"Unforgiven Beauty" by Bodhi Smith

Mar 18, 2022

"unforgiven beauty" is my brand new impression and blog...
 
"it's harsh out in the desert. there's so many things so unkind and uncompromising, so merciless and cruel. around every corner are nasty things just waiting to lash out...they'll politely bite you, respectfully cut you hard, sometimes impale you to make their point. and without hesitation, they'll leave their unforgiven mark on you. it's necessary to tread lightly, respect everything, or else pay the painful price. however, amidst this unforgiving environment, there's unforgiven beauty abound on display everywhere you look, for as far as the eye can see" ― bodhinku, unforgiven beauty
 
"a face scarred by 
passing years never has 
been more beautiful for 
beauty never fades but 
intensifies with time."
 
"three truths cannot hide for long: the moon, the sun, and love" ― gautama siddhartha buddha, sayings of buddha    

"if you can understand the me, then i can understand the you. lay beside me, under wicked skies through black of day, dark of night, we share this paralyze...what i’ve felt, what i’ve known. so sick and tired, i stand alone. could you be there? because i’m the one who waits, the one who waits for you. i take this key and i bury it in you because you’re unforgiven, too" ― metallica, the unforgiven 2
 
"...beauty is unforgiving, and forcefully magnificent..." ― maquita donyel irvin
 
"if you look around and see nothing but darkness, maybe you are the light" ― jalaluddin rumi, the essential rumi
 
"we all woo nature differently, and nature grants us her favors in different ways...while utterly beautiful, endlessly varied, and thoroughly transfixing, nature can also be frustrating, confusing, exasperating, and unforgiving" ― edward m. hallowell, driven to distraction
 
"souls are messy, imperfect things. even the most beautiful of them have the capacity to be cruel, uncompromising, and unforgiving, fair and merciful. hearts are also all of these things and more. and no matter how complex, how contradictory they might be, that doesn't mean they do not deserve love, or forgiveness" ― natasha ngan, girls of fate and fury
 
"at times, love can hurt and unforgivingly tear us apart. love can be an unbearable pain fraught full of loss. but in spite of its faults, love is so beautiful. love is the light out of the darkness. it's nature's true beauty. never loose sight of all the good love surrounding you, love is everywhere. love is the only real constant in this seemingly harsh universe. never let your heart become unforgiven to love, never shut love out. embrace love with every breath you take. love is life" ― bodhinku, unforgiven beauty
 
"she had studied the universe all her life, but had overlooked its clearest message: for small creatures such as we, the vastness is bearable only through love" ― carl sagan, cosmos
 
to set the mood a bit for this blog, i'd like you to give a good ear and listen to this song. it's an exquisitely beautiful tune and little known song by a famous local san diego artist (who is from alaska) from a few years back in 2017, "count on me" by jewel ... (just click on any of words in the powder blue links to listen to the song)...  

"my dog's name is george, we like to sit and stare on the front porch. george is my best friend and i always will love him...there the sun sits up in the sky, and the boy in the moon comes out each night. they hardly ever see one another, but they always will need each other...that's how the world goes, everyone needs someone. someone to love 'em, someone to hold. when life seems a lonesome mystery, i'll count on you and you can count on me...there's a lone tree in the square, and a small bird that takes shelter there. the bird sings along to the swaying of it's leaves as they keep each other company...that's how the world goes, everyone needs someone. someone to love 'em, someone to hold. when life seems a lonesome mystery, i'll count on you and you can count on me...the world is full of possibilities, as many as there are fishes in the sea. there's as much love as there are stars in the sky, as many answers as there are why's...that's how the world goes, everyone needs someone. someone to love 'em, someone to hold. when life seems a lonesome mystery, i'll count on you and you can count on me...if you ever feel lost now, don't you worry, i'll count on you and you can count on me" ― jewel, count on me      
     
"unforgiving desert contemplating
feeling darkness still glowing
scintillating stars illuminating 
uncompromising brute shapes
mother nature's natural nature
soft harshness harsh tenderness
she knowingly knows him
his lovingly meaningful respite
unforgiven heart of the soul
forgiving with in forgiveness 
beautifully beautiful beauty" 
----------------------
 
MEANING
"mother nature can be unwittingly brutal and unforgiving, but she is so beautiful, do not leave her unforgiven, you must forgive her nature" ― bodhinku, unforgiven beauty 
 
in choosing this name for this image, i have created an oxymoron that you have to wrap your head around a bit to get my meaning...
 
many words in the english language are all too often confuse with each other, often used wrongly as interchangeable when they really are not..."unforgiving" is defined by merriam-webster as, "unwilling to show mercy or forgiveness; having no allowance for weakness or sympathy" ... whereas "unforgiven" is defined by merriam-webster as, "something that one cannot stop feeling resentment towards for its offenses, flaws, or mistakes"
 
you cannot forgive something whose nature has little forgivingness in it, especially something this beautiful that has a ruthless side to it. and in my eyes, the beauty of the desert can be seen this same way. its unforgiving nature gives it an unforgiven beauty. this sheer beauty can take your breath away, while at the same time hurt you and cause pain...such a dramatic vision that you must both respect and admire for what it is...
 
it's harsh out in the desert. there's so many things so unkind and uncompromising, so merciless and cruel. around every corner are nasty things just waiting to lash out. extreme temperatures, scorpions, fire ants, diamondbacks, saguaro, prickly pear, whitethorns, catclaws, ocotillo, and cholla. they'll politely bite you, respectfully cut you hard, sometimes impale you to make their point. and without hesitation, they'll leave their unforgiven mark on you. it's necessary to tread lightly, respect everything, or else pay the painful price. however,  amidst this unforgiving environment, there's unforgiven beauty abound on display everywhere you look, for as far as the eye can see...
 
"wish i could've shared this breathtaking night with her, or maybe i actually did?" ― bodhinku
 
and then add to the desert landscape all the beautiful colors of the glowing night sky with its billions of stars, planets, and the milky way...you'll get a vision so beautiful that it becomes impossible to describe it...the best way i know how, is to create an impression and give it the perfect descriptive name, "unforgiven beauty"
 
"has fate left me unforgiven? or is it i'm just walking a path through unforgiving loneliness? maybe i'm breaking though the black of the night, heading towards finding the dawning of my light? am i finally discovering her, the most beautiful one i've always known? maybe she's here close by, as my darkness seems to be getting brighter, and my days seem to be growing happier" ― bodhinku, unforgiven
 
here is an extremely powerful and emotional ballad from 25 years ago in 1997, beautifully written by songwriter and lead singer james hetfield of the heavy metal band metallica, it's also named similarly to my impression today. so, read the lyrics and you will be able to connect this tune to a the deeper meaning of this blog and impression today..."the unforgiven 2" by metallica ... (just click on any of words in the powder blue links to listen to the song)...  
 
this tune could have multiples of meanings, and no one for sure (other than its writer) knows exactly what it means in reality...but my interpretation is holding on to it as a love song, connecting two unforgiven hearts as true soulmates....
 
the man in the song finds his matching half, someone who has gone through the same stuff he has, like having society reject them both. they confide and console in each other their common experiences and demons of the past. they share secrets, fears, hurt, suffering, and haunting memories. he's asking her to join him in the "darkness" and together with her, they both can find the light, and in the process the key to their happiness...
 
plus, i wonder if metallica intended to do a deeper meaning considering the title of the song "the unforgiven 2" as the 2nd unforgiven person is the girl who loves the man in the song. and the same play on words is present in the chorus as well "'cause you're unforgiven too"...coincidence or what, it's profoundly creative nonetheless. i love this song, a tune coming from such a surprising source...
 
"lay beside me, tell me what they’ve done. speak the words i want to hear, to make my demons run. the door is locked now but it’s opened if you’re true. if you can understand the me, then i can understand the you. lay beside me, under wicked skies through black of day, dark of night, we share this paralyze. the door cracks open, but there’s no sun shining through. black heart scarring darker still, but there’s no sun shining through. no, there’s no sun shining through, no, there’s no sun shining...what i’ve felt, what i’ve known, turn the pages, turn the stone. behind the door, should i open it for you? what i’ve felt, what i’ve known. sick and tired, i stand alone. could you be there, because i’m the one who waits for you, or are you unforgiven, too?...come beside me, this won’t hurt, i swear. she loves me not, she loves me still, but she’ll never love again. she lay beside me but she’ll be there when i’m gone. black heart scarring darker still, yes, she’ll be there when i’m gone, yes, she’ll be there when i’m gone. dead sure she’ll be there...what i’ve felt, what i’ve known, turn the pages, turn the stone. behind the door, should i open it for you? what i’ve felt, what i’ve known, sick and tired, i stand alone. could you be there, because i’m the one who waits for you, or are you unforgiven, too? lay beside me, tell me what i’ve done. the door is closed, so are your eyes. but now i see the sun, now i see the sun, yes, now i see it. what i’ve felt, what i’ve known, turn the pages, turn the stone. behind the door, should i open it for you?...what i’ve felt, what i’ve known. so sick and tired, i stand alone. could you be there? because i’m the one who waits, the one who waits for you. i take this key and i bury it in you because you’re unforgiven, too...never free, never me, because you’re unforgiven, too" ― metallica, the unforgiven 2
 
"nothing but the stars shining through the darkness of the night mattered to me, but when i met her, everything in my dark world became much brighter, i found a rising sun so beautiful, the morning had dawned on me at last" ― bodhinku, dawn after the darkness
 
"life becomes much much easier when you finally accept that apology you never got. don't be unforgiving. let the unforgiven be forgiven" ― bodhinku, unforgiven
----------------------
 
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...
 
"under the stars i have all the light i need, all night long they illuminate my world. bringing me out of my darkness. i can see all i need to see, as i embrace this fairytale in my arms all through the night. and until it ends, there is no end..." ― bodhinku, all through the night
   
"buddha is famous for saying, "embrace nothing, nothing is worth holding on to"...and even though i'm a buddhist, after the other night, i emphatically disagree with this statement after what happened to me that night...sometimes, the universe sends you a sign in the form of an angel, a soul worth holding on to" ― bodhinku, embrace your angel
 
"when i looked at her glowing before me, i knew nothing else in the world mattered, or ever would" ― bodhinku, her glow 
  
"life seems random sometimes, things just happen and it might be hard to understand why...but love is the opposite, when it happens, we understand nothing is random about this life, there is just love" ― bodhinku, love is not random
 
"when i first saw
your eyes
i knew you already
from gazing upward
at all the stars

i'd been looking into
your eyes
for so long already
across the universe
my whole entire life

if stars would become
your eyes
they'd truly know already
their exact name
was always yours" 
 
"whenever sadness is in front of you, just remember that joy is right there too, just turn around and i am right there behind you, i am always right here behind you, no matter what, with all the love and support you will ever need" ― bodhinku, right behind you
 
"yesterday is nothing but today's memory... and tomorrow is nothing but today's dream...so live today like nothing else matters" ― bodhinku, live today
 
"like stars of night skies
my universe in her eyes
sparkles, smiles, and sighs" 
 
"nothing but the stars shining through the darkness of the night mattered to me, but when i met her, everything in my dark world became much brighter, i found a rising sun so beautiful, the morning had dawned on me at last" ― bodhinku, dawn after the darkness
 
"in trying to understand myself, and things that really make me glow with happiness, i created something special here...one fusion joined together from my psyche, dreams, visions, feelings, emotions, thoughts, and illuminations from the inner workings of my combined mind, heart, and soul" ― bodhinku, zen to me
 
"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, barefoot
 
"i have a dream, it is you" ― bodhinku, i have a dream
 
"i really need to be illuminated daily by things that are inspiring to me, things than make me smile, giggle, and glow from my deepest depths...illuminating my inner shadows, those hidden dark parts of me, personal secrets that make me who i am, even if i am not proud of them" ― bodhinku, illuminated
 
"thoughts of you both day and night
feeling so sensual never felt so right
i'm crazy obsessed by your afterglow
your joy of life is all i want to know
i'm wildly addicted to your light
and so badly aroused by your sight" 
 
 when i captured my impression, i was walking down the path of the unknown into a new world, comforted by my loving stars overhead, excited and scared at the same time, unsure of myself, but never before so positive of what i wanted so badly...and here is the perfect song to reflect those emotions, and deeply contradicting feelings, a tune wrapped in four minutes of untold amounts of mystery, romance, fear, and amazement...a totally classic rocking love ballad with a rapid heartbeat and tangible emotional rush of a blossoming romance, easily my favorite by one of my favorite 1990's "lithium" bands, the foo fighters (song released in '97): "everlong" by foo fighters ...(just click on any of words in the blue links to listen to the musical selection)....
 
"hello, i've waited here for you everlong. tonight i throw myself in two... out of the red, out of her head, she sang: come down and waste away with me, down with me. slow, how you wanted it to be. i'm over my head...out of her head she sang: and i wonder when i sing along with you if everything could ever feel this real forever? if anything could ever be this good again? the only thing i'll ever ask of you: you've got to promise not to stop when i say "when..." she sang: breathe out, so i can breathe you in, hold you in. and now i know you've always been out of your head, out of my head, I sang: and i wonder when i sing along with you, if everything could ever feel this real forever? if anything could ever be this good again? the only thing i'll ever ask of you: you've got to promise not to stop when i say "when..."  she sang: and i wonder when i sing along with you if everything could ever feel this real forever? if anything could ever be this good again? the only thing i'll ever ask of you: you've got to promise not to stop when i say "when..." ― foo fighters, everlong 
----------------------
 
HISTORY OF THE SAGUARO CACTUS
"i know you, i've always known you...i believe that...known your eyes whenever i looked up to the night sky, and saw the stars twinkle and glow...all those nights of years before we met, spent obsessing with the heavens all through the night, i was already looking at you, photographing you, knowing you" ― bodhinku, i've always known you
 
the saguaro cactus (carnegiea gigantea)...pronounced “sah-wah-roh”, is a long standing icon of the american west, especially the desert. images of these cacti are seen all through our lives as a symbol of the american desert. a trip to the sonoran desert is not complete without examining one of these famous desert plants. these huge green columnar cactus have fascinated nearly every person who has seen one. to the local tohono o’odham people, the saguaro are even more important. these giant cactus are not plants to the tohono o’odham native americans, but a different type of humanity, and are revered as respected members of their tribal community...
 
while the regal saguaro cactus has become a symbol of the american west, it will only grow in the sonoran desert. as a desert indicator species, its the range of is limited to southern arizona, and only will grow from sea level to about 4000 feet in elevation. the farther north and higher in elevation you go, the saguaro will restrict their growth to the warmer, south facing slopes.
 
the saguaro is the largest cactus in the united states, and will normally reach heights of 40 feet tall. the tallest saguaro ever measured towered over 78 feet into the air. the saguaro grows as a column at a very slow rate, with all growth occurring at the tip, or top of the cactus. it can take 10 years for a saguaro cactus to reach 1 inch in height. by 70 years of age, a saguaro cactus can reach 6 and a half feet tall, and will finally start to produce their first flowers. by 95-100 years in age, a saguaro cactus can reach a height of 15-16 feet, and could start to produce its first arm. by 200 years old, the saguaro cactus has reached its full height, reaching upwards of 45 feet tall. some saguaros have been seen with dozens of arms, while others never produce a single one. why this happens remains one of the desert’s mysteries.
 
the saguaro cactus is a master of desert survival. every aspect of this plant is specifically designed to thrive in the sometimes harsh and very extreme sonoran desert. the skin of the saguaro is covered with a thick waxy coating that waterproofs the plant, and reduces water lost to the air through transpiration. the skin of the cactus is covered with hard spines and flexible bristles as a method of defending the water stored inside.
 
the root system of a saguaro is equally as impressive. the cactus will send a large, single taproot straight down into the soil to a depth of about 5 feet. this taproot gives the cactus access to water that is stored deep underground. the main roots of the saguaro are quite different. the cactus sends out a massive maze-like array of roots very close to the surface. on average, these roots lie within 3 inches of the surface, allowing the cactus to easily collect whatever rain might fall.
 
very little water is instantly used. instead, most of the water collected ends up being stored within the cactus to use during periods of drought. the interior of the cactus is filled with a sponge-like tissue, which is used to hold the water. as more and more water gets stored, the skin of the cactus begins to expand, making room for more storage. as a result, the saguaro cactus can become quite heavy as more and more water is stored. at full capacity, a foot of saguaro cactus can weigh upwards of 90 pounds, and a full height saguaro can weigh over a ton.
 
saguaro cactus will produce flowers during late spring into early summer. in average years, the flowering occurs between april and june. the flowers are a milky white, and emit a sweet nectar which attracts multiple species of bats. these bats feast on the flower nectar, and in process act as pollinators for the saguaro cactus. as the cactus produce fruit, the bats will start to eat the fruits, and in turn help spread the saguaro seeds across the desert.
 
"let's escape this cage my dear,
and make the world ours...
let's bust out of here,
and break these bars...
let's do it without fear,
and rewrite the stars" 
---------------------
 
MORE QUOTES FOR EXTRA MEANING
this song is a most perfect song to accompany my image with such apropos lyrics...a classic alternative/pop tune from the mid 1980s, a beautiful love ballad from a singer with a beautiful voice, with a message of embracing love all through the night...it is the perfect accompaniment to connect music with the more profound meaning of my impression and blog today: "all through the night" by cyndi lauper ...(just click on any of words in the blue links to listen to the musical selection)....
 
"all through the night...i'll be awake, and i'll be with you all through the night. this precious time, when time is new...oh, all through the night today, knowing that we feel the same without saying. we have no past, we won't reach back. keep with me forward all through the night. and once we start, the meter clicks, and it goes running all through the night. until it ends, there is no end, all through the night...stray cat is crying, so stray cat sings back all through the night. they have forgotten what by day they lack...oh under those white street lamps, there is a little chance they may see...we have no past, we won't reach back. keep with me forward all through the night. and once we start, the meter clicks, and it goes running all through the night. until it ends, there is no end...oh the sleep in your eyes is enough. let me be there, let me stay there awhile...we have no past, we won't reach back. keep with me forward all through the night. and once we start, the meter clicks, and it goes running all through the night. until it ends, there is no end, keep with me forward all through the night....and once we start, the meter clicks, and it goes running all through the night. until it ends, there is no end" ― cyndi lauper, all through the night
 
"three truths cannot hide for long: the moon, the sun, and love" ― gautama siddhartha buddha, sayings of buddha 
 
"it does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop" ― confucius, the doctrine of the mean  
 
"the secret waits for eyes unclouded by longing" ― lao tzu, tao te ching
 
"it is crucial to be mindful of death--to contemplate that you will not remain long in this life. if you are not aware of death, you will fail to take advantage of this special human life that you have already attained. it is meaningful since, based on it, important effects can be accomplished. analysis of death is not for the sake of becoming fearful but to appreciate this precious lifetime during which you can perform many important practices. rather than being frightened, you need to reflect that when death comes, you will lose this good opportunity for practice. in this way contemplation of death will bring more energy to your practice" ― dalai lama xiv, advice on dying and living a better life 
 
"you're my star, a stargazer too,
and i wish that i were heaven,
with a billion eyes to look at you"  
 
"it is looking at things for a long time that ripens you and gives you a deeper meaning" ― vincent van gogh 
 
"but how would we have ever known the path if not for the longing of loneliness deep within? nothing about twin souls is taking the easy journey, but about a spirit-deep song that pulls you from somewhere beyond the horizon; it’s the beacon you can’t explain or ignore. it’s not about halves. we need to be whole within our truth to truly see our other. it’s about being present with what is on our road and not hiding. it’s about owning what needs owning, and stepping onto the path of our truth. it’s about being in a place of embracing all of our shadows and our light. it’s about opening, trust and surrender. when we live a life authentically as who we truthfully are, we hear the call deep within, and the clarity of knowing pours through our being. from this place of wholeness, connection and self-love, we are finally able to hear the ancient call that has eternally been etched along our soul. we can finally make sense of what we have always known: the time to return to our twin has come at long last, and it’s time to go home" ― c. ara campbell 

"she was at once a mystical journey into the heart of the earth and the calm found in the fading light of sunset. she was like a moonless sky; dark, deep and eternal. upon her skin a blanket of stars was scattered to be traced by knowing fingers..." ― c. ara campbell
 
"her heart is worth it. her love is a once-in-a-lifetime, out of this world, rare and mystical power to behold and be enfolded by. her heart and her love is one of the most courageous, beautiful, passionate and powerful things you will ever encounter on this planet. true, it’s not for the faint of heart, but it is worth it. she will make every single moment count, every heartbeat, always, this i promise you" ― c. ara campbell
 
"you have my heart, every single moment from now until my final hour, and even after that" ― beau taplin
 
"and god himself could bend the heavens and the earth, rain meteor showers, birth supernovas, spin whole galaxies into reality in the breadth of a moment, and still never come close to fathering a sight that could steal the breath from me like hers" ― beau taplin
 
"some nights i wonder if the stars watch us the same way we watch them. other nights, i think of you and I'm sure of it" ― beau taplin, remedy
 
"in one kiss, you'll know all I haven't said" ― pablo neruda
 
"i crave your mouth, your voice, your hair, your everywhere...is that alright?" ― pablo neruda
 
"your wide eyes are the only light i know from extinguished constellations" ― pablo neruda
 
"and, when you want something badly enough, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it" ― paulo coelho, the alchemist 
 
"the night, with all its charms, is also a path to enlightenment. just as a dark well has thirst-quenching water at its bottom, the night, whose mystery brings us closer to the mystery of life, has a flame capable of enkindling our soul hidden in its shadows" ― paulo coelho
 
"look at the stars, and let that silence penetrate you. or look at the dark night and let that velvety darkness surround you, envelop you, dissolve you. this is the way of the simple heart" ― osho, the buddha said
 
"in your eyes is the light by which my spirit's born: - you are my sun, my moon, and all my stars" ― e.e. cummings
 
"live by love though the stars walk backward" ― e.e. cummings
 
"she walks in beauty, like the night
of cloudless climes and starry skies
and all that's best of dark and bright
meet in her aspect and her eyes" 
 
"a sky
full
of stars
and he
was staring
at her" 
 
"all men have stars, but they are not the same things for different people. for some, who are travelers, the stars are guides. for others they are no more than little lights in the sky. for others, who are scholars, they are problems... but all these stars are silent. you alone will have stars as no one else has them...in one of the stars i shall be living. in one of them i shall be laughing. and so it will be as if all the stars will be laughing when you look at the sky at night..you, only you will have stars that can laugh! and when your sorrow is comforted (time soothes all sorrows) you will be content that you have known me...you will always be my friend." ― antoine de saint-exupery, the little prince
 
"the desire to reach for the stars is ambitious. the desire to reach hearts is wise" ― maya angelou
 
"first best is falling in love. second best is being in love. least best is falling out of love. but any of it is better than never having been in love" ― maya angelou, even the stars look lonesome 
 
"your hand
touching mine.
this is how
galaxies
collide" 
 
"i will love the light for it shows me the way, yet i will endure the darkness for it shows me the stars" ― og mandino, the greatest salesman in the world
 
"in this world, it is too common for people to search for someone to lose themselves in. but i am already lost. i will look for someone to find myself in" ― c. joybell c.  
 
"you can talk with someone for years, everyday, and still, it won't mean as much as what you can have when you sit in front of someone, not saying a word, yet you feel that person with your heart, you feel like you have known the person for forever...connections are made with the heart, not the tongue" ― c. joybell c.  
 
"look up; notice how the stars shine. look in; notice how the stars shine" ― laura jaworski 
 
"there's as much love as there are stars in the sky, as many answers as there are why's...that's how the world goes, everyone needs someone. someone to love them, someone to hold. when life seems a lonesome mystery, if you ever feel lost now, don't you worry, i'll count on you and you can count on me" ― jewel, count on me    
 
"never in his wildest dreams had he expected to chance upon such a vision of loveliness in those harsh and unforgiving mountains" ― alan kinross, longinus the vampire
 
"at first encounter the desert may seem arid, desolate and unforgiving, but to those who know it, it is a land of secret beauty and infinite variety" ― eve palmer, the plains of camdeboo
 
"if you look around and see nothing but darkness, maybe you are the light" ― jalaluddin rumi, the essential rumi
 
"only from the heart can you touch the stars in the sky" ― jalaluddin rumi, the music and silence of the heart
 
"never lose hope my dear heart, miracles dwell in the invisible" ― jalaluddin rumi, the music and silence of the heart
----------------------
 
ABOUT THE IMPRESSION
"you cannot forgive something whose nature has little forgivingness in it, especially something this beautiful that has a ruthless side to it. and in my eyes, the beauty of the desert can be seen this same way. its unforgiving nature gives it an unforgiven beauty." ― bodhinku, unforgiven beauty    
 
this impression was captured just off the side of a remote dirt road in the sonoran desert hills adjacent to the little ajo mountains in southern arizona on a windless morning about an hour and ten minutes before the sunrise at 5:35am on march 13th, 2022...this composition is comprised of two separate exposures taken in this desert...one long exposure saguaros and hillside (f/11@14mm for 151 secs, iso-64)... merged with a star-tracked long exposure (f'/5@14mm for 355 secs, iso-500)... 
 
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...
 
to get the effects and balance i was looking for in the saguaro desert landscape exposure of this composition (f/11@14mm for 151 secs, iso-64), i used two progreyusa titan filters along with the progrey g-150z holder to secure these filters to my nikon d850 with a nikon nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 lens ... 
 
first, a 3.0 nd progrey titan filter to bring the light in the image down 10 stops and permit for the long 1 minute and 51 second exposure which naturally saturates all the red, green, and blue (rgb) colors in the image (i would not have been able to use this long exposure and filter if the wind was blowing, because the wind would blur less secured things in the image)...
 
combined with the second filter, a 0.9 gnd progrey titan 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-dawn light, an extra three stops and help permit details in the shadows of the saguaros and desert shrubs in the foreground to come out better in the exposure... 
 
for the separate exposure of the stars i used a vixen optics polarie star tracker with vixen optics tripod attached to my nikon d850 with a nikon nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 lens 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, plus lessens any severe coma, while at the same time permitting a much lower iso setting and thus so much less noise (f/5@14mm for 355 secs, iso-500), 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 induro phq3 series 5-way panhead with the induro (now benro) stealth carbon fiber tripod in combination with the progreyusa filters which i use with every photo i take...
 
"you were blessed with 84,600 seconds today, have you used one of them to say thank you?" ― bodhinku, blessed
 
"if nothing else...if i open my eyes, if i hope, 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
 
"my photography is my way of keeping a diary" ― bodhinku, my diary 
 
"contemplate without thinking. be certain only in your uncertainty, content to be completely incomplete. stop the rush. slow down time. breathe and notice. slow down everything. let it all be. shut off the noise. hush. relax. seize this higher moment. reconnect. feel and sense what surrounds you. listen to all the colours 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
 
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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