UPCOMING
PEARLS
(in addition to new,
unexpected possibilities)
For the Love of Dog (working title) On March 12, Linda’s family had to send their beloved older dog Katie on her journey to dog heaven. Four days later, with Irish pipes playing a song that went straight to the heart, Linda had a vision of Katie, running up a green hillside in complete freedom and joy. A dog who knows Love is not afraid to die, even when she is sad to leave loved ones behind. Returning to Spirit is coming HOME – something we humans could learn from our dog teachers. Katie’s gorgeous best friend Mitch, still a puppy at age 12, will serve as the physical stand-in for Katie – and for all dogs who have run and bounced into Spirit.
The
healing connection between Horses and Humans This Pearl will
convey the powerful impact that "awake and aware" horses can have on human healing and well-being. We will film at Horse Sense of the Carolinas,
an innovative program of “equine-assisted psychotherapy” and “equine-assisted
learning.” Horses are a mirror for human beings and
can help with many issues and emotional blocks related to fear,
self-confidence, power, trust, prejudice and more.
Animal Shelter
Treasures will be part of a campaign to encourage positive alternatives to euthanasia of healthy animals. We plan to highlight dogs and cats from shelters and foster homes who can joyfully repay human kindness many times over with their own special gifts. The stories of adopted animals – and
of those still waiting to find their new homes – can
help animal organizations increase adoptions. One potential
subject is Chai, a chubby, cute former shelter
puppy who has found her own way to help others, very gently.
"Escalate
Love" illustrates the cumulative power of positive
actions, even small ones, in the face of escalating violence.
In an image from the workshops of Jim McGinnis’ Institute
for Peace and Justice, one side of an old fashioned scale of
justice holds "boulders of violence" that seem overwhelming.
With a shift in awareness, we see that we can each add enough "pebbles
of love" to the other side to tip the scale. The timely message
is: "In the Face of Escalating Violence, Escalate Love."
ET the walrus lives near Seattle at the Pt. Defiance Zoo and Aquarium. We had an unexpected encounter in the fall of 2007 when the "Pearl" in him appeared. Homely and over 3400 pounds, he's a surprisingly endearing character!
“The Peace of Wild Things” We hope to get permission from poet Wendell Berry to use his potent poem. It reminds us that when the concerns of the world press too hard on us, we can find peace and freedom in nature.
“Progressive Revelations” is based on a stunning Baha’i Youth Workshop dance that portrays both the uniqueness and the common ground of all world religions (permission still needed)
The Wonder of Whales
(one or more Pearls) will be beautiful whale (and/or dolphin) footage,
with some especially engaging close-ups and a soundtrack of whale
songs, possibly with instrumental music. The goal is to help
cetaceans burst into the hearts of viewers, so we humans remember
how profoundly wonderful they are, care more actively about their
plight and learn how to protect endangered ocean life from human-caused
threats.
Some other possible Pearls-in-waiting
include:
Environmental/”green” Pearls – concepts
such as “natural capital” and ecosystem services
(services provided to us for free by Nature) and how we can work
with these gifts we depend upon for survival
White dove release – a truly moving experience, in
collaboration with A Spirit’s Wings of Asheville, NC
The Awkward Dance of Aging – elderly parents and
their adult children, finding their way through the difficult reversal
of roles and trying not to step on each other’s feet
Joyful Dancing – those special times when we can
dance with ease, freedom, grace, “as if no one is watching….”
Special sibling bonds – a new baby girl, long wished
for by her only-child brother, has finally arrived….
“Prayer for a New Time” – from Linda’s
song, using footage from the top of Craggy Pinnacle on the Blue
Ridge Parkway near Asheville, NC, with its 360-degree sweep of
the mountains
"Amazing Grace" celebrates
diversity and the potential for connection across apparent boundaries
and differences. Filming
would be preceded by a “building bridges” group process,
so the peace and harmony conveyed across this wide spectrum of
people is honest and real.
“Eli’s Lesson” is about the unconditional
love of dogs and how they follow their hearts without concern for
the outcome and without measuring whether they have the energy
or time. Eli, a greatly-missed golden retriever who embodied
this message, died in the spring of 2004.
The interconnectedness of life – using words attributed
to Chief Seattle
The tragedy and hope of refugees, based on a local young
man, a “lost boy of Sudan”
Concepts about the unfolding of the Universe and the place
of humanity in that unfolding from the work of cosmologist
Brian Swimme (we have his blanket permission)
Creating family, based on a local couple who adopted Lucas,
a Central American baby, as they were also integrating their first
biological child into their family
A series on intelligent animals - elephants, parrots, cats,
dogs, great apes, horses, etc. One of these might be Koko,
the strong-willed gorilla who uses more human language than any
other known animal (we mentored the Gorilla Foundation on a PSA
in 2003).
Elder wisdom, from interview footage of fascinating elders
we know
Interspecies “families” – animals who
have created unlikely bonds of love
The beauty of older women – a line of women on a
beach, flowing past the camera
And many more…..
