All posts by heidi.skarie@gmail.com

Jul 10
0

ASTRAL CITY A SPIRITUAL JOURNEY – Movie Review

By | Movie review, Past lives | No Comments

Recently I watched an extraordinary movie called ASTRAL CITY A SPIRITUAL JOURNEY.  It is a Brazilian film based on the best selling book NOSSO LAR (“our home” in English) by the medium and psychic Chico Xavier.

The story is about Andre Luiz, a doctor, who dies suddenly to find himself in purgatory, a world of horrible suffering and pain.  He begs for help and is rescued and delivered to the spiritual Astral City where he begins a journey of self-discovery and transformation. He comes to realize that he could have lived a better life on earth as he learns about the afterlife, love and peace.

Andre is worried about his family on Earth and wants to visit them. Before he’s able to he has to learn certain lessons, so he starts to work in the astral hospital to assist with people who died violently.  He gradually learns the laws that surround death and that everyone gets reborn into the physical world.

Part of the enjoyment of the film is the stunning photography and seeing the astral world come alive. Chico Xavier said the story was authored by a spiritual entity  who used his body to write the book.  Perhaps this is why the visions of the astral world are so detailed.

Chico Xavier is a well known medium in Brazil.  He wrote 412 books by psychography.  There was a Brazilian movie made about his life In 2010, a entitled Chico Xavier, directed by Daniel Filho.

Here is a movie trailer of Astral City:

Here is a movie trailer of Chio Xavier.

chio xavier movie trailer in English

You can also read the book on line for free.

http://www.geae.inf.br/en/books/ac/

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Jun 12
0

Our Kickstarter Adventure

By | Uncategorized, Writing | 3 Comments

Today I’m posting a guest blog by Anna Skarie on her experience with Kickstarter. Kickstarter is a great website for funding creative projects. Anna and her mother, Joy Dey, have written a wonderful, unique dragon book that allows children to chose what they want to do. Here is their description of the book:

“In a DoU Adventure, your child is the hero, making choices on every page that lead through over 75 possible pathways, out of the frying pan into the fire, until they get back home safely. Whew! Each choice has an icon that matches a tab. Kids use the tabs to navigate their customized adventures.”

As many authors know, finding a publisher is hard work, and self-publishing is hard work WITH a large cash outlay. We decided to go the hardest of these and start our own publishing company, because what is life without the adventure? “Just Another Monday” (the book that started all of this) is an interactive children’s picture book. In short, the hero chooses their own adventure by following tabs along the right edge of the book. If you check out our Kickstarter video or go to our website, there is a longer explanation with pictures.
We’re here to tell you the things we’ve learned so far on our search for the funding portion of this. If you have any questions after reading, please don’t hesitate to contact us (info@swakpublishing.com). In return, we’d like you to consider passing the word along via backing, facebook likes, following, pins, blogging, or whatever your preferred method is.

 

The basics…
First, if you already know what Kickstarter is all about, you can skip this paragraph. Kickstarter is basically a seed funding website. If you have a project (or a book), and you need money to get that project started (or publish your book), I highly recommend this approach, even though we’re only three quarters of the way through our journey so far. You can make an account to back other projects and/or upload your own. The idea is that each project has a monetary goal and “backers” try to help you reach your goal. They may do this out of the goodness of their hearts, or for the rewards. Reward tiers are decided by the project creator (you), and usually offer something extra (eg, signing or creativity). This last bit is important though: if you don’t reach your goal, you don’t get any money. That’s the basics, and hopefully the following will fill in the gaps.

Our start…
Our journey began long ago (in May), surrounded by some brilliant minds, on my living room sofa. Every Tuesday, we have a “mastermind” meeting of brainstorming any projects we’re working on, and my sister-in-law, came to this meeting with this “Kickstarter” thing none of us had heard of. I have since learned that kickstarter is currently responsible for 10% of the venture capital funding in the United States. We had been racking our brains for how to come up with the $20,000 required to print a larger run of Just Another Monday. The larger run is required because the tabs need to be die-cut (ie, have their shape stamped out of the paper) and the heavy dies cost money up front. The larger the run, the more that cost is spread out over the books. Cue kickstarter!

Why kickstarter…
Pros:
– little or no monetary risk (depending on how you market yourself)
– you will likely get “Kickstarters” who back you and are not part of your network
– succeed or not, it gets your name out and gives you contacts who are interested in your project
Cons:
– it’s up to you to get the word out
– projects with previous followings generally have an easier time of it (maybe not a con depending on your project)
– you MIGHT be rejected (although you can resubmit easily and well thought-out book projects seem to have a high acceptance rate)

Notes:
1. Your network – it really matters how much time/effort/interest/money you can drum up yourself. Kickstarter funders, although generous, won’t fund a project completely on their own, and you probably shouldn’t even count on “mostly”. Friends, current followers, family, friends of friends, anyone who can help you pass the word on (even if they don’t back you) is an important part of your network.

2. Social media is also important. If you don’t use facebook, twitter, pinterest, reddit, stumbleupon…you get the idea…you should find a helper who does. Getting higher on Kickstarter’s “popular” pages (and thus viewed more often) seems to be some combination of your backers, comments, % of goal, and such on Kickstarter; your links, facebook likes, and other buzz on the web; and the place your project is at (you get a boost at the beginning and end of your project)

3. It is a lot of work to keep buzz going through the life of the project. Be ready to have to flog for the length you set (30 days is usually the most successful), and have some fun doing it 🙂

What it has been like for us…
Some of this sounds so ominous, but really kickstarter is an amazing resource for anyone looking to fund a dream project (Like us!). We’ve fleshed out our idea the more we’ve blogged, facebooked, commented, and talked to people about it. One thing that really worked for us is a card with how to get to the kickstarter page on it. Since our project is a printed book, it made sense for us to try a few approaches for people who are less likely to use the internet. It also makes great “small” talk. We’ve had a lot of fun hearing people’s takes and opinions. It’s a great feeling whenever someone puts their belief in you. We really appreciate people doing whatever they can. Every time a friend or acquaintance wrote something like this we were very touched:

“One of my girlfriends and her mother made a children’s book. I have actually seen a copy of it and it is awesome. They are trying to get this book published with the publishing company that they created and need help. If you like the book and can pledge money towards it that’s great but she also understands that money can be tight. Even if you could just keep passing this along to others it would be a great help. The following links are to their Facebook page and to a kickstarter page (it is where you can propose ideas and get the word out to get funding).
http://www.facebook.com/SWAKpublishing
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1541772125/just-another-monday-2”

 

All in all, it’s been a wonderful adventure. We haven’t succeeded yet, but here’s hoping and I still completely recommend the kickstarter journey. If you plan it, prepare it, and push push push it, they will come 🙂

Cheers, and happy adventuring!

~ Anna Skarie

co-founder of S.W.A.K. Publishing

(sit with a kid!)

 

 

We’re happy to answer questions. To contact us or lend us some support, here are the links…
our email: info@swakpublishing.com
our project: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1541772125/just-another-monday-2

facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SWAKpublishing
twitter: http://www.twitter.com/SWAKpublishing
pinterest: http://pinterest.com/sitwithakid
our blog: http://sitwithakid.wordpress.com

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Jun 10
1

Movie Review of Dragonfly starring Kevin Costner

By | Movie review | 3 Comments

Recently I watched the movie “Dragonfly” starring Kevin Costner. It was booked as a “supernatural thriller,” but I found it to be a spiritual film with a few Hollywood special effects. The movie opens with Emily (Susannah Thompson) a pregnant cancer specialist on an emergency relief expedition in the jungles of Venezuela. There she dies in a bus accident.
Six months later, Joe Darrow, (Kevin Costner) a physician, is still intensely mourning her death. Joe doesn’t believe in the after life and works long hours to take his mind off the accident until his boss forces him to take time off. Before following his boss’s orders, Joe goes to check on Emily’s former pediatric patients. There his beliefs are challenged when it appears that his wife is using the near-death experiences of her terminal patients to communicate with him.
Joe’s love for Emily enables him to explore the possibility that there is an afterlife and that she is trying to reach him. His neighbor and friend (Kathy Bates) is concerned that he is having an emotional breakdown and fears he might lose his job. She tries to convince him that he’s just out of balance, but Joe is driven by further ethereal evidence of his wife trying to reach him. He goes to get advice from Sister Madeline (Linda Hunt) who had interviewed children with near-death experiences.
The title of the movie, “Dragonfly,” refers to a birthmark Emily had on her shoulder. She uses the dragonfly symbol to try and reach Joe from the other side to communicate an important message.
I enjoyed this movie because of Joe’s change in conscious and how his is willing to risk losing everything, even risk his life, to find out what his beloved wife is trying to tell him.
Here is a Youtube video of the film.

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May 13
0

Keoki Flagg on Tedx Talks about Grant Korgan

By | Uncategorized | 3 Comments

A good friend sent me a remarkable youtube video of her nephew Keoki Flagg, an adventure sport photographer, on Ted x talks. The talk is about Grant Korgan’s journey to the South Pole that made history on January 17, 2012. Grant was the first adaptive athlete to trek to the South Pole. It was done on the 100-year anniversary of the first South Pole explorers.

Keoki joined the journey to photograph it. To make the expedition he had to get into shape because he had to pull a sled with 500 pounds of equipment on it.

Two years ago Grant Korgan had a snowmobile accident that left him a paraplegic. Grant decided to make an expedition to the South Pole as part of his recovering program and to raise money for medical research for paraplegics. The trip was funded by the High Fives Foundation, which helps injured athletes recover. Grant used a custom sit ski to trek 75 miles in two weeks. With ski poles he pushed himself along. Keoki compared it to sitting in a cardboard box and pushing it across the room.

The weather was as cold as forty degrees below zero with head winds of 10 to 20 knots. At those temperatures it is hard to function.

In the youtube video you’ll see some of Keoki’s remarkable photos of the trip. IN discussing his photography, he said that original art touches the viewer emotionally.

Keoki also talked about the experience of making this journey. The land is flat and the sun never set so there was no way to gain perspective as to how far he had gone each day. There weren’t any clocks, phones or internet in the South Pole. Being removed from all this technology helped Keoki find inner peace and balance. He said that we all need more peace. He wants to affect the world in a positive way. He ended his talk with: “The message of positivity in these times is critical. Dream as big as you can and change the world.”

Here is the Youtube:

To learn more about the project go:
http://www.southpolepush.com./

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May 01
0

THE HORSE WHISPER and Thoughts on Struggles in Life

By | Book Review, Movie review | 2 Comments

Recently I read THE HORSE WHISPER a best selling novel by Nicholas Evans. In 1998 it was made into a movie, which Robert Redford directed and starred in. The story is about Grace Maclean a thirteen-year-old girl whose life is shattered by a terrible accident. One snowy day in upstate New York Grace goes horseback riding with her friend Judith. As they start up a hill Judith’s horse slips on ice and crashes into Grace’s horse Pilgrim. Judith falls off her horse and is dragged down the hill. Both girls and their horses end up in the road to find a semitruck barreling toward them.
The story is about Grace’s struggle back to health, physically and emotionally. Grace’s horse Pilgrim is also seriously injured and traumatized by the accident. He has become wild and uncontrollable. The veterinarian recommends putting Pilgrim down. Annie, Grace’s workaholic mother, refuses because she realizes her daughter’s full recovery is connected somehow to Pilgrim’s recovery.
In Annie’s search to find help for Pilgrim, she hears about Tom Brooker, a man with unusual abilities with horses called a “horse whisperer.” When Tom sees the terrible shape Pilgrim is in, he says it’s too late to save the animal. Annie refuses to take no for an answer and drags her daughter and the horse all the way from New York to Montana to beg Tom to work with the horse.
Annie and Grace have a dysfunctional relationship and Grace refuses to talk to her mother on the drive west. The book is about the struggle of the daughter and horse to recover from the accident and the struggle of the mother and daughter to rebuild their relationship.
The story is also about Annie taking a new look at her life and what is truly important. She and Tom fall in a love and have an affair, which leads to further complications.
The majority of the movie portrays the book fairly accurately, but if you really want to find out how the horse whisperer works with horses I’d recommend reading the book. The movie also softens the affair to a romantic dance and changes the end to a happier one.
The book and movie were both inspired by Buck Brannaman, a man with an amazing, almost spiritual way with horses. A documentary named BUCK was made about him. The film won the Roger Ebert’s list of the Best Documentaries of 2011 and the Oscar shortlist. Buck said he doesn’t help people with horse problems but rather horses with people problems. His compassion for horses came partly out of a challenging childhood with a violent father.

No one likes hardship and suffering, but it is through the trials of life that some of greatest learning comes. It reminds me of the story about a man who found the cocoon of an emperor moth. He watched the moth struggle to come out of the narrow opening of the cocoon and decided to help it by cutting off a bit of the top. The moth emerged with a swollen body and small wings, and died soon after. The man wondered what had gone wrong. He looked up information about the emperor moth and discovered that in order for a pupa to become a moth, it must squeeze its way out of the narrow neck of the cocoon. This forces the fluid out of the body and into the wings so it will be able to fly. The man thought he was being kind by cutting a slit in the cocoon and easing the moth’s journey. Instead the poor creature was never able to reach its full potential and become a beautiful emperor moth.
In THE HORSE WHISPERER the child, mother and horse all have to go through a great struggle like the emperor moth. Through their experience they grew and emerged as stronger more loving beings.
All of us have struggles and challenges in life to help us learn love and compassion. Through our hardships we develop beauty and grace as the emperor moth does as it emerges from its cocoon.
Have you had an experience where you were faced with a challenge and rose to the challenge to become a stronger, more compassionate person? Please share your experiences.

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Apr 21
0

Movie review of BIG MIRACLE and YouTube Whale Rescue

By | Movie review | 23 Comments

Yesterday my husband shared a YouTube video he received about a humpback whale being rescued from tangled nets. It’s an amazing video. Watch it all the way to the end to see some wonderful shots of the whale’s happy dance after it regains its freedom.
Here is the YouTube of the rescue.

This YouTube video reminded me of a movie I saw recently called BIG MIRACLE. The movie was inspired by true events of a 1988 whale rescue that touched people’s hearts around the world. It involved the US and Russia working closely together during the cold war, which was quite unusual.

In the movie, TV news reporter (John Krasinski) discovers a family of gray whales ice-locked off the shore of Barrow, Alaska. He broadcasts a news story about the whale’s plight and it catches world attention, including his ex-girlfriend (Drew Barrymore), an animal lover and Greenpeace activist. She immediately works to find a way to free the whales.

Meanwhile the Inupiat tribe living in Barrow wants to harvest the whales for meat as they have done for centuries. Reporters flood into Barrow from all over the world and the local people then realize that bad publicity will result if they kill the whales. The native people turn out to serve an important role with the rescue because they know how to survive in the harsh climate. They also help keep the whales alive until rescuers arrive.

I especially enjoyed the “wise elder” of the Inupiat people who had an amazing spiritual connection with the whales and teaches the old ways to his grandson.

Another aspect I liked about the movie is how all the different people with unique viewpoints, agendas and backgrounds come together to save these wonderful animals. As it happened historically, the US and Russia were forced to work together on this highly publicized project. Everyone grows, changes and winds up deeply touched by this experience.

I highly recommend this feel-good movie.

Have you had a heart-opening experience with animals? I’d love to hear your stories.

Here is the official movie trailer:

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Apr 12
0

Two Inspiring videos

By | Uncategorized | 2 Comments

For the new year I want to share two special videos.  The first one is called Gratitude by Louie Schwartzberg.  What better time than the beginning of the year to think about all we have to be grateful for.  Schwarzberg talks about being present and celebrating life as he shares his amazing time lapse photography.  He has captured some flowers unfolding, the movement of clouds in the sky, and butterflies.   His talk and films are both inspiring. 

The second part of the video is called “Happiness Revealed” and is from the point of view of a child and elderly man.  One of the things the elderly man says is to look at the faces of the people you meet.  Each one has an incredible stories behind their face.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyOrNdfBQNk

 

The second video is for those of you who love dancing.  This video is of a couple who dance with amazing grace and beauty. 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=cWIhXzZT8dE&vq=largeS

 

I hope you are uplifted as much as I was by these wonderful videos.  Enjoy the gift of life in this new year.

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Apr 12
0

Caribbean Cruise: Vacations Can Open Our Awareness

By | Uncategorized | One Comment

Last month my family and I took a Caribbean cruise and spent a week in Puerto Rico. The trip wasn’t only an escape from the cold Minnesota weather; it also provided a chance to experience different cultures, ways of life and people. When I travel I’m more aware of everything and living in the moment because everything is so new and different. Sometimes I have more vivid dreams or even a past-life memory.

This trip broadened my understanding of the Caribbean islands and sparked my interest in its history. The islands have such features as tropical rainforests, mountains and white sand beaches surrounded by aqua blue ocean.
(Here are some photos of our trip.)


The main language in Puerto Rico is Spanish though many speak English so it isn’t hard to get around. One Puerto Rican highlight was a guided hike in El Yunque, a large rainforest. After visiting the rainforest we paddled kayaks into an ocean bay to see the bioluminescent water. At night the water sparkles like fireflies when you paddle or put your hand in it. It seems magical.

I find many of the things I worry about at home disappear when I’m traveling. I enjoy just sitting on the ocean, feeling the warm sun, watching the waves and swimmers. It’s also fun to spend time with my family and meet new people.

Traveling can be a trigger for remembering past lives. It sparks memories, sometimes subtle and other times direct. While I didn’t remember any past lives on this trip, when I visited Fort San Felipe Del Morro (a five-hundred-year-old fort in Puerto Rico) I felt a deep heaviness I knew stemmed from a past life.

The fort is historically significant because it served as a base of Spanish power.
Puerto Rico was discovered by Columbus on his second voyage and colonized by Spain. Today none of the native people remain. The island has a natural harbor, fresh water and was the first place the ocean currents brought ships when they sailed to the new world from Europe. From this fort Spain controlled the gateway to Mexico, Central and South America to better rule this part of the world. They pillaged gold and silver from these countries and had a large slave-trading business. (Here are some photos of the fort.)


On the island of Barbados we saw the amazing Huntes Garden set on the site of an old sugar plantation. Chairs where you can sit and enjoy the flowers and serenity are placed throughout the garden. While there we met Grace, a woman from England. She lives in an old house outside of London that was once a monastery in the 1500s. I asked, “Have you ever been visited by a ghost?” She said yes she had, by a monk on three occasions. The first time he appeared was when she was ill. He came into her room and was a comforting presence.



Grace told us she once experienced a challenging situation when her family had wronged her. She was upset until she had a dream where she left her body and met with Jesus, her spiritual guide.

He said, “You’ve been forgiven. Now it’s up to you to forgive others.” After the dream she was able to let go of the situation and forgive her family members.

My husband Jim asked, “That changed your life, didn’t it?” She replied it had.

Jim said, “We call that ‘Soul Travel’” (an Eckankar term that can mean a shift in consciousness to a higher state of awareness or an experience of leaving the physical body either while awake or when dreaming).

Grace said she’d never heard of Soul Travel, but found the idea interesting.

(Here are some photos of the garden.)

I returned home refreshed from these wonderful adventures with my family and felt enriched by the many people I met along the way.

Have you met an interesting person or had an experience when traveling that opened up vivid dreams or gave you an insight into a past life? I’d love to hear your stories.

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Mar 21
0

Billy Joel and Temple Grandin: Where do we go when we die?

By | Movie review | 2 Comments

Recently I went to hear the Minnetonka Chamber Choir. The choir director stopped one of the songs in the middle to tell the audience the name of the piece and what it meant so we would enjoy it more. The piece was” Lullabuy” by Billy Joel who wrote it after his daughter Alex asked him, “Where do I go after I die?” One of the lines that stuck with me was: “Then in your heart there will always be a part of me.”

Here is the entire song:

“Lullabye Goodnight, My Angle”

Goodnight my angel, time to close your eyes
And save these questions for another day
I think I know what you’ve been asking me
I think you know what I’ve been trying to say
I promised I would never leave you
Then you should always know
Wherever you may go, no matter where you are
I never will be far away

Goodnight my angel, now it’s time to sleep
And still so many things I want to say
Remember all the songs you sang for me
When we went sailing on an emerald bay
And like a boat out on the ocean
I’m rocking you to sleep
The water’s dark and deep, inside this ancient heart
You’ll always be a part of me

Goodnight my angel, now it’s time to dream
And dream how wonderful your life will be
Someday your child may cry, and if you sing this lullaby
Then in your heart there will always be a part of me
Someday we’ll all be gone
But lullabies go on and on
They never die
That’s how you and I will be

Here is a youtube with Billy Joel singing the song.

The song reminded me of a movie I saw recently called “Temple Grandin.” It’s the true story of Temple Grandin, a woman who was born autistic. Several years ago I heard Temple Grandin speak at an autism society event and I was interested in seeing the movie and learning her story.

When Temple was four and still unable to speak, her mother took her to the doctor who told her Temple was autistic and should institutionalized. Instead the mother used picture flash card and found a way to teach her child to speak and relate to the world. Temple went on to high school, college and even got a doctorate in Animal Husbandry.

At one point in the movie Temple asked a question similar to the one Billy Joel’s daughter asked. “Where did he go?” Temple asked when a horse died. What she was really asking is: Where did the soul of the horse go? Her science teacher didn’t know, but he told her to think of the horse as it was when it was alive. Temple thought in pictures and so she visualized the horse several times when she’d seen him vibrant and healthy.

Later in the movie the teacher died and at his funeral service Temple asked her mother. “Where did he go?” Like the horse she could see the spirit of the man was gone and only the body remained.

Each of us has to answer that question for themself. I believe we go on to another world to continue our spiritual education to eventually become a co-worker with God.

Temple had a hard time going to high school and was reluctant to go to college. Her science teacher told her to think of college as going through a doorway that is going to open a whole new world for you. Temple visualized a series of doorways she’d walked through and found the courage to go to college. I thought it a beautiful image for all of us when facing a challenge in life. Visualize or think of it as a doorway we have to walk through to get to a new place or state of consciousness.

When Temple’s mother enrolled her in high school, she emphasized to her teacher that Temple was different but not less. I thought of the analogy of soul equals soul. We are all equal no matter when our physical, emotional, or mental limitations are. We are all here on earth to serve life and learn more about love.

As an autistic person Temple didn’t like to be touched or hugged, yet she was unafraid of animals and liked to touch horses and cows. She could empathize and relate to them in a way she couldn’t to humans. They understand the world with pictures like she did.

Temple’s uniqueness enabled her to see things that others couldn’t. She closely observed cows and what made them afraid while she was on her aunt and uncle’s ranch. She used her understanding of animal behavior to design a more merciful way to build a slaughter house for cows. She said that nature is cruel, but we don’t have to be. She insisted that there was no reason to scare cows or prod them along when they will walk peacefully through the slaughter house. She understood that cows were raised for food and thought that was all the more reason to treat them with kindness. Today half the slaughter houses in the United States use her building design proving that Temple’s mother was right. She is different but not less.

Temple eventually started helping other people who were autistic and their families by sharing what it was like to be autistic. The first time she was asked to speak at an autistic meeting, she was afraid, but then she visualized walking through a doorway and went on stage.

When I reflect on Temple’s life, I think of the enormous challenges she faced and overcame. How she turned her differences to an advantage and how she had the courage to make the world a better place. She isn’t really so different from the rest of us or from Billy Joel’s daughter. We all wonder where a person goes when they die.

Where do you think we go when we die? Have you ever felt like you were walking through a doorway as you started a new experience? What challenges have you had to over come? I’d love to hear your experiences or thoughts.

I really enjoyed this movie of Temple Grandin’s life and highly recommend it.

Here’s trailer of the movie:

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