Teaching From Home: Four Books for Retreating

It doesn't always work to get away to retreat to another location. In my previous post I mentioned that retreats can be in your own yard, a campground, or in a quiet room of the house. When I can't get away to retreat, I rely on books to guide and inspire me to renew and refresh myself. Here are four books that have guided me during my own life, a work in progress:

Living Live in Full Bloom by Elizabeth Murray. Murray focuses on four pathways to cultivate your soul These include Gardener, Artist, Lover, and Spirit Weaver. One reason I was drawn to this book was the way it was organized. It has short daily practices and the reader can move around and focus on specific interests. I was also drawn to the book because of her writing about her photography and the practice exercises included.  Her photography is beautiful also. You can read more about Murray and the book on her beautiful website here.

A Year by the Sea by Joan Anderson. Anderson had reached a point in her life that she had lost her purpose. She spent a year at Cape Cod in retreat. In this book she shares the difficultie and the triumphs. Many women can relate to her experience and use this book as a guide for ours.She continued in a whole series of books after this one along the same theme. She holds retreats for women to provide a structure for their journeys. You can read more about Anderson and her retreats here.

Gift From the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. First written the year I was born in 1955 this timeless classic has great and simple wisdom with the theme of the seashore. I first read this while recovering from surgery over thirty years ago. This book has traveled with me all my adult life and when I need to feel centered and find simple wisdom, this is the book I turn to. A good article from NPR about the book can be found here.

Still Writing, the Perils and Pleasures of a Creative Life by Dani Shapiro. This is the newest of my  inspired readings. This book explores the creative life through other writers, her observations, and her search for the creative process. She emphasizes that need to be alone with self, which is the theme that resonates through each of these books. You can read more about her, her books, and her blog here. 

 If you have any books you would like to recommend, share them in the comments. Also, what other topics would you like to read in this series?