Film Review: American Mystic

I was recently invited to review thew new film American Mystic by Alex Mar. This is a documentary about three young adults in their twenties in America, following their spiritual paths; Kubblai, a Spiritualist medium, Chuck, a Lakota Sioux sundancer, and Morpheus Ravenna, a pagan priestess.

Before I begin, I should really declare an interest, or maybe make explicit the lens through which I watched this film. I practice shamanism, but in my explorations into spirituality I was also a member of Kingston Spiritualist Church in Greater London, where I was part of a circle where student mediums are taught to practice mediumship in a safe and supervised environment. I have also taken part in many “Pagan” ceremonies, amazing ceremonies out in the wilds of nature, or in stone circles and other sacred sites. I tend to use Pagan as an umbrella term, and have many friends from many paths all who would happily describe themselves as Pagan, be it witches, druids, shamans, magicians, light workers, healers or indeed “pagans”. These have been very open ceremonies with no dogma or structure, just friends gathering in sacred natural places to commune with nature and be at one with the world.

So it with these eyes that I am reviewing the film, not as an independent film reviewer, but as someone who can readily identify to quite a large degree with Kublai, Chuck and Morpheus. I set out watching this film as someone who really wanted to enjoy it, but also worrying greatly just how these spiritual paths often greatly derided and feared by mainstream society would be depicted. It is rare for these paths and religions to be depicted accurately, or neutrally, and I can only think of perhaps Bruce Parry’s “Tribe” series of documentaries coming close which has been successful in it’s portrayal of shamanism in recent years. My own path, which involves communing with nature through natural plant hallucinogens seems to have come under intensified attack from the British government and law enforcement agencies over the last year or so, and so it was with great relief for me to have been made aware of this small film which I believe is still looking for a wider distribution in American cinemas.

Nothing is rushed in this film, it finds its own pace, introducing us to the three main characters in the first 10 minutes. Mar takes a back seat in his direction, the only narration coming from Kublai, Chuck and Morpheus, as they bring us into their worlds. Sometimes when I think of British television documentaries, the visual accompaniment can often be patronising, cliched or distracting, the need to impress or talk down to the audience coming in the way of the story being told. Mar uses many establishing shots, shots of nature; the wind, a pond, trees, a spider, and I felt that I had a real sense of place, of knowing the communities and landscapes of where our narrators lives are rooted.

This is not an investigative documentary, and there is neither analysis nor judgement on the lives, philosophies and religions of the young narrators. Their tales at the same time entwined together, yet allowed to unfold as each narrator articulates their history, their ceremonies and rituals, and their struggles in life. It feels refreshing to be able to listen intently to their depictions in their own words of the worlds and experiences they are attempting to depict.

In watching the film, it is interesting just how much access Mar had to actual ceremonies and rituals. We see Kublai doing hands-on healing, we see mediums giving readings, and Morpheus enacting a spell. Each of them were not shy at revealing intimate details of themselves and their practices. Kublai tells us that he has been told that he is a very old soul, and perhaps had been on earth many times before, but he does not make this claim for himself. Morpheus tells how many people think she is evil for the spells she carries out, and although she places herself in the light, she certainly believes in practicing “witchcraft with teeth.” Hers she tells us is a strong magic, it is “powerful and does not shy away from the dark”.

Perhaps as it is so close to my own shamanism I really enjoyed hearing Chuck talk about his Lakota practices, and the many struggles he had turning from reckless teenager to a strong, spiritual husband and father. I have taken part in many sweat lodge ceremonies, and was here that Mar’s direction moved from poetical to a more profound visualisation, taking us into the deeper dimensions of the spirit world as Chuck talked us through a ceremony, as an elder chanted with a rattle somewhere in the distant dark.

“The medicine man gets tied up into the buffalo hide. They create the connection, they are the bridge between the two worlds. The lights get turned off, we start the singing, and you’ll start to feel the spirits coming in. The rattles will start shooting around on their own. You’ll see lights, flashes. You’ll hear spirits talking. You can smell sage burning, sweet grass, tobacco, leather and buffalo hide. And when you breathe it’s like a mist. It’s like you’re in a different place”.

Morpheus also explains to us what it is like when gods and goddesses are conjured up in ceremony:

“There’s a certain shift in energy when a certain god or goddess arrives. Lights and shadows start to look different and more defined. Silences deepen, sounds become more complex. You suddenly feel like someone’s watching you, like a creeping feeling, like there’s someone here, and it creeps over your skin that way.”

However, as I mentioned before, this is not an analytical film, and offers no judgement on the beliefs or activities of the subjects and their friends, teachers and acquaintances. It is both a lyrical and poetical film, flowing gently as do the lives of those we are invited to join. It is also not a “Alternative Religions 101 Class” in that Morpheus, Chuck and Kublai make no effort, and in fact for me do not need, to attempt to provide an explanation of each and every one of their practices. Of course they talk about them, but the film is more about what these very private experiences and ways of being mean to them, and perhaps I feel it is far better this way, as I am sure that any attempt by them to justify themselves would have seriously interrupted the this more enchanting entry into their worlds.

While all young, they were able to give wonderful insights, be it the importance of the lack of fear of Kublai, the non-judgement of Chuck, or the dangers of falling into hell of Morpheus. I had wondered if the cameras and filming would be too invasive, but Mar certainly I feel trod this line delicately and sympathetically, especially with Chuck where the more sacred ceremonies were talked about and not filmed. It’s funny as the very first shamanic ceremony that I took part in, up in the mountains of Snowdonia, happened to be filmed by a film crew from BBC Wales, and so having actually been in a similar situation, I feel that these more esoteric ceremonies are well able to be filmed and represented to the wider public in a way in which can make them accessible and without being sensationalist or patronising.

I also wondered half way through the film about the seeming lack of narrative, but in the end out of the weaving of stories and the flowing narrative emerges a very magical story, an experience and communion with these sensitive, caring souls, striving for ever more meaningful connection to God, to Mother Nature, to the universe. I struggle to place myself in the position of someone watching this who is either from a mainstream religion (or perhaps especially those which are evangelical and/or god-fearing), or from those who are from a materialistic scientific background, and I would not want to second guess how they would receive this film. But if you do have either an interest or participate in any of the many alternative religions and spiritual practices, then you will definitely enjoy losing yourself in this poetical journey of these three American mystics.

American Mystic is out now on DVD on Amazon

Simon Ralli Robinson is the author of the CD “Shamanic Drumming and Shacapa Meditation” and the the book “The Shaman and Snow White: Ayahuasca, San Pedro, Shamanic States of Consciousness and Certificate 18 Healing“

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