A Still Place

This is my go to tree. It even has a little nook created by the roots that fits me perfectly. It's located in a spot on a hill that's out of the hustle and bustle of the city-- whenever I come here I feel like I've entered a new world. I've seen so many bizzare and beautiful things here- people playing frisbee golf, a guy walking around with birds in a cage, melted plastics that made gorgeous photos-- it's a still place, where potential lives.

I like to sit here to read, write, think, watch, listen.

It's a great place to watch the sun set, see birds and squirrels play, and watch the wind blow through the trees.

It's a peaceful place. It's a still place.

Falling Leaves

Playing

Trees and Leaves

So if you haven't noticed . . . IT'S FALL! I love the explosion of color that occurs in this transitional season. Fall to me always signifys change, a preparation and fortification for the cold days to come. Being in New England, I love doing the stereotypical apple cider and donuts eating, leaf pile creating, and taking long walks during the day, watching the gradual shift from life to death.

This is one of my favorite trees. I love sitting here, thinking, meditating, watching, being. It was always a magestic tree to me. I like to call it the Tree of Life. 

 

Self-portrait in a puddle. What I loved about this photo was that the gravel under the water creates a night sky kind of effect. I also like the lightning bolt/ leaf stem that hits my forehead.  

 

Stupid computer isn't letting me write under the next print sooooooo . . . I loved the way the sun hits the leaves in this photo. It's like the ground is on fire. There's something romantic about sunsets that calls me to stop and breathe.

 

Ecstasy

I didn't realize what a change these photos were from what I had been bringing to critique until it was pointed out to me. That's perhaps that's worth a whole post/ shoot in itself. But, to talk about these photos, I'm going to quote the book I use with my tarot card set- specifically the Five of Vessels: Ecstasy. I did a reading last week and this card appeared and what it said spoke to what I had been feeling and the idea behind this shoot. So here goes. 

"The beat of the universal drum is heard in the soul and it is healthy to surrender for a time and to join the dance. Energy is renewed by bathing in the cosmic life force of exultant and sincere ecstasy. 

"Many avenues are open to the Wanderer to commune intimately and ecstatically with great beauty or to be intoxicated by an intensely personal connection with the divine. Music, meditation, art, love, dancing or a profound sexual experience can inspire and induce the sacred trance of enlightening ecstasy.

"This powerful and euphoric awareness is utterly natural and a well established aspect of shamanic traditions. States of ecstatic trance can sometimes be triggered by extreme physical exertion or the quiescence of the superficial conciousness, so as to gain access to a deeper and more profound comprehension of everything.

"The ecstatic trance has been described as a delightful possession or a mysterious union with a timeless exuberance. 

"The fusing of the spiritual being with a profound and loving universal mind elevates the soul to the space between spaces, where poetry breathes through you and exultation and stillness effortlessly exist". -The Wildwood Tarot

Opening

StART

StART on the street is an awesome art festival held in Worcester in various forms three times a year. I love going to photograph all the kooky and beautiful artwork, interesting people with their dogs, and little kids having fun with arts and crafts spread throughout the street. This year, my favorite pics were of children. Makes me feel young at heart :).

Holes

Every day we lose and acquire things- obligations, objects, friendships, shared understandings, confidence . . . Most of the time, we are conscious of these acquisitions and passings only momentarily, but sometimes we are hit by a gaping hole in our lives that used to be filled.







These holes may not be of the happiest sorts- indeed they could have been past frustrations, confusions, outright anger, or low self esteem. But they might also be happiness, comforts, genuine loves, and friendships . . .

Either way, they were a part of us and suddenly they are not there anymore. This can be jolting. Perhaps we become entranced with something new to fill those holes so we don't have to think about it. Or, we become so consumed by them, letting the loss take over our lives.

I'm not sure I want to do either. I want to acknowledge my holes and allow them to be a focal point when they call for attention. But I also want to move on.

I don't want to fill my holes unnaturally. One reason I have holes is I previously overcommitted myself and led a more intensive, stressful lifestyle. But now I would like to simplify and challenge "need to do" over expectations.

It can be hard to lose something that became a everyday part of living to you. Especially if it balanced you, put you in perspective, had sex with you, and comforted you. But holes are meant to be filled at some point. And the next journey will bring new perspectives, joys, challenges, and opportunities to experience. And, if we are forever focused on what we have "lost", how can we enjoy what is right infront of us?