Dee and I went to see the newly-released movie Yesterday—we liked it so much that we’ve seen it twice. This stimulating, touching, funny film follows  a struggling musician who is jolted into an alternate reality in which he is the only person in the world who remembers the Beatles and their music. Jack Malik then introduces all of the Beatles’ amazing songs to the world as if they are his own. This clever premise sets up some imaginative situations, including  one most touching scene of heartwarming genius.  

Yesterday moves us to consider what a dreary world this would be without the fab four and their music. Whether you were around when the Beatles kicked music to a whole new level, or you showed up after that revolutionary era,  you will agree that the world would be a far sadder and emptier place without them. What would you do if you were the only one on the planet with a key to that treasure trove?

Now consider: What if it were not the Beatles that the world did not remember, but the awareness of a benevolent Higher Power?  What if everyone on the planet but you had forgotten that we have a spiritual source that set the entire universe spinning into motion, and gifts our lives with love, music, beauty, color, joy,  and everything that makes our journey here worthwhile? 

In a way, that is exactly what has happened. Most of the world suffers from a kind of spiritual amnesia that makes us believe we just showed up here randomly, we are alone and separate, we must fight for our good, and that the world is a dreary, hollow place where we struggle until we die.

Meanwhile, a small subset of humanity remembers. The visionaries, the deep thinkers, the sincere carers look up and see far more than meets the common eye. These are the people who introduce the lost ancient music of the soul into our lives and call us to sing with them. They are the keepers of the flame who maintain the golden connection between humanity and divinity.

There is one more step: While it’s easy to say that most of humanity is asleep and a few of us are awake, we must also admit that during much of our lives we are asleep as individuals, and a part of us is awake. While a great deal of our mind and daily activities are absorbed in a grayish, hollow, aching world, within us there lives an individual who remains connected to our Source and sings us a brighter song that lifts our life to the highest octave. This is the realest part of us, our soul, the spark of God that can never be extinguished.

The spiritual path is not about discovering anything new, but remembering what we have forgotten. We have all been asleep and we are all waking up. The Beatles started out singing teenage love songs and evolved to deliver some of the grandest spiritual insights to the world, truths that moved humanity to new levels of awareness. While Jack Malik feared that he was a phony for delivering the Beatles’ music to the world, he was a prophetic messenger. You and I stand at the same threshold. We can shy away from our passionate expression, or bring it forth to make the world a better place. All of our yesterdays, the good and the bad, the painful and the ecstatic, have led us to where we now stand. Today is the day when yesterday becomes tomorrow