Table Of Content

1 Introduction I assembled this manual for my personal use as a teaching aid and a reference tool. I write as a hobby. I also organized a wisdom circle at my local library and needed quick reference to information from books that I have read. The books chosen for this manual were among the 150 or more that I have read and studied on spirituality over a 2 year period. I believe that the 13 books I selected are some of the best of them and will give anyone a good understanding of what spirituality is all about. This guide is great for both the novice that is just beginning to explore the realm of spirituality and a great reference for those of us who are teaching, speaking or writing. Every aspect of spirituality is explored in this manual. The whole truth can never be found here of course, it’s found within, but it is a great starting place. This manual is a guide only. This is not my original material. The 13 books referred to, must also be obtained in order to get the full benefits of the references. Some of the lines taken from the books will have little meaning or none at all unless you can read from the book quoted. Some of the books will require a little effort to find. There are many used books stores throughout the country. The web is a great place to look for some of them. Sites such as www.barnes & noble.com, www.ebay.com, www.bookfinder.com, www.abebooks.com, www.amazon.com, www.powells.com, www.used.addall.com, www.half.com. There are approximately 5 million other sites on the net. Simply enter the name of the book or author into any search engine, be sure to try different variations and check spelling and you’ll find it. I had no problem locating the 13 books. It was interesting for me to note the books that really stood out in my search for spiritual enlightenment or guidance were some of the older books written in the 60’s, 70’s and earlier. The Science of Mind by, Ernest Holmes first written in 1938 for instance is still valid reading today, and a must for all seekers, it is a complete course in spirituality on its own. Many of the authors have established foundations or schools and teach the material in their books on an ongoing basis. Though I have read most of the newer authors, I found their material is very much like the readings in The Seth Books, Edgar Cayce and Richard Holmes. I am not trying to discount the contributions the “new age” authors have made. Their contributions are worthy of your reading. But the information hasn’t really changed much in this short period of time. That is, the reality about who we are is changeless. Only recently has there been a noticeable realization of new age spirituality in the world. Its catching on very quickly as the thirst for new ideas and philosophies are unquenchable. I give thanks to the new authors of the last 70 years for that. The real value in the contribution of the new writers that I will note is that we can relate to them more contemporarily. They have modernized old concepts, which may have been difficult to understand or accept at all. It is understandable how some of the books and stories in the bible have been misinterpreted, misunderstood or misquoted. So much power lies in the understanding of spirituality and who we are that churches and religions have been slow or reluctant to give out all the information for fear that the average person may not understand or be able to handle the insights, freedom or the power gained from this knowledge. I have found concepts and philosophies I may not have grasped the first time in one book have become clearer to me in others because of the way they were presented or written. Do not be afraid to get other opinions from more than one author. The first book on spirituality I have ever read, Conversations with God (Book 1) by, Neale Donald Walsch, was given to me by my son, Jason. He really thought I would be interested, bless his heart. I accepted it graciously and then banished it to a seldom visited corner of my room after he had left. As I seldom throw anything away, I kept it, mostly out of respect for my son. Much like an old birthday card or present that you will never use, I thought I would keep it for a respectable period of time until the giver would have forgotten about it and stopped asking if I had read it yet. Early one evening I finished the last pages of the book I was reading and started surveying the room for something new. My search found me in the seldom used corner of my room. I found the cast out CWG (Book 1) and picked it up. Still feeling uneasy about the title, I considered reading the introduction and the cover story only. I do not have anything against God, per se, I was been raised in several churches, a confirmed Anglican, I sang in the United Church choir and dated a Pentecostal preacher’s daughter, and I attended her church regularly just to be close. I couldn’t accept the teachings of these churches. The churches all claimed to have the inside track on religion. The concept of a vindictive God 2 being a punisher and possibly banishing me to Hell was not intrinsic to my core belief. I knew what I was being told was not my truth. I turned away from religion. God was a word that was difficult for me to say, because of all the negative associations with it. I read most of the book that night and it was a beginning of a whole new experience with God and religion. I have read The Conversation with God Trilogy by Neale Donald Walsch five times and his next two books, Friendship with God and Communion with God three times each. Putting this manual together has required me to me them again.I am truly grateful for the new clarity I have found in his books. It has taken me more than a year and half to come back and rediscover the books. It’s as though I am reading them again for the first time but with a new vision. I am so grateful for all the books that I have read and the more than 60 books I now have on the shelf waiting for me to discover . Over the last two years, these books have presented themselves to me, like lost friends. Months pass before I get around to reading some books, and now 2 years later, there are those that I still haven’t read. Book selection seems to come spontaneously just when I need guidance or if there is something I need to know or understand further, the book is already there and stands out like a beacon from the rest. I encourage all, to read as many books or articles by as many authors as possible. Their truth will not be your truth but they will have something to write about that you will know to be yours. You will know it automatically, and you will recognize it the next time you read about it. It’s a feeling you cannot dismiss. The truth always comes from within. I will also tell you this, once you start on your quest, you can never go back. When you know the truth about who you really are, you will not rest. Everything will be different. You will no longer be an unconscious follower, and become an active seeker of the truth. There are 2 root concepts that keep coming out of these books and in which all spiritual people seem to agree on and know intuitively. The first is that The Creator is in and around everything, he is omnipresent, we Are All One. This is in sharp contrast to what we have been taught by the dualistic theology of organized religions. The second thing is that the Creator is unconditional Love. Unconditional love is freedom, freedom to love each other and God unconditionally. The words ‘love & freedom’ are interchangeable, they mean the same thing. When I read or hear about a thing, if I cannot utilize it to come back to these 2 concepts then I know I am wandering off my path. A word of caution, stay away from the one who says he is enlightened. We are all on the path of enlightenment. But none of us is enlightened. It’s not an end unto itself, it’s a journey. We are constantly creating and recreating. For this reason I believe total enlightenment is impossible, it can never be achieved until we are reunited the Universal Mind or All That Is. You will not find your truth in these books, nor do you have to travel to Tibet to find the Great Buddha either. You will only find the answers or your truth by getting in touch with the spirit within you. The books that I am recommending will guide you and give you some insight. We learn and remember most effectively when we find our own answers. As a species, we place little value on free advice or answers that are just handed to us. Your time is now, otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this book. The real answers are found in the process of searching. A good mentor or guru is a priceless thing, but he/she cannot give you all that you want to know, it must be discovered. My wish for you in using this manual is that it will cause you to look further; that you will truly be inspired to seek out you own truth. Don’t make this book or anyone else’s a Bible. Make it a sign post along your spiritual path. An indicator of where you are spiritually at this moment. When the student is ready the master will appear. Required Books List • The Christ Mind: Robert Clarke ISBN 0-9697757-0-9 (Out of Print, available on Web Site) www.thechristmind.org/index.htm • The Seth Material: Jane Roberts ISBN 1-56849-185-9 (Out of Print) • Seth Speaks: Jane Roberts ISBN 1-878424-07-06 (Out of Print) • The Dancing Wu Li Masters: Gary Zukav ISBN 0-553-26382-x • Edgar Cayce Primer: Herbert B. Puryear, Ph.D. 0-553-25278-x • Edgar Cayce on Channeling Your Higher Self: Henry Reed ISBN 0-446-34980-1 • The Science of Mind: Ernest Holmes 50th Anniversary Edition ISBN 0-399-15007-2 • The Four Agreements: Don Miguel Ruiz ISBN 1-878424-31-9 • Conversations with God (Book1): Neale Donald Walsch ISBN 0-399-14278-9 • Conversations with God (Book 2): Neale Donald Walsch ISBN 0-57174-056-2 • Conversations with God (Book3): Neale Donald Walsch ISBN 0-57174-103-8 • Friendship with God: Neale Donald Walsch ISBN 0-399-14541-9 • Communion with God: Neale Donald Walsch ISBN 0-399-14670-9 How to use this manual and included CD. This manual is invaluable for teachers, speakers, writers and for those who need a place to start, in their search for their own spiritual truth. Spelling, grammar and punctuation have not been corrected. The lines from each of the books have been copied exactly as written, and are intended as a reference only. I have arbitrarily picked lines from these books for several reasons. Sometimes it’s the line itself that is important, other times it refers to something else in the book that I believe to be important. Sometimes the line has been chosen more than once because it is used in a different context throughout the book. At all times you must refer back to the book to get its full meaning. The complete manual is copied into a single (pdf) file called sg111002.pdf, on the enclosed CD for easy reading in Acrobat Reader. A free copy of Acrobat Reader is included on the disc for you to install on your computer or you may wish to download the latest version from: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html. Click on the file ‘rp505enu.exe’ on the enclosed CD and follow the instructions to install Acrobat Reader ‘Version 5’ to your hard drive. You will more fully appreciate the value of working with this file by using the full blown version of Adobe Acrobat. The full version has more features available that will aid in highlighting, book marking and working with text. I urge you to acquire the latest version, you won’t regret it. You will now be able to do a search in the entire manual on your computer in seconds, instead of having to do it manually through several hundred pages. Use single words or a string of words to locate the subject of interest. Try several different searches, or scan the book manually. I find this method very rewarding. This is the first edition of the manual and I look forward to any comments or suggestions you may have to make it even better. Please Email me at: