“I believe that reading and writing are the most nourishing forms of meditation anyone has so far found. By reading the writings of the most interesting minds in history, we meditate with our own minds and theirs as well. This to me is a miracle.” — Kurt Vonnegut

With that spirit in mind, here are the books that became my meditation partners this year, organized into five realms of inquiry.

1. Consciousness, Spirituality, & The Human Condition

Alan Watts became my spiritual trainer this year. Two of his books—Become What You Are and The Book—constitute a guide to the mystical aspect of reality. As in most of his books, Watts elegantly and clearly weaves Eastern philosophies like Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism, with Western philosophy, Christian theology, and psychology. 

Reading these books feels like going to the gym for the spirit. And yet, they leave me profoundly relaxed and at peace with life and with myself. Watt’s theme of “surrender,” which appears prominently in Become What You Are, enriched my experience of letting go that emerged a couple of years ago while reading Michael Singer’s The Surrender Experiment.

“For the selfishness of the self thrives on the notion that it can command itself, that it is the lord and master of its own processes, of its own motives and desires. Thus, the one important result of any really serious attempt at self-renunciation or self-acceptance is the humiliating discovery that it is impossible. And this precisely is that death to oneself which is the improbable source of a way of life so new and so alive that it feels like having been born again.” —Alan Watts, Become What You Are

Virtually all of Watts’ books are transcriptions of his engaging lectures. If you haven’t read him, I recommend downloading one of his audiobooks to get a sense of his tone and rhythm.

2. Wisdom, Aging, & Meaning

Let’s shift now from mystical philosophy to a surprisingly practical source of wisdom.

Angeles Arrien’s The Four-Fold Way offers an inspiring guide to restoring ancient wisdom to modern communities and culture. She studied indigenous cultures for decades and discovered common wisdom themes among them. Her insights are profound, yet clear and accessible.

“Every culture in the world has singing, dancing, and storytelling, and these are practices to which we all have access. We also have access to the four inner archetypes, or blueprints for human behavior, which are present in the mythic structure of societies the world over.” — Angeles Arrien, The Four-Fold Way

The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker won the Pulitzer Prize in 1974. When I was considering starting a book club for thoughtful, retired folks, several people urged me to include this book.