Saddle Up! News and Reviews
Greetings,
Well, I finished all of my antibiotics yesterday, so to celebrate, Nicole and I went and saw a movie (see below), had a bite to eat, and then followed some friends to a soju bar with a fantastic view of the beach below. Fruit flavoured soju came to the table in multicoloured carbonated vessels that shot the poisonous substance into our glasses, or open mouths. While we had fun, we both feel we’re getting a little old for the bar scene. There were plenty of party poppers going off into the air, which was thick with smoke and gossip, and plenty of $won$ going down the drains. Hell, it was fun! Too much fun, maybe. Nic and I both really want to get involved with stuff on weekends… non-intoxicating stuff. I have jam opportunities at two local pubs-one is on a Wednesday night, the other a Friday-but have yet to make it out. We are also tentatively signed up for beach volleyball on the weekends, which takes place for eight hours or so every Saturday and Sunday, right across the road from our place. I meditate about an hour everyday. Fun! Nicole might join a girl’s soccer team (if she has any energy left after her now stacked teaching schedule). And we both still really want to give the surf scene a whirl here. So hopefully we can get ourselves into some kind of healthy routines. I’ll be honest, though. After a long week of intense classroom management, at least one night of drunken oblivion is tough to avoid! Only the recollection of past weekends wasted on dirty hang-overs can save me from myself, sometimes. Anyway, below are a few movie and book reviews for anyone who is currently bored enough to take the time.
Movies
Brokeback Mountain: Yep. You heard right, partner. Gay cowboys. Everyone is talking about the two gay cowboys who fall in love on Brokeback Mountain. When Nicole first mentioned the movie, I thought she was kidding. Then when I heard about the talented cast and rave reviews, I thought it must be just a little gay, like maybe the gay thing was kind of a side order for the main story. But when I saw the movie for myself last night, I immediately realized that this wasn’t a movie which happened to contain a little gayness. It was a gay love story! So after the initial discomfort at seeing two actors kissing and frollicking in front of mountains I recognized from back home (Kaninaskis), I fell into the story, and what can I say…. for a love story, it was excellent. And very sad. I would not have wanted to be a gay cowboy in the sixties or seventies. So in the end, it was really a story about longing that is never really satisfied. Frustrating. The soundtrack was a perfect blend of hick ambience, and the scenery was… HOME! I became instantly homesick for the mountains. Nic and I recognized a mountain scene as soon as it appeared on the screen. It featured a peak that looks like an angel wing, one which we had once taken pictures of. (Those of you in Canada: You’re lucky.) Go see Brokeback Mountain, I say. But be warned. The hype is true. It really is a love story about gay cowboys. And it really is that good. I give it 5 stars.
Memoirs of a Geisha: Beautiful to watch, albeit a bit corny and contrived. It was peculiar to watch a very American Hollywood film interpreting Japanese culture with the use of a Chinese actress in a Korean movie theater! I give it 4 stars.
Grizzly Man: This was one of those movies that stayed in my head for about 2 weeks. It really disturbed me. It was intelligently done, although I think the film-maker made a few bad decisions, and over-dramatized when on screen. But the grizzly bear footage alone is worth the video rental cost, and the psychological landscape you traverse while watching is gripping and, well, quite depressing. See it for sure. 5 stars for the emotional impact. 4 stars for the film-maker’s handling of the subject. Rent it.
Constantine: This ranks up there with Stephen King’s Dreamcatcher as one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen. Not only does it feature the worst hollywood actor of all time (we can all act better than that guy), but it moved along with the grace and pacing of a wretching skateboarder on gravel. No stars for you, Keanu!
Books
Meditations on the Tarot: A Journey Into Christian Hermeticism
This is now one of the most important books I’ve ever read. It certainly isn’t for everyone. If you are interested in comparative religion, in practical mysticism, gnosis, in the perennial philosophy, and especially in Western Mystery Traditions, then you’ll find an encyclopedia of knowledge and inspiration in this book. The author is Catholic, but not any ordinary Catholic. He spent some 45 years exploring the occult, hermetic wisdom, and Christianity, in practice. His opening thesis is that the only truly sacred magic is that of the three vows: poverty, obedience, and chastity, and then he writes about about the three stages of all mystical paths: purification, illumination, and union. He also writes about everything arcane, from a refreshingly western perspective, including the lotus flowers (chakras), the three bodies (physical, astral, etheric), the notion of reincarnation (and the Church’s choosing to keep it out of their doctrines, and why), the creating of demons (psychological complexes with independent wills, as well as other kinds), the angelic hierarchies, the profound myth of the Fall from Genesis, the horizantal evolution of the Serpent as opposed to the vertical ascent of mysticism, and more, more, more. He doesn’t write these things to titillate, seduce, or route one away from the important work of spiritual practice. He is helplessly a hermetic, one who seeks to know the totality of things, and who is a master of synthesis. He demonstrates how Jewish Cabbala and Egyptian Hermeticism are the parents of Christianity, and are not its enemies. There is just so much in this book that I couldn’t possibly recommend it highly enough. It has replaced Huxley’s The Perennial Philosophy as the most important book in my collection. If you find yourself looking always eastward for things of an esoteric nature (finding most of the spirituality of the West about as deep as Keanu Reeves’ acting), then try reading this book. I’m reading it (studying it) right now for the third time.
