How
fear can cause us to take action in situations and when no action is
warranted.
This is
powerfully demonstrated by the parents of James, who take strong steps
to protect him from the influence of Maddy Bennett (Vanessa Redgrave), in
spite of the fact that they admit her influence has led to James
dramatically returning to life, after steadily slipping away from them in
the years since the tragic death of his mother.
This character, Maddy
Bennett, is a great example of a person living on purpose. In spite
of the alienation brought on by commonly held public opinion, Maddy
believed that it was her purpose to give comfort to another person, with
the messages that she believes to have received from her son on the other
side of the veil between the physical world and the spirit realm. Most
believed her to be crazy. That was their choice. The transformation of that
one little boy from dying to living was fulfillment of the role she believed
she had. Her little book of messages from her son, gives anyone reading it the
choice of a new perspective on death. Instead of death being a mysterious
and horrible thing, something to be feared all your life, until you
eventually reach it. Death is something that can be understood and accepted
with grace and received as a beautiful thing, a transition from the physical
back to spirit. Any rigid concept of Truth, has
nothing to do with it. We can choose a belief that creates the environment
that supports the best life we can experience. One that is based in love,
connection, relationship to all, including spirit. One that is marked by the
absence of fear. The liberation of the boy in this film is a beautiful
example of that.
“The soul leaps from the body
Like a boy from a school house door
Suddenly with joy
There is no horror in death.”
Recognizing the limits of perceptions about what is normal.
In a world distorted
by an unrelenting push toward conformity,
this film has the most useful information
coming from nonconforming characters.
Regarding the health and well
being of young James, the wisdom they deliver is not accepted by the
townspeople because these characters, are on the fringe, considered not
normal or weirdo’s. This is such a beautiful illustration of
the reality of the limiting nature of conditioning. Children haven’t been
conditioned, long enough, to close their minds to
wondrous ideas or
magical things. With this thought in mind, why not reconsider the value of growing up? If growing up means letting go of the infinite
possibilities in the universe, denying the magical, by conforming to a
standard called normal, we can say. I’d rather not! …For any of us that
already conformed it’s never too late. The magic is still there. Just grow
back down! This is really what folks on the path of personal growth or
seeking spiritual awareness are doing. Rediscovering …..what we hadn’t yet
been conditioned to deny, as a child. Rediscovering ……what never went away.
Rediscovering……. as a necessity for complete joy and fulfillment in our
later lives.
The effect of not facing
pain and trauma.
Another great mirror in this film, shows us how often pain and trauma is
denied or buried, never allowing for the opportunity to grow from it. Here
is a young boy traumatized by being a witness to his mother's death. He is
now being parented by a father, who is stereo typically never there for him. He is always away for work reasons, and when he
is there, he doesn't communicate or connect deeply with his son. When he
does connect, it is not about their mutual loss of the wife and mother that
they loved. At
an early point in the film, one of our fringe characters, young James’s
uncle Charlie, makes the point to the boy's father, upon arriving home from a
business trip, that he is losing his son. This is a great moment in the film
because it reveals, the depth, feeling and awareness in this, not so normal,
Uncle Charlie. Charlie has to play the role of father to James, but in his
reluctance to that, he is really more of a friend to him, which is what
James really needs anyway. Beautiful stuff!
Realizing that we can choose a new belief just because it allows more room
to be whole.
Like an onion this movie
has many layers. The conflicting beliefs that we’re talking about from
beginning to end in this movie are about death. Maddy Bennett, who is considered crazy by the townspeople, lost her son in
the war. Her archaeologist husband, died sometime after that in a
work-related accident. Once she sees how stuck James is, she shares with
James that she communicates
through Morse code with her son. By reading
the messages that she wrote
down
and exploring the idea,
that there exists a possibility of communication or connection of some kind
with those beyond the veil, James
begins to come back to life and deal with his own loss. It is through James
awakening, that we get to witness how personal belief, when held in the mind as a
truth, can limit the holder and those under its control, to only the
possibilities, actions and thoughts allowed by that truth. For example, watch and see how
truth (and the agreement on it by someone else), is not necessary, for a belief to have
a transformative effect on one's life. The young boy James is trapped by
the grief and horror of his mother's death. Potentially limited, for the
rest of his life, to being consumed by his lack of a thrive-able perspective
about life and death. By meeting Mrs. Bennett the boy gets an opportunity
to see that there are other ways to look at all things, including death and
grief. All he has to do to experience his own freedom is, simply make
a choice to believe something that allows him to be whole. There is a
crossroads in the film when this becomes particularly evident. In a crisis
of belief, he must decide whether it is about truth or whether it is about
his own belief. Should the choice be made based on what others say is true, or should the
choice be made on the believing that allows him to be whole? Great Stuff!
Popcorn! Don't forget
the popcorn!
For more on the idea of
transforming our lives by switching our beliefs, join me for my Free
workshop or teleclass Problem Solved. Every week, by phone or live at
Rumetagro.
Remember, you are what you watch!
Mark Firehammer, Life Coach
