New Age
Commonly espousing individual journeys towards spirituality and self-fulfillment, New Age books present readers with a wide range of subjects and suggestions. They're an eclectic mix of philosophies, theories, self-help guidance, and practices designed to increase your consciousness, and possibly provide insight into life's mysteries.
Terms such as occult, esoteric, and transcendental are associated with New Age, since seemingly a little bit of everything falls within this category. You'll find Nostradamus' predictions alongside Edgar Cayce's psychic musings, and Carlos Castaneda's shamanic experiences next to Aleister Crowley's treatises on the Order of the Golden Dawn and Ordo Templi Orientis. From the afterlife communications encouraged by spiritualism, to discovering divine wisdom through Helena Petrovna Blavatsky's Theosophical Society, many collectible New Age books focus on alternative ways towards enlightenment and knowledge. There's G.I. Gurdjieff's Fourth Way approach to life, Whitley Strieber's accounts of time travel and otherworldly beings in Communion and ensuing sequels, and pagan teachings by Gavin and Yvonne Frost, Raymond Buckland, Laurie Cabot, and Silver RavenWolf.
A significant part of metaphysical guides involves activities to decompress, relax, and gain a better understanding of energy and well-being. Past-life regressions, runes, tarot cards, dowsing, astrology, and the I Ching are popular subjects, in addition to different types of yoga and meditations. Homeopathy and holistic medicine explore reiki, acupuncture, reflexology, herbal teas, and the use of crystals and healing stones. Enthusiasts and collectors of these books, as well as the curious, can peruse thoughts on astral projections and journals about developing clairvoyant, clairaudient, clairsentient, and other psychic abilities.
For an extensive resource of where to buy New Age books, check out seller collections on AbeBooks that feature publications for sale as varied as the mystical subject. Look for contemplative reflections in the same vein of Paulo Coelho's The Pilgrimage: A Contemporary Quest for Ancient Wisdom and James Redfield's The Celestine Prophecy. Between Sitting Buddha: Zen Meditation for Everyone and Betty J. Eadie's Embraced by the Light, there are explorations for everyone.