Dance, Dance by Bodhi Smith

Oct 15, 2021

"dance, dance" a brand new impression and blog from me...
 
"these aspen trees are so carefree and happy. they're dancing, twisting and shouting, throwing their branches into the air like they just don't care, and letting their leaves fall where they may with no worries" ― bodhinku, dance, dance
 
"in your light, i learn how to love. in your beauty, how to make poems. you dance inside my chest where no-one sees you, but sometimes i do, and that sight becomes this art" ― jalaluddin rumi, the soul of rumi
 
"he's a tree, grounded to the earth, yet reaching for the sky. but he loses hope at times. his faith has been shaken to his roots. he tries to believe in something more and sometimes it’s hard. but he's sifting through the fallen leaves, working through the lessons and crafting new beliefs with his own fingers. he has been struck by lightning and burned to his core. he has been split in two by love and suffered the aftershocks....he's a dancer. and even without a partner, he'll continue to dance and thrive, but it can take time. he needs someone who can meet him equally in the bedroom. he’s not looking to dampen down his desires and swallow his fantasies. he wants someone to dance with him in the fires of ecstasy. he’s looking for a passionate, soul deep sacred union, not just a disconnected quick-fix one-and-done dance...he’s deep, dark and layered. within him beats a kind heart of gold, glowing with love and hope. but with feelings just as deep, he can spend a lot of time dancing with his shadows and moving through the darkness. there are lessons for him here, between the light and the abyss...he does want to be deeply loved, cherished, and adored, but he may have given up on that dream a long time ago. this doesn’t mean he wants to be solitary forever, but it means that the bar is raised higher on who he'll let dance with his sacred soul and be embraced by the powerful beauty of his love. for his heart is worth it. his love is a once-in-a-lifetime, out of this world, rare and mystical dance to behold and be enfolded by. his heart and his love is one of the most courageous, beautiful, passionate and powerful things you will ever encounter on this planet. true, his dance is not for the faint of heart, but this dance is worth it. he will make every single step and movement count, every moment, every heartbeat, always, this i promise you" ― c. ara campbell (with modifications by bodhinku)
 
"take hold of your own life. see that the whole existence is celebrating.. these trees are not serious, and everywhere there is fun, everywhere there is dance,  joy, and delight. watch existence. listen to the existence. and become part of it" ― osho, the secret of secrets  
 
"we dance for laughter, we dance for tears, we dance for madness, we dance for fears, we dance for hopes, we dance for screams, we are the dancers, we create the dreams" ― albert einstein
 
"​this dance is something 
sacred, timeless, and deeply grounded
the spiraling roots of all 
the aspens are holding fast 
to the earth below, ever connected 
to each other, ever hopeful
whilst their branches are reaching upwards 
towards the promises blazing through 
their golden foliage like a sunrise 
on the horizon beyond 
letting their worries lie 
as their leaves fall to the ground
they dance the day and night away" ― bodhinku, dance of the aspens
 
"there is no better time than the autumn to begin forgetting the things that trouble us, allowing them to fall away like dried leaves. there is no better time to dance again, to make the most of every crumb of sunlight and warm body and soul with its rays before it falls asleep and becomes only a dim light bulb in the skies" ― paulo coelho, adultery
 
"everything in the universe has a rhythm, everything dances" ― maya angelou, even the stars look lonesome 
 
"and those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music" ― friedrich nietzsche, twilight of the idols
 
"dance less in motion and more in spirit; awaken the dreamer within...dance is that delicacy of life radiating every particle of our existence with happiness" ― shah asad rizvi
 
this song is from the emo/alternative band based out of chicago, il, fall out boy in 2005....since it repeats twice the same name as my impression, and with its lyrics, it's the perfect accompaniment to connect music with the meaning of my impression and blog today: "dance dance" by fall out boy ... (just click on any of the words in the powder blue links to listen to the tune and watch the video) ...
 
"she says, she's no good with words but i'm worse. barely stuttered out a joke of a romantic stuck to my tongue. weighed down with words too overdramatic. tonight it's "it can't get much worse" versus, "no one should ever feel like"...i'm two quarters and a heart down, and i don't wanna forget how your voice sounds. these words are all i have so i'll write them. so you need them just to get by...dance, dance. we're falling apart to half time. dance, dance . and these are the lives you love to lead. dance, this is the way they'd love if they knew how misery loved me...you always fold just before you're found out. drink up it's last call, last resort, but only the first mistake, and i, i'm two quarters and a heart down. and i don't want to forget how your voice sounds. these words are all i have so i'll write them. so you need them just to get by. why don't you show me a little bit of spine. you've been saving for his mattress, love. dance, dance. we're falling apart to half time. dance, dance. and these are the lives you love to lead. dance, this is the way they'd love if they knew how misery loved me...why don't you show me a little bit of spine. you've been saving for his mattress (mattress, mattress). i only want sympathy in the form of you crawling into bed with me. dance, dance. we're falling apart to half time. dance, dance. and these are the lives you love to lead. dance, this is the way they'd love (way they'd love). dance, this is the way they'd love (way they'd love). dance, this is the way they'd love if they knew how misery loved me. dance, dance. dance, dance. dance, dance" ― fall out boy, dance dance  
 
"they're accepting the changes. no matter what happens, they're letting events unfold naturally, permitting what occurs without worry or regret. the aspens are letting their beauty fade by shedding their colors. letting things go, one by one as their leaves fall to the ground. knowing it is what it is, they let it lie, letting things be as they are meant to be, but still dancing worry-free the whole while. we all need to be more like these trees" ― bodhinku, colorado
 
"dance with the dancers. sing with the singers. paint with the painters. dream with the dreamers. believe with the believers. create with the creator. marvel in the marvelous, wonder with the wonderful...and you will surely be the happy in happiness and become the magic in the magical" ― bodhinku, dance and dream
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THE INFLUENCE OF VINCENT VAN GOGH
"no single other artist has had a deeper, more of a profound affect on my photography than vincent van gogh...not only his paintings, but also who vincent was as a man, a loving yet troubled and misunderstood man, lost in a tragic world he was trying to express in his artwork..." ― bodhinku, vincent
 
vincent van gogh is easily the one artist with the greatest influence on me and my artistic expressions. the impact of his artwork can be clearly seen and discovered within all my photo impressions. and his deep influence on me is directly evident in a few of my works, including this one here today...this image of mine, "dance, dance", plus last week's release of "colorado" are both deeply influenced by vincent's "olive trees with a yellow sky" (which you can see below)...
 
"olive trees with a yellow sky" by vincent van gogh
 
and, what you see here is another one of my dreams, a magical realism from the depths of my mind that is heavily inspired by the idea of what i think maybe vincent van gogh dreamed about at night...so this is my fifth humble attempt to do just that, put together a composition representing both his dreams and mine, and a scene that's so beautiful, i wish everyone could get to experience this glowing golden heaven of aspens high up in the colorado rocky mountains…
 
i also have an image called "starry night" which is named after vincent’s most famous painting (of the same name) and is created in a way that reflects those profound influences he has on my style of photography...
 
plus i have a couple sunflower images, "vincent's dreams" and "illuminada" which are both reminiscent and heavily influenced by vincent's unmatched love of sunflowers...
 
"i experience a period of frightening clarity in those moments when nature is so beautiful. i am no longer sure of myself, and the paintings appear as in a dream" ― vincent van gogh, vincent's letters  

many times, people ask that silly question "if you could meet one person in the world and have a conversation with them, who would you chose?" i truly wish that i could have met vincent in person, and talked all night with him about life, art, nature, the stars, and sunflowers...

this impression of mine is totally inspired by vincent, by this beautiful but tormented artist and his story as well. so inspiring even though it is both joyful and sad at times, i can relate to his thoughts, writings, his expressions in his paintings, and how he felt and lived...i can relate to all of it and truly know how he felt, i can empathize as there are so many similarities to my life and his...i have always felt such a deep empathy for vincent...i am very much able to relate to everything i have come to understand about him, and his work will always be a huge influence on my photography...
 
"what color is to a picture, enthusiasm is in life" ― vincent van gogh
 
"how difficult it is to be simple!" ― vincent van gogh
 
"art is to console those who are broken by life" ― vincent van gogh
 
"i often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day" ― vincent van gogh, dear theo
 
"when i have a terrible need of - shall i say the word - religion, then i go out and paint the stars" ― vincent van gogh 
 
"the only time i really feel alive is when i'm painting" ― vincent van gogh, dear theo   
 
van gogh was far from being viewed as normal, he walked his own path of eccentricity. vincent was often lost, lonely, and up and down with his emotions and moods. often questioning his artworks and his meaning in the art world, as well as in the world of life (similar to myself)...a person could look into his powder blue eyes and never fully understand what exactly was going on behind those blue eyes (just like me)...but always he had his love of nature around him & his desire to paint that beauty as he saw it with those blue eyes. his passion for his artwork was there for him to turn to, to give him meaning, purpose, and raise his spirits (like me too)...
 
"normality is a paved road: it’s comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow on it " ― vincent van gogh, vincent's letters
 
"i thought i would be understood without words" ― vincent van gogh, dear theo     

he had no children (like me), he was seen as a loner (like me as well)...usually misunderstood, and all too often off the beaten path doing his own thing (very much like me as well), regardless of what anyone else said, but he did care about what others thought of him, even though he often wrote that he didn’t (same as me). he was a deeply sensitive being, and so often got his hopes up, only to have them dashed, and he then turned to drinking absinthe all too often in excess to help him cope with his doubts and worries (just like i did for many years with beer). he seemed tormented all too often, but then extremely happy at other times...but even in his deepest melancholy states, he always held his hopes and dreams, and positivity (once again, I can relate!).
 
"i take great care of myself by carefully shutting myself away " ― vincent van gogh, dear theo
 
"it's so easy to love. the only hard thing is to be loved" ― vincent van gogh
 
"what am i in the eyes of most people? i'm a nonentity, an eccentric, or seen as an unpleasant person...somebody who has no position in society and will never have; in short, the lowest of the low. all right, then...even if that were absolutely true, then i should one day like to show by my work what such an eccentric, such a nobody, has in his heart. that is my ambition, based less on resentment than on love in spite of everything, based more on a feeling of serenity than on passion. though i am often in the depths of misery, there is still calmness, pure harmony and music inside me. i see paintings or drawings in the poorest cottages, in the dirtiest corners. and my mind is driven towards these things with an irresistible momentum" ― vincent van gogh, vincent's letters
 
"i try more and more to be myself, caring relatively little whether people approve or disapprove" ― vincent van gogh, vincent's letters 
 
vincent van gogh was not trying to make an exact copy of reality in his paintings. he did not use his choices of colors merely to imitate nature, but to express emotion...and through his inspirational guidance, this is something that i have also always done in all of my photographic impressions…
 
“exaggerate the essential, leave the obvious vague" ― vincent van gogh  
 
"i exaggerate, i sometimes make changes to the subject, but still i don’t invent the whole of the painting; on the contrary, i find it ready-made, but to be untangled, in the real world"  ― vincent van gogh
 
no single other artist has had a deeper, more of a profound affect on my photography than vincent van gogh...not only his paintings, but also who vincent was as a man, a loving yet troubled and misunderstood man, lost in a tragic world he was trying to express in his artwork...
 
"i must continue to follow the path i take now. if i do nothing, if i study nothing, if i cease searching, then, woe is me, i am lost. that is how i look at it...keep going, follow the stars, keep going, come what may, keep going" ― vincent van gogh
 
it's a shame he lived only 37yrs, just an epic tragedy...no single other artist has had a deeper, more of a profound affect on my photography than vincent van gogh...not only his paintings, but also who vincent was as a man, a loving yet troubled and misunderstood man, lost in a tragic world he was trying to express in his artwork... 
 
"i hope to depart in no other way than looking back with love and wistfulness and thinking, oh the paintings that i would have made..." ― vincent van gogh, dear theo 
 
“vincent van gogh used to eat yellow paint because he thought it would get the happiness inside him. many people thought he was mad and stupid for doing so because the paint was toxic, never mind that it was obvious that eating paint couldn't possibly have any direct correlation to one's happiness, but i never saw that....because, if you were so unhappy that even the maddest ideas could possibly work, like painting the walls of your internal organs yellow, then you are going to do it. it's really no different than falling in love or taking drugs. there is a greater risk of getting your heart broken or overdosing, but people still do it everyday because there was always that chance it could make things better. everyone has their own yellow paint" ― alexandra timmer    
 
on a side note...almost exactly four years ago in october of 2017, dorota kobiela created a motion picture animated magically using vincent's oil paintings entitled "loving vincent"...the film took 10 years to create the director/writer's vision, and is beyond genius in my humble opinion...it's about vincent's emotions and thoughts at the end of his life, and the controversy surrounding van gogh's mysterious death...it's absolutely a resoundingly beautiful movie, if you ever get the chance to watch it, i would high recommend and encourage it...this link will take you to the movie's trailer: "loving vincent: movie trailer"... 
 
...and if you like to read behind the scenes stuff from  "loving vincent", especially ones related directly to works painted by vincent, this website is nothing less than exceptional: http://lovingvincent.com/the-paintings,2,pl.html   

"if you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere" ― vincent van gogh 
 
"how rich art is, if one can only remember what one has seen, one is never empty of thoughts or truly lonely, never alone" ― vincent van gogh, dear theo  
 
and here is a cover of don maclean's beautiful song, "vincent (starry, starry night)", this was a highlighted song in the movie "loving vincent": "vincent" by ellie goulding ... (just click on any of words in the blue links to listen to the song)...  

"starry, starry night, paint your palette blue and grey. look out on a summer's day with eyes that know the darkness in my soul. shadows on the hills sketch the trees and the daffodils, catch the breeze and the winter chills in colors on the snowy linen land...now i understand what you tried to say to me. and how you suffered for your sanity, and how you tried to set them free. they would not listen, they did not know how, perhaps they'll listen now...starry, starry night, flaming flowers that brightly blaze. swirling clouds in violet haze reflect in vincent's eyes of china blue. colors changing hue, morning fields of amber grain, weathered faces lined in pain are soothed beneath the artist's loving hand...now i understand what you tried to say to me. and how you suffered for your sanity, and how you tried to set them free. they would not listen, they did not know how, perhaps they'll listen now...for they could not love you, but still your love was true. and when no hope was left in sight on that starry, starry night, you took your life, as lovers often do. but i could have told you, vincent, this world was never meant for one as beautiful as you...starry, starry night, portraits hung in empty halls. frameless heads on nameless walls with eyes that watch the world and can't forget, like the strangers that you've met. the ragged men in the ragged clothes, the silver thorn, a bloody rose lie crushed and broken on the virgin snow...now i think i know what you tried to say to me. and how you suffered for your sanity, and how you tried to set them free. they would not listen, they're not listening still, perhaps they never will" ― ellie goulding, vincent (don maclean cover)  
   
"i have nature and art and poetry, and if that is not enough, what is enough?" ― vincent van gogh  
 
"i want to touch people with my art. i want them to say 'he feels deeply, he feels tenderly'." ― vincent van gogh, vincent's letters 

"everyone said to vincent van gogh, "you can't be a great artist, you only have one ear." and you know what he said? "i can't hear you" ― steve carell, comic 
 
"the night cafe and the starry night still emit such pathos, density, and intensity that they send shivers down the spine. whether vincent [van gogh] thought in color or felt with his intellect, the radical color, dynamic distortion, heart, soul, and part-by-part structure in these paintings make him a bridge to a new vision and the vision itself" ― jerry saltz   
 
"when van gogh painted the starry night as a swirling mass of cosmic energy, he may have been painting what he saw with neurotic eyes, but he was also painting what he saw with transcendent eyes. the first gave his painting mere form, the second gave it formless, universal emotion that connects directly to the viewer" ― amit goswami, quantum creativity
 
"when you see a paul gauguin [painting], you think: this man is living in a dream world. but when you see a vincent van gogh [painting], you think: this dream world is living in a man" ― adam gopnik
 
"we are only here on this planet for a little while...so dance, and love, and reflect what makes you happy, and then love and dance some more" ― bodhinku, the dance 
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MEANING
"just as a leaf know it is time, in the autumn, it embraces change, as it fearlessly lets go of the safety of the tree, falls and dances to where it needs to be...such a beautiful metaphor for all of us... just let go, dance, and fall in love with life's changes" ― bodhinku, dance
 
this image was captured way up in the rockies of southwestern colorado on a mountain pass close to telluride, co...the area is filled with beautiful golden glowing aspens in the autumn, and it truly a treat for the eyes, real eye-candy. in fact, the scenery of the roadway that leads you into the region from cortez, colorado is gorgeous. mile after mile, the views alongside colorado state route 145 are simply stunning, full of breathtaking colors for as far as the eye can see...
 
this impression was named "dance, dance" simply for the fact that the trees in the image appear as if they are dancing on a dance floor...some are dancing, some are watching, some are just standing around witnessing the others dancing up a storm...such a beautiful and unique scene in a forest of aspens...
 
colorado is the one state in america that's truly known for its beautiful glowing aspens, and one of its most famous mountain towns and ski resorts is even called "aspen"...getting to see the colorado aspens in the fall when they're in their golden foliage, is truly a site to see, and something everyone should be lucky enough to have the chance to witness with their own eyes someday...
 
and in colorado, up in the rocky mountains, way up high where the air is thin, the aspens are glowing pure gold, and breathing it all in literally takes your breath away...and these aspen trees are so carefree and happy. they're dancing, twisting and shouting, throwing their branches into the air like they just don't care, and letting their leaves fall where they may with no worries... 
 
going out in style, these vibrant trees are celebrating the coming winter. they're accepting the changes. no matter what happens, they're letting events unfold naturally, permitting what occurs without worry or regret. the aspens are letting their beauty fade by shedding their colors. letting things go, one by one as their leaves fall to the ground. knowing it is what it is, they let it lie, letting things be as they are meant to be, but still dancing worry-free the whole while. we all need to be more like these trees...
 
"dance in beauty 
seldom before seen,
amidst peaceful sounds 
throughout a forest so serene,
amongst trees and in-between, 
so fresh and clean
the birds' songs 
whispering their routine,
whilst light glows on 
aspen leaves so pristine,
a golden glowing sheen
so ageless, so soft, so sateen
oh please dance with me, 
my goddess, my love, my queen" ― bodhinku, dance
 
i wish i could have spent more time in the aspen forests up in the mountains, but i needed to be back in california to teach photography to my students in san diego county, plus attend a couple photo shows (which ended up being very successful and profitable), and because time is now running out on fall colours in the mountains, sadly i will not be able to visit them again this season before all of the golden leaves fall to the ground...but, my god the wonderful memories i have of spending the time i had in the glowing trees with my pup, besos! even if it was a shorter amount of time than i would have liked, we made the most of it as you have to do in life (and life is too short too)...
 
this song is my favorite by this alternative band from the 1980s out of philadelphia, pa. a band with such a unique sound layered with elements of rock, reggae, ska, classical, and folk music, often profoundly paired with brilliantly written lyrics...this song is from their "nervous night" album in 1985: "and we danced" by the hooters ... (just click on any of the words in the powder blue links to listen to the tune and watch the video) ...

"she was a be-bop baby on a hard day's night. she was hangin' on johnny, he was holdin' on tight. i could feel her coming from a mile away. there was no use talking, there was nothing to say when the band began to play and play. and we danced like a wave on the ocean, romanced. we were liars in love and we danced. swept away for a moment by chance, and we danced and danced and danced...i met my be-bop baby at the union hall. she could dance all night and shake the paint off the walls. but when i saw her smile across a crowded room, well i knew we'd have to leave the party soon as the band began to play out of tune. and we danced like a wave on the ocean, romanced. we were liars in love and we danced. swept away for a moment by chance, and we danced and danced and danced...the endless beat, she's walking my way. hear the music fade when she says: are we getting too close, do we dare to get closer? the room is spinning as she whispers my name. and we danced like wave on the ocean, romanced. we were liars in love and we danced. swept away for a moment by chance, and we danced, danced, and danced" ― hooters, and we danced  
 
"if but a moment
i have with you is one spent
dancing, i'm content" ― bodhinku, haiku: dancing together
 
"shall we dance in the rhythm of darkness or light? shall we dance in the realm belonging to our minds? shall we dance to the music of balance and peace? life is already complicated, our hearts should be at ease. i don't need the attention of millions, only this dance with you...shall we dance to the words of storm or of loving sunlight? shall we dance, talk, or just be? it doesn't matter, for no matter what, you will forever be dancing inside of me, as the biggest part of  me" ― bodhinku, let's dance
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MORE BODHIKU QUOTES
and now here are a few more quotes from bodhinku from past blogs to help add to the deeper meaning of this blog today...
 
will you dance with me?
please hold me to the rhythm 
beating in our hearts" ― bodhinku, haiku: dance with me
 
"i needed to be disconnected from my senses to truly understand who i was...it was a dance in the complete absence of music and movement, with my eyes closed, in the blinding silence amongst the trees, that brought me in contact with myself. without the void, i could not see the beautiful space i filled" ― bodhinku, dance in silence
 
"who cares if you're over 50, live and be alive like the trees. breathe it all in as you listen to autumn speak to you, letting go like every falling leaf, dancing in the hues of all these watercolours reflecting your life, and moments lived" ― bodhinku, dance
 
"if i were the trees, i would have my leaves transform to yellow and let them light up the sky with golden shade at sunset, and then they would circle about your head as they float down, falling in piles at your feet, so that you might know this wonder of falling in love" ― bodhinku
 
"and in colorado, way up high where the air is thin, the aspens are glowing pure gold...breathing it all in literally takes your breath away" ― bodhinku, colorado
 
"i get so high in colorado, but my high is natural from the elevation and all the colour that fills up my senses...the beautiful glowing golden aspen is my drug of choice" ― bodhinku, colorado
 
"they can dance alone or in a crowd, on a city street or a rolling hill above a farm, next to the beach or high up in the mountains...trees are the most versatile yet majestic dancers. no matter where they find themselves, they are always simultaneously touching the ground and reaching for the sky" ― bodhinku, dance
 
"my therapy is found somewhere out in nature, behind the lens of a camera...each time the shutter opens and closes, i am breathing in, and breathing out" ― bodhinku, my therapy 
 
"unload the weight of noise, become light enough in spirit and mind to play, and radiate, and sing, and dance down your chosen path" ― bodhinku, the dance
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MORE QUOTES FOR EXTRA MEANING
and what better song to include in my blog today for meaning than a song about the beauty of colorado and the problems of mankind trying to spoil that beauty, sung by a man with the last name the same as the capital of colorado, denver... "rocky mountain high" by john denver 

"he was born in the summer of his 27th year. coming home to a place he'd never been before. he left yesterday behind him, you might say he was born again. you might say he found a key for every door. when he first came to the mountains, his life was far away on the road and hanging by a song. but the string's already broken and he doesn't really care, it keeps changing fast and it don't last for long. but the colorado rocky mountain high. i've seen it rainin' fire in the sky. the shadow from the starlight is softer than a lullabye. rocky mountain high (colorado), rocky mountain high (high in colorado)...he climbed cathedral mountains, he saw silver clouds below. he saw everything as far as you can see, and they say that he got crazy once and he tried to touch the sun. and he lost a friend, but kept the memory. now he walks in quiet solitude the forest and the streams seeking grace in every step he takes. his sight has turned inside himself to try and understand the serenity of a clear blue mountain lake. and the colorado rocky mountain high. i've seen it raining fire in the sky. talk to god and listen to the casual reply. rocky mountain high (colorado), rocky mountain high (high in colorado)...now his life is full of wonder, but his heart still knows some fear of a simple thing he cannot comprehend. why they try to tear the mountains down to bring in a couple more, more people, more scars upon the land. and the colorado rocky mountain high. i've seen it rainin' fire in the sky. i know he'd be a poorer man if he never saw an eagle fly. rocky mountain high, it's a colorado rocky mountain high. and i've seen it rainin' fire in the sky. friends around the campfire and everybody's high. rocky mountain high (colorado), rocky mountain high (high in colorado)..." ― john denver, rocky mountain high  
 
"a smile is a reflection of your dancing heart and your joyful soul" ― gautama siddhartha buddha, sayings of buddha   

"some people dance with singing rain; some people get wet with misery and pain" ― confucius, the doctrine of the mean 
 
"the hard and mighty lie beneath the ground. while the tender and weak dance on the breeze above" ― lao tzu, tao te ching
 
"a recent scientific study found that the hearts of lovers really do beat in sync - that after only a few moments of close proximity they will begin to follow each other’s lead until they beat as one. as though our very hearts leap out of our chests, and ask one another to dance"― beau taplin
 
"from the beginning of the world i knew you...since time first stirred and the seasons were born, the memory of your mystery called in my veins awakening within me the truest memories of my soul, asking me, will you dance with me?" ― c. ara campbell  
 
"to be creative means to be in love with life. you can be creative only if you love life enough that you want to enhance its beauty, you want to bring a little more music to it, a little more poetry to it, a little more dance to it" ― osho, the hidden splendor 
 
"we are all different expressions of one reality, different songs of one singer, different dancers of one dance, different paintings of one great painter" ― osho, the buddha said...
 
"we must pass through solitude and difficulty, isolation and silence, to find that enchanted place where we can dance our clumsy dance and sing our sorrowful song. but in that dance, and in that song, the most ancient rites of our conscience fulfill themselves in the awareness of being human" ― pablo neruda, 100 love sonnets
 
"dance is a way of rising up into space, of discovering new dimensions while still remaining in touch with your body. when you dance, the spiritual world and the real world manage to coexist quite happily” ― paulo coelho, the witch of portobello 
 
"though you can’t always control what happens outside you, you can choose how you will respond. you can treat life as a dance rather than a wrestling match. you can become an active participant rather than a victim of circumstance" ― dan millman, way of the peaceful warrior
 
"all it takes is an eagerness to join the cosmic dance, and a willingness to seek the miracles of the soul" ― deepak chopra, buddha  
 
"if you have your attention on what is see its fullness in every moment you will discover the dance of the divine in every leaf in every petal in every blade of grass in every rainbow in every rushing stream in every breath of every living being...beyond memory and judgement lies the ocean of universal consciousness" ― deepak chopra, buddha  
 
"i feel in every girl there is a spirit, a wild pixie, that if let go, would run and dance through forests and grassy fields until the end of the world...but then that girl grows up, and that pixie hides, but it's always there, peeking out behind old eyes and reading glasses, laughing, waiting, to one day dance again" ― atticus, love her wild
 
“forget your voice, sing!
forget your feet, dance!
forget your life, live!
forget yourself and be!” ― kamand kojouri 
 
"let your life lightly dance on the edges of time like dew on the tip of a leaf" ― rabindranath tagore
 
"unfold your heart. sharpen your ears. and never say "no" to the world when it asks you to dance" ― tahereh mafi, ignite me 
 
"life is a dance. mindfulness is witnessing that dance" ― amit ray, world peace  
 
"dance as the narration of a magical story; that recites on lips, illuminates imaginations and embraces the most sacred depths of souls" ― shah asad rizvi
 
"dance is the timeless interpretation of life" ― shah asad rizvi
 
"going to the woods is going home...and into the forest i go, to lose my mind and find my soul" ― john muir 
 
"we should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once" ― friedrich nietzsche, twilight of the idols 
 
"i am satisfied...i see, dance, laugh, sing"  ― walt whitman, leaves of grass  
 
"dancing is a perpendicular expression of a horizontal desire" ― george bernard shaw
 
"the trees are standing...how lovely they are, spreading their arms like dancers. they know it's time to be still" ― cynthia rylant, in november 
 
"behind all dancers, there’s someone that broke them, a love that held them, a song that moved them, a moment that inspired them, and a dance floor that healed them"  ― hope alcocer, where hope lies
 
"i'm so glad i live in a world where there are octobers" ― l.m. montgomery, anne of green gables
 
"autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower" ― albert camus
 
"autumn is the time when nature takes her colours to the trees" ― laura jaworski 
 
“i loved to be alone in the woods, especially in the late fall when everything is crisp and golden, the leaves the color of fire, and it smells like things turning into earth. i loved the silence..." ― lauren oliver, before i fall
 
this first song is a classic love song from the late seventies (1079)...this tune has always been a favorite of mine, and is one of those songs that once you listen to it, it's nearly impossible to get it outta your head with its memorable melody, it'll just keep playing on repeat in your memory. it's got its own cool vibe and sound with a mix of folk, country and pop, and with its lyrics, it is the perfect accompaniment to connect music with the meaning of my impression and blog today: "swayin' to the music (slow dancin')" by johnny rivers ... i sound old, but they just do not make songs like this anymore...(just click on any of words in the blue links to listen to the song)...    

"it's late at night and we're all alone, just the music on the radio. no one's comin', no one's gonna telephone. just me and you and the lights down low...and we're slow dancin', swayin' to the music. slow dancin', just me and my girl. slow dancin', swayin' to the music, no one else in the whole wide world just you, girl...and we just flow together when the lights are low. shadows dancin' all across the wall. music's playin' so soft and slow, rest of the world so far away and small when we're slow dancin', swayin' to the music. slow dancin', just me and my girl. slow dancin', swayin' to the music, no one else in the whole wide world...hold me, oh, oh, oh, hold me, no never let me go...as we dance together in the dark, so much love in this heart of mine. you whisper to me, hold you tight. you're the one i thought i'd never find...now we're slow dancin', swayin' to the music. slow dancin', just me and my girl. slow dancin', swayin' to the music. no one else in the whole wide world. slow dancin', swayin' to the music, slow dancin', just me and my girl. slow dancin', swayin' to the music, no one else in the whole wide world, whole wide world" ― johnny rivers, swayin' to the music (slow dancin')   
 
"dancing is not just getting up painlessly, like a leaf blown on the wind; dancing is when you tear your heart out and rise out of your body to hang suspended between the worlds" ― jalaluddin rumi, hush don't say anything to god
 
"dance, when you're broken open. dance, if you've torn the bandage off. dance in the middle of the fighting. dance in your blood. dance when you're perfectly free" ― jalaluddin rumi, the essential rumi
 
"both light and shadow are the dance of love" ― jalaluddin rumi, the essential rumi
 
"in the house of lovers, the music never stops, the walls are made of songs & the floor dances" ― jalaluddin rumi, in the arms of the beloved

"find the real world, give it endlessly away. grow rich flinging gold to all who ask. live at the empty heart of paradox. i’ll dance there with you—cheek to cheek" ― jalaluddin rumi, in the arms of the beloved
 
"dance until you shatter yourself" ― jalaluddin rumi, the essential rumi
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ABOUT THE IMPRESSION
"as landscape photographers, we are dancers in nature, translating colors like music, into a form people can experience as art in their own personal space" ― bodhinku, translators
 
this impression was captured during a hail and rain storm in the mountains as a few random stray rays of sunlight broke through the clouds and lit up the scene for a couple minutes (painting moving light into my long exposure) mins on october 2nd, 2021...this composition is comprised of 6 separate long exposures taken in succession of each other, all in portrait orientation, all on the same plane (using a panhead tripod mount), and each with the same camera settings (f/11 @24mm for 111secs, iso-64)...and then all six of the photos were stitched together using the photomerge function in photoshop to create this 3:1 panoramic composition
 
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...
 
for this exposure, to get the effects and balance i was looking for, i used two progreyusa filters in the capture of this composition, a 3.0nd progrey antarctica filter to bring the light in the image down 10 stops to create this dreamy effect with a slight motion blur of the leaves and grass, plus naturally saturate all the yellows and reds in the image, and a 0.9gnd progrey aurora filter to help balance in-camera overall the image the way i envisioned it...in this case, to stop down the light in the sky at the top of the image an extra three stops and help permit details in the aspens and background shadows of the image to come out better...
 
i also used the progrey g-120z magnetic holder to hold the filters and secure them to my nikon d810 with a nikon nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8... 
 
and with this being a composition comprised of 6 long exposures at 111 seconds each, a stable and sturdy tripod is an absolute necessity in order to keep each of the images sharp and in line with each other for stitching together effectively...i wish to openly thank my sponsors who have always supported me through both the good and bad times...for truly this long exposure impression would not be possible without the use of my induro phq3 series 5-way panhead with an induro stealth carbon fiber tripod in combination with the progreyusa filters which i use with every photo i take...
 
"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" ― bodhinku, if nothing else
 
"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" ― bodhinku, into my photography
 
"contemplate without thinking. be certain only in your uncertainty. stop the world. slow down everything. let it all be. shut off the noise. hush. relax. seize this moment. reconnect. feel and sense what surrounds you. listen to all the colors 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!" ― bodhinku, my world
 
"my photography is my way of keeping a diary" ― bodhinku, my diary  
 
i 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
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please visit me at:
http://www.bodhismith.com
http://www.instagram.com/bodhismith
http://www.facebook.com/Bodhi.Impressions
 
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