M. Knight Shyamalan: A Brilliant Metaphysical Movie Maker
Several weeks ago my husband and I took one of our daughters to see "Lady in the Water," the latest of M. Night Shyamalan's creative endeavors. No matter what the critics (and even some of my habitually resistant family members) say, I think that his work is consistently brilliant, in particular due to his bold imagination, incredible gift for storytelling, and the greatly anticipated metaphysical lessons underlying each of his thought provoking tales.
I have an affinity for M. Night in general, as he was born just a year after me, is Indian (as am I), and he clearly possesses an incredible imagination and an extraordinary gift for weaving deep metaphysical symbolism into his story lines.
He also comes across as unassuming, quite humble, and I truly see him as an example of a bold creative; one who surrenders to his imagination and vision, regardless of any desire to be liked, respected, or accepted by mainstream society (or in his case, shallow movie critics who fail to see the underlying lessons and have already decided that fantasy and fairy tales are hogwash).
Stepping into the Deliciousness of Fantasy Can Open You To Purpose
I think that in order to receive the higher messages in his movies, one has to be willing to let go of the limitations of impossibility thinking, step into the deliciousness of fantasy and imagination and explore the metaphysical nuggets that are ALWAYS present in his work.
For me, "Lady in the Water," provided some much needed reminders of how absolutely important, critical in fact, it is when one fully surrenders to their DIVINE PURPOSE; one’s reason for being and existing in the world.
It is important not only for the individual, but for the entire human race, a concept we don't often naturally explore. Just as we explore IMPACT as one of the 7 Keys to Awakening to Purpose, it is important to consider the Universal impact of fully stepping into one's PURPOSE.
After all, it is the expression of one's soul and life purpose in the world that has the greatest potential for exponential impact and deep personal and spiritual fulfillment.
We live in a world of self-limiting practicality; a world that we, in fact, define by our own beliefs about what is acceptable vs. unacceptable, possible vs. impossible, real vs. fantasy.
It is what we choose to do when we find ourselves standing at the intersections of these strong cultural dynamics that truly defines us.
Our choices to become an active and authentic expression of purpose build our sense of worthiness and importance and lead us to live a life defined by a sense of deep significance, accomplishment, contribution and great value. We can lead ridiculously amazing and fulfilling lives when we surrender to our gifts, bliss and talents and share them with others in a powerfully authentic way.
The Key Lessons in “Lady in the Water”
Although I realize that we flavor our interpretations through our own perceptual filters, I believe the essence of M. Night Shyamalan's message in "Lady in the Water" can be summarized in the following way;
- One does not necessarily choose Purpose, Purpose chooses you
- Even when we turn away from our unique and divine purpose, the Universe has a way of moving past our denial and resistance (you will see this occur with the main character, brilliantly played by Paul Giamatti) and ultimately creates the conditions that provide opportunities to “show up” in ways that are beyond our wildest imagination
- We are often unconsciously drawn to Purpose related activities - our quirks and talents reveal a great deal to us regarding our purpose
- What seems obvious to us may actually be masking the Truth - but even our misinterpretations lead to great discoveries; like when Paul Giammatti misinterprets his role and purpose and then ultimately gives in to the TRUTH - wow, just watch what happens next!
- When we move from misinterpretation to the acknowledgment of Truth, especially when it comes down to our Purpose, our highest potential is revealed in incredibly powerful ways
- We may not experience immediate rewards, yet the ripple we cast by stepping powerfully into our Purpose, often creates an impact that is far beyond what our own imagination invites into our consciousness
- Surrendering to our Purpose feeds a Universal hunger that the "world" may not even know exists
Aligning With Purpose Aligns Us With the Universe
I firmly believe that when we are aligned with our purpose (in thought and action) and when we align with others whose purposes are connected to ours (for an even higher reason or purpose) that everything that previously felt “out of whack” just sort of falls into place.
At one point during the movie, it became clear that once the right people -- each with their own unique purpose -- came together in faith, unity, and courage that everything in the Universe would immediately line up and fall into place.
It was this divine combination of purpose, people, place, divine timing, trust, faith and willingness (all of these people had been drawn, for unknown reasons, to move to this apartment complex) that enabled them to co-create a happy ending, thus enabling one man to live out his supreme legacy.
When we are out of alignment; whether it be with purpose, talents, or even the people who are MEANT to help us express our purpose, we find ourselves struggling to fit in, talking ourselves into being happy with our current circumstances and often expend a lot of energy and effort with less than stellar results.
When we are not aligned with our purpose, we ultimately set ourselves up to experience disappointment and discontent...a Divine Discontent of sorts...yet we ignore the signs, resist our path, fight against our Purpose, make excuses for not stepping into our power, and then wonder why we are so miserable.
Yet, once we "get it," once we fully discover and claim our purpose, the Universe responds with an "Oh, Hallelujah, she finally figured it out...here ya go, every thing's ready and waiting!"
There were a few timely and incredible personal reminders offered to me in "Lady in the Water."
Releasing Expectations Unleashes a Potential Far Greater Than We Can Imagine
One had to do with managing my expectations, in particular around Divine Timing. I am inherently quite impatient. I realize I may not seem to be impatient, but trust me, most of the time nothing or no one is moving quite fast enough, especially me.
It was quite profound to be reminded that writing a book for example, may in fact, never have the impact we hope for, at least not in the way that we envisioned or “expected.”
It may be, such as we saw with M. Knight Shyamalan's own character, fledgling author Vick Ran, that one person will be so profoundly influenced by a book (or any other purpose driven gift to the world) that they grow up to have a huge impact on the world, attributing much of who they are to the wisdom that they learned from an author in a book they read decades before.
The ripples cast by the authentic expression of one’s purpose may not be immediately experienced, or known for that matter, by the person casting the ripple. And, when your desired impact doesn’t occur in your desired time-frame, don’t buy in to the illusion of failure.
After all, the Universe typically has much greater things in store for us than we can even conceive. Because we can not conceive it we tend to not see it, at least not until it appears in a form that we actually recognize.
My own work may not meet the standards of success defined by cultural co-dependencies, cultural beliefs, or even my own friends and family, yet there are hidden and unexpected results that can be even more profound.
Hmmm, Hanging With Oprah or a Life Saved – Which Is More Important?
I may never publish a bestseller or earn millions. I may never get invited to hang with Oprah or win the Nobel Peace Prize. I may never get to share my writing or music on a large scale and we may never get a music or book distribution deal or win a Grammy, yet who is to say that one life changed as a result of my/our work isn't enough of a reward?
Who is to say that bringing light, hope and a sense of purpose to just one other person on the planet isn't a worthy ambition?
Over the last few months, since the release of my book, “The Power of Our Way,” and music (such as www .thepowerofmywaymovie.com) I have received letters from several readers who literally attribute the fact that they are still alive to the knowledge and inspiration they found in my book.
In the big picture, what is more important? A few lives “saved” or a guest appearance on Oprah Winfrey? A million readers or one family that is healed through our work?
Just recently, in response to the “war” between Hezbollah and Israel, I began the “Power of Our Way Peace Experience” and started to give my book away for free to anyone that joined. As a result, we inadvertently connected a community of people in Israel to a community in Beirut and a visionary youth in Palestine. In spite of generations of ancient hatred towards one another, they began communicating and joined in an intention of creating peace and healing -- not bad considering I am essentially a one woman show operating out of what used to be a two car garage, now converted into my writing and coaching haven!
The impact of sharing our purpose through our talents, passions, and authentic expressions may not yield the exact results we imagine, in the timing we would prefer, or even with the people we wish to impact.
The Often Unseen Ripple Effect
The fact that the impact may come after we are long gone from this world, does not lessen the fact that one person's purpose, expressed through their gifts and passions (remember me talking about your authentic expressions of your purpose?), can cast huge and important ripples, yet may never be seen by the giver of the "gift."
And, the mere fact that we may not "see" our ripples does not mean that the ripples are not occurring!
Yet, keep in mind that "we only see that which we are ready and willing to see, and only believe that which we are willing to believe."
And, as my husband so eloquently reminds me, so often the reality of our potential impact is far greater than what we ourselves are willing to imagine.
We are, on some level, afraid to dream big, less we risk feeling disappointed, rejected, hurt, or find ourselves challenged to maintain our faith in self, God and others.
For me, as someone who is always perceiving my experiences in metaphysical terms, watching "Lady in the Water" felt like God was tapping me on the shoulder and saying, "Keep going Anita, your work in helping people discover their Purpose, and step into the "Power of Their Way," is not only worth the struggle and sacrifice, it is important for the whole world.
So too is your own commitment to discovering your purpose and finding your authentic expressions in the world. The hard part is staying in the faith when things get tough or seem impossible. Yet, as I was so beautifully reminded as I sat in the movie theater, surrendering to one's purpose unleashes a potential far beyond our current capacity to imagine and the entire Universe lines up in celebration of us taking that bold and beautiful leap!
Visit www.awakeningtopurpose.com and begin the powerful journey into your Divine Purpose today!
Copyright 2006 Anita Pathik Law
Anita Pathik Law, CFCC, MSMC, is a coach, lyricist and author of “The Power of Our Way, A Path to a Collective Consciousness,” with a foreword written by number one bestselling author and contributor to the movie, “the Secret,” Dr. Joe Vitale.
She is also the founder of www.powerofmyway.com, www.awakeningtopurpose.com and www.consciousdialogues.com each endeavor aligned with her purpose to “raise consciousness and build bridges of higher understanding” within self, in relationships, in business and leadership, across cultures and religions and within the collective consciousness.
To discover and live your unique and divine life purpose, register today at www.awakeningtopurpose.com
To join the Power of Our Way global peace building project and receive her book for free, visit www.powerofmyway.com/peaceexperiment.html and view www.thepowerofmywaymovie.com.
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