Like so many of us, I’ve been on a very winding road throughout my life when it comes to spirituality. I grew up in ultra-secular France, and although my dad had done his bar mitzvah and my mum is at least culturally Anglican, and although I even went to a Catholic school, religious people were often ridiculed among my peers. I always considered myself an atheist, and felt almost morally superior for it, too.

When I moved to the U.S. for college, I was confronted with the opposite of what I knew: There were many people at my school who wore their religiousness like a badge of honor, referencing the Bible in everyday conversation, signing themselves before meals, or simply being active in a religious group on campus. I found all of this really challenging, but I do think experiencing the other side of the coin eventually helped me become more open-minded about people’s different beliefs.

“As life got more complex in my twenties, spirituality became a beacon of hope and safety for me.”

I had no interest in joining a religion, but as life got more complex in my twenties, spirituality became a beacon of hope and safety for me. At first, it was just crystals and astrology. But gradually, I became more and more interested in the teachings of Gabrielle Bernstein, Thich Nhat Hanh, and Marianne Williamson. I added practices like meditation, journaling, and manifestation to my life.

Today, I’m still not sure what it is I believe in exactly, but I know that the world of spirituality feels welcoming and nourishing to me. Whether, like me, you grew up without any particular belief in a higher power, or whether you grew up religious and moved away from it as an adult, the following books can help you build a spirituality practice that works for you, because at the end of the day, that’s all that really matters.

Essential teachers

  1. A Return to Love, Marianne Williamson
  2. No Mud, No Lotus: The Art of Transforming Suffering, Thich Nhat Hanh
  3. The Universe Has Your Back: How to Feel Safe and Trust Your Life No Matter What, Gabrielle Bernstein
  4. What I Know for Sure, Oprah Winfrey
  5. When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times, Pema Chodron
  6. Man’s Search for Meaning, Victor E. Frankl
  7. Dusk, Night, Dawn, Anne Lamott
  8. The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, Eckhart Tolle
  9. The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success: A Practical Guide to the Fulfillment of Your Dreams, Deepak Chopra
  10. A Path with Heart: A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life, Jack Kornfield
  11. The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself, Michael A. Singer
  12. The Power of Intention, Dr. Wayne Dyer
  13. A Course in Miracles: Combined Volume, Foundation for Inner Peace
  14. The Prophet, Kahlil Gibran
  15. Tao Te Ching: A New English Version, Lao Tzu, Stephen Mitchell
  16. Ask and It Is Given: Learning to Manifest Your Desires, Esther and Jerry Hicks
  17. You Can Heal Your Life, Louise Hay

Making religion work for everyone

  1. Falling Back in Love with Being Human: Letters to Lost Souls, Kai Cheng Thom
  2. Black Liturgies: Prayers, Poems, and Meditations for Staying Human, Cole Arthur Riley
  3. God Didn’t Make Us to Hate Us: 40 Devotions to Liberate Your Faith from Fear and Reconnect with Joy, Rev. Lizzie McManus-Dail
  4. Cherished Belonging, Gregory Boyle
  5. Here All Along: Finding Meaning, Spirituality, and a Deeper Connection to Life–in Judaism (After Finally Choosing to Look There), Sarah Hurwitz
  6. Meditations of the Heart, Howard Thurman
  7. Rage Prayers, Elizabeth Ashman Riley
  8. A Beautiful Year: 52 Meditations on Faith, Wisdom, and Perseverance, Diana Butler Bass
  9. A Gift of Love: Sermons from Strength to Love and Other Preachings, Martin Luther King Jr.
  10. The Lives We Actually Have: 100 Blessings for Imperfect Days, Kate Bowler, Jessica Richie
  11. Awareness: Conversations with the Masters, Anthony De Mello
  12. Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life, C.S. Lewis
  13. Learning to Pray: A Guide for Everyone, James Martin
  14. Do I Stay Christian?: A Guide for the Doubters, the Disappointed, and the Disillusioned, Brian D. McLaren

Spirituality and womanhood

  1. Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype, Clarissa Pinkola Estés
  2. Glow-Worthy: Practices for Awakening Your Inner Light and Loving Yourself as You Are — Broken, Beautiful, and Sacred, Katie Silcox
  3. The Way of the Rose: The Radical Path of the Divine Feminine Hidden in the Rosary, Perdita Finn, Clark Strand
  4. Self Source-ery, Lisa Lister
  5. Rewrite the Mother Code: From Sacrifice to Stardust – A Cosmic Approach to Motherhood, Dr. Gertrude Lyons (out May 13th)
  6. The Way of the Wild Soul Woman: 5 Earth Archetypes to Unleash Your Full Feminine Power, Mary Reynolds Thompson
  7. The Goddess Path: 13 Steps to Becoming Your Most Intuitive, Authentic, and Powerful Self, Kirsty Gallagher

Ancient wisdom for modern times

  1. Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom, John O’Donohue
  2. How to Let Things Go, Shunmyo Masuno
  3. Spirits Come from Water: An Introduction to Ancestral Veneration and Reclaiming African Spiritual Practices, Ehime Ora
  4. Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness, Sharon Salzberg
  5. Sacred Ceremony for a Sacred Earth: Indigenous Wisdom for Healing and Transformation, Aniwa Council of Elders
  6. The Amen Effect: Ancient Wisdom to Mend Our Broken Hearts and World, Sharon Brous
  7. The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, Sogyal Rinpoche
  8. Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha, Tara Brach
  9. The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom, Don Miguel Ruiz
  10. Eastern Body, Western Mind: Psychology and the Chakra System As a Path to the Self, Anodea Judith
  11. Think Like a Monk, Jay Shetty
  12. Siddharta, Herman Hesse
  13. Child of the Sun: Enroute to Enlightenment in India, Birgitta Visser
  14. The Four-Fold Way: Walking the Paths of the Warrior, Teacher, Healer, and Visionary, Angeles Arrien
  15. How Joyous Effort Works: The Energy to Benefit Others, Janet Kathleen Ettele, foreword by His Holiness the Dalai Lama
  16. Return with Elixir: Four Maps for the Soul’s Pilgrimage through Death and Rebirth, Miles Neale, PsyD
  17. Meeting the Shadow on the Spiritual Path: The Dance of Darkness and Light in Our Search for Awakening, Connie Zweig
  18. When Things Don’t Go Your Way: Zen Wisdom for Difficult Times, Haemin Sumin
  19. Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution, Rainn Wilson
  20. Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others, Barbara Brown Taylor
  21. Sacred Earth, Sacred Soul: Celtic Wisdom for Reawakening to What Our Souls Know and Healing the World, John Philip Newell

Spirituality in nature

  1. Enchantment: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age, Katherine May
  2. Aflame: Learning from Silence, Pico Iyer
  3. Church of the Wild: How Nature Invites Us Into the Sacred, Victoria Loorz
  4. Signs: The Secret Language of the Universe, Laura Lynne Jackson
  5. Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants, Robin Wall Kimmerer
  6. Rooted: Life at the Crossroads of Science, Nature, and Spirit, Lyanda Lynn Haupt

Inner guidance

  1. Ask Your Spirit, Christine Lang
  2. Letting Go: The Pathway of Surrender, David R. Hawkins
  3. Becoming Supernatural: How Common People Are Doing the Uncommon, Joe Dispenza
  4. Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life, Jon Kabat-Zinn
  5. Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion, Sam Harris
  6. The Awakened Way: Making the Shift to a Divinely Guided Life, Suzanne Giesemann
  7. Almost 30: A Definitive Guide to a Life You Love for the Next Decade and Beyond, Lindsey Simcik, Krista Williams
  8. Higher Self: Reclaiming the Power of Your Intuition, Mory Fontanez
  9. The Disappearance of the Universe, Gary Renard
  10. Living in the Light: Follow Your Inner Guidance to Create a New Life and a New World, Shakti Gawain
  11. Journey to the Heart: Daily Meditations on the Path to Freeing Your Soul, Melody Beattie
  12. Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts, Oliver Burkeman
  13. The Garden Within: Where the War with Your Emotions Ends and Your Most Powerful Life Begins, Anita Phillips
  14. Everyday Intuition: What Psychology, Science, and Psychics Can Teach Us About Finding and Trusting Our Inner Voice, Elizabeth Greenwood (Out May 6)
  15. Ready, Set, Slow: How to Improve Your Energy, Health, and Relationships Through the Power of Slow, Lee Holden
  16. Ask Your Guides: Calling in Your Divine Support System for Help with Everything in Life, Sonia Choquette
  17. 28 Days in Darkness: A Journey from the Depth of Despair to the Joy of Awakening, Traver Boehm
  18. Raise Your Frequency, Transform Your Life, Selina Maitreya
  19. Why We Believe: Finding Meaning in Uncertain Times, Alister McGrath
  20. Your Soul Had a Dream, Your Life Is It: How to Be Held by Life When It Feels Like Everything Is Falling Apart, Rebecca Campbell
  21. How We Learn to Be Brave: Decisive Moments in Life and Faith, Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde
  22. The Book of Forgiving: The Fourfold Path for Healing Ourselves and Our World, Desmond Tutu, Mpho Tutu
  23. Works of Love, Søren Kierkegaard
  24. Reclaim Your Heart: Personal Insights on Breaking Free from Life’s Shackles, Yasmin Mogahed
  25. Love Does: Discover a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World, Bob Goff
  26. The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here for?, Rick Warren

Tarot and astrology

  1. Modern Tarot: Connecting with Your Higher Self through the Wisdom of the Cards, Michelle Tea
  2. Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom: A Tarot Journey to Self-Awareness, Rachel Pollack
  3. Tarot for Change: Using the Cards for Self-Care, Acceptance, and Growth, Jessica Dore
  4. You Were Born for This: Astrology for Radical Self-Acceptance, Chani Nicolas
  5. Saturn Returns: Your Cosmic Coming of Age, Caggie Dunlop
  6. It’s All Magic: 365 Reflections on Astrology, Tarot, and Manifestation, Aliza Kelly
  7. Astrolographs: How the Zodiac Signs Behave (and Misbehave) in Love, Work, Leisure, and Beyond, in 112 Humorous Charts, Julia Topaz
  8. Black Moon Lilith Rising: How to Unlock the Power of the Dark Divine Feminine Through Astrology, Adama Sesay

Iris Goldsztajn (she/her) is a freelance writer and editor based in London, UK. Her work has been featured in British Vogue, Marie Claire, Refinery29, SELF, Bustle and many more. Iris can typically be found on her way to a fitness class or with her nose in a good book.