This post has been a loooong time coming! Some of you have requested that I create a book list of recommended reading. So today I caught a bit of early spring fever and started organizing papers and boxes and getting rid of unnecessary stuff. The result: the Wildly Woman Highly Recommended book reading list!!
My reading style is mostly non-fiction, practical, self-help, but there are a few amazing story-type books that I’ve included which are non fiction, all except for one or two. I basically went through all my most treasured books today, the ones that made the cut from when I made the big move from Vancouver to the Shuswap. Many of these books made some big impact on my life as I read them. I use many of them over and over again as reference for teaching. Below I describe why I liked each one.
My Treasured Books on Sexuality and Tantra
The Art of Sexual Ecstasy By Margo Anand ~ This is a very good book for those interested in learning about Tantra in general. There are many fun activities and it is very practical.
Taoist Secrets of Love, Cultivating Male Sexual Energy by Mantak Chia & Michael Winn ~ A Taoist understanding of male sexual energy, a great read for men and women who want to understand more about men’s sexual energy and learn Tantra and its practices for men.
Healing Love through the Tao, Cultivating Female Sexual Energy by Mantak Chia ~ This is also a very practical book with lots of information about female sexual energy and how to cultivate it through practices. It is hard to grasp it all by just reading the book, that is why I made my on-line course!!
Tantric Love, Nine Step Guide to Transforming Lovers Into Soulmates by Ma Ananda Sarita & Swami Anand Geho ~ I love the full colour illustrations in this book. I love the practices as well. It made me feel the presence of Osho their teacher and feel the flavour of Tantra from Indian culture.
The Inner Lover, Opening to Energy in Sexual Practice by Julie Henderson ~ Again I loved some of the energy practices in this book, it really helped with my energetic awareness.
Sacred Sexual Healing, The Shaman Method of Sex Magic by Baba Dez Nicols & Kalama Devi ~ I remember a really great inner male and female journey from this book, lots of good activities and practice ideas.
Emergence of the Sensual Woman, Awakening Our Erotic Innocence by Saida Desilets ~ Saida’s take on the the Taoist Practices is filled with her juicy, womanly aliveness. I use this book a lot for my women’s groups.
Tao Tantric Arts for Women, Cultivating Sexual Energy Love and Spirit by Minke de Vos ~ This is the book that I helped Minke to write. It reads with such a nice flow, the practices are amazing and it goes soooo deep into all the aspects of the wisdom. I think it is the best Taoist practice manual for women on the market today!
Books for Women’s Health
Healing with Whole Foods, Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition by Paul Pitchford ~ This was my bible for over four years while I was healing from candida. There is so much knowledge about the healing qualities of foods and yummy recipes.
Women’s Bodies Women’s Wisdom, Creating Physical and Emotional Health and Healing by Christiane Northrup ~ This is often a textbook for women’s studies courses in University. Christian’s perspective is very well informed, very wise and very holistic, it is a must have for all women.
Taking Charge of your Fertility, the Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control, Pregnancy Achievement and Reproductive Health by Toni Weschler ~ I can’t believe I wasn’t taught all the information in this book when I was younger. Women deserve to learn how their bodies function! I used the charts provided to track my own cycles for months and learn to tell when, exactly, I was ovulating to avoid getting pregnant with my lover.
Energy Medicine by Donna Eden ~ This book practically jumped off the shelf into my hands. It was a perfect compliment to all the qigong I was studying and I used all the energy exercises and learned the meridians and the accu-points really well from this book. It was part of my healing journey for sure and I subsequently studied with Donna.
Healing Trauma, A Pioneering Program for Restoring the Wisdom of Your Body by Peter A Levine ~ A great starting point for anyone dealing with trauma or working with people with trauma. And it has a CD in it that you can follow along with! I found the exercises to be of great benefit in helping with self awareness.
Stories of Wild, Wise Women
Women Who Run With the Wolves, Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman by Clarissa Pinkola Estes ~ Reading this book was a magical journey. One of the most magical journeys I have had with a book. I would often pick it up intuitively and read about stories that reflected what I was just going through at the time then put it down for a time only to pick it up and have the same experience over and over. It was just so magical.
Daughters of Copper Woman by Anne Cameron ~ I love learning about the first nations people. This is the first book I have read about the lifestyle and way of our coastal First Nations. It awoke within me the longing for that secret society of women that was talked about. I think that day is coming.
Dancing In my Nuddy Pants by Louise Rennison ~ This book is for the fourteen year old in every woman. This series made me laugh so hard I am sure people were looking at me funny on the bus! (It is actually written for 14 year olds, but don’t worry, I hear lots of women read it). I read them all one summer and was so happy I found them. I also had a silly crush at the same time and all the adolescent feelings flooded back, this helped me laugh at it all.
Aphrodite’s Daughters, Women’s Sexual Stories and the Journey of the Soul by Jalaja Bonheim ~ Very touching true stories, very deep and intimate. I was so greatful to learn through the sharing of other women.
Self Help & Other Interesting Perspectives
The Woman’s Book of Dreams, Dreaming as a Spiritual Practice by Connie Cockrell Kaplan ~ I took an amazing journey into my dream world with this book. I charted all my dreams according to the moon’s astrological phases and learned about the influence the moon had on my dreams and my being. It was epic!
The Clitoral Truth, The Secret World at Your Fingertips by Rebecca Chaker ~ I am still reading this book actually, and now that I have remembered that I am not done I am so pleased to keep reading it. In order to really understand our culture Chaker gives a good account of how suppressed the scientific knowledge of women’s sexuality has been in our history until very recently in fact. It is shocking!
Earth, Pleiadian Keys to the Living Library by Barbara Marciniak ~ if you like getting an eagle eye perspective on life that is what this is. Commentary from beings from out of this world is very helpful for us poor humans, because we are so messed up! It was very entertaining and enlightening.
Non Violent Communication, A Language of Life by Marshal Rosenberg ~ This is a life changing method of communicating with heart. It has helped me immensely, to be a good communicator and understand my own feelings and needs and how to express them. It has helped me diffuse some pretty intense interactions as well. I highly recommend it for anyone, in any walk of life to learn to listen and communicate better and with heart.
The Dance of Anger, A Woman’s Guide to Changing the Patterns of Intimate Relationships by Harriet Goldhor Lerner ~ I remember this book having quite an impact. I learned a lot about myself, my patterns of anger, and where they come from.
The Sacred Tree by Judie Bopp, Michael Bopp, Lee Brown & Phil Lane ~ This is really sweet book that I use a lot as a reference. The simple and soft yet powerful medicine and wisdom of the First Nations in this book is helpful for all kinds of people. I like the wisdom of the medicine wheel and the directions. I have used this understanding during my shamanic journeys and self-healing ceremonies.
I am now sitting here surrounded by all these wonderful books!! Blessing to all the authors who bravely put their ideas out into the world for all of us to to share. Humm which one shall I read now….? Ok here is a random pick-up and read, I chose Earth and flipped it open to a random page here is what I read…
“If every woman on the planet really knew how much power she had, what do you think the patriarchy would do? Eons ago version of the patriarchy became threatened by the power of the female. So women, in order to hide their power, doubted them selves so that men could take a stance and say, “Let us have a chance to run the world and see what it is like”, the feminine force took a backseat. Women agreed to believe that they had the curse within their bodies and that bleeding was bad. Women doubted the very life force within themselves, and whether they had any influence over it.”
Want to add a book? Send it to me with a picture and what you love about it, I’ll compile another list!