| DVD REVIEW Globus: The Meaning of Light (Third Eye World), written and directed by jeff hornbaker, cinematography by jeff hornbaker, added photography by albert falzon, simon caroll, don king, john mcgroder, mike stewart, sonny miller, featuring music by El-Hadra, Earthlan, Nova Nova, Ashera, Afro Celt Sound System, Harold Budd, Deva Premal, Nitan Sawhney, AR Rahman, Djamel Ben Yelles and Secret Garden, 70 minutes, www.thirdeyeworld.com Globus: the meaning of light is...the smile of a buddha...a young child...a meditating devotee...a divine dance of light...underwater...in crystals of ice...on sand...on the legs of a swimmer...the majesty of moving clouds...water...feet...hands...wings...waves...light...awe-inspiring scenes under ocean waves...of surfers...of dolphins propelling through the fabric of light...frozen water...liquid water..."we are one family in the light"...thought-provoking words and wonder-provoking images...light rays...sun rays...sting rays...Horus...pyramids...ancient language preserved in stone...celebration...prayer wheels spinning...dancers twirling..."the magic of being"...sensuous...joy...spirit...many cultures...prayer...sacred acts by sacred beings...movement in the flow of life...a gift of life...constant reminders of who we are. -- Tim and Rachel Miejan BOOK REVIEWS THE VOICE OF KNOWLEDGE / A Practical Guide to Inner Peace, by don Miguel Ruiz with Janet Mills, published by Amber-Allen Publishing, 234 pages, $14. Don Miguel Ruiz, author of the best-selling book, The Four Agreements has done it again. The Voice of Knowledge, his fifth and latest book, is what we've all been waiting for. Just released this month, it is already on The New York Times best-sellers list! Ruiz tells us there is a conflict in the human mind between the truth and lies. All of the drama humans suffer is the result of believing in lies, mainly about ourselves. Believing in the truth results in goodness, love, and happiness. Believing in lies and defending those lies leads to all of the violence and abuse, all of the suffering, not only in society, but also in the individual. Before we learn to speak, our true nature is to love and be happy, to explore and enjoy life. As little children, we are completely authentic. Our actions are guided by instinct and emotions, and we listen to the silent "voice of our integrity." Once we learn a language, the people around us hook our attention and program us with knowledge, but that knowledge is contaminated with lies. With our attention focused on all the knowledge in our head, we no longer perceive the world through the eyes of love; we only perceive what we have learned to believe. The loud "voice of knowledge" -- what we call thinking -- comes alive inside our head, and what is that voice telling us? Mostly lies. That voice never stops talking, judging, gossiping, and abusing us. It sabotages our happiness and keeps us from enjoying a reality of truth and love. The voice of knowledge can also be called "the storyteller" who lives in our head. We learn to create stories about what we should or shouldn't be, we put our faith in the story, and then the story becomes truth for us. Ruiz says the only way to change our story is to change what we believe about ourselves. By cleaning up the lies we believe about ourselves, the lies we believe about everybody else will change. One practical solution for taming the voice inside your head is to stop believing what it tells you. Ruiz says, "If you follow two rules -- don't believe yourself, and don't believe anybody else -- all of the lies you believe won't survive your skepticism and will simply disappear. The truth survives your skepticism, but we cannot say the same about lies. Lies only survive if you believe them." Ruiz is known for taking complex human issues and turning them into simple common sense. It is a talent that has earned him millions of fans, international acclaim, and a vote of approval from Oprah Winfrey. The Voice of Knowledge is a magical book with the power to transform your life. It shows you how to recover the silent voice of your integrity and find inner peace. When the voice of knowledge no longer controls you, your life becomes an expression of your authentic self, just as it was before you learned to speak. *** Mom's View: Children's Book Reviews by Paula Behr And the Good Brown Earth, written and illustrated by Kathy Henderson, Candlewick Press Age Level: 4 to 8 years A sweet reverence for the earth's culinary magic rests within this book. Each flip of the page brings children a better understanding of the true source of our sustenance...the good brown earth. We join a young boy, Joe, and his Grams as they delight in their seasonal backyard trips to tend their garden and then retreat to let the earth do its food-making wonder. Their joyful interplay reminds us that we are partners with all generations and partners in the creation of our edibles. Joe's gardening style of willy-nilly seed throwing, juicy berry munching, and wild water spraying are juxtaposed to his Grams' patience and her orderly rows, yet the earth works with all sorts of styles and yields a tangled triumph of yummy food for a delighted Joe. Both the dreamy, vaporous illustrations and the words work to create a rhythm-of-the-seasons effect and remind us that each day we walk on magic. Big Momma Makes the World, by Phyllis Root, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury, Candlewick Press Age Level: 4 to 8 years When I was a little girl I imagined God as being an angry-looking man with a long white beard. How I would have treasured this version of God as a loving, abundant and no-nonsense Big Momma with a down-home way of talkin' and lots of creatin' to do. With mounds of waiting laundry, stacks of dirty dishes and a baby on her hip, Big Momma rolls up her sleeves and orders up some World. After a busy week of world creating, folk-making, a day of rest, and a Big Bang to boot, she is pretty pleased with her work. Big Momma's still real busy, what with baking cookies and all, but occasionally she peeks down to say straighten up or just to admire her crafting. Author Phyllis Root, a Minneapolis resident, has mustered up quite a creative creation myth and Oxenbury's exuberant yet earthy illustrations are a match made in heaven. In our house this tale inspired lots of talk about who God is and what if God is really like Big Momma. What a pleasure to imagine! Paula Behr is a journalist and mother of two. She is dedicated to finding and sharing children's books with gentle and loving messages. Contact her at cyberbehrs@earthlink.net Copyright © 2004 Paul Behr |
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JUNE 2004 |
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