From the Arts Department

Movies and Humanity’s Mystical Journey

By Dennis Kwiatkowski

From the Arts Department Movies and Humanity’s Mystical Journey By Dennis Kwiatkowski Many decades ago, when George Lucas’ Star Wars and Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T. opened in movie theaters, an author stated that thereMany decades ago, when George Lucas’ Star Wars and Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T. opened in movie theaters, an author stated that there seemed to be a Cosmic hand guiding these films in introducing metaphysical concepts and ideas to the mass consciousness.

The idea of The Force as the mystical energy underlying and uniting all things in Star Wars, the psychic connections with other forms of life and intuitive inspiration in Close Encounters and E.T. suggested to people that we are more than just our outer selves. Along with Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (a huge influence on Spielberg and Lucas) with its mystical God-concept and transformative journey of exploration, it became apparent that films could be powerful in seeding ideas that the soul understood and which would later bear fruit as humanity evolved.

During the past couple of weeks, two Hollywood films have opened in theaters worldwide which have been so strongly embraced by audiences that it has caught the film industry by surprise. One of these films is the enormously popular Jurassic World (a sequel to Steven Spielberg’s original Jurassic Park [1993]). The new film, Jurassic World, is poised to become the third highest-grossing film in history.

Leaving aside the fact that the last film in the Jurassic Park series was 14 years ago, and the first was 22 years ago (both numbers close to multiples of 7 year cycles—a technique the Disney studios used over the decades by successfully re-releasing their film classics every 7 years) there are certain resonances that are contributing to Jurassic World’s success.

The themes of the Jurassic films are the same—human arrogance, hubris toward and tampering with nature, the distraction of runaway technology, unexamined actions which fail to consider consequences, the attempt to be in control, disconnection from our inner natures, corporate and military exploitation, lack of respect for nature and life, etc. But this latest film, Jurassic World, also contains the original film’s additional themes of childlike innocence, reverence for life, wonder and awe.

Also included in the new film is composer John Williams’ grand and moving Jurassic Park theme music—depicting the majesty of Nature, with a secondary theme of adventure and triumph. The use of this music evokes memories of other Williams’ scores for Spielberg and Lucas (E. T., Close Encounters, Star Wars, Indiana Jones) with the result that the film’s music and undercurrents resonate with the mystical elements and sense of adventure and discovery in all those other films.

And what seemed to be science fiction in the first Jurassic Park seems more like human reality today. The growth in consciousness that has taken place in intervening decades as well as the developments in science and technology allows modern audiences to see the truth of the movie’s themes more clearly—to see through the pretense of arguments and ideas that are destructive in their effects and out of tune with who we really are. The new film’s emphasis on communication with animals also reflects that more and more, people are having a realization of our connection with the animal kingdom and the harmony of all life.

The other film which is surprising Hollywood by the warm reception it is receiving in theaters is the animated film Inside Out which depicts the inner and outer experiences of a young girl as her emotional states of joy, fear, anger, disgust and sadness vie for dominance when her life is disrupted by a move to a new city. Imaginative and bold as a film, the title, Inside Out says it all—what is going on inside us is what we experience in the outside world. This more recent philosophical concept– exploring our inner world instead of the outer–is also impacting humanity on a deep level.

And even a film like the new Mad Max: Fury Road, which one might think is the usual summer testosterone movie, displays poetic artistry, classic silent film technique, and most importantly, strongly weaves into its story the balancing aspect of the feminine principle as hope for the resolution of many societal problems.

The soul understands what it sees on screen in all of these films—awareness has continued to grow within—and people are on the cusp of the next adventure in our evolution. Because of growing attunement, society is more ready than ever to face and grapple with the deeper issues of who we really are, how we are treating each other, our obligations in expressing ourselves, and what is going on inside of us.

This growth, struggle and discovery is reflected in recent Supreme Court decisions on health care and human rights, conversations about the motivation connected with the use of a flag symbol, the root causes of violence—and other related topics. Motion pictures, when they are made with artistry and integrity, can also make a positive contribution to our evolving societal discussion.

May we see the Cosmic influx continuing to inspire artists and people everywhere—externalizing its vibration into manifestations of increasing clarity, spiritual connectivity, wonder, discovery, harmony and soul discernment of the adventure and joy of life.