Living Library

A Curated Reading List for our Living Lab

Welcome to our Living Library, a continuously evolving collection of works that inform, inspire, and challenge the foundational thinking of our Living Lab. Here, you'll find a multidisciplinary reading list reflecting the values, research, and what has contributed to the vision behind Sumati Group, and our own curricula theory, The Sumati Concept and The Wondervention Effect, and our broader inquiries into systems change, spiritual inquiry, education, ecology, and the future of governance.

My path has been shaped by a deep inquiry into systems, spirit, and story, a lifelong wondervention that has led me across continents, disciplines, and ancestral memory. The books in our Living Library are not just resources; they are companions on my own journey of building career capital rooted in integrity, wisdom seeking, and the courage to imagine otherwise.

This library reflects the independent study that have shaped my work, where academia meets the intuitive, and the future is built by those willing to ask the harder questions. This is a process and ongoing journey, and so the list will continue to evolve as we do…

~ Lisen Ydse Christiansen, Founder of Sumati Group

How to use this resource…

This searchable resource is designed to foster transparent knowledge-sharing, deepen our collective practice, and spark critical engagement. Whether you're a curious visitor, a dedicated changemaker, or a future collaborator, we invite you to explore, reflect, and inquire alongside us.

Each entry is tagged by theme and author, and organized by core focus area. We've included brief descriptions for each featured work, spanning historical and contemporary texts, books, whitepapers, and emerging thought leadership across disciplines, centuries, and literary styles.

Browse or Search by author, or focus area.

Find content aligned with your interests or your work.

Use as a Syllabus Builder for programs, workshops, or community discussions.

Mysticism, Imaginal Knowing & Cultural Archetypes: A Journey Through the Liminal Library

Mysticism, Imaginal Knowing & Cultural Archetypes: A Journey Through the Liminal Library

For journeys beyond the everyday, Henry Corbin’s Alone With the Alone and The Voyage and the Messenger root us in imaginal cosmologies shaped by mystical philosophy. Jung’s Liber Novus and Dante’s Divine Comedy weave archetype and myth into transformative inner landscapes. John Dee, alchemist and philosopher, stands alongside Emanuel Swedenborg’s cosmic metaphysics and Leonardo da Vinci’s visionary diary entries - each revealing hidden orders within the seen and unseen. Ashmole’s manuscripts deepens this lineage of esoteric inquiry. Writings like Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet and Vaughan-Lee’s Return of the Feminine round out an alchemical ecosystem of archetypal and mythopoetic transformation. These works offer insight into symbolic thinking, metaphysical inquiry, and the soul’s role in shaping reality throughout centuries, and how the inquiry of those have shaped both the creative fields, as well as science.

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10 Transformative Books on Consciousness, Inner Work & Spiritual Inquiry
Consciousness, Inner Work & Spiritual Inquiry LISEN YDSE CHRISTIANSEN Consciousness, Inner Work & Spiritual Inquiry LISEN YDSE CHRISTIANSEN

10 Transformative Books on Consciousness, Inner Work & Spiritual Inquiry

A tapestry of spiritual, psychological, and metaphysical texts, from The Red Book by Carl Jung to The Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav unfolds in this section. Works like Black Liturgies by Cole Arthur Riley and Emergent Strategy by Adrienne Maree Brown anchor inner transformation within sociocultural presence. Dr. David Frawley, Caroline Myss, and Mick Collins offer archetypal maps and integrative medicine pathways for deeper embodiment and self-awareness.

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Why a Reading List?

As a Living Lab committed to evolving practice, we believe knowledge should be alive; shared, questioned, and continually reimagined. Learning is not a destination but a lifelong journey, beautifully symbolized by the Adinkra symbol Nkyinkyim, which speaks to the ever-unfolding path of growth, movement, and transformation.

This reading list is not static. It reflects our current constellation of inquiry, shaped by curiosity, context, and collective contribution. Your suggestions help it evolve. Let this be more than a bookshelf. Let it be a portal, into deeper knowing, brave conversations, and bold reimaginings of what’s possible.

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