M at the Long Beach Peninsula drawing a seven-circuit labyrinth
“If you are unfamiliar with the work of Marilyn Freeman, you must get acquainted. These films have been transformative for me in the deep spiritual way that I have encountered other artists like Annie Dillard, Mary Oliver, and bell hooks.”
~ Gabriel Molinaro, MA, LMFTA Songwriter/Musician, Pastor of Sanctuary Church Seattle, and Marriage & Family Associate Therapist
PAST RETREAT May 4-5 | Cinema Divina Overnight – Slowing Down | In-person & Online | Priory Spirituality Center | May 4-5
Cinema Divina is the creative, contemplative practice of media artist and writer M Freeman designed to foster intimacy with the numinous. M invokes a rigorous and devotional process in making short lyrical films—meditations on everyday wonder, gratitude, contradictions, doubt, faith and love—and screens the films in guided contemplative practice for reverent engagement with individual and communal participating audiences.
M re-imagines the ancient Judeo-Christian ritual of sacred reading or lectio divina in today’s audiovisual vernacular as Cinema Divina—a contemplative screening ritual to deepen participants/your inner knowing, and to increase your capacity for healing yourself and our world. In Cinema Divina communal events or individual sessions, M guides participants through a ritual of four increasingly revealing viewings, reverent silences, reflective writing, sharing and spacious listening.
Each Cinema Divina film serves as a vector for mindful attention, transporting participants into deeper awareness of their/your own thoughts, emotions, intuition, and insights. Through the guided screenings, participants—individually and collectively—co-create the meaning of the piece with their own awareness, imaginations, and associations. Those who engage in this practice nurture their own source for insight into vulnerability, resiliency, gratitude, stillness, love, wonder, courage…. As a practice, Cinema Divina is a way of cultivating the conditions to be wholly awake and infinitely connected if only for a fleeting, wondrous moment.
For permission to use any of M’s films in retreats, classes, services or any purpose other than individual, private, contemplative practice, please contact M through this site here.
To schedule customized group or individual Cinema Divina contemplative practice session/s with M, please reach out through the form on this site.
A selection of Cinema Divina films can be screened for individual, private, contemplative practice at Cinema Divina on Vimeo.