Movies decoded - The Hobbit "An Unexpected Journey"

I think many viewers were divided when a sequel to "The Lord of the Rings" was suddenly announced - or rather a prequel. On the one hand, there was joy in the minds of many loyal fans - or should I say "loyal companions" - and on the other, high expectations; countless unanswered questions and basically critical eyes, like those of the dwarves of Erebor when they examined their gems in the mighty treasure chambers of the kingdom and spotted every little flaw.

But it soon became clear that this story was also produced to perfection by Peter Jackson and his highly professional team. Another masterpiece of film history. And so began a new... or rather: an unexpected journey for the viewer.

Bilbo Baggins begins to tell us what really happened back then. Right at the beginning, the audience gets to see the mighty kingdom of the dwarves - Erebor. It stretches deep into the mountain, strewn with gold and precious stones. The dwarves dig ceaselessly for the mountain's treasures until one of them suddenly uncovers the heart of the mountain: The Arkenstone. A shining jewel of indescribable beauty.

Thror - the King of Erebor called it the King's Jewel: he saw it as a sign of being the chosen king.

"But the years of peace and plenty did not last," says Bilbo Beutling.
"Gloom pervaded the days... and mistrust clouded the nights."

Now the viewer sees the mighty treasure chamber of Erebor. Mountains heaped with gold and precious stones in all shapes and sizes. And in the middle of it all, the king - Thror. Bilbo speaks:

"Thror's love of gold had become too overwhelming. A sickness began to grow in him. A disease of the mind. And where sickness thrives... bad things will follow!"

The scene shifts to the main gate of Erebor, near the royal city of Thal - and it quickly becomes clear that something powerful is approaching.

Thorin, the son of the dwarf king, runs to the wall, looks up into the sky and speaks immediately:

"Balin - sound the alarm! Call the guard, now!"
Balin asks: "Thorin, what is that?"
Thorin answers: "A dragon", turns around, looks down from a hill into the mighty halls of Erebor and screams: "DRAGONEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Dear ones - or should I say: beloved companions; living on earth but feeling a part of Middle-earth... I think you will agree that the story Tolkien wrote is more than just fascinating. A story that sweeps us away into a world that makes our hearts bloom. You feel strongly drawn to certain characters and peoples and feel a connection for some reason. Elves, dwarves, dragons, wizards - intensity, deep feelings, poetry and magic - but I ask you: Is it all just fantasy?

I always recommend listening with your heart and doing your own research to form your own opinion. My experience has shown that sometimes you have to dig deep and go beyond the boundaries of your own mind to find out more about the secrets of the universe. You experience new adventures on your journey that you might not have thought were possible - you could also say: an unexpected journey...

The dwarves are in turmoil after the king's son Thorin calls the horror by its name.
Completely unexpectedly, Smaug, a fire dragon from the north, shakes the kingdom in the mountains and claims the immeasurable wealth for himself. Chambers filled with gold and precious stones of all kinds. The dwarves try to defend their sacred treasures, but their weapons are useless against the dragon's steel hide. Smaug rages through Erebor and drives the dwarves to flee.

Having just bathed in gold and been showered with abundance, King Thror's people are now homeless and destitute. The greed for gold, led and hoarded by the king, lured the horror - Smaug - to their homeland.

Now I ask you, dear ones, does this sound familiar? If you look at this scene metaphorically and examine the symbolism, it is frighteningly similar to our history on earth, which we have been experiencing for thousands of years.

Now I need to expand a little...

The earth has already experienced several periods in which people spoke of a "Golden Age". An age of abundance; peace and freedom for the entire population of the earth. The people of those times enjoyed perfect mental and physical health. They were also aware that they were sons and daughters of God - part of the one infinite Creator - and carried God's flame of love in their hearts and were blessed with his and her power. Not in the sense of different religions, but in the sense of a universal sense of unity, which could be felt in everyone's heart. Their cells flooded with the pure electron force that always kept disease at bay - their energy centers in balance and harmony - and their daily thoughts filled with the love and wisdom of God, allowing them to accomplish the most wonderful things. Thousands of years of peace; abundance and freedom characterized the people of that time.

But in the course of the time of perfection, some forgot where it actually came from at the sight of the long-lasting abundance that flowed through the whole people. Thus, instead of worshipping the inner flame of God's love, from which they received all good things, they gradually turned their gaze further and further outwards - and so they allowed the horror to enter, clouding their minds and driving the people into dissonance.

God has given us free will, which allows us to decide for ourselves where we want to look, where we want to go, which voices we want to listen to and what we want to create.

It was of course up to the people of the time to decide where they wanted to look and what they wanted to do.

Some wise people of that time, who looked steadfastly inwards to God in their hearts and thus did not allow themselves to be deceived by the outer illusory world, warned the people of the seduction of darkness, to which they slowly surrendered and thus opened themselves up. But they did not listen... and so the discord overcame them.

In a very short space of time, the state of the world changed drastically for the worse - not only within the people, but also in nature. Floods, volcanic eruptions and natural disasters in general overtook humanity, shattering the golden age and leaving suffering in its wake. Suffering that lasted for many centuries - mankind had to start all over again and forgot who they really were. They were driven to flee by the horror that they unknowingly allowed into their homeland, into their consciousness - the horror that made them homeless and destitute...

Smaug - dear ones - symbolizes precisely this darkness that finds its way into our consciousness if we are not careful. The greed of the dwarves, especially the king, for their beloved gold is symbolic of looking to the outer illusory world, which distracts us from our inner core, from which all good things spring, clouds our senses and sooner or later drives us to ruin.

If we look at the state of our times - the state of our society - we can clearly see the forces that have crept into our consciousness and, in particular, the horror that has penetrated the minds of many people in leadership positions. Power is placed above human welfare and manipulation is practiced at the highest levels in areas such as the media, politics and religion. The consciousness of humanity is becoming so clouded that many have completely forgotten who we really are and what our God-given birthright is, namely abundance; peace and freedom for all - as it was experienced in the golden ages.

But just as Smaug did not dwell in Erebor forever, those people of Earth in positions of leadership who abuse power and money to create discord and oppression will one day fall. Their lies will become more and more obvious and ridiculous, to the point where we as a collective say "No!" to the madness and reclaim our God-given birthright - just as the dwarves of Erebor reclaimed their homeland.