Core Book Recommendations
Something that fully fills my cup is reading. I am a very avid reader, I went through over a hundred books this year alone and they ranged from books for pleasurable escape to research to topics that stimulate my mind. I wanted to share and highlight three books that I have read that have made a profound impact on me and my spiritual journey. These have become core foundational pieces on my journey and in the lives of those who I’ve recommended them to. If you’re looking for deep dives into some of the topics that I’ve touched on, this could be it for you.
Journey of the Souls: Case Studies of Life Between Lives - Dr. Michael Newton
This book is about the journey of the souls, as the title suggests. Dr. Michael Newton was a psychologist and hypnotherapist that was able to find proof from his guided past-life regressions of a level of consciousness past the conscious and subconscious -- the superconscious. The superconscious is a level of our psyche that remembers not only our past lives but what happens between those lives. Essentially this book is a mix of scientific observations, transcribed recorded conversations from past life hypnosis and narrative about the world beyond this. Some of my favorite parts of this book is the section on this spirit world, the progression of a soul’s evolution and the concept that on this journey between reincarnations the soul takes time to learn from the previous life and decides which lessons would assist with advancement in the upcoming new life. That has given me a sense of comfort and sympathy for those who seem to have it harder in life. Each trial and tribulation was meant for our soul evolution as well as those around us. We lovingly chose each instance for a reason, one we may not understand now, but one that will become apparent on the other side of the veil.
Temple of Aphrodite - Lauralei Black
Lauralei Black is a woman after my own heart on her writing style and topic. Black is a devotee of Aphrodite and this book feels like a love letter to those who are also interested in the path. She covers a vast variety of topics from her introduction and invocation into the priestess path, the nuances of sexual worship of her priestesses in antiquity and modernity, as well as well-structured rituals. One of the reasons I connected with this book so much is because it felt like the books I read while in university for my history degree. The words flowed so easily across the page but were jam packed with sacred knowledge that I still refer back to and am working on incorporating into both my own ritual practice and my grimoire.
Sacred Sex: The Magick and Path of the Divine Erotic -- Gabriela Herstik
Sacred Sex is the most recently influential book I've read and it landed into my world at the perfect time. I started reading Herstik’s book while on retreat in Bali and finished it during the summer of 2023. It was such a transformative period of my life and I felt like I was receiving this knowledge at the perfect time. Herstik’s book is both trauma and mental health informed and educational for background knowledge as well as practical rituals. I appreciated the way rituals were worded so it could be edited for each individual - practices with a partner versus solo versus with or without toys. The knowledge and benefits are firm BUT the way we practice and apply that knowledge is moldable to our lives. I’ve taken some of these rituals to clients and many of these into the inner sanctuary of my own space.
All of these books can not be your cup of tea or you’ve found other meaning through the passages I’ve referenced. As with any book, religion, thought systems and research; it’s up to your own interpretation.
