Dream-Building Lessons from the Movies

Be Creative

In our daily lives, our thoughts, wishes and dreams don’t instantly manifest into reality. But in the film What Dreams May Come (1998), the afterlife is depicted as a place that you create with your own vision. If you are open to being creative and expressive, you experience a world of moving art, as Robin Williams’ character does. However, if you focus only on darkness, that is what you experience. We can apply that to our lives now. The film’s producer, Stephen Simon, wrote in his book The Force is With You: Mystical Movie Messages that Inspire Our Lives, “To me, movies often represent a better reflection of the ‘real world’ than this illusion in which we walk around each day.” As founder of The Spiritual Cinema Circle, he seeks to help us all see the spiritual through the lens of film.

Be Playful

In the Steven Spielberg film, Hook (1991), also starring Robin Williams, Peter Pan has grown up and forgotten how to use his playfulness and imagination. His Lost Boys and Tinkerbell try to help him, so he can remember how to fly and save his children from Captain Hook (played by Dustin Hoffman). The process they use is called “Bangarang”, essentially a play-food fight…until you believe it. When we approach challenges with a playful attitude, they become games to win, not problems to solve. The difference between growing up and growing old is how much playfulness and fun we infuse into our lives, and our goal-setting. This film is a great example of the longevity of inspiration, and its ability to inspire others. The author of Peter Pan, J.M. Barrie, left a legacy that continues to inspire artists today, as well as support a children’s hospital in London.

Listen and Trust

In the movie Field of Dreams (1989), the “still small voice” of intuitive guidance is heard as a rather insistent whisper. It’s accompanied by signs and visions that lead the main character, Ray Kinsella (played by Kevin Costner), to gather the right people in the right place. His rewards are spiritual, material and financial. Heaven is the place where dreams come true, and that can be found right here and now. Throughout the film, people are encouraged to recall and re-live what they loved as a kid. To find a passion they have forgotten and to let it energize them once again. When we have passion for what we do, we tap reserves of energy not usually available to us. When we trust our intuitive guidance enough to follow it, we are living authentic lives.

Consciously Choose

The Matrix (1999) films, written and directed by the Wachowskis, say that we can accept the life that society says we’re supposed to live, or we can “unplug” from the social construct and claim the freedom to consciously choose how we invest our energy. The film shows most people as asleep, and being fed dreams that keep them asleep. But some people want more, and wake up to choose a different way of being. We all have that ability in our lives. When we see the layers of reasons that people want us to play along, reasons that have little or nothing to do with our dreams and goals, we can opt out and choose a new path. We can choose a path that allows us to build upon our innate talents and interests, to explore the unknown and to create a life that is of our own making.

Recognize Interconnectedness

In James Cameron’s film Avatar (2009) not only do we see our minds and hearts operating fully outside of the bodies the characters are born with, but we see a very vivid illustration of the interconnectedness of all life. When we respect our natural resources, we improve the quality of life for all, and increase its sustainability for future generations. We can learn from those who came before us, rather than rejecting the wisdom gained from their experience. We can look around to see balance and brilliance of thriving ecosystems and learn how to be a contributing part of it. As we become our best selves and move toward our highest ideals and goals, we help others do the same and create a win-win.

Design Your Dreamscape

Inception

In the Christopher Nolan film, Inception (2010), we are the architects of our dreamscapes, and we can share them. In our world today, we can consider movies, as well as any wors of art, a shared dreamscape, designed from our experiences and desires. The film also introduces the notion of planting a seed deep in the subconscious. Deepak Chopra would say to release your intention into the field of all possibilities--and what else are our dreams? The movie explains that there are several levels to our dreams. In our lives, we can examine our dreams for the underlying desire. Why do we dream of being rich? Is it the ease and plenty we want, or perhaps freedom, or power? If we dream of being famous, it may be acceptance or adulation that we crave. Our dreams should be worthy of our energy and effort, and something that will be fulfilling along the way.

Surround Yourself with Positivity

In Greek mythology, Zeus had nine daughters who personified the arts and sciences. It was their inspiration that worked through humans. This idea is colorfully and musically portrayed in the 1980 film Xanadu, starring Olivia Newton-John and featuring Gene Kelly in his final role. (There was a more recent Broadway adaptation, too.) In this muse-ical, one of nine sister-muses comes to connect two dreamers and inspire them to build their dream together. She helps one remember his youth, and the other to look beyond the limitations he’s accepted. We can choose our own muses by surrounding ourselves with those that inspire and encourage us. We want to be surrounded by people who understand the need to dream, and the call of the spirit to pursue things that might not seem logical or practical.