Because the adoptive family where I grew up as the only child went out of their way to me be non-communicative, at least with me, I think I must have inherited my gre·gar·i·ous side from my biological mother. Never actually met the woman, but I've discovered that she shared my habit of always wanting to make conversation both friends and strangers. Perhaps this explains why I would want to host The Tuesday Talking stick, and why I continue to enjoy hosting a monthly film discussion group called Spiritual Cinema Louisville.

That group actually has much in common with The Talking Stick and most open threads. After streaming a film or watching a movie on disk, we draw our chairs closer together and wait to see what happens. We, most often I, choose not to screen documentaries since that would be a visual presentation of take it or leave fact(s). We prefer films that provoke conversation rather than try to persuade ... films that speak truth although they may never have actually happened. By talking about what we have seen together, we hope to make discoveries that would not be possible {be sure your volume is turned on} if we stayed home and watched a film alone.

These reminders have been helpful to think about.

• The silent period before the lights go down is a sacred time. It links you with those who have made the film and others who have already seen it. It brings you into communion with all who have sat in the dark and waited for the magic to happen. Breathe in, breathe out. Call in wisdom.

• Enter the movie experience with an open mind and a receptive heart.

• Relax. Befriend the film, entrusting yourself to its images. Let them take you over.

• Think of the film as a spiritual teacher and yourself as a willing and enthusiastic student.

• Allow the film's characters to dwell with you in the biblical sense of the term.

• Square off with the character in the film who is most unlike you, who is the "other." Embrace that character and see what you can learn from him or her.

• Be on the lookout for identifiable demons which hinder development and deflate the buoyant human spirit.

• Listen to what the film says to your inner child and the wild one inside you.

• Think about the themes of the film. Then using a term out of the Quaker tradition, meditate upon the theme which most "speaks to your condition."

• See yourself as a prospector for gold trying to sift out the film's deeper, symbolic meanings.

• Be receptive to what is irrational and extreme in the film. These are also pathways of soul.

• Be attentive to both the masculine and the feminine energies in the story.

• Think of the film as a passport which gives you access to other worlds, other lives.

• Savor the moments in the film when your spirit is lifted and your heart stirs.

• Be alert to the ways in which your senses are exercised by the story and the characters. Give them a good workout.

• Don't hold back your tears or your laughter. They are expressions of soul.

• Familiarize yourself with the elements in the drama which animate your fear and bring it to the surface in your throat and sweaty palms.

• Always be prepared for a sudden or surprising aha! experience which washes over you like a gift from God.

• Be on the lookout for moral mentors who confirm the worth of your most esteemed values and visions.

• Honor the mystery and the ambiguity of the drama unfolding on the screen. Not everything can be explained.

• When you are watching a movie, there are a lot of people there with you, especially those who live in you such as family, friends, teachers, lovers, enemies. Let them enter the dialogue about the film.

• There is always something to be seen, felt, or made known in a soulful movie. As you leave the theater say a word of thanks to those whose creativity and commitment have gone into bringing this story to you.

• Take time to process the experience, to understand what you have been through. Take care of your soul during this time so that the nature of the movie experience is not diluted and is not lost.

Here are some films that Spiritual Cinema Louisville has screened or might want to screen in the future:

[video:http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/films/reviews/view/28353/20th-cen...

[video:https://youtu.be/nSNrKoH873o]

[video:https://vimeo.com/200057900]

[video:https://youtu.be/c_3NMtxeyfk]

[video:https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07B9HVMBH?ref=dp_vse_rvc1]

[video:https://youtu.be/zoBk3e9fFPU]

[video:https://youtu.be/qUmHdSBiVfo]

[video:https://youtu.be/qXAnjA9tAnQ]

[video:https://youtu.be/eqdrwu0NvY8]

[Video:https://youtu.be/32exBSNsaBw]

[video:https://youtu.be/41hs2npmPEU]

[video:https://youtu.be/lFl7Zvnfi9M]

[video:https://youtu.be/18ZN_lZvL7A]

[video:https://vimeo.com/176213239]

[Video:https://youtu.be/QLPZtcbAegc]

[video:https://youtu.be/Go63ZVVwivI]

[video:https://youtu.be/vh1miEdFxAo?t=8]

Please share a memorable movie watching experience ... or suggest a streamable film the rest of us might not have seen