By Stephen Simon

If the lines this past weekend are any indication, this is an incredible movie.  It definitely on our must see list, along with Clint Eastwood’s Invictus.

     Landmark films literally change the face of the art form itself and are rare indeed.  THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, the first big hit silent film; THE JAZZ SINGER, the first talking film; THE WIZARD OF OZ, the first huge family film; JAWS, the first summer blockbuster; STAR WARS, the first science fiction epic of the new technology era; and now AVATAR.

     AVATAR is simply unlike any other film ever made. The experience of AVATAR in 3D is a glimpse into the potential of film to literally immerse the viewer in the story.  We actually materialize in the on screen world.  Even more amazingly, the spirituality of the story of AVATAR is on a par with its technology. We truly aren’t in Kansas anymore, Toto.  We’re on Pandora.

     Pandora is the distant planet on which AVATAR plays out.  Humans have come to Pandora to mine the most valuable mineral in the universe.  Standing in their way are the N’avi, Pandora’s blue, 10 foot tall, deeply spiritual, indigenous race.  To infiltrate the N’avi, humans create biological avatars of the N’avi into whom the consciousness of human beings can be transferred.  The avatars can then interact with the N’avi, even though the N’avi can easily detect the difference.  One particular human marine is sent in as an avatar and falls in love with a N’avi, ultimately transforming both himself and the world around him.

     The spiritual metaphors of AVATAR are truly dazzling.  Aren’t all of us as humans truly avatars? Spiritual beings inhabiting human bodies that our consciousness adopts as a temporary home while our spirits evolve.

     The N’avi are a deeply spiritual race, fiercely devoted to family and their environment, choosing mates for life and worshiping the beauty and power of their natural world. “We are all one” is taken to its highest zenith on Pandora. Not only are the N’avi connected to each other, but also they have learned a way to bond, both physically and spiritually, with the magical and glorious creatures of Pandora. Furthermore, all of nature itself on Pandora is connected in a very tangible and communicable way, something that humans encounter in the denouement of the film.

     Nothing can prepare you for the visual and visceral wonder of visiting Pandora in 3D. Fortunately, the film uses none of the old and cheap 3D tricks of scaring you out of your seat with arrows or bullets coming straight at you. You just feel like reaching out and touching the wonders of Pandora.

     The genius behind Pandora is writer/director James Cameron, whose last film, TITANIC, became the highest grossing film in history. As in TITANIC, Cameron gives us a magical love story in AVATAR, tender and fierce, loving and comical, challenging and engrossing. Cameron has here mastered a new 3D technology that literally catapults us into a new era of film wherein we as viewers truly inhabit a whole new world.

     Cameron also created the TERMINATOR films and, unfortunately, the final confrontation between the N’avi and the marauding humans is quite violent, as are some earlier sequences.  For that reason, I do want to warn those of you who are sensitive to violence on screen that AVATAR very well might be a bridge too far for you.  Normally, my wife and I feel the same way but we were so immersed in the drama and wonder of the story that we made it through the violent scenes of the film, knowing that the spirituality and goodness of the N’avi would ultimately rule the day. (Not to be a spoiler, it does).  Still, I would be remiss in not waving a caution flag about the violence in the film.  It’s there and it’s significant.

     The violence aside, AVATAR has birthed a new method of movie storytelling.  Some day, the technology of AVATAR will be used (sans violence) by filmmakers to take us much further into the spiritual journey of our souls.  Into the dreams, we call illusion and the illusions we call reality.  Into the awe and wonder of this majestic, mysterious, and mystical adventure that we call life.  Into a new world of Spiritual Cinema. And we will look back and thank James Cameron for bringing this new vision to us for the first time.

     See AVATAR in 3D while it is still in theaters.  You just may want to be able to tell your children and grandchildren that you were there when everything changed.

(Stephen Simon produced SOMEWHERE IN TIME and WHAT DREAMS MAY COME.  He produced and directed INDIGO and CONVERSATIONS WITH GOD and co-founded www.spiritualcinemacircle.com).

by Arielle Ford
Arielle Ford is one of our favorite guest writers.  She has been a friend of Dr Wayne Dyers for year.  This is an interview she did recently with him after the release of his movie, The Shift.

Dr. Wayne Dyer, who is affectionately called the “father of motivation” by his fans, began his career as an author in the early 1970’s by traveling the country alone and selling his first book, Your Erroneous Zones, from the trunk of his car. That book went on to sell more than 30 million copies, and became the best selling book of the 1970’s.
Despite a childhood spent in orphanages and foster homes, he has overcome many obstacles to make his dreams come true. Today, he spends much of his time showing others how to do the same.
As an internationally renowned author and speaker in the field of self-development, he has written more than 30 books, 18 of which have been national bestsellers. Several of his books have been featured as PBS specials, which has resulted in raising over $150 million for national public television.
There is now a film that encompasses his core teachings, The Shift, which is available through www.SpiritualCinemaCircle.com.  Dr. Dyer appears as himself, along with a star-studded cast.   In The Shift we discover that every life has a turning point, a shift, a choice to make about what really matters.

AF: What’s the most important, life-changing thing that you’d like people to walk away with after seeing this film?
WD: That everyone has a dharma, a destiny, a “calling of the soul.”  Every bird, every tree, every person comes into this world with something it is destined to do.  All of the creatures on the planet don’t get confused about this. They are what they are.
Human beings, because they take on a false self, or ego, start to believe that what they do or what they have defines them.  The Shift illustrates that when you are at peace and you let go, you will be guided into your dharma.  You will be living a life of meaning rather than ambition.  That is the “shift.”
AF: What’s a memory that stands out about the making of the movie?
WD: At one point, after I had done a scene many times, I realized that I was trying too hard.  I was trying to be an actor and remember my lines.  Then I remembered that the words in the script were guidelines.  I just needed to be myself.  At that moment, the movie shifted from being a trial to allowing myself to just be me.
AF: What are some of your all-time favorite movies that have touched or inspired you?
WD: My very favorite is Déjà Vu by Henry Jaglom (featured in Spiritual Cinema Circle’s Vol. 10 – 2007) I’ve seen it 50 times.  This film opens up all the possibilities about life, love and fate — you begin to realize that this universe has endless possibilities.  Brother Sun, Sister Moon, the story of St. Francis of Assisi is my second favorite movie.  I also loved Forrest Gump and A Man for All Seasons.
AF: You’ve recently been diagnosed with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia.  What can you share about this experience?
WD: When you come into this world with big dharma, you get big challenges.  This is just another one of them.  As a child I lived in an orphanage.  My parents left me when I was little.  My wife left me.  I have had serious addictions in my life that I have let go of.  I will be able to understand it, make it work for me, and help other people.  I haven’t judged it or been angry with it.  I am not worried about healing it.  I am working to live with it.  I think when you fight anything, you weaken yourself.  I am inviting it to stay in peace and harmony with me or leave.  It’s up to it.  It’s just another life force.  Elisabeth Kubler Ross said, “When you shield the mountain from the windstorms, you will never see the beauty of the carving.”
You can receive The Shift plus three great short films for FREE when you sign up for a trial membership of Spiritual Cinema Circle (just pay a small shipping fee). This is the only DVD service dedicated to films about love, compassion and inspiration. Simply go to: www.spiritualcinemacircle.com
For more information about Wayne Dyer, his books and workshops, please visit www.DrWayneDyer.com.
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About Arielle Ford:
Arielle Ford is the bestselling author of THE SOULMATE SECRET: Manifest The Love of Your Life With The Law of Attraction. She is also a founding partner of www.SpiritualCinemaCircle.com. Her websites include www.soulmatesecret.com and www.everythingyoushouldknow.com.