A contemplative approach to creating change without trying to control the outcome How do I consciously participate in creating my life while remaining surrendered to a reality larger than myself? Over the years I’ve been intrigued by the topic of “manifestation,” the practice of consciously bringing a goal or desire into reality. Some writers take […]
What one photograph taught me about wonder, interconnectedness, and the miracle of being Trees have long thoughts, long-breathing and restful, just as they have longer lives than ours. They are wiser than we are, as long as we do not listen to them. But when we have learned how to listen to trees, then the […]
What a patch of roadside weeds taught me about paying attention. Bristle Grass (Setaria species) One of the world’s earliest grains, bristle grass sustained ancient civilizations in Asia, and served as a resilient food source in dry, marginal lands. Today, it serves as forage for livestock and seed for birds. Their hardy growth helps prevent […]
How a television screen illustrates the mystery of pure potential The eye with which I see God is the same eye with which God sees me. Meister Eckhart Have you ever become so absorbed in a movie that you completely forgot the screen it was projected on? We laugh. We cry. We become frightened. We […]
What we are not, can reveal what we are in essence Every photograph I’ve ever made is a portrait of impermanence. After the shutter clicks, the subject changes. The light grows brighter or darker. A cloud moves. A flower fades. A child grows older. A face changes. Even mountains—given enough time—rise and disappear. Photography teaches […]
Finding Meaning, Purpose, and Wholeness Through the Evolution of Consciousness In The Meaning of Your Life: Finding Purpose in an Age of Emptiness. Arthur C. Brook says many today, especially young people, are experiencing a growing sense of emptiness. There’s a lack of purpose and significance Loneliness, anxiety and dissatisfaction are on the rise I’s […]
The Seeds We Water Are The Ones That Grow Over time, a species of tree that evolved into the maple did so in part because it succeeded in finding a way to disburse numerous seeds over a greater distance. As kids we called them “pinwheels” or “helicopter seeds.” Hedging no bets in the area of […]
Collaboration, Courage, and Consciousness are Shaping Humanity’s Future The spiral stairway in this image evokes in me considerations of the evolutionary spiral, the universe’s operating system, which scientists understand to “favor” increased novelty, diversity, adaptation, complexity and order. Along the bottom steps of the oil tank, I see the significant ordering that has already occurred. […]
What the Butterfly Reveals About Humanity’s Painful Transformation My contemplations tend to focus on the present. They’re usually prompted by one of my photographs, the social climate, or patterns in current events—what people are talking about online or in person. For these I generally write with a “closeup” or “normal” lens. This topic requires something […]
Our world is as big as the candle we carry Since my introduction to photography in high school I’ve been in love with Light. Long before I understood aperture, exposure or composition, I sensed that certain qualities of light carried emotional and even spiritual force. The qualities of light—its softness, direction, contrast, intensity and mystery—could […]
Contemplative Photography 