The first real spiritual self-help book I ever read was The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. You may have heard of it (thanks to Oprah), read it yourself or seen the movie.

As inspiring as I thought it was, it was far too mystical for my liking, and I couldnt buy into the whole law of attraction thing until I gained a much more practical understanding of it. But thats the thing about spiritual topics sometimes. For the science geeks, the rational thinkers, the non-religious, the skeptics and the existentially confused, like me, some of the books out there on spirituality just dont resonate with us in the typical way.

Fortunately for humans living in 2015 and beyond, the trend is shifting further toward bridging the gap between what we consider to be science and what we consider to be spiritual. All it takes is a little bit of digging around Amazon or your public library to see that nowadays, a goldmine of scientific spiritual books are available.

Here are just five you should consider checking out!

Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion, by Sam Harris

The title of this book really says it all, and you get the idea of who its really geared toward.

If you dont subscribe to any particular religious belief system, yet suspect there are fundamentaltruths that can be learned from thereligious prophets behind the biggest religions in the world, then this book is a must-read.

It also serves as a great beginners guide to meditation without any of the mystical stuff, instead presenting it from a very rational, scientific standpoint.

10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works A True Story, by Dan Harris

Ever notice how that little voice in your head just constantly yammers on and on, and never shuts up?

10% Happier is based on Harris personal journey towardtaming his monkey mind through meditation after years and years of being a spiritual skeptic. An anxiety attack on live TV waswhat sparked his motivation to start taking it seriously.

Harris takes what he learned fromthe biggest gurus in spirituality andputs it to the test using science. Hetakes thewoo woo out of spirituality and instead offers a fresh, practical perspectivethats both easy and enjoyable to understand.

Infinite Mind: Science of the Human Vibration of Consciousness, by Valerie V. Hunt

For people who want to really dive deep into how the human mind works, and arent afraid of reading into scientific terminology on a slightly more of an advanced level, then Infinite Mind is worth the read.

Throughout the book, Dr. Valerie Hunt takes a scientific approach to explaining mystical teachings, with experimental research results to back it all up.

Anyone who has ever wondered about the workings of the human mind, or how we experience consciousness, would find this book absolutely fascinating.

Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment, by Martin E. P. Seligman

Seligmans Authentic Happiness is a bestseller that helped introduce the new realm of positive psychology to the world. It seeks to focus on peoples strengths rather than their weaknesses for creating lifelong happiness.

While many of us tend to believe that certain people are just naturally happier than otherswhether out of luck or favorable genes and personality traitsSeligman challenges this idea. So if youve ever wondered why the things you thought would make you happy in life arent living up to your expectations, then this book could help you find clarity in what it takes to develop real lasting happiness.

The book even includes surveys and exercises you can do to apply the teachings to your own life.

The Field: The Quest for the Secret Force of the Universe, by Lynne McTaggart

Investigative journalist Lynne McTaggart really challenges popular worldviews through this book and presents the idea that humans are not separate entities from their environment. Her findings are based on all the discussions shes had with some of the worlds bestscientists.

This truly is a book for the very open-minded (but then again, all five of these books on this list are). Reviewers have called The Fieldan excellent primer on the law of attraction, as well as agreatresource for real insight intothe true nature of life.

Youll be in for an exciting and very eye-opening ride with this bookthatsfor sure!

There are countless other great books out there, so this is obviously an incomplete list. Whats your favorite that youve read?

If you liked these book suggestions, come on over and check out my list of28 daily must-do rules for getting stuff done and becoming a better person.

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