The 1993 movie “Groundhog Day” with Bill Murray is a fun film with many lessons for the seeker of enlightenment. The first few minutes display the character and personality of egotistical weatherman Phil Connors before his transformation.
Opening scenes allow Murray’s character to begin teaching the first law of attraction lesson the film has to offer. Murray’s character is assigned to cover the Groundhog Day festivities for the fourth year in a row and he obviously hates it. He does not want to go. He talks about how stupid the event is and expresses his desire to get it over with as quickly as possible and get back home.
The storyline shows Murray’s character reliving Groundhog Day over and over again. The first lesson is, “What you resist persists”. For Murray’s character Groundhog Day really persists throughout the rest of the movie as he continues to relive the same day.
The weatherman passes through what some seekers might call the long night of the soul. The pain is so great, he tries to kill himself several times, but he keeps waking up the next morning and it’s Groundhog Day all over again. Just like for many who pass through this phase on the road to enlightenment, nothing seems to help.
As he relives the same day over and over, Murray’s character always knows what is about to happen. He knows when the highway will be closed, when a tray of dished will be dropped, and even when a boy will slip and fall out of a tree. This is the way many people live their lives. They just go through the motions as they go to the same job each day. Events tend to loose their uniqueness.
For many of us, life is just too fast. We get so busy surviving, making a living and taking care of loved ones that we are unable to look inside ourselves. For the weatherman, life has slowed to a pace where he is able to determine exactly what he wants in life.
Throughout the movie Murray’s character transforms from an egotistical self-centered jerk, to a man who really cares about others. He realizes that his co-worker, Rita, has been that kind of person all the time. The weatherman launches a self improvement journey to become Rita’s perfect man. Eventually, Murray’s character is aware of everyone in need of help and spends his day helping them.
During the evening of his last Groundhog Day, Murray’s character embraces Rita and says, “No matter what happens tomorrow, or for the rest of my life, I’m happy now because I love you.” With those words, the weatherman has activated the law of attraction.
He had decided what he wanted and took all the inspired action required for his transformation. Now finally, he overcame the frustration and even agony of reliving the same day. He declared his happiness and released his attachment to what he wanted. He declared that he would be happy no matter what was to happen next.
Murray’s character declared his happiness, and in doing so put his positive vibrations out into the universe. Those positive vibrations are a match for what he wanted with all his heart at that point. When the vibrations match, the weatherman finally pulled himself along with Rita to the next day. and the beginning of the rest of their lives together.
