if not thousands of books, some of which are extremely rare...

reply to post by VeritasAequitas


Haha, then by all means keep going!

What do you have that you'd consider required reading for someone new to the field? It'd be nice if we could assemble a one-stop library list for complete neophytes to any of these areas.

reply to post by therealguyfawkes


I have been attempting to compile a torrent containing up to 50 GB of information over various spiritual, metaphysical, and esoteric subjects, including but not limited to : Freemasonry, Kabbalah, Astral Projection, Theosophy, Rosicrucianism, Anthroposophy, Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, and so forth.

The Bible
'Mothman Prophecies', John Keel
'Morning of the Magicians', Pauwels
'Timeless Earth', Kolisomo

Words
I don't wish to be crude, but metaphysics deals with first principles, philosophy deals with abstract reasoning. Not too many books in this thread have to do with either.

I believe you cannot package metaphysics and philosophy neatly in a box, or rather specific reading material. My bookshelves are crammed with books on philosophy, Zen, literature, art, how to..., political strife, lyrics and poetry, astronomy, and Einstein's take on things.

But if I had to choose only two books to reread, with vigor, at this moment, they would be:

Einstein's Universe and Peter the Apprentice: A historical tale (Reformation in England) 1880 edition.

books.google.ca... X&ei=SeHfUoaLN-GC2AXWjYCwCw&ved=0CEwQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=peter%20the%20apprentice&f=false

reply to post by therealguyfawkes


1. The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran

2. Journeys Out Of The Body by Robert Monroe

3.Ishmael by Daniel Quinn

4.all the Carlos Castaneda books

5. Tao Te Ching by Lao Tsu

Of course there are many more, but these are some favorites.