Author Archives: Editor

Movies Add Life

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By Sheron Foster, ILLUMINATE Lead Programmer pictured above

I admit that I have sometimes felt lost in my life. I may have been unsure which direction to turn, or I wasn’t sure who I should trust or sometimes I just couldn’t seem to make a necessary decision. I hate when that happens! Also, there where times in my life when it would be very appropriate to me to jump for joy, or have a much needed meltdown and dissolve into tears, but I just couldn’t allow myself to be that vulnerable, for various reasons. During those times, I always thanked my lucky stars for movies! ... [read more]

Life Changers

Sharon Foster with Anna Sirotin

By Sheron Foster, ILLUMINATE Lead Programmer (pictured above with Programmer Anna Sirotin)

I find many things in life support growth, evolution and thriving. For myself, movies have always been an enjoyable way to safely process life events, bolster courage to move forward in a specific direction in my life and discover new strategies for experiencing life through the stories onscreen. Movies have also played a key role in saving my life (pardon the drama)! ... [read more]

Habit-Forming Holiday Films

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By Sheron Foster, ILLUMINATE Lead Programmer

When a film allows me deep access into the center of my joyful being, I will return to it to experience that thrill again and again. My husband accuses me of being extreme. I confess to watching all versions of “Scrooge” and it’s twin “A Christmas Carol” at least 100 times in my life! My favorite being “Scrooged” by director Richard Donner and starring Bill Murray. Followed very, very closely by Ronald Neame’s 1970 musical masterpiece “Scrooge” featuring Albert Finney. ... [read more]

Did You Know? Celebrities Pave The Spiritual Way

Part 1

Consciousness is on the tip of everybody’s tongue these days – yes, it’s up and gone mainstream! What was branded “new age” in the eighties and nineties is now trendy, and seen as part-and-parcel for our fast-paced, high-stress, over-stimulated society. It’s why we see Jennifer Aniston promoting yoga as her stress-reducing and beauty-enhancing necessity in life; or Russell Brand extolling meditation and yoga’s virtues at every turn for his sobriety and cosmic insights. Rock legend and Eastern mysticism enthusiast Sting is championing yoga, meditation, and even tantra for decades; and 15-year meditator Hugh Jackman is using Transcendental Meditation to balance the self-described pace of being a globe-trotting movie star, Broadway star, husband, and dad. The list of stars who regularly meditate, practice yoga, do martial arts, and attend spiritual or personal growth retreats is far too numerous to mention. Suffice it to say, the times they are a changing… or as Eckhart Tolle said recently, “The time is now. The shift is happening.” ... [read more]

Conscious Business and Film: Teaming Up for a Common World Vision

The mind-body-spirit market is now a commanding force in the world economy, including everything from yoga / tai chi / meditation products, natural foods, holistic healing, nutritional supplements, earth-friendly household products, sustainable energy systems, “green” home manufacturing, and conscious feature films and documentaries.

With massive worldwide sales in every holistic sector, from $117 billion in Personal Health products, $100 billion in Green Building, $42 billion in Eco-Tourism, and $20 billion in Alternative Transportation including hybrid/electric vehicles, cohesion among conscious business leaders now appears to be the critical next step, according to the conscious business networking organization Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS). A detachment from the current business-as-usual competitive paradigm would make way for an all-for-one and one-for-all attitude that brings powerful change-makers together for a common purpose. ... [read more]

Have We Entered a New Age of Cinema?

How Hollywood Paved the Way for the Rise of Conscious Film
What do Shawshank Redemption, Forest Gump, Avatar, Contact, and The Pursuit of Happyness all have in common? Yes, they are big hits. Yes, they have A-list stars. But those aren’t their most important features. Think back to when you first watched each film…how did you feel when you exited the theater? Were you elated? Loving? Hopeful? If so, then you’ve just received a dose of conscious-ness! Most would agree that these films fit the bill as heart-opening gems, but with one kicker… these films get you stoked about living! Who can forget Morgan Freeman’s character Red uttering the now-immortalized line, “You either get busy livin’ or you get busy dying.” Fellow inmate Andy Dufresne immediately abandoned self-pity and chose to mastermind his dream life outside prison walls by such inspiration. These films are but a few in the genre of “conscious films” that change lives, inspire choices, and elevate human consciousness. ... [read more]