Gogol ' s Dead Souls

Final Fantasy 7/9

Well, it seems that you know which path you want to take, which is good considering the scope of the word "spirituality." Huxley has been my main source for this particular aspect in my life. (He gave an amazing lecture on the "Ultimate Revolution" that I would highly recommend; and although it is not directed towards spirituality, it did provide me with a better reasoning to question institutions and thus lead me to a greater desire for my own internal spirituality.)

Once I left the church I grew up in (Greek Orthodox), I went through a spiritual phase of about four months and then found Hitchens, Dawkins, Dennet, and Harris and began the trek toward militant atheism. It wasn't until I watched a debate between Sam Harris and Chris Hedges did I realize how convoluted the new atheism has become. Hedges describes himself as spiritual, but no matter what he argued to Harris, he was a fundamentalist. So, I suppose if this is of interest to you then you could watch that debate.

DMT, the Spirit Molecule is also a great book. The author is Dr. Rick Strassman. He does a great job of staying on topic, which I find rare in books that encompass this genre. He reaches some fairly startling conclusions as well that contradict what he theorized, and I think that to publish that as a book is a pretty noble thing to do.

Nietzsche has some fascinating words to say about consciousness and how it is the "net" that connects humanity. I like Nietzsche because of his insistence on breaching the path of "the norm" and pursuing what he feels is true and worthy of discussion. That said, Nietzsche is a very difficult read at times.

Check out the stoics. The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius is a phenomenal read. I just simply try to read on passage each day.

Lastly, I would like to suggest Dostoevsky's the Idiot. This may seem somewhat out of place, but as far as internal triumph is concerned, I have never had a book want me to be so much closer to the world around me and the world inside of me.

I really hope this helps and please share more about what you have read and how it impacted you. Also, where were you at before wanted to begin down this path?

Dostoevsky's The Notes from the Underground is a great read. I found myself laughing uncontrollably at some of the scenes he produced; and considering that the depth of the material Dostoevsky writes about does not heed way for comedy very easily, it became just another example of his literary genius.

The book is quit short (roughly 170 pages), but it really did poison my mind for a while. Very deep and very troubling. That said, the Underground Man is Dostoevsky's dark creation that he catered to in later works (which are much longer), and within these works-- The Idiot, in particular--were the answers I needed. For this reason I feel that it is almost necessary to read his subsequent works in order to develop a real understanding of one of the greatest writers to have lived.

Ten sets for time:

Row 250m 10 kettle bell swings

I use a 35 pound kettle bell for this exercise, but adjust accordingly.

The meaning of life is to love life more than its meaning.