Friday Photographs: Astonishing Light

"I wish I could show you, when you are lonely or in darkness, the astonishing light of your own being."

~Hafiz

When we feel like darkness has engulfed our being it is difficult to remember that God's light illumines our being and that even if one speck of light is greater than massive darkness. It is this ever present light and love that can give us hope in the midst of darkness. It is this light and love that illumine the path from loneliness to belonging. It is this light and love that illumine the beauty that each of us share with the world.

In what ways do you feel God's light shining within you? How do you see yourself today? Share your stories in the comments. 

Capturing the Beauty Amongst the Chaos

According to my parents I have always loved to be outside and to create things. This is most likely why I find outdoor photography such a spiritual experience. It is one way God enters my soul -  grounding and transforming me. I find that if I go out into nature on photography walk I not only come back with some great shots but I come back more alive and in tune with myself and with God, for I have glimpsed (even captured) the beauty of God's creation in the chaos of this world.

If you look though my photographs either on this blog or other places they have been "displayed" you will notice that a majority of them are close up of objects with the exception of my sunset photographs. I was told once that the type of photography (close up vs. non close up) tells a lot about how you see/view the world. Thus, I think my photography reflects how I perceive the world and reveals something about how I relate to the world. If you know me well you know I am a very detail oriented person. I tend to focus on small aspects of a situation or project, sometimes forgetting to look at the larger picture. I like to hone into the the details because I believe they are often overlooked as an important aspect of a situation or project. The details reveal much about the whole. They can be messy as well as beautiful. Without the details there is no whole.

In my photography I love to look for the the beautiful in the chaos. I love to hone into one small part of a larger landscape and capture its beauty. In a world full of chaos we need to find ways to hone into the small aspects of our lives that give us joy, laughter, and beauty. I believe this is one ways God enters into our soul in the midst of chaos, struggle, or hopelessness. This is is what transforming love looks like.

One aspect of my passion and purpose is to hold space for individuals to catch a glimpse of beauty, joy and laughter. It is in this space that healing and wholeness can be experienced. I am honored to walk this journey with others through my photography, my future career as well as other times and places where this can occur.

What are your favorite types of photographs to look at? To ponder? What types of photographs make you cringe?

(So you might have been expecting some photographs...well this post was not about the photographs themselves but rather a written reflection on photography.)

Mandala-A Spiritual Practice of Coloring

Recently I have been reacquainting myself with different spiritual practices that I either learned about in seminary and/or found to be effective for me at one time. For the past couple of weeks I have been doing a spiritual practice called Praying in Color (I wrote about it in a previous post). While I have found this practice to be very grounding and effective this morning I knew I needed something different. My soul was telling me that I needed to think less about what I was doing with my hands and let my mind just wander a bit. This was a perfect opportunity to engage in a spiritual practice using a Mandala!

Mandalas are an ancient practice that are used in many religious traditions, including Christianity. The word "mandala" means "circle" in Indian language of Sanskrit. Traditionally, mandalas are designs that have a center and are based on circle.

However, some modern mandalas designs are not circular in nature (like the one below).

No matter what the design is there are two consistent aspects of mandalas. One it that they made up of geometric patters and second that you color these designs. It is the act of coloring that is the real spiritual practice. Coloring lets your mind go into a different mode of being. As you color you begin to relax both physically and mentally allowing your mind to stay more present with God. This doesn't mean that your thoughts won't wander to your to do list (as mine did more than once today) or that you won't begin to feel stressed about something in your life (that happened to me too). Rather it allows you to let those thoughts and feelings come, sit for a moment (hopefully only a moment), let them go, and then refocus your attention on God.

Today's practice was difficult for several of the reasons mentioned above. I kept wanting to quit so I could get on with my day and my long "to-do list." Yet, I kept hearing the Spirit say, "Stay with me a little longer." I realized I need to MAKE time to sit with God, just be present, and let God's love seep into to my soul as I color. I didn't "finish" coloring the mandala today and that's okay. I am actually looking forward to "finishing" it tomorrow and seeing what I experience and feel.

Have you engaged the spiritual practice of mandalas? If so, share you experience in the comments other (including myself!) can learn and grow from your story? If you are interested in learning more about this practice please contact me! I'd love to talk with you about it. Happy coloring!

Friday Photographs-Psalm 18:2

"The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer,
    my God, my rock in whom I take refuge,
    my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold."

~Psalm 18:2