• natural areas,  sunrises

    Finding the Light

    October 8, 2023

    There Is a Light Within You

    I’ve said many things, but at the heart
    of them all is this: There is a light
    within you, in your soul, uncreated
    and uncreatable; it simply is.

    If you wish to know yourself,
    look for this light in the dark;
    it is ever present, even when
    you’ve lost sight of it. Look
    away from what you think
    you are, and look deeper into
    the darkness that is within.

    There you’ll find that light
    which is ever present,
    even if no one – not
    even you – notices.

    Meister Eckhart’s Book of Darkness & Light

    We have a lovely fall day with blue skies and sunshine. Will meet my friend Larry for lunch and conversation. Thanks for all who have let me know what they are finding with this new theme. Much appreciated.

    Read More
  • clouds,  landscape,  Meister Eckhart,  poems,  sunrises,  writing/reading

    Darkness & Light

    August 23, 2023
    Sunrise taken August 10, 2023

    When people ask me what they should do,
    I tell them this: Love others as much as
    you love yourself. If you find
    that you don’t love some people as
    much as you love yourself, then this
    is because you’ve not yet learned
    to love yourself fully.
    For what you do not love in others
    you’ve not yet learned to love in yourself;
    work on this and you’ll begin to discover
    what it means to love as God loves.

    Meister Eckhart’s Book of Darkness & Light

    I’m enjoying this third book by Jon M. Sweeney and Mark S Burrows, Meister Eckhart’s Book of Darkness & Light. I use it in much the same way I used their first two books, where I read a poem at a time and sit with it. I almost always find one word or a short line that resonates with me. I may write one of the poems or line or two in my journal because it helps me to retain it in my old memory banks. And, hopefully somehow these words will take seed and therefore potentially change the world, or at least change how I react to it. I would add to make a comment about he last line of this poem. I’ve read somewhere that if the God you know only loves the people you love, then maybe that God is too small. Because that group of people we can love is most likely a rather small group in relation to the population of this world.

    Read More
  • Arapaho Bend Natural Area,  clouds,  landscape,  natural areas,  poems,  poetry,  reflections,  sunrises,  writing/reading

    The Power of Practice

    July 25, 2023

    To live a life grounded in God
    you don’t need information;
    you need to be informed by
    the spark of divine presence
    you always carry within you.
    But you’ll have to practice
    this, with concentration,
    like you would if you were
    learning a skill or art.

    Meister Eckhart’s Book of Darkness & Light

    To grow in this craft of photography requires practice. At the present moment I have over 90,000 images in my archives. A rough guess would be that less than 5% of them are good images. I’ll define good as images I’d want to print, frame or sell. And, I post many images on this blog that I would not define as good but want to share them anyway. There is something about them I like. Which means I have a large number of keepers that are lessons and teachers. The lessons they teach may not be something I understand while looking at the image on my computer. Some lessons may be unconscious and only known or understood until I’m in the field and something intuitive, that spark within me, tells me to change my composition or some technical aspect of my equipment. And, that is the lesson practice offers!

    This morning’s clouds, predawn colors and reflections at Arapaho Bend Natural Area were a good way for me to start this day. My only hiccup was making an 8 ounce pour-over rather than a 12 ounce pour-over. 😂 I hope you also have a good day in whatever you do!

    Read More