"Venus Rising" by Bodhi Smith

Apr 08, 2022

"venus rising" is my brand new impression and blog...
 
"the rising morning star, venus is symbolic of love for me. my life these days is all about love. it's about love rising in my life every morning to illuminate me, and center me, stay inside of me, nurture me and help me grow richer in my heart, mind, and soul" ― bodhinku, venus rising
 
"​as ​​venus rises
behold her beauty
and breath​e" 
 
"venus is the power that we invoke in spring, in the garden, when things begin growing. and we call the ​morn​ing star, venus...but venus also became more...with the help of the ​g​reeks. they call her ​a​phrodite...there was a great poet who praised her in latin. delight of men and gods, he called her, dear nurturer. under the sliding star signs, she fills the ship-laden sea and the fruitful earth with her being; through her, the generations are conceived and rise up to see the sun; from her the storm clouds flee; to her the earth, the skillful maker, offers flowers. the wide levels of the sea smile at her, and all the quiet sky shines and streams with light...it was the venus i had prayed to, it was my prayer, though i had no such words. they filled my eyes with tears and my heart with inexpressible joy" ― ursula k. le guin, lavinia
 
​"c​ounting stars by candlelight
all are dim but one is bright
the spiral light of ​v​enus
rising first and shining best
from the northwest corner
of a brand-new crescent moon
crickets and cicadas sing
a rare and different tune​"​
― ​robert hunter, a box of rain​
 
​"t​his is the night of union when the stars​ ​scatter their rice over us. ​t​he sky is​ ​excited!​ ​venus cannot stop singing the little songs she's making up, like birds​ ​in the first warm spring weather. ​t​he ​n​orth ​s​tar can't quit looking over at ​l​eo.​ p​isces is stirring milky dust from the ocean floor. ​j​upiter rides his horse near​ s​aturn, ​t​he ​p​leiades and ​l​ibra and ​a​ries have no​ ​trembling in them anymore. ​s​corpio walks​ ​out looking for a lover, and so does​ ​​s​agittarius! ​t​his is not crooked walking​ ​like the ​c​rab. ​i​t is finally time to learn how the sky is a lens to look through. ​l​isten to what's​ ​inside what ​i​ say. ​angels will appear at dawn;​ ​then even night will change from​ ​its beloved animated darkness to a day​ ​within this ordinary sweet​ ​daylight" ― jalaluddin rumi, hush don't say anything to god 
 
"​true love is born from understanding" ― gautama siddhartha buddha, sayings of buddha
 
"a little bit of
love is the 
instrument to 
unfold divine secrets. 
love is the 
constant that
reigns timeless, dimensionless...
my love is profound as 
the moon shining among the 
stars in the night sky. and 
you, my beloved are the 
sunshine in the 
heart of my love" ― bodhinku, my love
 
this song is the newest release by an all-time favorite alternative band of mine. and with its lyrics, it's the perfect accompaniment to connect music with the meaning of my impression and blog today: "a little bit of love" by weezer ... (just click on any of the words in the powder blue links to listen to the tune and watch the video) ...
 
"a little bit, a little bit of love goes a pretty long way. take a look at where you started from, and where you are today. you climbed mountains, swam oceans. you got knocked down and kept going. in the end, you know you've got to say, a little bit of love goes a pretty long way...all your wounds are healing fine. i'm so glad i've got you in my life. now the winter frost is gone, now is our chance to live the life we want. a little bit, a little bit of love goes a pretty long way. everybody, everybody's lost and that's okay. some show it, some hide it. but there's a battle we're all fighting. so if you're looking for the words to say, a little bit of love goes a pretty long way...holding on to the rabbit's feet, walking down the sunny side of the street shadows creeping at your back. you can forget 'em like an amnesiac...a little bit, a little bit of love goes a pretty long way. love is really like a wonder drug, let's medicate. say goodbye to the drama, it's a beeline to nirvana. if you're looking for the words to say, a little bit of love goes a pretty long way. hey, ho, hey-ho. hey, ho, hey-ho, a little bit, a little bit of love goes a pretty long way...take a look at where you started from, and where you are today. you climbed mountains, swam oceans. you got knocked down and kept going. in the end, you know you've got to say, a little bit of love goes a pretty long way. hey, ho, hey-ho...a little bit of love goes a pretty long way" ― weezer, a little bit of love
 
"being
in her
love glows
in her beauty,
love flows
in her
being" ― bodhinku, in her
 
"she is love, and all i need is love" ― bodhinku, love 
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MEANING
"i love to love love" ― bodhinku, love
 
venus is a planet in our sky, the third brightest thing in the heavens, with only the sun and the moon being more illuminous...this planet is named after the roman goddess of love, venus (who is also know as aphrodite to the greeks)...and it's not just about romantic love, there are many other kinds of love we experience throughout our days. 
 
and with venus, the planet of love, beginning its rise into the morning sky over the sand dunes, the name of this impression was born...
 
"awakening to an image of the beautiful sparkling glow of your eyes as you smile and giggle, well, that thought is my morning sunshine" ― bodhinku
 
but the meaning of this all to me goes much deeper and is more profound than just the simple idea of the planet venus rising. the rising morning star, venus is symbolic of love for me. my life these days is all about love. it's about love rising in my life every morning to illuminate me, and center me, stay inside of me, nurture me and help me grow richer in my heart, mind, and soul...i feel love is the most beautiful thing.
 
many think that it's time, but i instead believe that love is the only constant in this universe. love supersedes time when the two of them are happening together. love can be touched, felt, and known. whereas time cannot be experienced at all, we can only pass through it. we do not pass through love, it's always here for us to experience, especially when we clear our minds and open our hearts, love is the food for our spirits to grow and become healthier and happier...
 
focus on love in as many moments as you possibly can during the day. be mindful of the type of love you are experiencing, and how it makes you feel. the more you can be present in these moments of love, and the more moments of love you realize, the more enriched your life will be with happiness...
 
"when you find yourself in love, nothing else matters, there is only love. in love, life is just better. it's more peaceful, more meaningful, and so much happier" ― bodhinku, there's only love 
 
"love is all you need
love, love, and then love some more
love from you indeed"― bodhinku, a haiku: love, love, love
 
this song is one of the best written songs of all-time, and of course it's an all-time favorite tune of mine, and even though it is quite old, almost 55 years old, i could play it on repeat 55 times and i'll never get tired of it...so melodic and harmonic, it has a meaning that is so pure, with a message full of love that could magically save this planet if people would really hear it...and coincidently this tune was released within a few days of the day i was born and brought into this world in july of 1967..."all you need is love" by the beetles ... (just click on any of the words in the powder blue links to listen to the tune and watch the video) ...

"love, love, love...love, love, love...love, love, love...there's nothing you can do that can't be done. nothing you can sing that can't be sung. nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game, it's easy...nothing you can make that can't be made. no one you can save that can't be saved. nothing you can do but you can learn how to be you in time, it's easy...all you need is love, all you need is love, all you need is love, love. love is all you need...love, love, love. love, love, love. love, love, love...all you need is love, all you need is love, all you need is love, love. love is all you need...nothing you can know that isn't known. nothing you can see that isn't shown. nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be, it's easy...all you need is love, all you need is love, all you need is love, love. love is all you need...all you need is love (all together, now!). all you need is love (everybody!). all you need is love, love...love is all you need, love is all you need (love is all you need). love is all you need (love is all you need). love is all you need (love is all you need)..." ― beetles, all you need is love 
 
"when i see her, truly see her, by exploring deeply down into the depths of those fascinating eyes of hers, my heart pulse rises, my chest swells...i have to hold my breath, hold in the moment and feel all this love pounding through my rib-cage...then i exhale with a smile in a sigh, knowing all i need to know here and now" ― bodhinku, nothing but peace
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THE SEVEN TYPES OF LOVE
besides romantic love, which i have a strong focus on in my writings, there are many different kinds of love we experience throughout our days. to the greek philosophers, there are seven distinct types of love:
 
1. eros–romantic, passionate love (of the body).In the modern world, it illustrates our physical attraction to one another, and it is embodied by that passionate, romantic love that is gushed over in all our favorite books and movies.

2. philia–affectionate, friendly love. it encompasses the love shared between friends and is characterized by loyalty and trust. it's encouraging, kind, affectionate, and everything that makes up a true friendship. it's entirely platonic, yet both meaningful and sweet.

3. storge–unconditional, familial love. the unconditional love that parents have for their children and pets, and visa versa. it's a protective, kinship-based love that embodies approval, sacrifice, and acceptance.

4. agape– selfless, universal love. it's an empathetic, selfless love for others that includes a love for god, nature, strangers, and the less fortunate

5. ludus–playful, flirtatious love. it's a breezy love; playful, flirtatious, non-committal. it's the infatuated phase that occurs in the early stages of romance. a no-strings-attached sort of conquest. it's the oh-so-stereotypical butterflies in your stomach. it's all about having fun, so think of whatever that means—flirting, dancing, teasing, seducing, all the jazz.

6. pragma–committed, long-lasting love. it's love that looks long-term; built on commitment, endurance, companionship, and sharing similar hopes for the future. it's an accepting, everlasting love that matures as a couple spends year after year together. it's patient, sacrificial, mature, and quite rare

7. philautia–self love.a healthy, necessary love of one’s self that made it possible to give and receive love from other people. it goes hand in hand with self-worth, confidence, and the boost of self-esteem that is necessary for a sense of one’s purpose. how are we to love others if we don’t first love ourselves?
 
"she is love to me
her eyes are all i can see
my eternity" ― bodhinku, a haiku: she is love
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VENUS THE MORNING STAR
the following is an article about venus in 2022 was written by joe rao and can be found on www.space. com...
 
the planet venus has returned to the early morning sky and has established itself as a dazzling morning lantern, emerging into view from beyond the east-southeast horizon before 5 a.m. local standard time.

just three months ago, on january 8, was the day of its inferior conjunction — when it passed between the sun and earth and made its transition from an evening to a morning object. a week later, it had moved far enough away from the sun's vicinity so that it was rising more than an hour before sunrise. and now venus is much easier to sight, rising more than two hours before the sun.

venus is now coming up in total darkness, the "dazzling white star," which now precedes the rising sun, about an hour before the first glimmer of dawn, while also shining at its pinnacle of brilliancy (magnitude –4.9). to give you an idea of just how radiant venus is right now, it appears to gleam a full 25 times brighter than sirius, the brightest of all stars...in fact, it's so bright, that you might try sighting it on very clear days with the naked eye after sunrise. if you can keep track of where it is through sunup, you should still be able to see it as a tiny white "speck" against the blue daytime sky...and in places where there is no light pollution, venus can even cast a faint but distinct shadow.

from late april through about the middle of august, it will appear to rise at approximately the same time as the beginning of morning twilight, roughly two hours before sunrise. so, it pretty much will remain a fixture in our morning sky from now, right on through at least the middle of the summer.

as an added bonus, at intervals of approximately once a month, a lovely waning crescent moon will pass near to venus, making for a head-turning sight in the pre-sunrise eastern sky. an especially attractive configuration will occur on the morning of april 27, when the moon will not only rendezvous with venus, but the planet jupiter as well. the three brightest objects of the night sky will form a very striking triangle that will be pointing down toward the east-southeast horizon; well worth setting your alarm to see!

and on that very same morning, if you have high-power binoculars or a small telescope, train them on venus, then scan roughly a half degree to its lower left and try to see if you can sight the most distant planet, neptune. it won't be easy though. besides having to contend with the twilit sky background, neptune—appearing as a tiny bluish star—will be about 63,000 times dimmer than venus.

you'll have much better success on the mornings of april 30 and may 1, when venus and jupiter appear within a half-degree of each other, appearing as dazzling "double planet." on april 30, this dynamic duo will appear low above the eastern horizon, dramatically ascending the sky side-by-side. on the following morning, venus will have shifted to jupiter's lower left.

finally, the closest and most stunning of the moon-venus pairings will come on the morning of june 26, when a 7% illuminated crescent moon will be positioned just a couple of degrees to venus's upper left.

after mid-august, venus's slide back toward the sun will become more rapid, and by mid or late september it will finally disappear into the sunrise fires. it will sweep to a point on the far side of the sun—superior conjunction—on october 22, and transition into the evening sky. still, it is going take at least another month or so before it will begin to become noticeable again, this time very low near the west-southwest horizon shortly after sunset. venus will then be at the start of a glorious evening apparition that will take us right on through the first half of the year 2023.

joe rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at new york's hayden planetarium. he writes about astronomy for natural history magazine, the farmers' almanac and other publications.
---------------------
 
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...
 
"love can't be rationally defined, or even effectively described by any combination of words. love can only be felt, love can only be known. and love is everywhere, surrounding us inside and out. love is truly the only constant in the universe, and we have a universe of love inside each of us. those of us that realize this, we're the lucky ones" ― bodhinku, lucky ones
 
"i thank my lucky stars for 
being alive. with 
each breath i take, i know 
nothing is guaranteed, not even 
my next breath. i'm so 
grateful for what i have. and so 
thankful of those lucky stars for 
guiding me, showing me so 
much love, showing me how
 love surrounds me everywhere, if 
i only open my eyes to see it, and 
my heart to feel it" ― bodhinku, lucky stars 
 
"you can see how i am grateful, fortunate, and blessed...truly "lucky" to have what i have, live the way i do, and be alive " ― bodhinku, fortunate
 
"if there's a love story you want to read, but it has not been written yet, then we will just have to write it together" ― bodhinku
 
"our bodies are the
sudden portal of love 
a perfect two 
entwined as one in
beautiful time travel 
lost and found in
passion, in
unity, in
pleasure, in
infinite peace and love" ― bodhinku, perfect two
 
"she's here now. she's always here. i carry her in my heart, until the day i can carry her in my arms" ― bodhinku
 
"there's only one better present than being present in the present, it's the gift of getting to be present with you" ― bodhinku, presents
----------------------
 
MORE QUOTES FOR EXTRA MEANING
​"in the end​, ​these things matter most:​ h​ow well did you love?​ h​ow fully did you live?​ h​ow deeply did you let go?" ― gautama siddhartha buddha, sayings of buddha
 
"there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people" ― vincent van gogh 
 
"one word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: that word is love" ― sophocles
 
"love is a word much too soft and spoken far too freely to ever properly express the fierce, infinite agony that i feel in my heart when i'm missing you" ― beau taplin
 
"listen. true love isn’t someone being there at your side every moment of every day, but feeling free, and encouraged, to pursue your own passions, and then sharing in the spoils of your triumphs together" ― beau taplin
 
"there are no better times, right places, or more suitable occasions when it comes to the words, i love you. there is only now" ― beau taplin
 
"​f​alling in love you remain a child; rising in love you mature. ​b​y and by love becomes not a relationship, it becomes a state of your being. ​n​ot that you are in love​, ​now you are love" ― osho, awareness: the key to living in balance
 
"love is the goal, life is the journey" ― osho, itimacy
 
"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 you forever" ― nicholas sparks, the notebook
 
"​i​ am always in love" ― ernest hemingway, the sun also rises
 
​"l​ove
​h​as a way of wilting
​o​r blossoming
​a​t the strangest,
​m​ost unpredictable hour.
​t​his is how love is,
​a​n uncontrollable beast
​i​n the form of a flower.
​t​he sun does not always shine on it.
​n​or does the rain always pour on it
​n​or should it always get beaten by a storm.
​l​ove does not always emit the sweetest scents,
​a​nd sometimes it can sting with its thorns.
​w​ater it.
​g​ive it plenty of sunlight.
​n​urture it,
​a​nd the flower of love will
​o​utlive you.
​n​eglect it or keep dissecting it,
​a​nd its petals will quickly curl up and die.
​t​his is how love is,
​p​erfection is a delusional vision.
​s​o love the person who loves you
​u​nconditionally,
​a​nd abandon tho​s​e
​w​ho only love you
​u​nder favorable
​c​onditions​"​
― ​suzy kassem, r​ise ​u​p and ​s​alute the ​s​un
​
"t​he human body resonates at the same frequency as ​m​other ​e​arth. ​s​o instead of only focusing on trying to save the earth, which operates in congruence to our vibrations, ​i​ think it is more important to be one with each other. ​i​f you really want to remedy the earth, we have to mend mankind. ​a​nd to unite mankind, we heal the ​e​arth. ​t​hat is the only way. ​m​other ​e​arth will exist with or without us. ​y​et if she is sick, it is because mankind is sick and separated. ​a​nd if our vibrations are bad, she reacts to it, as do all living creatures​" ​― ​suzy kassem, r​ise ​u​p and ​s​alute the ​s​un
 
"we are three dimensional beings, and time is seen as the fourth dimension. try to imagine a life without timekeeping. you probably can’t. you know the month, the year, the day of the week. there is a clock on your wall or the dashboard of your car. you have a schedule, a calendar, a time for dinner or a movie. yet all around you, timekeeping is ignored. birds are not late. a tree does not check its watch. a dog does not feel tardy. deer do not fret over passing birthdays. man alone measures time. man alone chimes the hour. and, because of this, man alone suffers a paralyzing fear that no other creature endures: a fear of time running out" ― mitch albom (with additions by bodhinku)
 
​"w​e grew together, and now are grown. ​i​n her eyes, ​i ​see my heart. ​i​n her breath, ​i​ hear my soul. ​s​he is my land. ​s​he is my ​home​. ​m​y love​" ​― pierce brown, red rising​
 
​"w​hen the sun shines on you, it is my smile. ​w​hen you hear the breeze stir through the apple blossoms, it is my whisper that ​i​ love you. ​m​y love is yours forever​" ​― ​robert jordan, the shadow rising​
 
"you must find someone who will tremble for your touch, someone whose fingers are a love poem" ― ​janet fitch, w​hite oleander
 
​"l​ove people who hate you. ​p​ray for people who have wronged you. ​i​t won’t change their life…it’ll change yours​"​ ― mandy hale, the single woman​
 
​"v​enus​ ​is rising from the water. ​h​er face and arms​ ​are raised​...​she, goddess of beauty​ ​and love will have accomplished the earth​ ​where ​i​ stand. ​s​he from water to land,​ ​me from earth to air​...​​i​t is the rising ​i​ love, in no matter what​ ​element, to the one above. ​a​s ​i​ ascend, helped​ ​by prayers​, ​i​ say in all my​ ​sexual glamor, see my body bathed in light and air.​ ​​s​ee me rise like a flame, like the​ ​sun, moon,​ ​stars, birds, wind. ​i​n light. ​i​n dark​"​ ― ​linda gregg
 
​"t​hough my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light;​ i​ have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night​" ​― ​sarah williams, t​wilight ​h​ours
 
"and just at the moment when you are all confused leaps forth a voice, hold me close. i'm love and i'm always yours" ― jalaluddin rumi, in the arms of the beloved
 
"love calls--everywhere and always. we're sky bound. are you coming?" ― jalaluddin rumi, whispers of the beloved   
 
"​w​hen soul rises
​i​nto lips
​y​ou feel the kiss
​y​ou have wanted" ― jalaluddin rumi, the essential rumi
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ABOUT THE IMPRESSION
"when anything seems negative, just love, and if that does not work, love some more" ― bodhinku, love   
 
this impression was captured standing on top of some rarely visited remote sand dunes in the middle of the mojave desert of california, on april 10, 2021 just after sunset and also later in the wee hours of the morning on april 11, 2021...
 
this is a complex image composition created from 22 separate exposures, all shot at 24mm (and each in a portrait orientation), all taken in succession of each other on a uniform horizontal plane, in two separate panoramic rows comprised of 11 photos each level (one row of 11 for the milky way arch and one row of 11 for the road)...each separate row of 11 images was combined and stitched together using the photomerge function in adobe photoshop cc...then the two separate rows were merged and stitched together into one cohesive composition using again the photomerge function in adobe photoshop cc, creating a composition of 22 separate exposures
 
the individual shots in each row of 11 images have the same exact camera settings...for the 11 images of the stars/milky way arch taken in the southeastern sky at 4:44am (f/1.4 @ 24mm for 15 seconds, iso-1600)...and for the 11 images of the sand dunes taken almost 10 hours previously and just a after the sunset at 7:20pm (f/8 @ 24mm for 33 seconds, iso-64)...
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...
 
in the 11 exposures of the upper row of images of the stars and milky way arch 11 x (f/1.4 @ 24mm for 15 seconds, iso-1600), no filters were needed and thus none were used...
 
to get the effects and balance i was looking for in the 11 images used for the mojave desert landscape part of this composition 11 x (f/8@24mm for 33 secs, iso-64), i used two progreyusa filters along with the progrey g-120z magnetic holder to secure these filters to my nikon d850 with a nikon nikkor 24mm f/1.4 prime lens ...
 
i used a 3.0 nd progrey antarctica filter to bring the post-sunset light in the image down 10 stops to permit for the 33sec exposure and naturally saturate all the blues and reds in the image...combined with 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 brighter post-sunset light in the sky an extra three stops and help permit details come out better in each of the 11 exposures in the shadows of the mountains and the details in the sand ripples and shadows in the dunes, and thus help balance in-camera overall the image the way i envisioned it...
 
with this being a series of 11 x 2 semi-long exposures put together, an excellent panhead and a stable and sturdy tripod are absolute necessities...i used my induro phq3 series 5-way panhead on a stealth carbon fiber tripod by benro...these are necessary in order to keep each of the 11 exposed images of each of the two rows in perfect line on the same plane with each other, and in sharp focus in all the places i wanted sharpness...
 
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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