Passages by Bodhi Smith

Jun 14, 2019

"passages" a new impression from bodhi smith

"things we do, things we say, cannot be undone. there is no going back, just forward as we learn what time teaches us. we reflect on ourselves and then continue through our passage in the direction towards the destination we decide, desire, and need to go...all our passages are constant reflections of who we were, who we are, and who we are becoming..." ― bodhinku, passages

“the sensuous person is liquid, flowing, fluid. through each experience, each passage, he becomes it. seeing a sunset, he is the sunset. seeing the night, dark night, beautiful silent darkness, he becomes the darkness. in the morning he becomes the light. he is all that life is. he tastes life from every nook and corner, hence he becomes rich. this is real richness, the true passage. listening to music he is music, listening to the sound of water he becomes that sound. and when the wind passes through a bamboo grove, and the cracking bamboos, and he is not far away from them: he is amidst them, one of them—he is a bamboo.”― osho, the secret of secrets   

"our photographs become our records, our reflections, of our time passages, they truly become our way of going back in time"― bodhinku, time passages
 
and for nice extra mood as you read this blog post of mine, if you get he chance, listen to this song by al stewart, time passages:

"all round the day was going down slow
night like a river beginning to flow
i felt the beat of my mind go
drifting into time passages
years go falling in the fading light, time passages
buy me a ticket on the last train home tonight
well i'm not the kind to live in the past
the years run too short and the days too fast
the things you lean on are the things that don't last
well it's just now and then my line gets cast into these
time passages
there's something back here that you left behind
time passages
buy me a ticket on the last train home tonight
hear the echoes and feel yourself starting to turn
don't know why you should feel
that there's something to learn
it's just a game that you play
well the picture is changing
now you're part of a crowd
they're laughing at something
and the music's too loud
a girl comes towards you
you once used to know
you reach out your hand
but you're all alone, in those time passages
i know you're in there, you're just out of sight
time passages
buy me a ticket on the last train home tonight"― al stewart, time passages  
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HISTORY
as my newest photographic impression, this was taken a few years ago in the early fall on the southeast coast of the south island of new zealand from st. clair beach in dunedin...although the passage of time has changed the scene of this spot on this beach, i am sooooo much looking forward to revisiting here, and reflecting anew on a new voyage and passage, as i will be revisiting here once again in february 2020...

the beach here and the dunes are often the victims of erosion as weather patterns frequently see series of storms hitting the city from the south. such erosion between 2002 and 2007 saw emergency measures taken to add sand to the dunes in 2007 and 2008. further erosion in 2013–2015 encroached on the dunes to the extent that a public footpath inland from the top of the dunes was permanently closed. this beach erosion is a long-term ongoing concern, as evidenced by attempts at beach protecting begun in 1904 which saw the addition of sturdy wooden piles and sand-breaks to the beach. the last surviving sets of wooden posts from these efforts are a landmark of st. clair beach, often seen as being the dividing line between st. clair and middle beaches. heavy storms during the winter of 2015 left these posts in poor condition, and it is likely they will not survive many more years...
 
and what you see here are two images merged together into one impression, a star image and a seascape image of the old wooden beach posts...my usual recipe was used for the star exposure, (and the inverted and imposed reflection layer in the wet sand) with no filters...but for the seascape part of this image, i used two gnd filters (progrey genesis 0.9gnd for sky, progrey genesis 0.3 gnd for wet sand reflection) to help balance the composition in-camera and one 10-stop progrey genesis 3.0nd filter to slow down time in order to permit for this ultra long 381 second exposure at f/11...and truly this impression would not be possible without the use of my trusty dolica tripod to stabilize the camera for the ultra-long exposure, in combination with the progreyusa filters which i use... 
 
 "we are only here on this planet for a little while, and we must make the most of the blessing of our time passage" ― bodhinku, time passage
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MEANING

this image is entitled as it is because of the numerous meanings to this word that can be found in this impression...to begin with, a passage is defined as:
1. the act or process of moving through, under, over, or past something on the way from one place to another.
2. the act or process of moving forward, such as the passage of time.
3. the right to pass through somewhere.
4. the action of passing through a place en route to a final destination.
5. a narrow way, typically having walls on either side.
6. the process of transition from one state to another.

 

everything in life is basically a passage through time and space...everything we do from the moment we are born until the moment we pass away, is a passage. anything we do and say is a passage. every word and poem we write is a passage. as time ticks away, it is a passage. when we travel across the ocean, it is a passage. when we well by another person, it is a passage. when we head towards our horizon, it is a passage. when we enter a channel, a flow of thoughts, or a relationship, it is a passage. as we cross a bridge, it is a passage. when we open and close doors, it is a passage. as we move on from this world, it is a passage. every painting we paint, every sculpture we create, and every photo we take is a passage...

 
and on top of all this, so many passages are references to the real and metaphorical at the same time...
 
if you think about it, anywhere that you are going is a passage from where you have been. you're currently venturing from where you used to be, heading towards where you need to be going....
 
as we do this, we pass through time as well, except in this passage, there is no going back, just forward as we learn what time teaches us. we reflect on ourselves and then continue through our passage in the direction towards the destination we decide, desire, and need to go...all our passages are constant reflections of who we were, who we are, and who we are becoming... our photographs become our records, our reflections, of our time passages, they truly become our way of going back in time...
 
this entire design of this concept of passages through time and space can be seen in my new image here, "passage"...purely full and deeply rich in both reality and metaphor.
 
there is the obvious path between these old beach posts, really an aisle leading directly down the waters edge and out to the small offshore island on the horizon (known as white island)...but also there is both the milky way in the sky and its own reflection in the wet sands of the beach...as you pass through this passage underfoot and towards the horizon, you are passing through both the pathway between the eroding wooden pylons and the reflection of the milk way as well...
 
and as this beach has made its passage through time, these pylons are no longer this way, most are gone, claimed by the ocean and it's unforgiving erosion and the relentless cycle of all things returning to the sea...there is no going back, only reflections of where we have been, just as a photograph is a reflection of one of our memories, an impression taking us back in time to the way things used to be...
 
and we never stop making our passages, we are in a constant voyage through our passages, always and continually will we pass through time and space, just as our planet passes through our solar system and then through the reflection of our own galaxy, the milky way in the night sky, as time patiently passes by...
 
and when all is said and done, we are only here on this planet for a little while, and we must make the most of the blessing of our time passage ...
 
and today i will wrap it all up as we move into and through a full moon with the energy of another major solar eclipse approaching in just two weeks, i must leave you with this, for i love this reflective passage written recently by c. ara campbell:
 
"the full moon is occurring in sagittarius at 25 degrees on june 17 at 4:31am est. this full moon marks the opening of the eclipse gateway. pay attention to your energy, as well as where you put your focus this full moon and during this pre-eclipse period, as what you focus on is supercharged and can manifest quickly during the eclipse cycle.
 
ythis full moon is illuminating the light of truth in our lives. we are being shown things in deep clarity, which can at times be overwhelming. as we are now in the eclipse season, this is a very intense and transformational time. what we are being shown, we need to see in order to move things forward in our lives.
 
during this moon, we are being shown where things have been stuck in a loop for far too long. this can be in situations or relationships that seem to not go anywhere. these have been very tiring scenarios, and ones that have exhausted our mental, physical and emotional resources, and in some cases financial resources as well. this full moon, as well as the eclipse cycles, is asking us to break away from these scenarios that are not going anywhere. we have learned great lessons in these places, but not everything is meant for us in the long term.
 
we can be experiencing some restlessness during this moon, which can make us want to move ahead in some areas without thinking things through. this can cause issues, if we don’t think of the consequences of our actions. we are also being shown areas where more serious commitment and attention is needed in order to move things forward. this can be showing us people who aren’t taking things seriously or who don’t want to put in the effort. we are reminded that we deserve to be surrounded by those who put in the same dedicated effort as we do" ― c. ara campbell
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MORE QUOTES FOR EXTRA MEANING  
“science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality. when we recognize our place in an immensity of light‐years and in the passage of ages, when we grasp the intricacy, beauty, and subtlety of life, then that soaring feeling, that sense of elation and humility combined, is surely spiritual. so are our emotions in the presence of great art or music or literature, or acts of exemplary selfless courage such as those of mohandas gandhi or martin luther king, jr. the notion that science and spirituality are somehow mutually exclusive does a disservice to both, each is a passage to the other.” ― carl segan, science as a candle in the dark
 
“what is hardest to accept about the passage of time is that the people who once mattered the most to us wind up in parentheses.” ― john irving, the cider house rules
 
“one heart is not connected to another through harmony alone. they are, instead, linked deeply through their wounds. pain linked to pain, fragility to fragility. there is no silence without a cry of grief, no forgiveness without bloodshed, no acceptance without a passage through acute loss. that is what lies at the root of true harmony.” ― haruki murakami, colorless
 
“footfalls echo in the memory, down the passage we did not take, towards the door we never opened, into the open” ― t.s. eliot, four quartets
 
“look on every exit as being an entrance to somewhere else.” ― tom stoddard, rosencrantz and guildenstern are dead
 
"the essence of a human being is resistant to the passage of time. our inner lives are eternal, which is to say that our spirits remain as youthful and vigorous as when we were in full bloom. think of love as a state of grace, not the means to anything, but the alpha and omega. the true passage to an end in itself.” ― gabriel garcia marquez, love in the time of cholera
 
“we live, we die. somewhere along the way, if we're lucky, we may find someone to help lighten the load.” ― justin cronin, the passage 
 
“compare, go on comparing yourself with everybody else with the passage of time, and a great jealousy will be the outcome. It is the by-product of the conditioning for comparison. otherwise, if you drop comparing, jealousy disappears. then you simply know you are you, and you are nobody else, and there is no need.” ― osho, emotional wellness  
 
"listen. 
all the awakened ones, 
like trusted sages are saying, 
'welcome this pain.'
it opens the dark passage of grace.” ― jalaluddin rumi, the soul of rumi
 
“if words come from the heart, they will enter the heart. if they come from the tongue, they will not find passage beyond the ears.” ― jalaluddin rumi, the soul of rumi
 
“i am totally lost in the folds of love, 
totally free of worry and care.
i have found passage beyond the four qualities.
my heart has torn away the veil of pretense.
there was a time i circled with the nine spheres, 
rolling with the stars across the sky.
there was a time i stayed by her side—
i lived in her world
and she gave me everything.
with the best of intentions
i became a prisoner in this form.
how else did i get here?
what crime did i commit?
but i’d rather be in a prison with my lover
than in a rose garden all alone.
i came to this world
people think they are born only once 
but life is a continual passage
but they have been here so many times.
in the cloak of this ragged body
i have walked countless paths.
how many times i have worn out this cloak!
with ascetics in the desert
i watched night turn into day.
with pagans in the temple
i slept at the foot of idols.
i’ve been a charlatan and a king;
i’ve been a healer, and fraught with disease.
i’ve been on my death-bed so many times...
floating up like the clouds 
pouring down like the rain.
but it never touched my robe.
so i gathered armfuls of roses
in this faded garden of existence.
i am not of wind nor fire
nor of the stormy seas.
i am not formed out of painted clay. 
i am the essence of laughter,
i am pure light.
look again if you see me— 
it’s not me you have seen!” ― jalaluddin rumi, the soul of rumi
 
“when pure love comes suddenly and taps
on your window, run and let it in but first
shut the door of your reason.
even the smallest hint chases love away
like smoke that drowns the freshness
of the morning breeze.
to reason, love can only say,
the way is barred, you can't pass through
but to the lover it offers a hundred blessings.
before the mind decides to take a step
love has reached the seventh heaven.
before the mind can figure how
love has climbed the holy mountain.
i must stop this talk now and let
love speak from its nest of silence.
this is the passage to love”  ― jalaluddin rumi, the soul of rumi
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"sometimes, it is just that time, time to move on into that next passage in your life story" ― bodhinku, next passage
 
"contemplate without thinking. stop the world. slow down everything. shut off the noise. relax. seize this moment. reconnect. feel and sense what surrounds you. listen to all the colors of light that envelope you. see the melody and harmony that floats about unnoticed. taste the solitude of all this wonderment. smell the beautiful silence within your peaceful serenity. then, reach out and touch your faith. this is my world. awaken." ― bodhinku, my world
 
above all else as always, i hope this message and image find you well.

namaste,
bodhi
 
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