In this fascinating episode from the National Geographic series Light at the Edge of the World, anthropologist Wade Davis heads to Nepal and Mount Everest in his quest to understand the sacred teachings, and 'science of mind', of Tibetan Buddhism:

All life on Earth owes its sustenance to the Sun. At the base of the food chain pyramid lie the plants, autotroph beings capable of converting the photonic energy of our home star into complex organic compounds that are passed on to higher organisms through predation.

But, would it be possible to circumvent the food chain entirely, and get our nourishment directly from solar energy alone?

Such a claim is completely abhorrent to all our current scientific notions, not to mention the numerous risks that could be caused to your eyes by direct exposition to the Sun for prolonged periods of time; and yet that is the theme of the documentary 'Eat the Sun', to be released on 9/20/11:

Eat the Sun is a feature length documentary that focuses on a young man's journey into the little known world of sun gazing--an ancient practice of looking directly into the sun for long periods of time. Today, with the help of the Internet, this revived practice is gathering global momentum. Modern day sun gazers claim a multitude of health benefits including better eyesight, increased vitality, weight loss, and in more profound cases a total loss of the desire and need to eat food.

Eat the Sun is the story of one man's struggle to uncover the truth and ultimately, reveal the the power of the mind.

Controversial stuff for sure, but a fascinating topic nonetheless.

[Thanks, Dina]

This documentary looks fascinating: Wake Up.

Jonas Elrod was leading an ordinary life until he woke up one day to a totally new reality. He suddenly could see and hear angels, demons, auras and ghosts.

The documentary movie Wake Up follows this fascinating story of an average guy who inexplicably developed the ability to access other dimensions. Physicians gave him a clean bill of health and were unable to provide an explanation. What was it? Why was it happening to him? One thing was certain for this 36-year old man – life as he had known it would never be the same.

With his loving but skeptical girlfriend by his side, Jonas crisscrosses the country as he searches for answers and delves deeper into this thrilling world of the phenomenal and spiritual. Along the way, he encounters an amazing group of religious teachers, scientists, mystics and spiritual healers who help him piece together this intricate puzzle.

The film shows how all of us can search inward for our own peace and happiness while contributing towards a positive shift in global consciousness. Wake Up is a call to consciousness to everyone who sees it; an invitation to accept that there is more to this life than meets the eye.

The film is now available on DVD and also as an online rental. Head to the official website for details on how to get your hands on a copy. Thanks for the heads-up Jay.

An interesting trailer for an upcoming six-part documentary series:

The history of the world is full of prophecies and portents, but we tend to feel, especially in the West, that all this belongs to the past. In Asia, however, the occult is still invoked to explain current events at least as often as economics or, until recently, ideology. In the Far East what we call superstition is still very much part of every day life. Astrology, Chiromancy, reading a persons face, feet, tea leaves or a palm leaf can play a substantial role in a persons life and public affairs.

...A Fortune Teller Told Me, presented by Brendan McDonnell, documents his journey into the world of astrology, numerology, naadi, palm reading, tarot and every imaginable method of divination in an effort to discover if the future can be predicted.

For more information, visit the official website, and for ongoing news updates check out the documentary's Facebook page.

An oldie but a goodie from XKCD, for those that ponder the threads between the ontological and the cosmological...

Shame I missed posting this on Pi day. Mmm, pi.

Are you completely over the whole 'fundamentalist religion vs militant atheism' scene? Do you embrace the tools of science, but love to speculate on what could possibly be. Of course you do, you're a regular visitor to The Daily Grail. Well then, my friend, you may just be a 'Possibilian'.

Here's neuroscientist and author Dr David Eagleman discussing the philosophical stance he calls 'Possibilianism':

Sure, you could say that Eagleman writes off psi from his list of possibles a bit too quickly. You could also argue that not everything explanatory has to be about objective scientific fact (for example, Eagleman's apparent assumption that creation myths of various cultures are solely a 'best guess' about how things actually happened). But I don't mind this Possibilian crowd at all, they seem like my type of people. Just as long as I don't have to sign away my life savings and drink some Kool-Aid, I'm in!

By the way, if Eagleman's name rings a bell, it may be because we've mentioned some of his research previously - he's the neuroscientist who tried to figure out if the 'time dilation' experienced during a near-death experience allowed real-world slow-motion recall. He's also the author of Sum: Forty Tales of the Afterlives (Amazon US and UK).

And if that pose he's striking in the still-frame to the video is anything to go by, he's got the whole 'starting a new religion' thing down to a fine art...

Love this interview with legendary comic book writer and artist Jack Kirby, in which he not only tells of some Biblical inspiration in his character creation ("The Silver Surfer is a fallen angel"), but also has some wonderful words about seeking answers about life:

I'm a guy that lives with a lot of questions. I say "What's out there?", and I try to resolve that. And I never can. I don't think anybody can. Who's got the answers? I sure would like to hear the ultimate one. But I haven't yet. And so I live with a lot of questions.

And I find that entertaining... If my life were to end tomorrow, it would be fulfilled in that manner. I would say, "The questions have been terrific."

Here's the complete video interview:

To learn more about Jack Kirby, pick up a copy of Mark Evanier's Kirby: King of Comics, and for more on the 'superheroes-as-modern-day-gods' topic, see Chris Knowles' Our Gods Wear Spandex.

We think too much, we feel too little...

Video from Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator, music by Lasse.

I post this completely non-TDG-related video about a guy on a bicycle simply because it makes my spirit soar. Wonderful Scottish landscapes and awesome athleticism combined with evocative Celtic-tinged folk music: Way Back Home, featuring Danny MacAskill:

Makes sitting at this computer seem really, really lame. Hope you enjoyed it.

Holy Jesus in a dog's butt!

More Messiadolia at Holy Taco: "25 Images of Mary and Jesus in Unexpected Places". Thanks Live.