BirchLane.net

June 2004 (edit mode)

Wednesday.

Happy when this month is over.

Tuesday 29

Type as the poetry of design. Thank You, Adell.

Monday 28.

Still walking--and seeing.

Sunday 27

On The Path.

To the right as one walks toward The Oxbow:

We know we have reached the end of the path when we come to this:

And let us not forget last night:

Saturday 26

Late Evening and Early Morning.

Friday 25

What Morning Brings.

Thursday 24

Breaking News.

In the dark night live those for whom
The world without alone is real; in night
Darker still, for whom the world within
Alone is real. The first leads to a life
Of action, the second to a life of meditation.
But those who combine action with meditation
Cross the sea of death through action
And enter into immortality
Through the practice of meditation.
So have we heard from the wise.

-Isha Upanishad

From "Teachings of the Hindu Mystics"

Wednesday 23

On Assignment.

More here.

Tuesday 22

Where The Grass is Green.

 

Monday 21

Lakes and Mountains and Paths.

Sunday 20

Language. (re: brunch discussion)

Saturday 19

More About Families in Transition. (re: class)

Friday 18

Families in Transition. (re: class of 15)

Thursday 17

Beginnings. The poem and the "reading" seem timely. I found the poem today online and the reading was conducted Monday night.

To look at any thing, if you would know that thing, You must look at it long: To look at this green and say "I have seen spring in these woods" will not do -- you must Be the thing you see: You must be the dark snakes of Stems and ferny plumes of leaves, You must enter in To the small silences between The leaves, You must take your time And touch the very peace They issue from. -John Moffitt

What I wrote to a writer, Donna Albino, a Mt Holyoke Graduate, who I met online at LiveJournal.

Dear Donna,   Last night I thought I might have been seeing ghosts; during the past few weeks, people from my past, people who I have not seen in ten, twelve, years have suddenly reappeared in my life--last night I thought they might be ghosts coming back to help me, to affirm the path I am on is right and good and wise.   In many way I have run--and walked--around a giant track the past twenty years and here I am back at the beginning with my soul and heart--and art; vision and self-image clear.   I have recently separated from my wife and we are getting divorced; it is amicable; nonetheless often strange to be sitting together filling out the paperwork online. Sometimes I am filled with sadness......This is a wise move for us and I think we will remain friends and our kids seem to understand; certainly they saw it coming many years ago.   The track? I graduated with a degree in art history and in english. Worked first at Hearst Magazines as a corporate photographer and writer, moved into marketing, then moved into sales (a long story short). Made alot of money a few years ago, yet during this time the marriage seemed to unravel, I grew less happy with my "job" and I sunk into a rather deep depression. Meanwhile, built my site, birchlane, which was featured in an international symposium on "personal publishing" in Montreal, published four photo/poetry zines, re-discovered photography and poetry.   I feel, today, that I have for the most part successfully emerged from the depression (therapy and celexa); my therapist said at out last meeting, which was last week, that our work together seems to have reached its end (my beginning) and that she was amazed at all I have accomplished during the past 6--8weeks: packed, moved, unpacked, bought new furniture, opened art gallery, opened photo studio, made new friends, etc.  I feel good, too; more self-confident and happy than I have in a long time. I still yearn for human greater contact but I know this too will come.   I am writing a sales and marketing plan in consultation with an artist/marketing person here at Eastworks; global in its approach to the photographic marketplace. Cards, letterhead--all that "stuff" is being designed as I write; strategies and tactics analyzed and developed.   I think I have a gift: a passion for people coupled with a vision of the world that finds beauty in the ordinary; I think I see much more than most people; and I think my love and respect for people brings forth their inner truth when I photograph them.   You asked me what do I want to know; "Any particular concern you'd like to have clarified or explored?" If I was sitting on the right hand of God as in a William Blake print, I might say, "Is THIS my path? I believe You have pointed me in the right direction; what more do I need to do to fulfill this vision?" Can we explore this?   Bruce

Donna e-mailed me at nine and asked me to concentrate, to imagine my hands moving here hands and the deck of cards:

This reading (is for Bruce) who wrote me a long and beautiful synopsis of 20 years of his life to prepare for this reading. He ended it with, "If I was sitting on the right hand of God as in a William Blake print, I might say, "Is THIS my path? I believe You have pointed me in the right direction; what more do I need to do to fulfill this vision?" Can we explore this?" I chose the Voyager Tarot for several reasons. One, the imagery of the cards is done with photo collage, and (Bruce) is an artist and photographer, so I thought he would resonate with the deck. And two, because he has been on a long voyage, and wants to know if he's still on the right path to get where he wants to go. What better deck than a Voyager deck to understand the needs of a Voyager? This deck was published in 1986, and is the collaborative effort of a tarot teacher, an artist, and a graphical designer. (The graphical designer was only involved with the image on the backs of the cards, the image on the box, and the image on the book.) The cards are enormous (3.75"x5.5"), which is wonderful for displaying the art, but difficult for shuffling! The author suggests using this deck daily by drawing one card and observing how that card-symbol manifests itself. Since I don't have the luxury of being able to do that for Bruce every day, I decided to draw five cards for him. (I like an odd number.) The first card would represent today (or actually, since it's so late today, tomorrow). The second card would represent a week. The third card would represent a month. The fourth card would represent a year. And the fifth card would represent the full path. The goal was for him to see a progression of how to get from today, to his end goal, in more discreet chunks of time. The first card, your Today card, was Four of Wands - Aspiration. Great images on this card. There is a spire, an up-stretched hand, the Statue of Liberty, another tall monument I don't recognize, sun breaking through clouds. The spire, the hands, the monuments reaching up from the earth, all symbolizing a strong spirit that cannot be stifled. Aspiration represents the Emperor's spirit. Like the Emperor, aspire to fulfill all the potentials of your being. Aspire to the heights! Free yourself from whatever is keeping you back from being all you can be. Reach out for help from the great spirit as you strive to help yourself. Empower yourself to become the master of your own destiny. With this aspiration you can achieve victory! For aspiration to become attainment, it must be accompanied by willpower and concentrated focus on your goal. You must be courageous and emotionally and physically aroused. You must stand up for your rights and act on your ideals. To realize your potentials, you must be a spiritual warrior. Ready to do battle for your highest good, you will break through the forces of entropy and oppression. Onward and upward! The second card, for your Week's goal, was III - Empress. Images on this card include Priestess Selkut, protector of King Tut's spirit; dove; flowering meadows; Earth globe; waterfall; moon. These images speak to fertility, unconditional love, being connected with spirit, nurturance, and being emotionally attached. The Empress, symbolizing the law of preservation, is the guardian of life. The Empress honors and respects all of life for its inherent richness and beauty. No fruit is too small, no being is too weak, no idea is too foolish, and no emotion is too immature. In the image of the Earth Mother, conserve life by giving birth to its seed, which you carry within. The Empress gives birth to new ideas, which flower into fields of fruitfulness. Like the Empress, nurse and nurture your life creations into full flower with a protective, healing, and compassionate hand. Upon the physical death of your "life creations," the Empress assists the journey of the spirit into rebirth. Recreate new life by honoring what needs to die. The third card, for your Month's goal, was XIII - Death. Images on this card include a snake shedding old skin, autumn leaves, a river, a death mask, a cloaked figure. These images suggest releasing, letting go, accepting that life is impermanent and living fully in the moment. Death is the dissolution of obstruction, a freeing up, the breakup of blockage and constriction. Free yourself from what is holding you back and hanging you up. Death is a renewal, a rebirth on all levels of being. Cut away excesses, simplify, get to the core essence. The fourth card, for your Year's goal, was I - Magician. Images on this card include an Earth globe in the eye of a mask; a rainbow pouring from the palm of a hand, a flying man, fireworks, flowers in full bloom; a butterfly. These images suggest being imaginative; making dreams reality; being swift and in motion; follow your own time and knowing the right moment to act. The Magician has all the tools of transformation and materialization. The mind is brilliant, sharp and creative. The emotional nature is healing and beautifying. Health, wealth, and success are in your hands. You illuminate and energize. The essence of the Magician's power is the ability to make things happen - the ability to create by transforming and materializing. The fifth card, for the Life goal, was XIV - Art. Images on this card include Athena, the Greek goddess of art; lightning bolts; open palms containing liquid mercury pouring between the fingers; a woven basket; volcano lava; a spider's web; a butterfly; a rainbow arching over green land. These images suggest imagination, communication, becoming whole by the creative process, creation by expansion. Art symbolizes the law of creativity - being a creative artist in all aspect of being and in all endeavors of worldly life. Consider yourself an artist in all phases of life. Creativity is an alchemical art that first requires the dissolution or death of old forms. The separated new elements can then recombine into a higher synthesis. Art is transformative; by being creative, you are re-created in teh process. To be creative requires using all your inner resources. In that act, all the elements of your inner self are woven together. Create and become naturally whole and healed. In conclusion, from the bit that I know about you and from the suggestions of these cards, I'd say you are well on your way along the path to your ultimate goal. In the short term, dream big dreams and do what you can to nurture them. A little farther down the path, you'll have to do some weeding, so that you can nurture the things that show the most promise. But in the next year, and beyond that, you'll be manifesting what you want artistically, and becoming the person you most want to be.

Wednesday 16

Endings.

The Peace of Wild Things
When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

— Wendell Berry
 

Tuesday 15

Reading. I had a Tarot card reading from a friend last night.

Minutes before I had my reading the sky grew dark blue.

Monday 14

Past Present.

 

Sunday 13

Dead Flowers.

Self Portrait.

Interesting article about Russian Cyberspace / Live Journal.

Saturday 12

Tibetan lamas often say: "Not seeing is the perfect seeing." Strange words, perhaps, but they have a profound meaning. They describe the advanced meditator's experience of spacious, universal reality, the experience beyond dualism.

-Lama Thubten Yeshe, "Introduction to Tantra"

Went for a three hour hike today; started here:

Much much further along I came upon what seemed to be a secret place:

This is what I cannot see:

Friday 11

Sunset and Sunrise.

The bottom of the river is full of jewels.
Take heed! Do not make the water turbid.
The spirit of man is like the air:
when dust surrounds it the sky is veiled.
Notwithstanding such a state of darkness,
God made visions to help you
find the road to redemption.

-Rumi, "Mathnawi"

Thursday 10

Sea of Joy.

Man is by nature a mystic.

- Kook, HaMahshaba HaYisraelit

Wednesday 09

Affirmation and Alignment.

And all these comments come to me this morning:

Thank you for seeing and sharing the beauty. What a generous man.

Incredibly memorable photo. You do have an incredible attunement with nature and beauty.

I just can't get enough of your photos! Gorgeous!!!

You have such a tremendous eye for beauty :)

What an absolute pleasure; sometimes when I see your art, I feel so inferior, but in a good way.... you inspire me to improve and practice.

The messages leave me speechless, yet exhilarated.

 

Tuesday 08

Pam. Years ago I worked at an alternative weekly newspaper with a very beautiful woman (in heart and soul and in body) who moved west with her partner, Melissa. Yesterday, I was on the third floor here at Eastworks, the building where I live and a woman was walking toward me; I looked at her and said, "What's your name." She said "Pam." I smiled and she said, "Bruce." I showed her Studio 19 and then we went for a walk, quickly catching up on the pat ten years. Lunch with her on Friday.

The wanderer Bhaggava accused the Buddha of saying that the universe was caused merely by chance. The Buddha replied: "I have heard others of your sect, Bhaggava, say that when I awoke and found the truth, which was beautiful, I remained in that bliss and then regarded the universe as ugly and meaningless in comparison. "But I never taught that, Bhaggava. This is what I do say: 'Whenever one awakes and finds the beautiful, then one knows indeed what beauty is.'" -Majjhima Nikaya From "Buddha Speaks," edited by Anne Bancroft, 2000. Reprinted by arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Boston, www.shambhala.com.

Monday 07

Yes, Monday.  A massage, a marketing plan and a marriage.

Sunday 06

The Open Studio. A success; an affirmation of my work and vision. Oh, and "Less Is More" was a favorite among the visitors to Studio 19.

Saturday 05

Progress Report. First participation in an Art Walk; nervous previously, but when the people arrived I became calm and animated. Orders for 15 prints and two weddings.

Today was magic.

Minutes before the opening:

Friday 04

Less Is More. One of my favorites. And I named it this on it name-tag.

Thursday 03

Almost Ready.

Wednesday 02

Gifts. Is there an abundance of good karma in my life? This morning I find the following in my in-box:

Your entries bring breath to stagnation and shade to shelter.  I hope to continue to enjoy your very beautiful and unique perspective on the world.  You lend it grace and you imbue it with a subtle mosaic of hues.

I read the following online later in the morning:

Simple Rules for Simple Living by Sarah Ban Brethneach 1. Cultivate gratitude. 2. Carve out an hour a day for solitude. 3. Begin and end your day with meditation/reflection (prayer). 4. Keep it simple. 5. Keep your house picked up. (If you open it, close it; if you take it out, put it away.) 6. Don't over schedule. 7. Strive for realistic deadline. 8. Never make a promise you can't keep. 9. Allow an extra half hour for everything you do. 10. Create quiet surroundings at home. 11. Go to bed at 9:00 twice a week. 12. Always carry something interesting to read. 13. Breathe, deeply and often. 14. Move - walk, dance, run, find a sport you enjoy. 15. Drink pure spring water. 16. Eat, only when hungry. 17. If it's not delicious, don't eat it. 18. Be instead of do. We are human beings not human doings. 19. Set aside one day a week for rest and renewal. 20. Laugh more often. 21. Luxuriate in your senses. 22. Always opt for comfort. 23. If you don't love it, live without it. 24. Let Mother Nature nurture. 25. Don't answer the telephone during dinner. 26. Stop trying to please everybody; start pleasing yourself. 27. Stay away from negative people. 28. Don't squander precious natural resources, creative energy, and emotion. 29. Nurture friendships. 30. Approach problems as challenges. 31. Honor your aspirations. 32. Set achievable goals. 33. Surrender expectations. 34. Savor beauty. 35. Create boundaries. 36. With every yes, let there be a no. 37. Don't worry, be happy. 38. Exchange security for serenity. 39. Care for your soul. 40. Cherish your dreams. 41. Express love every day. From Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Brethneach

The turned dark later in the afternoon and it rained:

Tuesday 01

A Good Day. It's always a good day when you see your name in the paper; of course, not in the police news or obits. From today's paper:

PAINTINGS, pottery, glass, graphics and a wide variety of other artwork will be on view and for sale this weekend in Easthampton, when more than 50 artists at venues throughout the city open their studios to the public. The 16th-annual ArtsEasthampton Open Studio sale will take place Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visitors to Easthampton's downtown area have gotten a preview of the event's artistic offerings, some of which have been displayed in business windows, on store walls and in outdoor installations since late May. Artwork and demonstrations will be on view at Eastworks, 116 Pleasant St., including paintings by Adell Donaghue, clothing designs by Anita Eliason and photography by Bruce Barone, among others.