A Contrast of Cultures: Victoria & Abdul Movie Review
This month’s newsletter features Victoria & Abdul and other movies in the MWGE collection showing how relationships are used by the Holy Spirit for the healing of the mind.
Now Playing at MWGE.org February 2018
A Contrast of Cultures
“What happens when the two of them come together is what all of us will seem to need on the spiritual journey, and I call it a contrast experience. How could you even tell what your unconscious belief system is unless you have something that shows you what your beliefs are? How could we ever find out what needs to be exposed and released, except through relationships?”
David Hoffmeister
Your MWGE Guide
MWGE Movie Review Excerpt
This is a movie about equality and seeing beyond appearances. Victoria is drawn to Abdul because he sees her as she really is: without her past or her self concept as a queen getting in the way of a true connection.
The budding relationship between the two is not supported by the monarch’s family or staff. Abdul is a demonstration to the whole lot of what it means to be of true service and support to the queen. As those around the queen get increasingly vicious and demanding that the queen stop interacting with Abdul, the queen must step into her certainty against the doubt thoughts and attacks from her so-called supporters.
In much the same way, when we take our steps on the spiritual journey, old friends and family may loudly protest our decisions. It is in these moments that we can think of Queen Victoria and her need to stand firm in her conviction to have Abdul by her side. It was as if her life depended on it. And it did.
Play Before Movie
In A Course in Miracles, Jesus says it is possible to meditate your way back to Heaven, but he also says it is tedious and time consuming. Relationships offer the mirrors that are the fast track to awakening. Children, partners, co-workers and community members are all strong mirrors for you.
In this movie, there is a contrast of cultures. There are vastly differing beliefs that need to be released in order for them to stay in the flow. The lesson for us all is that we have to keep exposing and releasing beliefs in order to stay happy.
Play After Movie
This is a tale for our times. How do we reach perfect equality except by learning the lesson that there’s no meaning to the positions and to the roles? They’re just all contrasts that the Spirit uses to show us first perfect equality, and beyond that, perfect oneness. You could see in the way Victoria and Abdul looked at each other, even when her anger would rise up, that there was always a sense of coming back around because of the relationship’s purpose.
More Great Mighty Companion Movies
The Intouchables
Emotions/Themes:Opening up to Love, Trust, Sickness, Assignment
MWGE Excerpt:Philippe is a wealthy tetraplegic, in need of a caregiver. Driss comes to a job interview, hoping for nothing more than a signature on a paper to maintain his unemployment benefit. It is a divinely inspired set-up for a transformational relationship assignment. Holy Spirit is no respecter of persons and Driss reflects this by being irreverent and even joking about Philippe’s physical condition. Philippe recognizes true empathy immediately.
How to Train Your Dragon
Emotions/Themes: Forgiveness, Dropping the Mask, Innocence, Acceptance
MWGE Excerpt: The belief in attack is buried deep within the mind. While an external enemy is believed in, attack will continue to be witnessed in everyone and everything. From small criticisms to dragon fireballs being hurled at your home, it is actually the same. Attack is a denial of self and it is not until our function and our true identity is accepted that the world can transform to a place of love, gentleness and collaboration. The enemy is not the enemy at all! It was a misperception!
Emotions/Themes: Collaboration, Workaholism, No Ripping of Symbols, Mighty Companions, Assignment, Worthiness
MWGE Excerpt: The opportunities for healing come in unexpected and surprising ways, and no one is more surprised than Jules, founder of a hip online fashion label, when her colleague assigns her a suit and tie-clad senior intern. Jules’ start up company has exploded with success over a short period of time, and although she has the appearance of taking it all in stride, she is in desperate need of help. In comes Ben, an old-fashioned, over qualified retiree who is bored with retirement and in need of a fresh purpose.
Bonus Material
Service Cannot be Judged in Terms of Form True Service is an Alignment in Purpose
To be in service is to serve in a higher purpose, it is not to be locked into serving anyone or anything. It is only arrogance to think that you are here to save anyone in this world. It is coming to a divine order and seeing that your brother and sister are not outside of you and that they are whole and complete. The prayer of your heart is to see that as you are healed and the whole world is healed with you.
Helen & Bill a Perfect Match For Healing & Collaborating
Jesus will use the ego attractions and the ego repulsions for healing in relationships. So the curriculum involves meeting people that are just the perfect ones for us to forgive and to heal. Let’s take for example the two people who brought us the Course: Helen Schucman and Bill Thetford. They were working together to collaborate on a very important function that would have huge benefit for the whole human race, and Jesus said that they had complimentary ego dynamics. In other words, they were perfectly matched for healing.
Bill used defense mechanisms of denial and repression and Helen used the defense mechanism of projection. Helen drew Bill out of his denial because she was so direct with him. Helen was very unstable, so Bill helped her to relax and stabilize. That’s how we make it through difficult phases of undoing; we are used in a greater collaboration. We begin to focus our attention on this collaboration because there is great fulfillment and joy that comes from doing what the Spirit guides us to do.
Join Us at the Online Matinee Every Saturday at 9am MDT
Every Saturday at 9am MDT we show an online movie and give spiritual commentary. If you like movies and want to go deeper into the teachings of A Course in Miracles, you can join us for this weekly movie gathering from the comfort of your own home!
At MWGE, we take a mystical approach to movie-watching. We use them solely to practice watching our emotions, noticing our thoughts, and staying attentive to the Holy Spirit’s interpretation of each scene. In this way, we experience great healing in mind, get better at practicing forgiveness, and have loads of fun doing it!
For more about joining the weekly movie gathering, click here.
