Spirit by Bodhi Smith

Jun 04, 2021

"spirit" a brand new impression and blog from me...
 
"i inhaled the spirit surrounding me, feeling my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery—air, ocean, stars, the lonesome tree...i thought, this is what it's like to be happy" ― bodhinku, spirit
 
"here is the deepest secret nobody knows (here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide) and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart...i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)" ― e.e. cummings
 
"a storm howls in my soul. a wild torrent of madness, feral, dark and raw, echoing my longing through the ancient cypress trees...the cliffs bears witness to the spell that forms upon my lips. a ritual woven of hope and aching desire whispered to the crashing waves, witnessed by a blanket of starlight...there i stand in the darkness, digging my roots deep into the moss and rocks below. anchored in the solace of the earth, awaiting the rebirth that comes with in the illumination of the milky way...i'm the altar upon which the winds of change do blow. here i wait in silent worship. surrendering at the edge of the unknown, opening to all that lies beyond...at long last she rises, a jewel shining on the horizon calling to the depths of my spirit. a feast of nightsong to sooth these weary bones, her great strength granted to my outstretched branches...here my spirit is born. here my eyes finally see. here where all things are eternally free" ― c. ara campbell, the storm in my soul (modified by bodhinku)
 
"if we surrendered our spirit to earth's intelligence, we could rise up rooted, like trees" ― rainer maria rilke, love poems to god
 
“respond to every call
that excites your spirit”  ― jalaluddin rumi, poems of ecstasy and longing
 
"take hold of your own life.
see that the whole existence is celebrating.
the tree is not serious, the bird is not serious.
the ocean is wild,
and everywhere there is fun,
everywhere there is joy and delight.
watch existence,
listen to the existence and become part of it's spirit" ― osho, zen, the path of paradox
 
"trees have always been the most penetrating preachers...i revere them when they stand alone. they are like lonely persons. not like hermits who have stolen away out of some weakness, but like great, solitary men, like beethoven and buddha. in their highest boughs the world rustles, their roots rest in infinity; but they do not lose themselves there, they struggle with all the force of their lives for one thing only: to fulfill themselves according to their own laws, to build up their own form, to represent themselves. nothing is holier, nothing is more exemplary than a beautiful, strong tree” ― herman hesse, baume
 
"what he had yearned to embrace was not the flesh but a downy spirit, a spark, the impalpable angel that inhabits the flesh, wind, sand and stars" ― richard bach, jonathan livingston seagull 
 
"spend your life here and now with a soul so spirited, one who would make heaven and a trip to the stars feel like a downgrade" ― bodhinku, spirited    
 
this song carries the same title as my impression today, but what makes it the perfect tune to accompany my blog and connect music with the meaning of my impression today is its lyrics, i especially love the repeated refrain of "there's no give up, give up, give up, give up in us"... it's truly an inspirational tune with its message, with its melody, and with how lovely it's sung... "spirit" by judah & the lion ... (just click on any of the words in the blue links to listen to the musical selection)....
 
"you started out there with fire down in your bones. no walls to tear down, no chains that could keep you closed. then it went wrong, now you're alone. stories without a few let-downs are boring when told. perfection and poems are a lie when it all unfolds. so when it goes wrong, then comes a song...we got spirit and i know you feel it. there's no give up, give up, give up, give up in us. we got spirit and i know you hear it. there's no give up, give up, give up, give up in us...your path was running easy whеn the feeling was strong. who do you choose to be whеn the feeling is gone? so when you're alone, or you sing along, we got spirit and i know you feel it. there's no give up, give up, give up, give up in us. we got spirit and i know you hear it. there's no give up, give up, give up, give up in us..." ― judah & the lion, spirit   
 
"we all travel the milky way together, trees and people" ― john muir, the mountains of california
 
“keep your spirits up in the branches of a tree and do not peek out too far” ― jalaluddin rumi, the essential rumi
 
"i look up in
hope, dreaming to be
brightened up, and
begotten out of
this hazy funk, and
suddenly, i
see
my light glowing
high above me, she
is
warming certainty
wearing her
glowing bands, as
my spirit rises up to
kiss her, i smile
clearly" ― bodhinku, my spirit   
----------------------
 
MEANING
"within mine own spirit, i hold each of thine own beautiful spirits, of hope, of joy, of love...i'm the spirit of thou's light" ― bodhinku, spirit
 
in the english language, the word "spirit" has numerous meanings, but two of them really apply as both have a dual meaning here for my impression...in these two ways "spirit" is defined as:
 
1. the nonphysical part of a person which is the seat of emotions and character; the soul
2. the quality of courage, energy, and determination or assertiveness attributed to a living being and their actions
 
i love trees, they're always one of my most favorite subjects in which to create an impression, especially the lone tree, so solitary and eloquent...   
 
the tree pictured here is a beautiful ancient spirit. full so much spirit, full of such silent wisdom that we all can learn something from each visit in front of the lone cypress...and being in this place lifts my spirit, always makes me feel better, happier, more alive...
 
being around this tree really puts life into a frame of perspective as you are standing in front of an old sage, over two centuries old, a tree that has persevered through so much weather and elements of time perched solitary on a cliff high above the ocean, full of majesty and wisdom...making you humble and feel so insignificant witnessing the scene, a feeling we all need to experience when our egos get the better of us as they often do...  
 
i inhaled the spirit surrounding me, feeling my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery—air, ocean, stars, the lonesome tree...i thought, "this is what it's like to be happy"...  
 
and each of us has that one soul close to us who we find the spirit of our life within...they inspire us, make us live, they are our best friend. they add the color to our world and encourage us to color outside the lines. they are there to care for us, trust us, understand us, and love us unconditionally. that one soul who helps us believe in ourselves so that we are not afraid to risk it all, to love to the fullest, and live life to its maximum potential...transforming us into the spirit of their light...  
 
"joyful, joyful, joyful,
as only dogs know how to be happy
with only the autonomy
of their shameless spirit" ― pablo neruda, 100 love sonnets
 
i'm blessed and lucky to have found that soul, and this picture is full of his spirit flowing out through me into this composition...and you can clearly see him herein as the glowing milky way, lighting up my darkness with his joy, hope, and love to empower me with faith and let me know i am not alone to follow my path to where i must go...
 
i hope you too can spend your life here and now with a soul so spirited, one who would make heaven and a trip to the stars feel like a downgrade... 
 
“yours is the light by which my spirit's born" ― e.e. cummings
 
and here is another beyond beautiful tune, read the lyrics and you will be able to connect this tune to the deeper meaning behind my impression today. it's a song from the movie, "the lion king", and it sung so magically and ethereally by beyonce, such a truly beautiful musical song about spirit, that will raise your spirit as you listen to it... "spirit" by beyonce ... (just click on any of words in the blue links to listen to the song)... 
 
"uishi kwa muda mrefu mfalme, uishi kwa muda mrefu mfalme...yeah, yeah the wind is talking. yeah, yeah for the very first time with a melody that pulls you towards it painting pictures of paradise. saying, rise up to the light in the sky, yeah...watch the light lift your heart up. burn your flame through the night. whoa, spirit, watch the heavens open yeah. spirit, can you hear it calling? yeah, yeah and the water's crashing trying to keep your head up high while you're trembling, that's when the magic happens. and the stars gather by, by your side sayin' rise up to the light in the sky, yeah. let the light lift your heart up, burn your flame through the night. yeah, spirit watch the heavens open. yeah spirit can you hear it callin'? yeah, your destiny is coming close. stand up and fight. so go into that far off land, and be one with the great i am, i am...a boy becomes a man. whoa, spirit watch the heavens open. yeah. spirit, can you hear it calling? yeah spirit, yeah. watch the heavens open, open. yeah. spirit, spirit, can you hear it calling? yeah your destiny is coming close. stand up and fight. so go into a far off land and be one with the great i am" ― beyonce, spirit (from the lion king)
 
"live life unbound and never let anyone or anything hold you back or control you...just let go of your restraints; express yourself, be free-spirited and let your amazing true colors flow freely...once you do this, you'll be guided by all that is natural and real from your heart and soul, you will abide by your inner truth and your spirit will soar..." ― bodhinku, spiritual
 
----------------------
 
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...
 
"you are everything everywhere...my spirit rises up in your light, my heart blossoms in your colors, and my soul is born into your shade" ― bodhinku, everything everywhere   
 
"when she touches my heart, my entire world brightens up, and i can feel my spirit rising (along with other parts of me too!)" ― bodhinku, rising
 
"everywhere i see
you're every star, bird, and tree
everything to me" ― bodhinku, haiku
----------------------
 
STORY BEHIND THIS IMPRESSION
"the tree tops whisper your name when i'm missing you the most. your shadow is observing me... it all reminds me how much more my spirit glows in your presence" ― bodhinku, spirit
 
pictured here is the famous lone cypress tree tenaciously perched on its cliff at the sea's edge just after the sunset. and it's a site that's easily found along the beautiful 17 mile road that winds through the affluent community of pebble beach, ca...

if there was a hall of fame for trees, first-ballot entries would definitely include the avenue of the baobabs in madagascar, the cedars of god in lebanon, general sherman in the giant forest of sequoia national park and the tree of life in bahrain....

also a sure-fire hall of famer is the lone cypress. you’ve probably seen at least one photograph at some point in your life of the lone cypress. it stands along the famously scenic 17-mile drive on the monterey peninsula in pebble beach, ca (which you must pay $10.75usd to gain access and drive the private road)...it's raked by wind, swaddled in fog, clinging to its wave-lashed granite pedestal like god’s own advertisement for rugged individualism.
 
the lone cypress improbably sprung from a seedling on that rocky outcropping before the birth of our country, some 250 years ago. now, it might be the most photographed tree in north america. it sits alongside one of the world’s most beautiful (and expensive) golf courses. it's a marketing tool, a registered trademark, a western icon...

founder and staunch environmentalist samuel f.b. morse identified the lone cypress as the ideal embodiment of pebble beach resorts: "the solidity of the rock, vaguely reminiscent of gibraltar, yet with the life of a rugged tree, native only to this area, clinging with tenacity above the power of the ocean. land, tree and ocean were the basis of this development, and therefore the lone cypress became the perfect symbol"

this is one spindly old conifer, small for its species, scarred by a long-ago arson and attempted vandalism. and for more than 65 years, half-hidden steel cables have held the tree in place.
 
and in mid-february of 2019, a severe pacific winter storm with gale force winds pounded the monterey peninsula and damaging hundreds of trees, including the lone cypress, breaking off a major limb and reducing its size by about 1/3...

the pebble beach company reported to the associated press that despite the damage, an arborist examined the cypress and confirmed it is “healthy and remains secure on its rocky perch,” and that the loss of a limb was “a natural part of the evolution of the lone cypress tree.” (the lone cypress has been the registered trademark of the pebble beach company for over 100 years since 1919)

even if you haven’t read don delillo’s novel “white noise,” you have felt like the character in it who gazes upon tourists as they gaze upon the most-photographed barn in america. "no one sees the barn," he says, "once you’ve seen the signs about the barn, it becomes impossible to see the barn." people take pictures of it and leave to say that they have been there and seen that barn. but they did not really see it or experience it. they simply took a photo and went about their trip and the rest of their life...
 
it's exactly that same way with the lone cypress. people come, stay briefly, take a picture, and go about the rest of their sightseeing. even other professional photographers take their picture and move on, with their focus being on getting that "money shot" rather than feeling the tree and its unique surroundings...and that's a huge shame imho...
 
so when you finally get to such a magical place, you want to spot something that will draw you closer or transform your perspective. you want to understand what’s changed and what hasn’t since that first person who tried to capture this tree with their camera. and you want to know what waits beyond the edge of what others have seen, your own point of view and perspective...  

i always want to see what i'm photographing...i stay many hours and often revisit a location numerous times before i ever capture an impression with my camera which i feel is worthy of the essence of my subject and does it justice. as is the case here, i have taken many pictures of lone cypress through the years, but have never been happy with my results until now...
 
while still remaining true to my style of long exposure photography, i feel i've managed to capture the lone cypress' majesty, its perseverance, its ability to hold on to its life and place on its cliff. catching at the same time, its rugged individualism that's so symbolic of the california lifestyle, and that of my own personally...
 
the los angeles times describes the mystical and inspiring tree this way: "it stands along famously scenic 17-mile drive, raked by wind, swaddled in fog, clinging to its wave-lashed granite pedestal like god’s own advertisement for rugged individualism...this tree is to the monterey peninsula what the pyramids are to egypt, what the eiffel tower is to paris"
 
"the true art of photography, is all about enjoying the entire experience, feeling everything all around you with all your senses, surrounding your entire soul in the dance of nature that is surrounding you. it's not about just capturing the picture and going home contented..." ― bodhinku, the dance of nature
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SPIRIT ANIMATED MOVIES
today is also the release date for a new animated film from dreamworks entitled "spirit untamed" (movie trailer), it's kind of a sequel to the dreamworks animated movie in 2002 called "spirit"...both movies fit in with the spirit and feel of my image and blog today...
 
my god, watch this video about spirit, centered around a horse in the dreamworks animation called, "spirit" from 2002...and listen to the words sung by john denver...how can you not fall in love with hope and warming happiness?... "spirit" by john denver ... (just click on any of the words in the blue links to listen to the musical selection)....
 
"his spirit joined and so was formed ten thousand years ago between the swan and hercules where even dark clouds glow. to live with grace, to ride the swell, to yet be strong of will. to love the wind, to learn it's song and empty space to fill. apollo taught me to rhyme. orpheus taught me to play. andromeda cast down her sign, and vega lights my way. smoke rings in a galaxy, an endless flight through time. lyra gave her harp to him, and left him free to climb. a winter's journey from the moon to reach the summer sun, to rise again, to sing for you a song that's yet unsung...apollo taught me to rhyme, orpheus taught me to play, andromeda cast down her sign and vega lights my way. his spirit joined and so was formed, ten thousand years ago between the swan and hercules where even dark clouds glow. to live with grace, to ride the swell, to yet be strong of will. to love the wind, to learn her song, and empty space to fill" ― john denver, spirit   
---------------------
 
MORE QUOTES FOR EXTRA MEANING
"praise and blame, gain and loss, pleasure and sorrow come and go like the wind. to be happy, rest like a giant tree in the midst of them all" ― gautama buddha, sayings of buddha
 
"when there is silence, one finds the spirit of the universe within oneself" ― lao tzu, tao te ching
 
"the sun shines not on us but in us. the trees wave and the flowers bloom in our bodies as well as our souls, and every bird song, wind song, and tremendous storm song of the rocks in the heart of the mountains is our song, our very own, and sings our love"  ― john muir, the yosemite

"a great photograph is a full expression of what one feels about what is being photographed in the deepest sense and is thereby a true expression of what one feels about life in its entirety...no one has the right to dictate what other men should perceive, create or produce, but all should be encouraged to reveal themselves, their perceptions and emotions, and to build confidence in the creative spirit" ― ansel adams
 
"my religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details and illuminations we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble minds" ― albert einstein  

"great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds" ― albert einstein
 
"if only we try to live righteously, we shall fare well, even though we are bound to encounter genuine sadness and real disappointments and shall probably commit real mistakes and do things that are wrong, but it is certainly better to be ardent in spirit, even though one makes more mistakes, than narrow-minded and overly-cautious" ― vincent van gogh 
 
"honor your spirit to live life to your deepest desires...chase your dreams like your life depends on it...your dreams are waiting for you, at the edge of all the uncertainty and clinging to the comfortable. there will never be a better time than right now to run full tilt in the direction of exactly what you want. stop letting the world dictate what you should do and who you should be. this is a call to take responsibility for the creation of the world we want to live and to not let the naysayers stand in our way anymore...start moving in the direction of what you want spiritually. go slowly if need be, but start right now. follow your dreams. move away from what isn’t feeding the soul. maybe that’s a relationship, a job, materialism, or an old belief. honor this moment by not putting up with what isn’t nourishing you. speak your truth...i want you to honor those dreams like the living, breathing destiny that they are inside your spirit. because the truth is, if you don’t bring it to life, no one will" ― c. ara campbell (modified by bodhinku)
 
"perhaps you are not yet where you feel you should be...but from one dreamer to another, a careful word of advice: you could reach every last one of your goals and still find yourself unfulfilled at the finishing line...the true essence of life exists in the in-between. it is in the striving, that your excellence is exposed to the world. it is in the setbacks, that the strength of your spirit is learned. in the unfinished dream lies the full and burning heart of life...it is only a spell of the mind, an artful deception, that you might find fulfillment in fortune, fame, perfection or power. but, real fulfilling life is not lived here. the real fulfillment exists in the distance you still have left to travel. that is where the true magic happens" ― beau taplin (modified by bodhinku), the ascent
 
"what did the trees learn from the earth, to be able to talk with the sky? ...and why do the trees conceal the splendor of their roots?" ― pablo neruda, the book of questions
 
"it's what you have always wanted to accomplish. everyone, when they are young, knows what their destiny is. at that point in their lives, everything is clear and everything is possible. they are not afraid to dream, and to yearn for everything they would like to see happen to them in their lives. but, as time passes, a mysterious force begins to convince them that it will be impossible for them to realize their dream... it's a force that appears to be negative, but actually shows you how to realize your destiny. it prepares your spirit and your will, because there is one great truth on this planet: whoever you are, or whatever it is that you do, when you really want something, it's because that desire originated in the soul of the universe. it's your mission on earth." ― paulo coelho, the alchemist
 
"the ego is your enemy, not your friend. the ego weakens your spirit. it is the ego that gives you wounds and hurts you. it is the ego that makes you violent, angry, jealous, competitive. it is the ego that is continuously comparing and feeling miserable" ― osho, the responsibility of being oneself
 
"look at the trees, look at the birds, look at the clouds, look at the stars… and if you have eyes you will be able to see that the whole existence is joyful. everything is simply happy. trees are happy for no reason; they are not going to become prime ministers or presidents and they are not going to become rich and they will never have any bank balance. look at the flowers - for no reason. it is simply unbelievable how happy flowers are" ― osho
 
"beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the spirit" ― kahlil gibran, le prophete  

"trees are poems the earth writes upon the sky, we fell them down and turn them into paper, that we may record our emptiness" ― kahlil gibran, le prophete  
 
"we must know with absolute certainty that essentially we are spirit" ― rabindranath tagore
 
"the ocean that washes all your sins is flowing inside you. every time you go inward and take a dip into the waves of nothingness, a new version of your spirit emerges out of it" ― shunya 
 
"take the spirit
of the evenings
in your arms
kiss it deeply
and then
make love
to the tranquility
 
"i have known you since the beginning of time...the one i have loved always in spirit...only just discovered in person" ― sanober khan, turquoise silence
 
"love is that condition in the human spirit so profound that it allows me to survive, and better than that, to thrive with passion, compassion, and style" ― maya angelou
 
"i have come to accept the feeling of not knowing where i am going. and i have trained myself to love it. because it is only when we are suspended in mid-air with no landing in sight, that we force our wings to unravel and alas begin our flight. and as we fly, we still may not know where we are going to. but the miracle is in the unfolding of the wings. you may not know where you're going, but you know that so long as you spread your wings, the winds will carry your spirit" ― c. joybell c. 
 
"she walks the earth freely, yet her feet never touch the ground. many hands will reach for her, but she cannot be anchored. she belongs to no one, to nothing, to nowhere. when you meet her, you will recognize her for what she is: a free spirit, a wandering star. she will fit in your arms like she was made to be there. and she will show you what it means to hold something you can never hold on to" ― lang leav, the universe of us
 
"i believe in the power of imagination. i believe in the unexplained possibilities of the spirit. And i believe that the heart, like any other muscle, grows stiff if it is not exercised regularly. i believe" ― walt disney
 
"i don't know if spirits do indeed roam the world, but if they do, i will sense your presence everywhere. when i listen to the ocean, it will be your whispers; when i see a dazzling sunset, it will be your image in the sky"  ― nicholas sparks, message in a bottle 
 
"we do not believe in ourselves until someone reveals that deep inside us something is valuable, worth listening to, worthy of our trust, sacred to our touch. once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight or any experience that reveals the human spirit" ― e.e. cummings
 
"i thank you god for this most amazing day, being with you, and for the leaping greenly spirit of a tree, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes" ― e.e. cummings 
 
"it's better to make a mistake with the full force of your being than to timidly avoid mistakes with a trembling spirit. responsibility means recognizing both pleasure and price, action and consequence, then making a choice" ― dan millman, way of the peaceful warrior
 
"the important thing is to strive towards a goal which is not immediately visible. that goal is not the concern of the mind, but of the spirit" ― antoine de saint-exupery, the little prince  

"love is like a tree: it grows by itself, roots itself deeply in our being and continues to flourish over a heart in ruin. the inexplicable fact is that the blinder it is, the more tenacious it is. it is never stronger than when it is completely unreasonable" ― victor hugo, the hunchback of notre-dame  

"the separation of spirit from matter was a mystery and the union of spirit with matter was a mystery also" ― oscar wilde, the picture of dorian gray    

"a tree that longs to reach the heights of heaven must sink its roots to the bottom of the earth" ― friedrich nietzsche, beyond good and evil
 
"a good friend possesses not only his own spirit but also the spirit of his friends" ― friedrich nietzsche, twilight of the idols 
 
"is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? pythagoras was misunderstood, and socrates, and jesus, and luther, and copernicus, and galileo, and newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. to be great is to be misunderstood" ― ralph waldo emerson, self reliance
 
"you call yourself a free spirit, a wild thing, and you're terrified somebody's gonna stick you in a cage. well baby, you're already in that cage. you built it yourself. and it's bounded in the west by the ocean, and in the east by the sunrise. it's wherever you go. because no matter where you run, you just end up running into yourself" ― truman capote, breakfast at tiffany's
 
"the mind can calculate, but the spirit yearns, and the heart knows what the heart knows" ― stephen king, needful things
 
another wonderful accompaniment to connect music with the meaning of my impression and blog today: "colors of the spirit" by journey ... (just click on any of the words in the blue links to listen to the musical selection)....
 
"we are one, we are one...distant rhythm in a troubled sky. angry clouds divide the sun. feels like thunder and so do i. bloody silence has begun. flying like a wounded dove. tomorrow comes undone. surrender don't come easily. we try to get over, over. falling together, together...many colors of the spirit. many lives below the sun. we are colors of the spirit. we are many, we are one...ask the question, what's goin' on? why raging children run? where's the father's legacy? where's the harvest of the son? close your eyes and tell me what you see. i see the same thing, same thing...many colors of the spirit. many lives below the sun. we are colors of the spirit. we are many, we are one...no, surrender don't come easily. we try to get over, over many colors of the spirit. many lives below the sun. we are colors of the spirit. we are many, we are one...we are many, we are one" ― journey, colors of the spirits
 
"there are four questions of value in life... what is sacred? of what is the spirit made? what is worth living for? and, what is worth dying for? the answer to each is the same: only love" ― johnny depp
 
"cultivate an attitude of happiness. cultivate a spirit of optimism. walk with faith, rejoicing in the beauties of nature, in the goodness of those you love, in the testimony which you carry in your heart concerning things divine" ― gordon b. hinckley
 
"kindred spirits are not so scarce as i used to think. it's splendid to find out there are so many of them in the world" ― l.m. montgomery, anne of green gables
 
"the human spirit lives on creativity and dies in conformity and routine" ― vilayat inayat khan
 
"life is the work of the spirit trying to have a human experience" ― holly lynn payne
 
"there is no political solution to our troubled evolution. have no faith in constitution. there is no bloody revolution...our so-called leaders speak with words they try to jail you. they subjugate the meek, but it's the rhetoric of failure...where does the answer lie? living from day to day, if it's something we can't buy, there must be another way...we are spirits in the material world" ― pato baton (with sting), spirits in the material world 
 
"we'll see a light to lead us all the way home, and wherever we go we will know, here we are, under the stars...all the love was holding on all of us, no matter what we've done, we are not alone, alone with our heart. we are one under the stars. here we are, under the stars" ― john legend, under the stars
 
"trees have always been the most penetrating preachers. i revere them when they live in tribes and families, in forests and groves. and even more i revere them when they stand alone. they are like lonely persons. not like hermits who have stolen away out of some weakness, but like great, solitary men, like beethoven and buddha.
 
in their highest boughs the world rustles, their roots rest in infinity; but they do not lose themselves there, they struggle with all the force of their lives for one thing only: to fulfill themselves according to their own laws, to build up their own form, to represent themselves. nothing is holier, nothing is more exemplary than a beautiful, strong tree. when a tree is cut down and reveals its naked death-wound to the sun, one can read its whole history in the luminous, inscribed disk of its trunk: in the rings of its years, its scars, all the struggle, all the suffering, all the sickness, all the happiness and prosperity stand truly written, the narrow years and the luxurious years, the attacks withstood, the storms endured. and every young farm-boy knows that the hardest and noblest wood has the narrowest rings, that high on the mountains and in continuing danger the most indestructible, the strongest, the ideal trees grow.

trees are sanctuaries. whoever knows how to speak to them, whoever knows how to listen to them, can learn the truth. they do not preach learning and precepts, they preach, undeterred by particulars, the ancient law of life.

a tree says: a kernel is hidden in me, a spark, a thought, i am life from eternal life. the attempt and the risk that the eternal mother took with me is unique, unique the form and veins of my skin, unique the smallest play of leaves in my branches and the smallest scar on my bark. i was made to form and reveal the eternal in my smallest special detail.

a tree says: my strength is trust. i know nothing about my fathers, i know nothing about the thousand children that every year spring out of me. i live out the secret of my seed to the very end, and i care for nothing else. i trust that my beloved is in me. i trust that my labor is holy. out of this trust i live.

when we are stricken and cannot bear our lives any longer, then a tree has something to say to us: be still! be still! look at me! life is not easy, life is not difficult. those are childish thoughts. let majesty speak within you, and your thoughts will grow silent. you are anxious because your path leads away from mother and home. but every step and every day lead you back again to the mother. home is neither here nor there. home is within you, or home is nowhere at all.

a longing to wander tears my heart when i hear trees rustling in the wind at evening. if one listens to them silently for a long time, this longing reveals its kernel, its meaning. it is not so much a matter of escaping from one's suffering, though it may seem to be so. it is a longing for home, for a memory of the mother, for new metaphors for life. it leads home. every path leads homeward, every step is birth, every step is death, every grave is mother.

so the tree rustles in the evening, when we stand uneasy before our own childish thoughts: trees have long thoughts, long-breathing and restful, just as they have longer lives than ours. they are wiser than we are...but when we have learned how to listen to trees, then the brevity and the quickness and the childlike hastiness of our thoughts achieve an incomparable joy. whoever has learned how to listen to trees no longer wants to be a tree. he wants to be nothing except what he is. that is home. that is happiness" ― herman hesse, baume
 
"look up. notice how the stars shine. look in. notice how the stars shine" ― laura jaworski   
 
"i came with many knots in my heart, you undid them all at once. you made me into a tightrope. i see now the splendor of the student and that of the teacher's art. love and this body sit inside your presence, one demolished, the other delirious. we smile. we weep, tree limbs turning sere, then light green" ― jalaluddin rumi  
 
"what is agony of the spirit? to grow older without seizing hold of the water of life" ― jalaluddin rumi, a year with rumi
 
"spirit sees nothing to criticize" ― jalaluddin rumi, the soul of rumi
 
"stop the words now. open the window in the center of your chest, and let the spirits fly in and out" ― jalaluddin rumi, the essential rumi
 
"the hard rain and wind are ways the cloud has to take care of us. be patient. respond to every call that excites your spirit. ignore those that make you fearful and sad, that degrade you backwards" ― jalaluddin rumi, bridge to the soul 
 
"there is some kiss we want with our whole lives, the touch of spirit on the body" ― jalaluddin rumi, whispers of the beloved   
 
"spirit is so mixed with the visible world that giver, gift, and beneficiary are one thing. you are the grace raining down; the grace is you. creation is a clear blue, fast-moving wave in the ocean, where qualities reflect. generations rush by, while the stars stay still without a splash" ― jalaluddin rumi, the music and silence of the heart
 
"be like a tree and let the dead leaves drop" ― jalaluddin rumi, a year with rumi    
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ABOUT THE IMPRESSION
"each of us has that one soul close to us who we find the spirit of our life within...they inspire us, make us live, they are our best friend. they add the color to our world and encourage us to color outside the lines. they are there to care for us, trust us, understand us, and love us unconditionally. that one soul who helps us believe in ourselves so that we are not afraid to risk it all, to love to the fullest, and live life to its maximum potential... transforming us into the spirit of their light..." ― bodhinku, spirit 
   
this impression was captured at the lone cypress lookout on the 17-mile drive in pebble beach on the monterey peninsula in california under the stars at 3:33am and also 11 mins after sunset at 8:25pm, both on may 22th, 2021...this composition is comprised of one long exposure of the tree and its seascape (f/11@77mm for 111 secs, iso-64) merged with a star-tracked long exposure (f'/4@24mm for 444 secs, iso-400)... 
 
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...
 
and to get the effects and balance i was looking for in the seascape exposure of this composition (f/11@77mm for 111 secs, iso-64), i used two progreyusa filters...
 
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 in turn creates this dreamy effect with motion blur smoothing out totally all of the waves and naturally saturating all the blues, yellows, and reds in the image...
 
combined with the second filter, a 0.9 reverse 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, at the horizon level of the image an extra three stops and help permit details in the shadows amongst all the rocks in the cliff and foreground to come out better in the exposure... 
 
i also used the progrey g-120z magnetic holder to hold the filters and secure the filters to my nikon d850 with a nikon nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 lens ... 
 
for the separate exposure of the stars i used a vixon optics polarie star tracker with tripod...this permitted me to be able to capture a much longer exposure of the stars and not have any star trails, which also gives such beautiful enrichment to all the colors in the night sky while at the same time permitting a much lower iso setting and thus so much less noise (f/4@24mm for 444secs, iso-400), and no filters were necessary in the star exposure, so none were used...
 
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 faithful induro phq3 series 5-way panhead with 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 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. 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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