The best books about pilgrimages of the soul

This is a lovely book with a clear message.

I often give it as a gift to those of all ages. My favorite line is “Goodbye,” said the fox. “And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

The story of the little prince poignantly reminds us that on the path to self-discovery, we must stay open to the question, look beyond what is visible, and remain inquisitive; in other words, we must remember to live in the mystery. This is a great message for adults and children alike.

The Little Prince is a timeless tale and a classic metaphorical story about the pilgrimage to find one’s true self. 

This is an inspirational masterpiece for all ages.

I used to teach this book to my eighth-grade students. It is a fictional tale about a shepherd boy and his search for treasure. Santiago was a pilgrim in the truest sense. He left home with no prescribed path to find his way back to his home, his treasure.

Metaphorically, The Alchemist speaks to leaving what is comfortable to follow a vision, an inner urging, a dream, a personal legend. It is a perfectly couched lesson about trusting yourself enough to seek your life’s purpose despite the many obstacles encountered along the way. In fact, it was in the meeting and overcoming of obstacles that shaped Santiago’s journey and fortified his character.

I love the quote, "And dreams are the language of God….if he speaks in the language of the soul, it is only you who can understand.”

This book takes the reader on a 308-page historical pilgrimage through Tibet before the 1950’s Chinese invasion.

Lama Govinda, a Westerner, courageously moves through uncharted territories, meets real-life obstacles, and graciously shares his experience and wisdom with the reader.

In reading The Way of the White Clouds, we are reminded that, “… the pilgrim abandons himself to the breath of the greater life that wells up from the depth of his being and leads him beyond the farthest horizons to an aim which is already present within him, though yet hidden from his sight.”

The underlying reason why I love this book is its transformative quality. This is a deeply spiritual memoir, and as you read, you walk as a pilgrim beside one of the great lamas of our time; his footfalls become your own. 

Always curious about those who experience near-death, I recently read In My Time of Dying.

Besides my self-interest in Junger’s actual experience, I found his curiosity and relentless determination to understand his experience, his idea of an afterlife, a pilgrimage into the metaphysical unknown. Mastering the medical knowledge of his vascular failure, Junger remains at a loss to intellectually grasp a cognitive understanding of his near-death experience.

At one point, an attending nurse said, “Instead of thinking of it as something scary, try thinking of it as something sacred.” It is Junger’s honest inquiry into the sacred and his weaving of questions with no clear answers that make this autobiography a humbling and insightful read. 

This is a powerful memoir.

As a reader, we follow Paul first as a doctor and then as a patient. He reminds us of our vulnerability when seeking medical care. He questions, “Why was I so authoritative in a surgeon’s coat but so meek in a patient’s gown?”

When Breath Becomes Air is a deep meditation on life and the dying process. Written in the first person, this is a courageous and emotionally charged read. Kalanithi is a courageous pilgrim who documents first-hand his own uncharted territory: death.

Confronted with his end of life, this 37-year-old neurosurgeon reflects on the fundamental universal questions that we will all ponder when facing mortality. Even though the reader is led graciously to death’s door, it remains an abrupt and emotionally devastating shock when, in fact, Paul Kalanithi’s breath simply becomes air.