While each person sees different aspects of God, we are all approaching the same divine presence in the hope of responding with love and devotion with the gifts we have received in our lives. So, you will benefit from prayerfully reading both books written by men and women who have made same journey you wish to make – although often on very different paths.
 
The resources for spiritual reading are as diverse as the people who have written them. Some will be widely regarded as classics because of the breadth of their influence over time. Others will be “hidden gems” which Have offered insight and guidance to only a few. Still others will be more recent books written by contemporary authors about the issues and concerns which you share in your own lives. Whatever the type of book your approach for spiritual reading, it is important that you approach them prayerfully with a desire to discern the presence of God within them and allow this divine assistance to encourage your own unique gifts to emerge and mature.
 
         Note: For a guide to overtly religious (as well as literary) writing on a broad range of spiritual topics, you may find it helpful to consult Take and Read: Spiritual Reading, an annotated list by Eugene H. Peterson.
 
You also may find it helpful to read critical studies of artists and composers who have devoted themselves to religious subjects, both related to scriptures as well as the social issues of their own times. However, it is very important that your treatment of these studies help you encounter their subjects in a prayerful manner rather than an intellectual one. In this way, you may discover new avenues to approach these religious subjects in your prayer and broader spiritual reading.
 
Also, not all spiritual reading should be limited to books overtly concerned with the nature of God or prayer. From your encounters with the Celtic spiritual traditions and the Ignatian exercises in this program, you know that God is present in all aspects of creation (including human creative activities, even when it is destructive). So, give time and mental energy to reading “secular” books with attention to the divine activities that might possibly emerge from the issues and concerns you are considering. If you do not approach these as technical resources, they may offer you practical advice concerning the divine aspects of the activities you wish to pursue in your own life.
 

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If you are not already doing this, you also will find it helpful to read general literature (I.e., novels, short stories, poetry, drama, etc.) since they will broaden your appreciation of the life experiences of other people. In a similar manner, you will find your spiritual life enriched exploring other art forms and appreciating the humanity they also convey. This is an especially true in the case of authors and artists describing communities other than your own and the challenges they face.

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