June 22, 2014
What's Happened at SpiritualityandPractice.com

♦ In remembrance of God, hearts find tranquility. During a new e-course starting on the first day of Ramadan (June 29), Sufi shaikh Kabir Helminski will lead us through the practice of zhikr, practicing remembrance with the Divine Names through sound, breath, awareness of the heart, and reflections on our actions. People of all traditions are invited to learn this classic spiritual practice for a deepening awareness of divine support and guidance. Read more about it and register here.

 

♦ Free online conference on Emerging Spirituality and Awareness. S&P is one of the sponsors of this special event, running June 30 - July 4 online. There will be 32 one-hour interviews conducted by Aussie spiritual teacher (and our good friend) Ian Lawton. Many of our Living Spiritual Teachers are participating: Cynthia Bourgeault, Richard Rohr, Brian McLaren, Rami Shapiro, Joan Borysenko, Matthew Fox, and Diarmuid O'Murchu. (Follow the link and scroll down the page to see all the teachers.) You can listen to all the interviews for free during the conference, and you can also purchase 32+ hours of video, MP3s, and PDF transcripts for unlimited use forever. These are bound to be excellent resources for your spiritual journey, and when you purchase them, you will also be supporting S&P as we get a commission on each sale. Get your free ticket here.

 

♦ New profiles in the Living Spiritual Teachers Project. Meet Elizabeth A. Johnson, professor of theology and pioneer in feminist theological discourse. Meet Robert J. Wicks, psychologist and professor of pastoral counseling. See all the Teachers.

 

♦ The human-dragon bond. How to Train Your Dragon 2, one of the best animated films of 2014, leaves us cheering for the noble ideal of animals and humans living together in peace and harmony. More films.

 

♦ Love in the face of death. The Fault in Our Stars revolves around two teens with cancer squaring off against death while experiencing their first love.

 

♦ Resisting oppression. Burning Bush is a feature film set in Czechoslovakia about the brave souls who opposed the 15-year Soviet occupation.

 

♦ Would you like to "reset" your day? It's necessary and happens over and over again in Edge of Tomorrow, a complex sci-fi thriller starring Tom Cruise.

 

♦ What matters most. Christian scholar Marcus J. Borg sums up his writings, teachings, concerns, and passions over the past 50 years in his very readable memoir Convictions.  More books.

 

♦ Equipping the saints. Brian McLaren's new book, We Make the Road by Walking, is a serious and sensitive year-long study of the Bible that brings us alive and sends us out to serve others.

 

♦ France's greatest unknown writer. Violette is a triumphant biopicture about the immensely creative bisexual writer Violette Leduc.

 

♦ Talking icon. Burt's Buzz is a quirkly documentary about the unusual life of the Maine recluse whose face is on the label of Burt's Bees products.

 

♦ Meet the Mulla, village idiot and sage rolled into one. Jamal Rahman provides superb and substantive meditations on Sufi teaching stories in Sacred Laughter of the Sufis.

 

♦ The gift of vision. Our latest 12s gallery has a great selection of illustrated quotes about the spiritual practice of vision.

 

♦ The torment of distrust. Omar, now on DVD, is a stirring drama set in Palestine where an intense young man experiences challenges in both his private and public life. More DVDs.

 

♦ The arts of living. The Grand Budapest Hotel is a madcap, inventive, and wonder-inducing film, now on DVD, from director Wes Anderson.

 

♦ Keeping custody of your tongue on the Internet. We suggest a spiritual practice for dealing with negativity in our "Civility and Spirituality" blog. More blog posts.

 

♦ Silence is a luxury product. We know silence as a spiritual practice; in our "Spiritual Literacy" blog, we comment on how people are craving it as an alternative to the noisy congestion of our cities, workplaces, and entertainment venues.

 

♦ A child's love of life. The Great Day by Taro Gomi is a spiffy children's picture book about a little boy who has incredible physical energy and enthusiasm. More children's books.

 

♦ The marvel of migration. Two Little Birds by Mary Newell DePalma lets us fly along with two birds experiencing their first annual migration.

 

♦ The lives of others. Reading memoirs helps us learn from how other people have handled challenges and celebrated accomplishments. This month we are featuring a memoir a day with a book review and an excerpt.

 

Coming Soon

 

♦ A wonderful small film about the adventures of two men in their seventies who travel to Iceland together: Land Ho!

 

♦ Coming in a few weeks: Our Best of the Year So Far selections of books and films.

 

♦ Movies about Native Americans. A curated list of 20 films, a mix of features and documentaries which give us fresh insights into Native American history, culture, tradition, and clashes with white America.

 

Recommended from Our Wisdom Archive    


♦ Summertime and living takes practice. It's time to revisit our collection of a month's worth of simple practices for this time of year (in the northern hemisphere).


♦ Watch Waking Life on Netflex Streaming, Amazon Instant Video, and DVD. Directed by Richard Linklater (whose Boyhood opens next week) it's a visionary animated film of deep play that is stylistically innovative and spiritually rich in content.


♦ "Silence is the language God speaks, and everything else is a bad translation." (Fr. Thomas Keating). That's this week's most liked and shared post on the Spirituality & Practice Facebook page. "Like" our page to see more.

 

Resources for Your Spiritual Journey to Carry You Through the Week

 

A Proverb to Ponder 
"Be humble, for you are made of the earth. 
Be noble, for you made of stars." 
- Serbian Proverb

 

A Pearl of Wisdom 
"Now is the time to remember that all you do is sacred." 
- Hafiz

 

A Short Prayer 
"Grant me the ability to be alone; 
May it be my custom to go outdoors each day 
Among the trees and grasses, 
Among all growing things, 
And there may I be alone, 
To talk with the one that I belong to." 
- Rabbi Nachman of Breslov in 
God Has No Religion edited by Frances Sheridan Goulart

 

A Quotation to Inspire 
"Keep a place in your heart for the unexpected guests, an altar for the unknown God." 
- Henri Frederic Amiel

 

A Blessing from Us to You 
"God bless the path on which you go 
God bless the earth beneath your feet 
God bless your destination. 
God be a smooth way before you 
A guiding star above you 
A keen eye behind you 
This day, this night, and forever." 
- from Celtic Blessings compiled by Ray Simpson
  

New E-Course
 
Free Conference