We Are Between by Bodhi Smith

May 14, 2021

"we are between" a brand new impression and blog from me...
 
"we are between. we are between heaven and earth. we are between the past and the future. we are between where we once were and where we are going. the between is the most important part of all life, because it's in the between where we exist, when we are living. life's a gift, it's a present to be present in the present. the between is here, the between is now. we are between" ― bodhinku, we are between 
 
"we are, we are, we are mirrors of our own faults...we are, we are, we are driven by our own thoughts. we are between, we are between, yeah, we are somewhere between dust and the stars...we are between, yeah, here we are..." ― modest mouse, we are between  
 
"i'd been convinced i was on the outside, but really, i'd always been within arm's reach. all i had to do was ask, and i, too, would be easily brought back, surrounded and immersed, finding myself safe, somewhere in between" ― sarah dessen, just listen
 
"countless words count less than the silent balance between yin and yang" ― lao tzu, tao te ching  
 
"if you enter this world knowing you are loved and you leave this world knowing the same, then everything that happens in between can be dealt with" ― michael jackson
 
"we are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. life is eternal. we have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share. this is a precious moment. it is a little parenthesis in eternity" ― paulo coelho, the alchemist
 
"the celestial wind whispers a lonely lullaby over the ocean and through the breeze, seeming to call your name somehow into my sleeping soul. i wonder if you know that you live there, nestled in between the breaths of air and beating of my heart, where time stands still and eternity waits on the edge of the horizon. i wonder if you know that it’s you that holds me even while you are so far out of reach; you who are the lyrics of a love song etched deep within the walls of this aching heart, singing a timeless song written in the stars" ― c. ara campbell, written in the stars  
 
"gazing deeply into the milky way in the night sky, deep thoughts pierce my mind and soul simultaneously...we are so small, the finite of life, occupying so little time and space when compared to the vast infinity of the universe. but we are important, we are between it all, because it's us and our capacity to love that's bridging mother earth to father time" ― bodhinku, we are between 
 
this song is a brand new release by the alternative rock band modest mouse based out of portland, oregon...this is quickly becoming my favorite tune by them, with its melody and wonderful lyrics. it opens up with 45 seconds of instrumentals beautifully reminiscent of a favorite alternative band of mine from the mid 1980's, echo & the bunneymen...and then the song finishes with a sound so similar to the talking heads of the 1980s...with having the exact same title, and with its expressive message, it's absolutely the perfect song to accompany my impression here today... i would like you to give it a truly a good ear, listen to the lyrics and let the melody and rhythm piece your mind and soul simultaneously  ... "we are between" by modest mouse ... (just click on any of words in the blue links to listen to the song)...  

"hello, hello, hello. this is the worst part: we are, we are, we are mirrors of our own faults...hello, hello, hello. this is the best part: we are, we are, we are driven by our own thoughts. we are between, we are between, yeah, we are somewhere between dust and the stars. so open, then snap shut, yeah, but here we are. we are between, we are between, yeah, here we are...hello, hello, hello. this is the worst part: e are, we are, we are made of old rocks and salt...hello, hello, hello. this is the best part: e are, we are, we are made up of grass to straw. we are between, we are between, yeah, we are somewhere between dust and the stars. so open, then snap shut, yeah, but here we are. we are between, we are between, yeah, here we are. we are between, we are between, yeah, we are somewhere between dust and the stars. so open, then snap shut, yeah, but here we are. we are between, we are between, yeah, here we are" ― modest mouse, we are between  
 
"there is no good, there is no evil. there is no heaven, nor a hell. there is only love (light) or the absence of love (the abyss). on the path to peace, love is all there is to show the way, here and now between the earth and the stars. i choose to love" ― bodhinku, the between
 
"seems the most complicated thing in my life these days is trying to just keep things simple, let things flow freely. so, when i'm all constipated in complications, i go out to a place where nobody is around for miles and miles, out in the middle of real nature, the real wilderness. i let go, and let mother earth simplify my life. in the process, i find the simplicity and meaning of life in one beautiful night under the stars. bridging all the spaces between the celestial and the terrestrial, things just do not seem so bad anymore" ― bodhinku, immersion
----------------------
 
MEANING
"as my heart and my mind battle for control of my soul, there's a huge collision between romance and reality, between the celestial and the terrestrial...things can be so heavenly with my head in the stars, but in the end, being grounded in the real world seems to always come out on top...even so, i'm eternally a hopeless romantic. i never give up hope. i fight for my heart's desires between the lines of every thought" ― bodhinku, worlds collide
 
"between" is defined as: in the space or period separating two objects or points in time...
 
so...we are between. we are between heaven and earth. we are between the past and the future. we are between where we once were and where we are going. the between is the most important part of all life, because it's in the between where we exist, when we are living. life's a gift, it's a present to be present in the present. the between is here, the between is now. we are between...
 
and anytime we look up to the stars, we become the conduit between the terrestrial and the celestial...with our body, our thoughts, our soul, with all we are, we are the connection. we are between earth and heaven, here we are, the bond linking the rocks to the stars...
 
and when i look up, gazing deeply into the milky way in the night sky, deep thoughts pierce my mind and soul simultaneously...we are all so small, the finite of life, occupying so little time and space when compared to the vast infinity of the universe. but we are important, we are between it all, without us there is no connection, because it's us and our capacity to love that's bridging mother earth to father time...we are connecting the void to the living...
 
so remember...when you feel like you are between here and there, lost in the night, and confused in those spaces between joy and blues, simply walk outside into the night and look up, let go of that weight holding you down, let your spirit float, just breath, and feel the love connecting you to both heaven and earth. you are between it all, you are important for no other reason than you are you, and you are bridging the celestial to the terrestrial...
 
"night air, good conversation, and a sky full of stars can heal almost any wound" ― beau taplin, remedy
 
i was so close to naming this image "joy and blues" because of how the stars give me joy, but sometimes my life on earth gives my the blues, much like the blue waters symbolic of my tears that's pictured here...feel the song, and listen to these lyrics and you will be able to connect this tune to my impression today...a song sung boldly my favorite reggae artist, ziggy marley, achieving a profound meaning very dear to my heart: "joy and blues" by ziggy marley 

"joy and blues...here we are in this ocean between life and death and truth and lie, between rich and poor and sick and cure, between joy and blues (joy and blues)...here we are in this ocean between light a day and dark a night, between nature and destruction, between joy and blues (joy and blues)...choose well and make sure you don't lose. do what you gotta do, 'cause if it's money you put down, it's only money you could lose. choose well and make sure you don't lose. pick your choice, choose well, 'cause when your life is on the line, it's only life you can lose. alright, we have the potion to clear all evil notion, putting these words in motion...i refuse to give joy to blues. tell me why should we live between joy and blues. choose well and make sure you don't lose, do what you gotta do, 'cause if it's money you put down, it's only money you could lose. choose well and make sure you don't lose, pick your choice, choose well, 'cause when your life is on the line, it's only life you can lose...joy and blues...here we are in the big blue sea between faith and trust and hypocrisy, between wants and needs, between joy and blues. here we are in this ocean between fantasy and destiny, between quality and quantity, between joy and blues, between joy and blues, between joy and blues, between joy and blues...choose well and make sure you don't lose, do what you gotta do, 'cause if a money you put down, it's only money you could lose. just choose well and make sure you don't lose. pick your choice, choose well, 'cause when your life is on the line, your life is on the line. your life is on the line, only life you can lose...choose well choose well choose well make sure you don't lose, choose well choose well choose well make sure you don't lose" ― ziggy marley, joy and blues
 
"my doggie and i are all alone together, under the stars and the flowing milky way, bridging the space between the celestial and the terrestrial on a shoreline of endless cobblestone with no civilization around for miles and miles...immersion in the eloquence and silence of a remote location in california, which is still unexploited, unspoiled, and wild...life is good" ― bodhinku, immersion 
----------------------
 
MORE COOL MUSIC TO GIVE A LISTEN
here is a melodic instrumental piece to give a serious listen to...(just click on any of the words in the blue links to listen to the musical selection)... "a little rusty in space" by timothy and the apocalypse ... or you can use this "spotify" link if that works better for you to listen to this wonderful tune: spotify link to "a little rusty in space" by timothy and the apocalypse ...
 
i feel this amazing tune goes beautifully with my visions of the these endless cobblestones along with the harmonic silence of the stars overhead, a musical tune that bridges the spaces between the celestial and the terrestrial...
"the stars will never be won by little minds; we must be big as space itself" ― timothy and the apocalypse, a little rusty in space
---------------------
 
MORE QUOTES FOR EXTRA MEANING 
"it is right. it is wrong. it is both right and wrong. it is neither right nor wrong. all exist simultaneously" ― gautama siddhartha buddha, sayings of buddha 
 
"countless words count less than the silent balance between yin and yang" ― lao tzu, tao te ching  

"opinion is the medium between knowledge and ignorance" ― plato, phaedrus   
 
"people like us, who believe in physics, know that the distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion" ― albert einstein 
 
"chase your stars fool, life is short" ― atticus, love her wild   
    
“i don't know much of anything with certainty, but seeing the stars makes me dream” ― vincent van gogh 
 
“when i have a terrible need of shall i say the word, religion, then i go out and paint the stars.” ― vincent van gogh
 
"look up; notice how the stars shine. look in; notice how the stars shine" ― laura jaworski 
  
"we all travel the milky way together" ― john muir, the mountains of california   
 
"i love you as certain dark things are to be loved,
in secret, between the shadow and the soul" ― pablo neruda  
 
"magical places are always beautiful and deserve to be contemplated...always stay on the bridge between the invisible and the visible" ― paulo coelho, the alchemist   
 
"you are the way and you are the goal, and there is no distance between you and the goal. you are the seeker and you are the sought; there is no distance between the seeker and the sought. you are the worshipper and you are the worshipped. you are the disciple and you are the master. you are the means and you are the end: this is the great way" ― osho, book of wisdom
 
"that place between sleep and awake where you’re still dreaming but it’s slowly slipping? i wish we could feel like that more often...and i wish i could get lost in the stars...listen, there’s a hell of a good universe next door, let’s go" ― e. e. cummings, 100 selected poems
 
"passion is passion. it's the excitement between the tedious spaces, and it doesn't matter where it's directed...the saddest people i've ever met in life are the ones who don't care deeply about anything at all" ― nicholas sparks, the best of me
 
"if hers are the stars in the nighttime sky, mine are the haunted empty spaces in between" ― nicholas sparks, dear john
 
"he was there alone with himself, collected, tranquil, adoring, comparing the serenity of his heart with the serenity of the skies, moved in the darkness by the visible splendors of the constellations, opening his soul to the thoughts which fall from the unknown...he felt something depart from him, and something descend upon him, mysterious interchanges of the depths of his soul with the depths of the universe" ― victor hugo, les miserables
 
this song is deeply metaphorical, it about finding ourselves in the "in-between", in a place we need to oneday find ourselves, but it's a place that we cannot fathom or understand. a state oblivious to pain and fear, with no cares, and no external realities. it's deeply experiencing a meaning which is impossible to described or explain with words, it can only be felt to be known... "internal landscapes" by anathema ... (just click on any of the words in the blue links to listen to the musical selection)....

"and i felt myself going. i was in a great deal of pain, it was a very frightening experience, but i began to slip. i just sort of, feel myself going, and i remember trying to hold on. saying to myself,  "i’ll be ok, i’ll be ok", and it got to the point where i just couldn't and everything began to just become very quiet. and i can remember with every ounce of strength i had, i wanted to say 'goodbye' to my wife, it was important to me. and i did, i remember just turning my head, looking at her and saying, "i'm gonna die, goodbye Joan", and i did...it was then that i experienced, experienced what we call a near death experience. for me there was nothing near about it, it was there. it was a total immersion in light, brightness, warmth, peace, security. i did not have an out-of-body experience, i did not see my body or anyone about me. i just immediately went into this beautiful bright light. it's difficult to describe, matter of fact it’s impossible to describe. verbally it cannot be expressed, it’s something which becomes you and you become it. i could say that i was peace, i was love, i was the brightness and it was part of me.....goodbye my friend, love will never end. and i feel like you. and i breathe all truth. love is the lifebreath of all i see. love is the truelight inside of me. and i know you somehow, as i hold you in my heart, in my heart. there's a fire in the sky, and i know it's you (senses following me). there's a light that's so bright, and i know it's you  and i dream like you. and i believe in truth, for i was always there, and i will always be there.....and it’s just so beautiful. it was eternity. it’s like i was always there and i will always be there, that my existence on earth was just a very brief instant. i could say that i was peace, i was love, i was the brightness and it was part of me." ― anathema, internal landscapes
 
"how do we tell the difference between an image and an act of will?" ― antoine de saint-exupery, the little prince
 
"between what is said and not meant, and what is meant and not said, most of love is lost" ― khalil gibran, the prophet 
 
"there's a space between man's imagination and man's attainment that may only be traversed by his longing" ― shunya  
 
"music fills the infinite between two souls" ― rabindranath tagore
 
"if one had to fill in, little by little, the gap between day and night, it would take an eternity to do it. but the sun rises and the darkness is dispelled...a moment is sufficient to overcome an infinite distance" ― rabindranath tagore, the home and the world
 
"hope for the best, be prepared for the worst, and unsurprised by anything in between" ― maya angelou, even the stars look lonesome  
 
"i believe the night i’ve never met hides one elusive star i need to divide me between darkness and light" ― munia khan
 
"there are days you wake up thinking you can juggle the world between your fingers, and other days you wake up feeling the air around you intoxicates you to a point where you can no longer leave the premises of your bed. the nights in between, you shuffle between being a warrior and a slave; wondering whether you want to lose yourself to win the world, or lose the world to win yourself" ― suzy kassem, rise up and salute the sun    
 
"there are moments when one has to choose between living one's own life, fully, entirely, completely-or dragging out some false, shallow, degrading existence that the world in its hypocrisy demands" ― oscar wilde, the picture of dorian gray  
 
"time is the longest distance between two places" ― tennessee williams, a streetcar named desire  
 
"given the choice between the experience of pain and nothing, i would choose pain.”
― william faulkner, the wild palms
 
"between the idea
and the reality
between the motion
and the act
falls the shadow" ― t.s. eliot, the hollow men
 
"landscapes of great wonder and beauty lie under our feet and all around us. they are discovered in tunnels in the ground, the heart of flowers, the hollows of trees, fresh-water ponds, seaweed jungles between tides, and even drops of water. life in these hidden worlds is more startling in reality than anything we can imagine. how could this earth of ours, which is only a speck in the heavens, have so much variety of life, so many curious and exciting creatures?" ― walt disney
 
"the bond forged between us was not one that could be broken by absence, distance, or time. and no matter how much more special or beautiful or brilliant or perfect than me he might be, he was as irreversibly altered as i was. as i would always belong to him, so would he always be mine" ― stephanie meyer, new moon 
 
"if you are looking for sympathy, you'll easily find it in the dictionary between shit and syphilis" ― jinx smith (my mother) 
 
"maybe we just live between hurting and healing" ― benjamin alire saenz, aristotle and dante discover the secrets of the universe
 
"love is not something we give or get; it is something that we nurture and grow, a connection that can only be cultivated between two people when it exists within each one of them – we can only love others as much as we love ourselves" ― brene brown, the gifts of imperfection
 
"each day is a miracle, a blessing unexplored and the more you immerse yourself in light, the less you will feel the darkness. transcend your fears and follow yourself into the void instead of letting yourself get eaten up by entropy and decay. freedom is being yourself without permission. be soft and leave a lasting impression on everybody you meet" ― mohadesa najumi   
 
"the starry sky is the truest friend in life...when you first become acquainted, it is ever there. it gives ever peace, ever reminds you that your restlessness, your doubt, your pains are passing trivialities. the universe is, and will remain unshaken" ― fridtjof nansen 
 
"love easily confuses us because it's always in flux between illusion and substance, between memory and wish, between contentment and need" ― tom robbins, even cowgirls get the blues
 
"the starlight, i will be chasing a starlight until the end of my life...now i'll never let you go, if you promised not to fade away, never fade away..." ― matthew bellamy (muse lead singer-songwriter), starlight  
 
"love is the bridge between you and everything" ― jalaluddin rumi, the soul of rumi
 
"when i'm with you, we stay up all night. when you're not here, i can't go to sleep. praise god for those two insomnias, and the difference between them" ― jalaluddin rumi, the essential rumi
 
"life is a balance between holding on and letting go." ― jalaluddin rumi, the music and silence of the heart
----------------------
 
ABOUT THE IMPRESSION
"anytime we look up to the stars, we become the conduit between the terrestrial and the celestial...with our body, our thoughts, our soul, with all we are, we are the connection. we are between earth and heaven, here we are, the bond linking the rocks to the stars" ― bodhinku, we are between 
 
this impression was captured alongside a shoreline filled with miles of cobblestones under the stars at 3:33am and also half an hour before sunrise at 5:55am on may 9th, 2021...this composition is comprised of one ultra-long exposure of the cobble and water (f/11@20mm for 1111 secs, iso-64) merged with a star-tracked long exposure (f'/4@20mm for 444 secs, iso-400)...  
 
in my photography, i always use filters to create longer exposure effects, saturate colors naturally, and balance the light in my composition in-camera...i often use as many as four filters at time, and i always use at least one filter in my completed impressions...
 
and to get the effects and balance i was looking for in the seascape exposure of this composition (f/11@20mm for 1111 secs, iso-64), i used two progreyusa filters: first, a 3.0 nd progrey antarctica filter to bring the light in the image down 10 stops and permit for the crazy long 18 min and 31 second exposure which in turn creates this dreamy effect with motion blur smoothing out totally all of the waves and naturally saturating all the blues, yellows, and reds in the image; second, combined with a 0.9 reverse gnd progrey aurora filter to help balance in-camera overall the image the way i envisioned it...in this case, to stop down the much brighter light in the sky, the pre-dawn light, at the horizon level of the image an extra three stops and help permit details in the shadows amongst all the rocks on the beach come out better in the exposure... 
 
i also used the progrey g-120z magnetic holder to hold the filters and secure the filters to my nikon d850 with a nikon nikkor 20mm f/1.8 prime lens ... 
 
for the separate exposure of the stars i used a vixen optics polarie star tracker with tripod...this permitted me to be able to capture a much longer exposure of the stars and not have any star trails, which also gives such beautiful enrichment to all the colors in the night sky while at the same time permitting a much lower iso setting and thus so much less noise (f/4@20mm for 444secs, iso-400)...no filters were necessary in the star exposure, so none were used...
 
i wish to openly thank my sponsors who have always supported me through both the good and bad times...for truly this long exposure impression would not be possible without the use of my faithful induro phq3 series 5-way panhead with tripod, in combination with the progreyusa filters which i use with every photo i take...
 
"if nothing else...if i open my eyes, if i cry, if i think, if i sigh, if i giggle, if i dance, if i love, if i breathe, then i have lived a full days worth of life...nothing is wasted, nothing" ― bodhinku, if nothing else
 
"i do not want you to just be into my photography, instead, i'd much rather you take a journey into my pictures, and feel the impression i have created, feel it with all your senses" ― bodhinku, into my photography
 
"contemplate without thinking. be certain only in your uncertainty. stop the world. slow down everything. let it all be. shut off the noise. relax. seize this moment. reconnect. feel and sense what surrounds you. listen to all the colors of light whisper as they envelope you. see the melody and harmony that float about unnoticed. taste the solitude of all this wonderment. smell the beautiful silence. now discover your peaceful serenity. then, reach out and touch your faith with all your senses. this is my world. awaken!" ― bodhinku, my world
 
"my photography is my way of keeping a diary" ― bodhinku, my diary  
 
i leave you today wishing that
bright joy and spiritual peace fill your life...
imploring you to make every moment count,
no matter what, always and forever,
for that is the only thing that truly matters...    
 
and above all else,
i hope this message and impression find you well.
 
namaste,
bodhi
-------------------------------------------------
 
please visit me at:
 
#inspiration #stars #california #progreyusa #induro #polarie #nikon #d850 #lowepro #columbia #milkyway #rocks #shoreline #believe #dream #faith #namaste #impressionist #expressionist #surreal #bodhinku #vangogh #rumi #coelho #buddha