DAY OF THE MOTHER SHIP
Part II: A Mighty Wind
I just saw the John Travolta film “Phenomenon” for the first time. (It was on the ABC Family Channel from 8 to 11.)
Why is it that tellers of uplifting stories (like Zenna Henderson, in “Day of the Mother Ship, Part I,” or the authors of “Phenomenon” or the Bible) always feel they have to throw in some cockamamie and obviously false miracles to hold people’s attention?
On May 11 (Mother’s Day), Mother Nature got my attention with a mighty wind waving the branches of nearby trees, just before a tornado watch was issued for the area I was in. This made me recall a Biblical reference I had come across in researching references to “Our Lady of the Woods” for my Beltane (May 1) entry.
…And his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind.
This is what I thought of on May 11 watching branches swaying in the wind on Mother’s Day — which some might regard as a festival of Our Lady of the Woods. John Travolta in “Phenomenon” sees a very similar scene partway through the picture; then, at the end, explains to his girlfriend how the swaying branches made him feel — without mentioning the branches — by asking her to describe how she would cradle and rock a child in her arms. At the very end of the film, she herself is reminded of his question by the swaying branches of another tree.
Events like these are miracle enough for me.
Ocassionally I wonder if there is a mass consciousness not unlike that of some invisible grid (The Matrix?) that we are all connected to.
For days now I’ve been thinking of that particular scene in Phenomenon. I had no idea that the movie had been on television recently.
Comment by oOMisfitOo — Tuesday, May 20, 2003 @ 1:24 pm
Ah yeah, I meant to give my opinion about why it is that story tellers are compelled to offer up some sort of “miracle” to their fairy tales.
As a writer myself, I’ll freely admit that fairy tales give us hope that we are part of something that involves fate, or destiny, and the belief that the good guys always win. It makes for good entertainment.
For example, why is it that no one ever talks about Stalin? He won. His ruthless terrorist tactics make Hitler seem pale in comparison. No wonder his head exploded.
Comment by oOMisfitOo — Tuesday, May 20, 2003 @ 1:34 pm