In 2015 shortly after having my second child, I was at a cross-roads in my life. A lot of things seemed to be not working and I was ready to transcend my unfulfilling reality. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired, unhappy in my work and relationships, and feeling like I was being called to be a completely different version of myself as a woman, mother, and divine being.
As a pastor's kid and grandkid, this part of my journey led me back to church and deeper into biblical texts and Christian-based books. The more I read and listened to books about Jesus and spiritual freedom, the more I could see that something else was happening.. for the first time in my life I allowed myself to question my beliefs without shame or guilt. I was losing my religion, finding my truest self, and embracing deeper, bigger truths about my personal reality and everything/everyone around me.
This path led me to knowledge about fasting (which I will talk about in another post), meditating, giving up old ways of thinking, doing, and being. I embraced my unbecomin, my deprogramming, and the possibility that all I had learned in church/scripture growing up was merely part of a much bigger truth.
I don't remember exactly how I found Audible. Aside from indulging in several WWII books as a child, I was never really a big reader. Few topics were able to keep my attention, as I found myself getting bored or rereading the same lines over and over trying to process and remember. Audiobooks unlocked a whole new world for me. I started listening to them at work and in the car, and found myself more focused on tasks, less bored with my work, and growing into a more empowered version of myself all simultaneously.
Very early in my Audible journey, a good friend of mine and someone I respect greatly suggested the book The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo. If you've read The Alchemist, you know that although it is fiction, it contains a message of truth that calls for your spirit to realize itself. That is exactly what started to happen for me. After digesting this title, it was like I jumped into a rabbit hole of learning, healing, journeying through my spirit, finding love in the places that previously hurt, getting my sh*t together and embracing the notion that my life was about to radically change.
This was the beginning of a painful season of falling apart so I could ultimately become something greater. I want to share with you many of the titles I've listened to from 2016 to now, as they have impacted me in ways I may never have words to accurately describe. These books (in addition to those I physically read) carried me through myself, through my dark nights of the soul, through my triumphs over sadness and despair, and lifted my soul as no one or no thing ever had.
My personal Audible list contains a range of genres, not just self-help or books on spirituality. Some are novels, some financial how-to's, history, political memoirs, religious texts, regenerative agriculture, psychology, psychedelics etc. I've left out several business and niche-specific titles, though I may put together a separate list for those later. Together, they form a library of thought that comes together beautifully to assist in my unlearning and relearning. It's a fairly long list (90 titles currently), so I hope you find some wisdom here. As with anything I share, please take what resonates and leave what doesn't.
If you have already read or listened to any of these books, or if you do so after reading this, and were/are as deeply impacted as I, I'd love to hear from you in the comments. I'll update it semi-frequently to keep the list current.
Love, light, and truth to you all <3, Ladye
