A Spiritual Awakening: A Reflection On Spiritual Films

1610 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The conflict between spirituality and science

A Spiritual Awakening: A Reflection On Spiritual Films

“What I thought was unreal, now for me... seems in some ways to be more real than what I think to be real... which seems now more to be unreal.” What the Bleep Do We Know, Fred Alan Wolf, Theoretical Physicist
Spirituality is often approached either as a dogma with an emphasis on scripture and sacred texts, or as ritual with an emphasis on the legal norms. Certainly, many of the studies on religion have approached it from one of these angles. However, focusing solely on sacred texts and rituals can limit our understanding of the experiences and engagements of believers with religion. At the present, with breakthroughs in science and advancements in the study of quantum physics, spirituality rises once again to shine upon humanity’s quest for knowing the meaning of reality, of its nature and that of the universe that it belongs to. Forms of spirituality and mysticism can vary in their manifestations from culture to the other, but all are essentially springing up from the same eternal spring. They can be cinematographic and present in expressions and visions densely rich and that has a lot in common with the arts of cinema. Through discussing various themes and scenes from five films; Baraka, Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring Again, What the Bleep Do We Know, The Secret and Al Mureed, this essay will illuminate how the spiritual manifestations in each film were mirroring the same reflection of a universal truth throughout the world heritage, in relation to the findings of quantum physics as shown in the film What the Bleep Do We Know.
Film is quite simply an astonishing medium in transmitting the illumination of spirituality and divinity. It can teach us about the spi...

... middle of paper ...

...paths can reflect this reality, and their differences are mere manifestations depending on the clarity of the medium.
Conclusively, through the lenses of quantum physics, the spiritual depictions in the discussed films speak volumes of how materialism that says that all of reality can be reduced to matter and its interactions, contradicts the findings of quantum sciences and experiences. Since our minds and thoughts perceptibly do affect the physical world, it would follow that they are themselves part of the lived reality. Therefore, the validity of spiritual experiences illustrated in these works or arts is evident and the evidence is increasing by the day. These all are a call as Rumi has said once, “when setting out on a journey do not seek advice from someone who never left home, keep on knocking
'til the joy inside opens a window, look to see who's there”.

Show More
Related

  • The Holy Ghost People: Film Analysis

    688 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the film “The Holy Ghost People,” right away we get individual accounts of what the “Holy Spirit” is to certain individuals. One woman says the Holy Ghost guides her and keeps her going. The people are very intense about their beliefs, which comes from the religion Pentecostalism, which has a hyper focus on personal experience with God and baptism with the Holy Spirit. We see them in their church, we hear the sermon, and see the ritualistic dances and the way the prayer overcomes them, and causes seizure like motions. We see and hear the prayers for the healing of one woman’s eyesight, and another woman’s back pain. One man, seemingly the pastor, says that “if God is not doing what they ask, people aren’t believing hard enough.” Later we get an account from a woman of how she was nursed back to health as a little girl brought her nutrients, and she believes it was

    Read More

  • Representation Of Loss Of Faith In Night By Elie Wiesel

    1351 Words  | 3 Pages

    world of mysticism, a world fraught with peril. First you must study the basic subjects, those

    Read More

  • Examined Life: Film Analysis

    826 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the book, Philosophy Film, by Mary M. Litch, it examines the question briefly, “Does life have meaning?” To explore this idea, a question must be asked, than an argument must be formed, which requires critically thinking to concluded the discussion. This question is a basic question that can be answered through ones deep and disciplined thinking with multiple answers. The purpose of this book is to understand the foundation of Philosophy as well as its expression through film.

    Read More

  • Examining Human Alienation in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

    2183 Words  | 5 Pages

    "It was the secrets of heaven and earth that I desired to learn; and whether it was the outward substance of things or the inner spirit of nature and the mysterious soul of man that occupied me, still my inquiries were directed to the metaphysical, or in its highest sense, the physical secrets of the ...

    Read More

  • Expanding the Common Ground of the World's Mystical Traditions

    2780 Words  | 6 Pages

    ABSTRACT: This paper addresses religious epistemology in that it concerns the assessment of the credibility of certain claims arising out of religious experience. Developments this century have made the world’s rich religious heritage accessible to more people than ever. But the conflicting religious claims tend to undermine each religion’s central claim to be a vehicle for opening persons to ultimate reality. One attempt to overcome this problem is provided by "perennial philosophy," which claims that there is a kind of mystical experience common to all religious traditions, an experience which is an immediate contact with an absolute principle. Perennialism has been attacked by "contextualists" such as Steven Katz who argue that particular mystical experiences are so tied to a particular tradition that there are no common mystical experiences across traditions. In turn, Robert Forman and the "decontextualists" have argued that a certain kind of mystical experience and process are found in diverse traditions, thereby supporting one of the key elements of perennialism. I review the contextualist-decontextualist debate and suggest a research project that would pursue the question of whether the common ground of the world’s mystical traditions could be expanded beyond what has been established by the decontextualists. The extension of this common ground would add credibility to the claims arising out of mystical experience.

    Read More

  • A Spiritual Journey In The Film 'To The Land Of Bliss'

    1522 Words  | 4 Pages

    The film, To The Land of Bliss, takes place in modern China. The narrator explains that she is Chinese; she left and came back on a spiritual journey. The film portrays the life and death of Buddhists. The goal in any Buddhists life is to ultimately reach the path to Nirvana. They must be taught the recognition and awareness of suffering is the first step onto the path to Nirvana. To anyone who practices Buddhism, Nirvana is absolutely sacred to them. Buddha-nature is found through meditation because it is a happy state. To ascend to the path of Nirvana, you must see the truth in things.

    Read More

  • Bowen Family Systems Theory Case Study

    1295 Words  | 3 Pages

    Spirituality can be defined as ‘‘ways of relating to the sacred’’ (Shults and Sandage 2006, p. 161) that involve the experience of significance (Zinnbauer and Pargament 2005)”. (Jankowski and Vaughn, 2009, p.82).

    Read More

  • Modern Witchcraft

    5305 Words  | 11 Pages

    I have great hopes that we shall learn in due time how to emotionalize and mythologize their science to such an extent that what is, in effect, a belief in us, (though not under that name) will creep in while the human mind remains closed to belief in the Enemy [i.e., God]. The "Life Force," the worship of sex, and some aspects of Psychoanalysis, may here prove useful. If once we can produce our perfect work -- the Materialist Magician, the man, not using, but veritably worshipping, what he vaguely calls "Forces" while denying the existence of "spirits" -- then the end of the war will be in sight. (1)

    Read More

  • Hollowness in Emily Dickinson’s Poetic Discourse

    3878 Words  | 8 Pages

    In poem 378 the reader is introduced to the mental world of a speaker whose relentless questioning of metaphysical “truths” has led her to a state of complete “faithlessness”: l...

    Read More

  • TV Buddha By Nam June Paik Analysis

    1031 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout history, technological development has increased society’s need to observe one’s self within both media, and a real life setting. Nam June Paik’s “TV Buddha”, pictured below, (1974) is an example of how technology garners the attention of an individual to their self, facilitated through many forms of media, in this scenario, television. This work translates the artists intended reaction into the audience’s incidental reaction, as well as the way in which the artwork transmits its message. Contextually, the work was created in a time where new and emerging technologies were beginning, and the installation depicts a statue of Buddha, set before a camera that is designed to project his own image onto a TV screen in front of it. This gives the impression that he is silently contemplating his own image, as it infinitely appears on the TV screen, due to the presence of the camera (The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/collections/collection-online/artists/bios/422/Nam%20June%20Paik). In a cultural aspect, the Buddha is revered as a being who “embodies flawless purity and selflessness” (Bogoda, R, http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/bogoda/bl139.html), a direct

    Read More

  • Sociological Perspectives on Religion

    994 Words  | 2 Pages

    Religion may have influenced the way an individual, society, and government act but sociological studies in religion does not have effect on one’s faith. Scientists believe that religion is merely psychological effect. There is no proof to the existence of God and scientific explanation on shamanism which revolves a...

    Read More

  • The Sacred And The Profane: The Nature Of Religion By Mircea Eliade

    844 Words  | 2 Pages

    The book “The Sacred and the Profane: The Nature of Religion”, written by Mircea Eliade, investigates four aspects of the sacred universe: space, time, nature, and self. Eliade splits each aspect into two forms of perception, the sacred and profane. Religious men, specifically the ancient, traditional men, view the universe as sacred. In other words, they acknowledge a distinct qualitative difference between a sacred and profane (non-sacred) universe; whereas, nonreligious, specifically modern men, are unable to understand such differences in the world. This claim rests on the on the concept of heirophanies or manifestations of the sacred. A hierophany is the religious man’s source of absolute reality and it illuminates the glory and power of God. This manifestation of divine glory charges a site with special significance, thereby losing a sense of homogeneity throughout the universe. Eliade’s underlying thesis is that due to the human experience of both the sacred and profane in day to day life, the transitional zones between the two are exceptionally illuminated and charged with the divine glory of the sacred.

    Read More

  • Caribbean Religions: The Origin Of The Caribbean Slave Culture

    1512 Words  | 4 Pages

    Yet, as Professor H.S. Versnel flawlessly articulates, “Magic does not exist, nor does religion. What do exist are our definitions of these concepts” (177). Anthropologically evaluating the variance, it is moot and rooted in modern-Western bias that is irreconcilable with the reality of non-Western spiritual systems (Versnel 180). Yet, such perverse infusion of the concept of magic maintains its

    Read More

  • Why Do People Watch Movies?

    774 Words  | 2 Pages

    Movies take us inside the skin of people quite different from ourselves and to places different from our routine surroundings. As humans, we always seek enlargement of our being and wanted to be more than ourselves. Each one of us, by nature, sees the world with a perspective and selectivity different from others. But, we want to see the world through other’s eyes; imagine with other’s imaginations; feel with other’s hearts, at a same time as with our own. Movies offer us a window onto the wider world, broadening our perspective and opening our eyes to new wonders.

    Read More

  • Spiritualism Essay

    1901 Words  | 4 Pages

    “Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life.” According to Buddha, everyone needs some form of spirituality to define his or her life and existence. Webster Dictionary defines spiritualism as “a system of beliefs or religious practices based on supposed communication with the spirits of the dead, often times through mediums.” Though this is one general definition of spiritualism, this concept is one that does not hold a conclusive meaning. Each and every single person has the ability and right to create and practice their own idea of spiritualism. From ancient times to present day, the term and practice of spirituality has transformed, particularly from region to region. Despite the discrepancies in practices and overall understanding of this idea, spirituality has had an effect and impact upon all of humanity since the creation of time. This religion that is believed to have been established in the early eighteen hundreds, after two little girls claimed to have the ability to talk to spirits, sparked interest in this spiritual movement, allowing it to spread rather rapidly over many geographical locations. Aside from being recognized as a religion, spiritualism is also believed to be a form of philosophy and a science in which spiritualists believe that there is life after death and try to demonstrate this through the ability of attempting to communicate with those that have passed on. Spiritualism was socially different from other religions in existence at the time because it presented followers with a more tolerant belief system that assimilated the principles and facts from a selection the world's religions. Spiritualism also made it acceptable for women to play a disti...

    Read More

More about A Spiritual Awakening: A Reflection On Spiritual Films

Open Document