the other side
Addiction And The Calling
If my spiritual calling was masked by addiction once upon time, how many other people could also be masking their calling with such escapism?
As a recovering alcoholic, addictive behavior is something I know all too well – together with the co-dependency behavior that inevitably surrounds the addict. I actually credit my experience with alcohol, and the realization that there is no escape that way, as leading up to me heeding my calling. My life purpose was to work for spirit, and any time not being in touch with that calling left a huge void, or ‘hole in my soul’ type of feeling within me.
My initial training into the mystical was in the African tradition, whereby one is selected by the ancestors and called to the task of healer, priest, counselor and diviner. Channeling and the ancient art of throwing and interpreting the bones are used as forms of divination in this tradition. Continue reading
Movie Psychics: Villains, Freaks, Heroes
Psychics and mediums in the movies are traditionally depicted as shrewd, flaky or simply evil. To this day it remains the exception to the rule to find a decent film or television show that genuine psychics will be able to relate to. Very few films in the archives offer a reasonably authentic representation of the ordinary psychic’s true life experiences.
The range of stereotypical stock characters in film is almost never-ending: from the typical dumb blondes and computer-hacking geeks, to corrupt Catholic priests, zany black cops, Las Vegas mobsters, flamboyant gay men, conspiring politicians, sex-obsessed teenagers and bombastic corporate executives with fat cigars.
Of course, psychics and mediums also make the perfect stereotype. We are ideal to be cast in the role of the satanic villain, or merely as an odd source of comic relief. For example, Whoopi Goldberg’s madcap portrayal of Oda Mae Brown, the fraudulent medium in Ghost (1990), was so well-received after the film’s release that she won a Golden Globe for her hilarious antics, as well as an Academy Award!
Hollywood relies on these stereotypes to increase box office success. Portraying misrepresented characters in a one-dimensional manner has a much wider audience appeal. Sadly, it also leads to ignorance, misconception, prejudice and discrimination. Continue reading