The Celestine Prophecy

Someone called my attention last week to the fact that The Celestine Prophecy movie is out on DVD now, so I asked Rick to get it for us to watch this weekend. (Did I tell you that my main Christmas present was a DVD player that I can watch from my daybed/throne?)

Once again, it was snowing, but he was able to get to the video store without problem. I was happy to hear the clerk I talked to on the phone when I called to find out if they had a copy say that it is very popular. It’s nice to think the message is getting out in a larger way. Of course, the young man at the first Blockbuster I called had never heard of it, so I guess the ripples have not reached the shore just yet!

I first read the book in 1993 or ’94 soon after it was first published. I have an original first edition from when James Redfield self-published it, given to me by my dear friend Dale, who had a small mobile bookstore along with her gem and mineral business. As a self-published author myself, Redfield is somewhat of a hero to me and other self-publishers as he peddled the book out of the trunk of his Honda and sold 10,000 copies before Warner Books picked it up, republished it, and took it to the big time. To date, it has sold more than 20 million copies.

So I was wondering what the movie would be like. The book, while filled with profound and life-changing spiritual truth, was not…how shall I say?...written with professional polish. So though it was imbued with lots of great ideas, energy and heart, it was somewhat of a challenging read for someone like me who really loves expertly crafted writing. I had heard that Redfield had written the screenplay, so I wondered…

And, as it turns out, the movie is pretty much just like the book—heart-filled, with lots to offer, but, in my admittedly picky opinion, could have used a little bit more polish. Some of the special effects were pretty cheesy, but I doubt they had the budget for Industrial Light and Magic! That didn’t, however, stop it from delivering the message and from being truly inspirational. I enjoyed it and found it quite entertaining and uplifting. I imagine that it will be opening up many thousands more to its message of Truth and Light. As the book proved, it’s the message, the intent, and the energy that counts!

We watched “The Making of The Celestine Prophecy,” which was one of the special features on the DVD, and in it, Redfield says that, over the years, he had offers from about 12 different production companies to make the movie, but he never felt things were in alignment for collaborating with any of them. He said it was only when he began working on the screenplay himself that he felt the energy moving to get the movie made. You have to appreciate his discipline—I’m sure he could have made a lot of money if he’d let Paramount or Disney or someone big make the film.

As we watched the credits roll, we saw that it was dedicated to the memory of John Austin, who was Redfield’s right-hand man for many years. I had a brief business relationship with John, who was recommended to me by mega-book publicity expert, Arielle Ford, as someone who might help me get the word out about Recreating Eden since her fees were out of reach for me.

When we connected, he seemed very excited about the book and about me, but was challenging to pin down—he seemed to have a few too many irons in the fire to focus as much as I needed him to, but he was really a dynamic and exciting guy with lots of great ideas, many of which I have implemented, such as putting my photo on the front page of the website, including audio offerings, and doing teleseminars. (Thanks, John!)

He and I had several meetings by phone trying to figure out exactly what he was going to do in service to the cause, and how much it was going to cost. I had wanted to pay him a lump sump of a few thousand dollars for a contract of certain services, but he was insisting on being paid by the hour. After a few lengthy conversations that never came to any conclusion, he kind of dropped off the radar. I figured it was just the Universe’s way of saying he was not right for the job and let it go.

Ultimately, I guess that was correct. I learned about a year later that he had died suddenly, not more than a month or two after our last conversation! Shocking! He was so full of life and then…gone! It was one of those times when I realized how well the Universe—including John, himself—was looking out for me. Paying someone who was about to leave the planet thousands of dollars up front would have been quite a financial loss.

Anyway, I was happy to see that they dedicated the movie to him. He was a neat guy.

Do see The Celestine Prophecy if you can!