"Pick one thing and do it well"
Yes, yes, yes... but it's SUCH a difficult thing for me to do! Still, I've long been aware of this and am working on it (believe it or not!). In the meantime, here's what's on my reading shelf currently:
Christopher Alexander, "A Pattern Language" -- It strikes even me as odd that I'd be reading a book on city planning, architecture and building, but this book is fascinating and highly readable despite it's 1171 pages of text. I've heard it referred to as a sort of mystic's approach to buildings and space-planning, though he uses very little spiritual language. It's just all very honoring of human beings' natural tendancies toward shared aesthetic and a "felt sense" of home.
Leif Peterson, "Normal Like Us" -- I've always had a certain awe for anyone who's a writer, so to be reading a book by someone I've known personally is a real treat. This is a collection of short stories injected with both a good deal of humor and a lot of wisdom and insight. Truly, my idea of a very enjoyable and worthwhile read. Highly recommended!
David Bohm, "Wholeness and the Impicate Order" and "On Dialogue" -- I just picked up these two titles over the weekend after learning about a philosophy called Process Theory. I was big into philosophy in college but haven't read much since then other than Integral Theory stuff. But learning recently about Process Theory has got all those philosophy-love sparks flying around in my head again. Can't wait to dive into these...
Bonnitta Roy, "A Process Model of Integral Theory" -- THIS is the article that catalyzed my interest in Process Theory. I discovered it online last week as I was researching a psychotherapeutic technique called "Focusing". This brought to my attention the work of philosopher, Gene Gendlin, which then had me googling him for more info. When I saw Roy's article linking Gendlin's (and other's, like Bohm's) work to theories that expand on Integral Theory... well, I read it and it got me all excited to read more. I love this sort of deep inquiry into the nature of reality and consciousness.
I should probably also note what's been playing non-stop on my iPod lately. When I go into the studio to work I like to listen to audiobooks. My favorite right now (and which I keep listening to over and over and can't get enough of) is Joseph Campbell's "Mythology and the Individual".
