Mind Benders | Some Favorite Books About the Cerebral Space

Collecting and devouring books on the mind and spiritual realm is not just a pastime for us, it’s a means to a better, more informed life. Thus, here is one of MANY lists of some of our favorite books, just in time for that long weekend you may have on the horizon, for that much-needed much-deserved sick day you might just start planning now, or for any day you need to find solace and answers from the words of an expert.

The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
What he’s selling here is a pain-free present if one can just focus on the current moment, and plenty of people are buying, including us. I read this years and years ago and recognize it’s a classic in its simplicity. – Micha
From Amazon: It’s no wonder that The Power of Now has sold over 2 million copies worldwide and has been translated into over 30 foreign languages. Much more than simple principles and platitudes, the book takes readers on an inspiring spiritual journey to find their true and deepest self and reach the ultimate in personal growth and spirituality: the discovery of truth and light.
In the first chapter, Tolle introduces readers to enlightenment and its natural enemy, the mind. He awakens readers to their role as a creator of pain and shows them how to have a pain-free identity by living fully in the present. The journey is thrilling, and along the way, the author shows how to connect to the indestructible essence of our Being, “the eternal, ever-present One Life beyond the myriad forms of life that are subject to birth and death.” Featuring a new preface by the author, this paperback shows that only after regaining awareness of Being, liberated from Mind and intensely in the Now, is there Enlightenment.

The Stuff of Thought by Steven Pinker
The focus here is the words we choose, and I LOVE words. A former spelling bee champ (nerd) and the proud keeper of a vocab word journal, I also intently listen to the words other people choose. That’s something that’s key to coaching as well, unsurprisingly. Pinker delivers the goods on how the words we choose underscore who we are. – Micha
From Amazon: Bestselling author Steven Pinker possesses that rare combination of scientific aptitude and verbal eloquence that enables him to provide lucid explanations of deep and powerful ideas. His previous books?including the Pulitzer Prize finalist The Blank Slate?have catapulted him into the limelight as one of today?s most important popular science writers. In The Stuff of Thought, Pinker presents a fascinating look at how our words explain our nature. Considering scientific questions with examples from everyday life, The Stuff of Thought is a brilliantly crafted and highly readable work that will appeal to fans of everything from The Selfish Gene and Blink to Eats, Shoots & Leaves.

Intimate Communion by David Deida
David Deida is one of the most profound writers on the masculine and feminine connections to sexuality and spirituality. There’s no way to divorce your body from your mind, your sensuality from your spirituality. This book delves into breaking down inherited behaviors and patterns in romantic partnerships and paves the more enlightened path of “Intimate Communion”. – Lulu
From Amazon: To truly understand your intimate relationships, you must read this book! David Deida, internationally known for his work in personal growth and intimate relationships, shares the deep understandings and effective techniques that he has refined through his 20 years of consultation, research and spiritual practice. Learn how to keep your relationships growing–beyond the sexually neutralized roles so typical of today–and create a relationship that is spiritually erotic, sexually deep and passionately committed to love.

Cosmic Consciousness by Richard Maurice Bucke, M.D.
This book was one of the first books that I read as I was awakening to a spirit realm that I had never known before. Bucke explores the beautiful cosmic consciousness that connects us our mind’s to the great beyond. – Lulu
From Amazon: 2010 Reprint of 1905 edition.This work is the magnum opus of Bucke’s career, a project that he researched and wrote over many years. In it, Bucke described his own experience, that of contemporaries (most notably Whitman, but also unknown figures like “C.P.”), and the experiences and outlook of historical figures including Buddha, Jesus, Paul, Plotinus, Muhammad, Dante, Francis Bacon, and William Blake. Bucke developed a theory involving three stages in the development of consciousness: the simple consciousness of animals; the self-consciousness of the mass of humanity (encompassing reason, imagination, etc.); and cosmic consciousness – an emerging faculty and the next stage of human development. Among the effects of this progression, he believed he detected a lengthy historical trend in which religious conceptions and theologies had become less and less fearful. A classic work.    

Super Brain by Deepak Chopra
I found so much of the info I now recite regarding brain training and the neural rewiring we can do all on our own from this book. In fact, after hitting send on this I think it’s high time I revisit those dog-eared pages and brush up on the “Super Brain”. – Micha
From Amazon: A manual for relating to the brain in a revolutionary new way, Super Brain shows you how to use your brain as a gateway for achieving health, happiness, and spiritual growth. The authors are two pioneers: bestselling author and physician Deepak Chopra and Harvard Medical School professor Rudolph E. Tanzi, one of the world’s foremost experts on the causes of Alzheimer’s. They have merged their wisdom and expertise for a bold new understanding of the “three-pound universe” and its untapped potential.
In contrast to the “baseline brain” that fulfills the tasks of everyday life, Chopra and Tanzi propose that, through a person’s increased self-awareness and conscious intention, the brain can be taught to reach far beyond its present limitations. “We are living in a golden age for brain research, but is this a golden age for your brain?” they ask. Super Brain explains how it can be, by combining cutting-edge research and spiritual insights, demolishing the five most widespread myths about the brain that limit your potential…