Towards Awakening by Bodhi Smith

Feb 07, 2020

"towards awakewning" a new impression from bodhi smith...
 
i truly hope you enjoy this blog, with my impression "towards awakening", all the quotes, and the musical tunes found with in here...
 
"because of her name, her light, i have walked towards awakening. i notice all the signs from the universe. i know my place. i know my path. i love my journey. i am no longer sleepwalking through life...i have been awakened emotionally, spiritually, and metaphysically...and, i see. i love. i trust. i understand. i smile. i live. i believe. i am amazed. i am fascinated once again. i am all alive. i am at peace. i am cosmically connected. i am thankful. finally, i am awake" 
 
“i was dead until you found me, then i breathed. i was sightless, though i could see. and then you came...and i was awakened” ― j.r. ward, lover awakened    
 
“our truest life is when we are in dreams awake” ― henry david thoreau  
 
btw, i found a heart warming tune to listen to as you read my new blog, this is such a sweet and beautiful song in its message and feeling, with lyrics that parallel the meaning of my impression here, "awaken love" by alan powell (just click on the song title, it is a link to the lyric video) 
 
"i'd been waiting on you to come along, seeing notes on a page but not the song. i had a hole in my heart and a pain so strong, only a woman like you could take me on. there's a plan for us, a hand divine. the waiting was worth it, now you're my wife. we've been taking our time and doing this right, but tonight i'm not gonna just kiss you good night...you, the song my heart sings, awaken love, i want you to know we're making love deeper than our bodies you are written on my soul. you're eyes like the dawn, you are beauty. the touch of your skin consumes me, you shine like the sun pure and lovely. set me as a seal upon your heart, o love stronger than death. flashes of fire with purest desire. no waters will get quench ...awaken love, awaken love, no riches or power appeal, all will find they are truly alive in love as it was meant to be. this is love as it was meant to be. love is the power that heals, love is the power that heals..."― alan powell, awaken love
 
and along with the above song, here is another tune to listen to as you read my blog, by harmonic vocalist liora. it is quite different and unique, and not for everyone...very spiritual and meditative:  liora, awaken to love
 
my heart keeps singing
ever since awakening
to your love's ringing
"awakening" a haiku by bodhinku
 
"at night you are my blanket of glowing starlight to pacify my sleepy heart. then as the sun rises anew, you are my morning sunshine to warm my awakening heart...loving me both night and day" 
 
"stay together, friends. don't scatter and sleep. our friendship is made of being awake” 
― jalaluddin rumi, poems of ecstasy and longing 
-------------------

MEANING
"she creeps playfully though in beams and rays, warming the air with her magic, glowing with hope for this new awakening” ― bodhinku, awakening 
 
the meaning behind the title of the image, "towards awakening" is like many of my images, it carries a literal meaning as well as a second, deeper meaning...
 
this impression was captured just in the summer of 2019 about fifteen minutes before sunrise while the moon was still in the sky, just as the nature is awakening to a new day as the sun is about to rise...and there is a pathway taking you to this light, looking out over the dawning ocean there is a beacon of glowing hope, lighting up the morning sky, helping the wayward find their way...
 
and if you look closely, you can see a faint halo around the light, giving a more spiritual meaning to the idea of moving towards awakening...as an angelic characteristic is added to the light
 
and also, this spot has a cool meaning from one of my favorite movies of all time, forrest gump...what you see here is marshall point lighthouse on the coast of maine...the walkway out to the lighthouse is also the easternmost turn-around location at the atlantic ocean to start heading back westward where the famous character forrest gump was running and running from one ocean to the other "for no particular reason" as he said, but he was truly jogging towards his own awakening and reckoning with the love of his life, jenny...
 
"that day, for no particular reason, i decided to go for a little run. so i ran to the end of the road. and when i got there, i thought maybe i'd run to the end of the town. and when i got there, i thought maybe i'd just run across greenbow county. and i figured, since run this far, maybe i'd just run across the great state of alabama. and that's what i did. i ran clear across Alabama. for no particular reason i just kept on goin'. i ran clear to the ocean. and when i got there, i figured, since i'd gone this far, i might as well turn around, just keep on goin'. when i got to another ocean, i figured, since i'd gone this far, i might as well just turn back, keep right on goin'. when i got tired, i slept. when i got hungry, i ate. when i had to go, you know, i went...i had run for 3 years, 2 months, 14 days, and 16 hours" ― winston groom, forrest gump  
 
and the deeper meaning is that when looking out over this point, there are so many things that can lead you towards awakening, metaphorically and in actuality...but so many of us think we are awake when we truly are not yet, just as forrest gump thought in the movie...it takes nature and pure beauty in our little worlds, mixed with deep love, and a touch of an angelic halo of spirituality, to truly help us realize our own awakening...and this opening of our eyes into our heart and souls takes us towards that beautiful place in our lives where we need to go...
 
"she is there with me
in all i see
her memory

all that is me
all that ill ever be
floats in her memory

her eyes awaken;
opening the light of day
in both me and her" ― bodhinku, morning light
 
"do not wait for heaven. awaken and become alive now. dream with your eyes open. believe in life before death" ― bodhinku, life before death   
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STORY BEHIND THE PICTURE
"i'm dreaming awake...for even when i'm dreaming, i'm awake because of you" 

since watching the movie forrest gump, i have always wanted to visit and photograph this cool little light house, mainly because it is unique and looks unlike any other in the united states, and has so many metaphors of life in its aura...i stopped here in the summer of 2019, this was the turn-around point on the trip to start heading back west (a funny coincidence, much like forrest gump did as well)... my pup and i were taking a cross united states road trip, from corner to corner, to corner, encompassing over 11,000 miles in total...kinda similar to what forrest gump did in his jogging scenes the movie in a way (it is estimated that he ran around 19,000 miles in the movie)...
 
this is the marshall point lighthouse close to st. george, maine...it is a lighthouse at the entrance of port clyde harbor at the mouth of the st. george river on a rocky point at the end of the st. george peninsula. the light station was established in 1832 to assist boats entering and leaving the harbor. the original lighthouse was a 20-foot (6.1 m) tower lit by seven lard oil lamps with 14-inch reflectors, but it was replaced with the present lighthouse in 1857. the lighthouse now is a 31-foot (9.4 m) tall white brick tower on a granite foundation. the tower was originally lit with a 5th order fresnel lens. a raised wooden walkway with white wooden handrails about 100 feet (33 m) long connects the tower to land.
 
in 1895, the original keeper's house was destroyed by lightning, so a colonial revival style house was built to replace it. an oil house and a bell tower with a 1,000-pound (450 kg) bell were added in 1898. the bell was replaced with a fog horn in 1969...like so many light houses, the marshall point lighthouse was automated in 1980 and continues to serve to this day as an active u.s. coast guard aid to navigation on the coast of maine. the original fresnel lens was replaced with a modern 12 inch (300 mm) optic. in 2017, the coast guard replaced the beacon that had been inside the lantern room since 1971 with a modern LED light. the beacon removed from the tower is now on display along with the original fresnel lens at the maine lighthouse museum in rockland.
 
in 1986, the st. george historical society restored the keeper's house and established the marshall point lighthouse museum there, presenting the histories of light and other nearby lighthouses, as well ashistoric photos of the area and documentation of the filming of the movie, forrest gump...and because of the movie, millions of people have seen marshall point lighthouse, even though they might not know it. the lighthouse’s wooden walkway served as the terminating point in forrest gump’s cross-country run…the walkway linking the tower to shore and the exterior of the tower were restored in the fall of 2017. the marshall point light station was added to the national register of historic places in 1988

“mama always said, life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get” 
― winston groom, forrest gump

“mama always said, dying was a part of life. i sure wish it wasn’t” ― winston groom, forrest gump
 
"stupid is as stupid does" ― winston groom, forrest gump

"i don't know if we have a destiny, or if we're all just floatin' around accidental-like on a breeze...but i...i think maybe it's both...maybe both is happenin' at the same time" ― winston groom, forrest gump

“i was born to dream amidst her stars, to awaken and drink the dew from her flowers, then walk barefoot in the sands of her sunshine days” ― bodhinku  
 
"i'm floating with you, you and i truly get it. that's why it's so hard to understand the nonsense of people who are just living without being truly awakened...in this crazy jealous world, we are beautiful pure floating lights, loving lightning bugs" ― bodhinku 
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MORE MEANINGFUL QUOTES
this song, halo is a beautiful song to listen to as you read through all these extra quotes i have added to this blog...this is a cover by jasmine thompson...(click here to listen to the original version by beyonce)
 
"remember those walls i built? well, baby, they're tumbling down, and they didn't even put up a fight, they didn't even make a sound. i found a way to let you win, but i never really had a doubt. standing in the light of your halo, i got my angel now. it's like i've been awakened. every rule i had, you break it. it's the risk that i'm taking. i ain't never gonna shut you out. everywhere i'm looking now, i'm surrounded by your embrace. baby, i can see your halo, you know you're my saving grace. you're everything i need and more, it's written all over your face. baby, i can feel your halo, pray it won't fade away" ― beyonce, halo
 
“there are no wrong turns, only unexpected paths" 

"the non-doing of any evil,
the performance of what's skillful,
the cleansing of one's own mind:
this is the teaching of the awakened.“ ― gautama siddhartha buddha, sayings of buddha
 
“the path towards awakening begins with a step of right understanding” 
 
"ours is a soul deep love. the memory of your beauty drifts in on the breeze and glides along my skin awakening a sleeping ember in my soul and bursting it into flames. my body holds the memories of your naked heart dancing with mine penetrating my every sense; raw and open wide we merge, nothing left unfelt, unseen or unsaid. here we played in bliss; here we loved in eternal ecstasy. here we are beautiful.

the truth of your existence on this planet at the same time as me is a reality that hits me like a freight train. the universe conspired to put us in this world in the same span of breaths; how can that be anything other than a miracle? than a testament of true love? how can i not believe in the miraculous and hope for the divine when you are real? how can i put into words the ancient thread that binds my heart and yours?

what syllables would there be to describe a love so timeless, so beautiful that it never dies between lifetimes? that when eyes find one another again it’s a blissful reunion continuing the dance that was started long ago? when lips finally meet and bodies entwine once more after this long eternity apart our souls fly free in ecstatic union. oh how you awaken me; stirring me to the depths of my dusty soul. every word from your mouth is a spell drawing me deeper into your magic. my armor evaporates into the ether and the barriers standing guard around my longing heart dissolve; all that is left for me to do is feel.

no matter how far out my tide goes, i always return to kiss the sands of your shore. my heartbeat calls to you echoing your name across the pages of time. i can feel you moving through my soul even though you are a million miles away. such a spell of love you weave upon this heart of mine as we swim eternally deeper into these sacred seas."  ― c. ara campbell
 
"here’s to the awakened ones whose purpose is to feed their soul and not starve it. whose mantra is the drumbeat of their own heart and the brilliant possibility that looms on the horizon. to the ones who dare to be open, to feel, to love and to live. and here’s to the magical, the mystical and the misunderstood. to the wise ones who move between the shadows and walking the sunlight. to those who howl at the full moon and run naked in the flowing streams. to those who read the compass written on the walls of their hearts and follow the north star etched upon their spirit. here’s to the brightly colored patchwork of divine visionaries that won’t stand down, play small or sit out. to the stargazers, the storm-chasers and the old souls that walk this earth. here’s to the wild ones. here’s to you” ― c. ara campbell
 
"how can I put into words the ancient thread that binds my heart and yours? what syllables would there be to describe a love so timeless that it never dies between lifetimes? that when eyes find one another again it’s a blissful reunion continuing the dance that was started long ago? when lips finally meet and bodies entwine once more after this long eternity apart, our souls fly free in ecstatic union of magical moments. oh how you awaken me; stirring me to the depths of my dusty soul. every word from your mouth is a spell drawing me deeper into your magic. my armor evaporates into the ether and the barriers standing guard around my longing heart dissolve; all that is left for me to do is feel. no matter how far out my tide goes, i always return to kiss the sands of your shore. my heartbeat calls to you echoing your name across the pages of time. i can feel you moving through my soul even though you are a million miles away. such a spell of love you weave upon this heart of mine as we swim eternally deeper into these sacred seas." ― c. ara campbell 

“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” ― c. ara campbell
 
"true awakening takes a great deal of courage, to cast your aversions aside despite all you’ve suffered and take a chance on love again, to risk it all again because you know human connection is precious and rare, and always worth the risk” 
 
"so many days, oh so many days
seeing you so tangible and so close,
how do i pay, with what do i pay?

the bloodthirsty spring
has awakened in the woods.
the foxes start from their earths,
the serpents drink the dew,
and i go with you in the leaves
between the pines and the silence,
asking myself how and when
i will have to pay for my luck.

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 orange 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.
being in love is my nature.

you please me more each afternoon.

where is she? i keep on asking
if your eyes disappear.
how long she's taking! i think, and i'm hurt.
i feel poor, foolish and sad,
and you arrive and you are lightning
glancing off the peach trees.

that's why i love you and yet not why.
there are so many reasons, and yet so few,
for love has to be so,
involving and general,
particular and terrifying,
joyful and grieving,
flowering like the stars,
and measureless as a kiss.” ― pablo neruda, intimacies
 
"love is not to be found in someone else, but in ourselves; we simply awaken it. but in order to do that, we need the other person. the universe only makes sense when we have someone to share our feelings with.” 
 
"awakening is not about becoming divine. instead it's about becoming more fully human...it is the end of ignorance.”― osho, awareness: the key to living in balance  
 
“no, explanation is not needed–only exclamation, a wondering heart, awakened, surprised, feeling the mystery of life each moment. then, and only then, you know what truth is. and truth liberates” 
 
“love is a magic ray
emitted from the burning core
of the soul
and illuminating
the surrounding earth.

it enables us
to perceive life
as a beautiful dream
between one awakening
and another.” ― kahlil gibran, the prophet
 
“the best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more, that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds.” ― nicholas sparks, the notebook
 
“my dearest allie, i couldn't sleep last night because i know that it's over between us. i'm not bitter anymore, because i know that what we had was real. and if in some distant place in the future we see each other in our new lives, i'll smile at you with joy and remember how we spent the summer beneath the trees, learning from each other and growing in love. the best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more, that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds, and that's what you've given me. that's what i hope to give to you forever. i love you. i'll be seeing you.” ― nicholas sparks, the notebook
 
"this first glance of a love is like dawn in the heavens; it is the awakening of something radiant and unknown" ― victor hugo, les miserables  
 
“a kind of light spread out from her. and everything changed color. and the world opened out. and this day was good to awaken to. and there were no limits to anything. and the people of the world were good and handsome. and i was not afraid any more.” ― john steinbeck, east of eden  
 
“the voice of beauty speaks softly; it creeps only into the most fully awakened souls” 
 
“there is eloquence in the tongueless wind, and a melody in the flowing brooks and the rustling of the reeds beside them, which by their inconceivable relation to something within the soul, awaken the spirits to a dance of breathless rapture, and bring tears of mysterious tenderness to the eyes, like the voice of one beloved singing to you alone.” ― percy bysshe shelley
 
“awakening the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.” 
 
“when love awakens in your life, in the night of your heart, it is like the dawn breaking within you. where before there was anonymity, now there is intimacy; where before there was fear, now there is courage; where before in your life there was awkwardness, now there is a rhythm of grace and gracefulness; where before you used to be jagged, now you are elegant and in rhythm with your self. when love awakens in your life, it is like a rebirth, a new beginning.” ― john odonohue, anam cara: a book of celtic wisdom
 
"there is that moment of love, when two souls suddenly recognize each other...it could be a meeting on the street, or at a party, a lecture or just a simple, banal introduction, then, suddenly there is the flash of recognition and the embers of kinship glow. there is an awakening between you, a sense of ancient knowing. love opens the door of ancient recognition. you enter....you come home to each other at last.” ― john o'donohue, anam cara  
 
"when your eyes
freeze behind
the grey window
and the ghost of loss
gets in to you,
may a flock of colours,
indigo, red, green,
and azure blue
come to awaken in you
a meadow of delight" ― john odonohue, anam cara: a book of celtic wisdom   
 
“there is a desire within each of us, in the deep center of ourselves that we call our heart. we were born with it, it is never completely satisfied, and it never dies. we are often unaware of it, but it is always awake...it is the human desire for love. every person on this earth yearns to love, to be loved, to know love. our true identity, our reason for being is to be found in this desire. love is the "why" of life, wly we are functioning at all. i am convinced it is the fundamental energy of the human spirit. the fuel on which we run, the wellspring of our vitality. and grace, which is the flowing, creative activity, of love itself, is what makes all goodness possible. love should come first, it should be the beginning of, and the reason for everything.” ― gerald may, living in love  
 
“people think a soulmate is your perfect fit, and that's what everyone wants. but a true soulmate also is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that is holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life and love more freely. a true soulmate is probably the most important person you'll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake. a soulmate's purpose is to shake you up, tear apart your ego a little bit, show you your obstacles and addictions, break your heart open so new light can get in, make you so desperate and out of control that you have to transform your life to where you know you need to be” ― elizabeth gilbert, eat pray love
 
“awakening is not a thing. it is not a goal, not a concept. it is not something to be attained. it is a metamorphosis. if the caterpillar thinks about the butterfly it is to become, saying ‘and then i shall have wings and antennae,’ there will never be a butterfly. the caterpillar must accept its own disappearance in its transformation. when the marvelous butterfly takes wing, nothing of the caterpillar remains" 
 
"your glance can awaken joy. your words can inspire freedom. your every act can open hearts and minds" 
 
“being awake is very different than being enlightened. when we are awakened it is right here, right now, in this very life. it is being awake to, or having an awareness of, the way the world really is, and the impact we have on it and the people around us. it is also within us and not something we need to go searching for in the outside world" ― karma yeshe rabgye, life's meandering path
 
“if we don't take advantage of the opportunity that's in front of us in any moment--to awaken, to see, to know, to break free--then we may be giving up our very last chance" ― dzogchen ponlop rinpoche
 
“i believe that all of us have a natural brilliance that is yearning to come out and be expressed in the daily activities of our life, including our work. this spark longs to be seen by others not in a superficial, attention-getting way, but in the most authentic way possible...this is our awakened self. it is luminous and radiant, and it is a gift we give to others. it is our original nature before a whole lot of internal and external crap gets piled on it. that luminosity is there in all of us but we often forget it or lose our way" 
 
“a revolution in the eyes of man carries purpose...a revolution in the eyes of the awakened carries bliss” 
 
"i could stay awake just to hear you breathing, watch you smile while you are sleeping while you're far away dreaming, i could spend my life in this sweet surrender, i could stay lost in this moment forever" 
 
“i hear nothing in my ear
but your voice. heart has
plundered mind of all its
eloquence. love writes a
transparent calligraphy, so
on the empty page my soul  
can read and recollect. and awaken” ― jalaluddin rumi, the music and silence of the heart
 
"in the early dawn of happiness
you gave me three kisses
so that i would wake up
to this moment of love
i saw how my heart had fallen
on your path
singing a song
you amaze me with your touch
although i can’t see your hands.
you have kissed me with tenderness
although i haven’t seen your lips
you are hidden from me.
but it is you who keeps me alive” ― jalaluddin rumi 
-------------------   

ABOUT THE IMPRESSION
"it takes nature and pure beauty in our little worlds, mixed with deep love and understanding, mixed with the spiritual touch of an angelic halo, to truly help us realize our own awakening...and this opening of our eyes into our heart and soul takes us towards that beautiful place in our lives where we need to go... " 
 
this is single frame long exposure composition... so a stable and sturdy tripod was an absolute necessity in order to keep the image in sharp focus in the places i wanted sharpness (i use selective focus on most of my images, similar to the way our eyes see things)...for this i used a dolica 70" carbon fiber tripod, because it is sturdy, tall, and perfectly compact for travel to remote places where how much luggage and equipment you can travel with is limited....for me, this shot would never have been possible without my friends daniel and april at dolica tripods.

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...in the case with this image, to get the effects and balance i was looking for, i needed to use two filters...and for this, i chose to use the amazing 3.0nd progrey antarctica magnetic filter (and progrey g-120z holder) to slow down the exposure 10 stops to smooth out the surface the ocean water and clouds in the sky, plus saturate all the blues and and earthy tones, allot more than would be possible with a short exposure time, plus in combination with the 0.9gnd progrey genesis filter (tilted about -22 degrees) to help balance in-camera overall the image the way i envisioned it, as the sky to the upper left was considerably brighter than the foreground a few feet in front of me...about 3 stops brighter than the rest of the darker parts of 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 semi-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...
 
"once upon a time, i met a girl. she taught me the true meaning of the word namaste ..."the light in me sees the light in you. when you're in that place and i'm in that place, we're one, namaste" ... thank you for showing me the places in me that are beautiful. thank you for showing me the places in me that are still hurting, that are still in need of healing. thank you for showing me how to grow like a flower, becoming the blossom of my potential as an artist. thank you for awakening me to my life"  ― bodhinku, namaste  
 
""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 image find you well.

namaste,
bodhi
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