Top 5 Books that have Impacted you the most

[Gestalt]

I would like to start a thread where people can post the top 5 books that have had the greatest impact on them in their lives, and a brief description of the importance of said books. I think this would be a great way to see what people value, and what information has shaped their opinions and world views. As well inherently what books you would recommend to others to read as well. (Note: This could be a series of books by a single author, or a collection of material as well.)

For me the following books have had the greatest impact on my life thus far (in a somewhat loose order of importance):

1. The Seth Material - Channeled by Jane Roberts
The Seth material in its entirety is probably the greatest metaphysical works ever written. The material is highly complex and philosophical and discusses the fundamental spiritual nature of reality. All the material has been archived at Yale library.

2. Conversations with God - Books 1,2 & 3 by Neale Donald Walsch
I was an extreme fundamentalist Christian for the first 18 or so years of my life until I read these books. They changed my entire perspective on reality through logic and gave me an alternative philosophical model by which I live my life now. The single greatest impact from these books on me has been the explanation on reincarnation.

3. Fingerprints of the Gods by Graham Hancock
My first introduction into the field of alternative models on history, unorthodox methodology and thinking. I read this book when I was 13 and thereafter questioned the orthodox, or dogmas of everything mainstream there after. This book got me questioning and inquiring about advanced ancient civilizations as well as extraterrestrials.

4. Hunt for Zero Point by Nick Cook
I first learned about Zero Point energy from this book, forever shaping my educational and career path and my goals in life; to develop free energy.

5. The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
This book probably would better have been titled a 'Treatise on the Ego'. Possibly the best book every written on the Ego in simple terms, and how to achieve a mental state of joy by releasing negative egotistical thought patterns. This book I believe is the ultimate tool for achieving blissful meditation as well. The explanations in this book are worth their weight in gold.


What are the 5 books that have impacted you the most in your life?
*Please try to keep this thread relatively clear of discussion allowing people to post their responses.

[Teakai]

1: Journey of Souls - Michael Newton.
2: Destiny of souls - Michael Newton.

Michael Newton has found a way to hypnotise his clients back to their soul state and from a 10 year(?) study has collated the information given to him from them about our life between lives.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=0QDT58Q6Zxo
An interview link.

3: A new earth - Eckhart Tolle.
I think this is the kind of book that alters your mindstate without you really having to do anything, but read it. If you're not ready for your thinking to shift - you might find it a bit long and drawn out.

4: Supercharge your frontal lobes - Neil Slade
Explains how connecting to your frontal lobes opens up a world of limitless potential - and shows you just how easy it is to do it.

5: Anne of Green Gables - L.M. Montgomery.

[stardustaquarion]

1) Tao Te Ching
2) Spiritual Growth - Sanaya Roman
3) The tird eye - Lobsang Rampa
4) Angelic realities - Ashayana Deane
5) Voyagers II - Ashayana Deane

[Swanny]

The Quest
by Tom Brown, Jr

[john.d]

1, The Ra Material
2, Dr John Christopher's School of Natural Healing
3, When Technology Fails
4, We The Arcturians
5, Dialogue with "Hidden Hand"

[justpeter]

Posted by john.d (here)
1, The Ra Material
5, Dialogue with "Hidden Hand"

Ra Material
Dialogue with "Hidden Hand" (thanks again for posting this on AV1)

[john.d]

Posted by justpeter (here)
Ra Material
Dialogue with "Hidden Hand" (thanks again for posting this on AV1)

Your welcome

John

[kudzy]

1: The Good Life by Helen & Scott Nearing
2: The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail, actually a play by Jerome Lawrence & Robert E. Lee
(many thanks to my High School English teacher for that one)
3: Handbook to Higher Consciousness by Ken Keyes, Jr.
4: Simple Food for the Good Life by Helen Nearing
5: Growing Wild Mushrooms by Bob Harris (I wrote the author with a question and this led to life changing events)
Honorable Mention: The Humanure Handbook, A guide to Composting Human Manure by J.C.Jenkins
Note: Eckhart Tolle and Tom Brown, Jr are big influences as well

[HORIZONS]

I can't pick just 5, but I'll keep it short.
Pre 2000 - the Bible in as many translations as possible, from fundamentalism to kingdom-sonship, every viewpoint I could find.
Post 2000 - the first book to transform my world view on religion and spirituality was The World Is New by Joel Goldsmith.
Afterwards - The infinite Way through Consciousness Transformed - and all the other works of Joel Goldsmith. This is ground breaking work in Metaphysics and Mysticism from a western point of view.
Hands Of Light and Light Emerging by Barbara Brennan - My introduction to the auraic bodies and energy healing work.
The Power Of Now and A New Earth, Eckhart Tolle - for understanding the personal ego.
Oneness by Rasha - for personal reflection of my life journey.
David Icke's Children Of The Matrix and Global Conspiracy - introduction to the conspiracy world.
Matrix V volumes 1 - 4, for becoming an observer and detaching from the "matrix".
I have found I study Authors and not just a book - this is how it works for me anyway.
All of these have lead me to many more books and study works -
I don't pick my books, they pick me.

[kinsuemei2]

ok
.1 Autobiography of a Yogi, by Paramhansa Yogananda the 1946 version is still the best.
.2 The Ramakien รามเกียรติ์ is Thailand's national epic, derived from the Indian Ramayana epic, this is called the fighters bible
.3 Chariots of the gods by Erik Von Daniken
.4 I am me I am free David icke
.5 Behold a Pale Horse, William (Bill) Cooper

these books impacted me in many ways, and I am sure they would impact you also, but what resonates with one does not necessarily resonate with another.

[Fredkc]

In Chronological order...

1. Monday Night Class By Stephen (Gaskin)

2. The Caravan By Stephen (Gaskin)

If you want "Hippie meets Christianity through the eyes of Zen", or a great starter for someone along those lines, these are the books I'd recommend. T'was thru the practicing of this stuff that I learned to "see" how what's in your head comes round to meet you in the world. How to catch ahold of your attention, and see what it produces. How that accelerates while you practice that... and as badly as I practice it, sometimes, how things change when you don't have enemies.

We're pretty durable, and we need to bump up against the universe a little bit to find out where it's at. Also we need to bump up against each other a little bit. We shouldn't think that we're so fragile that we can't lean on each other a little bit and interact kind of heavy and still be friends.

Getting away from the small village idea has done a funny thing to the whole country, because in a small village, if a fellow turns up obnoxious one day he's still going to be living there the next day, and he's either going to have to straighten up or nobody's going to talk to him anymore or something. He's going to get cooled.

Q: About compassion and politics … if you go mess up a draft board, is that being compassionate for one's brother?

No, if you go in and tear up somebody's thing it's going to blow their mind and wreck their head, and that means that there's one more wrecked head that we've got to pick up, because we aren't going to be cool until we pick up all the wrecked heads, it doesn't matter whose they are. We can't be cool until we get everybody cool and sane. There's no final enlightenment until everybody can get off. You can only go so far, and then you've got to stop and help everybody get off, and that means everybody. So it's immoral to mess up folks' heads—anybody's. I try to leave everybody's head a little better than I found it, it doesn't matter who he be.

I will tell you the best way for your revolution to be successful: You have to run your revolution in such a way that you can win the love of an honest square.

People don't hurt people that they know well, so just make yourself know everybody well and let them know you well.

3. The Disappearance Of The Universe By Gary Renard.

4. A Course In Miracles By Foundation For Inner Peace

These last two make up the sum total of my "spiritual reading", the last two years. I am now reading #3 for the third time. It is one of those books which puts forth such a clear outlook, that I find re-reading it, is the best thing I can do, for me. It serves as a "reminder" or clarify-er of what is real, and what is illusion.

Be right back. I have to change machines.
Fred

[Luke]

1."Dune" by Frank Herbert; Planetology, Freedom, Consequences of Farseeing.
2."Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand. TEOTWAWKI, Austrian school of economics, Importance of Philosophy
3."Illuminatus!" trilogy by R.A. Wilson & R. Shea. Discordianism, Law of Fives, 23 Skidoo!
4. "Hunt for Zero Point" by Nick Cook. First one (for me) to present "other" principles of physics
5. "1467 Fechtbuch" by Hans Talhoffer - my first contact with Western Martial Arts
Hard to decide ... sooooo nmany good books out there

[kriya]

1. Autobiography of a Yogi ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
2. The Power of Now ~ Eckhart Tolle
3. Life After Life ~ Raymond Moody
4. Many lives, many masters ~ Brian Weiss
5. Light Years ~ Gary Kinder

sorry just one more,

The Gnostic Gospels ~ Elaine Pagels

Love,

Kriya

[Swanny]

Years ago I tried to read Zen and the art of motorcycle mechanics. I got just over half way before giving up. Apparently no one makes it too the end
Not surprised as it is rubbish. My advice for those of you that haven't tried to read it..... Don't bother

[3(C)+me]

Ok here's my top Five.
1. Bhagavad-Gita. Less than 140 pages, but it packs a punch.
2. Dhammapada. Also thin book and very readable.
3. Bringers of the Dawn, Barbara Marcinak. The end of the cycle and our history.
4. RA Material, see prior notes.
5. Power of Now or Thoughts without the thinker by Mark Epstein.

[Lost Soul]

Emerald Tablets
The Lost Teachings of Atlantis by Jon Peniel
Golden Rule Handbook by Jon Peniel

[3optic]

Lost Horizon - James Hilton
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test - Tom Wolfe
I Am That - Sri Nisargadatta
The Autobiography of Malcolm X - w/ Alex Haley
Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides

Subject to change depending on memory recovery..

[perfectresonance]

Fingerprints of the Gods by Graham Hancock.
It's the book that started it all. It opened my mind. After that nothing stood out as by then the "door was open"

Honourable mentions - two South African amateur researchers

- Slave Species of god, Michael Tellinger http://www.slavespecies.com/
- The Hidden Records, Wayne Herschel http://www.thehiddenrecords.com/ (very generous with material online)

Why? Because I am an avid fan of non-institutional hard science. These people do it the hard way, with their own money, and they have a story to tell but no axe to grind.

[alchemikey]

ra material
seth material
silence of the heart by robert adams
oneness speaks by rasha
human buddha: enlightenment for the new millennium by aziz kristof

[samvado]

with way more that 5000 books read its hard to make a distinct selection, particularily as books come with developemental seasons
some fairly season-free books might be:

seth material (aLL BOOKS)
Ra law of one
michaels messages
tolle a new earth
oneness speaks by rasha

except for seth (read in late 70s)
and michael (read in late 80s)
all read in the 21st century