REEL TRANSFORMATION: The Neverending Story

I Am, the Documentary

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Bruce) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 14:18:03 PDT

I saw this film a few months ago and saw the film maker again today on Oprah. It will be available to watch online 11/1 and available in DVD after the first of next year. It may still be playing in a theater near you. It is definitely worth watching.

LIMITLESS

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Bruce) — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 18:29:52 PDT

When I first heard about a movie called Limitless I was excited. This is what we teach in Unity: we are limitless. Jesus performed miracles. He walked on water, he changed water into wine and he healed the sick and raised the dead. Even his own death didn’t stop him. Jesus also said “greater things than these will you do…”

While a few people have managed healing themselves and facilitating healing for others, not too many of us have figured out how to do all that Jesus did, but I believe it is possible.

Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper) is not doing well in life. He has writer’s block, his girlfriend dumps him and his life is headed nowhere fast. Then remarkably he has an awakening to his true inner worth and power. Well, not exactly. That would have been a great spiritual cinema, but I suppose Hollywood couldn’t quite grasp that premise. Instead, Eddie runs into his ex-brother-in-law who gives him a mysterious new drug that promises to allow him to access 100% of his brain rather than the measly 20% that most of us tap into. The pill delivers as promised and Eddie is transformed and becomes, yes, you guessed it—limitless—that is until the pills start to run out.

Of course, this is Hollywood so there are chases and evil forces lurking and fighting for this power and drug. Don’t get me wrong, it was an interesting movie to watch and I rather enjoyed it. I especially liked the ending, because it left me wondering…kind of.

However, I don’t think Jesus was offering any pill when he told us we could be unlimited. There is no easy fix to enlightenment. I sometimes wish there was, but I have yet to find any. Jesus was unlimited, because he knew the truth about who he was. He was the Christ. He stood in that and he fully owned it!

I am unlimited when I stand fully in that knowing too. I have moments of it, and many more moments than I did when I first found Unity. You too can be unlimited and you don’t need a pill. All you need is the Truth that you are Spirit, and Spirit is unlimited. Believe in it. Stand in it. Claim it, and you too will be unlimited.

GROUNDHOG DAY

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Bruce) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 06:30:02 PST

The following is an excerpt from my (one day to be published) book Reel Transformation.
GROUNDHOG DAY
Spiritual transformation can be found in all film genres, even comedies.

Groundhog Day (Albert, 1993) is a funny film that gives us a great view of someone who keeps refusing the call. We get a picture of Phil Connors (Bill Murray) at the beginning of the film as an adult who has, so far, successfully avoided the call to maturity and authenticity.

Throughout the movie we see him avoid the call over and over again when he tries to use his situation, not for personal growth, but for personal gain. When he does finally respond to the call, he opens himself up to an authentic, altruistic and loving life.

Home/Ordinary World

In this movie Phil’s Ordinary World or Home is not a physical place, but rather a state of mind or way of being in the world. He is a weatherman covering a story in Punxsutawney, Penn. on Groundhog Day that he feels is beneath him. “I don’t want to stay an extra second in Punxsutawney,” he says. He tells his cameraman, “Someday, someone’s going to see me interviewing a groundhog and think I don’t have a future.” He has higher aspirations for his career. “There’s a major network interested in me,” he says. We quickly see that he is a shallow, selfish, narcissistic, sarcastic, egotistical man who can’t wait to get out of what he considers a pitiful town. However, he gets stuck in the town another night due to a blizzard and wakes up to Groundhog Day all over again. He has become trapped in a personal time warp, waking up every day at 6 a.m. on Feb. 2 over and over and over again.

This is a wonderful analogy for the rut that sometimes happens when we find ourselves living, not just a day, but a life that does not satisfy us; yet instead of changing what we are doing, we keep repeating the same patterns, usually with different people.

Phil’s rut is more obvious in that he is actually living the exact same day with the exact same people over and over again. For everyone else it is the first time they are living this day, but Phil lives it thousands of times, again and again. The original script called for Phil to live the same day over and over again for 10,000 years. (National Review, 2006, paragraph 10).

We don’t know exactly how many days Phil stays stuck in the same day, but we know it must be a very long time, as we see that he learns to play the piano, as well as sculpt ice proficiently.

The Call and the Call Refused

Awareness of our life circumstances and the unhealthy patterns we live is a wonderful call to change. Too often we stay stuck in unhealthy patterns totally ignorant of them. Once we have awareness that we are stuck in a rut or an unhealthy pattern, we can respond to that awareness and begin to make changes.

Being stuck in the same day over and over again is an opportunity for Phil to look at his life in depth. However, Phil has successfully refused the call to personal growth his entire life, so it is not surprising that he continues to resist the call to transform.

Also early in the movie, when he first sees her, we see a glimmer of an attraction to his producer Rita, which he quickly pushes away. This is another call he has refused. Phil has seen something in her that attracts him. She is happy with life and her job. She is carefree, generous and giving, but he has denied those same qualities within himself; so he cannot accept them, at first, in someone else.

Rita represents his positive shadow. Our shadow is anything, positive or negative, that we have not developed or acknowledged within us that we project outward onto someone else. There is another side to Phil that he has refused to develop and this movie is about his acknowledging and transforming his dark side, and embracing and developing the light side of his shadow.

Interestingly enough, this movie has the backdrop of a groundhog—named Phil—coming out to see his shadow to predict the coming of spring, and that is what the human Phil must do if he is to transform and get out of this very long winter.

Before that happens, though, Phil realizes he can manipulate his situation with people since he already knows what is going to happen, and they do not.

The Wilderness

Phil continues to refuse to take any responsibility for his life or the rut he is in. Even when he knows exactly where there is a puddle on the ground he continues to step in it over and over again.

“What would you do if you were stuck in one place, and every day was exactly the same and nothing you did mattered?” That is the question Phil asks a drunk in a bar, who responds “That about sums it up for me.”

That about sums it up is a familiar sentiment for many people in life who are stuck in unhappy circumstances.

Phil asks, “What if there were no tomorrow?” “There wasn’t one today.” He figures out that no tomorrow also means there aren’t any consequences.

At first this knowledge empowers him. He finally misses the puddle, but allows someone else to step in it instead. He also begins being reckless, breaking the law, and using the knowledge that he learns each day to try and win over Rita. He is still acting selfishly for his own gain and does nothing to change or transform himself.

Later he falls into a deep despair. He is in the midst of his wilderness experience and nothing he does, so far, has shifted or changed his world. He is frustrated. In one of his broadcasts he shares, “You want a winter prediction. It’s gonna be cold, it’s gonna be gray, and it’s going to last you the rest of your life.” Clearly he is having, what in spiritual language is called, “a dark night of the soul.”

He tries over and over again to commit suicide, but with each attempt he continues to wake up each morning to the same day. At first he feels invincible, like “a god”. Yet even the knowledge that he is immortal brings him no peace.

His deepest wilderness comes when he falls in love with Rita and realizes that no matter what he does, or how much he wins her over; she will wake up the next day and not remember any of it. He tells her about waking up to the same day and how difficult it has been. Her response is, “Maybe it’s not a curse—it depends on how you look at it.” This, of course, is the crux of his problem. He needs to shift how he looks at his life in order for him to change his life.

Transformation/Awakening

When he shares his dilemma with her, Rita decides to spend an entire day with him to see if she, too, can experience his time warp. She falls asleep next to him, and Phil speaks to her and confesses his love. He admits to the sleeping Rita that something happened to him the first time he saw her.

Something is beginning to shift inside of Phil. He still wakes up the next morning to find that Rita is gone and it is Groundhog Day again, but something inside of him has changed. During one of his weather broadcasts he tells us that winter is but another step in the cycle of life. He has become real and humble and has finally accepted his life and situation.

He stops judging others, and even asks for their opinions. He treats his cameraman Larry as a worthy co-worker for the first time. He begins doing things, not to manipulate others, but for himself. He learns to play the piano and to sculpt ice, and we can see that his arrogance is gone. He is doing these things, not to manipulate others or win over Rita, but for his own enjoyment. He is finally finding pleasure and joy in life.

He begins to use his day to help others. With his foreknowledge of what is to happen, he passes up spending time with Rita and, instead, goes around the town saving lives and helping others. We see him catch a child falling from a tree, and saving a man from choking in a restaurant.

Over and over again he tries, in vain, to save a homeless man from dying. He seems obsessed with helping this man, and even calls him father and dad. One wonders if there isn’t some unresolved parental issues he is attempting to work out. No matter what he does, the old man dies. Eventually Phil recognizes that he just can’t save everyone; he is not a god, and he finally accepts that there are some things he cannot change. We see the transformation in him during his broadcast the next morning when he says,

“When Chekhov saw the long winter…he saw a winter long and bleak and bereft of hope. Yet we know that winter is just another step in the cycle of life. But standing here among the people of Punxsutawney, and basking in their hearths and hearts I couldn’t imagine a better fate than a long and lustrous winter.”

He begins to win over the townspeople who see him as the wonderful, giving man that he has become. He has embraced the qualities that he saw in Rita, and she notices the change in him. Rita is now attracted to him, and when the town holds a bachelor auction, she bids and wins him for the evening.

The moment that shifts everything for him is when he tells Rita, “No matter what happens tomorrow or for the rest of my life—I’m happy now!” He has finally reached a place of total acceptance of the now moment.

Returning Home

Phil’s homecoming is not to a physical place. Phil has transformed from an arrogant, self-centered man to one who is at home in his own self. When he finally comes to that place of peace and acceptance and realizes that he can be happy no matter what tomorrow brings, he finally wakes up to a brand new day with Rita lying beside him. His first sentence in this new day shows how far he has changed. He asks Rita, “Is there anything I can do for you today?”

He and Rita, having fallen in love, decide to stay and settle in Punxsutawney, and no doubt Phil will continue to grow and change, as transformation is never a one-time event, but an ongoing process.

BLACK SWAN: PASSION OR PERFECTION?

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Bruce) — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 16:39:56 PST

I used to be a perfectionist. Thank God I’m not anymore. I still place great value on doing good work and my best, but I’m no longer obsessed with having to do everything perfectly. Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) in the movie Black Swan is obsessed with dancing perfectly.

This film does an excellent job at showing the audience the competitive, and believe it or not, brutal world of ballet. We get a glimpse of the toll it takes on the dancer’s body, especially their feet which often become bloody and torn. We see the diligence the dancer must take with their shoes, their body and their dancing. We also see the competitiveness and rivalry inherent among dancers.

The director of the ballet company Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) bypasses the aging lead ballerina Beth (Winona Ryder) and gives the lead role of Swan Queen in his newer, rawer version of Swan Lake to Nina. The role requires that she play two very diverse parts, the innocent and pure White Swan and the provocative and sexy Black Swan. Nina has the White Swan mastered, but being too young and inexperienced she can’t quite grasp what is needed for the Black Swan. Yet waiting in the wings is another dancer, Lily (Mila Kunis), ready to fill Nina’s shoes should she not succeed. We begin to understand Nina’s drive for perfection.

The director, using sexual advances, tries to get Nina in touch with her dark and passionate side, but this would require an abandonment and letting go that just doesn’t fit with her perfectionism. Sex, orgasm, abandonment and passion all require one to totally let go of control and the need for it all to be perfect.

We soon discover that Nina is more than just obsessed with being perfect, she’s psychotic. She is a tortured soul who mutilates her body, or does she? Throughout the film we switch back and forth between reality and Nina’s fantasies, and it becomes as difficult for the viewer, as it is for Nina, to tell the difference between the two.

In the end she not only masters the role, but she literally becomes one with the passionate and dark Swan. Her ending words are “it was perfect.” This film is dark, violent and extremely sexual. It is not for everyone, but I found it to be an excellent, Oscar worthy film.

If I, personally, had to choose between passion and perfection, I would choose passion. I’d rather abandon myself into something I love and not worry about how it all turns out. However, I’m grateful that, unlike Nina, I’m not psychotic and am able to distinguish the difference.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jaI1XOB-bs

BRINGING BACK THE OLD HOLLYWOOD

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Bruce) — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 11:05:42 PST

Below is a message directly from Hollywood Producer and Director Stephen Simon:

The spirit of The Old Hollywood is engrained in my soul and in the souls of hundreds of millions of people around the world. I grew up in the Old Hollywood. My father was a producer and director, Frank Sinatra was my "godfather", and I spent much of my youth with such stars as Lucille Ball, Red Skelton, Milton Berle, The Marx Brothers, and Abbott and Costello. In my own career, I have produced movies with Christopher Reeve, Tom Cruise, Robin Williams, and Madonna, who gave me lessons in honesty. Yes, truly, she did.
Unless something dramatic is done, new movies will soon become extinct.
Bringing Back The Old Hollywood is a passionate declaration that The Old Hollywood is most definitely not gone forever. Like Brigadoon, it has only been cocooned, soon to emerge in a newer and more dazzling form.
I invite you then to join me on this journey to welcome back The Old Hollywood as it is reborn.
That rebirth can come sooner than we can even imagine.
Because we are the ones who can now bring it back.
From the bottom of my heart, I thank you so much for your support.

Thanks so much!

Stephen Simon

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THE BOOK: http://theoldhollywood.com/cart_cmd.php?af=1283759 As an affiliate, I will receive $5 if you purchase the book from this link. Thank you.

The Old Hollywood

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Bruce) — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 10:53:37 PST

I just discovered a new website called Theoldhollywood.com. It is sponsored by Hollywood producer and author Stephen Simon.

I had the privilege of meeting Stephen at a Spiritual Cinema Film Festival at sea a number of years ago. I was also a charter member of Spiritual Cinema Circle (http://www.spiritualcinemacircle.com/). I had to let my subscription go when I lost my job, but I truly hope to be able to renew it someday soon...if I ever get another job...I WILL get another job...LOL.

I also took a teleseminar with him and pitched the idea for my book Reel Transformation: Your Life Now Playing to him. If I ever get that book finished and published there will be an acknowledgment to him in the front of the book as I would never have even started it without his encouragement. Actually, I'm secretly hoping he'll write the forward to it.

Stephen produced one of my favorite movies Somewhere in Time as well as What Dreams May Come. He’s also just written a new book that I have ordered called Bringing Back the Old Hollywood. I’ve read the first couple of chapters online and can’t wait to read the rest. When I finish it I’ll post more here about it. I've become an affiliate which means you can buy the book through this link: http://theoldhollywood.com/cart_cmd.php?af=1283759 and I will receive $5 of the sale.

So click on that link and check out the website and Stephen’s blog and check back here later for my review of the book.

Our Crisis is a Birth

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Bruce) — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 13:34:31 PST

Does it feel to you like our nation is experiencing a crisis? Our economy is at its worst. Millions of people are unemployed. Our government is bickering across the aisle and stuck in how to solve our country’s economic problems, and many other issues as well.

What if what appears to be a crisis happening around us and to us is actually just labor pains? What if we are in the process of birthing something new and exciting? Well, Barbara Marx Hubbard and Ian Xel Lungold believe that is exactly what is happening, and I’m inclined to agree with them.

I looked back over my posts and couldn’t believe that I hadn’t written about this already. I was so jazzed by the Mayan Calendar film that Xel Lungold did that I watched it a number of times, showed it to a group of folks at church and sent copies to my friends…and yet I didn’t talk about it here.

Here’s the link to check it out on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVIUBP2ho3c

Ian says that the Mayan calendar is about the evolution of consciousness. Everything that has happened since the beginning of time…even before the Big Bang has been a result of consciousness evolving, and consciousness has a plan. As many of you know the Mayan calendar ends soon. Ian says the calendar ending doesn’t signify the end of the world, but the end of the world as we know it, and the beginning of an entirely new level of consciousness where humanity becomes conscious co-creators.

Barbara Marx Hubbard who is a futurist, an author and a visionary believes that humanity is on the verge of evolving into an entirely new species that she calls a Universal Human. http://www.barbaramarxhubbard.com/con/

What I’ve discovered in my own life and in researching the subject is that crisis (or what feels like crisis) always precedes transformation. Now I’ve never given birth, but I have been present at the birth of a baby and what I know is that it is a painful, sometimes difficult and messy process. So is life.

Imagine for a moment that you are a fetus about to be born. You’ve been safe and secure in the womb and all of a sudden there are contractions and you are being pushed through a tight and narrow passageway. It isn’t comfortable. If you could see…you would see a long tunnel with a light at the end. You would probably think (if you had the capacity to think) that you were dying. But you are not dying, you are about to begin a new and exciting adventure. The baby doesn’t resist the birth process…it surrenders and lets it happen. If it did resist, it would probably get stuck and die.

So, what if our country’s financial meltdown and political chaos are just the contractions of birth? Let us too not resist, but help it along by staying conscious and trusting the process. We are not in crisis; we are giving birth to a whole new level of being. I can’t wait to see what we become!

PAPERCLIPS

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Bruce) — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 12:15:32 PDT

It is amazing how one little idea can grow into something bigger than you ever dreamed imaginable. I am sure that the students and faculty of Whitwell Middle School never dreamt that their little afterschool project would ever end up receiving worldwide attention and eventually become a movie.

It started when the principal asked an instructor to create a program that would teach the students tolerance and diversity. Whitwell Tennessee was a small rural town with a population that, according to the US Census, was 97.35% white. So a Holocaust Education class was started in the fall of 1998. When told that 6,000,000 Jews had been killed during this time in history, one student, unable to fathom it, asked, “how many is 6,000,000? That set them on a task to see if they could collect 6,000,000 paperclips.

It turns out the paperclip played a role in Holocaust history. Johan Vaaler, a Norwegian, is sometimes mistakenly credited with inventing the paperclip. He did invent a clip, but it is not the same one use today. It seems the people of Norway used to wear the paperclip on their lapels as a symbol of resistance against Nazi occupation during the war.

As part of their project, the students developed a webpage and sent out letters to family, friends, celebrities and politicians. Slowly the paperclips started trickling in. Eventually the Press got involved and articles were written about the school project, and it began to pick up momentum. Paperclips starting arriving from all over the world. An old suitcase arrived from a group of students in Germany. Inside the suitcase were notes, written in German, attached to the clips. The notes were apologies to Anne Frank. (yes, this movie will make you cry)

It gets even bigger and better, but I encourage you to watch the movie for yourself….survivors of the Holocaust came and spoke to the students, a memorial was created, and over 29,000,000 paperclips collected….all from a little idea a principal had to help teach her students about diversity.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GP15cY3f7UA&feature=related

YOU AGAIN

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Bruce) — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 12:01:51 PDT

Yes it’s me again. I realize that I haven’t written here much lately. I’ve been doing lots of travel. I’ve been to Detroit, Indianapolis, Connecticut where I did my workshop Reel Transformation: Your Life Now Playing, and also was the guest speaker in Bentonville, AR. While I love traveling…there’s nothing like the ordinariness of a daily routine. I actually went a couple of weeks without going to the movies…oh my! We can’t have that! I had to make up for it by going to 2 movies in one weekend and watching 2 movies on Netflix. I just have to get in my movie fix.

I have also started a once a month Multi-Media service here in Fayetteville. At least it was supposed to be once a month. I did the first one on Eat Pray Love in September, but then traveled so much I had to forgo doing one in October. I have another one planned for November and the topic will be about the spiritual wisdom from the movie Inception. I just LOVE planning these services. I put all the music, youtube and movie clips into Powerpoint. I really enjoy putting it all together. I have a talk started on the spiritually of Avatar, but haven’t gotten back to it in awhile.

I went to see the movie You Again this past weekend. I enjoyed the movie, but I don’t think it will win any awards. The acting was a bit over the top and corny, but it was designed to be that way. It did have an interesting and timely message, however. It was about being bullied in high school, and how the angst of that can stay with you into adulthood. It made me think of the boy who recently committed suicide because a video of him was posted on Youtube. Growing up is difficult enough without being bullied by one’s peers.

I was made fun of in grammar school…and it was torture. I had a large nose as a child, which thankfully I’ve grown into. My classmates called me Grindl, which was a character on TV at the time played by Imogene Coco…who also had a big nose. I guess she didn’t grow into hers. I thought Imogene was ugly. While it was humiliating for me to be called that name, over and over again, I survived somehow. I used to hate my nose and yearn for one of those cute little button noses. Now I rather like my face, nose included.

The characters in this movie also survived into adulthood. However, they found it difficult to let go of the hurts of their childhood. Yet daughter, mother, and later we discover grandmother, all grew up and led very successful lives.

The title refers, I suppose, to having to face ‘you again’….the nemesis of our childhood. But I think it’s not about the other person at all. It’s really about discovering who You are again. Anytime we let someone else define us we lose our true identity and forget how awesome and Divine and special we really are. When we can finally let that go and be happy with ourselves, we’ve come home. I think as young children we remember how awesome we are, and then something happens and we forget for a while. I think it was designed to happen that way. We’ve left the Garden of Eden and we are wandering around in the wilderness. Hopefully we make it through and have an awakening, a remembering and we come back into our Awesomeness….our Youness….our I AMness.

If you are a teenager being bullied in school…remember, no one else can define you. Who you are is perfect. We are meant to be unique, but growing up is about trying to fit in and so being unique feels wrong somehow. Later in life it will all make sense. For now you just have to learn to make it through and stand up for yourself. Find others who are like you…they are out there.

If you are an adult and are still hurting over your childhood….get over it already! It’s in the past. Who you are is awesome. All those childhood experiences helped make you who you are today. You wouldn’t be the same person without them, so be grateful for everything. Remember the truth of who you are….claim it. Let go of anyone else’s identity for you and become YOU AGAIN.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1-UMzt9e34

INCEPTION

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Bruce) — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 10:11:27 PDT

I love movies that mess with my mind…movies like Vanilla Sky and Momento. These are movies where you have to pay attention and sometimes even that is not enough to fully grasp the boundary between illusion/dream and reality.

I was not surprised to see that Christopher Nolan, also the director of Momento, was the creative mind behind the new film Inception. This man knows how to bend and twist and open the mind. If you’ve seen Momento then you understand fully what I mean. Who else would think to film a movie frame by frame backwards to help us understand a character with no short term memory?

I also love movies that are laced with deeper messages, and Inception had me going back to the movies a second time with my pad and pen in an attempt to capture some of the quotes and richness weaved into the script. If you haven’t seen the film…well it isn’t easy to explain, nor would I want to even try. Suffice it to say that it is a movie about dreams and our subconscious mind. There have certainly been other films made about those subjects, but none as innovative and creative as Inception.

“What is the most resilient parasite?” asks Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio). “An idea. A single idea from the human mind can build cities. An idea can transform the world and re-write all the rules. From the tiniest seed, it spreads like a virus.”

WOW. Well that simple idea is what my spiritual teachings are based upon: the power of the mind to transform. Unity’s teachings are all about the power of the mind and how we can transform our life and our world through our thoughts.

Ideas are resilient and formative. This is great news! The bad news is that many of us are living with ideas that have taken residence in our subconscious mind, ideas we got from childhood, that are destructive. Ideas such as: “I’m not worthy” or “Life is difficult” or “The universe is not a friendly place.” Or, like Cobb, maybe we are harboring feelings of guilt that stay buried deep in our subconscious mind and interfere with our everyday living.
The thing is…those thoughts are not reality. If we believe that we are not worthy or unlovable or that we live in an unfriendly universe, we are deluding ourselves and living in a dream world. We need to wake up! But we’ve held onto those ideas for so long that they seem real. They are buried deep in our subconscious mind and they are running (and ruining) our world.

In the movie, Cobb and the others who hung out in the dream world crafted for themselves a unique totem. A totem was something that they could carry with them that would tell them if they were living in the dream world or awake. Cobb’s totem was a top (actually the totem was his wife’s, and why Cobb is using it was never explained, but for our purposes here let’s say Cobb’s was the top). When Cobb was inside of his dream world the top would continue to spin forever. If he was awake the top would eventually stop spinning.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could craft a totem that would let us know that the thoughts we were living with were not real? While we may not have a physical item to carry with us, we do have the ability to tap into our ‘witness’. All of us have a consciousness that is able to stand ‘outside’ of our circumstances and observe. It is that consciousness that is able to remember the dream upon awakening and even able to be aware it is dreaming (lucid dreaming). It is also that consciousness that can ask the question that Cobb asked Ariadne (Ellen Page) “How did you get here?” As Cobb pointed out, dreams usually start out in the middle, not at the beginning. So if you can’t answer the question, “how did I get here?” then you are most likely dreaming.

That’s a great question to ask ourselves whenever we are having a thought or experience that brings us pain. How did I get here? What is the prevailing thought behind this experience? What was the ‘inception’ of those ideas? For instance, say your lover leaves you and you go into a deep depression. How did you get to this place of depression? It wasn’t simply over being left. It was the thought process and meaning that you attached to getting left. Such as, “I’ll never find someone else to love me, I’m not good enough or loveable, I’ll have to live the rest of my life alone”…etc., etc.

If that is the thought process buried in your subconscious mind, then you need to wake up from that delusional dream for it will bring you nothing but heartache and will mess with your ‘waking world’. Once we uncover the prevailing thoughts we have the power to replace those negative thoughts with positive life affirming ideas. The trick is to make sure those ideas are imbued with a corresponding positive feeling. As Cobb said, “positive emotions trump negative emotions every time.” He didn’t say positive thoughts trump negative thoughts. Positive thinking alone is not enough; feelings trump thinking every time. Charles Fillmore, co-founder of Unity, believed that thoughts include both thinking and feeling, and feeling is the most powerful and most formative of the two.
Cobb fostered deep feelings of guilt over the death of his wife and those feelings impacted his life and his dreams. He needed to forgive himself, release those negative and destructive thoughts and feelings and learn how to live in the waking world. The film ends leaving us wondering if he did indeed make it out of the dream world.

Albert Einstein said “Reality is merely an illusion, albeit it a very persistent one.” Perhaps he’s right and it’s all an illusion. It really doesn’t matter; we all have the power to choose our experience, our thoughts and our feelings…even within our dreams. That’s the beauty of Lucid Dreaming, which is a form of dreaming in which the conscious mind takes control over the contents of the dream. So even if what we think of as the ‘waking world’ is really an illusion or dream, as Lucid Dreamers we become empowered to change and mold our experience.

Perhaps I love movies that mess with my mind, because my mind was designed to be messed with? So let’s get busy messing around.

Wabi Sabi

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Bruce) — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 15:29:35 PDT

I discovered a new term the other day called “Wabi Sabi.” It is a Japanese concept about the beauty of things that are imperfect and impermanent and incomplete. This sounded a lot like my life and I immediately loved this idea. Anyone who is living in that in-between world that I call “The Void” can identify with learning to accept (if not love) the incomplete and the impermanent.

I did a talk once called The Spirituality of Imperfection, so this idea was not new to me. We are evolving souls and we are never complete or finished so it would behoove us to learn to appreciate our imperfection, because it isn’t going to go away.

I have, from an early age, loved the idea of evolution. I did a paper on evolution in grammar school and the teacher threw the paper across the room in anger. To be fair, she was a Catholic nun and I hadn’t realized at the time that Catholics didn’t believe in evolution. I understand they’ve since changed their position on that thought. Later in ministerial school I wrote a paper on the evolution of consciousness. My instructor, although he didn’t throw my paper across the room, argued with me a bit as well. I got a good grade on the paper, but I don’t think I fully convinced him of my point.

Others have been spouting the idea of the evolution of consciousness for decades, i.e. Teilhard de Chardin, Barbara Marx Hubbard and a host of others. Recently I saw a video by Ian Xel Lungold on the Mayan Calendar and apparently the Mayan’s have known this for centuries. According to them all of creation is evolving, and it makes perfect sense to me.

If we are constantly evolving, it stands to reason that we would never be complete, perfect or permanent. So why is it that we forget that fact and are often so hard on ourselves or our life circumstances?

The two terms Wabi and Sabi have separate meanings. Wabi refers to a rustic simplicity and can be applied to natural or hand-made items. One article I read described it as “asymmetry in a ceramic bowl which reflects the handmade craftsmanship, as opposed to another bowl which is perfect, but soul-less and machine-made.” Sabi is the beauty and serenity that comes with age, such as the patina on an old bronze statue or bowl. I’d like to think it also refers to those wrinkles around my eyes and mouth….they give me character, don’t they? It also reminds me of the Velveteen Rabbit that was ragged and torn and yet immensely loved and full of life.

Wabi Sabi…nothing is perfect and yet it is in our imperfection that we find our beauty and uniqueness. I like that! So, I am hanging out in the void and my life feels incomplete. So what? All of life is a simply one void leading to the next void, so what’s my hurry? I might as well enjoy the beauty of this moment!

REEL TRANSFORMATION MINISTRIES

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Bruce) — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 12:42:34 PDT

I am in the process of filling out the paperwork for an Alternative Ministry called Reel Transformation Ministries. I am still looking for my right and perfect church, as well as other employment. Right now I'm living off of savings....God is so good!

This alternative ministry would allow me to do workshops and teach classes under the name of my ministry and receive tax deductible contributions. This is an interesting and long process. I have to file an Article of Incoporation with the state, create Bylaws and have a board of trustees. I also have to submit a proposal to the Association of Unity Churches to get approved and get a letter of recommendation from my Regional Representative. The deadline for submitting to the Association is August, but it wouldn't be approved until January of next year. Who knows where I'll be by then....I may not even be in this state. I may be working in my new church, and then I probably would have to put this alternative ministry on hold. But I feel drawn to go ahead for now, so we shall see what happens. Hopefully by January my book will finally be done and published.

I hestitate to even put this here on my blog, as potential congregations will come here to check out my blog. Please know that this is an example of living in the moment and trusting the flow of Divine Order. I would like nothing better than to be in a church working full time, and yet until then I must move forward to create...and this feels like fun. It may turn out to lead nowhere...and it may end up being something awesome. Who knows? God does.

Prayers for the Gulf

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Bruce) — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 11:24:28 PDT

I'm posting an email from Mike Davis about the joining together in prayer on Sunday, June 20th to pray for the Gulf:

What started out as an invitation from Rev. Patricia Reiter to Unity churches around the Gulf of Mexico to come together in blessing the Gulf has gone national. It has grown into " . . . a joining of people from all walks of life to pray in their own special way. We will have over 10,000 people joining us at that hour from around the country," writes Rev. Reiter.
Please pass this email along and help us reach as many people as possible - the Gulf needs us, as we need it!

BLESSING OF THE GULF OF MEXICO:
WHEN: Sunday, June 20, 2010, 3:00 p.m. Eastern time
WHERE: Along the Gulf of Mexico, or wherever you are
WHO: Everyone!
WHY: "We can channel our frustration at the pollution of the Gulf into a positive force for good."
A special song has been written for this event: "O Holy Ocean, A Song For the Gulf." One comment we have received on the song sums up what we are trying to accomplish on June 20th: "Bravo! I am moved by your tribute and prayer for our ocean!!! I've been so grieved and saddened by the images coming out of this tragedy. Your beautiful song points me in the right direction."

Please share this video of the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Or8VY4WHn9M
Thank you for all you can do!

Warmest regards -
Mike and Paula Davis
http://www.mikedavismusic.net/ / 407-748-7865
http://www.veniceunity.com/ / 941-484-5342

A Change Messenger

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Bruce) — Tue, 11 May 2010 13:30:49 PDT

I just participated in a teleseminar and realized that I have a new vocation: I am a Change Messenger. Maybe it’s not a new vocation, rather just a new name for my work or a clearer focus on what I’m already doing. Yes, I’m a minister, but really what my work is about is calling people to transform and change their lives through connecting with their Higher Power. On a smaller scale my work is about my own personal change…as I continue to change and evolve I have more insights to offer to others. On a larger scale, my work is about being a messenger to help facilitate change in the world. As individuals change—the world becomes a better place.

All of us are Change Messengers, not just teachers and ministers. As each of us transform our thoughts, words, feelings and actions, the world benefits. Our life transmits our message. What I’m also realizing is that each of us has our own unique message to share. My individualized message has to do with the Hero’s Journey and the Stages of Transformation that I’m writing about in my book Reel Transformation. What I am most excited about is helping people realize when they are being ‘Called’ and when they are wondering in the ‘Wilderness’ so that they can recognize that when they get fired or get divorced that something greater is really at work in their lives.

So what does this all mean? Well, I’m still working on figuring that out. I’m still looking for work in field ministry, but I’m also trying to open my mind to see if the universe is calling me to work in other realms as well. How else can I get my message out there for others to see or hear? Certainly finishing my book would be one way, this blog is another, but perhaps there are others as well. I remain open and receptive to the message and to God’s call.

Next Top Spiritual Author Competition

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Bruce) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 10:22:44 PDT

I have recently joined a competition sponsored by James Twyman to become the Next Top Spiritual Author. This is an exciting competition that gives us authors lots of support in the writing and publishing process. I'd been struggling for some time to find a way to describe my book in a short and consise manner, and this competition has helped me do just that! The winner of this competition gets their book published by Hampton Road Publishing. To make it to the next level I need LOTS of folks to go to the website, view my video and vote for me. There are 2500 people entered from around the world and 250 will advance to the next level. So please go and vote for me and tell ALL YOUR FRIENDS to also go and vote for me. Thank you so much.

The title of my book is Reel Transformation: Your Life Now Playing. It is a book about the spiritual stages of transformation that are inherent in any spiritual journey...and we are all on a spiritual journey. My book talks about how these stages can be seen in the characters in movies and also in your own life.

To view my video and vote for me go to: http://www.NextTopAuthor.com/?aid=1911 if you can't click on this link then copy and paste the url.

Here's the video, but you need to go to the link above to vote for me. Thank you...and don't forget to tell your friends.

Blessings,
Cindy

READY FOR THE OSCARS AND PREDICTIONS

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Bruce) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 15:52:10 PST

Every year I look forward to Oscar Night! As soon as I find out the date, I mark it in my daytimer. Nothing interferes with this date! This year I’ll be watching from a motel room. It’s not the first time I’ve watched while away from home.

Lots of people have Oscar parties, but not me. I don’t want to be partying and chatting during the Awards Ceremony…this is serious business to me…LOL. I did invite a friend over once, but she left early. I’m up for the long haul. It was easier when I lived in California where it airs earlier. It wouldn’t matter to me how late it ran, I’d stay up. I’d sleep all day if I had to…can you tell this is a big deal for me?

Also, I do my best to make sure I see all the movies nominated. I try to see even the ones nominated for actors etc., but I don’t always manage to see them all. Now that I live in a smaller town it is harder as some of the films don’t even make it here. I had to see The Hurt Locker on Netflix. I didn’t manage to see The Messenger or The Lovely Bones. The Lovely Bones is playing here, but I haven’t made time to see it yet. Maybe that’s because I went to see Avatar THREE times…LOL!!! I’ve only seen 3 of the ones nominated for Best Animated Film and haven’t seen any of the foreign films and only one of the documentaries.

I don’t usually make predictions, but thought I might try my hand at it this year just to see how well I’d do. I’m only going to predict the top awards as I have no idea about editing and cinematography etc. and there is a limited amount of time and space here…LOL. So here goes….

Leading Actor: I think this is Jeff Bridge’s year. He was excellent in ‘Crazy Heart’ and should have received an Oscar a long time ago. His is due! Personally I don’t think there’s any competition except for Colin Firth who was awesome in ‘A Single Man.’ Morgan Freeman was great in ‘Invictus’, but he’s always great and it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary for him.

Supporting Actor: Well I didn’t see Woody Harrelson or Stanley Tucci so this probably isn’t a fair vote, but the money this year seems to be on Christoph Waltz in ‘Inglourious Basterds’. He brought life to his role as a Nazi officer and I think he will win.

Leading Actress: Well I know everyone seems to think Sandra Bullock will win, and she was great, but I think it will finally be Meryl Streep’s year. Meryl has been nominated 16 times and has only won twice and only once for Leading Actress back for Sophie’s Choice back 1n 1983. She nailed the role of Julia…you almost forgot you weren’t actually watching Julia Childs.

Supporting Actress: There’s no competition here…it should and will go to Mo’Nique for her moving portrayal of the mother of Precious. As bitchy as she was, she actually made you feel sorry for her…for a few brief moments anyway.

Animated Feature: I think it’s sort of interesting that Up was nominated for both animated and Best Picture. It has no chance at Best Picture, but it will win here.

Directing: If Kathryn Bigelow doesn’t win, then I think women everywhere should boycott Hollywood. There have only been FOUR women ever nominated for Best Director and no woman has ever won it. IT’S ABOUT TIME!!! Barbra Streisand should have been nominated years ago for Yentl…but that’s a whole ‘nuther blog…don’t get me started.

Best Picture: It’s difficult to predict this category, because the Academy has done some surprising things in the past. The money seems to be between The Hurt Locker and Avatar. The Hurt Locker was very well made and an excellent movie. It was an innovative idea to film it to seem like a documentary. It was not an easy film to watch. Avatar, on the other hand, was an absolute joy to watch, and it has rocked the movie world! James Cameron held this vision for years and had to wait for technology to catch up with his vision. There has been nothing like it before….EVER. Yes, it has no actors nominated, but the film deserves Best Picture and I, for one, will weep if it doesn’t win. SO THERE!

Well there are my predictions…enjoy Oscar Night ….I sure will!

Ramblings

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Bruce) — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 09:53:24 PST

Well it’s been awhile since I posted here….life has gotten a bit busier for me. I am helping out a church about 2 ¼ miles from where I live. They are a wonderful group of folks and I’m happy to help, but it does keep me busy.

I have still found time to see lots of movies though. Not much would keep me away from the cinema! This time of year all the great movies come out…many are vying for Academy Awards. I’ve seen Precious, Nine, It’s Complicated, Sherlock Holmes, Everybody’s Fine, Up in the Air, 2012, Avatar, Brothers, The Blind Side, The Princess and the Frog, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, Invictus, and I’m sure a bunch more. I like all of them, but Avatar was by far the best…awesome!

I also watch movies on Netflix and last night watched Louise L. Hay: You Can Heal Your Life: The Movie. It was a great film…done in the style of What the Bleep…with some drama and a number of interviews by such people as Wayne Dyer, Gregg Braden, Esther Hicks and many more. It speaks about ‘changing your life through changing your thinking’ and was a wonderful refresher. One of my favorite quotes from the movie was, "Anything you complain about repetitively is something you have an unconscious intention to reproduce." Wow! That’s pretty powerful stuff! It heightened my resolve to watch what I say and be careful not to complain.

I am looking forward to a new year and a new decade. The past year has been an interesting year of waiting and waiting and I can feel things are ready to break forth. I am ready!

9: Pieces of the Soul

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Bruce) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 10:53:43 PDT

(WARNING: Contains Spoilers)

I couldn’t help but think of Harry Potter when I was watching the animated film 9 directed by Shane Acker and produced by Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov. Why, you might ask? Well, because both films talk about pieces of the soul, albeit in totally different ways.

In Harry Potter the villain Voldemort rips away pieces of his soul by murdering others. He then places those pieces within an object known as a Horcrux. For those of you who are not Potter fans, a Horcrux is a magical object in which a wizard hides a part of his soul in an attempt to become immortal. As long as his soul is contained in the object he cannot die. Voldemort doesn’t seem to care that he has to kill others to assure that he remains immortal. He also doesn’t seem to understand that his violent acts serve to diminish the life force in his own body.

The movie 9 also deals with the idea of a soul splitting, but in a much more altruistic manner.

9 (Elijah Wood) is a sapient burlap doll who wakes up to find himself in a post apocalyptic world where all humans are gone. In this world he finds 8 other dolls, like himself, who have taken refuge from some huge machines that are out to destroy any signs of life.

Towards the end of the movie we discover that the human creator of these 9 dolls infused each of them with a piece of his soul so that life could be preserved on earth. He didn’t do it from any selfish motive, but from a loving desire to preserve the essence of life and to bring that life to his creations.

All of us are creations of a Higher Power and we were all infused with a piece of that Creator’s energy. We are all pieces of one Soul and we are already immortal. We don’t have to do anything or take anything away from anyone else to attain immortality, it is already ours. Our bodies may fade away, but the soul lives on. Those who understand this premise live their lives respecting others and all of life. Those who don’t, like Voldemort, strike out at others from a place of fear.

All of us create from time to time. It doesn’t matter if you are an artist, a scientist, a writer or musician, a cook, a carpenter, or a parent. We all create on some level, and we all want to bring something of ourselves into our creations. This desire innately comes, not from a place of fear, but from a place of love. We don’t diminish ourselves when we give rise to something out of love and creativity, instead we add to not only our life, but to the lives of others. All of us leave a part of ourselves here on earth in the things we create. This blog is one of the ways I lovingly share bits of my soul with others. What about you? Take a moment and think of the many ways in which you create, share yourself and leave this world a better place.

Time Travel

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Bruce) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 13:53:35 PDT

What if the first time you kissed him was not the first time he had kissed you? What if your husband disappeared on your wedding night, but you couldn’t really be mad at him since he was with you the entire time. Of course, the you he was with was only nine at the time. Such is the world of the Time Traveler’s Wife. She met her love when he was an adult and she was just a child. He visited her many times as she was growing up and she fell in love. She spent her life waiting for time to catch up with him. When he did finally meet her—she already knew him, but to him she was a stranger.

The movie is based on a book by Audrey Niffenegger, but it was no surprise to find out that Bruce Joel Rubin wrote the screenplay. Bruce also wrote such wonderful films as Ghost, My Life, and Jacob’s Ladder. I had the pleasure of meeting Bruce in 2005 on the Spiritual Cinema Festival at Sea.

I totally enjoyed this film, but it got me thinking—no surprise—what would happen if time travel really were possible? If it truly were a reality then my future self could come back and tell me if I found my right and perfect church, where it was, and if everything turns out as well as I pray it does. Considering I’ve lived the past year in the void and wondering about my future—it truly would be pretty awesome to have those questions answered once and for all.

I took a class at Unity Village decades ago on NLP (Neura- Linguistic Programming). In this class our future self went back to our inner child to bring them the knowledge that life would turn out okay; that’s a great thing for a child to know. This was all pretend of course. We stood in a constructed timeline and simply moved back in time to assure ourselves that we turned out okay. It’s a wonderful psychological concept.

So, what if there really is a future me hanging around somewhere? That future me would have the answers that I am now seeking. While it might be nice to find out specifics from my future self, it would seem that this is virtually impossible. I have not (as of this moment) figured out how to transport myself into the future.

However, what I’ve realized is, I do know how to travel to my past. The present me can look back at other times in my past when I was feeling stress or indecision and see that I made it through perfectly fine through that stressful time to this now present moment. Knowing this, how can there be any doubt that whatever I am going through now will turn out exactly as it needs to be.

So, it turns out I can time travel—but only to my past. I know we talk in spirituality about ‘being here now’ and living in the present…but I still think it would be pretty awesome to take a trip to the future. Anyone want to go there with me?

The Man from Earth

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Bruce) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 08:07:30 PDT

Can you imagine what it would be like to live for over 14,000 years? What if you began as a cave man or woman and you never grew older. You would watch the earth change as oceans appeared and mountains formed. You would see evolution at work all around you. You could meet the Buddha, go study in India, and then later meet up with Van Gogh. Everyone around you is growing older so you must keep on the move so no one notices that you aren’t aging.

This very premise is explored in an interesting movie called The Man from Earth. The movie was made in 2007, and I would guess it wasn’t in theaters long, if at all, as I’m sure I would have gone to see it had I heard about it. I found in on Netflix…I just love Netflix!

The film begins with Professor John Oldman (David Lee Smith) packing up his things to move. Some of his colleagues have gathered around to wish him well and give him a farewell party. Someone notices a painting he is putting into his truck by Van Gogh with a note on the back “to my friend Jacques Borne” and this begins the questions.

His friends are all quizzing him about why he is leaving. John then poses this question, "What if a man, from the Upper Paleolithic survived until the present day?" Thinking he is working on a science fiction book they play along and keep asking him questions. These professors include an anthropologist, a biologist, a historian, an archeologist, a psychologist and a professor who is a devout Christian. John is able to answer all of the questions fielded to him and finally admits that he is this man. The conversation gets very interesting. Some find this idea interesting and agree that it can’t be proved or disproved. Others think John is crazy and should be locked up, but they have known him for 10 years and he has always seemed sane…until now.

As I watched this movie, I began wondering if I would believe someone who told me such a story. It feels unbelievable, but then I’ve been taught to believe anything is possible. What about you? Would you believe such a story? It’s an interesting film. If you decide to watch it, come back here and leave me a comment and let me know what you thought.

Heart and Souls

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Bruce) — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 16:42:41 PDT

I just watched the most delightful movie! It is called Heart and Souls, and it came out in 1993. I don’t know how I missed it before now, except that I was ordained in 1993, so I may have been a bit preoccupied when the movie hit the theaters. However, I’m guessing the film didn’t get much press or advertising, because I’m certain I would have made an effort to see it. I just love those “Watch Instantly” movies on Netflix, and I sometimes watch them on my computer when there is nothing else to do. I discovered this movie from the recommended list which Netflix prepares based on my previous viewing. Boy, do they know me or what?!

The movie stars Robert Downey Jr., Charles Grodin, Alfre Woodard, Kyra Kedgwick and Tom Sizemore. It is about four people who died together while riding a bus. They were young people with unfinished business, and at the exact moment they died a young boy, named Thomas, was born. These four souls become delightfully attached to this child in consciousness. Thomas grows up thinking of these four souls as his imaginary friends. He talks to them, sings and dances with them; they especially love singing Walk Like a Man, by the Four Seasons, and I loved singing it right along with them. However, when Thomas reaches age 7 his parents and teacher begin to wonder about his imaginary life, and the four souls fear that Thomas will be committed to a mental institution so they become invisible.

Years later when Thomas is a grown young man the four souls discover that they are being called to leave this earth, yet they have work to finish before they can leave, and they need Thomas to help them. Thomas needs some help himself, as he shut down his heart after his imaginary friends disappeared. Together the five help each other with delightful results.

I was never a child who had imaginary friends, but it made me wonder if there might have been a guardian angel hanging around and helping me when I needed a friend. While I have thought about and even believed in angels and how they could be of assistance to us, I never gave any thought to that help being reversed. It’s an interesting premise for which I have no answer. I do, however, highly recommend this movie. It is a delightful film with heart and soul…and you’ll find yourself, singing and laughing right out loud.

SPIRIT RISING: ASSOCIATION OF UNITY CONVENTION

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Bruce) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 09:34:41 PDT

I have just returned home from our Association of Unity Churches Convention in Overland Park, Kansas. As usual it was a full week and I’ve come home richer and full of new knowledge and insights. Below are some of my notes from convention.

OPENED WITH PRAISE AND MUSIC

The convention opened with a powerful and moving service held at Unity Village by Rev. Sky St. John from Hawaii. He combined video, music, skits, prayer and a message, and I must say I left feeling incredibly full. I especially loved his portrayal of James Dillet Freeman’s poem “I Am There”. He divided the poem into two parts….someone feeling alone and crying out, and the voice of God booming…I am Here! How often do we feel alone and yet God is always right there speaking, if we could only open ourselves up to hear God’s voice.

The music was incredible! He used mostly praise music and I had forgotten its power. I spoke with a minister friend who told me she had to leave this service, because she couldn’t deal with the raised hands. I know to some that would bring back memories of another church where one worships a God up in the sky, but someone gave me a new perspective….that it is a Yoga pose. Raising one’s hands to the sky is not worshiping a God outside oneself, but rather opening oneself, and the heart chakra up to receiving more from Spirit and the universe. I like that!

Someone else said that praise music is trance-like. I’ve noticed that in my churches we seem to do more folk type music….and while that is nice, I really like the feeling of the praise music. In that sense, the fundamentalists have something. The music Sky used had Unity lyrics, but they captured that sense of awe and wonder. I want more of that in my church services!! Jason and deMarco were awesome NGUer’s (Next Generation Unity) and they bring a fresh kind of music to Unity.

Having said that….Karen Drucker did much of the music for conference, and I suppose some of her music is a type of folk music, and I absolutely love her. So there is room for all of it!

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

There were many great keynote speakers and I came away with lots of ideas, new information and a deeper understanding of some long held ideas and beliefs. Some of those ideas include:

Church Change can be messy, but without it we remain stagnant.
At the end of a sermon give a couple of minutes for people to share with another something that they’ve received, and it will provide a greater retention.
Move from an ‘either/or’ consciousness to a ‘both/and’ consciousness.
Check out Kidlead.com (for 10-13 year olds)
Ministers should not be paid to do ministry, but to equip others to do ministry.
It is important to move away from a minister-centric ministry to avoid minister burn-out.
A healthy church has over 90% active volunteers, however most churches aren’t there yet.
LIES OF SCARCITY by Lynne Twist

1. There’s not enough
2. More is better
3. There’s nothing we can do about it

We have forgotten that we made up money! We have abused the idea of abundance to include a consciousness of ‘more is better.’
Sufficiency is different from abundance.
If you let go of trying to get more of what you don’t really need, it frees up oceans of energy to turn and nourish what you already have.
Move from a consciousness of ‘you or me’ to one of ‘you and me’.
“What you appreciate appreciates.”
Check out: gratefulness.org and awakeningthedreamer.org
Gratitude includes both gratefulness and thanksgiving
Things that unravel…sometimes need to. (BOY ISN’T THIS TRUE!)

HOLACRACY by Brian Robertson
Holacracy is a sense of ‘spirit as work.’ The organization is dynamic…it is free to find its own purpose as a living entity.
Governance is distributed throughout the organization and across time…it is evolutionary and is not stagnant.
It is ‘sense and respond’ rather than ‘predict and control’. It’s like riding a bicycle….it’s better to steer as you go along rather than try to map everything along ahead of time and try to ride blindfolded. You hold the aim in mind and steer continuously.
In holacracy you reach a workable decision, not necessarily the BEST decision. The best decision emerges over time as you move forward.
Any issue can be revisited at any time. Delay all decisions to the last responsible moment—you’ll have more data and make more informed decisions. Then make small decisions and deliver fast.
Can always fall back to predict and control if needed.

ROLES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES (Holacracy)

In every relationship, one fills a role and is accountable for something. It’s not ‘who are you accountable to’, but ‘what are you accountable for.’ People count on you for things…but it is the role that is counted on, not the person.
Separate ‘roles’ from ‘souls’. Conflict in organizations aren’t about people, they are about roles. (I LOVE THIS!!! THIS IS SO TRUE…IF ONLY WE COULD GET THIS!)
Role descriptions (rather than job descriptions) contain verbs + ing: i.e. teaching, preaching, equipping, etc.
These are defined based on reality over time, rather than what you think ‘should’ be done. In other words, over time one realizes what is being done and needs to be done…rather than projecting what you ‘think’ should be in that role. (Also people should be working in their ‘sweet spot’…if there is something that needs to be filled…find the best suited person to do it…it might not be the minister).
Accountabilities are assigned to roles not a person. Shift from responsible to accountability. You can consciously choose to not do something (this is not irresponsible) but make a choice based on best needs in the moment.
Church is not about serving congregants, but its purpose is to find its unique spiritual expression in the world—spirit in action.
What could the church do if it were freed from the shackles of human ego?

INTEGRATING PERSPECTIVES (Holacracy)
Not about consensus (it’s about honoring all perspectives and integrating them)
Not about personal feelings of being ‘for’ or ‘against’ anything
About perspective of roles, not people.
No one blocks decisions, they just add more to integrate
Decisions aren’t made—they emerge.

MORE

I didn’t take notes for everything. Bishop Spong and Dr. Rev. Barbara King were awesome speakers, and I was too wrapped up in them to stop and take notes. There is no way to capture everything from convention. Much of it was reconnecting with friends and making new ones, as well as a little Association and Regional business meetings.

The Conference next year will be in San Diego. You don’t need to be a minister to attend, everyone is invited. Start planning now to attend…you won’t regret it!

Communication: Learning the Code

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Bruce) — Sat, 02 May 2009 10:00:14 PDT

I’m learning to play bridge. I’ve always loved cards, and have been pretty good at it too. I’ve played Rummy, Spades, Hearts, Whist, and Pinochle, just to name a few. Bridge, however, is another story altogether. Bridge is a complex game that depends highly on proper communication. It doesn’t matter how powerful your hand, if you don’t receive the proper communication from your partner or give the proper information to your partner, you will both be at a major disadvantage.

What’s also interesting in Bridge is that sometimes you have to lie.

Well, not lie exactly…more like speak in code. For instance, you might open at 1 club, even if you don’t want clubs as trump. It’s a signal to your partner that you have opening points and you want to know what she has in her hand. So then your partner has to respond telling you how many points she has and what her best suit is in. But of course, she doesn’t just say, “I have 10 points and I’d like to play it in hearts.” No, that would be too easy and would give your opponents too much information. A response of 1 heart to an opening of 1 club tells your partner that you have a minimum of 6 points and at least four hearts. While speaking in code is a bit tricky to learn, once you understand it, you can communicate fairly well with your partner.

While speaking clearly is certainly preferred in regular day-to-day communication, the truth is all of us speak in code at times, and it would behoove us to remember that and learn how to recognize when someone is saying something other than what they mean.

Children, especially, cannot always tell us what they are feeling, so we must learn to decipher what is really going on with them. I used to be a nanny and I quickly learned that if I didn’t pay attention there would be a ‘failure to communicate’. Charlie (age four) once acted up when I was trying to get him and his brother out the door to go to their first swimming lesson. He insisted he wasn’t finished playing his game and couldn’t leave yet. He screamed and resisted, and nothing I did or said would convince him to leave. Had I not understood his code, this could have been a much more frustrating morning. What I realized was his disobedience was really about his fear of swimming. When he was three he had a frightening experience with water, and so now with that memory still intact, he was afraid to go to his lesson. I was able to discern his code and reassure him that he would not have to go into the water if he didn’t want to, but that we still had to leave so his brother Will could go to his lesson. We went to the lesson and the teacher, also very understanding, was able to reassure him, and Charlie, eventually, not only went into the water, but learned to become a great swimmer!

Our children, our mates and our friends sometimes speak to us in code. It sure would be nice if we all said what we meant, but sometimes we aren’t even clear about what we are feeling. I’m reading “The Idiot’s Guide to Bridge”, which is helping me learn the code language of Bridge. Too bad there isn’t such a manual for relationships; that would sure be helpful! This isn’t to say we are all idiots when it comes to communication (or Bridge), but that we want to learn the basics in an easy to understand format.

The book “The I of the Storm” by Gary Simmons is sort of a manual about learning to communicate in conflict. Simmons tells us that when people lash out at you, it is more about them than about you. There is something missing in their relationship with you, and they haven’t figured out how to communicate what is missing for them, so they make it about you. Once you understand this code, you can say to them, “Tell me more”, so you can get more information about what is really bothering them. While I’ve read this book, I still sometimes forget the ‘code’ when someone lashes out at me, but I’m determined to remember to not get defensive, and to ask for more information.

I’m going to keep practicing Bridge, because the more committed I am to learning the code, the better I will get at communicating with my partner. The same could be said for communicating in normal life: the more we practice understanding what the other person needs from us, but isn’t able to say, the better we will be able to communicate effectively in return.

Wow! Compared to relationships, Bridge is beginning to look easier and easier!

Remembrance

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Bruce) — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 06:26:38 PDT

I have been re-reading Angels and Demons in preparation for the movie coming out next month. I love the book, because even though it is fiction—there is so much history and truth to be found in it.

One of the things that the author, Dan Brown, mentions in telling his story is a Buddhist philosophy called Remembrance. The idea of remembrance is that if one is having a difficult time figuring out the answer or solution to a challenging or impossible problem, then instead of trying to figure it out, simply ask the mind to remember the solution. “The presupposition that one once knew the answer created the mindset that the answer must exist…thus eliminating the crippling conception of hopelessness.”

I love this idea for a couple of reasons. One, it embraces the idea that time is not linear. In our limited thinking, we think of time in terms of past, present and future happening along a straight line continuum. However, what if they are all happening concurrently?

If that is the case, then somewhere my future self already knows the solution, and I simply need to connect with that future self to figure out and bring the solution into the present. This idea is a bit difficult for us to grasp our mind around, but I love it. Maybe that’s why I love Star Trek so much!

Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) has been using the idea of reaching back in time to communicate and bring resources to our inner child, I see no reason why we can’t reach forward in time as well.

Another reason I love this idea of remembrance is that in Unity we teach that we are one with the Divine Mind of God. Since God is all-knowing, then God already knows the solution to any challenge I may be facing and I simply need to connect my mind to God Mind to remember the solution that already exists.

So next time you or I are feeling frustrated, we just need to take a little time to be still and to REMEMBER. The solution isn’t something we must search after, it already exists, right here, right now.

After all, God’s in charge and all is well.

Sunset in the Keys

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy Bruce) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 17:30:49 PDT