The Bible is truly the first spiritual book that I have ever read. I grew up attending private Christian school and even went to an all girls Catholic school for one year during my freshman year in high school!

I will never forget coming across The Celestine Prophecy at the age of 16 while I was on a trip with my friend Katie and her family. I started to read through it but at the time didn’t understand the message behind the book.

Fast-forward, I embarked on my own personal journey when I started traveling at 20 years old. I learned about different religions and then started reading self help books to broaden my perspective on life. I have read so many self-help books over the years and I always have people ask me what my favorite books are…so I wanted to put together a list of my favorites. The ones that truly helped me grow, heal and expand my consciousness. I hope they inspire you to be the best version of yourself and guide you on your own unique journey.

1. The Artist Way

Written over 20 years ago by Julia Cameron, The Artist Way has upheld its relevance and significance in the spiritual community. Set up as a 12 week course, each chapter is filled with tasks, activities and exercises relevant to that week’s theme. This book is great for those who are looking to transcend their limiting beliefs, receive creative recovery and get back into their flow fearlessly.

2. Becoming Supernatural

Common people around the world are doing uncommon things. Dr. Joe Dispenza combines scientific information with ancient wisdom on how to heal yourself and live a more mystical life. He focuses his healing techniques around balancing the 7 chakras, freeing yourself from past conditioning, differentiating between 3D and 5D consciousness and the secret of the pineal gland. If you are someone who operates on facts and are looking for a new found sense of love, joy and bliss then this book is for you.

3. The Alchemist

Paula Ceolho’s most famous novel is an enchanting reminder to pay attention to the signs  and to follow the omens. The story focuses on the life of Santiago, a shepherd, who sells his flock to travel from Spain to Egypt after having a series of recurring dreams. His epic adventure is accompanied by his trials and tribulations along his path and emphasizes how these do not stop him from pushing forward. The central theme of the book is alchemy, the act of changing a base metal to gold, so it serves as inspiration to take your life from mediocre to extraordinary. Anyone who feels stuck, uninspired or at a fork in the road with their life or career would benefit highly from this book. A dazzling story for anyone looking to transform their lives.

4. The Four Agreements

Published in 1997, The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz has secured its place on the New York Times Best Seller list for almost a decade. A classic book that offers guidelines based on ancient Toltec wisdom on how transform your life and eliminate limiting beliefs, as well as discouraging thought patterns. The four agreements are powerful codes that will have us reviewing our lives to see where we could be making agreements based on love instead of fear.

5. The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success

Written by the beloved Deepak Chopra, he shatters the myths of traditional success as thought in the Western world. Even though some of the concepts in this book are  familiar, it’s filled with incredible wisdom that helps us understand our true nature and learn to live in harmony with it. The work is divided into 7 sections, one chapter for every spiritual law of success. I encourage time in between each chapter to allow for the lesson of the law to integrate into your life. Deepak Chopra does an incredible job at breaking down spiritual concepts into westerners mindset.

6. The Celestine Prophecy

This is one of those books to share with everyone after reading because, you’ll feel that everyone should have this knowledge. This beautiful self help book, written as an adventure novel follows a young boy as he progresses through his journey. You begin to pick up on prompts along the way, so as he learns, you do too. It discusses various psychological and spiritual ideas rooted in multiple eastern traditions and new age spirituality. Great for anyone who’s looking for a little adventure and development.

7. The Five People Meet in Heaven

A riveting novel starring a man named Eddie. A once young and ambitious man full of hope, Eddie grew into a stagnant, bitter man who has spent the majority of his life working in maintenance at a local amusement park. On his 83rd birthday, he dies in a tragic accident trying to save a little girl. He discovers heaven is not what we were taught but, instead a place where your earthly life is explained to you by 5 people. These 5 storytellers come with lessons for Eddie that are relayed in their messages, as you discover more about him, the more you become connected with his character. Mitch Alborn gave us a refreshing, short & well written novel filled with lots of perspective.

8. The Magic of Thinking Big

The Magic of Thinking Big written by Dr. David Shwartz gives us useful methods and carefully designed programs for getting the most out of your life. He does this by asking people to think big, which most can’t bring themselves to do. For example, there is a big difference between wanting a “decent” job out of college & wanting to start a company that will make a million dollars by the time you’re 30. Thinking big won’t get you there alone but, it does teach you to value and believe in yourself. Schwartz gives you techniques on how to act and think in ways that will get you to your desired outcome.

9. Letting Go: The Pathway To Surrender

Written by David R. Hawkins M.D, Letting Go: The Pathway to Surrender describes a simple means of letting go of obstacles to enlightenment. Throughout the book he offers techniques on how to deal with unpleasant emotions and insights on a variety of subjects. He takes you to the actual feeling behind your motivations, which allows you to remove any negatively charged motivators from your life. By continuously letting go, you keep yourself in the state of freedom. An extremely fulfilling book for those with an interest in psychology and spirituality.

10. Courage: The Joy of Living Dangerously

Courage is not the absence of fear, it is the total presence of fear and deciding to do it anyway. Osho helps us tap into where our fear originates, how to understand it and how to find the courage to face it. Not in a heroic way but, more of an inner courage to change when needed kind of way. Osho offers the philosophy that uncertainty or change is cause for celebration, not scary or fearful. He gives us techniques to get out of our head and into our heart, to be adaptable and enable us to stand in our truth.

11. 21 Day Conscious Cleanse

A consciousness cleanse is an opportunity to purify your mind and emotions while calling in strength, confidence and deep inner peace. 21 Day Conscious Cleanse is a 3 week journey written by Debbie Ford with the intention of connecting you with your soul’s purpose. Each day you receive a lesson or prompt that is like a diet detox for the soul. It will have you forgiving people, inspired to do new projects and clear any toxic thought patterns or behaviors. This book is perfect for anyone who is looking to breakthrough their conditioning and move their awareness inward to connect with their soul’s purpose.

12. Wishes Fulfilled: Mastering The Art of Manifesting

Dr. Wayne W. Dyer calls us to tap into our manifestation power by picturing a life you’ve always imagined and making it a factual experience. Designed to take you on a voyage of discovery, Dyer gives specific techniques on how to retrain your subconscious mind, live out your highest calling and stay connected to your source of being. He stresses the importance of “I AM” statements and explains how using them can attract what we want into our lives. If you’ve read The Secret or enjoy, law of attraction type books, this one’s for you.