I’ve been thinking about all the people I know who are actively working toward building a new, more conscious society. There are many ways to do this work.
One woman runs a program to feed the hungry in New York City, assembling and delivering bags and bags of donated food each week. Another helps empaths who feel immobilized and overwhelmed learn to use their gifts rather than be used by them. A healer practices and teaches a powerful technique for eliminating chronic pain. Those are just three examples from a long, long list.
We’re each doing our own part to craft positive change. It’s like making a quilt. We each bring our own colorful, unique square of fabric, and together we’re piecing together a gorgeous design.
Sometimes it can be hard to envision what the result will look like.
Luckily, we have among us visionary writers (and other creatives) who can help us out with a bird’s eye view – and stories, of course.
Here are nine inspiring utopian books that will keep you inspired as you do the challenging and fulfilling work of changing the world.
City of Refuge by Starhawk. This is a sequel to her novel The Fifth Sacred Thing, which is on my list of all-time favorite stories. I most highly recommend the whole series (there’s a prequel, too, called Walking to Mercury). Starhawk skillfully shows how a society based on magick, equality, and social justice might look and feel.
Always Coming Home by Ursula K. LeGuin. This book purports to be an anthropological text about the Kesh. She’s created an entire culture, living in harmony with the land in a post-apocalyptic future. It’s complete with myths, symbols, and even jokes. It’s quite amazing.
The Temple of My Familiar by Alice Walker. She’s another of my top favorite authors and this book weaves in many elements of a more conscious society. Walker also takes us into the exploration of past lives and the need for ancestral healing. And, there are big cats.
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer. This is the only non-fiction book on this list, because I’m deliberately focusing on story and seeing the big picture. But the author’s focus on stories in her essays is both poetic and uplifting.
Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins. This is a fun and rollicking ride through crazy worlds full of myth, magick, and serendipity. I resonate with this way of experiencing reality. We need a little wild chaos in our new society. It’s essential for creativity.
The Kin of Ata Are Waiting for You by Dorothy Bryant. My favorite thing about this book is how the community members care for one another. It also incorporates the non-physical (the life of our nighttime dreams) with physical reality.
Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach. This book brings magic and miracles into the realm of everyday life – where they belong. It’s a lovely retelling of some of Western culture’s myths that have become twisted and judgmental over time.
The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield. In this fun adventure story, Redfield illustrates and integrates ancient wisdom and New Age philosophies. It’s a glimpse into how we can relate with one another and our surroundings with more conscious awareness.
The Oversoul Seven Trilogy by Jane Roberts. The channeled Seth books had a profound impact on the way I see the world. Jane Roberts put it into a fictional setting that, much like Starhawk, vividly illustrates how the philosophies might actually play out on Earth.
When you take a break from your activism and your callings, relax with an uplifting book. It’ll give you hope, inspire you, and send you back feeling refreshed and renewed. Enjoy!
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