Nourish Your Soul Through Arts and Mind Expanding Entertainment
If we look at great cultures of the past we see that they were filled with exploration and expansion of the arts. As we honor and take time to appreciate the arts we expand the beauty and culture of society. It is through beauty that our heart is inspired to express love. Happiness is the result of love. It doesn't matter whether the beauty is from nature, music, books, sculpture, or movies. What is satisfying is that the expression our own love and laughter is what nourishes our soul.
My favorite experience in the world of
entertainment.
www.cirquedusoleil.com
A few of my favorite books:
Long Walk to Freedom Nelson Mandela
Illusions Richard Bach
Jonathan Livingston Seagull Richard Bach
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance Robert Pirsig
The Way of Zen Alan Watts
Path With Heart Jack Kornfield
Way of the Spiritual Warrior Dan Millman
The Power of Myth Joseph Campbell
Tuesdays with Morrie Mitch Albon
SOME MUSIC
It is through the Arts that we create beauty. It is through perceiving beauty that we are inspired to Love. These are some of my favorite artists because they put so much Love and Soul in their art. It is the Love in their expression that sustains it across generations.
Peter Gabriel www.petergabriel.com
Sting www.sting.com
Sarah Mclachlan www.sarahmclachlan.com
Van Morrison www.vanmorrison.co.uk
Philip Glass www.philipglass.com
Cari Cole www.caricole.com
Santana www.santana.com
Elton John www.eltonjohn.com
U2 www.u2.com
The Beatles www.beatles.com
Krishna Das www.krishnadas.com
Movies
A few of my very favorite to begin with and then they are alphabetical. Some are insightful. Some make you aware of how easily we make assumptions and build paradigms by their twisting plots. Some help to expand the imagination. Others are just for laughs, because we will never do too much of that in our short time here.
Life is Beautiful
Brilliant, Funny and an inspiring demonstration of not taking the world personally. The world is what it is and while we may not always be able to control it, we can have complete control over our emotions and the story we tell about it.
Razors Edge
One of my all time favorites, and near the top of my list.
Original with Tyrone Power and remade in the 80’s with Bill Murray, I prefer the later, Bill's just funnier, but both are good
American Beauty
As my friend put it, “They nailed the Dream”. It might be one mans search for his Integrity. To do it he need not to be accepted and respected by anyone else. But he also discovers that he has to fully accept and respect himself.
Adaptation
Nicholas Cage. We so often change the story of our life to suit others. We adapt our story to help it survive, but in the process, does our authentic self really live, or are we only partially alive?
A Beautiful Mind
We are all just a little crazy. We all have that internal dialogue going.
Well actually not anymore Russel Crowe, Jennifer Connely and Ed Harris
About Schmidt
Jack Nicholson about what is really lasting and important in life. And how things are not what we thought they were, and people are not what we assume them to be.
Altered States
William Hurt, a man possessed with a desire for truth, and willing to do what it takes to make his peace with it
Amadeus
Brilliant
Amistad
Powerful story based on a true story. Morgan Freeman, Mathew McConaghey, Anthony Hopkins
The Aposotle
Robert Duval - the power of conviction, even if it is corrupted with self importance and a wounded emotional body. With that corruption of the emotions, it is difficult to practice what we preach
Being John Malkovich
What if you weren’t who you thought you were? It might be frightening, but it might also be freeing?
Being There
Peter Sellers, as brilliantly simple as one could be.
Bull Durham
Kevin Costner Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins.
Cabeza de Vaca (foreign film with subtitles)
(you never know what your spiritual journey is gonna look like)
You always have some free will in your life. When it comes to your destiny, you can choose to enjoy the journey along your destiny path, or you can choose to struggle
Confession
Ben Kingsley and Alec Baldwin with what does it take to do the "Right" thing. And can we be honest with ourselves about what the "right" thing is??? Interesting questions and challenges in this movie.
Chocolat
It is in embracing our humanity that we can recover our Divinity
Confidence
Life is never what we imagine it is. Great illusions are so powerful, when we want them to be true. Ed Burns, Dustin Hoffman
Contact
The great battle between logical reasoning and Faith. Most of our life has been spent with our faith trapped in the world of logical reasoning and left us without any way to see something more. Thus we are blind, and without faith in ourselves. with Jodie Foster
The Contender
Brilliant. The black magic power of gossip. A tremendous cast
Crash
The world of Maya is always teaching us about cause and effect, but few have the desire, or awareness to learn the lessons. Brilliant film with an A list ensemble cast.
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
Incredible martial arts, powerful women, battles of Good vs. Evil. Romance love, incredible landscapes, spiritual teachings....... Did I leave anything out????
The Crossing Guard
What is good and what is evil? Are they black and white?
Jack Nicholson- A man trapped by his own historical agreements
Dangerous Beauty
We either are passionately alive, or we are not.
Dead Poet’s Society
Must See, an absolute must see
Devil’s Advocate
Are the big demons of temptation out there some where, or are they part of our imagination? A must see, although it can be a little dark and scary. Al Pacino, Keanu Reaves and Cherize Theron
The Doctor
When we face our own Death, it can become our greatest teacher of living life.
With William Hurt
Dogma
A Parody on Religious Dogma, Angels, Heaven, Hell and Prophets. Also includes some good platypus humor. Slows in the middle but recovers nicely at the end. I didn't care for the cussing.
Don Juan de Marco
It is about being a Master of Dreaming. To erase our personal history based in domestication and live our life the way we choose. An act of power and an act of the artistry of love
Dark City
A little dark, and a little mind bending possibility
Elizabeth
To much here to make a superficial comment about
Fallen
What it takes to find, trap and vanquish a predator. A little dark and scary also.
Denzel Washington and John Goodman
Fearless
Jeff Bridges Fearless Living only comes when we are fearless with our mortality.
Field of Dreams
You have to be a little crazy to step out of the box. But you might find an incredibly wonderful world out there. Kevin Costner and James Earl Jones
Fisher King
It's odd and I still haven't made sense of it all. but I liked it
Forest Gump
Being happy is simple. With Tom Hanks
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Find your voice. Or forever be in conflict where there is no peace Hugh Grant and Andie McDowell
Francesco
The Life of St. Francis of Assisi. Beautiful. The challenges of being a Holy man in a world of temptation. Mickey Rourke
Frida
Salma Hayek, and a few other accomplished artists in this one
Fight Club
If anyone asks, you didn't hear about this movie from me. Brad Pitt and Ed Norton
The Fugitive
If you like Tommy Lee Jones. A two hour chase. Oh yeah, Harrison Ford was in there too.
Garden State
Zach Braff and Natalie Portman
Ghandi
One man's will in integrity with his Love. Just plain powerful. Ben Kingsly
Gladiator
We might not be able to choose aspects of our life, or even how we die, but we can choose how we live. Russel Crowe
Good Will Hunting
Your life will not measure by what you know. It will only be measured by what you do. And how you feel about it. Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Minnie Driver and Robin Williams
The Greatest Game Ever Played
A golf film. It is difficult to explain with words on paper what our inner demons look like. But if we take up golf, we are likely to experience them. It is the mastery of our attention that we can then master the game.
The Green Mile
Powerful, moving and touching, Tom Hanks
The Game
A convoluted, suspenseful mystery thriller or not????? With Michael Douglas
Ground Hog Day
Just like any other day that you don’t make your life extraordinary. In time we all can learn to be artist of our life. with Bill Murray and Andie McDowell
The Highlander
Only the first one, not the sequels. Perhaps an externalized version of your internal spiritual warrior taking on inner demons, or perhaps not
Harry Potter and all that Magic
Hook
Dustin Hoffman and Robin Williams. The Imagination is more powerful and interesting than knowledge.
Horse Whisperer
When a man lives in his integrity, he doesn’t try to be something he isn’t. Knowing the truth is the easy part, saying it is the hard part. Ladies when you find a man with Integrity, the leap to live in his world will be a challenge if you haven't done your own work Robert Redford
Immortal Beloved
The story of Beethoven. It is one thing to write music, but to do so when you are physically nearly deaf. Brilliant
The Insider
Al Pacnio and Russel Crowe - Agreements of Loyalty..... to whom and why
Instinct
Anthony Hopkins recovers his Integrity. And gets Cuba Gooding Jr. on the path of breaking his illusions to do the same
In Her Shoes
Cameron Diaz The agreements we make earlier in life are easier to change through love than through punishment.
Jacobs Ladder
Tim Robbins ( a little dark) We dream. We dream when we sleep and when we no longer have a body. If we do it with some awareness, it can make all the difference
Lawrence of Arabia
An Epic tale of one mans will Peter O'toole
Legend of Baggar Vance
We all lose our swing and fall down at some point. But warriors get back up again
Matt Damon and Will Smith
Living Out Loud
Holly Hunter, Danny DiVito, Queen Latifa, What we can count on in life is change.
Little Miss Sunshine
Laught out loud funny. Good for the soul like that. Demonstration between the battle of duality (success/failure, winning/losing) VS. compassion, acceptance, enjoyment, and kindness. Over a long enough time "success of winning" always loses out.
Love Actually- Huge cast and laugh out loud funny. Quite true that Love is actually, everywhere, we just have to look for it, and know what it looks like to find it.
Lord of the Rings
Big, Big film. The temptation and seduction of Power. One of the challenges and obstacles a warrior faces. It can only be passed with complete humility.
The Lord of the Flies
Without common law, we resort to might being right, and we have one type of social order. With law and agreements, we have different social structure. But if that law does not have common sense, we have something else
Little Buddha Been a while, but I remember I liked it.
Master and Commander Leadership, courage, and respect well demonstrated. Russel Crowe.
The Matrix
Classic tale of the Hero Myth told in future time. The brothers who wrote and directed it have done their homework. Lawrence Fishbourne and Keanu Reaves
Malcom X. Just powerful....
With Denzel Washington
Max
Post WWI Germany and the beginnings of a dream. We are all artists, We are all amazingly powerful, what will we create, and what will influence us in our decisions? John Cusak
Michael
John Travolta, William Hurt and Andie McDowell
Miss Congeniality
Cause Sandra made me really laugh
Momento
Incredible mind bending
What do we really know for sure? And, can we really trust what we are sure of?
Mr. Holland’s Opus
What do you love? Richard Dryfus
My Life
A Statement for recapitulating the domestication of your life. Whether you think you need it or not Micheal Keaton and Nicole Kidman
Mysts of Avalon
The same story of our transformation gets transformed just as we do. The impermanence of the form of myth, in the midst of the permanent path
Magnolia
A long one, and not necessarily that enjoyable throughout. You have to be patient to appreciate what it is saying. The message can still be elusive.
The Nine Queens
Foreign film. about making assumptions, they are powerful illusions that leave us without value
Open Your Eyes, Vanilla Sky was the remake with Tom Cruise
On the mind bending nature of dreaming. All our intellectual thinking will not help us out of the dream we are in. But perhaps courage, love and intent will. Original in subtitles.
Passion of Christ
Recent film by Mel Gibson. Yes controversial. Tough to watch if you just see the expressions and treatment to Jesus. Inspiring if you notice throughout the Integrity and expression of Love Forgiveness and support to everyone. I watch it to "see" his message as he lived it.
Pay It Forward
Moving, touching, emotional and inspiring. Packed full of agreements to learn from.
Kevin Spacey and Helen Hunt, two of my favorites. Packed full of agreements to learn from.
Passions of the Mind
What are we when we dream? Do we ever stop? Demi Moore
The Power of Myth
Video tape series of Bill Moyers interview with Joseph Campbell. It sometimes plays on PBS. Campbell is beautifully brilliant
The Piano
Nothing Glib about this one
Patch Adams
The world is crazy. For those that touch sanity, they often feel like they don't belong. And this can be somewhat uneasy, but it is not crazy Robin Williams
Pleasantville
“It’s about the emotions stupid.” When you recover being present with your emotions, they can become like a compass guiding you to your Integrity
Powder
We fear what we don't understand. Which is quite the tragedy, because there is no understanding unconditional love
Primary Colors
John Travolta, and Emma Thompson How politics is played?
Prime
Uma Thurman and Meryl Streep Just plain laugh out loud funny. That's good nourishment.
The Princess Bride
Romantic comedy about true love
Pushing Tin
Once again, you don’t get to know how your awakening will come. But generally it is preceded with much drama. Billy Bob Thorton, Angelina Jolie and John Cusak
Runaway Jury
Powers of Persuasion, great storyline, great cast, Dustin Hoffman, Gene Hackman, John Cusak, and more.
Searching for Bobby Fisher
Being happy is better than being the image of a winner.
Ben Kingsley, one of my favorites
Six Feet Under
The HBO Series
Solaris
George Clooney - On dreams, and the power we have to manifest them. Are we not Divine in a certain point of view?
State and Main
Cute, funny and clever. Great cast
Star Wars – ALL OF THEM IN THE SERIES
Just good storytelling (except for Episode one… poor character development)
Smoke Signals
Sometimes you can't really move into the future until you clear the past.
Sneakers
Fun, clever, great weaving of suspense and intrigue. Incredible cast.
Robert Redford, Dan Akroyd, Ben Kingsley and James Earl Jones
Something about Mary
Beyond funny. But in a sick, twisted, silly disgusting way. I really liked it, but you have to be in the mood for the low brow humor
Shawshank Redemption
Tim Robbins- Personal Freedom requires patience, cunning and a strong will.
Shakespeare in Love
Funny, clever, romantic and then some
Sliding Doors
An interesting look at possibility and the world of choices and free will.
With Gwenyth Paltrow
A Simple Plan
Billy Bob Thorton, Bill Paxton, and Bridget Fonda The is another movie version with the same or similar name. Also good.
Ten Commandments
Hero Myth, and a good one.
Charelton Heston and Yul Brenner in a classic
Tin Cup
No Matter what you do, we can all take that epic journey and battle our inner demons in our mind. And it can be fun too. Kevin Costner and Renee Russo
The Truman Show
Hero's journey to step out of our comfort zone and follow our bliss.
with Jim Carey and Ed Harris
Traffic
It's about chasing a Ghost that just uses people. How do you catch and stop a ghost that dreams people? Full blown cast. Huge cast
Touch
Christopher Walken, Bridget Fonda Each person is entitled to live their life as they choose. No one else can choose what is best for us. And we can not choose for anyone else what is best for them. This is respect.
The Usual Suspects
Good mind bending . Never trust a story teller. Kevin Spacey
Wag the Dog
Dustin Hoffman, Robert Dinero, Woody Harrelson, Anne Heche. While outlandish in a way, perhaps it is more accurate than fictitious.
What the #@%$#! (Bleep) do we know.
When Harry met Sally
It’s worth it for one scene alone
Without Limits
Story of Steve Prefontaine who lived with a world class heart and was also a world class runner.
X-men
Interesting storyline. Good entertainment
7 years in Tibet
Brad Pitt breaks down Self Importance the size of mountains.
12 Angry Men
Each person lives their own dream and projects that dream to the world. It is their own dream that they see. One of the greatest arts of "seeing" is to see life as it is. This is without the projections of our own distorted beliefs. Watch the film once. See it unfold and then watch it again with the awareness of each person's dream being projected. A classic with Henry Fonda
13th Floor
Consensual Reality isn't
28 Days
Revealing as how we learn to parent and treat ourselves the way we have been parented and treated and cause Sandra Bullock makes me laugh
50 First Dates
Drew Barry more and Adam Sandler.
_____________________________________
Internet Sites
Humor If we lose our sense of humor, then we most certainly have lost our perspective, and therefore our joy.
www.netfunny.com
www.jokes.com
More Serious
Benjamin Ferencz http://www.benferencz.org
I think his home page gives great insight that logic and reason when influenced by fear is not rationale. Conclusions were drawn based on "evidence" that was distorted by fear. Actions taken. People died all because intelligent men were being "rationale" from their fear based point of view.
We need to ask ourselves questions that evolve us past being right or for the greater good. These are susceptible to distortions of fear. We need to ask the questions, Is what I am doing kind?, Is what I am doing Loving?, Is what I am doing compassionate? These directions will evolve both ourselves
