The Dance of Hathor by Bodhi Smith

"the dance of hathor" a brand new impression and blog from me...
 
"dance in beauty seldom before seen, 
amidst sweet sounds all through her forest so serene, 
abounding in trees so peaceful, so fresh and clean
the birds' songs are whispering their routine, 
whilst light is glowing on her skin so pristine, 
so ageless, lush, and always evergreen, 
dance with me, my goddess, my love, my queen" ― bodhinku, dance with hathor
 
"this image is the product of a 180 degree about-face, an awareness of the whole, noticing that which was behind me rather than only seeing what was in front of me...it 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
 
"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
 
"you're hathor the lady of love. your power over mankind shall be greater even than it ever was–for the passion of love shall be stronger than the passion of hate, and all shall know love, and all shall be your victims" ― roger lancelyn green, tales of ancient egypt
 
"the new trend of capturing pictures instead of enjoying the experience is not new. the human mind has been doing that for ages. your mind tries to capture the experience by naming, defining, judging, comparing and categorizing everything. as a result, your soul misses the live dance of colours, sounds, shapes and sensations happening before you"  shunya
 
"can you imagine, for example, what the trees do, not only in lightning storms or the watery dark of a summer's night, or under the white nets of winter, but now, and now, and now--whenever we're not looking?...surely you can't imagine they don't dance, from the root up, wishing to travel a little, not cramped so much as wanting a better view, or more sun, or just as avidly more shade?...surely you can't imagine they just stand there loving every minute of it, the birds or the emptiness, the dark rings of the years slowly and without a sound thickening, and nothing different unless the wind, and then only in its own mood, comes to visit?...surely you can't imagine patience, and happiness, like that?" ― mary oliver 
 
"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    
 
"i get up in the evening and i ain't got nothing to say. i come home in the morning, i go to bed feeling the same way. i ain't nothing but tired, man i'm just tired and bored with myself. hey there baby, i could use just a little help...you can't start a fire worrying about your little world falling apart. this gun's for hire, even if we're just dancing in the dark..."  bruce springsteen, dancing in the dark 
 
"if you say run, i'll run with you. and if you say hide, we'll hide. because my love for you would break my heart in two if you should fall into my arms and tremble like a flower...let's dance, let's dance for fear your grace should fall. let's dance for fear tonight is all..." ― david bowie, let's dance
 
"all it takes is an eagerness to join the cosmic dance, and a willingness to seek the miracles of the soul" ― deepak chopra, buddha  
 
"unfold your heart. sharpen your ears. and never say no to the world when it asks you to dance" ― tahereh mafi, ignite me 
 
"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  
 
"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
 
"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
  
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')    
 
"let your life lightly dance on the edges of time like dew on the tip of a leaf" ― rabindranath tagore
 
"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  
 
"climb the mountains and get their good tidings. nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. the winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like falling leaves" ― john muir, the mountains of california
 
"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
 
"since i heard your song humming ever in my head, beheld your feet dancing always on my breviary, felt even at night, in my dreams, your form in contact wih my own, i desired to see you again, to touch you, to know who you were, to see whether i should really find you like the ideal image which i had retained of you, to shatter my dream, perchance with reality. at all events, i hoped that a new impression would efface the first, and the first had become insupportable. i sought you. i saw you once more. calamity! when i had seen you twice, i wanted to see you a thousand times, i wanted to see you always. then - how to stop myself on that slope of hell? - then i no longer belonged to myself― victor hugo, les miserables 
 
"she uncages me
she knows me
she excites me
she sees me
she moves me...
her reflection captivates me
her darkness teaches me
her essence fills me
her light calms me
her soul caresses me...
she is my fascination
she is is my art
she is my wildflower
she is my love
she is my dance" ― bodhinku, she is my dance
 
"it's a beautiful spiritual union of two souls being lost and found again for many lifetimes, always finding their way back to each other...like the way a song always finds its dance, rain always finds its way back to the river, the wind always finds its melody in the leaves, and the waves always come home to the beach...i simply live for the hope of her love in the next single moment that we touch" ― bodhinku, a song always finds its dance  
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STORY BEHIND THIS IMPRESSION
"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, the dancers
 
this grove of quaking aspen trees in central utah pictured here is part of one of the most massive living thing known on earth, it's trees are united by a single root system...this is an area i revisit often, and i think i always find a deep spiritual connection here...
 
last september, i took a trip into this area high up in the central utah mountians, i drove my 4x4 jeep grand cherokee as far as i could until the roads through the trees got too narrow at about 3000m above sea level (10,000ft), and then i hiked higher up with my doggie and camera to a clearing alongside a lake...
 
i shot the reflections of the aspen trees in the lake until the light ran out, and then i turned around and noticed this photogenic grove of trees in the waning light...this image is the product of a 180 degree about-face, an awareness of the whole, noticing that which was behind me rather than only seeing what was in front of me...it 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...
 
"the new trend of capturing pictures instead of enjoying the experience is not new. the human mind has been doing that for ages. your mind tries to capture the experience by naming, defining, judging, comparing and categorizing everything. as a result, your soul misses the live dance of colours, sounds, shapes and sensations happening before you" ― shunya
 
"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
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MEANING
"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, dancing trees
 
the meaning of this image is quite easily seen when you are aware of the fact that "hathor" was the egyptian goddess of dance and was seen as the living soul of trees...
 
hathor was one of the forty-two original state gods and goddesses of ancient egypt, and one of the most popular and powerful...she was also one of the most important and complex goddesses of ancient egypt. a mother goddess who created and maintained all life on earth, hathor was also worshipped as the ruler of the heavenly vault, the living soul of the trees, the goddess of beauty, music, and dance, alcohol, pleasure, love, and fertility...

even though it's strange and contradictory, in egyptian mythology hathor is thought of as the mother, wife, and daughter of the sun god ra...

the name "hathor" roughly translates to "the house of the heavens" and she was the mother or consort of the sky god horus and the sun god ra, both of whom were connected with kingship, and thus she was the symbolic mother of their earthly representatives, the pharaohs.

hathor is depicted as the mother of the sun god ra, as hers is womb from which he was originally born, and continues to be reborn each morning. and also the same womb to where ra goes to rest each night at sunset. hathor's seemingly contradictory roles as mother, wife, and daughter of ra reflected the daily cycle of the sun. at sunset, the sun god entered the body of the goddess hathor, impregnating her and fathering the deities born from her womb at sunrise: himself and the eye goddess, who would later give birth to him. ra gave rise to his daughter, the eye goddess, who in turn gave rise to him, her son, in a cycle of constant regeneration...

hathor was one of several goddesses who acted as the eye of ra, ra's feminine counterpart, and sometimes seen as his wife, and in this form she had a vengeful aspect that protected him from his enemies. her benevolent side represented the trees, music, dance, joy, love, sexuality and maternal care...she was the protector of women, though men also worshipped her.and she acted as the consort of several male deities and the mother of their sons. these two aspects of the goddess exemplified the egyptian conception of femininity. hathor crossed boundaries between worlds, helping with both childbirth as well as deceased souls in the transition to the afterlife.

when seen as ra's daughter, hathor was one of several goddesses believed to assist deceased souls in the afterlife...once known as the mistress of the west, hathor was responsible for guiding souls to the afterlife. because as a sky goddess, it was her duty to assist ra the sun god in his daily rebirth. thus she had an important part in ancient egyptian afterlife beliefs, which held that all deceased humans were reborn like the sun god...

as a goddess who transcended life and death, hathor was widely worshipped and came to be identified and known as the distant goddess. this is a goddess who abandons her father and assumes the form of a wild feline to elude any attempts to find her or catch her. hathor wears the bracelet of forty-two stars to keep the demons of the dark realm of chaos from pursuing her

as the goddess of love, music and dance, hathor is desirable to everyone who lays eyes on her. she possesses the ability to manipulate any man or woman, whether they be mortal, god or beast to do her bidding. when she uses such an ability, her eyes will glow a brief gold and she will say "i command you"  

hathor was often depicted as a cow, symbolizing her maternal and celestial aspect, although her most common form was a woman wearing a headdress of cow horns and a golden sun disk. she could also be represented as a lioness, cobra, or sycamore tree.
 
"seduce me at sunrise, dance with me barefoot in the dew on the grass, make me wet and warm, and loved" ― bodhinku, dance with me
 
and here is another beyond beautiful love song, i always melt when i listen to these romantic lyrics, sung so eloquently and lovingly by phillip phillips, it brings out the deeply emotional feelings of a true spiritually connected dance, the dance desired when two lovers only have each other, and that is all that matters, and all that they want...this is one of my all time favorite love songs ever written: "dance with me" by phillip phillips ... (just click on any of words in the blue links to listen to the song)...
 
"i have seen a sunset in the western sky, ain’t nothin’ like the brightness in your eyes. and i have seen the moon reflecting in the sea, but that don’t compare to how you shine on me. after everything i’ve seen, i rather see you smile. 'cause all i really want is just to hold you for a while, and be your man. so will you dance with me? i will lead you, give every moment that i have just to be near you. and when the song ends and everyone else leaves, will you dance one more with me? when my hands are heavy and your words are slow, kiss my lips and tell me you won’t let me go. and with every single heartbeat i have left, i’ll make it known you are my world and nothing less. 'cause all i really want is just to hold you for a while and be your man, so will you dance with me? i will lead you, give every moment that i have just to be near you. and when the song ends and everyone else leaves, will you dance one more with me? will you dance one more with me?" ― phillip phillips, dance with me
 
will you dance with me?
please hold me to the rhythm 
beating in our hearts
"dance with me" a haiku by bodhinku
 
"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, the biggest part of me" ― bodhinku, shall we 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...
 
"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, dance
 
"love is a dance, beautifully artistic, but also needing practice to get better, mixed with a little obsession, dedication, and fascination...love is a dance, it's not a hobby, it's not a chore, it's not a choice, it's not casual...those who do it, must do it. so baby, let's dance" ― bodhinku, let's dance
 
"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 
 
"in this flowering dance of love, we are merely budding dancers, still learning and practicing, so fascinated, dedicated, and obsessed with every single step" ― bodhinku, budding dancers   
 
"just as a leaf know it's time, it embraces change, and fearlessly lets go of the safety of the tree, falling and dancing 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, the dance of a leaf 
 
"if but a moment
i have with you is one spent
dancing, i'm content" ― bodhinku, haiku: dancing together
 
smitten at first glance  
love's home bubbled in our dance
nothing happens by chance
"our dance" a haiku by bodhinku
 
"she danced with 
her own reflection, 
absorbed in a trance 
of morning light, 
a glowing impression, 
whose sheer beauty 
was pure and simply, 
her timeless simplicity"
 ― 
bodhinku, simplicity  
 
"the most beautiful dance is the one between lovers, they do not ever need their ears to hear the music" ― bodhinku, lover's dance
 
"a true spiritually connected dance happens when two lovers only have each other, and that is all that matters, and all that they want" ― bodhinku, spiritual dance
 
"thinking of you and me, one day dancing on 11th street, at 11:11am, for eleven minutes" ― bodhinku, november eleventh dance 
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MORE QUOTES FOR EXTRA MEANING  
"under the bodhi tree i sat, untangling the intangible. bees nested in my hair, apian swarms of nature~i too swarmed in my mind, taking the rhythm of their dance to be a sign of divine honey...under the bodhi tree i sat, where each new second eradicated its past in this brief mystery of time. i took the cricket's call to be a sign of divine eternity...under the bodhi tree i sat, thinking the unthinkable. raindrops fell to quench the thirst of insects and plants. my compassion rose to quench the thirst of heaven. i took the rain to be a sign of divine love~and was finally at peace with myself and divinity" ― beryl dov, buddha under the bodhi tree
 
"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 
 
"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
 
"and into the forest i go, to lose my mind and find my soul" ― john muir, the mountains of california 
 
"the clearest way into the universe is through a forest wilderness" ― john muir   
 
"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      
 
"you fascinate me. i want more of you. always more. your whole mouth. your inhibitions relinquished. your bare naked skin. to taste you. devour you. make you tremble. unfurl with oceans of waves of pleasure. and when it is all over, whisper in your ear, baby, let's dance again" ― beau taplin 
 
"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, remedy
 
"of everything i have seen, it's you i want to go on seeing: of everything i've touched, it's your flesh i want to go on touching. i love your glowing laughter. i am moved by the sight of you sleeping. what am i to do, love, loved one? i don't know how others love or how people loved in the past. i live, watching you, loving you. dancing with you, being in love with you is my nature" ― pablo neruda, 100 love sonnets
 
"although ecstasy is the ability to stand outside yourself, 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 
  
"anyone who is in love is making love the whole time, even when they're not. when two bodies meet, it is just the cup overflowing. they can stay together for hours, even days. they begin the dance one day and finish it the next, or--such is the pleasure they experience--they may never finish it" ― paulo coelho, eleven minutes   
 
"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...
 
"when god lets my body be
from each brave eye shall sprout a tree
and the purpled world will dance upon
between my lips which did sing" ― e. e. cummings, 100 selected poems
 
"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  
 
"he felt the way he imagined an angel must feel doing its celebrated dance on the head of a pin while being counted by philosophers" ― douglas adams, life the universe and everything 
   
and here is a really cool and quirky alternative song that goes along nicely with things today: "shut up and dance" by walk the moon ... (just click on any of words in the blue links to listen to the musical selection) ...

"oh don't you dare look back. just keep your eyes on me. i said: you're holding back. she said: shut up and dance with me. this woman is my destiny. she said: oh oh oh, shut up and dance with me...we were victims of the night, the chemical, physical, kryptonite helpless to the bass and the fading light. oh we were bound to get together, bound to get together. she took my arm, i don't know how it happened. we took the floor and she said: oh don't you dare look back. just keep your eyes on me. i said: you're holding back. she said: shut up and dance with me. this woman is my destiny. she said: oh oh oh, shut up and dance with me...a backless dress and some beat up sneaks. my discotheque juliet teenage dream. i felt it in my chest as she looked at me, i knew we were bound to be together, bound to be together. she took my arm, i don't know how it happened. we took the floor and she said: oh don't you dare look back, just keep your eyes on me. i said: you're holding back. she said: shut up and dance with me...this woman is my destiny. she said: oh oh oh, shut up and dance with me. oh, c'mon girl...deep in her eyes i think i see the future. i realize this is my last chance. she took my arm, i don't know how it happened. we took the floor and she said: oh don't you dare look back, just keep your eyes on me. i said: you're holding back. she said: shut up and dance with me...this woman is my destiny. she said: oh oh oh, shut up and dance, don't you dare look back just keep your eyes on me. i said: you're holding back. she said: shut up and dance with me...this woman is my destiny. she said: oh oh oh, shut up and dance with me, oh oh oh shut up and dance with me, oh oh oh shut up and dance with me"
― walk the moon, shut up and dance  
 
"since i heard your song humming ever in my head, beheld your feet dancing always on my breviary, felt even at night, in my dreams, your form in contact wih my own, i desired to see you again, to touch you, to know who you were, to see whether i should really find you like the ideal image which i had retained of you, to shatter my dream, perchance with reality. at all events, i hoped that a new impression would efface the first, and the first had become insupportable. i sought you. i saw you once more. calamity! when i had seen you twice, i wanted to see you a thousand times, i wanted to see you always. then - how to stop myself on that slope of hell? - then i no longer belonged to myself" ― victor hugo, les miserables  
 
"the happiest moments in our lives are when we are playing just like children, when we are singing and dancing, when we are exploring and creating just for fun. it is wonderful when we behave like a child because this is the normal human mind, the normal human tendency. as children, we are innocent and it is natural for us to express love. but what has happened to us? what has happened to the whole world?" ― don miguel ruiz, the four agreements  
 
"reverence for life means being in touch with the life force. you feel the same power flowing through you as through every living thing; even the dust in a beam of light dances to the same rhythm. therefore, life isn’t limited to plants and animals—everything possesses a glowing, animated vitality. reverence for life feels warm, connected, and exhilarating" ― deepak chopra, buddha
 
"our biological rhythms are the symphony of the cosmos, music embedded deep within us to which we dance, even when we can't name the tune" ― deepak chopra, buddha 
 
"for what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun? only when you drink from the river of silence shall you indeed sing. nd when you have reached the mountaintop, then you shall begin to climb. and when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance" ― khalil gibran, the prophet 
 
"with my ninth mind I resurrect my first, and dance slow to the music of my soul made new" ― aberjhani, elemental: the power of illuminated love 
 
"ah, the light dances, my darling, at the centre of my life; the light strikes, my darling, the chords of my love; the sky opens, the wind runs wild, laughter passes over the earth" ― rabindranath tagore, fireflies
 
"life is a dance. mindfulness is witnessing that dance" ― amit ray, world peace  
 
"breathing is our participation with the cosmic dance. when our breath is in harmony, the cosmos nourish us in every sense" ― amit ray, world peace 
 
"sometimes in life, confusion tends to arise, and only the dialogue of dance seems to make sense" ― shah asad rizvi  
 
"does my sexiness upset you?
does it come as a surprise
that i dance like i've got diamonds
at the meeting of my thighs?" ― maya angelou
 
"everything in the universe has a rhythm, everything dances" ― maya angelou, even the stars look lonesome 
    
"people leave traces of their dance where they feel most comfortable, most worthwhile" ― haruki marukami, sputnik sweetheart    
 
"life is the dancer, and you are the dance" ― eckhart tolle, new earth: awakening to your life's purpose  
 
"the sun is rising,
and the ether dance at the first sight of his light,
as he ascends like a phoenix from the ashes of morality,
his luminous rays form the magnificent tree of life.
he springs up from the east,
spreading his long arms like branches,
over the horizons of milky meadows and open seas,
extending his wings to embrace all living things.
he walks on water and grazes through fields,
pouring his butter like honey to feed the earth.
towering over all of creation,
he who is the lamp of the universe,
the power source of all life.
and in his truth and light,
everything becomes aroused
like a flower,
and everything is given
sight"
suzy kassem, rise up and salute the sun
 
 
"we are dancing on our irony as upon the top of glowing sparks" ― anais nin, henry and june 
   
"living in happiness means practicing the dance of 'detachment-attachment'. on a daily basis, we must sense which moments, which events, which people, thoughts and circumstances to detach ourselves from; and which ones to attach ourselves to. learning this dance, and doing it well, leads to happiness" ― c. joybell c.
 
"the day i found my smile again was when i stood in my own storm and danced with my tribe" ― shannon l. alder
 
"inspirational quotes are dances of light that shine in dark places during your life" ― shannon l. alder
 
"this life is for loving, sharing, learning, smiling, caring, forgiving, laughing, hugging, helping, dancing, wondering, healing, and even more loving. i choose to live life this way. i want to live my life in such a way that when i get out of bed in the morning, the devil says, 'aw shit, he's up!" ― steve maraboli, unapologetically you   
 
"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 
 
"it is sweet to dance to violins
when love and life are fair:
to dance to flutes, to dance to lutes
is delicate and rare:
but it is not sweet with nimble feet
to dance upon the air!" ― oscar wilde, the picture of dorian gray  
 
"let us read, and let us dance; these two amusements will never do any harm to the world" ― voltaire 
 
"please send me your last pair of shoes, worn out with dancing as you mentioned in your letter, so that I might have something to press against my heart" ― johann wolfgang von goethe, faust 
  
"oh body swayed to music, oh brightening glance, how can we know the dancer from the dance?" ― william butler yeats, the land of heart's desire
 
"we dance round in a ring and suppose, but the secret sits in the middle and knows" ― robert frost, stopping by woods on a snowy evening  
 
"sing like no one's is listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like it's heaven on earth" ― mark twain, the adventures of tom sawyer 
   
"i am satisfied...i see, dance, laugh, sing"  ― walt whitman, leaves of grass  
 
"wait without love, for love would be love of the wrong thing; there is yet faith, but the faith and the love are all in the waiting. wait without thought, for you are not ready for thought: so the darkness shall be the light, and the stillness the dancing" ― t.s. eliot, the love song of j. alfred prufrock   
 
"she dances in a ring of fire and throws off the challenge with a shrug" ― jim morrison  

"i want you by my side so that i never feel alone again. they've always been so kind, but now they've brought you away from here. i hope they didn't get your mind. your heart is too strong anyway. we need to fetch back the time they have stolen from us. and i want you. we can bring it on the floor. you've never danced like this before. we don't talk about it. dancin' on do the boogie all night long. stoned in paradise, shouldn't talk about it. and i want you. we can bring it on the floor. you've never danced like this before. we don't talk about it. dancin' on do the boogie all night long...stoned in paradise, shouldn't talk about it, shouldn't talk about it...coldest winter for me. no sun is shining anymore. the only thing i feel is pain caused by absence of you. suspense is controlling my mind. i cannot find the way out of here. i want you by my side so that i never feel alone again. and i want you. we can bring it on the floor. you've never danced like this before. we don't talk about it. dancin' on do the boogie all night long. stoned in paradise, shouldn't talk about it. and i want you. we can bring it on the floor. you've never danced like this before. we don't talk about it. dancin' on do the boogie all night long. stoned in paradise, shouldn't talk about it, shouldn't talk about it. and i want you. we can bring it on the floor. you've never danced like this before. we don't talk about it. dancin' on do the boogie all night long. stoned in paradise, shouldn't talk about it, shouldn't talk about it" ― milky chance, stolen dance
 
"let's dance, put on your red shoes and dance the blues. let's dance to the song they're playin' on the radio. let's sway while color lights up your face. let's sway, sway through the crowd to an empty space...if you say run, i'll run with you. and if you say hide, we'll hide. because my love for you would break my heart in two if you should fall into my arms and tremble like a flower...let's dance, let's dance for fear your grace should fall. let's dance for fear tonight is all. let's sway, you could look into my eyes. let's sway under the moonlight, this serious moonlight...if you say run, i'll run with you. and if you say hide, we'll hide. because my love for you would break my heart in two if you should fall into my arms and tremble like a flower...let's dance, put on your red shoes and dance the blues. let's sway under the moonlight, this serious moonlight...let's dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, dance...― david bowie, let's dance
 
"i get up in the evening and i ain't got nothing to say. i come home in the morning, i go to bed feeling the same way. i ain't nothing but tired, man i'm just tired and bored with myself. hey there baby, i could use just a little help...you can't start a fire, you can't start a fire without a spark. this gun's for hire even if we're just dancing in the dark...messages keep getting clearer. radio's on and i'm moving 'round my place. i check my look in the mirror, wanna change my clothes, my hair, my face. man i ain't getting nowhere. i'm just living in a dump like this. there's something happening somewhere, baby i just know there is...can't start a fire, you can't start a fire without a spark. this gun's for hire even if we're just dancing in the dark...you sit around getting older. there's a joke here somewhere, and it's on me. i shake this world off my shoulders, come on baby the laugh's on me. stay on the streets of this town, and they'll be carving you up alright. they say you gotta stay hungry, hey baby i'm just about starving tonight. i'm dying for some action, i'm sick of sitting 'round here trying to write this book. i need a love reaction, come on now baby gimme just one look...can't start a fire sitting 'round crying over a broken heart. this gun's for hire, even if we're just dancing in the dark. you can't start a fire worrying about your little world falling apart. this gun's for hire, even if we're just dancing in the dark, even if we're just dancing in the dark, even if we're just dancing in the dark, even if we're just dancing in the dark. hey baby..."  bruce springsteen, dancing in the dark
 
"my grandpa, he's ninety five, and he keeps on dancin'...he's still alive....my grandma, she's ninety two, she loves to dance, and sing some, too....i don't know, but i've been told, if you keep on dancing, you'll never grow old....come on darling, don't look that way. don't you know when you smile, i've got to say, you're my honey pumpkin lover. you're my heart's delight...don't you want to go out tonight? you're such a pretty lady, you're such a sweet girl, when you dance, it brightens up my world...come on darling put a pretty dress on...we're gonna go out tonight and dance, dance, dance...dance, dance, dance...dance, dance, dance, all night long"  steve miller band, dance dance dance
 
"there was no use talking, there was nothing to say when the band began to 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" ― the hooters, and we danced  
 
"consciousness expresses itself through creation. this world we live in is the dance of the creator. dancers come and go in the twinkling of an eye but the dance lives on. on many an occasion when i am dancing, i have felt touched by something sacred. in those moments, i felt my spirit soar and become one with everything that exists. i become the stars and the moon. i become the lover and the beloved. i become the singer and the song. i become the knower and the known. i keep on dancing then it is the eternal dance of creation. the creator and creation merge into one wholeness of joy. i keep on dancing...and dancing...and dancing. until there is only...the dance" ― michael jackson, dancing the dream 
 
"a star can never die. it just turns into a smile and melts back into the cosmic music, the dance of life" ― michael jackson, dancing the dream 
 
"dancing is creating a sculpture that is visible only for a moment" ― erol ozan, talus
 
"we watch the dancers moving as one. they spin about like the earth on it's axis, enduring the dark, waiting for the sun" ― libba bray, the sweet far thing
 
“dance is an art in space and time. the object of the dancer is to obliterate that" ― merce cunningham
 
"dancing is a grand equation. one side is sound, the other movement. the dancer's job is to make them equal” ― julia quinn, the sum of all kisses
 
"we danced all night. we danced for just a moment. may we be so lucky as to still be dancing under the light of the harvest moon three hundred years from now" ― quan barry, we ride upon sticks
 
"i desire to be with you. i miss you. i feel lonely when i can't see you. i want to dance with you and kiss you. i am obsessed with you, fascinated by you, infatuated with you. i hunger for your taste, your smell, the feel of your soul touching mine" ― jack llawayllynnindulgence 
 
“forget your voice, sing!
forget your feet, dance!
forget your life, live!
forget yourself and be!” ― 
kamand kojouri 
 
"it moved like a dancer, which is not surprising, but it is perhaps most remarkable because it moves as if it always hears music" ― mark helprin, winter's tale
 
“if we could be pure dancers in spirit, we would never be afraid to love, and we would love with strength and wisdom" ― ben okri, birds of heaven
 
"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, the soul of rumi
 
"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, whispers of the beloved   
 
"both light and shadow are the dance of love" ― jalaluddin rumi, the music and silence of the heart
 
"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
 
"dance until you shatter yourself" ― jalaluddin rumi, hush don't say anything to god 
 
"motes of dust dancing in the light--that‘s our dance too. we don‘t listen inside to hear the music. but it is no matter, the dance goes on, and in the joy of the sun is hiding a god" ― jalaluddin rumi, bridge to the soul  
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ABOUT THE IMPRESSION
"each of her lips say: i want you, kiss me, love me, play me maestro, and dance with me" ― bodhinku, dance with me
 
captured about 30 mins after sunset around 8:44pm high up above 3000m (10,000ft) in the central utah mountains on september 5, 2020...this composition is comprised of two long exposures both shot at f/4 @44mm for 111secs, iso-64...one frame was in clean focus, the other was motion blurred by slowly panning my camera up during the exposure...this two frames were then merged together using layers in adobe photoshop cc with me selecting which parts of each frame i wanted to keep blurred or in focus into the final 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 one progreyusa filters in the capture of this composition, a 0.9 gnd progrey aurora filter to help balance in-camera overall the image the way i envisioned it...in this case, to stop down the light coming through the upper left portion of the trees an extra three stops and help staurate the reds and greens and blues (rgb's) in the image as well as permit details in all the trees to come out better in the exposure...
 
i also used the progrey g-120z magnetic holder to hold the filter and secure it to my nikon d810 with a nikon nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8... 
 
and with this being a long exposure of 111 seconds, a stable and sturdy tripod is an absolute necessity in order to keep the image sharp...for this i used my faithful induro phq3 series 5-way panhead mounted on my dolica tripod 70" carbon fiber tripod, because it is sturdy, tall, and perfectly compact for travelling  
 
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 mounted on my dolica tripod 70" 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 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
 
"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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