Metaphysical Reviews

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory – the Power of Pure Imagination

One of our favorite movies is coming back to theatres. To celebrate this year’s 100^th anniversary of the birth of author Roald Dahl, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory will be shown in movie theatres on Sunday, June 26, at 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM, and again on Wednesday, June 29 at 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM. It includes specially produced commentary by Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz. The showing is distributed by Fathom Events.

The movie is based on Dahl’s book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It concerns Charlie Bucket, a poor boy who lives with his parents and his bedridden grandparents. He hears about a promotion at the Willy Wonka chocolate factory: five Wonka bars in the world will include golden tickets, entitling the holder to a tour of the factory and a lifetime supply of chocolate.

Four tickets are found, and then a fifth one is reported to be found in Paraguay. Charlie is disappointed. But the fifth ticket turns out to be a forgery.

One day, Charlie finds some money on his way home from school. He buys a Wonka bar and another for his Grandpa Joe. One of them has a golden ticket! He and a family member are going to get to tour the Wonka chocolate factory! The golden ticket causes Grandpa Joe to rise from his bed and walk. He is going to accompany Charlie on the tour.

The song that he sings, “Golden Ticket” (part of a brilliant score by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse), is a wonderful prosperity song.

He sings:

I never dreamed that I would climb over the moon in ecstasy
But nevertheless, it’s there that I’m shortly about to be
‘Cause I’ve got a golden ticket
I’ve got a golden chance to make my way
And with a golden ticket, it’s a golden day

Grandpa Joe and Charlie join the other families on the tour. Each family has been approached by Wonka’s archrival, Mr. Slugworth, asking them to give him the secret of Wonka’s newest creation, the Everlasting Gobstopper.

During the tour, various children meet various unusual fates. Notably, watch the humorous but pointed exit of the spoiled Veruca Salt who sings the song “I Want It Now!” The lines, “Don’t care how/I want it now” sum up her attitude.

Two other songs are notable from a metaphysical point of view: the well-known “Candy Man” and the theme song of the movie, “Pure Imagination” (which has been covered by singers such as Jackie Evancho, the “Glee” cast, and others).

Early on in the movie, Bill, the candy store owner, sings “Candy Man” as kids are buying Wonka bars. He sings:

Who can take a sunrise, Sprinkle it with dew
Cover it in chocolate and a miracle or two?
The candy man, The candy man can
The candy man can cause he mixes it with love and makes the world taste good.

The song ends with this line:

And the world tastes good cause the candy man thinks it should.

“Pure Imagination” is the song Wonka sings as the tour of his chocolate factory is beginning. It is his introduction to the tour, inviting the children and their chaperones into his world. According to Wonka,

If you want to view paradise, simply look around and view it
Anything you want to, do it
Wanna change the world?
There’s nothing to it
There is no life I know
To compare with Pure Imagination
Living there, You’ll be free
If you truly wish to be

What is the takeaway from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, other than a very good time?

First, the power of pure imagination. Wonka’s world is filled with miraculous things like a chocolate river. Miracles are all around. Do we notice? Imagination can help us see the miraculous and bring it forth. It is the thing that truly brings us freedom. But we have to let it flow. It takes what Walt Disney used to call “Imagineering”. Perhaps it can even cause the bedridden to “take up his bed and walk.” Do we believe it?

Second, we see the power of putting energy into what we want. Charlie is determined to get a golden ticket and he gets one, simply (it seems) on the power of knowing that he will. This is what we do in spiritual mind treatment. We state our desired effect or state of being with energy and allow God to work as and through us to achieve what we focus on. We see what happens when we insist on having it right away. God works in God’s time, and that isn’t always the time frame that we have in mind. But if we know that it is done, if we let God do it, what is ours comes to us. If not, well, hopefully we don’t end up like Veruca Salt.

Finally, Willy Wonka reminds us, as Fathom’s promotional page says, of “the sweetest secret of all: a generous, loving heart.”

This is a must-see movie. It’s a lot of fun, and it will open your heart and inspire you to see the miracles and prosperity all around you – a very worthy way to enjoy a couple of hours. And you’ll likely head home singing.

Miracles from Heaven: Miracles are Everywhere

Suzanne and I went to see the movie “Miracles from Heaven”. We were a little dubious, suspecting that it might be a bit preachy. It was not. Instead, it’s a movie that will restore your faith and deepen it – literally. The movie is an inspiring story of faith, mindfulness, and miracles.

The movie is adapted from the book by Christy Beam, and she is a major character (beautifully played by Jennifer Garner). Many of you have undoubtedly heard the story, so I won’t worry too much about spoilers. It concerns Christy Beam’s daughter Annabelle (Anna), who is struck by a rare degenerative disease that brings her constant pain. There is no cure.

At first, several doctors misdiagnose the condition. Finally, at Christy’s insistence, the doctors take another look and find the rare, incurable condition. The Beams live in Texas, but the best doctor for the condition is in Boston. So every six weeks, Christy and Anna fly to Boston to see the doctor. But there isn’t a lot that helps. The doctor does all he can, and he is caring and funny.

Meanwhile, back in Texas, Christy’s husband Kevin is caring for their other two girls and trying to figure out how to keep the house running financially, since he had taken all the equity in the house to start his veterinary business.

While in Boston, Christy and Anna meet a waitress named Angela who shows them around. They re-connect with Angela every time they come back to Boston. She becomes their friend and is very supportive.

Anna shares a room in the hospital with another little girl (whose name, we find out later, is Haley). Haley is dying of cancer. Anna gives Haley her cross medallion. Amidst all this, Christy is losing her faith.

Anna’s sisters try to cheer her up and make her life better any way they can. One day while climbing a hollow tree on their property, Anna falls in – the equivalent of a three-story fall. It takes three hours to pull her out. She’s rushed to the hospital and treated. It turns out that she’s bloodied and bruised, but otherwise unharmed – and her incurable condition is gone! Her doctor in Boston calls it “spontaneous remission” (the medical term for what they can’t otherwise explain).

Anna explains that while in the tree, she came out of her body and spoke with God, and she was told she would be healed. Needless to say, Anna becomes a big news story. Her mother makes a speech in church about having faith and seeing the miracles all around you. She even quotes Albert Einstein’s famous statement that you can live as if everything is a miracle or you can live as if nothing is a miracle.

The story of Anna Beam will make you cry, make you smile, and inspire you. There are many important things that we can draw from it.

First, always have faith. Jesus told us that faith “the size of a mustard seed” can move mountains. It certainly did for this little girl. The simple, quiet faith that all is well is self-fulfilling. It is an attitude that can eliminate the incurable, that can change any condition. We know that the use of the Law of Mind, in faith, can change conditions. Anna Beam serves as a reminder of that.

Second, be aware of the good around you. Angela, the waitress, is a miracle to the Beams. So many others who, as Christy Beam says, “barely touch our lives” are miracles waiting to happen.

And that brings us to the third point. A Course in Miracles says it well: “miracles are natural. If they are not occurring, something has gone wrong.” What are the miracles occurring in your life today? What miracles occurred in your life recently? Be aware of them and be thankful that miracles really are all around us. If you don’t believe it, ask Anna and Christy Beam.

This is a terrific movie that will touch your heart. It’s one of the best movies I’ve seen lately. Go see it and be inspired.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens — Awakening the Power, Following the Call

In the late 1990s, there was an article about George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, in the New York Times Magazine. In the accompanying photo, he is shown in front of a bookcase, alongside one of his children. His son is dressed as a Jedi warrior. There is only one title that can be clearly read in the bookcase: The Science of Mind by Ernest Holmes. So it’s no wonder that in the new Star Wars movie, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, we are told that “The Force is in and around all living beings.”

Suzanne and I recently went to see this movie. I should tell you that it’s a bit on the long side, but it is gripping, so you really don’t notice.

Without revealing too much plot, I’d like to discuss a couple of points I saw in the movie. The basic premise is that thirty years after the destruction of the last Death Star and the collapse of the Galactic Empire, the ashes of the Empire have given rise to an even more dangerous group known as the First Order. Meanwhile, Luke Skywalker, one of the last remaining Jedi, has disappeared after a failure in training one of his classes of Jedi students. General Leia Organa (the Princess of the destroyed planet Alderaan) sends her best pilot, Poe Dameron, to find Luke.

As Poe tries to carry out this mission, he encounters an escaped First Order storm trooper, FN-2187, whom he calls Finn. Dameron’s droid, BB-8, has part of the map to where Luke is. When Finn and Poe crash, with Finn the only apparent survivor, BB-8 attaches himself to a scavenger on the planet Jakku named Rey. Neither Finn nor Rey really wants to get involved in the Resistance. Finn just wants to escape the First Order and Rey just wants to go back to scavenging on Jakku.

Eventually, the First Order comes after Rey and BB-8, who escape in an old, poorly maintained ship called the Millennium Falcon. It gets swallowed up by another ship, piloted by Han Solo and Chewbaca. The four of them set out to find Luke.

There is a tribute to the original Star Wars bar scene, when Han decides to visit an old friend, saloon keeper Maz Kanata, who has a light saber in a box that calls to Rey. It is the light saber belonging to the legendary Jedi master Luke Skywalker. Of course, Rey runs, but eventually, she cannot get away from the power.

When she is captured by the First Order, lead storm trooper Kylo Ren (in the black Darth Vader suit) attempts to force the information on Luke’s whereabouts out of her. He reports to the Supreme Leader that “she is strong in The Force – untrained but stronger than she knows.” (Wait until you find out Kylo Ren’s identity – it’s as surprising a Darth Vader’s was.)

Eventually, Finn and Rey, along with Poe Dameron, Han Solo, and Chewie, find themselves in the middle of things as they search for Han’s good friend and brother in law. The First Order keeps attempting to capture or kill them.

R2D2, who has been inactive since Luke disappeared, connects with BB-8 and discovers that he carries valuable information, which is greatly helpful to the Resistance forces (the Republic) in their efforts to find Luke.

It seems that Poe, Finn, Rey, and R2D2 are all called to step up when their moment demands it. Rey is called by the lightsaber; R2D2 is called by the awareness that his service and information are of value. BB-8, Finn, and even Han all have their moments when they must step it up.

What does this teach us? Well, for one thing, each of the characters comes to a crossroads and learns to step into his or her greatness. Each is called at some point and even if they try to run, they cannot get away from their mission. Similarly, we are called to fulfill our work in life and step into our greatness.

We must do what we are called to do, whether it’s writing, music, ministry, parenthood, or anything else. If we do not, it keeps following us. We can’t get away from it. As I like to say, your calling will keep calling until you answer. Commit to being who you are called to be and you just might lift up the world. You will be the channel for Right Action, and the world needs what you have to give. We don’t all have to save the world from evil empires, but we all have something important to do.

When you work with The Force (or whatever else you choose to call the Allness, the One), you can achieve greatness and though your path may contain numerous hazards and obstacles, focusing on what we must do smooths the way. And of course, it is much easier when we remember that It is “in and around all living things.” Including you and me.

You will likely enjoy this movie very much, and keep an eye out for the metaphysical metaphors that abound in the movie.

The Wiz – The Magic Is In You

It’s that time again. On Thursday, December 3, NBC will be presenting The Wiz Live (8 PM Eastern). The Wiz is a product of that period in the 1970s when Broadway was producing “all-black” versions of everything. It is an urban, African-American version of The Wizard of Oz. The show gave us the popular song “Ease On Down the Road”.

In a nice casting touch, Stephanie Mills, who originated the role of Dorothy in the 1975 Broadway cast, will be playing Auntie Em. The production will also feature Queen Latifah as the first female Wiz.

By now, the plot should be familiar to most readers. When we first encounter Dorothy, she’s wishing to get out of Kansas and see distant places. Auntie Em is telling her that she has everything she needs right where she is. Then a tornado blows through and suddenly Dorothy and her dog Toto find themselves not in Kansas. The house lands on the Wicked Witch of the East, killing her and freeing the Munchkins from her power.

Addaperle, the Good Witch of the North, shows up. Dorothy just wants to get home, and Addaperle suggests that her best bet is to go see the Wizard. She gives Dorothy the Witch of the East’s shoes and tells her not to take them off because they carry a powerful magic.

As she sets off down the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City of Oz, she encounters a Scarecrow who is looking for a brain, a Tin Man who is looking for a heart, and a Cowardly Lion who is looking for courage. Eventually, they make their way to the gates of the Emerald City. They are admitted to see the Wiz because Dorothy is wearing the shoes of the Wicked Witch of the East. The Wizard agrees to give them the things they are looking for if they kill the Wicked Witch of the West (named Evilene in this version).

As they approach Evilene’s realm, she sends her Winged Monkeys to kill them. They destroy Scarecrow and Tin Man and they bring Dorothy and the Lion to the castle, where they and Toto are forced to do menial work and Evilene tortures Toto and the Lion in front of Dorothy. Finally, Dorothy throws water at the Wicked Witch and she melts. This frees the Winged Monkeys from the witch’s spell and they restore Scarecrow and Tin Man to their prior states.

They return to the Emerald City, where the Wizard reneges on the promise made. The screen that hides the Wiz is overturned and the Wizard is exposed. The Wiz confesses that he (in this production, she) is just a balloonist from Kansas who drifted to Oz by accident and they made him Wizard. The Scarecrow, The Tin Man, and the Lion are given symbols of what they are seeking.

The Wiz takes off for Kansas, but Dorothy misses the balloon. Addaperle appears, suggesting that Dorothy ask Glinda, The good Witch of the South, for help getting home. They are transported to Glinda’s palace. Glinda tells Dorothy that the shoes have always had the power to take her home, but that she had to believe it for it to work. “The magic is in you.” Dorothy bids farewell to her companions, clicks her heels three times, and returns home.

What do we learn from this? Well, for one thing, what you ask for, you get. Dorothy wants to see distant places, and she gets to see Oz. Then she wants to go home, and she winds up back at home in Kansas.

The Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion receive symbols that remind them that they had the things they were looking for all along, but didn’t recognize them. They had to be shown that they possessed these qualities. But during their adventure, Scarecrow demonstrates his brains, Tin Man demonstrates his heart, and the Lion demonstrates his courage. All you need and all you’re seeking is already there, waiting to be recognized.

And finally, there is the magic of the shoes. To activate the magic in you, you must believe. But as Dorothy learns, the magic is in you. Will you recognize it? What will you do with that magic? In Dorothy’s case, it takes her home – both physically and in the metaphysical sense of being where you belong, where Divine Order is playing out in your life. And Dorothy recognizes the blessing of home.

And there is no place like home. In every sense of the word.

Peanuts: Flying Higher, Reaching Out, Seeing Anew

Suzanne and I went to see The Peanuts Movie. (Yes, we like kids’ movies. They often contain metaphysics. I have long said that one of my very favorite metaphysical movies is the 1971 Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.) I love Peanuts, so this movie appealed to me.

The Peanuts Movie centers around Charlie Brown’s pursuit of The Little Red-Haired Girl, with a delightful subplot regarding Snoopy’s latest novel, in which he, as The World War One Flying Ace, is chasing a female canine flying ace named Fifi. Fifi gets shot down by the Red Baron and Snoopy, of course, has to rescue her. There are many funny Peanuts complications to that and he just misses several times before he manages to bring Fifi back to safety on his doghouse Sopwith Camel, to the cheers of his crew (Woodstock and his bird friends).

Meanwhile, we have Charlie Brown’s situation. The movie opens in the winter with all the kids playing hockey, except Charlie Brown, who, on a snow day, is still trying to get that kite in the air. If you know Peanuts, you know how that goes. Lucy is showing off her figure skating.

All of this is interrupted by a moving van. The name of the moving company is a bit of an inside joke. (See if you pick up on it.) It turns out that a new family is moving in across the street from Charlie Brown. Their daughter, of course, is The Little Red-Haired Girl.

Charlie Brown tries many things to impress her. He tries to learn to dance and has some impressive moves before disaster strikes. He draws her as a book report partner, finds out that she’s away for the weekend, seeks out “the best novel”, and winds up with War and Peace. Somehow, he manages to read it in a weekend and writes a report. The first draft is typically plain: “This report is about War and Peace. First there was war. Then there was peace.” When that report gets destroyed and Charlie Brown has to start all over again, he writes what Linus calls “the finest piece of literary analysis I have ever read.” Of course, it gets hilariously destroyed, leaving Charlie Brown in desperation.

A few more embarrassing complications ensue in his pursuit of The Little Red-Haired Girl. Finally, we arrive at the last day of school. Everyone is to select a pen pal for the summer. They draw names and when Charlie Brown’s name is drawn, nobody wants to be his pen palt. Finally, one student speaks up: “I’ll do it.” It’s The Little Red-Haired Girl. So Charlie Brown works up the courage to go over and speak to her (and return her chewed-up pencil), only to find that she’s heading to summer camp. (Doesn’t it figure?)

He finds her at the bus and asks her why she chose him, the clumsy, incompetent, inept blockhead. She says she doesn’t see him that way, citing the dance, the book report, and a few other things. He hands her her pencil, which she has been looking all over for, and she gets on the bus, promising to write him.

What do we learn? Well, persistence pays. Charlie Brown is so focused and persistent in his pursuit of The Little Red-Haired Girl that he does things he wouldn’t ordinarily have tried to do. As a result, who he really is comes shining through. Also, Snoopy’s dedication in his pursuit of Fifi ultimately wins the day.

And we learn to look at ourselves through new eyes and see the best. All the kids view Charlie Brown as a loser and a blockhead, but The Little Red Haired Girl sees him differently, and her view encourages Charlie Brown to see himself differently.

And of course, through both Fifi and The Little Red-Haired Girl, we see the power of love. Love is a great driver to make us reach higher and farther.

Oh – and stick around for the closing credits, not just to see how very many people it took, but for Meghan Trainor’s song that runs under the credits, “Good to Be Alive”. The lyrics are quite upbeat and positive, very much in tune with our philosophy. (You can read them at http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/meghantrainor/goodtobealive.html)

All in all, this is a delightful day at the movies with a sweet, humorous, metaphysical tinge. I highly recommend that you get some good popcorn and reacquaint yourself with the Peanuts gang.

Heal the World – Be God’s Glow

It’s plain to see

This world is heavenly

Be God’s glow.

A few months ago, our center’s Celebration Choir did a “Metaphysical Pops” concert. It went over very well. One of the songs we did was “Heal the World” by Michael Jackson, from which the above is taken. As rehearsals proceeded, I was struck by these lines, and they still pop into my head every now and then.

What does it mean to “be God’s glow”? Well, we are all being It at all times, but we often fail to recognize and live up to it. If God is All, then we cannot be anything but the glow of God. But to really be it, we have to choose it. This means living in accord with our highest and best nature and recognizing that this world is heavenly.

Rickie Byars Beckwith has a song called “I’m Choosing Heaven Today” which can help us find the path to that recognition. When we choose to live in Heaven, we have a heavenly world, a world that works. As Richard Bach tells us in Jonathan Livingston Seagull, “Heaven is not a place or a time; Heaven is being perfect.” And Jesus tells us, “be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect.”

What does it mean to be perfect? Obviously, we all make errors. But when we express our highest and best to the fullest extent that we can, we come as near perfection as this world offers. We choose Heaven; we see that this world is Heavenly.

To live in a heavenly world, we must “be God’s glow”. We must shine that light that is ours to shine, that gift that is ours to give. We must be who we want those in our world to be. But when we try to change the world, we often fail miserably. Remember the old story:

A man tried to change the world. He was unsuccessful.

So he tried to change his country. He was unsuccessful.

So he tried to change his community. He was unsuccessful.

So he tried to change his street. Again, he was unsuccessful.

So he tried to change his family. Still, he was unsuccessful.

So he tried to change himself — and he was successful.

And that changed his family.

And his family changed the street.

And the street changed the community.

And the community changed the country.

And the country changed the world.

It is when we shine God’s glow in our own lives that we change our lives and those around us, and that changes the world. And that’s how we get to Heaven.

So be God’s glow. Every moment. Every day.

Man of La Mancha – Vision and Transformation

While visiting my sister-in-law a while back, we watched the movie version of Man of La Mancha. It stars Peter O’Toole as Don Quixote, Sophia Loren as Aldonza, and James Coco as Sancho Panza. I will admit at the top that I prefer the Broadway casting. Richard Kiley embodied Don Quixote almost entirely. The only other case I’ve seen of an actor so completely embodying his character was William Daniels in 1776.

Despite the casting, the movie is quite good. It is a pretty faithful rendition of the Broadway musical, which concerns Miguel de Cervantes, the Spanish writer, and his character Don Quixote de La Mancha. In the musical, Cervantes is a prisoner of the Inquisition and the prisoners act out the story in the cell.

Don Quixote is Alonzo Quijana, an elderly Spanish landowner who has read a lot of books about knights-errant and is out to restore the ethic of chivalry to his society. He and his friend Sancho go off in search of dragons to slay. Instead, they encounter windmills and other such items, and they stop at an inn (which Don Quixote insists is a castle) where the innkeeper formally dubs him.

While there, they encounter the scullery maid Aldonza, whom Don Quixote declares to be his noble lady Dulcinea. One of the most beautiful songs in the show is his paean to Dulcinea. Aldonza, of course, rejects him completely, but winds up taking his side in a “battle.”

Don Quixote continues to fight to restore the noble ideals of the knights-errant until he is felled. At the end, back at his estate and restored to his identity as Alonso Quijana, he is visited, first by Sancho and then by Aldonza, who has completely transformed. She now sees herself as Dulcinea. She encourages Don Quixote to get back out in the world.

We can learn a couple of lessons from the book Don Quixote, and from Man of La Mancha. First, whatever your vision is, follow it, no matter how many windmills stand in your way or how many seemingly ridiculous battles you have to fight. The most famous song from the show, “The Impossible Dream”, sets out Don Quixote’s vision and his quest. Do you have a vision? Are you willing “to follow that star, no matter how hopeless, no matter how far”?

The other lesson is in the form of a question. How do you see yourself? Who do you think you are? Do you see yourself as an Aldonza or as a noble Dulcinea? How you see yourself will define how you are in the world. Look how Don Quixote transforms Aldonza. Look who she becomes. If your life is not in a place you like, you too can make that transformation. You can change your inner Aldonza into Dulcinea.

This is a powerful, lovely, and very entertaining movie. If you haven’t seen Man of La Mancha in some form, I recommend that you do so.

Iolanta – The Power of Love, the Power of Our Word

This Saturday, Suzanne and I saw another production of the Metropolitan Opera Live in HD. This time it was a double feature: two one-act operas, Iolanta and Bluebeard’s Castle.

Iolanta starred the wonderful pairing of Anna Netrebko in the title role and Piotr Beczala as Count Vaudemont. Bluebeard’s Castle was well performed by Nadja Michael and Mikhail Petrenko. I would like to focus on Iolanta.

Iolanta, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s last opera, is based on a fairy tale by Henrich Hertz. It tells the story of a blind princess. Her father, King Rene of Provence, has sent her to live with Martha and Bertrand, two “simple” people. Iolanta does not know that she is blind or that she is a princess. This is on her father’s orders. He is especially concerned that her betrothed, Duke Robert, not find out. Iolanta is convinced that eyes are only for crying.

A messenger arrives to announce a visit from the King and a Moorish doctor. The doctor says that in order to be cured of her blindness, Iolanta must be told of her condition and she must want to be cured. He sings of the interdependence between mind and body, spirit and matter. The King refuses to let his daughter be told of her disability.

Duke Robert and his friend Vaudemont arrive at the house. Despite a sign saying that anyone who enters the grounds without permission will die, they enter. Robert has been betrothed to Iolanta since childhood, but he is in love with a woman named Matilda. On the other hand, as soon as they see Iolanta, Vaudemont is struck by her and immediately falls in love.

After Robert departs, Vaudemont talks to Iolanta and asks her for a red rose. Twice she gives him a white one, and he realizes that she is blind. Since Iolanta has no idea of color or light, Vaudemont explains light and sings of its glories.

King Rene returns and finds Vaudemont talking to Iolanta. He is furious that Vaudemont has revealed the secret to Iolanta. Iolanta doesn’t know if she even wants to see, prompting the doctor to say that this confirms his diagnosis that no change is possible without an inner desire. King Rene reminds Vaudemont of the sign and threatens him with death unless the cure works. This sparks a strong desire in Iolanta to be cured.

The doctor leaves with Iolanta and the King explains to Vaudemont that he was pretending in order to motivate his daughter to accept the cure. Robert reappears, telling the King that he will marry Iolanta if the King wishes, but his heart will always belong to Matilda. The King releases him from his pledge.

The doctor and Iolanta return. Iolanta can see! At first she is uncertain of her new gift, but she ultimately embraces it and her marriage to Vaudemont subdues her fears.

What do we learn from the story of Iolanta? Well, the doctor reminds us of the connection between our physical world and our inner, spiritual world. Iolanta’s conclusion reminds us that we do nothing without the inner idea, the mental equivalent. We have to desire it before we see it. (Quite literally, in Iolanta’s case.) It’s not just the word, it’s the inner spark of desire and knowing that causes a change in conditions.

Most importantly, we are reminded of the power of love. Although the King seems to be interested in his own desires and not in the best interests of his daughter, Iolanta’s desire to see grows from her desire to save Vaudemont, her love for him. Love conquers all. It even enables the blind to see the glorious light of God’s creation.

Another excellent performance, and another performance filled with wonderful metaphysical reminders.

For more information on the Met Live in HD, you can visit http://www.metopera.org/hdlive

Into the Woods

Careful the wish you make

Wishes are children

Careful the path they take

Wishes come true, not free

Careful the spell you cast

Not just on children

Sometimes the spell may last

Past what you can see.

(Stephen Sondheim, Into the Woods)

Readers of this blog know that I love musicals. Today Suzanne and I saw Into the Woods. It’s a fascinating pastiche (what we sometimes call a mash-up) of the familiar fairy tales from our childhood, framed in an overarching story by James Lapine (writer of the book of the Broadway version and the screenplay of the movie version) and composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim. We meet Cinderella, Jack (from “Jack and the Beanstalk”), Little Red Riding Hood, and Rapunzel, among others. There are even two princes involved.

The movie boasts an all-star cast, including Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp, Christine Baranski, Anna Kendrick, Emily Blunt, Chris Pine (also known for his role as Captain Kirk in the new Star Trek movies), James Corden, Tracey Ullman, and others.

There was a village on the edge of the woods. Among those who lived there was a witch (Streep) and her neighbors. When a woman becomes pregnant, the greens she needs are only available in the witch’s garden. Her husband begins to visit the garden in order to get the greens. One day, he is caught taking the greens and some beans from the garden. To rectify this, the witch demands their firstborn daughter (whom she names Rapunzel) and lays a curse on the house that they shall be barren. Their son is born, becomes a baker, gets married, and he and his wife wish to have a child. But the curse of barrenness has fallen upon him as well; so to reverse the curse, they must travel into the woods to get the witch a specific list of items: a cow as white as milk, a cape as red as blood, hair as yellow as corn, and a slipper as pure as gold.

To get these items, the Baker and his wife come into contact with Jack, who is selling his cow Milky-White, Red Riding Hood, who is traveling through the woods to her Grandma’s house in her red cape, Rapunzel, with her yellow hair, and Cinderella, with a pair of golden slippers.

Much of the plot from that point will be familiar, as it encompasses the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tales. However, the characters find that their happily ever afters are not as anticipated. Yet they manage to make a happy ending while slaying the giant who is terrorizing the village.

What do we learn from all this? Well, for one thing, who knew these characters knew each other?

But on a more serious note, as one of our Center’s founding ministers, Rev. Noel McInnis, used to say, “We have freedom of choice, but not of consequence.” In every moment, we choose what to say and do, what goals to seek — and if we’re committed to them, wishes come true — but not free. There is always a price to pay. There are usually unanticipated consequences. We get where we’re going, but often not without getting lost in the woods along the way. And when we’re lost in the woods, the only thing to do is keep walking. If you don’t go through it, you’ll never get past it.

The woods represent our fears and doubts. They can be frightening, but we must walk through them. We have to walk through the woods, not around them. Once we master these fears, they’re no longer frightening. When we come through the woods, through the fear, things turn out for the best — but mostly not in the way we anticipated. They are not as anticipated for the Baker, for Cinderella, for Jack or Little Red Riding Hood, but they wind up in a happy place despite the unhappy circumstances. New chapters are unfolding, and things are working out for them in a new and different way.

We also learn a bit about blame and how it prevents us from taking necessary action. The characters’ releasing of blaming each other finally enables them to defeat the giant and create a new way of life for themselves, one that they could not have anticipated.

And then there is that lush score, including “Children Will Listen”, from which I quoted above. This is an entertaining, profound, bittersweet, and extremely entertaining movie.

Into the Woods — you have to go.

Peter Pan – Flying as Following Your Heart

Recently, NBC has been helping to promote musicals. Last year, they had a very successful TV event with a live performance of The Sound of Music, starring Carrie Underwood. The show was so successful that they decided to do another. On December 4, NBC will be showing Peter Pan live. We’re looking forward to it.

Peter Pan is something of a mixed bag. Its score is listed as being by Carolyn Leigh and Moose Charlap, but the producers brought in the well-established team of Betty Comden, Adolph Green, and Jule Styne to replace a large part of the score.

I want to focus on two songs, one by Charlap and Leigh and one by Comden, Green, and Styne. The first song is Charlap and Leigh’s “I’m Flying”.

In the song, Peter teaches the Darling children to fly. First he sprinkles fairy dust, then he tells them that the key to flying is to “think lovely thoughts.”

“Think lovely thoughts” and you fly – isn’t that the Law in action? If you want your life to soar, think the loveliest thoughts you can and watch the results you produce.

But there is even more to be drawn from the song than that. There is a lesson in these lyrics:

I’m flying
(Flying, flying, flying)
I can soar
I can weave and what’s more
I’m not even trying.

For Peter, soaring is easy and effortless. He has mastered it. Reaching the heights in life is something Peter does without even trying.

In “Neverland” by Comden, Green, and Styne, Peter sings about his home, Never Never Land, Peter says:

I have a place where dreams are born,
And time is never planned.
It’s not on any chart,
You must find it with your heart.

And Peter goes on to say:

You’ll have a treasure if you stay there,
More precious far than gold.
For once you have found your way there,
You can never, never grow old.

Could fairy dust represent the substance of the Universe, abundantly sprinkled in our lives? Is it symbolic of the treasures that are “added unto you” when you seek to express the Kingdom in your own best way?

And never growing old is indeed a treasure. On his 90^th birthday earlier this year, former President George H.W. Bush jumped out of an airplane. Charles Fillmore, the co-founder of Unity, wrote in his 94^th year, “I fairly sizzle with zeal and enthusiasm as I spring forth with mighty faith to do that which ought to be done by me.” Neither of these men seems to have grown old.

I have long said that I fully intend to die young — at a VERY advanced age! The way that you do that is to live passionately and fully, to find your very own Neverland and live out your purpose as fully as you can. As Rev. Dr. Kathy Hearn said, “Find out who you are and do it on purpose. Organize your life around it.”

Henry David Thoreau tells us to “do what you love. Gnaw your own bone. Gnaw it, bury it, dig it up, and gnaw it still.” This is as much a set of directions to Neverland as “second star to the right and straight on till morning.”

Where is your Neverland? What treasure would you find following your heart that so energizes you that you can never, never grow old?

When we let Divine Principle guide us, we open to the greatest there is to be. Living in the realm of the lovely, we soar to a treasure more precious than gold. Be the biggest, best opening for God that you can be, and let yourself fly.

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