Metaphysical Mainstream Media
I was never a Disney princess kid. I loved all of those movies growing up, but the ones I was fascinated with were much more magical than romance stories.
Recently, I had the chance to play a movie for my son that was a childhood favorite: The Sword in the Stone. I watched this movie, VHS of course, on repeat as a kid. I LOVED it! We had a bout of rainy weather here and while I was looking for a movie to watch with my son, this one was just begging to be played again. He’s almost 6 now…”maybe he’ll like it,” I thought. He was tickled at how Merlin made his dishes and books dance in the air as he magically packed up his home before young Arthur’s eyes. To hear him giggle was fulfillment for me. Oh and when they transformed into fish, singing “To and fro, stop and go, that’s what makes the world go ‘round,” he couldn’t get enough!
While I sat enjoying this moment with him, I thought how funny it was that I gravitated towards one of the most magical stories when I was his age. “Well, no wonder! It shaped me in a much bigger way than I could have ever imagined,” I thought. This sent me on a focused reflection of what media I was exposed to in my younger years. It’s really not a wonder at all that I connected with each one:
Fantasia
Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Aladdin
ET
Care Bears
Alice in Wonderland
The Wizard of Oz
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
Touched by an Angel
Medium
Ghost Whisperer
The X Files
The Neverending Story
Back to the Future (all 3!)
The Matrix
Ferngully
The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo
James & the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
The Thief of Always by Clive Barker
Choose-your-own Adventure Books
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
I’m sure there are plenty more that aren’t coming to mind right now, but you get the idea. The above movies and shows influenced me in a way that allowed me to entertain the “impossible.” I never stopped. Even through the ups and downs of life, the magic of my imagination carried on. Perhaps there was an element of escapism to it all, but the benefit of that was that in each viewing/reading experience, I allowed my mind to run free. I hope to instill this in my little guy too. To allow his mind to expand beyond conventional thinking. To know and understand there are so many perspectives out there and to be open to exploring them.
I’m curious to know what influenced you. What movies, shows, books, etc. have allowed your mind to explore the impossible?
May your imagination soar without limitations!
✨Bright Light Betsy✨
