One of the key premises of spiritual literacy is that the whole world is charged with sacred meaning. We go to the theatre and sit in the dark to experience a close encounter with our own lives and the lives of others. We step into the story and look at both the small details and the bigger picture. We are attentive to what the film says to the masculine and feminine sides of ourselves. We listen to our inner child and the wild one inside us. We are always on the alert for epiphanies. We do not turn away from the shadow in films. And, given the long time and immense collaborative effort put into the creation of what we are seeing on the screen, we make it a rule not to trivialize the filmmakers art by making a quick or glib assessment. We always recommend that you let a film simmer in your soul for a while.

That's what we've been doing this year as we have contemplated our choices for the Most Spiritually Literate Films of 2010. Although there is no blockbuster standout like last year's Avatar, the variety of 2010 releases has impressed us immensely. During hard times, movies are more important than ever as they edify and inspire us with portraits of those who are animated by love, kindness, hospitality, compassion, openness, reverence, yearning, and much more. Welcome to our tour of the very best spiritual movies of 2010. See our full list of "The Most Spiritually Literate Films of 2010."