Some Book Recommendations on Mysticism and Religion

A couple of my followers (M. Talmage Moorehead and michaelaski, thanks guys!) were interested in some of the books I’ve read in the past, so I thought it was a good idea to write a short post on some of the ones that kicked off my spiritual journey, many of which helped lead me away from atheism. This is just a short list for now, and there might be future installments as I remember more and more. Unfortunately, most of my library is back home in Australia!

I’d love to hear any recommendations of yours, so please leave a comment for me!

On General Mysticism and the Perennial Philosophy:

Aldous Huxley – The Perennial Philosophy: I’ve mentioned this one a few times in previous blog posts and I absolutely love it. One of the intellectual giants of the mid-twentieth century (writer of A Brave New World), he had a keen interest on the mystical traditions of the world. This book explores key concepts of mysticism and is littered throughout with quotes and passages from mystical figures across time and culture, from Lao Tzu, to Meister Eckhart, to Rumi and many more. It’s a dense read, and difficult at times, but it blew my mind away.

Huston Smith – The World’s Religions: Dying at 97 years only in 2016, Huston Smith was a giant of spirituality who traveled the world exploring and participating in different religious traditions. This book is one of the most important books on comparative religion, and is often used as a university textbook on the subject. It highlights the beauty of religion, it’s rituals, doctrines and practices, and also delves into the mystical traditions to highlight the common source among them all. Look for a more recent addition, if interested, because it includes a chapter on the native/indigenous spiritualities of the Americas and Australia.

Wayne Teasdale – The Mystic Heart: A Catholic monk who was a great promoter of inter-faith dialogue and spiritually-based environmentalism, this is one of my favourites as he provides and easy access approach to mysticism and the commonality found among the world’s religions at their core. Much easier to read than Aldous Huxley’s aforementioned work, it delves into the mystical dimensions of all of the world’s major religious traditions. I also personally love the stuff he writes about environmental spirituality and how to find God in nature.

Alan Watts – The Book, On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are: Alan Watts is one of my favourite spiritual authors and was my main introduction to Eastern religions. I could list many books of his, all I’ve come across so far are fantastic. This one is the book that kicked off my love of his writing though, so I’ll have this as my main recommendation. In The Book, Watts outlines his main philosophy and spirituality of the world, largely based on Advaita Vedanta, Taoism and Zen Buddhism. He discusses (and for me shatters) the illusion of not only our society and modern civilisation, but our entire conception of reality, and advocates the timeless, infinite and interconnected Ultimate Reality that is so frequently recorded in the writings of mystics. A rather short book, I highly suggest getting a hold of this one.

 

On Religion and Science (important for my departure from atheism:

Karen Armstrong – The Case for God: This book was perhaps the single biggest influence on my change from atheism to a belief in something greater than the material world. She tackles the arguments made by prominent atheists, showcasing a great knowledge of religions. To me it revealed a much greater depth to religion than is often portrayed in popular culture and by atheists in general. The book is also a soft introduction to the mystical traditions, particular in how God is generally conceived, and she provides a somewhat unifying theory of the great mysterious unknown that has been found across time, culture and religion. She traces how our conception of faith and religion has changed over the years and how religious fundamentalism emerged (surprisingly quite distinct from historical religion). Amazing book for lovers of religion, spirituality and history.

John Lennox – God’s Undertaker: Has Science Buried God? This short but dense book is by an Oxford professor of mathematics and philosopher of science. He argues against the Four Horseman of New Atheism and reveals that modern science has done nothing to disprove the existence of God. Instead, he shows how science may actually point towards a creator. From a Christian perspective, he critiques the philosophical groundings of atheism and the idea that science necessarily equates to materialism, and then goes through each major field of science, exploring its implications for faith and belief in God. Excellent read, but can be a bit tough to take in all at once.

Fritjof Capra – The Tao of Physics: Very famous book that was one of the first to highlight the similarities between the findings of quantum physics and eastern religions, particularly the mystical dimension. Quite thought provoking. A fascinating but very difficult book (for me at least) when it goes into some of the details of quantum physics, but I came out with a stronger sense of the beauty of the world, the mystery of quantum physics and the potential for what these findings have for our understanding of the universe.

 

In future, I’d like to probably recommend more books, but this will do for now. When I return to Australia, I’ll have a look at my library to refresh myself and add more to the list.

Again, please leave a comment with any recommendations of your own!

 

 

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