Reaching Higher by Bodhi Smith

Jun 05, 2020

"reaching higher" a new impression from bodhi smith...
 
"the mountains serve as proof of reaching higher...so beautiful. so majestic. daily reaching up and touching the sky with their heads in the clouds. then nightly, reaching even higher, connecting the terrestrial to the celestial above, creating a pathway from the earth to the stars" ― bodhinku, terrestrial to celestial
 
"love lift us up where we belong, where the eagles cry on a mountain high...love lift us up where we belong, far from the world below, up where the clear winds blow" ― will jennings, up where we belong
 
"to reach a higher level of being, you must assume a higher concept of yourself" ― neville, the power of awareness
 
"lift me up to the stars, let me float into the milky way and feel the glowing light of god...true heaven to me" ― bodhinku, heaven to me
 
my choice of a truly beautiful tune to listen to accompany my blog today, is a song from a favorite movie of mine, an officer and a gentleman with richard gere and debra winger (1982): "up where we belong" by joe cocker & jennifer warnes...this song is perfect with its poignant lyrics written by will jennings...

"who knows what tomorrow brings in a world few hearts survive. all i know is the way i feel when it's real, i keep it alive. the road is long, there are mountains in our way, but we climb a step every day...love lift us up where we belong, where the eagles cry on a mountain high. love lift us up where we belong far from the world below, up where the clear winds blow...some hang on to what used to be, live their lives looking behind. but all we have is here and now. all our lives, out there to find,..the road is long, there are mountains in our way, but we climb a step every day...love lift us up where we belong where the eagles cry on a mountain high. love lift us up where we belong, far from the world we know, up where the clear winds blow...time goes by. no time to cry. life's you and i alive today...love lift us up where we belong where the eagles cry on a mountain high. love lift us up where we belong, far from the world we know, up where the clear winds blow...love lift us up where we belong where the eagles cry on a mountain high...love lift us up where we belong" ― joe cocker and jennifer warnes, up where we belong
 
"this beautiful mountain reaches high into the sky, and the stars reach down and give her a kiss" ― bodhinku, reaches high  
 
"a mountain keeps an echo deep inside. that's how i hold your voice" ― jalaluddin rumi, hush don't say anything to god  
---------------------- 
  
MEANING
"depending on the perspective and point of view in a photograph, just about everything on this earth in an image can reach for the stars and touch them...so as a photographer, why can't i just reach higher and touch the stars too?" ― bodhinku, reach higher
        
the meaning of this image is pretty straight forward. the picture is a metaphor of the mountain reaching up into the sky and touching the stars...it has the ideal of always keep growing, keep learning, reaching higher, reaching for the stars, because nothing is beyond your reach if you dream, hope, and aim high enough to push yourself enough to grow each day as you walk down your life's path to meaning
 
the mountains serve as proof of reaching higher...so beautiful. so majestic. daily reaching up and touching the sky with their heads in the clouds. then nightly, reaching even higher, connecting the terrestrial to the celestial above, creating a pathway from the earth to the stars and the milky way...and as i have stated many times before, i love the milky way...she is my beautiful temptress that visits me constantly in my visions, both awake and asleep. she is made up of the light glowing from billions of suns, shining eternally, leading me into and through the darkness, guiding my path...and my meaning is destined to be forever written in those stars of hers...
 
and, i am adding new memories of days spent hiking with besos (my new australian shepherd pup) and taking pictures in the eastern sierra of my california. images that come from my heart with these new experiences, especially under the milky way and the stars (just like today's new impression)...
 
there are a few more quotes from bodhinku to deeper realize this meaning, because honestly, both the mountains and the stars are truly written inside each of us, we just need to see that and believe in ourselves...
 
"there's a secret current behind the stars that carries you to the end of you" ― bodhinku, secret of the stars
 
"in sweet silence of the star light, i see her radiance glowing bright above, i feel her angelic innocence, i play in her magical wilderness...i know my focus is always up to her" ― bodhinku, bright above
 
"if the fate that lies in front of us is truly written above in the stars, then the path to the stars is truly written inside each of us, we just need to look inward and see that for ourselves..." ― bodhinku, inside each of us
 
"do not believe anything you hear, do not believe anything you see that is written. believe what you hear from your heart, believe what is written on your soul by the stars" ― bodhinku, what is written
 
"i love the milky way...she is my beautiful temptress that visits me constantly in my visions, both awake and asleep. she is made up of the light glowing from billions of suns, shining eternally, leading me into and through the darkness, guiding my path...and my meaning is destined to be forever written in those stars of hers" ― bodhinku, written in her stars
 
"sitting here on this night, under this glowing milky way, i feel so utterly lost in silence...and at the same time, i'm found, knowing my meaning is written somewhere into all those billions of stars above me" ― bodhinku, written somewhere
 
"i dream my photograph, and i photograph my dream..." ― bodhinku, my dream

"take in the stars, the milky way, the universe, everything in reflections of light and memories..breathe, let it be, for this is true meaning right now, embrace it and fall in love with that silent peace welling up inside you" ― bodhinku, silent peace
 
"quietly in silence, i adore the milky way...i have been obsessed with staring at her beauty for these past couple of years. i am amazed and fascinated by how beautiful she is, no matter what position in the sky, or location on this planet she is found. and i am further obsessed in trying to create photographic impressions of her to show the world just how much i am in love with everything about her...she is 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 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...i feel her, i see her, i listen to her, and then i simply breathe, and my spirit is wrapped up into the whispers of her sighs, and i exhale her love...i simply adore her. all of her" ― bodhinku, milky way silence
----------------------   
 
STORY BEHIND THE IMPRESSION
"just as the mountain reaches high for the sky and touches love in the stars, your soul should reach deep inside you and touch the love in your heart" ― bodhinku, soul deep love
 
pictured here is mount morrison of the eastern sierra mountains, north of bishop, ca and just south of mammoth lakes, ca...mount morrison is the classic shape of a mountain...the shape we always drew as mountain when we were children in our early art classes, drawing it as an upside down "vee"...this is absolutely my favorite mountain in all of the eastern sierra, and if i had the ability, i would love to have skied down it once in my lifetime...
 
this area is a virtually an unspoiled place in california, especially at night when the world disappears and everything goes to sleep. the commitment of noise falls to zero, and the silent peace of sky rock and the milky way rise to perfection...when you visit here, under these conditions...
 
"you deserve a love higher than the highest mountain
you deserve a love deeper than the deepest ocean
you deserve a love burning brighter than the brightest sun
you deserve my love, more lovely than a sea of flowers
you deserve my love, as endless as the circle of life
 you deserve my love, forever written into the stars" ― bodhinku, you deserve
----------------------
 
MORE QUOTES FOR EXTRA MEANING
the next song selection is a beautiful hard rock ballad that applies to these crazy turbulent times we are living right now as i type..."higher" by creed...(just click on any of words in the blue links to listen to the song)...
 
"when dreaming, i'm guided to another world. time and time again at sunrise, i fight to stay asleep because i don't want to leave the comfort of this place. because there's a hunger, a longing to escape from the life i live when i'm awake...so let's go there, let's make our escape. come on, let's go there. let's ask can we stay? can you take me higher to a place where blind men see? can you take me higher to a place with golden streets? although i would like our world to change, it helps me to appreciate those nights and those dreams. but, my friend, i'd sacrifice all those nights if i could make the earth and my dreams the same. the only difference is to let love replace all our hate...so let's go there. let's make our escape. come on, let's go there, let's ask can we stay? can you take me higher to a place where blind men see? can you take me higher to a place with golden streets? so let's go there, let's go there. come on, let's go there. let's ask can we stay? up high, i feel like i'm alive for the very first time set up high, i'm strong enough to take these dreams and make them mine. set up high, i'm strong enough to take these dreams and make them mine...can you take me higher? to a place where blind men see? can you take me higher? o a place with golden streets? can you take me higher? to a place where blind men see? can you take me higher? to a place with golden streets?" ― creed, higher
 
"do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate on the present moment...like the stars, come out from behind the clouds! shine" ― siddhartha gautama buddha, the dhammapada
 
"if you are quiet enough, you will hear the flow of the universe. you will feel its rhythm. go with this flow. you will notice things. the path to happiness lies ahead" ― siddhartha gautama buddha, the dhammapada

“the reason why heaven and earth are able to endure and continue this long is because they do not live for themselves” ― lao tzu, tao te ching
 
"i don't know whether the universe, with its countless galaxies, stars and planets, has a deeper meaning or not, but at the very least, it is clear that we humans who live on this earth face the task of making a happy life for ourselves. therefore, it is important to discover daily what will bring about the greatest degree of happiness" ― dalai lama xiv, the art of happiness
 
"you're my star, a stargazer too, and i wish that i were heaven, with a billion eyes to look at you!" ― plato, phaedrus
  
"light is the shadow of god" ― plato, phaedrus
 
"night air, good conversation, and a sky full of stars can heal almost any wound" ― beau taplin, remedy
 
"here is a journey to the stars; every sound, a prayer to the divine, every act of worship upon the altar of the other in deepest reverence and purest love. this is what they must mean by eternity; this sacred space formed by beating hearts and open souls. these are the moments of radiant bliss spoken in all ages of the world and in all languages...opening my eyes, i am struck by a deep truth. there is something i remember in the lines of your face; secrets etched upon the landscape so often seen by others and yet so little understood. oh, what treasures are hidden there" ― c. ara campbell, journey to the stars
"and i, infinitesimal being, drunk with the great starry void, likeness, image of mystery, i felt myself a pure part of the abyss, i wheeled with the stars, my heart broke loose on the wind" ― pablo neruda, all the odes
 
"we are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. life is eternal. 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
 
"a certain darkness is needed to see the stars" ― osho, the secret of secrets
 
"if hers are the stars in the nighttime sky, mine are the haunted empty spaces in between" ― nicholas sparks, dear john
 
"and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart...i carry your heart [i carry it in my heart]" ― e. e. cummings, i carry your heart
 
"when i have a terrible need of (shall i say the word) religion, then i go out and paint the stars" ― vincent van gogh, letters to theo
 
"at present i absolutely want to paint a starry sky. it often seems to me that night is still more richly coloured than the day; having hues of the most intense violets, blues and greens. if only you pay attention to it, you will see that certain stars are lemon-yellow, others pink or a green, blue and forget-me-not brilliance. and without my expatiating on this theme, it is obvious that putting little white dots on the blue-black is not enough to paint a starry sky" ― vincent van gogh, letters to theo
 
"looking at the stars always makes me dream, as simply as i dream over the black dots representing towns and villages on a map...why, i ask myself, shouldn’t the shining dots of the sky be as accessible as the black dots on the map of france? just as we take a train to get to paris or calais, we take death to reach a star. we cannot get to a star while we are alive, any more than we can take the train when we are dead. so to me it seems possible that fevers, tuberculosis and cancer are the celestial means of locomotion. just as steamboats, buses and railways are the terrestrial means. to die quietly of old age would be to go there on foot" ― vincent van gogh, letters to theo
 
"be clearly aware of the stars and infinity on high. then life seems almost enchanted after all" ― vincent van gogh, letters to theo
 
"there must be a glowing light above. the joy must escape in light through the stones and shine dimly into the darkness. it is impossible that this sacred festival of destiny should not send a celestial radiation to the infinite. love is the sublime crucible in which is consummated the fusion of the final being, the human trinity springs from it. this birth of two souls into one space must be an emotion for space" ― victor hugo, les miserables

"you know that it would be untrue. you know that i would be a liar if i was to say to you: girl, we couldn't get much higher...come on baby, light my fire, try to set the night on fire. the time to hesitate is through. no time to wallow in the mire. try now we can only lose and our love become a funeral pyre...come on baby, light my fire, try to set the night on fire..." ― jim morrison (the doors), light my fire  

"to get the best view of life, you have toreach heights above the life" ― amit ray, peace bliss beauty and truth
 
"for, after all, everyone who wishes to gain true knowledge must climb the hill of difficulty alone, and since there is no royal road to the summit, i must zigzag it in my own way. i slip back many times, i fall, i stand still, i run against the edge of hidden obstacles, i lose my temper and find it again and keep it better, i trudge on, i gain a little, i feel encouraged, i get more eager and climb higher and begin to see the widening horizon. every struggle is a victory. one more effort and i reach the luminous cloud, the blue depths of the sky, the uplands of my desire. i am not always alone, however, in these struggles" ― helen keller, the story of my life
 
"the beautiful is hidden from the eyes of those who are not searching for the truth, for whom it is contra-indicated. But the profound lack of spirituality of those people who see art and condemn it, the fact that they are neither willing nor ready to consider the meaning and aim of their existence in any higher sense, is often masked by the vulgarly simplistic cry, 'I don't like it!', 'It's boring!' It is not a point that one can argue; but it like the utterance of a man born blind who is being told about a rainbow. He simply remains deaf to the pain undergone by the artist in order to share with others the truth he has reached" ― helen keller, the story of my life
 
"it's a curse, you know, to be able to look higher than you're allowed to reach " ― ayn rand, we the living
 
"i am. i think. i will. my hands...my spirit...my sky...this earth of mine....what more must i say besides? these are the words. this is the answer. i stand here on the summit of the mountain i lift my head and i spread my arms. this, my body and spirit, this is the end of the quest. i wished to know the meaning of things. i am the meaning. i wished to find a warrant for being. i need no warrant for being, and no word of sanction upon my being. i am the warrant and the sanction. it is my eyes which see, and the sight of my eyes grants beauty to the earth. it is my ears which hear, and the hearing of my ears gives its song to the world. it is my mind which thinks, and the judgment of my mind is the only searchlight that can find the truth. it is my will which chooses, and the choice of my will is the only edict i must respect. whatever road i take, the guiding star is within me; the guiding star and the loadstone which point the way. they point in but one direction. they point to me. i know not if this earth on which i stand is the core of the universe or if it is but a speck of dust lost in eternity. i know not and i care not. for i know what happiness is possible to me on earth. and my happiness needs no higher aim to vindicate it. my happiness is not a means to any end. it is the end. it is its own goal. it is its own purpose. neither am i the means to any end others may wish to accomplish. i am not a tool for their use. i am not a servant of their needs. i am not a bandage on their wounds. i am not a sacrifice on their altars. i am me." ― ayn rand, we the living
 
"boundaries emerge from deep within. they are connected to letting go of guilt and shame, and to changing our beliefs about what we deserve. as our thinking about this becomes clearer, so will our boundaries. boundaries are also connected to a higher timing than our own. we’ll set a limit when we’re ready, and not a moment before. so will others. there’s something magical about reaching that point of becoming ready to set a limit. we know we mean what we say; others take us seriously too. things change, not because we’re controlling others, but because we’ve changed" ― melody beattie, the language of letting go
 
"we've always defined ourselves by the ability to overcome the impossible. and we count these moments. these moments when we dare to aim higher, to break barriers, to reach for the stars, to make the unknown known. we count these moments as our proudest achievements. but we lost all that. or perhaps we've just forgotten that we are still pioneers. and we've barely begun. and that our greatest accomplishments cannot be behind us, because our destiny lies above us" ― greg keyes, interstellar
 
"on the mountains of truth you can never climb in vain: either you will reach a point higher up today, or you will be training your powers so that you will be able to climb higher tomorrow" ― friedrich nietzsche
 
“it's one of the ironies of mountaineering, that grown men are happy to spend months preparing for a climb, weeks rehearsing and honing their skills, and at least a day attempting to reach the summit. and then, having achieved their goal, they spend just a few moments enjoying the experience, along with one or two equally certifiable companions who have little in common other than wanting to do it all again, but a little higher" ― jeffrey archer, paths of glory
 
"forty is a most beautiful age for both men and women. did you know that in mystic thought forty symbolizes the ascent from one level to a higher one and spiritual awakening? when we mourn we mourn for forty days. when a baby is born it takes forty days for him to get ready to start life on earth. and when we are in love we need to wait for forty days to be sure of our feelings. the flood of noah lasted forty days, and while the waters destroyed life, they also washed all impurity away and enabled human beings to make a new, fresh start. in islamic mysticism there are forty degrees between man and god. likewise, there are four basic stages of consciousness and ten degrees in each, making forty levels in total. jesus went into the wilderness for forty days and nights. muhammad was forty years old when he received the call to become a prophet. buddha meditated under a linden tree for forty days. not to mention the forty rules of shams. you receive a new mission at forty, a new lease on life! you have reached a most auspicious number. congratulations! and don’t worry about getting old. there are no wrinkles or gray hair strong enough to defy the power of forty!"― elif shafak, the forty rules of love
 
"no one starts out on top. you have to work your way up. some mountains are higher than others, some roads steeper than the next. there are hardships and setbacks, but you can't let them stop you. even on the steepest road, you must not turn back. you must keep going up. in order to reach the top of the mountain, you have to climb every rock" ― muhammad ali
 
"we climbed this hill. each step up we could see farther, so of course we kept going. now we’re at the top. science has been at the top for a few centuries now. and we look out across the plain and we see this other tribe dancing around above the clouds, even higher than we are. maybe it’s a mirage, maybe it’s a trick. or maybe they just climbed a higher peak we can’t see because the clouds are blocking the view. so we head off to find out—but every step takes us downhill. no matter what direction we head, we can’t move off our peak without losing our vantage point. so we climb back up again. we’re trapped on a local maximum. but what if there is a higher peak out there, way across the plain? the only way to get there is to bite the bullet, come down off our foothill and trudge along the riverbed until we finally start going uphill again. And it’s only then you realize: hey, this mountain reaches way higher than that foothill we were on before, and we can see so much better from up here. but you can’t get there unless you leave behind all the tools that made you so successful in the first place. you have to take that first step downhill" ― peter watts, echopraxia
 
“sometimes the things we do a second time around are better, and hold more value, because we take the time to reflect and review, and revive them through a higher love. don't be afraid to try again and do-over with greater wisdom, a fresh set of eyes, and a renewed hope. life is not a straight line of first time successes. it's the road that is paved with failure and seemingly wrong turns that provides us with character, emotional grit and inner muscle to find new perspectives. the only expiry date to your dreams, intentions or goals is the one you allow to soak into your soul" ― christine evangelou, stardust and star jumps
 
"there is another language beyond language, another celestial place beyond heaven. precious gems come from another mine, the heart draws light from another source...what's inside" ― jalaluddin rumi, the soul of rumi
 
"stars burn clear all night till dawn. do that yourself, and a spring will rise in the dark with water your deepest thirst is for" ― jalaluddin rumi, hush don't say anything to god 
 
"the universe and the light of the stars come through you, into me" ― jalaluddin rumi, in the arms of the beloved
 
 "oh please just let me sit here under the stars, on the threshold of two worlds. lost in the eloquence of silence" ― jalaluddin rumi, hush don't say anything to god
----------------------  
 
ABOUT THE IMPRESSION
"the most important thing is not any single one thing, it is a set of things all taken collectively...you must dream your dreams, breathe, hope, smile, fail, learn, laugh, love, cry, and work hard each day, reaching higher every day, to one day achieve the meaning of your life" ― bodhinku, reaching higher
 
the impression which you see here is comprised of two separate exposures taken within a couple hours of each other and put together as one...in my photography i always use filters to create longer exposure effects and to 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...no filters were used in the exposure of the stars, but for the exposure of mount morrision and baby morrison, to get the effects and balance and saturation i was looking for, i used two filters...for this, i chose to use the magnetic 3.0nd progrey antarctica filter (and progrey g-120z holder) to allow for a much longer exposure (10 stops) to smooth out the clouds in the sky (for blending purposes) and allow for more saturation of the reds in the rocks to be present in the image...plus in combination with the 0.9gnd progrey g120 aurora filter to help balance in-camera overall the image the way i envisioned it, as the blended sky was much more brighter, about 3 stops brighter than the rest of the darker parts, especially the darker rock at the bottom of peak up front, and the shadows of the chutes in the image composition...
 
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 trusty dolica tripods in combination with the progreyusa filters which i use with every photo i take...
 
"always keep growing, keep learning, reaching higher, reaching for the stars, because nothing is beyond your reach if you dream, hope, and aim high enough to push yourself enough to grow each day as you walk down your life's path to meaning" ― bodhinku, keep reaching higher
 
"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. now discover your peaceful serenity. then, reach out and touch your faith with all your senses. this is my world. awaken!" ― bodhinku, my world
 
above all else as always, i hope this message and impression find you well.

namaste,
bodhi
-------------------------------------------------

please visit me at:
http://www.bodhismith.com
http://www.instagram.com/bodhismith
http://www.facebook.com/Bodhi.Impressions
 
#progreyusa #filters #dolica #tripod #nikon #d810 #lowepro #columbia #longexposure #california #eastern #sierra #mountains #airglow #mount #morrison #convict-creek #mammoth #heaven #alpine #glow #clarity #stars #milkyway #astronomy #space #night #starlight #dreaming #inspiration #peace #tranquility #love #joy #wish #hope #believe #dream #faith #namaste #impressionist #expressionist #surreal #bodhi #bodhinku #jalaluddin #rumi #osho #lao #coelho #neruda #gautama #siddhartha #buddha