Your Holiday Season Reading List
A list for inspiration, wisdom, consciousness, creativity and clarity
Personally one of my favourite excursions is taking myself to a book store. The walls jammed full of creativity, discipline and wisdom fills me with an energy unlike anything else. As a writer, I am an avid reader, and so as I write non fiction I fund myself mostly drawn to this genre. I thrash my books. They get underlined, and dog eared (at the top corner for where I am currently at, and on the bottom corners in tiny pinches for referencing pages I have underlined). They come to the beach, get often a little wet when I am fresh out of my creek, get thrown into baskets, handbags, the car. Unless they are borrowed and then I am terrified and they stay by my bedside. I have honestly lost so many books in lending them, and hope they have a happy journey onward but also often wistfully wish they were back in my little paws. I never read a single book at at time. This concept is beyond me. I have about 5-10 going same time. Some are very dense neuroscience books that I simply couldn’t read in one go, or are emotionally dense covering for example shame and guilt through the lens of Internal Family Systems. Other books include Zen titles that are so pithy they have to be digested slowly, in bite size pieces. And then are books I just devour, and usually re-read.
So I wanted to share some books that I am always recommending should you find yourself looking for new reading material over the holiday season…which I always find a strange term, coming from hospitality this was never the time of year for vacay’s for me, but also Christmas is too religious leaning, and I don’t wish to say Summer Reading, although it’s my Summer, for a huge portion of you it will be the deep dark depths of Winter (and what an excellent time for reading!).
I’m not going to provide any links - I don’t do referral fees and also I would love you to order at your local bookstore if you can. For the books I have written - duh, of course I will provide a link hehe.
Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman. I love Oliver’s writing style, his research approach, his honesty and his humour in diving into the human condition. If you’ve had a ‘my god what was that year’, year - this book will shake things up and help you reframe the concept of time, and what you are doing with it.
High Grade Living by Jacqui Lewis and Arran Russell. I created this book with my husband. It’s a hard cover visual and written treat on how to audit, edit and refine to live your most aligned life. This book has touched so many people and I am so proud we created every inch of it, from the writing, design and photography. Find it HERE.
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. I still recommend this book years on for anyone that is a creative, and anyone that believes they are not creative. Elizabeth discusses a lot of Vedic concepts in this book that create a really beautiful platform to understand how creativity through consciousness works.
Perfect Brilliant Stillness by David Carse. David is not a writer and this tripped me up at first as the first few chapters I found hard going. And then he hits his straps and the book is a mind explosion on non duality, an incisive and deep look at spirituality, enlightenment and all its promises and pitfalls. There is an Audible version that’s excellent too.
Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Speaking of cutting through spiritual BS, this is an excellent read that will also have you taking a deep look into your conditioning and concepts and hopefully with a sword cutting through all that you find irrelevant and untrue, rather than clinging to.
Taking Our Places by Norman Fischer. I really love Norman’s clean cut teaching style, he’s a Buddhist teacher, very experienced and this book is a huge encouragement to not couch spiritual teachings as something of comfort to escape daily life with, but as a deep way to come into presence and meet every bit of ourselves in each moment. His other book Sailing Home is also wonderful.
Web of Meaning by Jeremy Lent. I have almost finished this and it’s an excellent read, spanning neuroscience, psychology, nature, religions and spirituality that inspires a more expansive and nuanced way of looking at the world, a really beautiful book.
Signposts Back Home by Mutribo. I’m sure you have heard me mention this book, as it’s the talks by my friend Mutribo that I transcribed and it’s a meditators companion and the book that has touched the hearts and shifted the consciousness of so many of our students. You wouldn’t really read it in one sitting but it’s something you pick up every day and you can find your copy HERE.
NEW YEARS MASTERCLASS
I have a really beautiful workshop happening early next year if you want to start the year with clarity, creativity and enhanced consciousness, I would love to have you join me.
In this detailed masterclass, work with me to clarify who you want to be in the year ahead. You will work through tools, practices, and skills to gain clarity on aligning with your higher self and inviting in more freedom, trust, and peace. You will also work on what to let be, how to release what no longer serves you, and gain a roadmap into 2025 as your year for deep integrity and heart.
WHEN: Saturday, January 11th, 2025, 10:00am – 12:00pm (Sydney Time)
WHERE: Live on Zoom
Included in this bumper 2-hour process you will experience a meditation journey, as well as have worksheets, a special playlist for enhancing creativity and contemplation and journal prompts for the months afterwards to keep your clarity growing.
Will I forever bang on about the rewards of a daily meditation practice? I hope so! If you’re at the crunchy end of the year and you want to learn a meditation practice that’s self paced and simple yet effective, then I would highly recommend our mantra based beginners meditation program called Mindfit HERE. You can learn from anywhere and then on completing you’ll have two mantras and a daily 10-15 min practice. And for those ready to really take it deeper, I have a January Live Online Integrated Meditation Course on, the first session is a one on one, and then two group 2.5 hour sessions and you will graduate with your own personal mantra and a lifelong twice daily 20 minute meditation practice.
We offer discounts to full time single parents (been there, no one needs meditation more!) and partial scholarships to those in need just reach out to us info@thebroadplace.com.au for more info.
I’ve recently read Richard Schwartz’s ‘No Bad Parts’ and I’ve had some IFS therapy. Which titles do you recommend for reading “…through the lens of Internal Family Systems.”