reflections on the short film Kingdom, one year later..

The short animated film Kingdom inspired me SO much that I'm still thinking about it a year after it's release. Still it moves me to tears and continues to reveal ever deeper meaning with it's symbolism each time I watch! So, I've felt called to share some reflections on the film. There is a lot of powerful symbolism in there and I don't touch on it all down below! Even though the beginning is intense, I highly encourage you to watch the film.

The following writings do have some spoilers, so watch it first! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MA3iscoypcY

The description for the film asks:

"What does it take to redeem a culture left in ruins? KINGDOM is an audio-visual experience that serves as a template for empowerment. It models the path of awakening in the face of adversity, becoming whole, and confronting inner and outer darkness in order to transform it."

Kingdom is a representation of the collective healing that is underway for humanity, and the world that our hearts know is possible. It shows us a way forward: the same way forward that myself and many friends have felt and seen through various means.

Represented first is the theme around media, dogmatic thought and propaganda. Something that is very complicated to navigate in the current age of information we find ourselves in. The film shows the way in which media casts certain lights on anything and everything, and how that alters perspective. This is fundamentally the case, whether in a positive or negative light, really. This is why I personally profess myself to be a bona fide fence-sitter. I choose to be wary of anything dogmatic: aka, unquestionably right, or unquestionably one-way. Generally speaking, beyond virtue and how it impacts my actions, I am someone who does not choose to hold to any particular perspectives or ideologies. Instead, life informs a continually expanding mosaic of ideas and outlooks. I hold flexibility of mind very highly, and in this beginning part of the film, we are shown how this can be threatened by strong outlooks and opinions, especially when spoken from authority figures, and how this can cause division. I personally think it's really important at this point in history to work to not allow ideology or opinion to cause us to turn our backs to one another, and to foster a willingness to consider and hold multiple sides and perspectives with various subjects.

Represented second is the central theme of the reclaimed individual. Reconnected with all aspects of self through the integration of one's shadow, purging of all that is out of alignment with one's highest becoming and the reclamation of the inner child... beyond dogma, cancel culture and fear; beyond opinions and divisive outlooks, the empowered individual has reclaimed their inherent wholeness in body, mind and spirit - and moves through the world with an awakened heart, seeing with eyes of love, discernment and compassion. We are shown how the light will come from within the darkness if we're willing to go there. This is one of the big gifts that is commonly arrived at in many forms of awareness practice... we learn to be willing to sit with those parts that are hurt and confused; to grow our capacity to be present with the full spectrum of emotion and the human condition, which ultimately brings integration of self.

The main character's sparkling heart and willingness to face everything naturally sets off a cascade of awakening in the hearts of others; a third theme. Simultaneously, he's not able to reach that full embodiment without the others. As I feel it, this is what we're doing as a species. What one person figures out on their inner journey, others will too, and it follows. This is just like the hundredth monkey experiment, wherein once the 100th monkey had figured out a useful evolutionary adaptation, the entire species then had it in their toolbox with or without proximity, proven in geographically differing groups across continents. As we collectively purge, evolve and come back to our connection with ourselves as divine beings in a divine realm, more and more of us remember, because we are inherently connected. As Ram Dass said, "we're all walking each other home."

Next is the theme of purging. In the process of evolving beyond outdated systems and unhealthy ways of life and mind, our imbalances and illnesses are purged and our demons are faced. This is classically witnessed in the realm of plant medicine. The medicines can show us parts of ourselves that are cut off from the whole - somehow in pain, dark, unintegrated or hurtful towards the life and spirit of ourselves and others. These parts are witnessed, felt, loved and seen for what they are, and purged, as a doorway into a perspective with more wisdom and love. I have had my fair share of purging what is no longer in resonance with what I am becoming. Ultimately, not everything is meant to be held onto or integrated into oneself! As we willingly turn the light of our awareness inward, we are able to recognize those parts of us that are unloved and hurt: the demons within, the cultural programming, the pain that has been passed down for generations. Through the light of our awareness, these energies are purified and transformed, bringing us to a more and more clear and true reflection of our spirit, more and more of an embodiment of that which aligns with life, with goodness, with inherent human kindness: that which honours and protects life...

Following this is the theme of authentic community and collective forgiveness. In the film, the forgiveness comes once those causing harm are conscious of the role they've been playing, and when they remember who they are as individuals in connection with the larger whole. As I see it, the topic of collective forgiveness is nuanced and thus much harder to narrow down succinctly in the spoken and written word, but is represented beautifully in silence through the film. It's a tricky topic because we have to be careful about bypassing straight to forgiveness, as if assuming those who hurt others are to immediately receive it. However, in the progression of the film, we are shown that it is crucial that ultimately forgiveness and embrace be given to all, even the darkest, most profoundly wicked parts within and without. These parts are played by the puppets, those people on our planet who are currently choosing profit and control above their humanity, who (it seems) don't want humanity to reconnect with our true nature, our hearts, and our interconnectedness, but who also (as shown in their healing process), do so because of their own pain and disconnection. There is a return to community and inherent knowing of kinship, for them, too. There is a clear importance of that karmic unfolding for all of us, for it teaches us thoroughly how we can't be truly fulfilled as humans if life is built on the backs of our brothers and sisters, causing division and strife.

It is said that as long as we consciously or unconsciously deny any area within ourselves, we remain fragmented. In the context of collective forgiveness, this idea represents a willingness to see what IS and yet to still look for the co-created path back to love, a way that moves from an awareness of kinship: no one is turned away. This is usually the part that makes me cry the most, because I feel so much of God's grace in the way the characters move to support those who did the worst harms to humanity.

Ultimately, the short film Kingdom beautifully illustrates the individual and shared path towards empowerment in the reclamation of Self in interconnectedness with All.  It speaks to the redemption of God's light and love, and how when we embody that, all things can be healed. All of that to say that also, this Earthly-human-culture situation is not one which I would consider easy to solve and just put "back into place". There are unimaginably deep levels of nuance and complexity in healing collectively, and individually too! Yet, the empowered individual connected with Self, Love and All has authentic power through embodiment in the world. True power does not diminish self or other, but connects in harmony with the vast field of life. Big ups to the creators of this absolutely stunning short film! Thanks for reading if you made it this far ;)

Alley

Screenshot from the film!