Diana Richardson is a great source of inspiration for me at the moment when it comes to creating body awareness in and through intimacy and the world that can unfold from there:

Tantric Sex and Menopause - In a changing body, the need for intimacy and sexuality also changes. This book inspires women to embrace this change and to come to a new way of making love.


Tantric sex for Men - written by Diana's partner. A clear argument about the masculine experience of sexuality and how you can turn the pressure of performance that men often experience into presence and energy (which is very nice in the free game).


Tantric Orgasm for Women - there is often a lot of (performance) pressure on orgasm, both for men and women. Diana gives a lot of clues in this book as to how you can reach a deeper level of surrender as a woman.

The basis of my spiritual development is the vipassana (insight) meditation. This technique has taught me to develop a neutral and compassionate attitude to everything that comes my way. Frits Koster wrote comprehensive books on vipassana meditation. Kheminda Merkus has described the path of liberation (with the vipassana meditation as a method) and all the obstacles you encounter in a beautiful novel form.
Basic principles of vipassana meditation - Mindfulness as the way to liberating insight
Barry Long is for me a very inspiring and pioneering speaker and writer about intimacy. He sketches a very clear picture about the difference between men and women in the sexuality experience and the problems that arise in relationships.
love or sex? ; the purpose of making love
To love. The way from sex to love by Barry Long. A very interesting explanation about how you can learn to live together with and through your partner as a continuous free party with the universe.

The Hidden Mysteries


The Whispering Transmission

Although he has been a great source of inspiration and teacher for many authors in this list, the books and teachings of Osho never really caught me. Actually, I have little in common with the path of tantra as it is usually practiced. Until I get Osho's explanation of the Diamond Sutra (a Buddhist verse) read. In it he says, among other things, that he sees tantra as a remedy, a medicine, against the suppression of sexuality. No more. As soon as the medicine has worked, and you no longer experience suppressed sexuality in yourself, tantra no longer serves you. This, and also his vision that you can heal the suppression of sexuality only in and from the individual and not in the collective, now make me a big Osho fan. He also sees tantra no bigger than a raft to come across. Once there, you can give the raft to the stream and continue without your path.
The booklets from Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov are all very much about becoming aware of the world as a mirror of yourself and therefore strongly indicate your own creative power. I find the following parts interesting in the field of love and sexuality:

The sexual power or the winged dragon

Margot Anand wrote the first major manual in the field of tantra. It is and remains a very complete work with exercises, etc.

Tantra, a road to intimacy and ecstasy

Also appeared from her:
A nice, short video from Thomas Hubli about what you encounter in intimate contact with the other: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1HLwTrgHCY

The power of the now

It is the mystics who in recent centuries have kept / guarded the secret of sexual energy as a tool for transformation. Although they lived ascetically, their love relationship with the divine is also a source of inspiration for now.
Ecstatic testimonials from Martin Buber, a historical perspective on ecstatic experiences.
Not an easy but very fascinating spiritual experience about the ecstatic potential of practicing the ancient art of love or sex like sex: The Magdalena manuscript by Tom Kenyon.
In Vrijen met God, historian Jacob Slavenburg is researching the age-old cult of groups and individuals to experience the union of the male and female, the divine, the religious.
Sex: the secret gate to Eden (DVD) An interesting DVD about the origin of the misconceptions in today's sexual culture.
For Buddhists, desire, and with it sexual desire, is one of the obstacles you encounter on the path (towards enlightenment).
Full of Desire Mark Epstein, a very fascinating Buddhist perspective on the spiritual 'left' path that is about holding back and controlling desire.
Eva Pierrakos approaches love (s relationships) in this book in a systemic way. For example, she thinks homosexuality arises for the third year of life, as a result of a disruption in the parent-child relationship. See for a contemporary (re) explanation of homosexuality the book below; the forbidden woman 'by Pamela Kribbe.
Sexual alchemy for couples mantak chia (DVD). Personally, I don't find all Mantak Chia books very accessible, although they touch a very interesting theme for me. This DVD makes his vision of the transforming and vilatizing power of sexual energy very accessible.
Elisabeth Haich - The Initiation. For every man or woman who feels an affinity with the temple priest (ash) from ancient Egypt, this is a very fascinating journey full of memories.
Alchemy of love - Lisette 't Hoofd. A simple and entertaining little book, inspired by the ancient alchemical laws of transformation, about the relationship processes we all have to deal with.
Kamasutra - Deepak Chopra makes an attempt in this book to explain the oldest known erotic text in contemporary principles. He thereby arrives at the seven spiritual laws of love.
The Power of the Unbound Woman - Clarissa Pinkola Estes. Like 'The Indomitable Woman' by the same writer, this is a collection of inspiration for every woman who wants to connect with that one great woman of women; mother Earth.
Divine intimacy and sexuality - twin-ray relationships by Joke Elziam Nootebos is an interesting, feminine (spiritual) argument about new-time relationships and sexuality.
I love all the books by Paulo Coelho. He manages to present contemporary relationship themes in a mythical way. His very first work, however, remains the best for me: the standard work on inner alchemy.
Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist.
In Adultery you are taken along the big dilemma that every long-term relationship faces: the monotony of being together. Paulo's vision of this is not surprising, but it does show the essence of being together.
In The Kabbalah book of sex I read an interesting non-moralistic plea for monogamy; according to the kabbalists, the only way to experience ecstasy - in a love relationship.
This man understands the full potential of life energy and can also write about it: David deida's books about enlightened sex, real men and women.
The power of real women
Alain de Botton knows in Thinking more about sex with a lot of humor to tackle an everyday problem: how do you feel like working again, your partner ... your life?
Compulsory food: The Prophet of Kahlil Gibran.
And his new-time version of the French writer Frédéric Lenoir De Wereldziel.
Kundalini - for an energetic life full of fire Cyndi Dale. A practical book about kundalini energy
Hetty Turner was someone who put bodywork firmly on the map in the 80s. Her booklets give me a very clear picture of the transformative effect of energy in the body. There are also exercises in it.
Chakras, auras and energies
Meditation, energy and consciousness
Open between heaven and earth
In ancient China / Taoism, sexual energy is used and seen as a means to stay young. This eternal life is the goal. Hsi Laic researched these ancient love lessons that were passed on from woman to woman and wrote a book about them.
The white tigress
Even more exciting information about alchemy:
The path of the alchemist - Catherine Maccoun
Alchemy, the art of transformation - Jay Ramsay
About the power of a loving touch:
Loving touch - Phyllis Davis
A practical guide on how to heal blockages in your body through sexuality
Sexuheel, a divine secret - Rita van Rijnsoever
About what happens when love making becomes a meditation:
Transcendent sex - when love making opens the auction - Jenny Wade
Pamela Crib acts as a channel for the voice of Mary Magdalene to be heard. Now I don't like 'channeling' very much, but her books are certainly fascinating. In 'The forbidden woman speaks' Pamela asks Maria Magdalena, a forbidden woman in her time, and makes the link to this time where the forbidden woman awakens in both men and women and gets more room. For if you are interested in your own innocent husband and wife and how we can achieve more and more balance in relationships, this is a very easy to read and fascinating book.
Also fascinating of her is 'Inspire your life'; about what you encounter when you start expressing yourself in your life and in society.
A little less my 'steal' but no less valuable: the approach to relationships from Western psychology. I notice that many couples find handles here: the books by Jan Geurtz, Ton van der Kroon, Sue Johnson and Esther Perel:Pamela Kribbe: The forbidden woman is speaking
Pamela Kribbe: An animated life
Jan Geurtz: addicted to love and liberated by love
Ton van der Kroon: sacred relationships, sacred sexuality
Ton van der Kroon: the return of the king
Sue Johnson, hold me
Esther Perel: love in proportion, erotic intelligence