Gravity
by Sukhavaha dd
I don’t usually go to movies but I heard from one devotee that Gravity had a deeper spiritual theme with subtle messages. I had the following realizations about how this movie portrayed aspects of our spiritual journey:
On life’s journey, we think we are existing in life (space) to accomplish some feat. Without gravity, we are floating and we are constantly grasping to hold onto the space ship (our only known reality). Then some catastrophe shakes our world and our connection to “reality” (the space ship) is broken.
Our spiritual mentor gives us grounding guidance. At some point, we have one “string” connecting us with our past (space ship) and our guide. Our guide instructs us, “You need to learn to let go.” Letting go, we feel we have lost our guide, until we hear his voice instructing us. As we follow the instructions (vani) in separation from the vapu, we find our way back to the old “reality” (the space ship), which is now burning (deteriorating). We discover our parachute is attached so we cut the ropes that bind us to the past.
When we get to the small capsule, we think we have our escape plan. When we find we are out of fuel – we cannot see any way out. We become desperate – angry – depressed – and then resigned. We want to die (go unconscious). As we approach death, we call out – to something beyond us. We offer an attempt of a prayer, in resignation, a form of total surrender.
When we give up the knowing self, again our guide returns to wake us to another level of consciousness. “Just be here and look at what you DO have.” “Don’t look to the past. Be present and look in front of you.”
In this place, our guide pushes us through the pain of our attachment and guilt. We let go of our pain and our limited conceptions about reality. We forgive ourselves and gratefully proceed with a renewed faith into an even deeper spiritual journey. The “Dark night of the soul” where we see nothing ahead of us.
We thrust ourselves forward – letting go of the fear that holds us to the past – and eject ourselves to another level of consciousness (the capsule) that can transport us home – to our spiritual reality.
In this place, we realize there is no going back to the past reality – it doesn’t exist. We have no idea if we will survive – and we realize it doesn’t matter. Either way – we will either have a great story to tell – or we will have an incredible journey – we are not attached (and not evolve. In the process of transformation, our re-entry is a burning off of all the old forms that we had been using. Everything must be burned for us to descend into our humanity (humility) and be reborn (transformed).
The Force of God’s Love (Gravity) is now pulling us back home. We shake as we burn off attachment to the ego mechanisms – as we “descend in grace to our spiritual place of belonging” (our spiritual identity).
We land in the water – where the capsule is filling with water. If we again become attached to the form in which God’s grace has come to us, we may be consumed (drown). We cannot remain in this womb. For transformation to take place, we must become “naked” shedding all our outer coverings weighing us down. We are reborn and breathe again. “Confirm your identity.” (We are not the same.)
We make it to shore and impulsively grasp the sand thinking we need to hold on to something – to some form. Now feeling the solid ground under our feet, we re-discover gravity (our spiritual place of belonging). We have an epiphany – no more holding onto the forms of how we think Grace (the Love of God) will appear to us. We have found our true self – and our true grounding – and we rejoice.
