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Best Spiritual Books of 2025 - Spirituality and PracticeAn essential balm for these tumultuous times, this thoughtful and inspiring guide features newly gathered teachings to abandon the idea there is an “other,” bridging differences and cherishing our lives in the world, from beloved spiritual leader Ram Dass.With the world seeming to teeter between democracy and authoritarianism, between humanitarianism and individualism, Ram Dass’s teachings on wholeness and unity are more needed than ever.There Is No Other is a groundbreaking work showcasing the late spiritual leader’s thoughts and insights on broaching the divide and bringing disparate souls together. In these profound, newly gathered writings, Ram Dass shows us how a house divided against itself—whether that “house” is our individual self or the society in which we live—can come together in wholeness. There is no “other,” he explains. It is all one.Structured in three sections, There Is No Other teaches us to open ourselves, come together in community, and love one another—and ourselves—across all our seeming contradictions and divisions. Anne Lamott contributes a beautiful foreword and each section is followed by a short essay reflecting on the endurance of Ram Dass’s ideas penned by Sharon Salzberg, Joseph Goldstein, Jack Kornfield, and Mirabai Bush, as well as guided meditations to deepen each lesson.As he leads us toward wholeness within our unique selves and as a human community, Ram Dass gives us the most precious gift: hope. Only in seeing ourselves in our complexity can we come together and honor our incarnations on the sacred planet we inhabit.

Dying to Know is an intimate portrait of two complex controversial characters, Ram Dass and Timothy Leary, in an epic friendship that shaped a generation.In the 1960s Harvard psychology professors Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert began probing the edges of consciousness through their experiments with psychedelics. Leary became an LSD guru, igniting a global counterculture movement and landing in prison after Nixon called him “the most dangerous man in America.” Alpert journeyed to the East and became Ram Dass, a spiritual teacher for an entire generation and the author of Be Here Now. Including interviews spanning 50 years, Dying to Know celebrates the lasting legacy of Leary and Alpert and encourages critical thinking about life, drugs, and the biggest mystery of all: death.

A celebration of Neem Karoli Baba, one of the most influential spiritual leaders of our time, the divine guru who inspired and led a generation of seekers-including Ram Dass, Daniel Goleman, and Larry Brilliant-on life-changing journeys that have ultimately transformed our world. In 1967, Baba Ram Dass-former American Harvard professor Richard Alpert-left India to share stories of his mysterious guru, Neem Karoli Baba, known as Maharajji. Introducing idealistic Western youth to the possibilities inherent in spiritual development, Ram Dass inspired a generation to turn on and tune in to a reality far different from the one they had known. From the spring of 1970 until Maharajji died on September 11, 1973, several hundred Westerners had his darshan (in Hinduism, the beholding of a deity, revered person, or sacred object). Those who saw him formed the Maharajji satsang-fellow travelers on the path. Love Everyone tells the stories of those who heard the siren call of the East and followed it to the foothills of the Himalayas.The ways they were called to make the journey, their experiences along the way, and their meeting with Maharajji form the core of this multicultural adventure in shifting consciousness. The contributors share their recollections of Maharajji and how his wisdom shaped their lives. All have attempted to follow Maharajji's basic teaching, his seemingly simple directives: Love everyone, feed everyone, and remember God. All have found their own way to be of service in the world and, in so doing, have collectively touched the hearts and souls of countless others.

Neem Karoli Baba left his body in 1973, but his presence has continued unabated. He has appeared to thousands of individuals across the globe, in dreams and visions, in meditation, and out of the blue in broad daylight. He comes to open hearts with a blast of unconditional love, to bring comfort and aid in response to calls for help, and as a reminder that we are, indeed, all One.Whisper in the Heart recounts the stories of over 150 people and the ways in which they “met” Maharajji, as he is fondly known. It could have been while chanting at a kirtan, while at a spiritual retreat or in a temple, while looking at a photo or reading a book, or as in some of the more extraordinary stories, when he shows up on a desperate woman’s doorstep in France, brings years of abuse to an end for a nine-year-old child in Australia, dances on a beach in Miami, or appears to a policeman in Taos, New Mexico.Not just for Maharajji devotees, Whisper in the Heart can help those who are having spiritual experiences of connection with enlightened beings who are no longer in the body to accept their reality and to know that they are not, in fact, “going crazy.”Maharajji himself used to say: When you think of me, I’ll be there. In this book, you will get a glimpse of how he is fulfilling that promise. A LEGACY OF LOVE: Whisper in the Heart continues Neem Karoli Baba's mission of universal love, kindness, and connectionPERSONAL STORIES: Includes more than 150 accounts of Maharajji appearing in visions, dreams and even in broad daylightHELPING AND HEALING: Visions of Neem Karoli Baba have helped diverse people from around the world heal spiritually and physicallyMOTIVATING MESSAGE: The moving stories of Maharajji’s love can inspire a deeper spiritual practice and connection to humanity RAM DASS COLLABORATION: Neem Karoli Baba’s teachings were brought to the west by Ram Dass, whose Love Serve Remember Foundation continues to preserve his legacy and spread his message

Down for the Cause is Bruce Margolin''s memoir, covering his career as the "dean of cannabis law" and as an ardent advocate for the decriminalization and legalization of marijuana. He has been "down for the cause" since the heyday of the 1960s in Los Angeles, when he was horrified by teenagers and young adults with no criminal intent being thrown behind bars along with rapists and murderers for enjoying a little weed or hustling to supply their friends with some friendly smoke. He quickly became well known for defending those who didn''t "just say no" and for keeping them out of jail and prison.Bruce struggled to become an attorney—his undiagnosed dyslexia meant he had to study a lot harder than others—but his older brother had wanted to be a lawyer, and when he died at an early age from leukemia, Bruce took up the mantle. His father''s untimely death also affected Bruce deeply, making him seek out the answers to the deeper questions of life. To explore his search for meaning, Bruce left his booming law practice to travel, winding up in India where he met Ram Dass (whose book, Be Here Now, had a profound impact on him) and Ram Dass''s (and his) guru, Neem Karoli Baba, who touched his heart deeply. When Bruce returned to the West, he brought to his law practice a yogic outlook, a spirituality based on the Vedic concept of dharma (right living) mixed with the Jewish concept of Tikkun Olam (the "repair of the world"), and a regular meditation practice. He was called upon to defend Dr. Timothy Leary, the Pied Piper of LSD, in the trial that followed his escape from prison. Margolin''s defense of the man President Nixon labeled as "the most dangerous man in America" was a valiant attempt to bring the concept of the punishment fitting the crime to the forefront of America''s attention, as Leary had originally been sentenced to ten years for simple possession of a very small amount of marijuana.As a prominent voice for those imprisoned for cannabis, and as the founder and director of the Los Angeles chapter of NORML (the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws), Bruce ran for political office a number of times in order to promote the idea of legalization, and came close to winning. Today, when an overwhelming majority of US adults say marijuana should be legal both for medical and recreational use, Bruce provides an overview of how legalization, in all its complexity, was accomplished in his home state of California. He publishes the The Margolin Guide to Marijuana Laws, used across the country by those in law enforcement, judges, lawyers, and cannabis advocates and users alike to make sure they know the most recent rulings.Down for the Cause is a slice of history as seen through one man''s life and his passionate plea to leave behind the days of "reefer madness" and harsh penalties in the war on drugs..

Whisper in the Heart documents lively accounts from around the world of Neem Karoli Baba, a great Indian saint, appearing in visions and dreams to offer spiritual comfort and guidance. Neem Karoli Baba left his body in 1973, but his presence has continued unabated. He has appeared to thousands of individuals across the globe, in dreams and visions, in meditation, and out of the blue in broad daylight. He comes to open hearts with a blast of unconditional love, to bring comfort and aid in response to calls for help, and as a reminder that we are, indeed, all One. Whisper in the Heart recounts the stories of over 150 people and the ways in which they “met” Maharajji, as he is fondly known. It could have been while chanting at a kirtan, while at a spiritual retreat or in a temple, while looking at a photo or reading a book, or as in some of the more extraordinary stories, when he shows up on a desperate woman’s doorstep in France, brings years of abuse to an end for a nine-year-old child in Australia, dances on a beach in Miami, or appears to a policeman in Taos, New Mexico. Not just for Maharajji devotees, Whisper in the Heart can help those who are having spiritual experiences of connection with enlightened beings who are no longer in the body to accept their reality and to know that they are not, in fact, “going crazy.” Maharajji himself used to say: When you think of me, I’ll be there. In this book, you will get a glimpse of how he is fulfilling that promise.  A LEGACY OF LOVE: Whisper in the Heart continues Neem Karoli Baba's mission of universal love, kindness, and connection PERSONAL STORIES: Includes more than 150 accounts of Maharajji appearing in visions, dreams and even in broad daylight HELPING AND HEALING: Visions of Neem Karoli Baba have helped diverse people from around the world heal spiritually and physically MOTIVATING MESSAGE: The moving stories of Maharajji’s love can inspire a deeper spiritual practice and connection to humanity  RAM DASS COLLABORATION: Neem Karoli Baba’s teachings were brought to the west by Ram Dass, whose Love Serve Remember Foundation continues to preserve his legacy and spread his message

Dying to Know is an intimate portrait of two complex controversial characters, Ram Dass and Timothy Leary, in an epic friendship that shaped a generation.In the 1960s Harvard psychology professors Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert began probing the edges of consciousness through their experiments with psychedelics. Leary became an LSD guru, igniting a global counterculture movement and landing in prison after Nixon called him “the most dangerous man in America.” Alpert journeyed to the East and became Ram Dass, a spiritual teacher for an entire generation and the author of Be Here Now. Including interviews spanning 50 years, Dying to Know celebrates the lasting legacy of Leary and Alpert and encourages critical thinking about life, drugs, and the biggest mystery of all: death.