This an extraordinary time in history!  Personally, professionally, economically, politically and culturally – transition and challenge are evident.  We are being bombarded with information about the struggles that we are engaged in and that are before us.  We are also seeing people like Oprah Winfrey, Tony Robbins, Marianne Williamson, Michael Bernard Beckwith and President Obama telling us that WE ARE THE ONES WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR.  People want to believe in possibility but it is difficult to get beyond the circumstances and events of life.  It is challenging to have faith when the details of our lives tell us that “life is hard”.  I would like to suggest that we begin to learn to see things differently. I would like to suggest that we clean the lenses of perception that see pain and powerlessness. What if we put on invisible glasses that showed us how to see through the eyes of faith….unwavering faith?

Ernest Holmes says, in his book The Science of Mind, “Always the man who has faith in his own ability accomplishes far more than the one who has no confidence in himself. Those who have great faith, have great power”.  The Bible states, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”.

Both of these statements are showing us that where we put our attention is essential. Just because we do not see it, does not mean it is not available. Mystics and sages of all kinds have declared that we must become clear that there is good available. Scientists tell us that there is a field of pure potential that awaits our recognition of possibility. Our job is to activate a faith in the unseen.  We are being called to stand in an unwavering position in our thoughts, words, deeds and actions that life is for us and not against us. We must declare “I shall not be moved” from the knowing that the universe is conspiring for my greatness ALWAYS.

Take a moment to write down your challenges on one side of a piece of paper. On the other side write “I stand as a space of unwavering faith declaring that I AM……… (prosperous, healthy, creative, employed, etc).  Put in the quality or word that is the opposite of the challenge. Read this list before you go to bed and once you have gone through the list say: It is done!  I accept It!  I stand in an expectancy of good!

Take a moment to remember this:

There has never been a time in history, no matter how challenging, that there were not people that prospered. So in this time of great change ask…what is the nature of my destiny and how can it be fulfilled now with grace and ease?

Cynthia James is a transformational specialist guiding thousands of people to make changes for lasting healing in their lives. Ms James is a speaker, teacher, performing artist and the award winning author of “What Will Set You Free”. Cynthia has facilitated hundreds of workshops, and keynotes; including Celebrate Your Life, Woman Arising, the Gift in Shift, Colorado Behavior Healthcare Council, the Women’s Success Forum, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Detention Facility, and many others. She is the founder of the Cynthia James Support Network; an online support community. Cynthia’s newest book, “Revealing Your Extraordinary Essence”, offers practical tools for self empowerment. www.CynthiaJames.net 

Read more from VividLife.me bloggers:

Stress is Not What You Think by Ed and Deb Shapiro

Ironically, the holiday season can be most stressful time of the year. Imagine you are trying to squeeze some toothpaste out of a tube but you have forgotten to take the top off. What happens? Deb actually did this in one of her most unaware moments and the toothpaste soon found another way out through the bottom of the tube and got all over her. It will force a hole in the side or wherever is the weakest point…

I need Balance by Panache Desai

How much time should you devote to your children each day? How many hours in the office are too much?  How long should your workouts be? What priority is your spiritual practice and how many minutes do you devote to it each day?  After all that how much time is left to prioritize you?

Technorati Tags: challenge, Cynthia James, Faith, inspiration, Spirituality, transition, vivid life

What should be a joyous day for new bride Justine (Kirsten Dunst) proves to be anything but in director Lars von Trier's new science fiction fantasy, "Melancholia." Photo by Christian Geisnaes, courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.

“Melancholia” (2011). Cast: Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland, Charlotte Rampling, John Hurt, Alexander Skarsgård, Cameron Spurr, Stellan Skarsgård, Brady Corbet, Udo Kier, Jesper Christensen. Director: Lars von Trier. Screenplay: Lars von Trier. www.melancholiathemovie.com/

Is death the end, or is there more to existence than that? That question has kept philosophers occupied for eons, and some would say we’re no closer to an answer now than we ever have been. Despite that, the debate rages on, with the latest argument being offered up in one of this year’s most anticipated metaphysical releases, director Lars von Trier’s hauntingly beautiful, often-disturbing science fiction fantasy, “Melancholia.”

On what should be the happiest day of her life, Justine (Kirsten Dunst) seems disinterested in, and frequently absent from, the lavish wedding reception given for her and her new husband, Michael (Alexander Skarsgård). The event, hosted by Justine’s duteous sister Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg), paid for by her well-heeled brother-in-law John (Kiefer Sutherland) and orchestrated by a persnickety, high-brow wedding planner (Udo Kier), takes place at an opulent country club estate, the ideal setting for a storybook social affair. But, rather than engage in and enjoy the meticulously scripted festivities, the young bride seems more content to go off on her own, visiting her favorite horse at the estate’s stables, slipping away for a soak in her private bath and staring at the stars in the night sky, a diversion that inexplicably fascinates her.

Newlyweds Justine (Kirsten Dunst, left) and Michael (Alexander Skarsgård, second from left) arrive at a lavish reception in their honor hosted by Justine's sister Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg, right) and brother-in-law John (Kiefer Sutherland, second from right) in the murky new drama, "Melancholia." Photo by Christian Geisnaes, courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.

As this alleged celebration wears on, Justine grows progressively more unsociable and withdrawn. Her sometimes-belligerent, sometimes-aloof behavior increasingly exposes a profound sense of discontent and depression that apparently has been simmering beneath the surface for some time. Her actions are arguably understandable, though, considering the many sad, stressful conditions surrounding her. For starters, there are the vindictive quarrels between her divorced parents, Gaby (Charlotte Rampling), a woman who embodies acrimony, and Dexter (John Hurt), a fun-loving but impulsive, undependable father who never seems to have time for the daughter who so desperately craves his attention. Then there’s Justine’s pompous, overbearing boss, Jack (Stellan Skarsgård), who’s so relentless in milking his gifted employee that he expects her to come up with results even on her wedding day. And, of course, there’s Claire and John, who so desperately want the reception’s festivities to transpire according to plan that their uptight attitudes take all the fun out of things. With circumstances deteriorating at an accelerating pace, all Justine can do is turn her attention to the one thing that captivates her – the cosmological events unfolding in the sky above.

Months after the ill-fated reception, Justine’s debilitating depression becomes so severe that she’s no longer capable of caring for herself. She moves in with Claire and her family, who struggle to attend to her needs. But, as arduous as caring for Justine is, Claire and her family must also prepare, each in their own way, for an even larger impending crisis, one that has the potential to impact all of mankind – the Earth’s close encounter with an enormous rogue planet known as Melancholia.

Scientists publicly express confidence that there’s no danger of a collision between the two planets, but conspiracy theorists doubt the official proclamations, offering up an array of alternate prognostications. Claire grows increasingly paranoid about these predictions, obsessively worrying about how events will unfold. After all, how can a perfectionist who becomes flustered over minor glitches in social itineraries be expected to cope with living in a world that may be on the verge of destruction?

Ironically, as catastrophe looms ever larger, Justine becomes more lucid; in fact, she even seems reconciled to what may be about to happen. As Claire falls apart emotionally, Justine steps up and begins taking care of the sister who once took care of her, their roles essentially switching. But, despite Justine’s efforts at helping Claire cope, she also offers no false hope about the future; she believes that all she can do under these conditions is to try and help her sister learn a lesson in the only option that now appears open to them – acceptance of their circumstances.

The beautifully photographed prologue of director Lars von Trier's new science fiction fantasy "Melancholia" features gorgeous but haunting images of a world on the verge of obliteration by a close encounter with a rogue planet. New bride Justine (Kirsten Dunst, left) awaits the inevitable at an opulent country club estate with her nephew Leo (Cameron Spurr, middle) and sister Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg, right). Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.

If the foregoing plot summary sounds strange, you’re right. “Melancholia” has one of the most unusual narratives of any film to come out in quite some time. Even its format is unconventional: It opens with a cinematically gorgeous prologue that offers glimpses of events to come before launching into the main story, which is essentially divided into two parts, with one part devoted to each sister. In fact, it’s even a stretch to say that the film actually has a “story”; rather, it’s more of a meditation on a variety of themes in which the players serve  as symbols of archetypes and concepts rather than as characters acting out plot events.

Given the plot summary and the film’s title, it’s easy to guess how this story line plays out. While I’m generally not one to divulge how movies end, in this case it’s obvious, the outcome having even been openly discussed by the director in promotional interviews. So, with that said, “Melancholia” is indeed a movie about the end of the world, but not just literally; it’s also symbolic of the passing away that occurs for some of us every day, either figuratively through emotional devastation or literally through death. Melancholia’s collision with Earth marks not only the destruction of our planet but also the end of each of the individual worlds created by all of us who dwell on it. And because it’s the nature of all things to eventually pass away, nothing can stop this eventuality from occurring, no matter how much wealth, power, privilege or scientific knowledge any of us might possess (something that Justine’s wedding guests might wish to ponder). In that regard, then, the destruction of each of our individually created worlds – represented here by those of the two sisters – are tragedies as great in their own way as the obliteration of the planet as a whole. The pathos in that is high drama to be sure, accentuated here by a highly stylized cinematic treatment.

What’s troubling, however, is that the film’s exploration of this idea stops here, going no further. Once the cosmic Armageddon occurs, the picture simply ends, offering not even the slightest glimmer of hope for what might – or, what many of us would say, will – come afterward. Many in the metaphysics community view death as a transition, a gateway, an opportunity to move on to something else, but “Melancholia” never broaches this notion,  essentially leaving viewers with the simple conclusion that “when it’s all over, it’s all over.”

The power of the Universe is within reach on the verge of a planetary apocalypse, as Justine (Kirsten Dunst) discovers for herself in the new release, "Melancholia." Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.

Perhaps forcing viewers to consider this unnerving possibility is the point of this film, pushing us to examine a consciously created probability that’s just as valid (even if not as palatable) as all the others we might manifest for ourselves. Then again, given the dispiriting nature of this picture, one might also wonder why anybody would want to sit through a two-hour exploration of the idea that “life sucks and then you die.”

Considering the film’s title and the name of the rogue planet, depression is obviously another central theme of the picture. It’s particularly interesting to see how it’s reflected through Justine, who seems to work through much of her depression about this astronomical apocalypse long before the big event (and long before any of the other characters in the movie, too). She appears to have sensed the catastrophe well ahead of time, which likely accounts for her despondent behavior at the wedding reception. But, by the time of the cataclysm, she comes to accept her fate, prepared for it while others scurry about frantically trying to figure out what to do. In this sense, Justine almost appears willing to embrace what lies ahead, as if she’s playing out her own personal Liebestod (German for “love death”), not unlike that of the characters in Richard Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, an opera that concludes with its own Liebestod (and the music of which is featured prominently in the picture’s soundtrack). In a similar vein, Justine’s bout with depression, followed by her subsequent acceptance of events, would appear to reflect the final two phases of the five stages of dying  theorized by psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, thus bringing together the themes of death, depression and acceptance that permeate this film.

Sisters Justine (Kirsten Dunst, left) and Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg, right) share a special moment while waiting for the other shoe to drop in Lars von Trier's "Melancholia." Photo by Christian Geisnaes, courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.

“Melancholia” represents an audacious attempt at dealing with a difficult subject (and one that many of us would probably just as soon ignore). The picture is beautifully filmed (despite some occasionally annoying hand-held camera work) and features terrific production values across the board. Dunst turns in the best work of her career in a performance that earned her the best actress award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Give kudos to Rampling and Hurt, too, though it would have been nice to see them both used more than they were.

The Wagner-based soundtrack works well for the most part, although it verges on overkill at times. The symbolic significance of employing music from an opera known for its Liebestod might be seen as a little obvious, even though, ironically enough, no excerpts from the specific portion of the opera that is today known as the Liebestod are used in the film; the hopeful, uplifting chords of this musical passage were probably deemed  inappropriate given the overall mood of the picture.

Perhaps my biggest complaint, though, lies with the writing. Despite the picture’s inventive approach in handling its subject, I ultimately found the narrative one-dimensional, never veering from its singular course nor showing any willingness to even touch upon other viewpoints. Its unrelentingly dreary narrative could be likened to the work of Ingmar Bergman on steroids. Moreover, the script is somewhat tedious and repetitive at times, particularly in the film’s second half; with the outcome never in doubt, I often found myself having to stifle the urge to shout out “Get on with it already!” There have also been assertions that the astronomical events are based on some dubious scientific contentions, though, because this story is meant to be seen symbolically, and because it is science fiction after all, I’m not as troubled by this as much as I am by some of the film’s other downfalls (though it certainly doesn’t help the picture’s case if these scientific issues aren’t presented as accurately as they could be).

Amateur astronomer John (Kiefer Sutherland) charts the stars while waiting for the arrival of a mysterious rogue planet in the new science fiction release, "Melancholia." Photo by Christian Geisnaes, courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.

In the end, “Melancholia” sees death as a dead end and nothing else, and I fundamentally have difficulty with that. I’d much rather devote my time to pictures that take a broader view, especially with a subject as important as this. It’s interesting to note that this is the second picture to come out this year with the theme of our world having a close encounter with another planet (the other being this past summer’s independent release, “Another Earth”; see my review in the VividLife archives). While the stories in these two films differ markedly from one another in many ways, they’re also similar in that they both deal with people facing everyday dramas in the wake of major cosmological events. In the view of “Melancholia,” there’s no hope, while in the view of “Another Earth,” there’s alwayshope, that the chance of redemption always exists, no matter what the circumstances. If given a choice on these two viewpoints, you probably wouldn’t have any trouble guessing which one I’d choose – and which movie I’d rather watch.

Copyright © 2011, by Brent Marchant. All rights reserved.

Technorati Tags: "Another Earth", "Melancholia", acceptance, Alexander Skarsgård, apocalypse, archetype, Armageddon, Brent Marchant, Cannes Film Festival, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Charlotte Rampling, close encounter, country club, Death, depression, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, end of the world, estate, false hope, fantasy, Film, five stages of dying, gateway, hope, Ingmar Bergman, John Hurt, Kiefer Sutherland, Kirsten Dunst, Lars von Trier, Liebestod, life, love death, Movies, night sky, Opportunity, pathos, prologue, Richard Wagner, rogue planet, science fiction, stars, transition, Tristan und Isolde, wedding reception

We recently went into escrow on our house, but don’t yet have a new house to move into. As excited as we are about our move (just across the San Francisco Bay from Concord to Marin County), it feels pretty scary to not yet know exactly where we’ll be living next month.

With this big change and a few others coming soon, I’ve been noticing how I deal with and relate to change. I have somewhat of a love/hate relationship to change. I love the excitement, growth opportunity, and newness of change. But, at the same time, I can easily fall into states of worry, fear, and overwhelm when facing change, especially big ones.

How do you feel about change? While it may depend on the specific change (i.e. one we want versus one we don’t want, or one that seems exciting versus one that seems hard or even “bad.”), most of us seek and fear change simultaneously. Even positive changes can be unsettling or even downright upsetting. And, while each of us has a unique personality and perspective, many of us tend to be creatures of habit.

Change is one of the main “constants” in life, ironically. However, we don’t usually spend all that much time thinking about our relationship to change or specifically expanding on our ability to adapt to change – we usually deal with it from a place of survival, reaction, or necessity.

What if we embraced change more consciously and learned how to not only “manage” it, but thrive through it. Whether you’re someone who enjoys change and handles it quite well, or you hate it and get totally stressed out by it, all of us can benefit from embracing change more deliberately and supporting those around us as we all go through the big and small changes of life – especially these days.

Here are some things you can do and think about as you deal with change in your own life – so as to more effectively and peacefully deal with it when it shows up.

1) Become consciously aware of your relationship to change. Knowing how you deal with change, what stresses you out about it, what allows you to navigate it most effectively, what kind of support you need as you move through the change process, and more, are all important elements of embracing change. It’s rarely the circumstances themselves that cause us stress or difficulty; it’s our relationship to them. By altering our relationship to change, we can become much more peaceful and successful in dealing with it.

2) Acknowledge and express your true feelings (especially your fear). When change occurs, there are usually a number of different emotions we experience. We tend to focus most of our attention on the details, specifics, and circumstances, not so much on our emotions. However, it is our emotional experience and reaction that dictates much of our effectiveness (or lack thereof) in dealing with change. Whether it’s something we consider “good” or “bad,” fear is almost always associated with change, because we’re moving into something unknown and often uncomfortable. By acknowledging and expressing our fear (and other emotions) in an authentic way, we can take back our power from the situation, get real about how we’re feeling, and move through it with more ease and grace. There’s nothing wrong with any of the emotions we experience during change, the problems begin to arise when we don’t express our emotions authentically.

3) Get support. As with most things in life, change is much easier to deal with when we get help. We don’t have to go through it all alone and there are probably many people in our lives who have gone through similar changes before and can support us in the process. Asking for and receiving help from other people can be challenging for many of us and can feel quite vulnerable. However, one of my favorite sayings is, “The answer’s always ‘no’ if you don’t ask.” Getting support not only makes dealing with change easier for us, it allows other people to be of service, which is something most people love to have the opportunity to do in life.

4) Look for the gold. There is “gold’ in the midst of every change – even the most painful and difficult ones. When change is more “positive,” it can seem easier to find the gold in it. However, positive change can also be tricky because we don’t understand why we still may experience fear or discontent and sometimes won’t acknowledge these and other feelings due to our own embarrassment. With change that is more “negative,” it can often be hard to find or see the gold. When dealing with difficult changes in our lives, being able to authentically get in touch with the gifts, blessings, and growth opportunities available to us can help as we navigate our way through the experience and also allow us to evolve in the process.

Have empathy and compassion for yourself and others in going through change. It’s not easy for most of us. By embracing change we become not only more effective in dealing with it, but more peaceful, present, and powerful in our lives.

Technorati Tags: appreciation, authenticity, Change, gratitude, inspiration, Mike Robbins, Motivation, self help, transition

LIVE SHOW: Tues April 05 1 PM EST or tune in to the archive anytime!

Glad No Matter What – Transforming Loss and Change into Gift and Opportunity “This is not a book about feeling glad when you don’t – how annoying. This is a book about finding and living from the Glad parts in all of your feelings. I call it Practical Gladness” ~ SARK

Though SARK has empowered millions to live their creative dreams, manage their businesses, and savor personal connections, the deaths of her mother and cat and the end of a treasured relationship tested her ability to walk her talk. But as Glad No Matter What shows, she journeyed through the spirals and layers of grief and loss and emerged stronger and more whole. In this inspiring book, she shares the insights she found along the way — practical strategies we can all use to cultivate profound, positive transformation through, rather than despite, life’s inevitable travails.

“SARK shows us how to live with greater genuine happiness even when we’re facing tough challenges or tumultuous change. I loved this book!” ~ Marci Shimoff, New York Times bestselling author of Happy for No Reason

Technorati Tags: •-VividLife Radio Shows, Glad No Matter What, Reporting Live from the Universe, SARK, transition

Javier Bardem stars as Uxbal, a dying man desperately seeking to attend to all his affairs with what time he has left, in the Oscar-nominated drama, "Biutiful." Photo by Jose Haro, courtesy of Roadside Attractions.

“Biutiful” (2010). Cast: Javier Bardem, Maricel Álvarez, Hanna Bouchaib, Guillermo Estrella, Eduard Fernández, Cheikh Ndiaye, Diaryatou Daff, Taisheng Cheng, Luo Jin, Ana Wagener, Lang Sofia Lin, Rubén Ochandiano, Nasser Saleh. Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu. Screenplay: Alejandro González Iñárritu, Armando Bo and Nicolás Giacobone. www.biutiful-themovie.com/

Sooner or later, the life we live comes to an end. But the conclusion of this life is merely the close of a single chapter in our soul’s journey, with death providing the conduit to whatever comes next. Whenever that end comes, the more at peace we are with the transition, the more we’ll get out of the experience, not only of what we’re going to but also of what we’re leaving behind. Learning how to prepare ourselves for that time is the subject of the emotionally moving new drama, “Biutiful.”

Uxbal (Javier Bardem) is a dying man. Having been diagnosed with an advanced form of cancer, he knows his days are numbered. And the prospect of that impending death scares him, not only because of the loss it represents to him personally but also because of the loss it would mean to the many others who rely on him. He worries that he won’t be able to provide the means to adequately cover their needs for a time when he’s no longer around.

Despite years of experience at navigating the dicey challenges of daily life in Barcelona’s seamy underbelly, Uxbal’s latest ordeal overwhelms him. Even though he’s rather adept at employing a “whatever it takes” approach to get others what they need—be it work, shelter or nurturing—to fill the gaps in their lives (sometimes even at his own expense), he must now make provisions for them for the long term and not just the pressing needs of the moment. It’s a tall order, and he needs to hurry.

Those who benefit most directly from Uxbal’s efforts are his young children, Ana (Hanaa Bouchaib) and Mateo (Guillermo Estrella), as well as his ex-wife, Marambra (Maricel Álvarez), a flirtatious “massage therapist” who suffers from a severe case of bipolar disorder. He also works hard, in conjunction with his brother Tito (Eduard Fernández), as a sort of black market headhunter who specializes in securing employment for the illegal immigrants of Barcelona’s African and Chinese communities, finding jobs for the disenfranchised while keeping the authorities sufficiently paid off. And, despite the  many burdens of all these challenges, he’s generally very effective at surmounting them. But, given his own changed circumstances, he now faces the biggest gap he’s ever tried to fill.

Helping his young daughter Ana (Hanna Bouchaib, seated) is one of the many daily tasks that terminal cancer patient Uxbal (Javier Bardem, standing) takes on in director Alejandro González Iñárritu's new drama, "Biutiful." Photo by Jose Haro, courtesy of Roadside Attractions.

In a somewhat ironic twist, Uxbal also has a special gift that many might view as a distinct advantage in approaching the circumstances he now faces—an ability to communicate with the dead. It’s a skill at which he’s quite proficient but one that he uses sparingly, primarily to help lost souls pass over and to provide comfort to the bereaved by relaying messages from lost loved ones, almost as if it were another of his gap-filling talents. Little does he realize, however, that drawing upon this ability more fully now might also help him as he prepares to make peace with his own transition.

The subject of death and transition has figured largely in many feature films released over the past year (“Hereafter,” “Get Low” and “Black Swan,” to name a few), and it’s been interesting to see how they’ve each handled this subject matter. In nearly all cases, the approach has been more enlightening than many films of the past, stressing that the end of this life is not the end of our existence but merely a shift to something new. Such thinking is right in line with conscious creation philosophy, one of whose core principles is that “we are all in a constant state of becoming.” Or, as noted in the paranormal classic “Phenomenon” (1996), “Everything is on its way to someplace else.”

“Biutiful” is the latest offering in this genre of enlightened films about death, but its approach is a little different. While its narrative inherently postulates that we are all in a constant state of becoming and transforming, it does so from the perspective of a character who, like many viewers, fears the transition despite an innate knowledge to the contrary (or, specifically in Uxbal’s case, despite the added benefit of the wisdom afforded him by his special gift). Some might find that an odd line of probability for someone to explore, but, as conscious creation practitioners are well aware, all expressions of existence are equally capable of manifestation, no matter how intrinsically incongruous they might seem. Such is Uxbal’s challenge—to validate, and ultimately to freely accept, an outcome that he already knows to be true—and that he need not fear.

As the film progresses and Uxbal becomes more reconciled to the path on which he finds himself, the focus of his concern shifts more from himself to others, with an emphasis on making sure that he gets everything done in time. With his health failing, however, he realizes that there’s only so much he can do and that others will have to learn to get along on their own, as they will have to do once he’s gone. This thus enables a transition that is on his terms, one that embodies the wisdom found on a water color by artist B. Andreas that hangs prominently in my home: “Everything changed the day he figured out there was exactly enough time for the important things in his life.”

Finding work for illegal immigrants from Barcelona's Chinese community routinely brings black market headhunter Uxbal (Javier Bardem, center) into contact with those who would exploit the disenfranchised, such as Liwei (Luo Jin, left) and Hai (Taisheng Cheng, right). Photo by Jose Haro, courtesy of Roadside Attractions.

With his time dwindling, some may question Uxbal’s preoccupation with addressing the needs of others. “Why isn’t he going out and enjoying what little time he has left?” they might ask. But being of service to others is clearly the essence of Uxbal’s value fulfillment, the conscious creation concept concerned with destiny whereby each of us is called upon to do our best, through our actions and our own unique talents, to be of service to ourselves and to the world at large. Uxbal’s sensitivity to the plight of others is profound and no doubt based on his own past, having grown up without a father and experiencing an upbringing where his own needs weren’t met as well as they otherwise might have been. It’s inspiring that he avows this calling so seriously, providing a shining example that we could all learn from, not only in being true to ourselves but also in working for the betterment of humanity.

“Biutiful” is a captivating picture in many respects. It’s a strong favorite to snare this year’s Academy Award for best foreign language film, an honor for which it was also nominated in this year’s Golden Globe Awards competition. Its style is classic Iñárritu, drawing upon elements and approaches that the director has used in earlier works, like “Babel” (2006) and “21 Grams” (2003), but incorporating new touches, especially in areas like cinematography and editing, that allow this film to stand out on its own. Bardem’s Oscar-nominated performance is phenomenal, arguably his best work to date and well worth the many accolades he has received for it. And the film’s haunting soundtrack completes the package, providing the perfect ethereal backdrop to a masterfully crafted piece of cinema.

The soul may be eternal, but its embodiment in flesh is not. Which is why it’s so important that we make the most of the time we have in it, especially when the end draws near, for those who find it in themselves to do so will discover just what a “Biutiful” experience it can be.

Copyright (c) 2011, by Brent Marchant. All rights reserved.

Technorati Tags: "Biutiful", Academy Award nominee, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Barcelona, bipolar disorder, Brent Marchant, cancer, conscious creation, constant state of becoming, Death, dying, fear, Golden Globe nominee, illegal immigrant, impending death, Javier Bardem, Oscar nominee, peace, transition, value fulfillment

Well here I am, finally. We’ve driven more than 1500 miles to get here and our husky dogs are not very happy with us because we left six feet of snow to get where we are….sand replaces snow, ocean waves replace ice and cold…I’m happy: the dogs, not so much but they’re pack dogs so they settle in well.

I have noticed something about where I am staying for the next five weeks…#1 we live 100 steps from the beach and I’m a water baby so that’s great. #2 the water is chilly so I’m not going in but I walk on the beach for many hours every day. I find this a very soothing process when I want to quiet my mind. #3 There are a lot of people here who aren’t working: they have either retired, been down sized and can’t find work or have simply given up trying. They’re making the best of it I believe and even say things like “a bad day at the beach beats a good day at the office.”

You know I used to think that was a funny expression and it made me laugh because there are so many people who just aren’t doing what they love to do when they have to make money. They are just working to pay bills and I think that’s really tragic. Personally, my perspective only, while I love the beach I also love my work so a bad day at the beach would not trump a good day at my office, it just wouldn’t. The beauty in doing what you love to do is this: you will work hard, very very hard some days, but it won’t matter because the sense of fulfillment will restore your energy.

So, here’s a question for you….you doing what you love or are you just doing what you have to do? It’s 2011 folks, make this the year of YOU, do what you love and the money will follow..I promise you that.

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Matt Damon stars as George Lonegan, a former professional psychic who turns his back on his calling to find inner peace and answers about his life in the thoughtful new drama, "Hereafter." Photo by Ken Regan, courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.

“Hereafter” (2010). Cast: Matt Damon, Cécile de France, George McLaren, Frankie McLaren, Derek Jacobi, Jay Mohr, Bryce Dallas Howard, Richard Kind, Steve Schirripa, Thierry Neuvic, Marthe Keller, Jean-Yves Berteloot, Lyndsey Marshal, Rebekah Staton, Declan Conlon, Niamh Cusack, George Costigan. Director: Clint Eastwood. Screenplay: Peter Morgan. http://hereafter.warnerbros.com.

What happens when we die? That’s one of the most intriguing, mystifying and, for some, frightening questions that we face in life. And given that death is the one common fate—or common experience—that we all share, it’s a question that’s understandably important, even if it’s one that some of us would rather ignore. All angst aside, however, coming to terms with the afterlife seems to be an increasingly crucial concern for the mass consciousness these days considering how many recent films have been released that address the subject from various perspectives (“Get Low,” “Infinity: The Ultimate Trip” and “A Single Man,” to name a few). These films have done a fine job of exploring the issue, too, but now a new offering has come along that examines it in a comprehensive, highly considered way, the thoughtful drama, “Hereafter.”

“Hereafter” tells three stories that span the globe, not unlike the 2006 release “Babel.” The difference here, though, is that all the stories in this film deal with different aspects of death and the afterlife and how they play out in the characters’ lives.

Tsunami (and near death experience) survivor Marie LeLay (Cécile de France, left) shares a heartfelt reunion with her beau, Didier (Thierry Neuvic, right), in "Hereafter," the latest offering from director Clint Eastwood. Photo by Mario Perez, courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.

*  George Lonegan (Matt Damon) desperately wants to find his life. He’s a factory worker in San Francisco who takes night classes in the culinary arts. But most of his time is spent alone, quietly brooding about his circumstances. It wasn’t always like that, though. For years George worked as a professional psychic with the ability to help connect the living to their departed loved ones, a talent that brought him abundance and notoriety. But while most people saw George’s ability as a gift, he saw it as a curse, one that affected his relationships and his outlook on life. He had difficulty reconciling how to live a life whose primary focus was on death. Nevertheless, even though such realizations helped him discover what he didn’t want, they brought him no closer to finding what he did, and so now he searches endlessly, looking for answers that perpetually elude him.

*  Marie LeLay (Cécile de France) is a highly successful French TV journalist. She has a great job and a devoted beau (Thierry Neuvic). Life is good. But that all changes one morning. While on vacation in the South Pacific, Marie is swept up in the enormous wave of a destructive tsunami that strikes the island paradise. She’s carried away by the powerful surge, drowning and losing consciousness, eventually lapsing into a near death experience. Remarkably, she’s rescued and resuscitated, but she’s no longer the same person she was before, a challenge she wrestles with in the aftermath of the tragedy and upon her return to Paris. She struggles to find her place in a scheme of things she no longer sees the same way. Her search for answers thus begins in earnest.

*  Jason and Marcus (George McLaren, Frankie McLaren) are identical twins living with their drug-addicted mother (Lyndsey Marshal) in a gritty London neighborhood. Despite being identical twins, the siblings are not totally alike. Jason is a courageous, gregarious, take-charge young man, while Marcus is a quiet, reserved lad in search of guidance and support, most of which he gets from his twin brother. So it should come as no surprise that Marcus is devastated when Jason is killed in a tragic accident, a problem compounded when he’s placed in foster care while his mum undergoes rehab. Marcus longs to find his departed brother, but what he really needs to do is find himself.

Identical twins Marcus (Frankie McLaren, left) and Jason (George McLaren, right) may have shared a common birth but face a separate fate in the new afterlife drama, "Hereafter." Photo by Jay Maidment, courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.

Not surprisingly, all three stories eventually intertwine, culminating in London as a result of an intriguing string of synchronicities. And it’s through such interactions that answers are at last provided, offering the possibility of new beginnings for all concerned.

As the stories unfold, viewers are treated to a rich tapestry of ideas on the nature of death. Perhaps the most notable of these is the notion that death is an inherent part of life. It’s woven into the fabric of our everyday experience, because it’s the one eventuality that we all share. But as the notion is depicted in the film, death isn’t some horrific, dreadful occurrence to be feared but a simple transition from one state of being to another, almost as if one were exchanging one suit of clothes for another. And when viewed through the lens of conscious creation/law of attraction philosophy, death is essentially an expression of one of its core principles—that we’re all in a constant state of becoming. The transition that death provides, then, is merely a means for making that transformative state of becoming possible.

Since death is a part of life, and since it’s essentially an embodiment of the concept of “transition,” it’s also apparent, as seen in the film’s three stories, that we all die a little each day in our waking life pursuits, sometimes literally, sometimes figuratively. One door closes, and another opens, with the death of the former giving birth to the latter. Of course, how we respond to the new circumstances that arise is ultimately what’s most important, for, as every conscious creation practitioner knows, the outcome we experience will depend on the beliefs we hold going in (besides, whatever changes ultimately appear came from us, too) . We get what we concentrate on, even when making transitions such as this.

Relationships are a tricky issue for former psychic George Lonegan (Matt Damon, right) as he finds out when Melanie (Bryce Dallas Howard, left) comes into his life in Clint Eastwood's "Hereafter." Photo by Ken Regan, courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.

The intrinsic connectedness of all things—even those that seem permanently separated by the wall between the worlds—is another conscious creation theme addressed in this film. Our connections to the departed may be less obvious than when our loved ones were still amongst the living, perhaps taking on forms that are more metaphorical, symbolic or synchronistic than literal, but those connections are tangible nonetheless, especially when we make the effort to make ourselves aware of them. In that sense, then, we need never feel as though we’ve lost those we love; it simply means we may need to connect with them in ways we never thought of before.

And then, of course, there’s the character of the afterlife itself, which, as explained in the picture, sounds like a conscious creator’s dream come true, a metaphysical playground where the limitations of physical existence are removed and the potential for creative expression knows no bounds. It’s a joyful way of being that makes monodimensional reality seem mundane by comparison. Think of it as an amusement park for your consciousness, and you’ll have an idea of what the departed are talking about—and what we have to look forward to.

“Hereafter” is a beautiful meditation on its subject matter, presented in a quiet, subtle, deftly layered package. It’s not the kind of picture one might readily associate with Clint Eastwood, but the director has turned in a fine effort with this offering, easily his best work behind the camera. In particular, Eastwood’s efforts at getting emotion out of his characters (and evoking it amongst its viewers) easily set this picture apart from his prior works, which I’ve often found leave much to be desired in that regard. I was also blown away by the realism of the tsunami sequence, an incredible technical accomplishment. I especially liked the film’s use (or, in some cases, absence) of sound in this sequence (and elsewhere in the film for that matter), some of the best work I’ve ever heard in this area. The film’s pacing at times is, admittedly, a little slow, but as the story progresses and viewers are drawn into the three stories, that issue dissipates completely.

When it comes to life, none of us is going to get out of it alive. But then maybe that’s a blessing, for if we never died, we’d never grow and evolve, either, stagnating in an existence of stifling sameness. “Hereafter” helps us appreciate the value of this mode of transition, both in our daily life and for the one that awaits us. And for that, we should all be grateful.

Copyright © 2010, by Brent Marchant. All rights reserved.

Technorati Tags: afterlife, Brent Marchant, Bryce Dallas Howard, Cecile de France, Clint Eastwood, conscious creation, Death, Derek Jacobi, Frankie McLaren, George McLaren, hereafter, Jay Mohr, law of attraction, Marthe Keller, Matt Damon, Peter Morgan, psychic, Richard Kind, talking to the dead, Thierry Neuvic, transformation, transition, tsunami

At some point during our lives we find ourselves going through some form of transition.  Going through transition often puts us in a place of not knowing what lies ahead, or even if we do know what lies ahead, we may not have a reference point of what it is going to look or feel like and that can create fear and doubt.

Transition can show up in the form of changes in relationships, jobs, leaving one home to embrace another, moving to another country with a new language and culture or reinventing yourself to honour your passion in life with a whole new career path.

Whatever the circumstance, for some of us, transition can appear to be challenging, but if we are conscious and remain in the moment with what is, as it is, and not label the way we feel, transition is just that ~ transition from one moment to the next.

Even when we do have a compass of where we are going in life most of us have experienced that the best laid plans can change in an instant.

Whenever life appears to be challenging as we move through times of transition begin to notice if your thoughts are made up of scenarios from past experiences or are they related to expectations of the future? When we live our life in the moment and surrender to everything as it is, in that moment, there actually is no problem.  Look into that statement deeper, if you will, and see for yourself what you discover.

When we label our circumstances and feelings our mind begins to tell us a story of our life situation but it’s the way we choose to perceive our life challenges that make them appear as  if they are difficult or not.  And, when we surrender and welcome everything in our life as it is and trust that this moment is perfect and there is no resistance present, it’s then we can discover ourselves in a place of freedom – freedom from the mind and stories it tells us . Welcome to keeping your life simple.

Honour your spirit and walk towards the journey your heart desires.

In  love,

Lorraine

VividLife.me Contributor

About Lorraine

Lorraine Wilson has been on a journey of self discovery for many years. She openly shares her experience with others and offers hope, inspiration and an invitation to “Keep Life Simple” through self inquiry.  She lives on the West Coast with her children.

Lorraine has been influenced and is incredibly grateful for the teachings of Gangaji, Adyashanti, Eckart Tolle, Pamela Wilson, Muni and His Holiness, The Dalai Lama.  She has worked in the field of communications and broadcasting for over 30 years and utilizes her communication skills as a program facilitator and provides one on one support to others who desire to investigate their life journey.

Stayed tuned for ‘Keeping Life Simple’ on VividLife Radio. The program will be an opportunity for everyone in the community to come together to discuss and be supported in the never ending discovery of who we truly are.

www.KeepingLifeSimple.org

www.CallMediaWorks.com

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