The 9 most influential spiritual books that shaped my path

In honor of The Hierophant as our featured card this week in Journaling with Tarot, I celebrate the spiritual voices that have guided my journey — with reverence and gratitude. Here are the spiritual books, writers and teachers that have influenced me.

Before I could trust my own spiritual knowing, I was very much the Page of Swords — curious, eager, and wide-eyed, devouring book after book in my search to understand myself. The beginning is where we all start, and we look towards spiritual books, teachers and authors to get us started on our path.

So if you find yourself in that Page of Swords stage — exploring, asking questions, hungry for wisdom — these are the spiritual books that inspired me most. Perhaps they will open a doorway for you, just as they did for me.

1) The Intuitive Way by Penney Pierce

Intuition has always been my gateway. I’d long been curious about it, but working in the world of Tech, intuition was almost a dirty word — something you didn’t dare admit to using. Eventually, I gave in to my curiosity and picked up two books that was the beginnings of a change in mindset: The Psychic Pathway by Sonia Choquette and The Intuitive Way by Penney Peirce. Both opened my eyes to a way of being beyond logic and reason.

I’m highlighting The Intuitive Way here because it was the first in a series that took me deeper into intuitive spiritual concepts that remain central to my type of spirituality. The second of the series, Frequency: The Power of Personal Vibration, introduced me to the truth that everything is energy. The third, Leap of Perception, expanded that understanding even further, showing how our inner world shapes our outer reality.

These teachings eventually led me to Psychic Horizons, where I trained my intuition and learned energy healing techniques that became life-changing. So many of those seeds were planted by Penney Peirce, and for that, I remain deeply grateful.

2) Many Lives, Many Masters by Brian Weiss

After exploring intuition, my next rabbit hole was past lives. Many Lives, Many Masters opened that gateway for me. This riveting book chronicles psychiatrist Brian Weiss’s sessions with a patient who began to heal by re-experiencing her past lives through hypnotherapy.

I’d always been curious about the idea of past lives, and this book expanded my perspective by introducing me to how experiences from previous incarnations can echo into our present life. Inspired, I went on to experience past life regression myself and later learned to give past life readings during my clairvoyant training, resulting in deep healing and purpose.

This book is especially powerful for those who feel like “old souls.” It offers a deep understanding of how who we’ve been in other times continues to inform who we are now.

3) Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom by Rachel Pollack

Over a decade ago, when I bought my very first Tarot deck, I also purchased Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom by Rachel Pollack. For many years, it was the only Tarot book I owned — and today, it’s regarded as a true classic.

I relied on it constantly, looking up card meanings and then journaling about them. (I still have those journal entries — it’s amusing to see how I understood the cards back then!) As my very first Tarot book, it solidified the early foundations on my relationship with Tarot, and for that, this book will always hold a special place in my heart.

4) Modern Tarot by Michelle Tea

This book opened my eyes to an entirely new way of experiencing Tarot — through storytelling. Not only did it influence me as a reader and teacher, it showed me how real-life stories can illustrate the energy of a card. It also inspired me, as a writer, to weave tarot and storytelling together.

When I first picked up Modern Tarot, I read it cover to cover, even though it’s arranged like most Tarot books — beginning with the Major Arcana and moving through the suits. The stories were captivating, deeply illustrative of the cards, and above all, beautifully written.

Michelle Tea is primarily known for her memoirs, and that same raw honesty and vulnerability runs through this book. Her willingness to share her lived experiences not only deepened my understanding of Tarot, but also encouraged me to be more open and authentic in my own writing. For many years, her interpretations were one of my go-to resources, and her voice still inspires me today.

5) The Dark Side of Light Chasers by Debbie Ford

The Dark Side of Light Chasers was my first shadow work book, discovered by pure curiosity. I was already in Psychic School when it popped up on Amazon, and the title intrigued me. Dark Side? That’s not me, I’m all light, baby! Or so I thought. But this book was life-changing. Shadow work helped me see that the people I viewed as rivals were simply reflecting something within me that wanted to be seen and integrated.

One particularly powerful moment in the book was Debbie’s own account of doing shadow work around racism. She caught herself having a racist thought, had to admit it to herself ‘to do the work on herself’ and then bravely broadcasted it out to the world by writing it in the book. The courage, vulnerability, and radical self-honesty it took to share that was profoundly moving to me. The exercises she offered are ones I still use in my own shadow work practice today.

Debbie Ford will always be the Queen of Shadow Work to me, and may her legacy continue to light the way for generations to come.

6) Outrageous Openness by Tosha Silver

Deeply spiritual + surrender and flow + humor in story form = Mindblowing

That’s Tosha Silver’s formula, and it’s why this will forever be one of my favorite spiritual books. There are plenty of poignant, matter-of-fact, or ethereal spiritual books out there, but Outrageous Openness was the first I read that was funny, and taught the sacred concept of ‘letting the divine take the lead’ with everyday real-life examples rather than ‘how to’s’, making it unique from other spiritual books.

Each chapter tells a story of how she has used synchronicity, surrender, flow, and intention to move through life, manifest her desires, and allow grace to unfold. Her writing style has influenced me deeply, both as a writer and spiritually. To me, it embodies the divine feminine — not in an overt way, but through her very presence and lived example.

Sometimes when I’m feeling down, I’ll open the book at random and read a chapter. It’s light and easy, yet always a beautiful reminder to let the Divine lead. May it be so.

7) A Woman’s Worth by Marianne Williamson

I read this book after attending a women’s retreat with Marianne Williamson. Up until then, I hadn’t read any of her books, but I often watched her talks on YouTube, and her teachings on A Course in Miracles resonated with me. To me, Marianne was very polished — always well-dressed in a suit, speaking eloquently and powerfully. (Which is why I was frustrated when SNL portrayed her as a “crystal lady” during her presidential run; she is anything but.)

At the retreat, she shared an illuminating story about attending a fundraiser dinner. She had been invited by a journalist friend, and most of the table was made up of male journalists and their wives. Many leaned Republican, while she and her friend were liberal. As the political conversation grew more conservative, Marianne chose to sit quietly and listen.

She explained that although she had strong opinions, she waited. Eventually, her friend asked her to share her perspective, and when she did, she shared her opinion calmly and were able to have a congenial discussion on their differences.

Marianne described this as “being in her feminine” — waiting to be invited into the conversation instead of forcing her way in. She believed that if she had pushed her opinion, the men might not have truly heard her. But because she was invited, her perspective carried more weight — there is power in being asked.

I always assumed that to be powerful one must “go out there and get it” and witnessing her story unlocked a transformed understanding of the power of feminine energy. After the retreat, I read A Woman’s Worth, which deepened that insight and helped me begin healing from the ways I had tied my value to the masculine world.

8) Outwitting the Devil by Napoleon Hill

Here’s where we get to some of the odder books that have influenced me. Here we go as we get weirder!

Outwitting the Devil was written by Napoleon Hill in 1938 but wasn’t published until 2011 — ironically proving one of the “devil’s” predictions in the book.

Structured as an interview, the book chronicles Napoleon Hill channeling “The Devil Consciousness.” Just as there is “Christ Consciousness,” representing forces of light, the “Devil Consciousness” represents forces of darkness at work in the world, and the strategies and techniques of fear that are used to manipulate people into submission, rather than listening to their own sovereignty. If that sounds questionable, read the book — then look around at the world we live in today.

My biggest takeaway from Outwitting the Devil is this: Think for yourself. Do not simply follow others without your own discernment. Make choices with awareness and love, which is exactly what “The Lovers card” is deeply about (conscious, loving choice). the “The Devil card” as giving our power away, as its counterpart is pretty right on.

9) Dear Lover by David Deida

Okay, so I wasn’t sure if I was going to put this on the list, because it can easily be misconstrued, and kinda strange. But if I were to be honest, Dear Lover by David Deida has been an integral part of my divine feminine / masculine understanding — one that took years to come to fruition.

I first came across it through my Reiki Master, Jennifer Brinn, who recommended it when I was struggling with intimacy in a relationship. Jennifer gently encouraged me to “get in touch with my feminine” after patiently listening to countless stories about my power struggles with men. Looking back, I can see how my relationship challenges mirrored my work challenges — both calling me to embrace the feminine within.

Jennifer warned me: “This book is a little weird. But it may be helpful.” She was right. The format is essentially David Deida writing letters to his “lover,” expressing what he wants from her ‘feminine essence’. (I know — it sounds icky. The first pages will likely make your inner feminist want to cuss obscenities at David. Is this *man* going to tell me as a woman who I should be?!?)

But that’s the paradox of his work: it can be infuriating, and yet, if you sit with it beyond the initial strangeness, something begins to unfold. Albeit slowly for me, there was within it that beckoned me to come back to it despite its mansplaining facade, until I realized, what he’s really saying is this: Your heart is your essence. Your heart is your beauty. Your heart is the feminine within’s everything.

Dear Lover along with David Deida’s talks available on his website, deepened my understanding of the yin feminine and ultimately helped lead me into spiritual union with my husband. If you’re a female-identified heterosexual woman wrestling with what the feminine means in relationship, I cautiously recommend it. Just know: it’s weird, very sexual, and it may take years to fully process. Give it time, and see what unfolds.

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Disclosure: Please note that links to Amazon are affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you choose to purchase through them. Every book I share here is genuinely beloved and has been an important part of my own path — I only recommend what truly resonates with me. By purchasing through these links, you help support my work. Much gratitude for your support!