Each piece in this series offers an insight that can stop you in your tracks.  As Maggi Gilson says in her review: “the content manages not just to summarise or convey a truth – you find yourself actually experiencing that truth…”  Start reading anywhere, and you will soon find yourself deep in reflection. And that reflection will change everything about how you experience the rest of the day, if not the rest of your life.

These are books that are designed to be used. The spiral-bound edition lets you leave open a specific page so you can work with it over time. The new digital format lets you take them with you on a phone or tablet and make electronic notes, post temporary bookmarks, or instantly find your favourites. (Click below for more details).

You are invited to explore the reviews beneath each title to see how others have encountered these books, and to share your own experiences.

Reviews of the Guidelines series

I keep a copy of each of the Guidelines in our downstairs loo so guests can flip through them, and they are often surprised and delighted with what they find. These precious thoughts are always a great reminder to ‘come back to oneself’. As my daughter once remarked:“Why do you always turn the page so that it fits just for me?” Which of course, I don’t. Irene Rose

I don’t think you can be in any room in my house without bumping into inspirational literature by spiritual and philosophical authors and teachers. I love to have these writings in my life. They keep me on track, they ground me when I’ve become lost in my own clouds. And my favourite amongst all of them is my set of Guidelines.

These pieces have a kind of genius that makes them a priority in two ways. First, the content manages not just to summarise or convey a truth: you find yourself experiencing that truth, and experiencing, once again, the reason why you might want that truth in your life. They call you out to a higher place in yourself and remind you of the value of being the best version of yourself. They effectively prod you into being fully awake in your life. And, as many others have said: they appear to open magically to the very page on which is written what you needed to hear at that moment.

I have experienced various traumas in the last few years including losing a very young husband, and I have been deeply challenged to stay open to life, to friends, and even to myself. My favourite quotation during those years was: “That we feel pain is not as ultimately tragic as that we feel nothing at all.” This evoked all sorts of feelings  – anger, despair, fury, sadness – but now it evokes nothing so much as joy, because I know I am still feeling, and I celebrate my strengthened heart. Reading and re-reading this line over time calibrates my path. I see how far I’ve come, I remember what it’s taken for me to be here, and I acknowledge my steadfastness and whatever else I’ve brought to this particular party. Thank you G-d.

The second piece of genius built into these books is their design. They have sturdy covers and they’re made to stand up, open up, and flip over. They’re deliberately put together for display and for exploration in any given second when you, or anyone else who’s passing may have a moment. They don’t get lost in your bookshelf, but stand out proudly at the front like a work of art (which they are). And not just on your bookshelf, but on any surface that offers space in your house. As I say, I have them everywhere. This means that not only are they constantly serving me and guiding me if I care to stop and look, they are also introducing themselves to my friends and family. A brilliant way of sharing this truth-telling, spirit-lifting, reality-exposing commitment of mine with those I love. The challenge is to hold onto your own set: I find it impossible do for long. Maggi Gilson