Seven Beloved Books for Spiritual Happiness

A guide to self-determination and enlightenment, this Ram Dass book has been an inspiration since its publication in 1971.

Be Here Now includes practical suggestions for enriching your spiritual life, as well as drawings, quotes, and book recommendations.

Rev. Sharon Ketchum says she’s always loved this book and that it still brings a smile to her face. She says it gives her “kind of a spiritual chuckle” when she reads it.

With suggested practices and daily reflections, Nepo’s classic offers a path to an awakened mind and heart.

Rev. Kelly Isola says she loves writers who show their humanity, who write who they are. She says The Book of Awakening is very real and very simple.

“Happiness and meaningfulness need each other and this book contributes to both,” she says. “It’s the best one out there for a daily devotional.”

Poet Maya Angelou referred to Butterworth as one of her “living teachers.” Eric Butterworth’s 1993 book is a classic guide to contemporary prayer.

Rev. Ellen Debenport says this book was a welcome explanation of Unity teachings when “New Thought” truly meant new thoughts in her own journey.

“Being able to look at spirituality in a different way has made me happy!” she says.

Rev. Mark Fuss’s choice is Parker Palmer’s Let Your Life Speak, a book that was instrumental in helping Fuss create his own personal purpose statement.

“Discovering vocation does not mean scrambling toward some prize just beyond my reach but accepting the treasure of true self I already possess,” says Palmer in the book.

Palmer encourages readers to live from an authentic sense of purpose to find the path to a more fulfilling and happy life.

In How to Pray Without Talking to God, Martella-Whitsett encourages readers to look within themselves for the Divine, rather than seeking something on the outside.

“That, for me, is a recipe for happiness because it doesn't mean I need anything outside of me to change,” Rev. Roxanne Buckle says.

“Prayer doesn't change things—it changes me.”

Madeleine L'Engle’s Time Quintet Series began to unfold with the first book, A Wrinkle in Time, published in 1962. The beloved books are an adventure across space and time and have been read and reread by millions.

The books were Rev. Jacquie Fernandez’s introduction to metaphysics when she read them during her freshman year of college, allowing her to hold her scientific mind and spiritual heart in the same conversation.

“They captured science, magic, wonder, and the mystical all in the same breath,” she says.

Watson’s collection of stories, poems, and essays from Confucius to Roosevelt is brimming with comfort and inspiration from writers and thinkers throughout the ages.

Rev. Sandra Campbell says she first found the book at the public library more than 40 years ago. It was out of print at the time and she couldn’t buy her own, so she checked it out again and again before happening upon a copy at an estate sale.

Campbell still refers to it for inspiration and guidance today.

Rev. Nhien Dougherty says the book had a profound impact on her own journey.

“It was the first place I heard of love as something you don’t strive for,” she says. A Course in Miracles showed her that love is simply the foundation of our being.

We hope these books will support you in increasing your own spiritual happiness! Looking for more ways to deepen your spiritual journey?
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