awaken - dare to envision, believe and create™

Course Theme:

“Films are metaphors that can be utilized in a manner similar to stories, myths, jokes, fables, and narrative insights.”

Good stories have long been recognized as having far more value than mere entertainment. Throughout human history, stories have taught people valuable lessons about themselves and their culture, about their past, their present and even their future. Today, films are one of our most powerful storytelling methods, and some films have had important impacts, on individuals and on entire societies.

The movies you will view are full-length features, short films, and documentaries on mind-opening subjects. The films are about many different subjects, but they all share common elements: All our movies are carefully-chosen to provide genuine nourishment for the heart and soul, a much-needed nutrient at a time when more and more and more movies are violent, profane and devoid of meaning. These movies inspire wonder, insight, deep feeling and transcendence. Above all, they make you feel better about being a human being.

Course Objectives:

The three big questions that we will explore are; Why should I get out of bed in the morning? How will I make it through another stressful day? And, at the end of the day, did anything I do really matter?

We will be bringing you movies that are out of the "norm." These hard-to-find films presented through the awaken Cinema circle will warm your heart, stir your soul and expand your mind while helping you to:

· Awaken your sense of joy and wonder!
· Inspire love and compassion!
· Evoke a deeper sense of connection with the universe around you!
· Learn to question negative beliefs about yourself and rediscover your strengths.
· Generate ideas within the group about how information gained may help us to think, feel, or behave differently.
· Explore the possibility of creating a metaphor based on film.
· Process perceptions and thoughts about how film may or may not relate to your issues or concerns.
· Develop inner strength as you recall forgotten and discounted inner resources and become aware of the right opportunity for those resources to be applied.
· Gain awareness of your deeper layers of consciousness to help you move toward new perspectives or behavior as well as healing and integration of the total self.
· Explore individual responsibility; that we are responsible for our lives and our actions and for everything that goes on around us.