As Jake Sully prays to the Mother Goddess of the indigenous Na’vi, kneeling before Her at the Tree of Souls, he implores Her for Her help, saying his race, the Earthlings, called Sky People, “have destroyed their Mother and now they are coming tomorrow to destroy Her.”

Avatar, has been described as many things by many viewers all seeing it through their own lens.  Some recognize the advanced technology as game changing for the movie industry and look forward to the video games it will no doubt spawn.  Some are calling the publicity all hype and the story line cliché.  Some are dismissing it as political, liberal and elitist.  Christians are slamming it.  (Have they forgotten the rebel Jesus in the temple with the Money Changers, was not part of the status quo and would be anti-corporation?)  I can tell you what I saw not just through my 3-D glasses but through my Goddess Advocate lens as I sat there for almost three hours that flew by with lightening speed.  I was utterly overwhelmed by the incredible visual effects and the memorable characters,  even if sometimes they were stereotypical, but what really moved me, cliché’ or not, was Avatar’s  message. 

James Cameron has proven over and over again he likes powerful women and in this film, he continues that trend.  If you are a fan of Sigourney Weaver and have missed her character, Ripley, of Alien movie fame, as Dr. Grace Augustine, her strength and tenacity are back on the big screen!  And like Terminator’s Sarah Connor, the women in this film carry their own water.  Cameron has created an alien race, the Na’vi, on a planet the Earthlings call Pandora.  These Na’vi live in what appears to be an egalitarian society where there is equality among the genders as a female shaman and male warrior lead their tribe.  The Na’vi are interconnected with Nature, literally, plugged in, to the energy forces of the natural world and species around them, including their ancestors and the Mother Goddess they revere.  Here’s how Jake Sully explains why the Na’vi cannot be convinced to move from their home.  “What can we offer them for their land and resources?  Budweiser and blue jeans?  They need nothing we have to offer.” 

When carrots don’t work to bribe the Na’vi to leave their homeland so Earth can grab the natural resources of Pandora for themselves, the mercenaries are only too happy to bring out the big sticks and rid themselves of these problematic tree-huggers.  We see the destruction of the “home tree” of the Na’vi after a military strike financed by corporations from the now green-less Earth.  Through my Goddess Advocate lens, its destruction is a metaphor for the Sky God Kurgan invaders of matriarchal societies.  It is the battle between Tiamat and Marduke.  Nature versus man-made religious dogma.  Clearly, Avatar speaks to our long history of humanity’s exploitation of Nature and disregard for the interconnection of all life.   Avatar stands as a testament to every indigenous culture decimated by imperialism or colonialism.  As has been repeated so many times during human history, those with the power come in and take what they want and justify it by making those they are stealing from the enemy.   Avatar speaks boldly for the little guy or gal beaten down by the bullies, struggling at the bottom of the heap, who ever or where ever they might be.  It sheds light on the short-sighted, selfish and self-centered dominator patriarchal society in which we live. 

But politics, morality and social science aside, did I mention Avatar is not only a feast for your senses, but also a beautiful love story and hero’s journey?  This is a movie that delivers on so many levels.  I personally felt as if I were in sacred space learning Goddess ideals.  I think people will be talking about it for some time to come – and rightly so.  And what a powerful message for minds, young and old!

Spoiler Alert……No, the story is not altogether new, but this time movie-goers have the satisfaction of a very different ending.   So if you don’t want me to spoil it for you, read no further until after you’ve seen the movie.

Review continues….

 As Jake Sully is plugged in to their Mother Goddess in prayer at the Tree of Souls, Neytiri, his alien mate, tells him that their Mother does not take sides.  She only tries to keep the balance equal between all things.  Well, suffice it to say, this time Goddess sees fit to step in to restore balance.  Together with all of Nature’s resources, coupled with the partnership of the Na’vi tribes living on Pandora, the Na’vi and Nature prevail against the fire-power of Earth’s military.  I won’t tell you exactly how.  That is your gift to discover for yourself, but it’s a beautiful thing to behold – again and again. 

I cannot wait to see Avatar for a second and possibly third time and I have rarely wanted to see a movie more than once, not even Lord of the Rings.  Maybe I feel drawn back to the story because it seems like a long time since our side has had a win.  Our world is in such a perilous state today and like the Na’vi, we seem at the mercy of the rich and powerful.  Our government, the best money can buy, seems owned by greedy corporations and proves to be unwilling or inept to make progress that helps average people.  Organized religion seems to promote divisiveness and hate.  Maybe Avatar’s message is so relevant because so many people are desperate for a shift toward the ideals of the Sacred Feminine and here we see such ideals in action - and winning, against the odds, over the dominator model of the patriarchy.  In Avatar, we are reminded what ideals of Goddess and Nature are, and even if they are prevailing on the fictional far-away planet of Pandora, She still brings us hope – and James Cameron gave the right side the win!

So, as we say good-bye to 2009 and hello to 2010, let us hold close to our hearts and minds our resolve to help shift our world toward a more sustainable future, not just for the few, but for the many and for Mother Earth.