A few of my favorite things

And by "things," I mean books.

Because it pleases me just to invoke their names, here is list of books that have been formative and which continue to catalyze:

Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth

Campbell's "real" books, such as The Hero With a Thousand Faces, are indeed better, but this one opened my eyes to Campbell and Jung. It's a great shame that his work is out of vogue, at least in the nihilistic dungeon of academia.

The Passion of the Western Mind by Richard Tarnas

This is the best book on Western philosophy that I know of.

The Thought of the Heart and the Soul of the World by James Hillman

All of Hillman's books (prior to The Soul's Code, anyway) are so brilliant that they make me sick. (With envy.) Re-Visioning Psychology is his best book, but this one is my favorite, especially for its discussion of beauty.

Nine Gates: Entering the Mind of Poetry by Jane Hirshfield

I don't know what to make of people who don't like this book. It's so good! In a poetry culture that can most charitably be described as "spiritually retarded," this is a very precious oasis.

Selected Poems by Robert Bly

I like this 1986 collection better than the 1999 Eating the Honey of Words, because Bly prefaces each section with amazing little essaylets. He's still my favorite poet, because more than anyone else, he writes engagingly about the things that interest me.

The Eight Gates of Zen by John Daido Loori

A classic introduction to Zen practice--especially that of the Mountains and Rivers Order.

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

My favorite novel, and one of my favorite books in any category. If your electricity goes out, just open up this book; it emits light.


Of course, there are other books that I love. But these are at the top of the list. Read them, and you know my soul.

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