"E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL" WE NEED YOU!

How can a fatherless boy be comforted by a wrinkled puppet?

At the first sight, there was nothing physically attractive in this puppet. As a matter of fact, his appearance scared everyone, including the little boy, Elliott, who played the major role in the movie E.T.

E.T. features extra-terrestrials but, in the end, the movie is not just about an extra-terrestrial who wants to go back home; it is about all of us in our inner search for our true "Home," and our true "Father."

The movie has many universal symbols of love, healing and communication.

Seeing E.T. over and over again, as I did twenty years ago and now, it is like taking a crash course in the importance of understanding and accepting a form of communication which is too often invisible, hardly noticed, and rarely appreciated by most of us.

We are all very impressed as we watch the characters in the movie communicate; but we never ask ourselves how is this communication possible, and where does it come from.

At the beginning, unaware of E.T.'s presence, Elliott threw candy unto his backyard, wondering if a coyote was hiding somewhere. E.T. collected all the candy, and surprised Elliott, later on, as he gave the candy back to him. Elliott realized he had good company. From that time on, he realized he had someone to share his life with. He begun to understand that "To give is to receive." This was the beginning of their friendship. Elliott was no longer scared of his friend's looks.

At the end of the movie, Elliott's sister, in tears, kissed E.T., while Elliott also in tears, gave him a long embrace. Separation is not easy. Elliott wanted E.T. to stay on earth with him, but E.T. kept repeating the sentence "Go Home." He even suggested that to the devil, played by another child in the Halloween Party scene in the movie. I cheered this short episode when I first saw the movie twenty years ago. At that time, my education had convinced me that the devil was a heavy male figure with two horns on his head. He was separate from me, consequently I thought that if I could kill or destroy him, I'd have peace of mind. But, by now, in the year 2002 AD, I've learned that the devil is within all of us. When we die, we either take him with us, or not.

The devil is a great symbol for that part of our thought system that causes anger, hate, fear, guilt, separation. If, while on earth, we learn how to handle "the devil" in us, we can have genuine peace here and now; for Home is here, there, and everywhere.

We've learned to respect our environment, to take care of trees, birds, animals, water, but we've yet to learn to love and respect ourselves and others. Above all, we've yet to learn to listen to our inner self, and appreciate the communication that exists within all of us. Albert Einstein and, other dedicated individuals, some called "saints," some called "scientists," worked very hard at trying to understand and even explain this type of communication.

It is obvious that E.T. communicated through Elliott, but it is not obvious how this communication happened. Herein lies the mystery of life; a great way to remind ourselves that our Higher Self, God and the Holy Spirit also communicate through us.

While Elliott was at school, E.T. drunk too many drinks from his friend's refrigerator. He got sick, burped and collapsed. The same thing happened to Elliott except he was not drinking; he was sitting at his desk. The teacher called his mother to say that Elliott was intoxicated!

In another scene, E.T. learned to switch the TV on. He watched a couple kissing. Immediately, Elliott, still in school, grabbed one of his schoolmates and kissed her.

Intrigued by where The Extra-Terrestrial came from, Elliot and his siblings, showed him maps of the planets, including the earth. He looked at these maps with curiosity. Then, he pointed his long skinny finger to the sky and said "Home!" Suddenly, a table in the room started to shake, and the planets (small balls) jumped out of the map and started to float around the room; a symbol of the lack of reality and permanence of the universe.

There are also calls for freedom: free the frogs, free E.T., in the end, free all of us from pain, stress, loneliness and, above all, the thought of separation.

"YOU HAVE ABSOLUTE POWER!" Says Elliott.

Indeed, you've the power to hate and to fear, but you also have the power to love and to heal. That power can come only from within you in the form of light shared by everyone.

A beam of light from E.T.'s finger completely healed Elliott's bleeding finger. E.T.'s heart, too, is a great symbol of love: a deep red flame glows and completely illuminates his chest; a symbol of Christianity's sacred flame.

Is E.T. fiction or nonfiction? It seems that we are on the verge of great changes in our thought system. In a recent BBC article, we are told that the US army has selected Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), in Boston, to create robo-soldiers; human beings that will jump buildings, heal themselves, and even become invisible. Special uniforms will protect the soldiers from bullets, and they may even be able to activate offensive weapons. Special shoes will release super strength and energy.

WELCOME TO A NEW WORLD OF FICTION!

When E.T., Elliott, and his friends went on a wild bicycle ride fleeing from the authorities who were after the Extra-Terrestrial, they must have also wondered where that power came from; what made their bicycles fly over trees, houses, and mountains?

When E.T. was about to die, Elliott was very sick too. E.T. died, but Elliott's thoughts separated from his friend's; he recovered his energy and went on living.

Then, Elliott, thinking E.T. was dead, said to him, "I LOVE YOU." Suddenly, The Extra-Terrestrial resurrected and, at the same time, the withered flowers on a flower pot came back to life. These are all great symbols of our inner strength, communication and, above all, eternal life which is supported by TRUE LOVE.

In the end, E.T. went home with the help of his little friends from the earth, but not until his finger pointed to Elliott's lips and he said, "OUCH!" A reminder to all of us that life hurts.

Then, in his final good-bye, E.T. pointed towards Elliott's top of the head and said, "I'LL BE RIGHT HERE!" This is a great reminder that true Love never leaves you. It is your mission to remember; that's why we need movies like E.T.

The final image in the movie is a rainbow, a symbol of our connection to our Higher Self. The Extra-terrestrial, Elliott, and all of us will eventually go back Home to our Father, and realize that we never left for there is a rainbow within all of us.

Article written by author:
Odete Martins Bigote
Copyright 2002