There's an old saying: Once, it's an accident; twice, it's a trend; three times, it's a pattern. Well, folks, I think we have a downright pattern on our hands. It would seem that the spiritual world has suddenly taken its eyes off its proverbial navel and placed them on the broader vistas of the future. Yes, the present, long the hot trend in spiritual publications, may soon be passé, and the future may be, well, the future. The clincher for this new fad was learning that Neale Donald Walsch, the phenomenally successful New Age author of the Conversations with God series, has now jumped on the bandwagon with Tomorrow's God, his new book exploring emerging spiritual ideas and our changing concepts of divinity. Now, in the interest of full disclosure, it must be said that WIE is an example of, and perhaps even a contributor to, this particular trend, starting with our recent thematic issue, The Future of God. But we're not alone. Currently, there are all kinds of interesting works being published that place our spiritual impulses within an evolutionary—and therefore change- oriented and future-oriented—worldview. Here are a few on the horizon: Robert Wright's upcoming work is on the future of religion. Eckhart Tolle is said to be writing A New Earth, a book exploring the next wave of our spiritual future. Ken Wilber's upcoming Kosmic Karma, in addition to briefly covering the history of everything, will continue to express quite a predilection for the future, and even more so for evolution. Even business consultants like Peter Senge's group are getting in on the act with their newly published Presence, which introduces the concept of “pre-sensing”—the practice of looking into the future for insight into the present. So does that mean that the future is now going to play a big role in spirituality or that spirituality is going to play a big role in the future? Whatever the case, God's latest makeover will certainly be one of the most interesting cultural patterns to unfold in the next decade . . . 21 Grams. That's the title of the recent feature film starring Sean Penn and Naomi Watts, but it's also the weight, according to one researcher, of the human soul. Believe it or not, one scientist at the beginning of the twentieth century did extensive testing on people as they were dying, and he is said to have verified that the body loses 21 grams of weight at the moment of death. Apparently, the study was quite meticulous, and other possible contributing factors to that weight reduction were ruled out. Big, tall, short, or fat—still 21 grams. Most scientists remain unimpressed by the results, but that hasn't stopped popular lore from seizing on the notion. 21 grams—that may be all each of us has with which to face our maker when the time comes . . . If you happen to be one of the four or five people in the Western world who somehow missed the publishing phenomenon known as The Celestine Prophecy, do not be concerned—you'll soon get a second chance. And this time, you can bypass the book and go straight to the silver screen. Yes, James Redfield, his Peruvian rain forests, and the nine insights are coming soon to a theater near you. Though the New Age itself may be on the wane, the franchise that seemed to define the era is finding new life in the sets and studios of Tinseltown. Will The Celestine Prophecy do for spirituality what The Lord of the Rings did for fantasy? At least one person is convinced—the author himself. Reached on the set in LA, James Redfield told WIE that the key to making the transition from book to big screen was to make sure the adventure story that is the foundation of the book is front and center in the script, adding that the movie will be updated to take place in a post-9/11 world. Our society today has changed, Redfield explained, and it is simply “much more pessimistic than it was in 1994.” Well, if pessimism is our problem, it's hard to imagine a better antidote than the optimistic vision contained in The Celestine Prophecy. Soon the cast and crew will head off to Florida, where much of the story will be filmed—Florida being a stand-in for those Peruvian jungles. And though it's almost impossible to know if a movie is destined for box-office feast or famine, we wouldn't want to bet against the draw of the Celestine legend. But at least one thing can be said with certainty: Machu Picchu take heed. Peruvian tourism is about to get a serious shot in the arm . . . It's hard to imagine there's anything new to say about sacred sex these days, with the seemingly constant stream of releases on the topic, but transpersonal psychologist Dr. Jenny Wade may just have done so anyway. In her new book Transcendent Sex: When Lovemaking Opens the Veil, she explores the prevalence of spontaneous transcendent spiritual experiences during sex. She's not talking about tantric practitioners, but just your average Mr. and Mrs. Joe Six-Pack stumbling across God in the bedroom. About twenty percent of individuals have had this sort of thing happen, she claims, adding that most, however, keep it to themselves . . . Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado is rapidly becoming one of the premier alternative universities in the country. But in its rush to embrace the respectability and prestige of a serious university, some within the institution may have forgotten its more radical roots. The school was founded in 1974 by Chogyam Trungpa, a powerful Tibetan Buddhist teacher who made quite a name for himself in Boulder with his sublime spiritual teachings, his unique vision of East-meets-West Buddhism, and his provocative personal behavior. But much has changed since Trungpa's death in 1985, and Naropa, now independently owned and operated, has enjoyed great success and settled down into a thriving alternative academic environment. So what do they think of their founder's teachings now? Pulse has learned that a recent lecture at Naropa by a well-known spiritual teacher prompted some calls of complaint to the university, raising concerns among staff. Why? “Too controversial” was the story we heard, but here's the kicker. When it was pointed out that Naropa's own founder was one of the most controversial teachers of the 70s and 80s, some Naropa employees acknowledged that in this day and age, Trungpa himself might not be welcome to teach at the place he created. Ouch! Oh, the irony. And whether or not they really would lock the doors on their progenitor, it just goes to show what a little success and mainstream recognition can do to one's radical heart . . . Add American spiritual teacher Shantimayi's name to the growing list of individuals who are giving humanity less than a couple decades to straighten things out on Planet Earth before the you-know-what hits the proverbial fan. In a recent meeting with local seekers in Rishikesh, India, where she can usually be found during the winter months, Shantimayi is said to have expressed her concern that we have very little time to shift consciousness on the planet if we are to avert the many potential disasters that loom on the human horizon. Her worries echo so many other futurists, scientists, politicians, and spiritual teachers that it can't help but give all of us cause for alarm, and no matter how good a job NASA does in the next two decades, escape to Mars just isn't likely to be a viable option. Of course, Shantimayi also said that she isn't really all that concerned about whether we survive or not, because in the end, God will still continue. Perhaps, but it'd be even better if we continue as well, so here's to hoping like anything and working even harder for a world where God, Rishikesh, Shantimayi, and all of us can survive and thrive far into the twenty-first century!