The Tree of Life Movie Review by Stephen Simon

When I was 22 years old, the last 15 minutes of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey introduced me to a cinematic concept of the vast wonder of the cycle of life and death that I had never even imagined before. At that time, I thought no one would ever again attain that kind of symbolic representation of spirituality on film.

And then I saw The Tree of Life, which is so mind-bogglingly original and breathtaking that it truly defies description and categorization. The film is so majestically and subjectively emotional that seeing it feels more like a deeply personal and spiritual experience than it is the viewing of a film. One gets the sense that each one of us in the theater embarks on our own internal journey during the film and, as such, we experience the images on the screen in a completely individual manner.

Contrary to some other reviews, while the style of the film is indeed groundbreaking and dazzling, there most definitely is a story at the core of The Tree of Life. In it, Brad Pitt plays the father of three young boys growing up in Waco, Texas in the 1950s. His relationship with his sons (and his wife, played with great humanity and compassion by Jessica Chastain) is one of extreme complexity, love, strict discipline, affection, reproach, fear, respect, and rebellion. Mr. Pitt’s performance in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button firmly established him as brilliant actor. Now, in The Tree of Life, Mr. Pitt has elevated his craft to a new league of brilliance as he gives one of the most nuanced, frightening, evocative, and haunting portrayals of a father in recent memory.

The true magic of the film, however, does indeed lie in the imagination, spirituality, and visual artistry of its reclusive and visionary writer/director director Terrence Malick. The word “genius” is thrown around so much in film nowadays that the word unfortunately loses some of its power when the real thing comes along. And Mr. Malick is unquestionably the real thing…to the Nth power.

Amazingly, The Tree of Life is only Mr. Malick’s fifth film since Badlands, his brilliant 1973 debut. Mr. Malick does not give interviews and does no publicity for his films. Even when The Tree of Life was given the distinct honor of being the opening night presentation (and ultimately winner of the Palme D’Or Award for best film) at the recent Cannes Film Festival, Mr. Malick was nowhere to be seen or heard. In that, he shares an eerie kinship with Stanley Kubrick who directed 2001 and really wanted his films to speak for themselves. The Tree of Life certainly does do that.

The style and images of the film (including the very birth of life itself) are so unique and awe-inspiring that words truly cannot describe them. In a way, that lack of appropriate words is the entire key to the film and its title. How can anyone truly describe in words a spiritual experience of the very essence of nature, life, and death? Visually and emotionally, The Tree of Life propels us headlong into that journey in such a deeply pervasive way that I do feel the need to say here that the film is most definitely not for everyone.

While I was personally exhilarated and mesmerized by The Tree of Life, I can also completely understand and respect those who have said that they found the film to be depressing and even deeply disturbing. In Cannes, for instance, most audience members reportedly stood and cheered at the end of the screening there, but there were also a substantial number of people who booed mightily. As such, I strongly suggest that those who have real misgivings about seeing the film should respect those feelings and indeed stay away. If, however, you feel drawn to the film, you are in for the visual, emotional, and spiritual experience of a lifetime.

The Tree of Life is truly one of the most profoundly original, moving, and engrossing films that I have ever seen.

This is a guest post written by Stephen Simon, co-founder of Spiritual Cinema Circle. Spiritual Cinema Circle is the only DVD club dedicated to the heart and soul of cinema. For more information, please click here .

This article is a guest post written by Stanley Popovich.

Everybody deals with anxiety and depression, however some people have a difficult time in managing it. As a result, here is a brief list of techniques that a person can use to help manage their most persistent fears and every day anxieties.

When facing a current or upcoming task that overwhelms you with a lot of anxiety, the first thing you can do is to divide the task into a series of smaller steps. Completing these smaller tasks one at a time will make the stress more manageable and increases your chances of success.

Sometimes we get stressed out when everything happens all at once. When this happens, a person should take a deep breath and try to find something to do for a few minutes to get their mind off of the problem. A person could get some fresh air, listen to some music, or do an activity that will give them a fresh perspective on things.

A person should visualize a red stop sign in their mind when they encounter a fear provoking thought. When the negative thought comes, a person should think of a red stop sign that serves as a reminder to stop focusing on that thought and to think of something else. A person can then try to think of something positive to replace the
negative thought.

Another technique that is very helpful is to have a small notebook of positive statements that makes you feel good. Whenever you come across an affirmation that makes you feel good, write it down in a small notebook that you can carry around with you in your pocket. Whenever you feel depressed or frustrated, open up your small notebook and read those statements. This will help to manage your negative thinking.

Learn to take it one day at a time. Instead of worrying about how you will get through the rest of the week, try to focus on today. Each day can provide us with different opportunities to learn new things and that includes learning how to deal with your problems. You never know when the answers you are looking for will come to your doorstep. We may be ninety-nine percent correct in predicting the future, but all it takes is for that one percent to make a world of difference.

Take advantage of the help that is available around you. If possible, talk to a professional who can help you manage your depression and anxieties. They will be able to provide you with additional advice and insights on how to deal with your current problem. By talking to a professional, a person will be helping themselves in the long run because they will become better able to deal with their problems in the future. Remember that it never hurts to ask for help.

Dealing with our persistent fears is not easy. Remember that all you can do is to do your best each day, hope for the best, and take things in stride. Patience, persistence, education, and being committed in trying to solve your problem will go along way in fixing your problems.

BIOGRAPHY:

Stan Popovich is the author of “A Layman’s Guide to Managing Fear Using Psychology, Christianity and Non Resistant Methods” – an easy to read book that presents a general overview of techniques that are effective in managing persistent fears and anxieties. For additional information go to: http://www.managingfear.com/

This article is a guest post written by Nigel Coates, moderator of Explore Meditation.

When you think of spiritual movies, they are most often light-hearted and uplifting. So why would I have such a spiritual awakening in a psychological thriller? I don’t even like the genre!

But hearing that Natalie Portman gave the performance of a life-time was enough to get me along to Black Swan.

In short, a young woman has dedicated her entire life to the ballet. Every waking moment she has lived was in the pursuit of perfection, hoping to be recognized and rewarded for her skill and determination.

With the existing soloist feature dancer of the company facing retirement and the announcement the next production is Swan Lake – this is the chance that Natalie Portman’s character has been waiting for her entire life. It really is a ‘now or never’ time for her to shine.

But her sheltered life, based on strict discipline and routine had geared her for perfection … but in Swan Lake, it is the same dancer who must perform the part of the angelic white swan and the sinister twin black swan.

Natalie has no problems associating with the soft and gentle feminine energy of the white swan – but to passionately dance the role of the black swan; she must explore the darker masculine energies within herself, for the first time.

This universal concept is a natural part of existence; the yin and yang, the masculine and feminine, the good and the bad, and the light and dark.

Our spiritual well-being is not ensured by ignoring darker energies, but more so, to be aware of them and what they can be used for.

Since I have seen the movie, I have created a trigger for myself in times of need. If I am to stand before a crowd to speak and the nervous energy starts to erode the strength of my presence and aura, I affirm the key words, “Black Swan”, to draw from the masculine energies within myself to enliven and give strength to my confidence.

There have been several times the association I have created with that trigger have helped me in my day to day.

Whereas Natalie’s character loses control, as her pendulum of existence has so far to swing in the reverse, spiritual well-being comes from living with awareness and balance.

Dark is not bad. White is not good. Dark is dark, white is white, bad is bad and good is good. Drawing incorrect associations between natural energies is now something I am more aware of – thanks to my experience with Black Swan.

This post was written by Nigel Coates. Nigel is the moderator of Explore Meditation, a spiritual-growth blog offering guided meditations and insights to open your awareness and help you stand fully in your own power and glory. Subscribe to Nigel’s newsletter to receive free Guided Meditations and spiritual insights … Just for starters.

This post is brought to you by Melissa Laine from Conscious Content TV ….

Can we really have free will in a world with boarder patrol and homeland security? If you ask French Filmmaker, Gerard Ungerman, he will most certainly say no.

As posted on conscious filmmaker Gerard Ungerman’s Free-Will Productions web site, “After almost 20 years of lawful presence in the U.S., French journalist and filmmaker Gerard Ungerman was barred from re-entering the United States on Dec. 13, 2010.

 He has 30 days from this date to challenge the decision or he will lose the right to come back to his home.
 Legal representation in his case will cost in excess of $10,000.
This is a back-breaking amount for him and his family.


Gerard desperately needs your help. If you believe in Free-Will Productions, Gerard and his work, please consider visiting http://www.freewillprod.com/ and make a donation to help defray his legal costs.”

Is this really just a visa technicality or media activist profiling? Could he have been put on a no-fly list mainly to discourage the creation of his anti-war and environmental documentaries?

You can read the Chico News and Review Article explaining the details of Ungerman’s situation at
http://www.newsreview.com/chico/content?oid=1894337

And donate to Bring Gerard back Home by visiting http://www.freewillprod.com/

The trailer for Gerard’s most recent film, Belonging — a documentary about the environment narrated by Dustin Hoffman is below.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Arielle Ford about her book The Soulmate Secret: Manifest the Love of Your Life with the Law of Attraction.

In our interview, Arielle offers practical steps you can take today to begin to attract your soulmate, explains why some people struggle to find their true love and talks about how her 80-year-old mother in law used the techniques in the book to manifest a soulmate 5 years after her husband of 55 years passed away. You can listen to our 15 minute interview by clicking the play button on the video below and waiting a few seconds for it to buffer…

Arielle was also kind enough to contribute the article below to my blog on how to manifest your soulmate…

What does it take to manifest the love of your life? I’ve heard from first-time brides (at 49 and older!), from busy entrepreneurs whose 80-hour-a-week work schedules left little time for romance, and from divorcees and widowers who were convinced that the opportunity for true love had long passed them by. Whether these soulmate success stories come from Russia, Ireland, Spain, South Korea, Nova Scotia, Poland, Iran, Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Norway, or the good ‘ole U.S. of A., I can always spot the common theme woven throughout them. Those who have successfully manifested their soulmates did so by finding a healthy balance between intending and allowing; between doing and being.

Not only did they do the necessary work; they made soulmate lists, they cleaned up the emotional baggage still lingering from past relationships, and they made space for their beloved’s presence in every area of their lives. But they also cultivated a state of what the Buddhists call “Beginner’s Mind”. They carried out manifestation exercises and rituals with an attitude of openness, eagerness, and an absence of preconceptions. Even if their hearts were still aching from a past breakup or their present circumstances were less than ideal, they didn’t allow themselves to fall into the common trap of thinking that they’d already done and tried everything, and therefore nothing new would work for them. They stayed open to the possibilities and remained hopeful, not defeated.

Occasionally I receive stories from people who fall into this latter category, from men and women who are frustrated because they’ve been actively “searching” for their soulmates without success. The theme of their stories is equally easy to detect. It goes something like this: I’ve watched ‘The Secret,’ I’ve made my list of qualities that I want my ideal man or woman to possess. It’s been almost a year and he/she still hasn’t shown up! The energetic signal being sent through these messages practically jumps off the page and, let’s just say, it’s not one of irresistible attraction!

Becoming a successful manifestor – whether you want to manifest love, money, a new career, or simply a parking space – requires a certain level of emotional maturity. Great manifestors have learned the art of managing their thoughts and emotions so that even when doubt, fear or other limiting feelings pop up, they are not swept into a spiral of negativity. Developing this kind of mental discipline requires us to make a deliberate choice to focus our attention on what we desire rather than on what we don’t want.

For example, whenever I catch myself dwelling in a negative or unpleasant thought or feeling, I say to myself “cancel-cancel,” and I then intentionally create a new vision for myself. Sometimes this simple shift in perception is all I need, and other times I reach into my toolkit of emotional release techniques and dedicate five or ten minutes to working through my mini-issue so that my creative energies stay aligned with the outcome I desire.

As someone who is consciously focused on manifesting your soulmate, you too must recognize the powerful influence your thoughts and feelings have on your point of attraction, and do your best to keep them positive. I know; the process of magnetizing your soulmate can get discouraging at times. But if you’re approaching it from the mindset of “it’s been a year and it still hasn’t happened,” you’re living in the reality of what’s missing. The universe simply can’t add more love to your life when you’re focused on the love you don’t have. Like the old tale of the farmer pulling up the newly planted seed to search for evidence of growth, the very act of “searching” evokes a feeling of desperation that blocks the natural flow of love. But if you can shift your focus to magnetizing your soulmate rather than “looking” for him or her; and if you can adjust your emotional state from impatience to savoring the waiting, love will blossom in its own time, and in colors and fragrances that will both surprise and delight you.

Those who successfully manifest love have learned and surrendered to the fact that it’s not our job to know where or how our soulmate will appear. We don’t have to micromanage every encounter or anticipate every detail. Our job is to simply prepare ourselves in body, mind, and soul and then relax into the knowledge that the one we’ve asked for – wherever he or she may be at this moment – is on the way.

Your soulmate is on the way to you from wherever he or she is right now. The details are not yours to coordinate. Your job is simply to love yourself, enjoy your life as it unfolds in each moment, hold a clear intention of the love you are manifesting, and have faith in the unseen forces that are even now guiding the fulfillment of your dream.

About Arielle Ford

Arielle believes that finding true love is possible for anyone, at any age, and she points to herself as living proof. Married for the first time at age 44, she expanded on the set of skills that she used to launch her highly successful Public Relations firm, The Ford Group, and applied them to her love life. She is best known for helping to launch the careers of many bestselling self-help and spiritual authors including Deepak Chopra, Jack Canfield & Mark Victor Hansen of Chicken Soup for the Soul, Neale Donald Walsch and many others. She is the author of seven books including the international bestselling The Soulmate Secret: How To Manifest The Love of Your Life with the Law of Attraction. Arielle lives in La Jolla, CA with her husband, Brian Hilliard and their feline friends. Learn more about Arielle at www.arielleford.com and www.soulmatesecret.com.

Arielle along with Claire Zammit, co-creator of the acclaimed Calling in “The One” telecourse will host a free online teleseries called “The Ultimate Soulmate Summit” to help 100,000 people magnetize their Soulmate next Valentine’s Day!

Twenty of the world’s leading relationship experts including Dr. Helen Fisher, Drs. Gay & Kathlyn Hendricks, Alison Armstrong, Debbie Ford, Katherine Woodward Thomas, Christian Carter, and others will lead participants through the process of attracting a Soulmate over the 10 days of the summit. www.ultimatesoulmatesummit.com

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The following account is a true story written by Kahshanna Evans (Law&Order: SVU, Whipped) — that is the inspiration for a movie, (AMANI). Amani is about the exploration of the ultimate empowerment confronting crimes against children and the corruption of uniformed officials we look to for protection and freedom…..

I was pulled over for running a yellow light last Sunday in Santa Monica, dark yellow or red light, as the officer insisted. The officer asked for my license and info and I asked him why I was pulled over and I was told to sit tight and wait, a queasy feeling approaching; as he approached my car I could hear my name over the police equipment from a dispatcher! Am I a thug? What did I do? Was my license expired or something, I could have sworn I took care of that.

So, I sat contemplating they why…and where the ‘fear factor’ comes from for something as teency as being pulled over by an officer for a yellow vs red light citation. We disagreed on what the practical and safe choice was for moving through that light at that intersection. The flashing lights on his car were still on, and my heart was pumping, a combination of his ‘cop’ demeanor, the lights and my name over a speaker was alarming. How did my morning go from an 8am Sunday yoga class to this?? The officer diligently and with assertive, cold authority gathered my info. Well, I thought, I can either sit here and get intimidated or I can actually use my voice to speak my mind and draw awareness to something that dispatcher could not have told that officer and something that probably doesn’t come up when my license is pulled.

I insisted gently yet directly my impression was that the light was yellow and to suddenly break would not have given me time to completely exit the intersection. More time to contemplate, to think or not think, while he gathered his information. More time to wait. He proceeded to his vehicle returning with a slip with some information and a tidy box for me to sign. He explained it was not an admission of guilt but rather the special document stated I agreed to show up to a court date, (on my personal time, in the middle of my summer, the only August 2009 I will have, yeah). My incredibly valuable time; I cherish that right next to water and love. So as he spoke his tone seemed to say he would express his piece and be on his way to have this dutiful protocol elsewhere.

But wait, what about what I have to say or about what wasn’t on that dispatch that is incredibly important? So, deciding to either sit on how I felt and pay a shrink a lot of money to analyze it for the next few years, I decided to cut out that middle man, save some money and use my voice. For whatever it was worth, liberating something that was in my heart that needed to be heard was worth much more. I knew there was somewhat of a risk with speaking out of turn with an officer equipped with ticketing documents and an itchy ink pen…and how unheard of it is for any positive results to come of speaking your truth to a police officer, especially in Los Angeles.

So, I told him a truth I never thought I would say out loud, especially to a stranger I had never met before, especially someone in a police uniform…but I just couldn’t hold water another minute, I had to speak out. I told him the dirty truth. I have had the shit kicked out of me when I was in in fourth grade by a Chief of Police and my family and I have taken enough hits from the ‘Boys in Blue’ and that something like being pulled over for running a yellow light is a source of frustration that I thought the officer needed to address or acknowledge. He tried to speak to me repeating the protocol language to me. Sign the form. I notified him I will sign it but that this was upsetting and a source of frustration, I too, repeated and also wrote his badge number down. He asked for the form back and I sat again in my car waiting. That is always somewhat of a ‘second strike’ sort of move. Then in my rear view I saw another police car!

Wow, I am 120lbs and fresh from yoga, and because I tell my truth a second car pulls up. Back up? Another officer arrived to the other side of my car. Hmm, in my Hybrid and in my post yoga class gear I have two police cars and lights on the original car? Adrenalin, now, and more uncertainty dance as I began to wonder if the officer was in fact fairly using the authority. As the second officer arrived I asked for his name noting his badge number and he immediately said for me to just speak to the first officer. Ok. So I did. I asked him to spell out that officers name; he also said all of the information would be on the ticket. I wrote down the name of the other officer, at this point with my own jaw tight and protocol commitment. My heart was just jumping out of my chest. As I wrote down the badge numbers I was informed a superior officer was being called and I was told if I had more to say I could say it to him. Ooookkkaaayyyyyyy. Now I was really feeling anxiety and intimidation.

All of this for a yellow light and my saying I have taken enough hits from the ‘Boys in Blue’ and had dutifully kept the dirty secret all my life, so a yellow light dispute was really not making rational sense to me to cause all of this back up from other officers. I sat waiting for the third superior officer. And I remembered, as I always secretly do, why the feeling of the unemotional authority was so incredibly overpowering and upsetting…a part of the reason I do healing work, free of charge healing sessions when I can and research wellness and healing is that I lived with a Chief of Police when I was in 3rd/4th grade who was overcome with violent, abusive tendencies of which my mother and my sister and myself suffered a great deal; fractures, welts from a black police belt which left the leather print on my tender fourth grade skin and black and blue bruises were of the measurable wounds, the worst being my school field trip to the beach and having to wear long sleeves for that very special day because I was black and blue from my neck to my back all the way down to my ankles from being assaulted in my sleep because this fake, vicious hero thought I lied about homework. This is a time in my life where I used my every effort to keeping the abuse a secret from relatives and school as I was threatened to do. So, it seems, we have child soldiers right here in America and I was one of them.

I do know now I did not come here to this earth for this toxic secret and I will not keep it ‘tidy’ for anyone anymore, that is the commitment I have to myself; this truth isn’t tidy. This is not why our children come here, to keep the nasty and dangerous, vulgar secrets of lost, angry, soulless adults who are themselves a lot of the time survivors of such assaults who lack the character to break the dangerous patterns.

The superior officer arrived. With a teary recount of the information I felt that radio dispatch system lacked, I shared with him candidly and with honest emotion about how I’ve kept my secret for the ‘Boys in Blue’ and from time to time it is overwhelming for ‘civilians like me who have been through similar circumstances’ to not feel affected by being pulled over for a yellow light, when I have done a lifetime of duty that goes on unrecognized. I also shared that to be pulled over for a yellow light and having held so much in for so long and to keep that out of the public eye to save that officers ranking and job status, including having to wear long sleeves to my beach field trip due to black and blue bruises from my neck all the way down my back. The officer seemed to take me somewhat seriously, although when I asked him to take off his glasses and step into the shade, the glasses didn’t come off but we did step in the shade. I felt I was being somewhat taken seriously and somewhat humored and also that is was a ‘tidy’ sweep just to ‘keep it moving. The truth was all that was important to me, this is a part of the job, I thought, they do theirs and I do mine. They didn’t have all of the information, which is why I felt so provoked to clear the air, but I didn’t say that. My job called me to share a perspective I felt these officers needed. I was angry, although I stated I realized the difference of good and bad officers and that despite my tears I was quite rational and a good person at that. In my book, it’s not right that in these structures, the military, the police, they are awarded for taking severe blows, boot camp and combat training and risking their lives for ‘the people’, but a voice inside of me was outraged I have never been recognized for my duty, ever awarded with decorated honors or a purple heart.

Thank God I know how to be my own hero and that I am a woman now, not a child. I know now that if you cry in front of others it’s authentic and compassionate, it no longer has to signify weakness or powerless the way women’s emotions have been labeled for so long. Actually I was strong enough to be my true self. So I stood there with my frustration and anger at having never been recognized for my duty and I shared my views. I asked the superior officer if he was interested in having the name of the officer who assaulted and threatened my family after I mentioned the precinct and he said it would not be necessary. I highlighted how important it is for police to be able to just consider what I was sharing with the people they pull over and that from ‘time to time’ they would get a civilian like me who hadn’t received any awards or recognition for their duty.

We are in a country sewing back together so much and redefining ourselves as a nation, and sometimes humanity needs to be mixed in with the protocol. I am aware of the risks of an officer and what type of alertness they have to use in every situation. I shared that I appreciated the difference between good and bad police officers and that the officer is just doing his duty, that was pretty plain to see, although I am still not sure why I needed three police officers. The superior officer told me it was just a paper and they’d like me to have a great rest of the day, please and thank you and is there anything else. I went to the original officer after I felt finished, and after focusing through my tears, I signed my name in big block letters. I told the officer through my hot cheeks and angry tears I knew he was doing his job and I much appreciated that.

He did something, that somewhat shifted the exchange. He took off his glasses and looked me in the eye. He saw me. I felt respected and seen, I saw he was not a robot. As I tried to suck in my threatening sob, I offered my hand for him to shake, and he shook it. I really needed that, to see he was a man, human. His demeanor had somewhat softened. He offered to hold traffic until I was able to pull away safely. I drove until I was out of sight and felt far enough away from them, and had a panic attack. I know as we are healing, at times, old crud surfaces from our unconscious, to our conscious…when we are able to see that…we can heal old wounds, old remnants we didn’t even know were still lurking, and understand what we need to in order to make peace where there was once perhaps a bruise or a welt or a bloody betrayal of trust.

As some sacred feedback from me to Police: Many of you are heroes but an important part of being a hero is that combination of protocol and a bit of humanity…and as for any and all officers of the law who assisted to cover crimes especially against children to protect violent offending officers, shame on you. You failed to do your duty and when your buddy needed ‘clean up’ did you know he was making death threats to a woman and two children and delivering blows that caused damage such as physical fractures, mental breakdowns, welts and bruises? Rather than being real friends you were ‘quick’ friends and took the easy way out. When a fellow officer has a violence issue I feel the Police structure needs better rehabilitation of officers that show signs of rage and violence issues. When you aid to cover up illegal cruelty, abuse and assault you break the laws of our society but you break the universal laws of spirit. To address or begin to ‘fix’ that, please take a special interest to research more about the topic of abuse, violence from the survivors perspective. There is still time to be a hero, to shift your negligence and poor and dangerous choices and do something to really help.

We all feel uncomfortable or strange when we discover domestic violence and cruelty towards children…and nobody wants to turn an outcast out of someone like this Chief of Police that was supposed to protect me when I was a young child who was lost enough to punch children as if they are adults. The agreement you make to wear a uniform and to receive special benefits and consideration covers protecting everyone and should receive special priority over protecting someone who is likely to offend, assault and injure again and again behind closed doors. Your ‘clean up’ is not nearly done. That violent person went on to adopt, I wonder if that little boy was a tolerant or as good at keeping secrets, and if he’s been awarded or rewarded for that tolerance and commitment to secrecy.

My wisdom tells me that when we travel beyond guilt, there is left the inspiration to make a difference…this is what separates the uniformed boys from the men. Imagine how many youths you impact with your presence, that have gone through something similar…now imagine they don’t have as high a tolerance as I do to hold this ugly secret in…hence violent reactions to feeling cornered and profiled when they may have also been reacting to what isn’t on that dispatch about their personal history. I understand that vilifying all police because of a certain few who abuse their authority and power won’t create awareness and positive changes. This is the feedback and perspective I think can help as someone who survived this type of trauma and domestic assault at a precious and early age.

So, I will absolutely be in attendance to this court date; it symbolizes my ability to confront the truth with authenticity, rationality and flexibility, power and the wisdom of just being me. Too many women and children have kept this secret… Where are our kudos for our duties to this nation, our awards and respectful acknowledgment for getting kicked around and treated like we were at war, like we were the enemy? Long after those bruises and welts healed on my physical body, I am wondering where is my purple heart…after someone like me ‘stuffs it in’ for everyone else to feel safe, secure and enjoy a false sense that everything is ok…and as long as nobody has to hear the eerie, upsetting details of what is really going on behind closed doors.

My mission and my message in this life is for people to find their way to hope, clarity, safety and deep healing and joy. I have and still I find cherished enlightenment in each day. The shamanic healing work is incredibly invaluable for me. When you have ceremony in your life, and loved one’s committed to your highest wellness, you feel a sense of support on a deeper level, a connection to something greater than our man made equipment, definitions and structures…that very much helped me maintain perspective during my post-yoga-yellow-light dispute with the three officers. As I am sitting here writing, I smile and remember the awards, the kind we most cherish, come from our own achievements and milestones, one’s only we can establish and measure. I happily just added the discoveries I made today, the choices, to my list of things in my life that make me proud to be me. A baby smiled at me today, I ate the best raw food at farmer’s market, I talked to a dear friend from the fourth grade about her daughter’s dance recital, and I got a personal silk screening lesson from an awesome designer. This is me saying yes to the good schtuff.

This account was written by Kahshanna Evans, producer of Amani. For more information about Amani, please watch the video below or visit http://www.indiegogo.com/Amani

Amani, A Short Film Written by Kahshanna Evans from Kahshanna Evans on Vimeo.

If you’ve never had a chance to see Wim Wenders’ Wings of Desire, you owe it to yourself to rent it. You may miss some of the visual wonder that Wenders is so well known for (unless you have a big screen), but you will get a compelling vision of our interaction with angels, whose endless task is to witness and record the transcendent moments in humans’ lives.

Unable to act on our physical plane, but committed to intercede and attempt to uplift us with hope whenever possible, these angels find themselves at odds with humans’ ability to remain ignorant of the spirit realm, yet intrigued by our resilience and capabilities. To see into our hearts and minds, and recognize the spark of divinity robed in a body, is so emotionally compelling that these angels find themselves craving the human experience.

After 10,000 years of remove, what would it be to smoke a cigarette and have a cup of coffee, to breathe fresh air, to kiss or make love? In Wenders’ world, the question is enough to drive many an angel to trade in his wings for a go at temporal life, and find that many of us have done the same already.

As usual, Wenders illuminates the human experience brilliantly, its heights and depths, longings and loss, triumph and tenderness. Through the gritty lens of Berlin, Wings of Desire captures the spirit of humanity so beautifully that one could have concede one’s divinity for a taste of it. *****

This article is a Guest Post from Sheldon Norberg. Sheldon Norberg is the author of Healing Houses, which details his two decades as a professional psychic focused on healing houses where the death, disease, or trauma of a prior owner left not only ghosts, but rationally inexplicable phenomena, and physically palpable sensations for his clients to live with.

        This article is a Guest Post written by Barbara Richardson, author of Guest House. 

        What is Your Favorite Spiritual Movie?

      I’m going out on a ledge here. When asked  “What is your favorite spiritual movie?” I have to admit a gaping chasm opened, and hence the ledge in front of me. Moviemakers don’t often grapple with how their films can suggest the profoundly wonderful.

        So I gave myself time. And while my own inquiring mind circled back, I asked friends the same question. What is your favorite spiritual movie? The first person said without any hesitation, “Midnight Cowboy.” Which makes me want to see this film again! A friend of hers said, “The Big Lebowski.” Goodness, people are interesting.
 

        I read lists of spiritual movies online, to see if that would inspire. The obvious titles don’t stir me. So the next question became, “What is spiritual?” I believe the answer is another question: “What moves you beyond yourself?”

        In this spirit, a few movies have come to mind. “Enchanted April,” in which four soggy disillusioned British women choose love. In Italy. And I don’t mean escapist love. They take their dreary lives and infuse new life into them. They make what they have bloom. (I am strongly influenced in this by Elizabeth von Arnim’s great novel Enchanted April. Some call it fluff, but I would ask them to take their dreary lives and embrace them into beauty.)

        “Wit,” a one-woman show starring Emma Thompson, requires no distractions and allows for none. The entire movie takes place in a hospital room. An academic is dying of ovarian cancer, accompanied mainly by her own clear memories of her life and all its distances. An unflinching overview of a life, given final “simplicity and kindness.” This film will move you beyond your everyday self.

        But I am choosing “Ponette,” a quiet French film featuring a four-year-old girl coming to grips with the death of her mother. Transcendent in the most grounded way. You will see life through Ponette’s eyes.

       What movies do you value as spiritual pole stars? What leads you beyond yourself? What lifts you out of worldly constraints awhile? Let us know, and we’ll tune in!

This guest post is brought to you by Thea Westra – and she needs your help! Please vote for her in the Next Top Spiritual Author competition by visiting http://www.budurl.com/NextTopAuthor – you’ll even be sent several special free gifts after you vote!

Dream Beyond The Common Order Of Things
by Thea Westra – www.selfimprovementplus.com

I heard that line – dream beyond the common order of things – in an advertisement for tea, of all places. Yet the words jumped out at me like a vivid memory. I know that I have had many times in my life when I have created things bigger than I thought I knew how to achieve, and personally produced results that even left me in a state of bewilderment about what was possible for my life.

Have you ever experienced those moments? They are well worth revisiting and building on. They are your key to producing such results again, if you still have some more big dreams to accomplish. If you have achieved something in your past, it means that you can achieve it (or something similar), again in the future. You now have the tools you need, and cellular memory of what it takes to create anything outside of yourself.

This article lists a few of the thoughts that came up for me as I recalled a few monumental achievements in my own life, and I write them here with the intention of making a difference to the life of somebody else, who may read these words.

These pointers, about living out your dreams, are not in any particular priority order. They are simply a collection of random thoughts that I know to be true, about accomplishing large goals.

If you have a massive goal and you are continually procrastinating, perhaps this is indicative of a misalignment somewhere in your life. Is there something that is not in integrity with who you believe yourself to be, or is there something for which you haven’t forgiven yourself. Those are the areas that must first be cleared up, to enable forward movement.

At some stage, when you notice that the goal you have created is not for you, then at very least do it for others. Create a purpose outside of yourself, if your own is not yet strong enough. You will build the muscles you need as you step forward. Collect all the crutches you can until you have generated some personal momentum. Soon the goal will again be yours and will no longer feel foreign to you.

Build in structures and systems that keep the dream alive over extended periods of time. Add props like quotes, images and posters in your daily surrounds. Have pop up messages on your computer, use the screensaver area on your screens, and add material to inspire you. Include supportive friends who know about your intentions, so they will ask you about it each time you speak. Ask for lots and lots of help with all the things about which you do not yet have enough knowledge. Hear the voices of experience around you.

Dreams need wheels, foundations, and time lines. Begin incorporating daily actions and habits to move you forward. Set up files, folders, calendars and other structures for being able to immediately collect material and information that you need for your projects. Set short and long-term timelines for specific phases, and for specific completion points. Then live your days toward those dates of completion, and targets that are easily measured.

Have big reasons for wanting to achieve the results you declare. Make these reasons large enough and truly heartfelt, so that they ignite passion and strong emotion behind your dreams. You need to always be able to instantly get in touch with wonderfully powerful feelings about your dream goals. Those emotions will inspire consistent action and will inspire others around you. You will need those inspired friends on the days you feel a bit too flat for taking action.

Reach for those stars, there is no mud up there. Keep your eyes focused on the end prize, in fact, a little way beyond where you say you want to be by a particular time. If you shoot a bit beyond the desired end result, then you are sure to arrive at your intended destination.

Decisions must be made. A real decision is measured by the fact that you have taken a new action. If there is no action, then you really have not decided. Check in with yourself. Have you honestly made a decision regarding your dream? If not, then make one. Either completely drop the goal or get on ahead full-steam with it.

Never use time as your excuse. Wedge dream projects into your current lifestyle, and commitments. Even if you crawl forward at ten minutes each day, do something every day toward that end goal. When you go to sleep each day, rest yourself in the knowledge that you have done something that day, to move you closer to your dream. At some time during every day, put one foot in front of the other toward that dream. Slow is better than never.

Build on positive results, and create some wins for yourself. Each time you win a little victory over yourself, you create impetus for moving forward even more. It helps you to grow, and become the person you must become for having that dream live for you. There will be changes, this is inevitable when working toward a big dream and when growing into the person who is to fit such a large dream. Allow, accept and actively encourage that level of personal growth.

All the points listed above are by no means a comprehensive collection, or a complete formula for success. They are purely a few things to consider and check in with, if you are up to some big things in your life. Throughout them all is the common thread of managing yourself. Watch the language you use, and how you speak with yourself. Live with awareness and recognize the many faces of fear. Continue to build harmony in your every day living. Never lose touch with the miracle and dream life that you already live. Inhale gratitude with every breath. You have today as a gift, now go spend it!

This guest post is brought to you by Thea Westra – and she needs your help! Please vote for her in the Next Top Spiritual Author competition by visiting http://www.budurl.com/NextTopAuthor – you’ll even be sent several special free gifts after you vote!

Education and Fulfillment
Finding your path: A Huna perspective
By Matthew B. James

I have a cousin who chose to become a carpenter rather than going to college. Fortunately for him and those who benefit from his beautiful work, he did not heed the many family members who told him he would fail and never make money without a college degree.

Once while he was on vacation he came to my home in Hawaii. It was hot. At the time the only air conditioning I could afford was a window unit, but I had no window to put one in.

My cousin took one look around and said “I can put it in this wall.” He went out, bought a saw, cut a hole and installed my air conditioner — on his vacation. After that, my whole house was cool.

Since then he has built an extension onto my stepfather’s home that looks better than original parts of the house. My cousin pursued his passion, and now he makes more money than most of my other cousins.

It is great that he is financially successful as a contractor. But more important to me, he is fulfilled. My cousin comes home each day from doing what he loves. You can’t put a price on that.

Huna, the traditional Hawaiian philosophy of my lineage, teaches we will know we have found our true path when it resonates with our spirit, Your vocation is no longer work. It transcends a job or career. It is who you are.

In Huna, you are what is known as “pono.” This word does not have a direct English translation, but loosely translates to being “right” — not as in I am right and you are wrong, but right with yourself and others. When you are pono with yourself, it is a sign you are on your path.

I am not saying that everyone should skip college and learn a trade instead. As an educator and trainer, holding a doctorate in psychology has opened doors for me and expanded the knowledge base from which I teach.

My studies gave me theories but not actual tools for helping other people. The techniques I teach that allow people to create shift in their lives come from Huna, an indigenous system that dates back thousands of years in Hawaii.

One example is a psychiatrist who attended my trainings and has since become a good friend. After decades working in the prison system, he told me he is seeing results in the prisoners he works with as a result of his training in Huna.

Among the many teachings of Huna is the importance of finding your path. So how do you know if you have found yours?

For one thing, work will not seem like work. I have students who ask me how I can teach eight, nine or 10 hours and come back the next day with more energy. And I look at them and say, this is not work to me. It is not something I have to put a lot of effort or energy into. Instead, it energizes me.

In contrast, if you are pursuing a vocation or career that is not your path, you will only be able to do it for so long before you burn out, no matter how good the money, perks or prestige.

If you are not doing what you love, it will not resonate with your soul. Everything trickles down — spiritual, mental, emotional, physical. And at some point you will just say “I can’t do this any more.”

This is why I have seen people walk away from some of the most amazing high-paying jobs. Other people ask “why did you do that?” It didn’t resonate.

So what does this mean for our kids as they head back to school? Not that we try to dissuade them from getting a good education. I have a 10-year-old son and a daughter soon to be 3 and I absolutely will encourage them to go to college.

I will also tell them not to confuse their education with their path. An education, no matter how good it is, can put you into a box if you begin to think your academic learning is superior to other people’s practical life experience.

As our kids and other loved ones head back to school, be it elementary or graduate school, we should find out what they love and cultivate that, accepting them for who they are. If they are pursuing their path, they will find happiness, fulfillment and purpose.

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About the Author:

Matthew B. James, Ph.D., international trainer, lecturer and educator, is President of American Pacific University and the Empowerment Partnership. His work is dedicated to created personal transformation by teaching Huna, the ancient science of consciousness and energy healing, using cutting edge therapeutic techniques. To contact Dr. James, please email him at info@Huna.com To learn more, visit www.Huna.com.