Have you ever noticed that people many times define something by what it is not before they say what it is?  I’ll try not to do that here, even if what I’m attempting may not even have a real, objective answer for everyone who reads this.  Especially since this is such a huge topic.

But anyway, I will put this to you: what does spiritual actually mean (to you)?  I know that’s opening up a huge can of worms, one that’s been around for forever.  I’ve been wondering this because of what people have expressed to me about our little film.

To say our film fits into the category of ‘spiritual cinema’ can be construed as very broad or very narrow, depending on how you want to look at it.  I know a wise guy (no, not a Mafioso) who once told me that “all experience is ultimately spiritual.”  I think the key here is ‘ultimately’ as in stepping back and taking in the big picture of our whole existence.  Yes, I think in the long history of our spiritual beings those words are probably correct, but let’s talk about here and now.

Then it seems a given that spirituality can be both broad and/or narrow, complex and/or simple, collective and/or personal.  And like I said, let’s go with narrow, simple and personal as one layer, and let’s put our film “Dreams Awake” on another layer.  And see what that does.

Of course, right off that creates a paradox, because if we look at a simple definition of spiritual it already gets complex.  Spiritual usually deals with things of the spirit or soul, supernatural constructs, or even religious and sacred issues.  Even if we start simple, it’s already quite complex.  Ah, therein lies the crux.  It actually seems like this is hard to nail down in a real specific way.  Maybe a bit like our film?  Or maybe because the true concept of spiritual is very personal, and each one of us can only answer that for ourselves in the innermost part of our beings.  Which in a way, makes the collective idea of spirituality a bit odd, doesn’t it?  Except, isn’t that the way traditional, organized religion packages and sells itself?

I would venture to say that possibly the foundation for spirituality is based on three very basic questions.  First, “who am I?” – (no, it’s not your given name).   Second, “where do I come from?” – (no, not your mother’s womb).  Third, ‘where am I going?” – (who knows, maybe up to you?).  However, all three of these questions beg another nagging one.  Is there even an answer to any of these questions?  Well, if we don’t or can’t even ask these questions, there certainly will never be any answers.  And if for the sake of argument we say it could be possible, right then we present the idea of something larger than ourselves.  Whether it be God, Deity, Master Creator, Divine Force, Eternal Source, whatever.  That progresses on to a connection to this being or force to at least answer these first three questions.  It is here where it seems that religion stepped in to be our ‘agent’ for contact with this Divine Cosmic Consciousness.  Wow, sounds like a Hollywood deal all over again.  And I know from personal experience those don’t always work out too well.  Hhhmmm…

So, is this Deity or Force too important to communicate with us personally?  Do we actually need a middle man to speak for us?  Are we not important enough for its attention?  If so, why or why not?  I know, so many more questions than answers.  However, I still suspect that the answers are personal to each of us and that is why we each walk our own personal path of (to?) spirituality.

And that is one idea is we present in “Dreams Awake.”  And for the very same reasons I argue that each of our spiritual journeys is a personal one, is exactly why each of you will probably get something different out of our little film.  At least, that is my theory.  Which will be up to you to prove or disprove.  Either way, the journey should be fun (and maybe even spiritual?).

JAD