THE MOVIE MYSTIC
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by Stephen Simon 
So, it has already begun. The drumbeat of doom and gloom about the so-called end of the Mayan Calendar in December, 2012 can now be heard, seen, and read with increasing frequency in all forms of media. Apocalyptic books about 2012 are on publishing schedules worldwide. Networks are preparing documentaries and series about the "end times." A recent search of www.imdb.com, the movie business go-to website for past, present, and future films, lists some upcoming titles in just 2009 and 2010: NOSTRADAMUS: 2012; 2012:THE EARTH WAS NO MORE; 2012: THE WAR FOR SOULS, and my personal favorite title so far: 2012:THE DAY THE EARTH BENT OVER. And we still have 2011 and 2012 to go! An entire industry is being fashioned around that December, 2012 date, almost all of which is designed to worry, terrify, and depress as many people as possible. To which I have the following three responses: (1) Phooey! (2) Your electricity and credit card bills will still have to be paid in January, 2013, so please don't assume otherwise. (3) There is one new film, 2012: SCIENCE OR SUPERSTITION that puts all of this fear mongering in the proper perspective. The millions of us who have made a commitment in this lifetime to evolution and hope, rather than despair and destruction, must now be vocal and steadfast. If we're right, and I personally know we are, we can help ease the fear for so many others who truly do fear that the world will physically end in 2012. If we're wrong, and they're right, they can scold us when we all pass over together in whatever cataclysm descends upon us. But, don't count on that fire and brimstone moment and, for goodness sakes, please don't bet on it, financially or otherwise. As I said above, there are a whole lot of people who are going to be shocked to see that the outer appearance of life is going to look awfully similar in January 2013 as it did the month before. Remember the last "disaster" moment of Y2K? New Year's Eve of 1999, or was it 2000? People who awakened on January 1, 2000 to find that Hal of 2001: A Space Odyssey had not become the ruler of the world, then told us that the next New Year's Eve, 2000, would be the moment of mayhem. Well, unless you drank too much on December 31, 2000, or had a terrible date or something, January 1, 2001, looked pretty much the same as the day before. That is one reason why I so passionately recommend 2012: SCIENCE OR SUPERSTITION. This wonderful documentary calmly and accurately explains all the theories that have led some people to believe that the end-times are near. The extraordinary author Graham Hancock is an integral aspect of the film and deservedly so. Hancock's epic book Fingerprints of the Gods features the best explanations of flood myths, equinox mysteries, extraterrestrial astronomy, etc. In the film, Hancock and many others patiently illuminate all of the underpinnings of the 2012 phenomenon. They show, with clarity and insight, that there is no reason for us to assume that our outer, physical world is coming to an end in 2012. There is at least as much evidence, if not more, that the 2012 phenomenon bespeaks an inner, spiritual demarcation point for humanity. And that is the crucial distinction that those of us who believe in the manifest destiny of human evolution must champion as we approach December 2012. (The film will, by the way, be the feature selection that we send to all the members of the Spiritual Cinema Circle in July of this year.) THE CHOICE IS OURS AND OURS ALONE. We indeed can choose light over darkness, evolution over destruction, and enlightenment over extinction. This is our exquisite moment. We have the power now to assure not only our survival but also the manifestation of our most profound dreams for our species. I choose the light and invite you to stand with me. Stephen Simon co-founded www.spiritualcinemacircle.com. He produced WHAT DREAMS MAY COME and SOMEWHERE IN TIME and directed and produced the film version of CONVERSATIONS WITH GOD. For more information on the 2012 phenomenon, please see our 2008 Winter issue of the Door Opener Magazine which contains many articles on the topic. SPIRITUAL CINEMA CIRCLESUMMER BLOCKBUSTERS KICK OFF May is the traditional start of the summer blockbuster season and although they aren't exactly spiritual there are two big ones that are at least metaphysical. First up is Ron Howard directing Tom Hanks in ANGELS AND DEMONS, the prequel to THE DA VINCI CODE that will be released on May 15. Hanks' Robert Langdon must deal with a plot by the Illuminati. The story takes place in Rome and the Vatican and is again a nonstop, action-packed hunt through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals, and even to the heart of the most secretive vault on earth. The script does some rewrite so the book prequel becomes a movie sequel. This will be followed by the sixth chapter in the Harry Potter series, HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE, which opens July 15. This was supposed to be released last November but Warner Brothers postponed it, perhaps so it wouldn't compete with TWILIGHT. Anyway, it should be good viewing - if we can only remember all the details of the first 5 movies. The first one came out in 2001 and the series will conclude in 2011. THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT This film is a true (sort of, maybe) Connecticut story of a family forced to relocate near a clinic where their teenage son was being treated for cancer. The family begins experiencing violent, supernatural events that the parents first blame on stress from the illness, but they later discover that their new home is a former mortuary with a dark past. The film, mostly filmed in Canada, was released earlier this spring to only fair reviews. The current owner of the house in Southington has been haunted by the media and the curious. Residents of the home are now finding it difficult to carry on with their daily activities without running into someone looking around from across the street, hoping to catch a glimpse of the atrocities that supposedly lie inside. If you choose to make the trek to the Southington home, you may be disappointed as all you'll find is a quiet neighborhood and a family much too eager to claim that the only things they find going bump in the night are annoying thrill-seekers. JAMES TWYMAN'S THE PROOF James Twyman has put together an interesting video that you can view for free on the Internet. In it he tries to prove that separation really is an illusion by having a woman hide a book anywhere in the continental US, then attempts to find the book using only his intuition. Obviously he succeeds. Was it a trick or a real demonstration of the inherent powers each one of us possess? Both James and the woman were subjected to and passed professional lie detector tests which he says provides conclusive evidence that neither lied when they said that the experiment was above board and demonstrated authentic intuitive skill. Twyman feels anyone can master the same skill and has put together a course to teach it. "The reason I did this was to show how we can all tap into our hidden intuition to create miracles," he said. "I can teach anyone how to do this. Two weeks ago I did a retreat and in two hours taught everyone how to find a hidden object by having another person simply think about its location. Each one of them were successful! That's why I think this film is so important, because it shows how powerful we all are and how tapping into this power can change the world." James wanted to present the idea and experience of Oneness in a creative way, and this is the result. To see the entire 20 minute film, visit www.jamestwyman.com/The_Proof.html. FOOD MATTERS FOOD MATTERS is a hard hitting, fast paced look at our current state of health. Despite the billions of dollars of funding and research into new so-called cures, we continue to suffer from a raft of chronic ills and every day maladies. Patching up an over-toxic and over-indulgent population with a host of toxic therapies and nutrient sparse foods is definitely not helping the situation. Add on the high demands made upon our already over-burdened health care system and it's little wonder that doctors and health care practitioners have less and less time to teach people about how to eat and live well, precisely the information that could prevent people from being there in the first place. FOOD MATTERS hosts several world leaders in nutrition and natural healing who claim that not only are we harming our bodies with improper nutrition, but that the right kind of foods, supplements and detoxification can be used to treat chronic illnesses as fatal as terminally diagnosed cancer. The film sets about uncovering the trillion dollar worldwide sickness industry and points out that not every problem requires costly, major medical attention and reveals many alternative therapies that can be more effective, more economical and less harmful than conventional medical treatments. See www.foodmatters.tv. The Spiritual Cinema column is written by Jon Roe, who can be reached at (860) 875-4101 or Jon.Roe@comcast.net. He publishes the Conscious CT website (www.consciousct.org), which focuses on holistic activity East of the River in the Hartford area. The website includes a Spiritual Cinema section (www.consciousct.org/spirituality/movies.htm) with information that supplements this column. |