Spiritual lessons are all around us, especially in the natural world. Trees are my favorite example. They stand earthrooted while growing heavenward. They model steadfastness and forgiveness. They teach us about strength without rigidity, about the cycle of life, about grace and beauty. Trees have been developing their wisdom for 400 million years, so our relatively young human species can often benefit from some assistance. Below are selected resources that I have found meaningful, inspiring, and enlightening on my path. Each path is unique, of course, so many or none of these may be right for you. Some are more obviously related to spirituality than others.
Books
See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love (2020), by Valarie Kaur. In this memoir, Valarie Kaur weaves together the personal, the political, the spiritual, and the mystical. It is the story of her immigrant grandparents; her own struggles, learning, resilience, and perseverance; our shared American socio-political climate post 9/11; and how her life's work has seemingly coalesced into the Revolutionary Love Project. See also her Ted Talk below.
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7 Lessons for Living from the Dying: How to Nurture What Really Matters (2020), by Karen M. Wyatt, M.D. This is my most often recommended title. As a hospice physician, Karen Wyatt found meaningful learning in the stories of her patients. She collected those stories and the wisdom inherent in them into a concise, easy to read and understand guide to personal and spiritual development. Simple yet profound, it provides practical ways to cultivate a more meaningful life. You can learn more about Dr. Wyatt at her website. The original 2011 edition was titled What Really Matters: 7 Lessons for Living from the Stories of the Dying.
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The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know is Possible (2013), by Charles Eisentsein. The astonishingly brilliant Charles Eisenstein is able to blend extensive multidisciplinary knowledge with holistic wisdom to facilitate a deeper understanding of how humanity got to where we are and how we might create something better. He thinks big picture--not just about environmental devastation or mass incarceration or radical capitalism, for example, but about the foundational story of separation that underpins everything that we create. He offers hope that we can keep shifting out of that story and into a new one which he calls Interbeing (borrowed from Buddhist philosophy). You can learn more about Charles Eisenstein's offerings here.
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Outrageous Openness: Letting the Divine Take the Lead (2014), by Tosha Silver. Like Karen Wyatt, Tosha Silver offers richly meaningful--and in this case more metaphysical--ideas in down-to-earth language and practical steps. Each chapter is packed with stories and advice for bringing greater awareness of and connection to "Divine Order," the force of love all around us and readily accessible when we are aware and willing. Written in short sections with generous doses of humor, the book is engagingly readable and suitable as a daily devotional.
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29 Gifts: How a Month of Giving Can Change Your Life (2009), by Cami Walker. When Cami walker was at a low point in dealing with her multiple sclerosis symptoms, a far away friend gave her an unusual prescription: give away 29 gifts in 29 days. Shifting the focus of her attention to generosity changed her life. It might change yours, too.
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A Path and a Practice: Using Lao-tzu's Tao Te Ching as a Guide to an Awakened Spiritual Life (2005), by William Martin. I think different spiritual texts resonate with different folks for a multitude of reasons. When I was introduced to this particular interpretive translation of the Tao Te Ching, I knew I had found a new foundational text for myself. The Tao Te Ching is a compilation of 81 short chapters (more like verses or sutras) focused on how we can liberate ourselves from conditioning in order to live our true nature. William Martin has a number of interpretations of the same text that apply, for example, to parents, caregivers, or elders. I have not read any of those, but I imagine they are well done.
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True Meditation (2006), by Adyashanti. There are numerous techniques, and even more apps, for meditation, yet many of us feel unsuccessful or disappointed with the results of using these tools because we forget that they are a means to to an end, not the goal itself. This quick read will help evolve your meditation practice from discipline and technique toward awakening and liberation.
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Time for Peace: Peace in Our Hearts, Peace in the World (2017), by Ruth Fishel. A brief daily reading can be a great way to build spiritual practice and awareness. This daily meditation/devotion book is, I believe, a classic and is easily my favorite of my limited reading of this specific genre. It was previously published as Peace in Our Hearts, Peace in the World: Meditations of Hope and Healing (2008).
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Children's Books
I Am You: A Book About Ubuntu (2020), by Refiloe Moahloli and illustrated by Zinelda McDonald. "Ubuntu means 'I am, because you are.' The word ubuntu comes from the Nguni languages of isiZulu and isiXhosa and embodies the idea that a person is a person through other people. It is a concept of shared humanity, compassion, and oneness." This book deftly uses simple words to introduce a sophisticated spiritual concept of unity. Excellent for any age.
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Kuan Yin: The Princess Who Became the Goddess of Compassion (2021), by Maya van der Meer and illustrated by Wen Hsu. Truly one of the most beautiful books I have ever seen, this adaptation of the Buddhist legend focuses on younger sister Ling as a way to tell of Miao Shan's renunciation of the material world, unwavering dedication to unconditional love and compassion for all beings, and ultimate transformation into the beloved bodhisattva widely known as Kuan Yin. From the book jacket: "A princess-adventure story like none other, this ancient Chinese tale of the world's most beloved Buddhist hero is a story of sisterhood, strength, and following your own path."
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I Am: Why Two Little Words Mean So Much (2012), by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer with Kristina Tracy and illustrated by Stacy Heller Budnick. Like many people brought up in a rigid, dualistic religion, I can sometimes be triggered by the word "God," so, honestly, I have mixed feelings about this book. But that doesn't mean that you will. What I appreciate is that it introduces the concept of god in a non-dual way, as a pervasive force of love and inspiration that is inside each and every one of us.
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Podcasts
I have friends who love to listen to podcasts, but I am generally less enthusiastic. However, I have loved Poetry Unbound since its inception and have recently become a fan of Sounds True: Insights At The Edge. Here are two great listens from the latter.
TV Series
Call the Midwife. Most television exaggerates dysfunction for either comedic or dramatic effect. Call the Midwife instead exaggerates kindness and understanding. It is a BBC produced television series based on the memoirs of nurse-midwife Jennifer Worth, recounting her experiences serving in a working class/poverty neighborhood of east London in the late 1950's working alongside Anglican nuns who are also nurse-midwives. Together they bring an extraordinary level of compassion to their work and their relationships, creating stories that blend a spiritual life lesson into each episode. I especially recommend the first three seasons. And tissues. Available through Netflix or on DVD.
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Ted Lasso, Season 1. Jason Sudeikis perfectly portrays Ted Lasso, an individual who remains steadfastly positive while immersed in the negativity of ego-driven professional sports, social media, and various personal dramas around him. While that might sound like an annoying person, Ted Lasso is actually inspiring. As a coach, his goal is to help each player be the best person - not just athlete - that they can be, and he changes the lives of people around him both on and off the field. Ted Lasso illustrates a different way of engaging with the world while also being brilliantly funny. To me, the subsequent seasons are fun to watch, but they lack the depth that I find in Season 1. Available on AppleTV.
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Movies
There are many great movies with subtle or explicit themes related to spiritual development. The Shape of Water (2017) is my favorite. It is a brilliant allegory of union with the Devine told with archetypal characters, creative symbolism, and incredibly beautiful filmmaking, as well as great performances. The Western culture of white male domination is exemplified by military colonel Richard Strickland. At the complete other end of the power continuum is the lowly, voiceless, female janitor, Elisa Esposito. And in between them is a mythical creature somehow brought to life and "discovered" in a remote jungle. Are they an object to be torturously controlled and studied? Or a manifestation of Love to be respected and even adored? Water (like Spirit) is pervasive and becomes the catalyst for Elisa's union with the Sacred, liberation from the mundane, and ultimate transcendence.
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The story of Free Guy (2021) unfolds primarily within a globally popular, violent video game. Guy (aka Blue Shirt Guy) is a programmed background character for whom life is completely rote. Miraculously, he has an awakening experience which allows him to see what is actually happening around him and to realize that he can exercise free will to make choices he previously never knew he had. He then participates as an active character, but turns the game upside down by rescuing people from violence instead of committing it, gaining great notoriety in the process as well as confounding the game programmers. The analogy to spiritual journey is brilliantly executed. We are all programmed by our conditioning, immersed in a world of upside down values, and have the innate power to liberate ourselves by discovering our True Nature. There is also some romance and something about Artificial Intelligence, but the best part is that the movie is very funny.
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Music
Of course there is much more that could be listed here, but here is a sampling of some songs that I appreciate, the first two from my favorite Minnesota artists.
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By Breath, by Sara Thomsen. Sara Thomsen has numerous richly meaningful songs, but I personally consider this to be her masterpiece. She takes the spiritual concept of universal human unity and articulates it on an elemental level.
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How Would It Be, by Ellis Delaney. It is easy to see so many things wrong in our upside-down culture, but what if our understanding and consciousness are even more limited than we have considered? "How would it be if you really created your life?" "What if all of our mistakes are forgiven?" "What if all the birds were flying just to show us?"
(Note that the video is purposefully non-professional.) |
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I'm Ready, by Tracy Chapman. I'm not sure what to say about this beautiful song; it's all there in the lyrics. Just listen.
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I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, by U2. This song has an obvious message about seeking, but it is not exactly clear what is being sought or who is the "you" to whom the song is addressed. Personally, I think it is speaking to the writer's True Essence, seeking to find the Sacred within and without, searching the physical world, relationships, religion, and perhaps just beginning to realize that there is not necessarily an endpoint, that although we might reach new levels of understanding, seeking remains a lifelong pursuit.
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Come On Up to the House, by Tom Waits; performed by Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow, and Lukas Nelson. Tom Waits originally released this song but I first heard the cover version presented here, which I prefer. Similar to above, my personal interpretation is that the song is an invitation to come home to the Sacred Self.
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Younger Now, by Miley Cyrus. This song presents life lessons about change and growth, self-love/acceptance, and being asleep to the reality of who and what we truly are. I love this performance from the Ellen Show because of the emotion that it exudes.
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