New to the Spiritual Path? Here Are Books, Documentaries, Websites, and Podcasts to Get You Started

Expertly sorted into 26 categories based on what you want

Thinking of exploring spirituality? Ready to take your first steps on the spiritual path? As says the well-knowing aphorism:

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step

Based on more than 30 years of my own explorations and many years guiding others to find their way — here is a selection of teachers, tools, books, documentaries, websites, and podcasts to help you get started on your journey.

But there are many ways up the mountain, right? Hence, this list is a bit different…

One thing I have learnt over the years is that what you need in the beginning very much depends on the type of person that you are and what you want. So I have structured the resources based on that. What do you want? What is your motivation? What turns you on? Answer these questions and scroll down until you find the category or categories that resonate for you.

Let me say upfront that I recognise that the resources listed here are subject to my own biases — one being that I tend towards Eastern traditions rather than Western and I favour the mystical over mainstream religion. Also, I am not overly focussed on mindfulness training — although, of course, I recognise the importance of having some kind of meditation or spiritual practice.

I shouldn’t really show you this — but I can’t resist. From Tibetan Buddhist meditation master Chogyam Trungpa:

My advice to you is not to undertake the spiritual path. It is too difficult, too long, and is too demanding. I suggest you ask for your money back, and go home. This is not a picnic. It is really going to ask everything of you. So, it is best not to begin. However, if you do begin, it is best to finish.

Assuming you are still reading…here are the resources. There are 26 categories all starting with “I want…”.

I want to know what spirituality can offer (before I get involved)

There are quite a lot of resources in this section — but just pick and choose according to what resonates.

Watkins is a London bookshop that has been around for over 120 years specialising in esoterica (their term). They publish a magazine called Mind, Body, Spirit and in it you can find articles covering every topic in the area of spirituality.

Here’s a fun site. David Hoffmeister has assembled an online searchable database of spiritually-oriented films including commentary, reviews, and the ability to filter by themes and emotions. The site is called: Movie Watcher’s Guide to Enlightenment (MWGE).

There are many interview shows that you can find on YouTube and popular podcast Apps like Spotify. Here are some of my favourites.

• SuperSoul Conversations hosted by Oprah Winfrey
• Buddha at the Gas Pump (BATGAP) hosted by Rick Archer
• Conscious TV hosted by Iain and Renate McNay
• Spirit Matters hosted by Philip Goldberg
• The Freke Show hosted by Tim Freke

And here are some of my favourite getting started books:

• The Surrender Experiment by Michael Singer
• The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer
• A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle
• Falling into Grace by Adyashanti

And, finally, if you think Buddhism could be your thing, check out the online magazine Lion’s Roar.

I want to be happy

Everybody wants to be happy, right? According to the Dalai Lama:

We all want to be happy and avoid suffering, and we all have a right to be happy. That’s why I say we are all the same.

In fact, according to the Dalai Lama, the very purpose of life is to be happy as expressed in this beautiful article.

One thing I really like about the Dalai Lama, is that he always keeps it simple; he doesn’t talk about lofty Buddhist concepts such as Enlightenment but sticks to down-to-earth human attributes such as kindness, happiness, and compassion.

With this in mind, I recommend:

• The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World by the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu
• The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living by the Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler

Have you heard of Lester Levenson? The doctors sent him home to die and instead he lay down on his bed, discovered the secret of life, and lived on. Read this man’s remarkable story here. And here’s the book:

Happiness Is Free: And It’s Easier Than You Think! by Hale Dwoskin and Lester Levenson

I want peace of mind

This and the next were my own motivations when I started on the spiritual path. If this is the statement that resonates with you, I recommend:

Love is Letting Go of Fear and Teach Only Love by Jerry Jampolsky

I want to be free of suffering

I remember when I came across Buddhism for the first time, unlike many I was captivated — rather than put off — by the fact that suffering was at the heart of the teaching as expressed in the 4 noble truths.

Later, when I came across Byron Katie and her (also) 4 questions to end suffering — I was equally drawn.

So for this category, I highly recommend Byron Katie’s first book: Loving What Is

I want to live more in the present moment

I’ll just say it. Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.

I want to be free

Some people I have met just want to be free. That’s what they feel and say. If this is you, I would start with the personal freedom work of don Miguel Ruiz.

Another option is Osho — in particular the book Love, Freedom and Aloneness and his Kundalini meditation.

And — at least once a week — listen to Queen’s “I Want to Break Free” on full volume while dancing around the living room.

I want to be free of my addictions

I feel so passionate about this topic for so many reasons. My own addictive behaviours and personality, bonus kids with addiction problems, and just simply the recognition that we are all — in our way — addicts. Until we are not. These are my heroes in this space.

Tommy Rosen

Web site: Recovery 2.0

Gabor Mate

Book: In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction

Russell Brand

Book: Recovery: Freedom From Our Addictions

Scott Kiloby

Tool: The New Model of Recovery

I want to heal

Not many escape childhood without wounds. Not many of us escape life without some kind of illness. Here are my favourite resources on healing:

• Gabor Mate again. Documentary: The Wisdom of Trauma
• You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay
• Secrets of Aboriginal Healing: A Physicist’s Journey with a Remote Australian Tribe by Gary Holz

I want more meaning in my life

I don’t think we can ever really know if life has any inherent meaning, but that shouldn’t stop us from finding our own. Here are two spiritual classics on meaning.

• The Shift: Taking Your Life from Ambition to Meaning by Wayne Dyer (book and documentary)
• Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

I want to know about Western mysticism

Each of the West’s Abrahamic religions, Christianity, Islam, and Judaism has a mystical wing.

For Christian mysticism, check out Mirabai Star and the early work of Tim Freke.

For Jewish mysticism, I recommend:

• Kabbalah for Beginners: Understanding and Applying Kabbalistic History, Concepts, and Practices by Brian Schachter
• I and Thou by Martin Buber
• Dani Antman

And for Islamic mysticism, also known as Sufism, you could start with:

The Illuminated Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks and wonderfully illustrated by Michael Green.

I want a scientifically-oriented spirituality

For me, there is no separation between spirituality and science. They both complement and enhance each other. Spirituality needs to be grounded in experience — even if that experience is subjective. And science is the study of matter and what is matter really — when you go deep enough.

Anyway, if you lean towards science, I offer these recommendations:

• The Dancing Wu Li Masters by Gary Zukav
• The Field by Lynne McTaggart
• The Tao of Physics by Fritjof Capra
• My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey by Jill Bolte Taylor
• War of the Worldviews: Where Science and Spirituality Meet — and Do Not by Deepak Chopra and Leonard Mlodinow

Here are some other names to look out for: Bernado Castrup, Donald Hoffman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Bruce Lipton, John Hagelin, and Gary Weber. All men, sorry about that.

I want to know more about the human mind

Of course there is Freud and Jung. Of the two, I’d definitely go for Jung. Actually, thinking about it — I think that’s where I started when I should have been studying books on how to program in Basic (yes, I’m that old).

A Road Less Travelled by M Scott Peck is a wonderful primer covering the meeting place of human psychology and spirituality.

Next up is Ken Wilber. Start with his early works: No Boundary and The Spectrum of Consciousness. And then — if you like what you are reading — continue to explore. He has written a lot of books.

I want to know more about psychedelics (related to the one above actually)

Stanislav Grof. Nothing I can say in a paragraph can do this man justice. He is a master explorer of the inner world — psychonaut. I would start with his unusual autobiography: When the Impossible Happens: Adventures in Non-Ordinary Realities

I would also recommend Michael Pollan’s: This is Your Mind on Plants. There are some fascinating interviews with Pollan by Sam Harris, Joe Rogan, and Tim Ferris on their podcasts.

And let’s not forget the classic: The Doors of Perception by Aldous Huxley.

I want to be more loving to myself and others

If this is your motivation, then you have some of the best spiritual teachers on the planet, all Buddhist as it turns out: Tara Brach, Jack Kornfield, Pema Chodron, and Sharon Salzberg.

I’ll pick out one book from each:

• Tara Brach: Radical Compassion: Learning to Love Yourself and Your World with the Practice of RAIN. The letters in RAIN stand for Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Nurture.
• Jack Kornfield: A Path With Heart
• Pema Chodron: When Things Fall Apart
• Sharon Salzberg: Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness

Aside from these, I must admit, I did like Teal Swan’s Shadows Before Dawn: Finding the Light of Self-Love Through Your Darkest Times.

And Self Love Mystic and Mentor, Pernilla Lilarose.

I want to know more about the great Indian modern-times sages

Where to start? Probably as many have, by reading Autobiography of a Yogi by Sri Paramahansa Yogananda. After that, I would go for David Godman’s work. He has devoted his whole life to researching and writing about enlightened masters Sri Ramana Maharshi, Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, and Papaji. You’ll find everything you need — including interviews and videos — on his website.

Another great Indian sage is Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. His disciple Vivekananda founded the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society.

Two other beautiful sages — I even want to use the word saints — are Sri Anandamayi Ma and Mata Amritanandamayi (Amma). The latter is known as the hugging saint.

I want to learn about nonduality

Nonduality is a translation of the Sanskrit word Advaita, which means “not two”. In the West, it is classified as a new religion (I believe), but I don’t really see it as a religion.

It is tricky territory with a wide range of teachers. I would start with:

Jeff Foster — brilliant, grounded, and kind

Rupert Spira — precise, experienced, and sensitive

Also there is this: The Science and Nonduality Conference.

I would recommend this website as well: Unbroken self

If you feel you kind of get this and you really want to get stuck in then try these books — but, really, I wouldn’t start with them:

• Consciousness Speaks by Ramesh S. Balsekar
• I Am That by Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

I want to learn about intimate relationships (and I want to be in a great one)

It is an open secret that many of us start Yoga classes, get into Law of Attraction, or sign up for a Tantra workshop because we want to meet somebody. And that is just fine. Relationships and especially intimate relationships are where it is at — according to me at least.

If you have a masculine essence, read David Deida. If you have a feminine essence, read David Deida. If you identify as something else, read David Deida. Perhaps that was a bit over the top. But he knows a lot about the dynamics of relationships.

And somebody else who knows a lot about the dynamics of relationships is: Esther Perel.

If you think you might be interested in exploring divine sexuality, I would recommend starting with: Divine Sexuality: The Joy of Tantra by Ma Ananda Sarita.

Also, Tantra: The Art of Conscious Loving by Charles Muir and Caroline Muir

I’ve written about Tantra here:

I want more energy

Don’t we all? Let’s not forget, in order to have good energy in the day — it is important to prioritise sleep, rest, and relaxation. Also downtime, as described in this Scientific American article: Why Your Brain Needs More Downtime

But once you’ve got all that down, I would recommend:

The incredible Wim Hof and his Wim Hof Method.

And the equally incredible Qigong Master Mantak Chia.

I want to know the truth

This is a tough one. I mean what do we mean when we say I want to know the truth. The truth? My truth? Something else? Anyway, with this in mind I point you towards the man who brought Eastern wisdom to the West, Alan Watts.

As an aside, Sam Harris has recently managed to get hold of Alan Watts’ collected talks — consisting of 19 curated albums, 180 unique talks, and over 142 hours of audio — for his Waking Up app.

I think I might slot in here as well The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James.

I want to be of service

There are many ways to be of service. And many ways to give. These three non-profits co-founded by William MacAskill are a good place to start:

• Giving What We Can
• 80,000 Hours
• Centre for Effective Altruism

Also MacAskill’s book: Doing Good Better: Effective Altruism and a Radical New Way to Make a Difference

I want to be more successful in life

Some people separate being successful in life from making progress on the spiritual path — but I don’t see it like that. I think you can do both/and.

Here are my favourites for having a successful life:

Law of attraction material — I like the Abraham material and in particular the book: Ask and it is Given.

And then there is Rhonda Byrne’s The Secret (book and film). (Interestingly, Rhonda’s latest book The Greatest Secret would actually belong in the nonduality section above.)

Life coach of them all, Tony Robbins. No need to go all-in with his very expensive retreats. He has plenty of great and informative books.

And then life transformation platform, Mindvalley. And here’s the podcast.

I want to be one with the divine

This is a beautiful path up the mountain — the path of devotion. Or in Hinduism, Bhakti Yoga.

There are many teachers in India, but the two Western teachers that come to mind are Mooji and Mirabai Starr.

And then of course you could just get lost in music.

• Krishna Das
• Snatam Kaur
• Deva Premal & Miten

I want to know about NDEs and if there is life after death

NDE stands for Near Death Experience — and many many people have had them. There are the big names such as Anita Moorjani, Eben Alexander, and Mary Neal — all worth exploring. And then there is the Near-Death Experience Research Foundation — which claims to be the largest NDE website in the world with over 4900 experiences.

If you really want to delve more into the subject there is: The Big Book of Near-Death Experiences: The Ultimate Guide to the NDE and Its Aftereffects

Not so much NDEs, but surely the world’s expert on death and dying, grief and grieving: Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

I want to learn to meditate

Hm, where to start? How about this?

In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few

This is the line that kicks off Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind by Shunryu Suzuki. A spiritual classic.

And from one spiritual classic to another: The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh

Here are some more books on meditation that I have read and recommend:

• Deep Meditation by Yogani
• Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life by Jon Kabat-Zinn
• How to Meditate: A Practical Guide to Making Friends with Your Mind by Pema Chödrön
• The Mind Illuminated: A Complete Meditation Guide Integrating Buddhist Wisdom and Brain Science for Greater Mindfulness by John Yates (The late John Yates is also known as Culadasa and there are some fascinating writings on his website)
• Giovanni Dienstmann’s Live and Dare website is excellent — with its motto: Master your mind, master your life

Then there is Headspace of course, but I prefer Sam Harris’ Waking Up App.

I want a spirituality that relates to the world we live in

In the words of the poet Alfred Lord Tennyson and as quoted by Marianne Williamson on her website:

Come, my friends, ’tis not too late to seek a newer world

We don’t know. It might be. But hey…best to be part of the solution. I recommend these amazing humans:

• James Lovelock (originator of Gaia theory)
• Graham Hancock
• Charles Eisenstein
• David Loy

I want to wake up now

Sorry, that’s probably not going to happen.

But you could try this…

F**k It: The Ultimate Spiritual Way by John C. Parkin

That’s it. Leave comments if you think I have missed anything.