The Omnivore’s Dilemma
A Natural History of Four Meals
by Michael Pollan
(Penguin Press, 2006, hardcover $26.95)

Want to know why corn is the bane of the American economy, not to mention directly responsible for both the extraordinary rise of type 2 diabetes in this country and the emission of fourteen billion pounds of carbon into the atmosphere every year? Ever wondered about the evolutionary significance of disgust in humans or how it is that grass, of all things, is one of Mother Nature’s most miraculous creations? These topics represent just some of the wealth of information to be found in The Omnivore’s Dilemma. Written by New York Times journalist Michael Pollan, the book is framed around Pollan’s consumption of four separate meals and his research into where each of their ingredients comes from. What ensues is part travel narrative, part intellectual journey, and part philosophical pondering of four completely different modes of food production—the industrial agriculture system, the organic supermarket, the postindustrial sustainable farm, and the wilds of nature itself—and the level of consciousness at work in each of them. By the end, Pollan has managed to succeed in his goal of grasping the full implications of the karmic chain we become a part of each time we eat as Americans. Beautifully written and at times laugh-out-loud funny, this unique book has received a lot of attention, and deservedly so; it is an important milestone that manages to take a remarkably ethical, whole-systems view on food.

Maura R. O’Connor

From Science to God
Exploring the Mystery of Consciousness
Directed by David Champana
Featuring Peter Russell
(Hartley Film Foundation, 2006, DVD, 23 min., $24.95)

In his new short film, From Science to God, consciousness researcher Peter Russell accomplishes something extraordinary. In less than twenty minutes, without reference to any obscure terminology or concepts, he explains the ultimate nature of the mind with a simplicity and depth that would make even the Buddha seethe with envy.

Based on his 2002 book of the same title, Russell’s beautifully produced made-for-TV film is a compelling testament to his belief that scientific materialism is an outmoded philosophical paradigm. The reason that scientists haven’t been able to figure out what consciousness is, Russell says, is not for lack of effort but because they’re proceeding on false premises. What if, he asks, instead of being a byproduct of the human brain, consciousness is to varying degrees present in everything that exists? While this might strike some as an unconventional proposition, Russell’s sagely manner and English lilt make it seem like common sense, and it is this down-to-earth sensibility in discussing the most esoteric topics that makes this film so surprising.

Somehow, through a series of two- to three-minute segments spanning twenty minutes, punctuated by onscreen quotations and impressive visual effects, Russell manages to make clear and obvious some of the deepest spiritual truths—such as the cause of human suffering, the nature of reality, and the transcendent depth of consciousness itself. Yet From Science to God goes beyond science and traditional spirituality, speaking directly to one’s immediate experience of consciousness in a way that is disarming, profound, and completely relevant to life in the secular West. The film is, in other words, a minor masterpiece. And if you’ve been looking for a brief introduction to enlightenment and mysticism for your family and friends, you couldn’t hope for anything better.

Tom Huston

ONE: The Movie
Created and directed by Ward M. Powers
(Circle of Bliss Productions, 2005, 79 min.)

Produced by amateur filmmaker and trial lawyer Ward M. Powers as a response to 9/11, ONE: The Movie is an attempt to remind people that we are all, essentially, “one.” The format incorporates person-on-the-street interviews with appearances by some of the most popular spiritual teachers, thinkers, and authors of today (including Deepak Chopra, Ram Dass, Father Thomas Keating, Robert Thurman, Barbara Marx Hubbard, Thich Nhat Hahn, and many others). For a film about humanity’s fundamental unity, there’s a wide diversity of viewpoints expressed in these interviews, covering a broad swath of cultural and philosophical territory. In one scene, an elderly member of the Michigan chapter of the American Atheists bitterly insists that “God is just something that is made up so that people can deny the truth of death.” In another, the popular mystic Deepak Chopra says, “If you’re not totally amazed and bewildered and mystified by your own Self, then you’re still not fully human.” And while the discordance of some of these responses might seem to contradict the movie’s constant repetition of our common unity, the narrator helpfully reassures us: “Oneness doesn’t mean everyone being the same.”

In addition to its frequent interview clips, ONE periodically weaves in a series of black-and-white sequences that include a man who looks like a down-and-out rock guitarist wandering an urban landscape, apparently seeking for something. These scenes—a sort of visual metaphor for the spiritual aimlessness of the secular West—lend an interesting atmosphere to the film, but what it could benefit from more than atmosphere is a clear plot trajectory. Although it starts off promising, ONE soon exhibits an all-too-postmodern tendency to take no definitive position in relationship to the material it presents, with the narrator even stating up front that the film was created with “no attachment in saying that it should ‘be’ something.” The result is a kaleidoscopic jumble of personalities and information, all obviously tied to the concept of “oneness” and presented with what are surely the sincerest of intentions, but lacking clear and compelling development in the dramatic flow.

Fortunately, as the film comes to a close, the narrator explains the stages of plot progression that were involved in the journey the viewers just undertook, stating that “somewhere along the way, our ‘kumbaya’ notion of oneness changed. Oneness became more colorful . . . more intense . . . more inclusive . . . and oneness became more internal.” Yet while these distinctions may help explain the movie’s inclusion of certain personalities and scenes, they fail to alleviate its general sense of vagueness. Finally, as the credits roll, the British Sufi sheikh Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee delivers ONE’s concluding statement, which introduces a striking concept from out of the blue. “It is our work,” he says, “to bring this next level of evolution into being.” But exactly what that next level of evolution might be is anybody’s guess.

Tom Huston

The Five Keys to Mastery
Produced and directed by David Lent
(Wellspring Video, 2005, DVD, 60 min., $19.98)

“I’ve definitely felt there were times when there was no stopping me.” With that opening remark by Olympic gold medalist Kelly Clark, The Five Keys to Mastery proceeds to inspire, challenge, and ultimately convey the palpable sense that almost anything is possible if we truly want to achieve it. This DVD documentary is based on the 1991 book Mastery, by social pioneer, author, and president of the Esalen Institute George Leonard, who provides context and commentary throughout the film. The originator of the term “the human potential movement,” Leonard dares us to consider the striking possibility that all the world’s ills are due to the fact that ordinary people like you and me fail to develop our far-reaching human capacities. Therefore, he is on a mission to combine all the known recipes for success, boil them down to their essential elements, and make them accessible to all. The result is his “five keys to mastery,” each presented in its own section of this finely crafted DVD: “Surrender to Your Passion,” “Practice, Practice, Practice,” “Get a Guide,” “Visualize the Outcome,” and “Play the Edge.”

To bring each of these “keys” to life, a diverse array of highly accomplished individuals candidly share insights gleaned from their struggles and successes. From guitar legends Carlos Santana and BB King to Nobel laureate Eric Kandel, NBC newscaster Wendy Rieger to character actor Stephen Tobolowsky, those interviewed make greatness human, immediate, and, most strikingly, feasible. When Carlos Santana states that “everyone has the capacity for grandeur,” one instinctively senses that it’s true. The Five Keys to Mastery is powerful and uplifting, transmitting the energy of self-actualization. It inspires the recognition that we all have an extraordinary potential and purpose, which can be fulfilled ifwe’re willing to pay the price—through surrender, diligence, guidance, vision, and risk.

Jessica Roemischer

Secret Mysteries of America’s Beginnings
The New Atlantis
Directed by Christian J. Pinto
(Antiquities Research Films, 2006, DVD, 171 min., $29.99)

Was America’s secret destiny to re-create the lost civilization of Atlantis? That is the controversial assertion of a new DVD documentary entitled Secret Mysteries of America’s Beginnings. Weaving a historical tale of Freemasonry, secret societies, the double life of Benjamin Franklin, the hidden plans of Francis Bacon, the unique architecture of Washington, DC, the Iraq War, and much more, this documentary sets out to show how America’s eventual role as leader of the free world and fount of democratic self-rule was not a matter of chance but of a centuries-long design. The film purports that America’s Founding Fathers were inspired by the new utopian society envisioned by Sir Francis Bacon in his classic work The New Atlantis. And it suggests that Bacon’s thought was so influential in those revolutionary days that it was actually instrumental in shaping the country’s political and philosophical direction, causing ripples that can still be felt today. Though the documentary’s conspiratorial narrative is highly overwrought and many of its controversial claims occupy the outer edges of believability, there are nevertheless some interesting surprises and bits and pieces of historical fact contained here that will entertain the uninformed and tantalize the curious. Conspiracy theorists will find a feast, the rest of us just some good snacks at the buffet.

Carter Phipps

Peaceful Warrior
Based on the book by Dan Millman
(Lionsgate Entertainment, 2006, 121 min.)

Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman is one of the most beloved spiritual novels of the last two decades. It is a story about a gas station attendant/spiritual teacher named Socrates who endeavors to teach a brash young gymnast the nature of spiritual life. Even in the early eighties, it was a story that seemed custom-built to be a movie script. But spiritual scripts haven’t exactly been big business in Tinseltown until the last few years, when The Passion of the Christ and What the Bleep Do We Know!? surprised everyone by raking in record profits. Now Hollywood—where imitation is truly a form of art—is finally ready to test the waters of spiritually oriented films, and one of the first mainstream results of that endeavor is Peaceful Warrior, the film adaptation of Millman’s bestselling novel.

Nick Nolte stars as Socrates, the no-nonsense, tough love spiritual teacher who challenges the young Dan Millman to reach far beyond his perceived limits. Nolte actually does a wonderful job bringing the gruff but wise Socrates to life. In fact, the movie as a whole is enjoyable, well made, and genuinely inspiring. Yes, it has its share of clichés, and it may lack the megawatt star power necessary to make it a blockbuster, but the film also manages to pull off the seemingly miraculous feat of conveying complex spiritual themes—the battle with ego, the nature of the student-teacher relationship, and even the experience of heightened states of consciousness—in a believable, authentic manner. In particular, the relationship between student and teacher is expertly treated and doesn’t resort to cheap irony or cynicism. Nolte’s Socrates is not only wise and compassionate but also pushy, demanding, and uncompromising. He makes you believe in your own capacity to reach higher, push farther, and transcend your own limitations, spiritual and physical. In a culture that has grown so accustomed to reminding us ad nauseam how our heroes also have feet of clay, this is no small accomplishment. Nor does the film descend into personal sentimentality, another trap common to stories that attempt to portray a more spiritual context for human life. Peaceful Warrior is fun, easy to watch, and in its own modest way, leaves you uplifted at the end.

A number of classic spiritual novels and books are currently in production, and the viewing audience is about to be besieged with “spiritual but not religious” themes. Let’s hope that Peaceful Warrior is the example rather than the exception and that the successful translation of Millman’s work to the big screen is a sign of even better things to come.

Carter Phipps