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a spiritual power list by watkins books, london

The Watkins Review magazine in London published a list of the 100 most spiritually influential living people. Are you up for reading about it?

from www.watkinsbooks.com

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We’re delighted to share our début list of the 100 most spiritually influential living people, that was published in the Spring issue #26 of the Watkins Review.* Yes, we’ve taken up the not so simple task of naming the most popular authors and spiritual teachers, whose contribution in spirituality and spreading awareness is affecting us all.

We live in an age of lists – from groceries and obituaries to Facebook friends, resume facts, lists of city capitals and lottery numbers. Of course, lists that classify the past, are easier to compile than lists that attempt to predict the future. With the holy grail of sorting algorithms, the world is sure to be your oyster.

Lists help us organize, explore and perceive our environments. But are so many lists really necessary? It is very much in vogue to publish lists of people: Time Magazine publishes an annual list of the 100 people who most influence the world; Forbes publishes several lists including a Celebrity 100 list, the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women, and a list of 1000 Billionaires; Art Review’s Power 100 is an annual list of the worlds 100 most powerful collectors, artists, gallerists, etc…

The lists of lists of people, just keep going and going. However, the Watkins Review believes that an important list has been long overdue, and we are delighted to share with you our list of the 100 Most Spiritually Influential Living People. Lists of influential people contribute to the discourse and issues that each person represents, and the Watkins Review hopes that our list will nurture the debates surrounding contemporary spirituality.

There are several factors that were taken into account when compiling the list. Listed below are the main three:
1) The person has to be alive
2) The person has to have made a unique and spiritual contribution on a global scale
3) The person is frequently googled, appears in Nielsen Data, and highlighted in throughout the blogosphere
It’s interesting to think about the amount of times that a person is googled; in a sense, being googled is a form of digital voting, and illustrates just how often someone is being sought out.

I’m not printing the names because these things change all the time. How do you feel about having a list of  “spiritual teachers”?

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“Teachers open the door. But you must enter by yourself.”
– Qi The Journal of Traditional Eastern Health & Fitness, spring 2011, page 11
www.qi-journal.com

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constantine’s sword by james carroll – first a book, then a movie . . .

James Carroll’s Constantine’s Sword is directed by Oren Jacoby.

Here are some of the reviews:

“ENTHRALLING!” -Stephen Holden, New York TImes
“ASTONISHING!” -Jeffrey Lyons, NBC-Reel Talk
“MAGNIFICENT!” -Ronnie Scheib, Variety
“A FASCINATING JOURNEY . . . THAT COULDN’T HAVE COME AT A BETTER TIME.” -Ken Fox, TV Guide
“ENGROSSING AND EVOCATIVE!” -Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
“EXHILERATING!” -Rob Nelson, Boston Phoenix
“ELOQUENT . . . FASCINATING!” -Michael Sragow, Baltimore Sun
“EYE-OPENING! Moments that are simply amazing. James Carroll is a marvelous teller of truths.” -Eric Goldman, NJ Jewish Standard

BONUS MATERIALS includes: Introduction by Gabriel Byrne, discussion with Elaine Pagels and James Carroll

www.firstrunfeatures.com

In the Director’s Statement Oren Jacoby poses the question: “Where did anyone get the idea that it was all right to kill people in the name of God?”

Perhaps for many centuries many people have been asking that question.

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listen up! – graduates, and everyone else . . .

Tama Kieves’s eletters are refreshing, I think because she never hesitates to punctuate them with an abundance of honest enthusiasm. She wants everyone to feel the exhileration she experiencess in her own life. This earnestness is felt in all her writings, workshops, and, I bet, the one-on-one coaching sessions. She wants people to know that there’s another way. Again and again she tells the story of how she transformed her own life. She speaks from experience when she says to listen to your own “inspired voice,” that “there’s nothing safer than listening to your own heart.” Many people aren’t passionate about what they do in life, as once she wasn’t, so she gently pushes with her words, and eventually she hopes a glimmer of light will shine so that someone who once believed in a dream will begin to resurrect it.

She never meant to graduate from Harvard Law School; she allowed herself to be coerced into going. She wanted to write. It took a little while for her to extricate herself from the long hours, stress, and the emptiness of having a job she never wanted or liked. And it took a while for her to remember her dream, and to gather the courage to do something about it. There’s an authentic aliveness about her because she dared, believed, and then changed her life. To put it mildly, she’s a happy camper now.

about Tama . . . www.awakeningartistry.com

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“The Gig” a Collaboration of musicians and dancers at Steps

I just went to a brilliant event constructed by Whitney G-Bowley, a dancer who while dating a drummer back in college, was inspired to see dance and music live onstage together. Cut to now. January 2011, Steps dance studio on Broadway between 74th and 75th Street in Manhattan. Caleb Hawley is singer/composer/musician of the night whose work is performed on a stage in the large studio. Caleb was on “American Idol” last week, and his songs are beyond clever and hysterical, a perfect fit for the dancers who brought each lyric to life and kicked and flipped through every piece. It was a super idea of Whitney to bring so many gifted artists together! Caleb and his band were energetic and had fun while playing a great show, and the five trained dancers visually entertained and wowed us all on this very freezing NYC night, in the airy creative womb of a supportive excited crowd.

“The Gig” is aimed to show at The Highline Ballroom in March. I will post the details when they become available. For now here’s the event’s website: http://www.gigtheshow.com/

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ruka

When Christmas shopping has come to an end, I walk into a favorite shop and buy something for myself. A little special something, not a splurge, something only I would call exciting. That something has to be small enough to fit nicely into a suitcase. I never know beforehand where I’ll end up, or when. As in today when I passed Ruka at 114 South 19th Street in Philadelphia, and it hit me – here is the place; now is the time.

It’s always a pleasure to browse and shop at Ruka. There were desert bells hanging on the wall. I took them down. And there were a wonderful array of mala beads. I chose the simplest. Then a little hand bell looking old, and sounding wonderful called to me. I placed these three on the counter. A customer picked up a round metal container, and asked what it was for. It holds spices, someone called out. I’d seen that box in the home of a friend. It holds her fragrant spices, – those she uses most often, and can’t cook if she doesn’t have them. A spice box will one day be mine, too. Not just yet; I’m very good at knowing when it’s time to go. “Ruka offers a treasure trove of items to delight and entice the spirit.” www.ruka.com

Now at my place the mala beads are waiting to be fingered, the desert bells are on a hook and sound as sweet as they did in the shop, and the small hand bell has its own perfect place.

Enjoy the season.

May peace be ours the world over.

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it’s a wonderful life. . .

Hallelujah! -autumn is here. May it stay tiil April 2011. I’m in Richmond, Va. right now staying with Alicia, Michael, Sebastian, and Clover in a large house. There’s a big trampoline and zip line in the big back yard – happily used by all who visit. Alicia is reaping the benefits of hot yoga (Phew!), Michael is still studying Sun Tzu, Art of War, and I just bought Qi Gong for Long Life Cleanse & Build Inner Qi at the Alchemist shop at Stony Point Mall. www.bikramyoga.com
www.shopstonypoint.com

About two weeks ago Clover celebrated her 2nd birthday and we in the north came to help her blow out those two candles. We being Sumi, Toshi, Sophie, Emi, and me. And Aunt Sumi and Uncle Toshi brought the DVD “Free To Be. . .You and Me” to Clover. I smiled when logging on to my laptop today and seeing a writeup on aol with Marlo Thomas’ words: “There were plenty of great moments in ‘Free to Be. . .You and Me,’ but Michael Jackson’s has stuck with her…” www.marlothomas.com Once upon a time I remember my children sang those wonderful songs with all their might.

Sophie’s brother is due in November; Sophie’s life will forever change, in a good way, of course. And in November Emi will be at a Film Festival in Manhattan on behalf on The Retreat Film, along with other filmmakers.
www.theretreatfilm.com

I think the drivers in this area are a bit better (perhaps a lot better – I’m a coward, no States named here) than those in the north. There’s more patience, a lot less honking, and more adherence to driving etiquette. Why is that? I wonder. www.virginia.org

Yes, there’s a coolness in the air, and those who “can’t take the cold” are planning their getaway. And those who can’t get away are planning their winter wardrobe hoping winter 2010/20ll will be very gentle.

Enjoy!

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peter at moving specialist Inc.

I just moved. Whew! The only good thing about having to pack every single thing one owns is that we get to sort out all the “stuff” that’s not being used. All the things that if someone were to come and take – none would be missed. I know there are a lot of different reasons for keeping unused things. But. . . .

Peter, “Speedy and Reliable with a Positive Attitude” efficiently moved my things. He’s located in Philadelphia. He’s accommodating; he’s nice. From the first phone call, he eliminated any anxiety that was trying to push its way to the surface. Support is a big Must Have when moving. otherwise it can get quite overwhelming.

Speaking of moving, I’ve been noticing many moving trucks in front of buildings, and also the unusual number of people in Philadelphia pulling suitcases around. What’s going on I wonder. I know there’s a large student population in Philly, but it’s not only students who are moving and pulling. So I think Philadelphians like to move and pull. And I want to be excluded from that moving and pulling list.

It’s good to share, so here’s Peter’s number: 267 974 7577.
www.movingspecialistinc.com

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laughing

It’s said that laughter heals. And that laughing for 15 minutes every day offers many benefits to our health. It doesn’t matter whether the laughter is coming from something that’s caught our attention, or from simply wanting to laugh. Laughing feels so good. I wonder, has any one researched when exactly our ability to laugh began?

Laughing dissolves stressful and awkward situations. Laughing keeps us in the present moment. It makes problems seem less troublesome. When we put our heart and soul into laughing, any problems we have take second fiddle. Laughing refreshes the mind. Children love to laugh; we can learn from children – they know what we’ve forgotten. Laughing changes our energy to a higher vibration. Are you in?

www.laughteryoga.org

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a black bra

This is a very simple story, and, since it’s Martin Luther King Day, I want to tell it. It was in the 1970’s that two baby girls were born, and at a certain age they became very good friends. One of them was black; the other was white. In high school, among other things, they stayed true to what many teenage girls do, -try to figure out what was what in the fashion world. White shirts were popular, and detailing one’s bra wasn’t, at least not in the every day world. The girls discussed this, and one day one of them said she had the answer, she’d bought a black bra, it’s perfect, and, she said, you have to buy one too. And so it seemed that what went underneath a white shirt was solved. Away they went to purchase a black bra for the one who didn’t have one. In the fitting room, however, it became obvious that what worked for one wasn’t going to work for the other, and, of course, they did what many fourteen year old girls do; they giggled. Imagine a world in which no one notices, or cares about, another’s skin color, and just understands that the Creator created with variety in mind. When we look around it’s apparent that there’s no boredom in the Creator’s work – only boredom in our way of thinking. www.mlkday.gov I said it was a simple story.

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thich nhat hanh, emmet fox, joel s. goldsmith, yoga unveiled


There are times when life gets hectic, and we think we’re too busy to add anything else to a full schedule. Many people find that that’s not necessarily true, however; they find that taking time to be still, and to be in the silence, has a way of easing a hectic day, thereby allowing it to become full and harmonious instead of busy and hectic. Thich Nhat Hanh, Emmet Fox, Joel S. Goldsmith, and Yoga Unveiled are waiting to be included in a hectic and busy day.


Essential Writings by Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese monk, was “Drawn from more than twenty of his books. . .” I think when we live in the way explained in Essential Writings, we discover that mindfulness is the key to staying in and appreciating what’s before us to do; Essential Writings could be a wise choice for 2010. Thich Nhat Hanh uses different words that say the same thing – always reminding us in a gentle way that “. . . life can be found only in the present moment.” And “Our appointment with life is in the present moment.” On the back cover is written, “. . . Through his writings and retreats he has helped innumerable people of all religious backgrounds to live mindfully in the present moment, to uproot sources of anger and distrust, and to achieve relationships of love and understanding.” www.plumvillage.org


I think there’s a wonderful energy emanating from the words in The Sermon On The Mount by Emmet Fox (1886-1951). He was born in Ireland, educated in England, lived and lectured in the United States, and died in France. His writings are not preachy, and his words open a reader’s mind and heart. He studied, researched, practiced, lectured, and, in The Sermon On The Mount wrote in a concise, easy and eloquent manner about Jesus’ teachings, and their relevance in our every day life. It could be a wise choice for 2010.


Thinking about meditating this year? -The Art of Meditation by Joel S. Goldsmith (1892-1964) could be a wise choice for 2010. Here are a few words from the back cover of the book: “Joel Goldsmith, one of the great American Christian mystics of the twentieth century, spent his life educating others on ‘The Infinite Way, . . .'” Also on the back cover is written: “. . . The art of listening for the inner voice is the advanced form of prayer practiced by mystics down through the ages, regardless of their religious tradition. Practicing the simple procedures outlined in The Art of Meditation will connect readers seeking spiritual wisdom with God and open their consciousness to the knowledge of who they really are.” And Marianne Williamson has this to say about the book: “. . .Joel Goldsmith has opened a door in my soul. He has helped me immeasurably in my search for peace.”


Yoga Unveiled goes back to a place and time when yoga came into being, and the different forms of yoga that have evolved through the centuries. All those interviewed bring yoga to life, so that the “gift of yoga” – the reasons for yoga – are clearly understood. And understanding yoga results in an Aha! moment. It’s about yoga, yes, but it goes far deeper than realized upon first watching. I love this DVD, and appreciate having it in my life. www.yogaunveiled.com