Why You Should Be Excited About the New Dune Trailer?
The new official trailer of the movie based on the novel by Frank Herbert has been released today. Everybody seems to be excited about it, why should you be too?
Warner Brothers just released the new Dune official trailer. Most people are freaking out with excitement, but it’s not clear to me as to why.
I read Dune, a long epic book written by Frank Herbert, a few years ago and I was utterly impressed.
The book talked about themes that by coincidence were surfacing in my own awareness.
The main character of the book is a boy called Paul Atreides, who has to rush into adulthood. Even though the events that transpire at the beginning of the journey take our hero by surprise, we discover that his parents have been raising him to be an independent powerful individual.
To me, the interesting thing about this journey and what made me excited to watch the recently released official trailer of the new Dune movie was the fact that I would be able to visually witness the skills and quality of spirit that makes Paul Atreides such a meaningful character.
Paul Atreides comes from the Atreides family. The Atreides dynasty is a powerful bloodline rich in tradition and nobility.
The nobility Paul inherits comes mainly from his mother’s side.
Paul’s mother is part of an ancient organization of “witches”. This magical political-religion is only mystical and mysterious for those who watch it from the outside. Mostly, only women share the secrets of this religious organization, but Paul got initiated by his mother into this sacred ritualistic group. Even though this group seems magically impossible, we soon discover that all their methods are easily applicable and not mysterious at all.
To me, the most valuable thing the Bene Gesserit (the mentioned cult), taught Paul was to be present in spirit(body+mind) during execution.
In the first moment of the book, Paul has to learn to let the pain flow through his body without any kind of additional reaction.
Sananga
You see this technique in indigenous people. A substance called Sananga is dropped into the warrior’s eyes just before he goes for a battle or a hunt and this drop gives a strong burning sensation in the eyes and the only way to “escape” the pain is to let the pain flow. As soon as you let the pain exist without fighting against it, it doesn’t bother you anymore. As soon as you let go you find your consciousness in a extra-aware state. Perfect presence of spirit to hunt or fight.
Paul has to learn very early how to bring his attention completely to certain aspects of the present. He needs to be smart to selectively choose what to focus on and how to act properly.
The Dune journey involved me because I was at the same stage of life that Paul was. We were both learning how to behave adequately in a way that allows me to do amazing epic things without additional pain.
Every sentence of the book looks like it tries to describe the truth about how to go about living with yourself and with others in the most painless way.
I believe that we all inherit something from our fathers and something from our mothers. In Dune, Paul inherited the solid presence of spirit from his mother.
He inherited many valuable things from his father, but it was his mother that really set the stairs for his stardom.
His father represents the things he expresses. The Sun. The conscious. How he sees others and how he thinks others see him.
His mother represents the things he doesn’t express. The moon. The hidden. The subconscious. She represents the things that he actually IS.
The desert
Herbert, Frank (February 3, 1969). “Interview with Dr. Willis E. McNelly”. …we all know that many religions began in a desert atmosphere, so I decided to put the two together because I don’t think that any one story should have any one thread. I build on a layer technique, and of course putting in religion and religious ideas you can play one against the other.
Just like with Peyote, San-Pedro, and many other psychedelic mescaline cacti that developed themselves with ages and ages of evolution growing in the desert, the people who also grew up in the desert also has a mystical cosmic way of seeing the universe.
The peyote flower blooms contemplating the universe.
The people who were born grew up and died in the deserts for many and many generations also bloomed in cosmic contemplation.
In the desert the sheltering sky covers end to end, hiding the starts.
During the day the sky feels like a big blanket that hides the truths of the universe. This sheltering sky effect brings the clear idea that there’s something that is hidden by consciousness. The fact that the Sun is screaming the story of the Earth all around us makes us less sensitive to what the Sun doesn't show.
The sheltering sky means that at certain moments there’s a window of self-contemplation of the cosmos when the conscious is pale enough to reveal the starts behind.
Dune
In Dune, I learned to bring my attention to the present and stimulate internal verbalization.
I discovered that I must train myself if I desire to have absolute control of myself and my surroundings.
I learned that I must face challenges by silencing the mind, letting the world flow through me, and contemplating the universe in its true sense, not by what is drawn by my awareness, since I believe that the truth is hidden by the “Sun”.
I believe that everybody who read the book is excited to see it on the big screens.
I want to see the teachings of the Bene Gesserit right in front of me.
I want to see how Paul controls his body and his mind in challenging situations.
I want to show everybody that it’s possible to train yourself to tackle any problem, even when they take epic proportions.
I hope you are excited for this movie as much as I am. I seriously want to read the book again. I believe that this book can be read at different stages of my life and at each read it reveals a different side of itself. Reading Dune to me was an exercise of self-discovery.
If you have an interesting perspective to share, please don’t hesitate to join the conversation.
