The Flame

Nestled in the shadows of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in Colorado, the tiny town of Crestone was established in the late 1800s as a mining center, and featured the usual attendant commercial businesses. But the area was actually sacred to a number of Native American nations for thousands of years. With an eye towards that history, a family with property in and around Crestone deeded land to 24 spiritual organizations representing a variety of mystical practices. Filmmaker Sean Owen's documentary explores some of the diverse belief systems that can be found in the territory, while also telling the story of Crestone—which now has a population of less than 200. Viewers meet old cowboys, as well as the descendants of mercantile stores and dairy farms and cattle ranchers, all of whom are neighbors of such spiritual destinations as Dharma Ocean, which teaches Tibetan Buddhist meditation; Haidakhandi, a commune; The Way of Nature, focused on tai chi; The Singing Stone, which promotes teepee meetings, vision quests, and the use of peyote; and the Shumei International Institute, encouraging world citizenship. Representatives from each explain what they do, although the blunt contrast between their ethereal principles and the hardscrabble frontier life of Crestone's founders is sometimes unintentionally funny. Still, this juxtaposition of an Old West story with the fascinating interfaith culture that Crestone has nurtured makes for an intriguing and peculiarly American tale. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)