Where would a complete novice start?

Hello everyone! I was hoping to ask for a little advice. I'm completely new to pretty much all aspects of spirituality outside of the ideology of Catholicism (something I personally moved away from when I was 15, about 6 years ago now) so I want to find some introductory books to begin learning myself.

The problem is that the choice out there is so varied and overwhelming! I ventured into my uni library today in the hopes of finding some material, and whilst they had quite an extensive number of books about Buddhist philosophy they were all very weighty and a bit difficult for a beginner like myself to get to grips with. Books on other pathways of alternative spirituality were purely academic. Exploring bookshops just led to confusion thanks to the huge range of choice they had.

If it helps with suggestions, I'm very keen to get into meditation and I have a curiosity about chakra now since reading about it on these boards here, but I will put my hands up and be completely honest and say that personally I'd definitely prefer a book with a more informal, 'friendly', down-to-earth tone to get me started until I understand and am more confident with all the concepts. I think I need some kind of 'Spirituality For Dummies'! ;)

Wow ambee, you are right there are lots of choices out there. You may want to narrow it down to just a few topics first. I liked to suggest if I may, that when people are embarking on the beginning of their journeys for them to kind of start with what is already a part of their spiritual make up. Take a moment to think about what you know already fits for you. Take a moment to think about what kind of spiritual experiences you have had and have spoken to your spirit. Once you do this you can branch out from there. What do you want to know more about that you have already experienced, what do you feel comfortable with. This may help you narrow down your choices. You say you came from a Catholic background, so you are familiar with prayer, meditation is an extension/expansion of that practice. There are plenty of books out there on beginning meditation and chakras. I am sure there will be more suggestion coming in on this thread. Hope you find what you are seeking.

Chakras for Beginners: A Guide to Balancing Your Chakra Energies (For Beginners (Llewellyn's))


nightowl

[Miss Hepburn]

"Conscious Union With God" by Joel S. Goldsmith...

What? Too much?



Ok, ''Practicing the Presence'' by Joel S. Goldsmith.
We'll start slow.

Originally Posted by Miss Hepburn

"Conscious Union With God" by Joel S. Goldsmith...

What? Too much?


.

heheee just that title blows my mind....

[Miss Hepburn]

Originally Posted by nightowl

heheee just that title blows my mind....

I know!

Joel is one of the clearest, most inspired, articulate writers I've ever read.
I've said the same about Abraham-Hicks, also.

I may have said that about Paramahansa Yogananda, too.

Well, John Randolph Price is the bomb.

I should probably stop.



"Return to Love" by Marrianne Williamson could be a life changer.

[innerlight]

Originally Posted by ambee

Hello everyone! I was hoping to ask for a little advice. I'm completely new to pretty much all aspects of spirituality outside of the ideology of Catholicism (something I personally moved away from when I was 15, about 6 years ago now) so I want to find some introductory books to begin learning myself.

The problem is that the choice out there is so varied and overwhelming! I ventured into my uni library today in the hopes of finding some material, and whilst they had quite an extensive number of books about Buddhist philosophy they were all very weighty and a bit difficult for a beginner like myself to get to grips with. Books on other pathways of alternative spirituality were purely academic. Exploring bookshops just led to confusion thanks to the huge range of choice they had.

If it helps with suggestions, I'm very keen to get into meditation and I have a curiosity about chakra now since reading about it on these boards here, but I will put my hands up and be completely honest and say that personally I'd definitely prefer a book with a more informal, 'friendly', down-to-earth tone to get me started until I understand and am more confident with all the concepts. I think I need some kind of 'Spirituality For Dummies'! ;)

I think to help you find a book you need to get a goal insight on what type of book you want. You mention spirituality, and then you mentioned Religious ideals. You also then talked about chakras, and meditation.

So my question is what book are you looking for? Do you want a Religious book, a book on Spirituality, a book on meditation, a book on chakras?

A book on buddhism will also cover meditation, and touch base with the chakras but will not get deep into the chakras.

I've always felt that Buddhist books by Thich Nhat Hanh were tremendous reads. Easy to read and understand.

A book on Chakras you have Wheels of Life, and Eastern Mind Western Body.

Book on meditation you have eckhart Tolle's stillness speaks. or Mindfulness in Plain English.

As for books on Spirituality, well that is a broad subject and you may want to narrow it down some to better find what you are looking for.

Hope this helps some.

[Ravens_Light]

Greetings, Ambee ♥

Lots of great advice here!

Nightowl's suggestion to start from a place you are comfortable and/or familiar with and just branch out from there is about as simple as it gets..

If you are in to trusting in the perfectness of the universe, just keep your eyes open and you will be 'led' along your path...

It might feel a little less overwhelming starting your journey if you clarify exactly what you are hoping to accomplish.. I think that being a spiritual person (which in fact we already are) does not require us to be schooled in religion....

And I don't even think it's necessary to know every thing that is out there.. There are many trains of thought where it comes to spiritualism, religion, theology..

If you are feeling that you would like to be more connected to that wiser part of yourself, and allow yourself to be led along your journey from this place of being I would say I would focus on meditation. This is just MHO of course..

Even looking at meditation, that can be overwhelming until you realise that all it is is just training yourself to focus on one thing --- i.e. the breath coming in and out of your body --- and by doing so, you allow the wiser part of you to be heard... There is no way a person 'has' to meditate.. Including body position..

All you are doing in meditation is allowing connection to your higher self which is connected to God/Source energy and from this place, you can be led to all that you need to find your way along your journey in life.

It just occurred to me that I may be speaking in gibberish... If none of that makes sense, I say -- Keep It Simple! Meditate (and healing can be great too -- Reiki is what started my personal journey) and all else will follow.. Listen to your own heart... If it doesn't feel right, it's not for YOU. ♥

Many blessings on your journey..

Cam/EarthMamma

Oh.. You might google Abraham/Hicks and see what you think of what you hear.. The words never fail to inspire me and always make sense to me.. But again, it may depend on where you are in your journey as to whether it will resonate with you or not.. :)

Thanks for all of the advice everyone! Hmmm, reading all your responses, I think I need to narrow down where I want to start off; right now there's so much that's new and different and intriguing but I don't want to overwhelm myself!

EarthMamma; you've hit the nail on the head when you said about trying to discover about being "more connected to that wiser part of yourself"; that's exactly what I'm trying to do! So I think I'll follow your advice and start off with looking into meditation first.

I felt I should let you all know though that I did manage to find a good book for myself today - 'A Brief Tour of Higher Consciousness: A Cosmic Book on the Mechanics of Creation'. A long name, I know! But it's humourous and has little drawings and cartoons in, and as an artist/animator/comicbook writer, that's really very appealing to me. I've not started it yet though (I'm waiting one more week until I've finished my uni dissertation first before getting stuck in!) but once I do I'll let you all know my thoughts on it! :)

Thanks for all your recommendations once again! And if you have any more I'd love to hear them!

if you have any more I'd love to hear them

I have a 'permanent floating' reading list of around fifty books always available and updated at my blog (google 'Lightning in an Oak Box'.)

One I recommend very much for a beginner is Kason's Farther Shores which is a great intro to the kundalini and spiritual transformation experience.

Also, although it might not sound like your kind of thing, "Path Notes of an American Ninja Master" is one of the funniest and most comprehensive guides to meditation, unusual spirituality and enlightenment that I know. I definitely recommend that one.

Have you tried going to the new age section and closing your eyes? Run your hands over the spines and when you feel your fingers tingle, pull it out. Your guides will direct you to what you need to learn. Trust them and your gut :)