Night Watch
During the Breema intensive in Oakland, I ran out of t-shirts and went down to a second hand clothing store to find a couple - until I had access to a washer & dryer. Among these was a black one with a mix of russian and english words, saying Night Watch 6-26-06 on the back. I thought that whatever it refers to, it probably fits, and was curious about what it would turn out to be. After all, the world is my mirror - reminding me of what is already right here.
Looking it up in an idle moment today, I found that Night Watch is a Russian science-fiction movie, and the date refers to the release date of the computer game.
Living among normal are the 'Others', who possess various supernatural powers. They are divided up into the forces of light and the forces of dark, who signed a truce several centuries ago to end a devastating battle. Ever since, the forces of light govern the day while the night belongs to their dark opponents. In modern day Moscow, the dark Others roam the night as vampires and other evil nightmares, while a "Night Watch" of light forces (among them Anton, a kind of seer and the movie's main character) try to control them and limit their outrages. [source]
And yes, that indeed fits. According to conventional views, and really any view that divide the world into "good" and "bad", I can find both of those in me - and it is often hidden, often masked by politeness. Which ones govern fluctuates, as day follows night follows day. Nothing new there. The movie is, as any movie, a portrait of me. (How clearly and thoroughly I see it and allows that seeing to inform my life is another matter.)
The night watch itself mirrors shadow work, including in the form of inquiry - which is catharsis, shadow work, and insight meditation rolled into one.
Labels: movies