In the interview below, Gregg Braden discusses different modalities of prayer.  He says that one type of prayer that he has seen first-hand produce amazing results is feeling prayer.  Feeling prayer is a method where a person feels what it will be like when they experience their desired outcome. 

For example, he recounts a story about a friend of his who is a Native American who used this type of prayer to make it rain.  The Native American’s communitiy had been in the middle of a severe drought.  Gregg met with the man in the middle of his community to help him pray for rain.  To Gregg’s surprise, no words were spoken and no rituals were undertaken.  Gregg asked the man what he was doing and he explained that he was feeling rain.  He was feeling the rain falling on him and his land.  He was smelling the smell of rain and seeing it fall to the ground.  The next day there was a huge rainfall.  This story does not prove that this type of prayer was the cause behind the rain.  However, the correlation is so high that statistics would suggest it was likely a cause.

Gregg recounts other studies regarding this type of prayer in the video below:

One is a documentary that asks life’s ultimate questions to a broad cross-section of humanity including Father Thomas Keating, Ram Das, Deepak Chopra, Barbara-Marx Hubbard and Father Richard Rohr.  The movie has played in sold-out theaters on six different continents and at universities such as Harvard, Yale and Notre Dame. 

The filmmaker, Ward Powers, who happens to be a lawyer, created One: The Project due to the international interest of One.  One: The Project is a coming together of people seeking to increase awareness of the connections we all share, remind us of our similarities, celebrate our differences and allow the positive energy of Oneness to energize in a seemingly disconnected world.  Material from this project has been used by General Motors and Comerica as part of its management training programs.

The filmmaker recently released unseen video clips from the movie.  Below is a clip from Father Richard Rohr explaining what he would tell the world if he only had one minute left to get a message out. 

The Dhamma Brothers is a documentary about an overcrowded maximum-security prison in Alabama that offers an ancient meditation retreat to its prisoners as part of their rehabilitation.  The film features inmates who are serving life sentences without parole at the Donaldson Correctional Facility.  They are given the option of participating in an emotionally and physically demanding course of silent meditation lasting 10 days.  The participants are some of the state’s most dangerous criminals battling life-long demons.  Most of them are highly skeptical of the meditation retreat.  Additionally, many of guards question why the controversial retreat should be allowed for such violent offenders in the first place.

Scott Harshbarger, former Attorney General of Massachusetts, gave his thoughts about the movie when he said, “Through the film we realize that inmates can accept responsiblity for serious crimes, and attempt to engage in personal change even though it will not enable them to be released.”

The trailer for The Dhamma Brothers is below:

Earth Cinema Circle recently celebrated its first anniversary.  According to its spokesperson, Ed Begley Jr., Earth Cinema Circle is an informative, earth-friendly film club. 

The films for this volumn include Fridays at the Farm, which is about supporting a local neighborhood farm, Coffee to Go, a movie about buying free trade coffee, Flow:For Love of Water, a film about water conservation and Pollen Nation.

The trailers for these films are all contained in the video clip below:

Fields of Fuel is a documentary that offers a practical solution to the economic and energy crisis facing America.  The filmmaker Josh Tickell, author of Biodiesel America-How to Achieve Energy Security, Free America from Middle-East Oil Dependence and Make Money Growing Fuel, believes biofuel is the best alternative energy source for America to pursue.  There are appearances in the movie by Richard Branson, Sheryl Crow, Woody Harrelson, Willy Nelson and Julia Roberts.  The film received 11 standing ovations at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. 

Tickell explains how the energy crisis in America today has economic, natonal security, environmental and spiritual implications.  If America pursues its own domestic sources of energy, such as biofuel, the more jobs and money will be generated in America and less money will go to support Middle-East governments with ties to terrorist organizations.  This will give the United States more independence and leverage in foreign policy issues.  Further, by reducing fossil fuel use and pollution, America can be seen as a leader in the green-movement.  Spiritually, these practices are in alignment with the belief of respecting the Earth and preserving our natural resources.  Fields of Fuel examines the connection among these pressing issues.  The trailer for it is below.

The popular memoir, Eat Pray Love, is being adapted into a movie starring Julia Roberts and produced by Brad Pitt.  In the memoir, Elizabeth Gilbert moves to the suburbs of New York to get pregnant only to realize that is not what she really wanted.  After a painful divorce, Gilbert takes a journey of self-discovery around the world to Italy, India and Indonesia.  She says her experience taught her the importance of saying no to other people and taking time for ourself even if it is just for a few minutes a day.  Below is a video clip of Gilbert discussing what else she learned with a book club.

The Heartland Film Festival starts this weekend in Indianapolis.  This festival is devoted to Truly Moving Pictures and films that inspire.  It was started 16 years ago and has grown in prestige.  Last year 600 films were submitted and only 25 were selected.  A couple years ago the winning film, August Rush, starred Robin Williams.  This year marks the first time a major studio has had its North American premiere in Indianapolis with the film The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.  The movie tells the story of the Holocaust from the perspective of a German boy who doesn’t realize Jews in a nearby concentration camp are prisoners.

The clip below is an interview with Heartland’s president Jeff Sparks taken from a local news show.  The first two minutes of the clip are a bit of sketch comedy and the last few minutes is a substantive interview with the President and Director of Operations of the Heartland Film Festival.

The latest docu-drama about how to achieve wealth and happiness is Quest for Success.  This movie stands out because it stars todays leading business and spiritual leaders including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Sir Richard Branson, the Dalai Lama, Marci Shimoff, Jack Canfield and Russell Simmons.  Lili Fournier, producer of the award winning Quest series on PBS, is one of the creators of the movie.  The trailer is below.

Fireproof is proof that a faith-based movie on a low budget can reach a wide audience and perform well at the box office.  The surprise hit this fall stars former teen idol, Kirk Cameron, and is about a firefighter fighting to save his marriage.  Although a limited release of 839 screens, the movie performed well enough to finish 4th at the box office and earned an estimated 13.6 million.  This isn’t bad considering the budget was only $500,000 and the cast consists primarily of volunteers from a local church. 

The creators, Alex and Stephen Kendrick said they prayed to God for an idea that would impact the culture.  The idea for Fireproof came to Alex when he was jogging.  The message that he tried to convey is that marriage is worth fighting for even when faced with “fire”.  Cameron says,  “This is a movie that gives people hope that they can save their marriages — that love in the end won’t fail- if you pour your heart and your time and your energy into things that really matter.”

You can watch the trailer below.

In The Peaceful Warrior movie, Nick Nolte plays Socrates, one of the main characters who represents the ultimate mentor.  The movie is based on a true story, but many of the scenes cause the viewer to wonder if what they were watching actually took place.  In the link to the video below, Dan Millman discusses his interaction with the real Socrates.  Millman says that Socrates really does exists.  He met him at a Texaco gas station at 3:00 in the morning when he was in college.  If that isn’t a twist of fate, then I don’t know what is.  Millman never to my knowledge has revealed Socrates true identity.  Although probably more important than Socrates’ true identity, is the archetype of teacher that he embodies.  Every person needs a mentor.  Some people find a guru in their Higher Self and others seek out actual teachers at various stages throughout their life.  The video clip below is an enlightening analysis of Dan Millman’s interaction with his mentor, Socrates.

http://www.danmillman.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=69&Itemid=69