Yes, I’ve been playing around with Lightroom on some images from the past, adjusting colors and any other slider I can find. I’ve been asking myself, “Well what does this one do?” and then see what happens. When it’s an ooops, I type command Z to get back to where I was and try the next one. I feel a bit like a kid.
“To listen is very hard, because it asks of us so much interior stability that we no longer need to prove ourselves by speeches, arguments, statements,…True listeners no longer have an inner need to make their presence known. They are free to receive, welcome, and accept.” Henri Nouwen
“The ancient art of alchemy shows a way: Pay attention to your deep and complex interior life, become more sensitive about your relationships, consider your past thoughtfully, and use your imagination at its full power. Work from the ground up toward finding the work that will make your life worthwhile.”― Thomas Moore
I’m sitting in a local coffee shop. The sun has just risen. It is cold but we have clear skies and sunshine. Sort of what you’d expect at this time of the year. We are transitioning from fall to winter. Earlier, on my way over here, the northeastern sky was alive with pink clouds, indicating the chance of snow this evening and into tomorrow. I’ve just described the exterior world around me but what about my interior life that Thomas Moore speaks about in his quote? At this moment there is a peace and serenity, primarily due to my investment in a spiritual practice. I sit in quiet each morning to let go of the chatter in my mind. I’ve learned to take in deep breaths. Throughout the day I pause to check in on my state of awareness and presence. It is just one way I pay attention to the deep and complex interior life. May you enjoy this day!
This habit of journaling has become an integral part of my life, a daily practice. I carry both a fountain pen (3) and a journal every day. At the end of the day there may only be a paragraph and some days a couple pages. There are days I just stare at empty pages because the words I’m seeking are hiding somewhere in those blank spaces or because of my busy mind I’m unable hear them. At other times a gem appears, a thought or insight. At some point in time I began journaling by first asking for words, desiring the gifts they are. There also was an awareness that these journals are now more of a letter, a prayer and a conversation with the inner essence of who I am. They are no longer called my journals but our journals. I also journal slowly and write in cursive to give the journals an artistic look, make them readable and at the same time it slows down my mind which creates another form of meditation for me. Anyway, these are some rambling thoughts on journaling.
I recently read from a book by Janet Ruffing that said “theology is nothing more than faith seeking understanding.” Much of my life has been spent looking for understanding of something I cannot define or even comprehend. It’s been many years since I prayed to the old man in the sky, a theology of a God defined by others and one I was expected to accept. Yet, that theology had to be discarded and I needed to enter in a journey of seeking a new understanding. For me that is the essence of the spiritual journey: the seeking. Seeking an understanding is like looking into a foggy wintery scene. The visible details are vague, yet there is more just beyond what we vaguely see.
Morning fog shrouding the dam at Hoover Reservoir in Westerville, Ohio
“A great photograph is a distillation, a reduction of the chaos of our wider experience to a visually satisfying essence where what is excluded is as important as what is included.”David Ward
I have no clue as to why I took this image almost 10 years ago. It’s lost in time. It could have been my creative voice within or my attempt to duplicate an image I’ve seen before or the mystery it evokes or all the above. Today it makes no difference because I see this image taken almost 10 years ago with my eyes of the present moment. And, how it will speak to me in 10 years from now can only be know then.
So, what do I see now after 10 years? This image popped out to me immediately. I find this image to be very minimal as much of what could be seen is hidden within mystery. It has soft visuals line leading me into that mystery. There is someone standing on the dam seemingly lost in their thoughts, gazing into the mystery and yet there is a serene and peaceful feel to all of this. What it evokes is an awareness of how I feel much more comfort in living with mystery than I did 10 years ago. Enough rambling. Now what are your thoughts?
“Photography is more than a medium for factual communication of ideas. It is a creative art.” Ansel Adams
This past couple of days I have been digging through my archives looking for some image that may spark some creativity within me. I happened to pick the year 2010. This is the first one and taken east of Westerville, Ohio in February. I looks like I started taking images early in the day around my apartment and then ventured outside in the fog and snow. Fog is not as prevalent out here in Colorado as it was in Ohio, so my archive images of fog are pretty much all from this area. I brought out more details in the trees with Lightroom that gives it a different feel for me. I have more from this time period that all are more on the creative and artistic side. Our snow storm was short and sweet but has left us with a few days of cold to deal with. Enjoy your weekend.
