"Abide" by Bodhi Smith

Oct 07, 2022

"abide" is my new impression and blog...
 
"i abide. without objection, here i stand, fixed in place. without yielding to the wrath of father time and enduring the weathering of mother nature, i abide. with my head in the stars and my body firmly planted in the earth, i abide. remaining in my hope that the universe will conspire to fulfill my dreams, i abide. while patiently waiting in my certainty that love will once again return to me, i abide. with all my faith, i abide" ― bodhi, abide
 
"jupiter and venus simply always knew
your eyes sparkle like supernovas upon your face
so bright and radiant, burning through and through
words conspiring by and by, my only saving grace
for what all glowing moonbeams gleam to be true
what's written in the stars to take your place
i abide these times when badly missing you
wanting eyes touching souls across time and space
getting lost in loving you is all i need ever do" 
 
"the journey to a thousand stars is not too far a journey in the quest to have true love abiding in a pure heart" ― c. joybell c.
 
"and, when you want something badly enough, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it...so, i love you because the entire universe is conspiring to help me find you" ― paulo coelho, the alchemist
 
"hope abides... therefore i abide" ― sri chinmoy, the wings of joy
 
"god is love, and he who abides in love abides in god, and god in him" ― 1 john 4:16, the holy bible (king james version)
 
"why are you so far from me? in my arms is where you ought to be. how long will you make me wait? i don't know how much more i can take. i missed you, but i haven't met you. oh but i want to, how i do...slowly counting down the days until i finally know your name. oh, the way your hand feels round my waist; the way you laugh; the way your kisses taste. i missed you, but i haven't met you. oh but i want to, how i do, how i do" ― the civil wars, to whom it may concern
 
"wide awake we face the day, the dream is over...or has it just begun?" ― christopher degarmo, lead guitarist queensryche
 
"for that which is boundless in you abides in the mansion of the sky, whose door is the morning mist, and whose windows are the songs and the silences of night" ― khalil gibran

"i am the love abiding in the heart of all beings. i am the essence that is eternal, unchanging, and indistinguishable from the essence of the universe. i am also the beginning, the middle, and the end of all beings" ― god (brahman), the bhagavad gita
 
"in every breath, hope abides" ― jay kristoff, godsgrave
 
"a moment is such a slight thing. i mean, that its abiding is a most gracious reprieve" ― marilynne robinson, gilead
 
"as long as you find something beautiful, good, and true to believe in and abide by, you have the equivalent of god in your life" ― thich nhat hanh, creating true peace
 
"as long as you find something beautiful, good, and true to believe in and abide by, you have the equivalent of god in your life" ― thich nhat hanh, creating true peace
 
"you can feel the loving stars and the infinity of the sky...since life, in spite of everything, is like a fairy tale" ― vincent van gogh, dear theo
 
"i have spent my life dreaming of your face. now, i abide my days to find it" ― jalaluddin rumi
 
"bliss is, 
deep, 
abiding, 
unconditional 
love." 
 
this first musical tune was made ultra popular by the "twilight" series of movies "a thousand years" by christina perri (just click on any of the words in the powder blue links to listen to the tune and watch the video) has become one of the most requested first songs for weddings. using poignant words and beautiful instrumentals to illustrate the passing of time, christina perri tells her beloved that she would wait a thousand years if it meant that they would meet again. this is a song to give us comfort while life prepares us for the appearance of our one true love. its lyrics express hope and a promise of devotion as we abide for our soulmate in past lives, and in this world and the next...

"heartbeats fast. colors and promises. how to be brave. how can i love when i'm afraid to fall. but watching you stand alone. all of my doubt, suddenly goes away somehow...one step closer. i have died everyday, waiting for you. darling, don't be afraid, i have loved you for a thousand years. i'll love you for a thousand more...time stands still. beauty in all she is. i will be brave. i will not let anything, take away what's standing in front of me.every breath, every hour has come to this...one step closer. i have died everyday, waiting for you. darling, don't be afraid, i have loved you for a thousand years, i'll love you for a thousand more...and all along i believed, i would find you. time has brought your heart to me. i have loved you for a thousand years, i'll love you for a thousand more. one step closer. one step closer. i have died everyday, waiting for you. darling, don't be afraid, i have loved you for a thousand years, i'll love you for a thousand more. and all along i believed, i would find you. time has brought your heart to me. i have loved you for a thousand years, i'll love you for a thousand more" ― christina perri, a thousand years
 
"we are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. life is eternal. forever bright shining into the darkness. we have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share. this is a precious moment. it is a little parenthesis in eternity" ― paulo coelho, the alchemist
 
"full of love inside
with all my faith i abide
my arms open wide" 
-------------------
 
MEANING
"i abide to always love her, as i abide by my days to see her again soon" ― bodhi, abide
 
"abide" is defined by merriam-webster as:
1. to endure without yielding; withstand
2. to wait faithfully and patiently for something
3. to accept without objection; obey
4. to remain fixed in a state or a place
 
my connection to the word "abide" has been profound for over twenty years now. not only do i display a die-cut sticker on the back window of my grand cherokee that says "abide," but the word truly has a deeper meaning for me as i live my life and walk my path.
 
my favorite movie of all time is "the big lebowski" by the coen brothers starring jeff bridges, john goodman, steve buscemi, julianne moore, and many cameos by many other famous actors. i love the movie and relate to it so much that i named my first dog, "the dude" after the main character of the movie. numerous acquaintances of mine from outside of southern california have often thought this main character, "the dude" had many similarities to myself. 
 
The Big Lebowski cmp.jpg
"the dude" portrayed by jeff bridges in the coen brothers comedy, "the big lebowski"
 
and i agreed so much so that my halloween costume for many years had me growing a grey beard, donning so ray-ban sunglasses, and walking around in boxer shots with a t-shirt and a robe drinking caucasians (white russians). in the past twenty-five years since it's release in 1997, "the big lebowski" has gained quite a cult following, and i guess i could be considered one of its members...the final words of the main character played by jeff bridges in the movie is "the dude abides"...so the choice behind the title of my image here, "abide" comes from this connection of mine to this movie...
 
Dude Abides Selfie cmp.jpg
bodhi in his halloween costume portraying "the dude" (main character in "the big lebowski")
 
 
but also there is the literal connection i see between my image here and the definition and each of the different meanings of the word "abide"...
 
frozen in time, standing in place across the centuries, under sunlight and starlight day by day by day...i see these statues abiding to their destiny as father time and mother nature do their work on them while the rest of the universe passes by overhead as witness, abiding to their meaning and purpose on this planet...the night clouds, the milky way, sirius, and jupiter all shining down from the heavens watching on as they march across the sky each night ... 
 
"they abide. without objection, there they stand, fixed in place. without yielding to the wrath of father time and enduring the weathering of mother nature, they abide. with their head in the stars and their bodies firmly planted in the earth, they abide. remaining in their hopes that the universe will conspire to fulfill their dreams, they abide. while patiently waiting in their certainty that love will once again return to them, they abide. with all their faith, they abide" ― bodhi, abide
 
the night sky with all its heavenly bodies is eternal, and so are these moai (statues), day in and out, all night long, they see each other, one moving through the other, always there, like lovers frozen in time...both the night sky and the statues are all majestic in their silence, these moai standing under the beautiful silence of the dark sky with all its heavenly bodies shining lovingly down, and the moai glowing lovingly in the light, reflecting lovingly back into all the sky's glory...the circular cycle of love between soulmates...
 
and i can relate these statues under the milky way as a metaphor of me, similarly abiding my time. abiding until i finally meet the lady of my dreams, the one i've always loved and known my whole life...
 
(and btw...if you look closely in my impression "abide", one of the clouds is actually shaped like a heart! this is just another sign from the universe for me to abide in love) ― bodhi
 
and if you haven’t found your soulmate yet, you are familiar with that longing to know what they might look like. you wonder where they are and how they’re doing; you wonder how long you’ll have to abide before at last you’ll meet. this here is the perfect song for those of us who have yet to find the one we’re to spend our lives with, yet are abiding our time to finally discover them in the flesh...from over 11 years ago in 2011, this acoustic gem for the civil wars is an open letter expressing a desire to know the sound of our soulmate’s laugh and the taste of their kiss... "to whom it may concern" by the civil wars ... (just click on any of the words in the powder blue links to listen to the tune and watch the video) ...

"why are you so far from me? in my arms is where you ought to be. how long will you make me wait? i don't know how much more i can take. i missed you, but i haven't met you. oh but i want to, how i do...slowly counting down the days until i finally know your name. oh, the way your hand feels round my waist; the way you laugh; the way your kisses taste. i missed you, but i haven't met you. oh but i want to, how i do, how i do...i've missed you, but i haven't met you. oh i missed you, but i haven't met you. oh but i want to. oh how i want to...dear, whoever you might be, i'm still waiting patiently" ― the civil wars, to whom it may concern
 
"quietly in silence, i adore the milky way, i abide in her...i've been obsessed with staring at her beauty for many many years. i'm amazed and fascinated by how beautiful she is, no matter what position in the sky, or location on this planet that she is found. and i'm further obsessed in trying to create photographic impressions of her to show the world just how much i'm in love with everything about her...she's the most beautiful thing my eyes have ever witnessed, glowing and lighting up my sky like nothing ever has before, or ever will again. she speaks to me with her silence, so much clearer than any mere mortal words, with her thoughts permeating deep into my own. i love being with her all night long, just humbled by her grace and majesty, so magical and mystical, as she sings her silent songs to me and blinks at me with a billions eyes full of love...in her i abide. i feel her. i see her. i listen to her. then i simply breathe. and then my spirit is wrapped up into the whispers of her sighs, and i exhale her love...i simply adore her. all of her. i love her. and in her love, i abide" ― bodhi, abide in her
-------------------  
 
STORY BEHIND THE PICTURE
"in this sweet silence of star light, i see her love glowing down from above, i feel her angelic innocence, i play in her magical wilderness...i know my focus abides on her" ― bodhi, abides
 
this impression is another merge of two separate exposures. it is a very dreamy piece, and it's one of my favorite impressions i have created which was taken on rapa nui (easter island, a.k.a  isla de pascua)...this impression was captured on july 1, 2019 with the moai exposure taken about half an hour before the sunset, and then the stars captured in the wee-hours of the night later on...
 
since visiting rapa nui, i've found my dreamland place in reality and i've frequently revisited it in my subconscious ever since almost nightly to this isolated and remote island in the southern pacific ocean...an enchanting beat much the same as a symbiotic heartbeat that draws me closer like a lover. to fall in line with her rhythm, i only have to sigh and i'm rejoined in rejoicing. it's metaphysical music to my ears, and nourishment for my soul, and a loving silence i want to hear more and more often in my life these days...
 
there's such a beautiful rhythm in the melody of my heart. after being lucky enough to have visited this island now three different times and bring it home in my memories, these visions seemingly watch over me, singing their silent songs of wisdom to me, helping to see me through my dreams, guiding me through the doorways in my mind, and my reality with their rhythm into my heartbeat...my lucidity of life...the place like home where i shine the most lovingly...
 
"wide awake we face the day, the dream is over...or has it just begun?" ― christopher degarmo, lead guitarist queensryche
 
rapa nui, isla de pascua (a.k.a. easter island) is one of those places that is so peaceful, yet mysterious and silently beautiful...all the noise of the commercial western capitalist world disappears into the unspoiled silence of tranquility and awe...allowing all the things on and above the island to glow just that much more lovingly...
 
my first visit in the summer (remember the southern hemisphere seasons are opposite of those enjoyed in the northern hemisphere), december of 2015 was special, and i left the island in awe, not wanting to leave...so i returned, twice more, once in the fall (april) of 2018 and again in winter (june-july) of 2019...and each time i arrive, i always have to leave, and i leave, but i leave wanting more, i'm not done yet, not even close...i want to go back again because i know i still have things i want to do, and unfinished moments there to spend, to live, to just be...
 
i'm not even close to being done with rapa nui, isla de pascua (a.k.a. easter island) in my life, i feel like this is all just only the beginning for me, my relationship with rapa nui is only just starting to develop like a grand and epic love story...for greater adventures and so many more beautiful moments still lie ahead of me the rest of my life, together this island and me....
 
and if you've been reading my blogs before, you're aware that in a very large part, this image composition was also influenced by another favorite song of mine from the late 1980's, silent lucidity by the progressive metal band, queensryche... i implore you to please also give this meaningful and inspirational tune a good listen...
 
i've always loved the subconsciously surreal quality of this song about lucid dreams, but i also love the vision about a silent guardian watching over each of us in our dreams...after 30 years of loving this song, i know who that guardian is now, she is with me each night, with me only in my dreams currently, until that day when our eyes finally meet and she steps out of my dreams and into my life...and i hope you enjoy and think about the following accompanying quotes i've included here to compliment this impression..."wide awake we face the day. the dream is over...or has it just begun?"
 
"hush now, don't you cry. wipe away the teardrop from your eye. you're lying safe in bed. it was all a bad dream spinning in your head. your mind tricked you to feel the pain of someone close to you leaving the game of life. so here it is, another chance. wide awake you face the day. your dream is over...or has it just begun? there's a place i like to hide, a doorway that i run through in the night. relax child, you were there, but only didn't realize and you were scared.  it's a place where you will learn to face your fears, retrace the years, and ride the whims of your mind. commanding in another world, suddenly, you hear and see this magic new dimension...i will be watching over you. i am gonna help you see it through. i will protect you in the night. i am smiling next to you, in silent lucidity..."visualize your dream. record it in the present tense. put it into a permanent form. if you persist in your efforts, you can achieve dream control (dream control) how's that then, better? h-e-l-p me"...if you open your mind for me, you won't rely on open eyes to see. the walls you built within come tumbling down, and a new world will begin. living twice at once you learn. you're safe from the pain in the dream domain, a soul set free to fly. a round trip journey in your head. master of illusion, can you realize your dream's alive, you can be the guide but...i will be watching over you. i am gonna help you see it through. i will protect you in the night. i am smiling next to you..." ― christopher degarmo, lead guitarist queensryche
 
"i feel sensual, warm, abiding in love...i imagine her soft skin and wild innocence...goosebumps and butterflies...her and i connected as one, tingles and breathlessness...sighs and exhales...contentment and peace...i abide partiently, until the day i need imagine her no more" ― bodhinku, abide
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HISTORY BEHIND THE PICTURE (RANO RARAKU)
"until the world ends, 
abiding love transcends, 
lovers and best friends" ― bodhi, abiding love
 
 
the original name for easter island is "te pito te henua"...in rapanuian this means "the end of the world"...and again, one thing that attracts me for more future returns to the island is its remoteness, keeping the entire small island relatively unspoiled from the reaches of greedy capitalism and destructive corruption...the entire island has a beautiful and bright silence to it...
 
"you're searching for a home. a place to lay your head. but the siren sings a song that shakes you from your bed. you are a ritual. you are the seven seas. you're missing jamaica back where your daddy sings. girl you've been everywhere and you've done everything. i feel i can't compare us to the world you've seen...she asked where i wanna go, i said the end of the world with you. she said i feel like i'm home at the end of the world with you...with every wake and moan you're calling out to me. there are parts i've never known. you shed your mystery. you're alexandria, you are the fall of rome. as long as i'm with you, then we can feel at home...girl we've been everywhere and we've done everything. and now i can compare us to the world you've seen, yeah...she asked where i wanna go, i said the end of the world with you. she said i feel like i'm home at the end of the world with you (she asked where i wanna go, i said the end of the world with you. she said i feel like i'm home at the end of the world with you)...when years have passed and i have gone, your memory will sink with me. you showed me all that i can see, so take me away and let me sleep...she asked where i wanna go, i said the end of the world with you. she said i feel like i'm home at the end of the world with you..." ― dirty heads, end of the world

so, on july 2nd (2019), there was an almost total solar eclipse (about 85%) on easter island, and i wanted to see it for myself, and capture impressions with my camera as well, so i booked my third trip to rapa nui and paid the island another visit...but of course, i managed to get many more fascinating images of the island besides the beautifully unique ones of the eclipse i was lucky enough to capture...

pictured here are two of the most famous of the moai in the quarry at rano raraku...the rano raraku volcano is one of the most incredible and extraordinary archaeological sites on the planet. in this magical place full of mystery, where the moai were made, the giant statues that have made easter island famous worldwide. the enormous figures and the quarries of the volcano surpass any expectation and get the traveler to be speechless when he contemplates one of the most fascinating wonders of humanity.  

rano raraku became the quarry where almost all of the 1,000 statues that have been found on easter island were sculpted. here the moai were carved and then they were taken to the ahu or ceremonial platforms, distributed along the entire coast, to honor the memory of the ancestors.  

the vision of the southern slope of the volcano causes great perplexity and admiration in the visitor. dozens of stone heads stand out from the ground and as you look up to the top, there are many holes and figures cut out on the rocky surface of the mountain.

at first it is difficult to distinguish them but if you look closely, you will discover more and more images that appear carved in all possible positions on the abrupt slope of tuff. some are placed vertically, with the head pointing towards the top and others in the opposite direction. in other cases, they are placed horizontally, one on top of the other, sometimes with the head and feet alternating on each side.

it does not appear that any established work order or system has been followed. the statues are everywhere and in almost inaccessible places, as if the slogan had been to take advantage of any space available in a valuable and limited material.

in the quarry, which in total is more than 800 meters long, there are many empty niches from which the statues that moved to the ahu were extracted. but there are still many figures in rano raraku. between the finished figures that rest at the foot of the volcano and those that still remain on the outer and inner slope of the same, a total of 397 moai have been counted. this is the area of the island where the largest number of statues is concentrated, almost 40% of the total.

the figures that are still on the upper slopes of the quarry are in all stages of development, which has allowed to deduce the method used for its construction.

the first step was to choose a suitable sector to do the work. sometimes the carvers had to climb to places at the top or with extreme inclinations. once there, the rock was carved until a rectangular block was obtained. later, in order to attack the material more easily, a narrow half-meter-wide corridor was made around the block where the sculptors were placed.

with the help of basalt tools, called toki, they began to cut the tuff to shape the moai. all the images were carved on their backs, regardless of whether they were in a horizontal or vertical position.

sculpting the face was the first step, paying special attention to the nose as it served as a guide to maintain the symmetry and proportions of the sculpture. then work on the neck, the torso, the arms and the hands were followed. after that the sculptors continued with the sides and released the material under the statue until they left a narrow strip of stone that ran along the column, as if it were the keel of a ship.

while the statue was holded with heaps of stones, like a wedge, holes were drilled in the keel until it was completely trimmed and released from its niche. some statues broke at that time.

the next difficult task was to slide the statue down the steep slope without damaging it. it seems that they used trunks and ropes made of vegetable fiber to support the moai and dug channels in the ground to maintain balance during the descent. even so many accidents occurred as evidenced by the remains of torsos and broken heads that dot the hillside.

once down, the sculptures were introduced into holes previously excavated in the ground where they were kept standing. the carving process was finished in this vertical position, carving the details of the back and polishing the figure with the help of an abrasive volcanic stone called punga.

one of the many unknowns is why they did not remove the blocks from the quarry and took them to another place where it would have been easier and more comfortable to carve the statues. and why instead all the fine features of the face and hands were sculpted in the niches located in truly complicated locations.

the time needed to model a statue is not known. the most optimistic theories believe that a couple of weeks would be enough. others more realistic estimate that with rotating work teams of several carvers, they could finish a moai in a year.

on the slopes of the hill large amounts of waste material was accumulated, produced by the carving of hundreds of moai over several centuries, along with thousands of tools of basalt, which were replaced frequently as soon as they lost the edge.

after the work of carving, the statues were transported to ceremonial platforms using a method still unknown. several hypotheses suggest the use of trunks, ropes and the strength of dozens of men, and doing movements similar to "walking" a full keg of beer...but so far has not been discovered the system used to move such colossi through a fairly irregular terrain.

it is surprising to find such a quantity of statues in the quarry compared to those that were moved. many of them were left unfinished by fractures suffered by the rock or because harder areas or defects found on them which made them useless to continue with the work.

it is also thought that some figures were carved in the rock as a bas-relief without any intention of being extracted. this may be due to the impossibility of withdrawing them due to their enormous size, as occurs with the figure of the giant, the lack of resources of the clans that commissioned them or because, although they realized that there was no material means to lift them over a ahu, they wanted to continue honoring their ancestors.

the silence and stillness that is now breathed in the quarries produce a feeling of respect and veneration more typical of a sacred place than a hectic factory. but it was not always like this. it is estimated that the work of carving the statues in rano raraku spanned more than 500 years, beginning around 1000 AD. and ending in the mid-eighteenth century.

during that period the quarries of the volcano overflowed with activity. numerous workers scattered on its hillside hit the rock with their tools, accompanying the constant rattle with their songs. it is possible that the different groups rivaled each other, trying to get bigger and bigger images or competing for whoever carved them faster.

currently it is difficult to understand why the rapanui people invested so much time in this arduous task. beliefs and respect for their ancestors along with the lack of other distractions in which to occupy the day in this tiny island, achieved portentous feats that now seem superhuman. another example of the power of effort and perseverance.

in addition, it seems that the incessant activity in the volcano was beneficial for all the inhabitants of the island. the numerous gangs of cutters had to be fed conveniently, which resulted in an increase of the different crops and a promotion of fishing in the sea, resulting in a long period of abundance and prosperity for all.

however, this long golden age came to an end, and as a result the workers stopped hitting the stone to never do it again. looking at the quarry now empty and silent with so many unfinished statues, it gives the impression that, for some reason, that enormous effort was suddenly interrupted.

according to an old legend, the cessation of activity was due to the anger of an old woman who had the power to make the statues move. one day, the workers ate a lobster without keeping any pieces for her. the woman became so angry who ordered the statues to collapse, paralyzing the works forever.

on the other hand, the oral tradition talks about how the hanau momoko people, the dominated tribe and in charge of the works of sculpture and construction, rebelled against their oppressors, the hanau e’epe, and exterminated them in the battle of the poike. once the impellers of the megalithic work were eliminated, the liberated tribe did not carve any more.

other hypotheses argue that some natural cataclysm could have occurred, such as a great earthquake or tsunami that deeply affected the rapanui society and thus interrupting forever the making of statues.

however, it seems that the abandonment of work in rano raraku was not due to a single sudden and dramatic event. rather it was the consequence of a gradual decay in the values and beliefs that affected the scarce resources available and provoked successive tribal wars that finally collapsed the system.

in addition to the statues that remain untapped in the tuff quarries, below, dozens of figures appear in the lower area of the slope. a few of them are lying down, fallen from the front and several have fractures. but the vast majority still stands in the same place where they were installed hundreds of years ago. rano raraku was the only place on the island that kept upright statues, after all the others were knocked down from their platforms, during inter-clan conflicts that took place almost 300 years ago.

along the base of the outer slope, between the entrance to the crater and the end that faces the sea, there are about seventy practically finished statues. within the crater, there are also more than 40 images that are concentrated on the southern slope that surrounds the lagoon. all of them give their back to the mountain.

the moai remain standing in pits that were previously excavated in the ground in order to finish the carving of their backs. the fact that every statue appears half-buried to a greater or lesser extent, some up to the shoulders and others even to the nose, is striking.

many think that the moai are only heads, but in reality they are complete statues buried by the successive layers of sediments that accumulated over time.

it is known that, when the quarry was abandoned, the ramps of earth and rock that served to help the moai stand up collapsed little by little and ended up burying the figures. but it is also believed that many were stuffed with material to cover them intentionally, perhaps to protect them from possible desecration by enemies, although it is not really known what the reason was.

that circumstance, casual or not, caused the buried part of the moai to be protected from the elements and to be preserved much better than the exposed part. Excavations in several moai revealed that the length of the head corresponded to approximately one third of the total height of the statue.

the original yellowish color of the tuff was also visible again, and interesting engravings were discovered on the back of some statues with designs similar to those found in the figures of the ahu nau nau and in the famous moai hoa hakananai’a that is exhibited at the British Museum in London.

after examining them carefully, several differences have been observed between these figures and those found in the ahu. first, it seems that the average size of those that are here is about 6 meters, exceeding the 4 meters of the moved figures. they also have a profile and a finer and more careful finish, with more prominent and pointy noses, and none of them ever wore a pukao on their head, the red slag headdresses from the puna pau volcano across the island on the west side, with which the moai of the platforms were topped.

the eye socket of the figures of the quarry were not carved. Instead, a continuous smooth plane appears that descends from the eyebrow to the cheek. it seems that the carving of the basins was reserved for the moai that rose on the platforms, finishing its finish with the installation of a coral eye that transmitted to the statue the mystic power of the ancestors called mana.

one last important detail lies in the base of the buried moai. on some occasions statues have been found whose bases are shaped like a stake, as if they had been carved in such a way as to facilitate their penetration into the ground. this shows that the intention was for them to be “planted” there permanently, instead of being transported to the platforms.

the reason for leaving so many statues in vertical position installed in the skirts of the quarry is not known. perhaps it was a simpler and cheaper alternative for some groups than to move the statues to the ahu, or it is possible that there were not enough material resources left in the form of ropes and logs to move them. even so, the families continued to honor the memory of their deceased by erecting statues in their honor. enigmatic and colossal figures that continue to amaze those who have the opportunity to contemplate them face to face.

the physical appearance of the moai that came out of the rano raraku quarries follows a clearly defined pattern. this quite similar aesthetic makes them all look the same, but it is not like that. precisely here, with so many figures to compare, it is observed that each moai has unique features that give it its own personality and that differentiate it from others.

those unique details linked to their particular history, made that each statue had its own name. some names were related to the authors of the work, but others made reference to some peculiarity of the image or the place where it was. unfortunately, the passage of time has erased the memory of almost everyone, but still retains that of a few chosen...

for more about the rano raranku quarry and the statues of easter island read here:

"she's glowing so bright
she's my southern cross tonight
she's my guiding light

all night every day
she's my only milky way
in my heart she'll stay

the brightest treasure
abides my wildest pleasure
joys beyond measure" 
-------------------  
 
MORE PHILOSOPHICAL QUOTES
"smile, like the sun and the moon and the stars, radiate your light, and make this world glow with love both day and night" ― gautama siddhartha buddha, sayings of buddha
 
"perceive the light, but hold on to the dark" ― lao tzu, tao te ching
 
"the sage produces without possessing, acts without expectations, and accomplishes without abiding in his accomplishments. it's precisely because he does not abide in them that they never leave him" ― lao tzu, tao te ching
 
"hope is a waking dream" ― aristotle
 
"our life of contemplation is by gathering the whole universe at the very center of our hearts where the lord of the universe abides, and allowing the pure water of divine grace to flow plentifully and unceasingly from the source itself, on the whole of his creation" ― mother teresa, in the heart of the world
 
"be clearly aware of the stars and infinity on high. then life seems almost enchanted after all" ― vincent van gogh, letters to theo
 
"i often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day" ― vincent van gogh, letters to theo
 
"she walks in beauty, like the night
of cloudless climes and starry skies;
and all that's best of dark and bright
meet in her aspect and her eyes..."
 
"i love the feeling before the chill has warmed from the world and the forest has an air of restlessness lingering over it eager to emerge after winters long slumber. the trees are caught somewhere between beginning to bud and bursting dramatically into being. such promise lays in that pause between the breaths, such possibility in that deep inhale of nature. in that silent moment, before the symphony breaks free from the soil, it whispers its assurance to the sky: there is no need to hurry and there is no need to panic. every leaf and stem, every blossom and bloom will come forth at exactly the right time. there is no need to worry, everything unfolds in the perfect moment. deep in this stirring breath of the earth, flowing free, all has yet to unfold brightly" ― c. ara campbell
 
"you have shown me a boundless love.
a love that roams barefoot
through the wilds.
a love that strips
off its clothes before plunging into the ocean.
a love that would scale mountains
just to howl to the heavens
and see all the world
shrink and tremble before it.
a love that dreams through the day
and comes alive through the night.
a love that knows no limits
and never backs down from a fight.
a love that is your best friend
and only friend no matter what
a love that burns and bleeds
and laughs and cries,
and shines with all the majesty of the stars." 
 
"dark is the world’s night without you my love" ― pablo neruda, 100 love sonnets
 
"lovers alone wear starlight" ― e.e. cummings
 
"you're the answer to every prayer i've offered. you're a song, a dream, a whisper, and i don't know how i could have lived without you for as long as i have" ― nicholas sparks, the notebook
 
"this is courage: to throw away what is our own that is limited and to thrust ourselves into the hands of these higher powers--god and the universe. to do this is to abide in the realm of the eternal, to walk in the path of the everlasting to follow in the footprints of destiny. the hardest part for man is the letting go. for some reason, he thinks himself big enough to know and to see what's good for him. but in the letting go is found freedom" ― c. joybell c., saint paul trois chateaux
 
"sometimes the things that are felt the most are expressed between two souls over the distance and over time...where no words abide" ― c. joybell c., saint paul trois chateaux
 
“yes: i am a dreamer. for a dreamer is one who can only find his way by starlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world" ― oscar wilde
 
"when you depart from me, sorrow abides, and happiness takes his leave" ― william shakespeare, much ado about nothing
 
“love is heavy and light, bright and dark, hot and cold, sick and healthy, asleep and awake- its everything except what it is!" ― william shakespeare, romeo & juliet  
 
"his conclusion was that things were not always what they appeared to be. his fear of the unknown was an inherited distrust, and it had now been strengthened by experience. thenceforth, in the nature of things, he would possess an abiding distrust of appearances" ― jack london, white fang
 
"spirituality does not live in a dogmatic scripture or in a distant throne in the sky, but instead abides very close to us indeed...much closer than we can imagine, breathing right through our own hearts" ― elizabeth gilbert, eat, pray, love
 
"self-esteem comes from being able to define the world in your own terms and refusing to abide by the judgments of others" ― oprah winfrey
 
"twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. so throw off the bowlines. sail away from the safe harbor. catch the trade winds in your sails. explore. dream. discover" ― h. jackson brown jr, p.s. i love you
 
"what a person is for himself, what abides with him is his loneliness and isolation, and what no one can give or take away from him, this is obviously more essential for him than everything that he possesses or what he may be in the eyes of others" ― schopenhauer
 
"unrequited love is deciding to be useless, and i could never abide uselessness" ― elizabeth mccracken, the giant's house
 
"though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light; i have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night" ― sarah williams, twilight hours
 
"no single thing abides; all things are fucked up" ― philip k. dick, the transmigration of timothy archer
 
"without us, earth will abide and endure; without her, however, we could not even be" ― alan weisman, the world without us
 
"i want to learn more of love that is built not on the shifting sands of violent passion, but on the steady rock of deep and abiding affection" ― victoria holt, the shadow of the lynx
 
"a strong relationship is an honest relationship, and no honest relationship is all peaches and cream. love is the key. where love abides, anger is but a passing visitor" ― jerry & eileen spinelli, today i will
 
"who you are is whole...let nothing keep you separate from the truth. the soul, illumined from within, longs to be known for what it is. undying, untouched by fire or the storms of life, there is a place inside where stillness and abiding peace reside. you can ride your breath to go there...despite doubt or hopeless turns of mind, you are not broken. spirit surrounds, embraces, fills you from the inside out. release everything that isn't your true nature. what's left, the fullness, light and shadow, claim all that as your birthright" ― danna faulds
 
"i suspect the most we can hope for, and it's no small hope, is that we never give up, that we never stop giving ourselves permission to try to love and receive love" ― elizabeth stout, abide with me
 
"dare to be different. represent your maker well and you will forever abide in the beautiful embrace of his loving arms" ― jaachynma n.e. aguhe, prince and the pauper
 
"unless i can abide myself and be compassionate toward my own distress, i will probably always feel alone and neglected by others" ― kiera van gelder
 
"was it really some other person i was so anxious to discover...or was it only my own solitude that i could not abide?" ― david markson, wittgenstein's mistress
 
"there is an abiding beauty which may be appreciated by those who will see things as they are and who will ask for no reward except to see" ― vera brittain
 
"only one thing abides: an infinite beauty that passes from form to form, eternally changed and revealed afresh" ― georg buchner
 
"i lingered in the hinterlands of sleep. sometimes i think there is more rest in that place between wakefulness and sleep than there is in true sleep. the mind walks in the twilight of both states, and finds the truths that are hidden alike by daylight and dreams. things we are not ready to know abide in that place, awaiting that unguarded frame of mind" ― robin hobb, fool's errand
 
"daring enthusiasm and abiding cheerfulness can accomplish everything on earth without fail" ― sri chinmoy, the wings of joy
 
"hope abides; therefore i abide. countless frustrations have not cowed me. i am still alive, vibrant with life. the black cloud will disappear, the morning sun will appear once again in all its supernal glory" ― sri chinmoy, the wings of joy
 
"everything is perfect.
everything is fine.
the rules of life are made up.
the rules only exist in your mind.
of course there may be courtesies
and closures and laws to abide,
but the zeal with which you play
relies on where you draw the line"
 
"the universe and the light of the stars come through you, into me" ― jalaluddin rumi, in the arms of the beloved
 
"tonight is a night of union for the stars, since a bride is coming from the skies, consisting of a full moon. and venus cannot contain herself for charming melodies, like the nightingale which becomes intoxicated with the rose in spring-time...see how the polestar is ogling leo's passion and behold what moondust pisces is stirring up from the deep waters of space! jupiter has galloped his steed against ancient neptune...for this sky is the astrolabe, and the reality is love; whatever we say of this, attend to the meaning, on that dawn when you shine, the dark night is transformed to glow bright, so bright by your moonlike face with starry eyes" ― jalaluddin rumi, the essential rumi
 
"if you have love in your heart, you’ll see the sun’s bright rays wherever you may be, in everything, so bright, your beloved can be seen through your love...just like the moon among the stars above" ― jalaluddin rumi
 
"i was dead, then alive.
weeping, then laughing.
the power of love came into me,
and i became roar like a leo,
then tender like the evening star"
 
"let the waters settle and you will see the milky way and the stars mirrored in your own being" ― jalaluddin rumi
 
"love is the instrument to unfold divine secrets...love is the reign timeless, dimensionless...lover is as distinct as the milky way shining among stars in the sky. beloved is the sparkle in the heart of the love" ― jalaluddin rumi, the music and silence of the heart
-------------------      
 
MORE QUOTES BY BODHINKU
"her beauty pierces my soul, melting me, so smoothly around her beautiful brightness" ― bodhinku, brightness
 
"so far away from her, driving down the road and i just feel dim, then she sends me a picture of herself, everything seems brighter now...i turn the car towards home, and my world keeps getting brighter with each passing mile, and thoughts of seeing her soon...and i feel bright..." ― bodhinku, feel bright
 
"i simply adore her, she is my universe...like a billion stars illuminating my sky, so bright her love, guiding lights showing me the pathway to my heaven, i am but just a simple passage trying to find my way to her...i am simply a door leading to her" ― bodhinku, simply a door
 
"if your love for me was a star in the sky, my love for you would be the milky way, glowing bright, so bright and alive with billions of you inside me" ― bodhi, bright
-------------------    
 
ABOUT THIS IMPRESSION
"starlight shining so beautifully across your face, creating a vision and a memory abiding across the universe, through all time and space...a shimmering moment, i've melted, to be left with nothing but warm love flowing all through my every fiber" ― bodhi, abiding
 
this impression is made of two separate exposures taken on easter island in the same day frame...the first exposure taken of the moai statues (f/11@24mm for 111 secs, iso-64) was captured as close to sunset as i legally was able, about a half hour before at 5;55pm on july 1, 2019 in the rano raraku quarry (which closes its gates at 6pm each day, so there is no astrophotography is permitted inside the park after dark)...merged with a second exposure taken of the stars and milky way that was captured later that same night on july 1st  into the early morning of the next day (july 2nd, 2019) from just outside the closed gates of the rano raraku quarry in an aspect similar to the positioning of the moai statues inside the quarry, to be located as close as possible to the moai statues, and thus keeping it as realistic as i could and not break any international trespassing laws on a world heritage site (f'/1.4@24mm for 13 secs, iso-1600)... 
 
in my photography, i always use filters to create longer exposure effects, saturate colors naturally, and balance the light in my composition in-camera...i often use as many as four filters at time, and i always use at least one filter in my completed impressions...
 
to get the effects and balance i was looking for in the moai exposure of this composition (f/11@24mm for 111 secs, iso-64), i used two progreyusa filters along with the progrey g-120z antarctic magnetic holder to secure these filters to my nikon d850 with a nikon nikkor 24mm f/1.4 prime lens ... 
 
first, a 3.0 nd progrey antarctica filter to bring the light in the image down 10 stops and permit for the long 1 minute and 51 second exposure which naturally saturates all the red, green, and blue (rgb) colors in the image...
 
combined with the second filter, a 0.9 gnd progrey aurora filter to help balance in-camera overall the image the way i envisioned it...in this case, to stop down the much brighter light in the sky, the post-dusk light in the upper right hand corner of the exposure, an extra three stops...
 
for the separate exposure of the stars, (f'/1.4@24mm for 13 secs, iso-1600) no filters were necessary, so none were used...
 
wish to openly thank my sponsors who have always supported me through both the good and bad times...for truly this dreamy long exposure impression under the stars would not be possible without the use of my induro phq3 series 5-way panhead with an induro (now benro) stealth carbon fiber tripod in combination with the progreyusa filters which i use with every photo i take...
 
"you were blessed with 84,600 seconds today, have you used one of them to say thank you?" ― bodhi, blessed
 
"if nothing else...if i open my eyes, if i hope, if i cry, if i think, if i sigh, if i giggle, if i dance, if i love, if i breathe, then i have lived a full days worth of life...nothing is wasted, nothing" ― bodhi, if
 
"i do not want you to just be into my photography, instead, i'd much rather you take a journey into my pictures, and feel the impression i have created, feel it with all your senses" ― bodhi, into my photo
 
"my photography is my way of keeping a diary " ― bodhi, my diary
 
"contemplate without thinking. be certain only in your uncertainty, content to be completely incomplete. stop the rush. slow down time. breathe and notice. slow down everything. let it all be. shut off the noise. hush. relax. seize this higher moment. reconnect. feel and sense what surrounds you. listen to all the colours of light whisper as they envelope you. see the melody and harmony that float about unnoticed. taste the solitude of all this wonderment. smell the beautiful silence. now discover your peaceful serenity. then, reach out and touch your faith with all your senses. this is my world. awaken!" ― bodhi, my world
 
leave you today wishing that bright joy 
and spiritual peace fill your life...
imploring you to make every moment count, 
no matter what, always and forever, 
for that is the only thing that truly matters...    
 
and above all else,
i hope this message and impression find you well.
 
namaste,
bodhi
-------------------------------------------------

please visit me at:

http://www.bodhismith.com
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