Carlos Castaneda has been one of my greatest teachers. I have read his books so times that many of the pages are literally falling out, but each time that I re-read one of them, I gain new insight and understanding. Castaneda relates the teachings of a Yaqui shaman from Mexico, Don Juan Matus. Castaneda’s storytelling is captivating, and in telling the story of his apprenticeship to Don Juan, Castaneda provides rich insights into the importance of shedding disempowering thoughts and habits that block us from directly experiencing the world of spirit. But, Castaneda tells us – oh! -- so much more.

I recommend starting off with Journey to Ixtlan: The Lessons of Don Juan. In it, Don Juan teaches how to access the power that dwells within each of us by changing how we look at the world.

In the Power of Silence, Don Juan and Carlos Castaneda teach us that by stilling the rational mind and experiencing inner silence, we can tap into worlds of awareness that would otherwise remain unavailable to us. With perseverance and dedication, we can come to accumulate personal power and open the door to limitless potentialities.

In the Active Side of Infinity, Don Juan teaches Carlos Castaneda that one doesn’t have to wait until death to experience the infinite. The infinite or spirit is accessible to everyone even while they inhabit their physical bodies. This realization, too, is a gateway to great possibilities and the further enhancement of one’s sense of personal power.

Dr. Wayne Dyer expands upon many of the concepts presented by Carlos Castaneda, especially the idea that in this universe all of us are connected to a force that is called intent or intention. Both Dyer and Castaneda know that linking to this all pervading, universal force awakens dormant powers, faculties, and talents, and, as a result, we discover ourselves to be far greater persons than we ever dreamed possible.

Pema Chodron, an American Buddhist nun, provides sensible and heartfelt advice on how to be in this world when everything seems to have fallen apart and on how to take advantage of this new, fearful situation to transform one’s experience with the world. Her book is a remarkable treatise on self-love, self-restraint and the value of compassion toward others. When my world fell apart, and I found myself in extremely fearful circumstances, Pema Chodron’s writings were there for me, and they helped restore me to a more natural place of power and endurance. Regardless of your religious tradition, you will find her insights valuable.

The story of the internationally renowned psychiatrist, Victor E. Frankl, is an inspiration. He endured years of unspeakable horror in Nazi death camps. Yet, it was precisely through his suffering that he found new meaning in life. He transformed his crisis into an opportunity and developed an entire psychological movement based upon the premise that each person must accept responsibility in finding out the meaning of suffering and to grow from it. Frankl once addressed prisoners in San Quentin. He told them, "you are human beings like me, and as such you were free to commit a crime, to become guilty. Now, however, you are responsible for overcoming guilt by rising above it, by growing beyond yourselves, by changing for the better." His is essential advice, not only for prisoners, but for any of us who need to break the control that fear and other challengin emotions hold over us.

I am in complete awe of Gandhi. As a historian, I had studied the movement that he led in South Africa to gain equality of treatment for immigrants from what are now India and Pakistan, and I knew that he was a central leader in the independence struggle in India. But, I was not prepared for his depth of character and spiritual commitment until I read his own words. He truly deserves his recognition as one of the great souls of the twentieth century. He made incredible personal sacrifice in his search for freedom and truth. Gandhi’s clearly saw the divine in everyone, and believed that people and nations had to go inward to this divine source to become truly great. He, too, knew the value of finding meaning in suffering. In his words, "the impenetrable darkness that surrounds us is not a curse but a blessing." There is so much to learn from Gandhi.

This is a beautifully illustrated and written guide to living a more richly intuitive life. Lynn Robinson teaches how to stay in contact with the inner wisdom that is called intuition, which she considers to be the voice of God. Whether it is called little voice or intuition, whether it comes in conscious moments or in dreams or meditation, Robinson shows us how we have access to an inner guidance that, if one listens to it, can marvelously direct one’s life. I have learned from Lynne Robinson and others how important it is not to override this inner guidance through addictive habits, denial or avoidance. In many respects, the fulfillment of life’s dreams depends on keeping tuned in to intuition, and Lynn Robinson shows us how this is possible.

Susan Jeffers wrote her book to help people grow beyond a fearful existence and live a happier, more exciting life. Hers is a very practical approach that provides many useful reminders on how to rise above fear in order to lead the life of one’s desire. This means staying aware that all of us can easily fall back into old habits and thoughts, and we need a lot of reminders to keep us out of the fear zone. Jeffers provides ample techniques and clever ideas on how to keep the positive, can-do attitude that is an important antidote to fear. Her book is very helpful in helping to build up one’s confidence until that time when we feel enough of our personal power that we can just surrender with a sense of full trust in our abilities and in an abundant and friendly universe.

The Bhagavad Gita, one of the great spiritual text of Hindu philosophy, has become a revered classic throughout the world. Though the Gita was written down about 2,500 years ago, its essential truths are just as valid today. It sheds light on the practices and attitudes that block spiritual growth. Though the Gita consists of a dialog between the god Krishna and a military man, called Arjuna, it may best to think of it as an inner dialog between an ordinary human being, full of questions about the meaning of life, and his deepest self which is divine. I recommend this version of the Gita translated by Eknath Easwaran because it provides explanatory sections that help understand the meaning of the text. Reading an ancient text like the Gita, the Bible, or the Koran usually requires a lot of concentration, so trustworthy explanatory sections can greatly help in better understanding the rang of possible meaning.

I used Lucia Capacchione’s book as a guide to keeping a personal journal for years, and the techniques that she offers helped me to feel – to feel in ways that I never dreamed possible. In her book, Capacchione demonstrates how writing a journal with one’s non-dominant hand enables us to tap into creative resources that would otherwise likely remain dormant. I also found within me an uncommon wisdom coming from a place of power and peace that helped me through an extremely difficult period. This wisdom is available to all of us, and keeping a journal in the manner that she suggests is capable of producing one's own "conversation with god."

I encourage everyone interested in breaking the chains of the fear that bind you to a stressful existence to try out Betty Edwards’ book and to begin to apply the artistic approach to all aspects of your life. Her book opened me up to new vistas in art that I never dreamed possible. With the help of her book, within a short period of time, I was producing art, and most importantly in following her techniques, I tapped into a reservoir of creativity that made me feel blissful and at peace, perhaps for the first time since I was a child. Art is just plainly a powerful tool for looking inward and discovering worlds of new meaning in the otherwise familiar.