- AMERICAN HERO
short film - SPAIN Photo Exhibit
- TERESA'S ECSTASY
3 Character Play - TALK SHOW
a historical play - THE PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY
Screenplay - THE REAL GERNIKA
Bombing of Guernica documentary - SOUVENIR VIEWS
Homage to NY post 9/11 documentary - GERNIKA LIVES
Spanish Civil War documentary
CUBA
- Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano.
AVILA, SPAIN
- “It is love alone that gives worth to all things." Saint Teresa of Avila
- OM
« September 2007 | Main | May 2008 »
AFFIRMATION #11
A poem by Kahlil Gibran
Then a woman said, Speak to us of Joy and Sorrow
And he answered:
Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.
And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was often times filled with your tears.
And how else can it be?
The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.
Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter's oven?
And is not the lute that soothes you spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives?
When you are joyous,
look deep into your heart and you shall find
it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy.
When you are sorrowful
look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth,
you are weeping for that which has been your delight.
Some of you say, "Joy is greater than sorrow," and others say, "Nay sorrow is the greater."
But I say unto you, they are inseparable.
Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at you board, remember that the other is asleep upon you bed.
Verily you are suspended like scales between you sorrow and your joy.
Only when you are empty are you at standstill and balanced.
When the treasure-keeper lifts you to weight his gold and his silver, needs must your joy or your sorrow rise or fall.
THE GREATEST JOY & RESPONSIBILITY
Being a good mother requires a delicate balance of watching, observing, listening, guiding, controlling and yet trusting and letting go. This is indeed my greatest responsibility, and the source of my greatest joy, and fulfillment.
There is nothing more beautiful than to look at my daughter and see reflected in her eyes all the love, care and dedication I’ve given her, and to see that my work has not been in vain. But it’s not over, and I don’t think that it will ever be. Sometimes I wonder if what I do and how I do it is the right way, but all I have to ask myself is, am I being honest, am I speaking from my heart and experience.
I know that I’m not perfect, and I try to realize this every day, and through my imperfections I explore acceptance and openness toward others. But I also see more and more how this frail society increasingly dangles its vulnerable ego on a thin string of material gain and external recognition. I am committed 100% to exploring this phenomenon with my daughter, through our daily activities, through everything that is being fed to us by the media, and our surroundings, in terms of behavior, fashion, standards of living and questioning.
The most challenging of all, at least for me, is to make her see that it’s not about today’s instant gratifications, but about tomorrow’s enduring and integral fulfillment. I guess it’s the natural thought process of a youth, to not have to be aware of time and space, and to think that there is no tomorrow, while everything is given to them by the parents.
I ask myself how a child can learn to appreciate and value things when everything comes so easy, when time just lingers with no responsibilities or tasks at hand.
I am so grateful for what my parents taught me, when I was forced to sit at the dinner table every night after school and do my home work, and then do extra work that my father would give to me and my other siblings, in Spanish. I am grateful that my parents insisted we sit at the dinner table every night and over a meal have a conversation and share the day’s events in Spanish. I am grateful for having the responsibility of washing the dishes, of helping with the laundry, of making my bed and keeping the home neat and clean. I am grateful that my father always insisted on practicing manners and discipline. He watched over us like a hawk, making sure we knew how to eat, and sit straight, and excuse ourselves from the table. I am grateful that he insisted we respect others as we respect ourselves. So when I see my daughter not take notice of these things, I instantly address them, and take the time to discuss their importance and value.
It’s a pity that in our public schools students are not being taught manners, values, ethics… I believe that without these observances, students don’t have the opportunity to appreciate education, discipline, will power and intellectual ambition. This is not a luxury, my parents didn’t have money, my father was a baker and my mother a beautician. Their story is fascinating and unpredictable in that they arrived to this country with money but then lost it all and had to start from scratch, unaccustomed to a life of struggle. I am proud to see how they rolled up their sleeves and faced their reality with courage and passion. We lived a simple life, but a very rich life filled with love, good food, conversation, travel, and structure. I am lucky that my parents had no addictions, nor external dependencies, they got up early every morning with a smile. My father was very temperamental, and overpowering, yet always available to drive us to our dance, and music after school lessons. He always regretted not having had the opportunity for an education because of the Spanish Civil War, so he wanted his children to take advantage of the blessings of a war free society...
Hollywood, California 1971
“There are only two lasting bequests we can give our children ... one is roots, the other wings” Stephen Covey Gernika, Spain 1968
AFFIRMATION #10
The stars are constantly shining, but we do not see them until the dark hours.
M83 is located 15 million light-years away in the southern constellation Hydra…
AFFIRMATION #9:
"Fix your mind inwardly between the eyebrows on the shoreless lake of peace. Watch the eternal circle of rippling peace around you. The more you watch intently, the more you will feel the wavelets of peace spreading from the eyebrows to the forehead, from the forehead to the heart, and on to every cell in your body. Now the waters of peace are overflowing the banks of your body and inundating the vast territory of your mind. The flood of peace flows over the boundaries of your mind and moves on in infinite directions."
Paramahansa Yogananda
AFFIRMATION #8
"Heavenly Father, Mother, Friend, Beloved God! May Thy love shine forever on the sanctuary of my devotion, and may I be able to awaken Thy love in all hearts.”
Paramahansa Yogananda
Aum. Peace. Amen.
AFFIRMATION #7
Follow your bliss, and the life you ought to be living
is the one you are living, and meeting the people
who are in the field of your bliss. Don't be afraid for if you follow your bliss, doors will open for you that wouldn't have opened for anyone else.
Joseph Campbell
AFFIRMATION #6
In any way that men love me, in that same way they find my love: for many are the paths of men, but they all in the end come to me.
Krsihna, Bhagavad Gita 4:11
There are many paths or religions to reach God, but only one common ground, Love.
In the way we manifest our love for ourselves and others, God is impacted.
AFFIRMATION #5
Bearing without possessing, Nurturing without taming, Shaping without forcing, This is harmony. Harmony is only in following THE WAY.
THE WAY is without form or quality, But expresses all forms and qualities; THE WAY is hidden and implicate, But expresses all of nature; THE WAY is unchanging, But expresses all motion.
Beneath sensation and memory THE WAY is the source of all the world. How can I understand the source of the world? By accepting."
Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu
Written around the sixth century B.C.
AFFIRMATION #3
AS I HAVE FAITH SO SHALL MY POWERS AND BLESSINGS BE, AND AS TO THE EXTENT THAT I AFFIRM THAT THIS IS POSSIBLE, THIS IS POSSIBLE. I ALONE HAVE THE KEY, TO UNLOCK THE CAGE AND LET THE BIRD FLY FREE.
"A little of This is beyond all fear and eliminates all fear"
Krishna said to Arjuna on the battlefield.
AFFIRMATION #1
Let nothing upset you; Let nothing frighten you. Everything is changing; God alone is changeless. Patience attains the goal. Who has God lacks nothing: God alone fills all our needs.
Teresa of Avila
by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598 - 1680)
SOUVENIR VIEWS
Influenced by the Situationist Movement and Guy Debord, Mark Larré Miranda visits New York to live an extreme experience, and grow as a young man. Fate has it that the World Trade Center becomes the backdrop to his “rite of passage” journey.
Begonya Plaza follows Marc’s story over the span of 1½ years, through a New York homeless existence, and a Barcelona family’s concerned longing to see his return home. Mark’s growth is beautifully witnessed in this film as his industrialist, creative spirit overcomes the obstacles of survival and fear. His poetic creation of New York’s skyline in a matchbook, gestures an expression of love at a time when the city is united in solidarity under devastating circumstances. Every cold winter day on Prince Street, you could find Marc standing behind his fold-up shop selling his art and communing with tragedy.
Filmed in Barcelona and New York, on digital video, and edited on Final Cut Pro. 24’25” duration, aspect ratio: 3:2 (720 x 480) and video screen ration 4:3. Filmed in Spanish and English with subtitles.
PREMIERED at Tribeca Film Festival 2003, Festival Internacional Latinoamericano de Cuba, Festival de Girona 2004, Los Angeles International Film Festival 2004, Festival Internacional de cortometrajes de Barcelona 2005, screened at Dartmouth College (Women's Studies, and Theater Departments), Wagner College (Psychology, Sociology and English Departments), Young Filmmakers Program at Anthology Film Archives of New York.
Distributed by “Big Short Films” David Russell • Aired on IFC Channel 2004 through 2007
Many people fled the city during 9/11, but Marc did the opposite, he stayed in order to grow through the experience of fear and struggle for survival. Through his eyes we live the streets of New York with nostalgia and hope.
From used matchbooks he's picked up off the street, or is given by supportive businesses around the city, he makes a poetic gesture of art that brings him a sense of fulfillment and independence.
DVD COPIES ARE SOLD FOR $29.99
Email me with your contact information and purchase confirmation at: begonya@begonyaplaza.com
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