Here is what I’m currently reading, watching, listening to.
Just Beyond the Light: Making Peace with the Wars Inside Our Head,
D. Randall Blythe. I had the pleasure of meeting Randy recently, and have been listening to the audio version of the book, as I love having the author read me books that are personal in nature. Randy is the singer of the metal band Lamb of God, and his thoughtful and insightful reflections about his life and life in general are a great read. He is remarkably empathetic, and in each aspect of his story this empathy deepens his experience. I was especially moved by the chapter directed to young people who are struggling with being outcasts, and would have loved to have read that as a teen. This is a wonderful read.
Neko Case: Neon Grey Midnight Green. I’m loving her new album. Lyrics, lyrics, lyrics.
The Celestine Prophecy, James Redfield. A friend mentioned this book in passing and I had always heard about it, and decided it was time. It is parable of spiritual awakening, and there were aspects that will stick with me going forward.
By Night in Chile, Roberto Bolano. I managed to get a couple of books in during my respite. I had been hearing about Bolano for so long, and he didn’t disappoint. It’s wonderful to be carried away instantly into a book. I’m officially hooked and will be moving through his oeuvre.
The Divorce, Cesar Aira. Everything I just said about Bolano I can say about Aira. What is it about South American writers? Aira has that marvelous, inventive, alive narration that is surprising and delightful. I have two oeuvres to get through now, and considering he’s published like 100 books, I’m going to be busy.
Waiting on the Moon: Artists, Poets, Drifters, Grifters and Goddesses. Peter Wolf. I listened to Wolf’s interview on the Billy Corgan podcast, and his stories were so fun I had to download this to listen to. It’s a delight.
Collector Current, Jacob Vosmaer. Jacob is a dear friend and a brilliant thinker who just happens to build his own music modules and creates the perfect music for afternoons in the sunshine, discotheques and writing. I feel a sense of my creative spark getting ignited when this music is on while I work
The Red Hand Files, Nick Cave. Whatever you do, please sign up for this newsletter. I admire Cave’s songwriting, his creative output, and most of all his great compassion in answering the letters that make up this blog post. Just trust me.
The Emerald Podcast, Joshua Schrei. To be honest, the episode at the link here is the only one I’ve had a chance to listen to, but it is so ridiculously fun. I look forward to starting from the beginning on this one and plowing through all 90 episodes.
Letters of Alan Watts, Joan and Anne Watts. Like many spiritual seekers, I have long seen Watts as a touchstone. Reading his letters has been inspiring as my love deepens more intimately toward Watts’ journey. In the forward, his daughter notes that Ram Dass said of Watts, “he knew IT and he wasn’t IT.” Which I believe could be said of all of us, with our glimpses of truth and our human failings to live it.
Here are some evergreen things I love and recommend.
Silence of the Heart. Dialogues with Robert Adams
This book speaks to me so much I kept having the thought that this may be the last book I ever read. I don’t know what else to say beyond that. (The link above is to the most recent version. If you can spend a little more for a first edition used copy, that’s the way to go.)
“The only freedom we’ve got is not to react to anything, but to turn within and know the truth.”
I Am the Word, Paul Selig. So. I read about Paul and I thought, hm, channeling. I never heard anyone channel before, let me just check this out. I’ll listen until it feels like a gimmick, or untrue, or riles up my skepticism. Well, 8 books in, participation in all of his online workshops for the last couple of years later. If you get a book, start here. Listen to the audio book, so you hear Paul read it. I feel like this is either very much for you, or very much not. I do consider these teachings one of the most transformative aspects of my life. So there’s that.
When Fear Falls Away, The Story of a Sudden Awakening, Jan Frazier. See my blog post of 11/7/2019 for more.
The Three Pillars of Zen, Roshi Philip Kaplan. The book that began my interest in meditation. First-hand accounts of Zen practice.
Interviews with Francis Bacon, David Sylvester. My favorite book on the creative process. “In my case all painting… is an accident. I foresee it and yet I hardly ever carry it out as I foresee it. It transforms itself by the actual paint. I don’t in fact know very often what the paint will do, and it does many things which are very much better than I could make it do.”
Memories, Dreams, Reflections, C.G. Jung. In my top 5. Talk about a journey into the heart of creativity, spirituality and the human condition.
In My Own Way, Alan Watts. The hunger to have lived someone else’s life rises so strongly in me in this one. I am on the second read-through, a book I loved so much I needed to start it again immediately once complete. I love his humor, his insights, his way of seeing life. I am sort of unable to express how deeply this book affected me. It did set me on a path through all his works. So just know that for the next bit of time, when I am walking around, I’ll have Alan Watts’ voice in my ear.
The Heart of the World: A Journey to Tibet’s Lost Paradise, Ian Baker. This is a beautiful adventure story with a spectacular overall metaphor of travel and the spiritual path as an exploration of a living being. Gorgeous.
Into the Magic Shop: A Neurosurgeon’s Quest to Discover the Mysteries of the Brain and the Secrets of the Heart, James R. Doty, M.D. I love this book so much. I think I read it in a day. I recommend this to anyone wondering how people seem to effortlessly manifest good things in their life, and also about the power of being neutral to the outcome. I could never recommend this highly enough.
Life in Double Time: Confessions of an American Drummer, Mike Lankford. A fun read, and a great explanation of what happens to your playing when you’re on the road every day for three years.
The Power of Now. Eckhart Tolle. I’m late getting to this one, I know. I listened to the audio version and enjoyed hearing the author read it and the question and answer segments. I know he is recycling old knowledge, but I believe he speaks accurately when he says that there is really one way to awaken, and it is to let go of attachment to the ego/false self/thoughts and emotions. I am enjoying hearing his language about these things. It’s always helpful to hear someone say similar things with different words, and thus hear it in a new way.
The Human Encounter with Death. Stanislav Grof and Joan Halifax. Fascinating accounts of clinical psychedelic experiences with terminal patients. Also, a wonderful book to tote around in restaurants in order to make sure no one speaks with you.
The Shaman Within: A Physicist’s Guide to the Deeper Dimensions of Your Live, The Universe, and Everything. Claude Poncelet. What a wonderful read. One of my favorite things is reading about how science and spirituality meet.
On Being Podcast: http://www.onbeing.org/ My close friends right now are saying, “We know, we know, you love this podcast. Shut up already.” It’s true. I love it so much because it so validates my belief that the future looks bright, and here are much smarter people than me saying so.
