If a spiritual practice is something that helps open us up to knowing ourselves better, or opens us up to receiving Divine Wisdom and Love and Truth, moving us forward to help create a better life, then Yes, of course! The best part is you don’t have to sit down and read a whole big book at once, and in fact it’s probably better to be on a slow, contemplative journey.
There is no rule about the exact book either, as long as it is uplifting, mind opening or inspiring. If it can create just a small crack or opening in your brain that allows you to receive a new idea about life, to think a little differently, then that’s all that is necessary. Creating a big opening is even better, but not required.
There are many effective ways to study books of wisdom, here are just a few ideas to get you started.
Morning study:
Before your days sets into full swing, take 10 or so minutes to read a few pages of inspiration or uplift. Then sit for a few minutes and contemplate the reading and how you might incorporate the lessons of it into your day. Set a daily intention for the day of ease and wonder you will have.
Evening study:
Similar to the morning study, read just a few pages from an inspiring book and then contemplate the meaning and application of it to your life. Connect events from your day to the previous night’s reading and intention. Having good thoughts of an intentional life before bed will allow for more restful sleep.
Journaling:
You can add this any time. After reading, write your contemplations, intentions or successes in a journal. Writing helps to firm, and discern, our ideas and thoughts, and allows for easier callback if you had deep insights
Discussion:
I like the idea of adding discussion to any other practice but it also stands very well on its own. I like it so much that I lead book discussion groups, so if you haven’t found any have a look on my events page. The power of discussion is not to have a teacher tell you what a book means, but to allow you to put words to your thoughts and also be open to insights from other members. We learn a great deal from others, and we also find community in shared experience, so a discussion group can help you go deeper quicker.
Some possible books might be poetry by Rumi or Hafiz; Chicken Soup for the Soul, the Bible, Science of Mind meditations, a piece by Meister Eckhart, but the options are unlimited and I would really love to hear what works for you! Please share your journey on my facebook page.