Spiritual Cowgirl

“I just met with someone very, very fond of you.

Actually, Sera, everyone here is very, very fond of you.

Anyway, this friend said to tell you that just because most people are looking for what they think they don’t have, doesn’t mean they don’t have it.

She also said you still look fab in black.

Weird, huh? (I mean the first part…)
The Universe”

Lookin’ for a little luvin’ from the Universe? Then sign up for free to receive friendly notes and wise-cracking jokes (like the one above) from Yours Truly. check out:
www.tut.com

“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The trouble-makers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status-quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify, or vilify them. But the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

~ Apple Computers

What trilogy of books makes the true Gods smile and the false ones curl up and snarl? Ah, that would be His Dark Materials – the brilliantly divine trilogy written by Phillip Pullman illustrating the dusty, yet bright lives of a young heroine and a cast of characters so noble and multi-faceted you’d think they were from a different Universe. This is a piece of work that many would call “spiritual but not religious” and if you haven’t read it yet, I encourage you to do so. And read it outloud. To your friends. Your lovers. Your goldfish. Why am I writing about this? Because the first in the trilogy, “The Golden Compass” has been made into a movie (with actors like Nicole Kidman and the new hottie James Bond to warm your tootsies) and is coming out next December. And I just found the trailor. And I’m So Scared - that the film is gonna suck buckets. I mean how can they accurately deliver the subtle spiritual winks and deliberate orthodox dogma knocking that make these book so very red? I mean is the adrenaline addicted mainstream ready for ethical (not moral) complexity? For characters who are not clearly “evil” or “good”? For gay angels? Whoops, that’s in the last book. Ah well, I await somewhat eagerly, somewhat worriedly till December. For your viewing pleasure…

How fierce is your light? How unwrapped is your gift? How big do you Love? How do you fuse Spirit with Action? What’s the meaning of life? Eh?

I have to ask (and with a quirky yet polite Canadian accent) because I’ve just spent the past few months listening to visionaries answer these very questions posited to them by Academy Award winning Canadian documentarian, Velcrow Ripper. Yes, that’s really his name, I think it rocks, so let’s move on to the important stuff. I met Velcrow on www.Zaadz.com, as he was traveling the world filming FierceLight: When Spirit Meets Action. This is the second film in his trilogy, which began with the award winning film ScaredSacred (if you haven’t checked this film out – do so now). This talented Canadian happened to need an assistant for the American leg of the shoot, so I eagerly hopped on his magic red fun furry carpet ride.

We interviewed a whole host of electric visionaries ranging from Alice Walker to Starhawk, Paul Hawkins to Sam Harris, Western Shoshone medicine men and women to a 90 year old Franciscan nun who’s been arrested a dozen times for protesting at the Nevada Nuclear Test Site. From spiritual hip hop artist Prof. Pitt to mystic extraordinaire Andrew Harvey, Bell Hooks to Congressman John Lewis, and we finished off with Desmond Tutu. Yep, after Brad Pitt interviewed him. Have you checked out the new Vanity Fair? Did you notice Desmond was wearing Red on one of the covers in this magazine’s “Red” issue? This color is getting some major kudos lately, in fact I’m leaning towards purchasing a new red razor phone. But I digress. Back to my adventures in film assisting. Yeah, this juicy chunk of my life has been deliciously inspiring and so over the next few weeks I’m gonna share some shiny wisdoms (call them Fierce Red Lights) I have learned from traveling and visiting with such extraordinary humans.

To begin with, Ripper’s film, Fierce Light (in theaters fall of 2008), is about spiritual activism - what the hell it is, where it came from, how it’s shifting the world today, and how you, yes you, can be a part of it, if you’re not already. Fierce Light is a synonym for what Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. called Truth Force or Soul Force. It all started when Gandhi created what is referred to as Satyagraha - a plan to develop our inner lives for the transformation of society. Gandhi experienced the truth that knowing yourself (which often entails working on your self) and being your true self makes you a much more powerful activist, not to mention a more effective and loving human - someone who is truly being the change they wish to see in the world. Why is this way of being so important? Because moving with this Soul Force, living from this inner source of love, means your light cannot be dimmed or turned off or separated from other lights. Great leaders like Gandhi and King knew that acting from this blaze of fierce love is the only way we can create authentic, effective, and lasting change on this here chaotic spinning planet of ours.

And guess what? This fierce light is what you’re here to be. Yes, you. In your own unique way. In your own special time. But…we need ya, like now already. By the way, encouraging us all to beam so bright is the very reason I wrote The Red Book. And it’s most directly reflected in Chapter 9 in The Red Book: When Sparks Fly: Know Your Self, transform the World.

Giddy Up!