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Spirituality & Practice

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The Spirituality & Practice E-Newsletter is a regular update from Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat with teaching stories and best links.

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Spirituality & Practice is an Official Honoree for the Religion and Spirituality category of The 11th Annual Webby Awards
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Catalysts for Change

Daily Practices:
Spiritual Practice
of the Day

More Spiritual Practices
Spiritual Reading of the Day: Joyce Rupp on letting go
More Spiritual Readings

12/21/09
Winter Wonder for the Solstice

Announcing: The Most Spiritually Literate Films of 2009
Your Tributes: Honor someone or something on your "Best-of-the-Year" list

12/18/09
Now in Theaters: Avatar, The Messenger, The Young Victoria, NoBody's Perfect

12/17/09
New Book Reviews: city living, climate crisis, prayer, spiritual memoir, forgiveness, Advent, service, relationships, theology

12/16/09
Opening today: Crazy Heart

12/15/09
New DVDs: District 9, The Other Man, Taking Woodstock, (500) Days of Summer

12/14/09
Spiritual Literacy Blog: United States' Shameful Land Mine Policy

12/13/09
2009 End-of-the-Year Tributes: Share your Bests list!

12/11/09
Opening Friday: Invictus, A Single Man

12/09/09
Tomorrow: Human Rights Day
John Dear: Our New War President

12/08/09
New Award-winning Books: Kent Nerburn on Native American wisdom, the spirit of service, memories of Muhammad
New DVDs: The Cove, Julie and Julia, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

12/04/09
Now in Theaters: Everybody's Fine, The Last Station, Gigante, Brothers, Up in the Air

12/03/09
Spiritual Literacy Blog: We May Be Born with an Urge to Help

12/02/09
Opening today: Before Tomorrow, an Inuit film

11/24/09
Opening in Theaters: Me and Orson Welles, Home, The Private Lives of Pippa Lee
Spiritual Literacy Blog: The Interfaith Amigos

11/23/09
New Book Reviews: happiness, fear, dualistic thinking, gratitude, simplicity, prayer, beauty, worship, silence, Sufism, Hinduism, and more

11/20/09
Opening Friday: Mammoth, The Blind Side, The Twilight Saga: New Moon

11/17/09
Spiritual Literacy Blog: Japan's Pop Culture

11/17/09
New DVDs: My Sister's Keeper, Angels & Demons, Star Trek, My One and Only, A Christmas Tale, Funny People, Four Christmases, Humpday, Pray the Devil Back to Hell, Is Anybody There?

11/16/09
Spiritual Literacy Blog: A Tribute to Pema Chodron

11/13/09
Now in Theaters: Fantastic Mr. Fox, Pirate Radio, The End of Poverty? Uncertainty, Oh My God?

11/10/09
New DVDs: Up, Enlighten Up! A Skeptic's Journey into the World of Yoga

11/07/09
New Children's Books mittens, jungle animals, snow, and monsters

11/06/09
Opening Today: The Men Who Stare at Goats, The Box, That Evening Sun, Precious

11/04/09
26 Ways to Practice Thanks-giving

11/03/09
New DVDs: Lemon Tree, The Dead, Unmistaken Child, The Answer Man, Food, Inc.

10/30/09
Now in Movie Theaters: Storm, Skin
Naming the Days Tomorrow: Halloween
Naming the Days Sunday: All Saints Day

10/27/09
Spiritual Literacy Blog: Must We Have Bad Music in Public Spaces?
New DVDs: Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Nothing Like the Holidays, Medicine for Melancholy, Perestroika, Il Divo

10/26/09
New in Books: Eckhart Tolle on animals, the Dalai Lama on happiness, John Shelby Spong on eternal life, Debbie Ford's consciousness cleanse, and more

10/23/09
In Theaters: The Wedding Song, Amelia, Motherhood, New York, I Love You

10/21/09
Robert Fulghum: Shines of the Times
10/18/09
At the Movies: Where the Wild Things Are

10/17/09
Naming the Days: Divali - A Celebration of Our Inner Light

10/13/09
New DVDs: The Proposal, Beauty in Trouble, Every Little Step, American Violet, Adoration

10/12/09
New Book Reviews: mindfulness practices, discernment, prayerfulness, community, everyday life, AIDS-free world, green collar economy, and more

10/09/09

At the Movies: Peter and Vandy, The Damned United, The Yes Men Fix the World, An Education

10/08/09
New DVD: Liberation Day / Munyarangabo
Spiritual Literacy Blog: A Short Manifesto on the Future of Attention


 
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The Most Spiritually Literate
Films of 2009
Selected by Frederic and
Mary Ann Brussat

Every December we look back through our reviews of the several hundred films we've seen in the year, revisiting some of them in theaters or on DVD, to choose our own version of the critic's best list. We look for the films that have enriched our spiritual journeys, that reveal the search for meaning and purpose, whose characters demonstrate the application of spiritual qualities in daily life, and whose themes raise our consciousness to a fuller engagement with our world. These are spiritually literate films that reflect the 37 practices featured on this website.

So here are our choices in five categories. We are grateful to the producers, directors, writers, actors, and everyone else who contributed to the 45 most spiritually literate films of 2009.

See the See a summary of the Most Spiritually Literate Films of 2009
See the Ten Most Spiritually Literate Films of 2009
See the Ten Most Spiritually Literate Foreign Language Films of 2009
See the Five Most Spiritually Literate Animated Films of 2009
See the Ten Most Spiritually Literate Documentaries of 2009
See Ten More Spiritually Literate Films of 2009
Honor someone or something on your "Best-of-the-Year" list


New E-Course with Practice Circle

Catalysts for ChangeCatalysts for Change is a new 21-day program especially designed for the start of the New Year when our intentions often focus on beginning anew. Change is a fundamental premise and promise of the spiritual life. Sometimes this transformation is dramatic, but more often it comes through small steps. What are the best catalysts for change? Daily, simple, and consistent spiritual practices. Start 2010 by joining us on the path of change. Each day you will receive an email with a short reading from a spiritual teacher and a spiritual practice to do to help you change your life. Then login to our online Practice Circle to share your progress, get support, and enjoy the insights of a community of spiritual companions. January 4 - 24. $19.95. Sign up here.
 

Charter for Compassion

Charter for CompassionOn November 12, 2009, a new Charter for Compassion was unveiled to a global community poised to embrace this spiritual practice as a way of transforming ourselves and our world. You are invited to join us in affirming this important cooperative effort to restore not only compassionate thinking but, more importantly, compassionate action to the center of religious, moral and political life. We've updated and expanded the section of this website devoted to the spiritual practice of compassion with lists of the best books, book excerpts, teaching stories, films, spiritual practices, and much more. There is also an extensive collection of quotations on compassion from all the world's religions.

See our collection of resources on compassion
Read and affirm the Charter for Compassion

 

Map to Happiness

Map to Happiness
This fall marks the 10th anniversary of His Holiness the Dalai Lama's bestselling book on happiness. His subject seems to be more on our minds than ever, especially during these difficult times. So we've gone through our reviews archives, pulled some of the best books on the subject off our shelves, recalled favorite movies, and created a mini-course of quotations on happiness.

See our Map to Happiness
Read our review of The Art of Happiness - Tenth Anniversary Edition by His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Find more resources on happiness on the homepage for the spiritual practice of Joy

 

Best Spiritual Books of 2009 (So Far)

Best Spiritual Books of 2009 (So Far)These books are so good, we already know they will be on our end-of-the-year list — so there's no point in postponing the announcement. We congratulate the authors and publishers of these exceptional contributions to today's spiritual renaissance.

Read our list of the Best Spiritual Books of 2009 (So Far)

 
 

Living Spiritual Teachers Project

Byron Katie

The Living Spiritual Teachers Project profiles teachers we think you should meet on your spiritual journey. Byron Katie is the developer of the self-inquiry method known as The Work. Our profile includes a biography, quotation sampler, and links to reviews of her books and other resources.

Meet Byron Katie
See all the teachers
Visit the Remembering Spiritual Masters Project

 
Spiritual Literacy on YouTube

Spiritual Literacy: Reading the Sacred in Everyday Life, based on Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat's bestselling book, is a six-volume DVD series consisting of 26 meditative and soul-stirring half-hour films. Award-winning filmmaker David Cherniack has married aha! passages by teachers of all spiritual traditions to sense-luscious visuals and emotionally vibrant music to reveal the sacred meanings in todays world. We've just created a YouTube channel to showcase clips from all the episodes — plus five extra clips from the episode on "Forgiveness."

Visit the Spiritual Literacy channel on YouTube
Visit the Spiritual Literacy Project to read more about this innovative series and to take advantage of our Special Offer.

 
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Personal Transformation and Spiritual Development Resources: Spirituality & Practice

Spiritual growth is a lifelong process that can effect a transformation of your life at home, at work, in your relationships, and in your wider community. Spirituality & Practice is a multifaith organization providing resources for your spiritual journey that encourage and accelerate this process.

Whether you are just beginning to explore how your spirituality influences your personal growth, a seasoned seeker looking to enhance your religious education, or a professional looking for continuing education for clergy opportunities, we encourage you to explore the wide variety of resources at Spirituality & Practice.

If you're interested in spiritual cinema, Spirituality & Practice has several options for you. For everyday inspiration, Spirituality & Practice has created the Spiritual Literacy Project, showcasing clips from a 26-part DVD series featuring spiritual quotes from famous teachers, set to music and beautiful film images by award-winning filmmaker David Cherniack. The Spiritual Literacy Project gives you discussion guides and models for how to use this series with small spiritual growth groups. For more examples of spiritual cinema, click on our Spirituality on DVD link to see reviews of Hollywood, foreign, and documentary films; each has a message pertaining to a key spiritual practice.

If spiritual wisdom and instruction in spiritual practices is your quest, consider one of the many spiritual courses from Spirituality & Practice, many of which are available on demand. They cover different spiritual practices, religious traditions, changing habits, and more. Our Books for Spiritual Journeys section presents reviews of 350 new titles each year, ranging from Wisdom 2.0: Ancient Secrets for the Creative & Constantly Connected by Soren Gordhamer to A People's History of Christianity by Diana Butler Bass.

For additional information, please continue browsing our website. There are ideas for spiritual practices and rituals, background on spiritual teachers from many traditions, spiritual blogs, and much more.

We also encourage you to become a part of the S&P community by participating in our forums and signing up for our free E-Newsletter. We are a very welcoming, interfaith community, who look to the world's religious and spiritual traditions for wisdom and practices to help us live richer and deeper lives as we serve the world around us.