Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/217566
BOOK+DVD Directed by Dana Walden and Straw Weisman Dreaming Heaven Dreaming Heaven follows the real-life journey of a group of people through a matrix of temples and plazas in the Mexican ruins of Teotihuacán. Their tumultuous physical, spiritual and emotional path—narrated in the film by Mila Maren as the Angel of Death—opens them to a whole new world. You wouldn't think watching a group of people die to who they think they are and awaken to the dream of heaven on earth would be so moving. But there is something quite vulnerable and open in them, so powerful in what they experience that you start to feel a part of their journey. Leadership is provided by recovery specialist Lee McCormick; Toltec wisdom guardian and all-around wise woman Gini Gentry; and musician/shamanic teacher Frank Hayhurst (Rico). The location is gorgeous and the mysteries of the ancient structures are readily conveyed through various aspects of the journey that must be seen to get an inkling of their power. A soothing background of gentle music, portions of which were composed and performed by the multi-talented McCormick, grounds the energy that fairly jumps off the screen. And then there is the Journeybook in which the DVD is packaged. Even if you've been fortunate enough to walk the actual "Teo" path, the written exercise would be well-worth exploring. Its intention is to help you discover that you are more powerful than you've ever imagined, that, as the cover states, "The beginning is near." The transformational journey has been laid out in a 12-week format and includes details for a weekly practice. You need only read the welcome from your guides, particularly the refreshing, iconoclastic McCormick, to know you're in good hands. It may be tempting to skip through the book and pick out bits and pieces that appeal. You could do that, and McCormick would be the last person to say otherwise. But you'll likely get more out of it if you follow the steps as described. (Agape Media/Hay House) —Abigail Lewis FILM Directed by Sebastian Siegel Awakening World T he current trend in documentary filmmaking of interviewing luminaries in the "conscious living" field for their opinion or expertise on one thing or another has become a bit tired. However, in Awakening World, director/writer Sebastian Siegel drew from a much more diverse group, most of whom would not be considered expert on the subject, and this may be the key to the success of his award-winning film. The concept is simple: Siegel asked people a series of provocative questions about life and filmed their answers. There weren't too many surprises in the first two sections— What is love? What is the purpose of life?—although it would have been interesting to include a less likely candidate: perhaps, say, a prison inmate or migrant worker, as part of the mix. But when it really got interesting was in the answers to What is hell? When people ask how we are, we usually respond "Fine," or "Very well thanks." And while some may be relieved not to hear about a cancer diagnosis, loss of a job or death of a loved one, the standard answers actually maintain our illusion of separation. It feels so much more authentic when someone replies, for example, "I've just been diagnosed with breast cancer and I'm having a hard time." In the film we get to hear such a range of answers to this question: Hell is… if you couldn't touch something without it burning you, not feeling that you're moving forward with your dreams, war and genocide, religion, missed opportunities… there are many more and just watching this film takes you out of your own private hell, whatever that may be. Likewise there are some beautiful and unexpected answers to What's heaven? I could have used a refresher on people's names on subsequent questions, and I found the soundtrack at times distracting from the provocative faces and words being presented. But viewers will enjoy the insights here, and these are excellent questions to ask yourself as well. There's no time like the present to awaken. (Beyond Words) —AL december/january 2013 -'14 WLT-DEC-JAN-11-24-10pm.indd 31 31 11/24/13 10:34 PM