Beauty and Light – the Prickly or the Smooth – Your Choice – Treasure Your Life Now – v8-32

As I was reviewing prior Picture to Ponder publications when preparing for today’s issue of Treasure Your Life Now, the following photos popped out. They “asked” to be shared with you.

Before saying anything more, I’ll allow them to wordlessly speak to you. Simply be with the images for a for a moment or two.

Today’s Photos –
Cacti in the Desert Botanical Garden in Scottsdale, AZ in 2009. (see June 2009 for original article)

The first photo used above always surprises me. In the past what seemed incongruent was that such a beautiful, light and airy flower was part of a cactus or what “cactus” connoted to me.

In the second photo, it’s the composition, the direction of the angles, the lights and shadows that keep calling me into it and appeal to me most.

The third photo, below, included for fun, is one we discuss in the first session of the Through and From The Lens Telecourse, where we look at “faces” in my photos and other places where participants discover them.

When you look at it what do you see? Is it a turtle face or a fist? Note the five fingers. How many other faces do you see here?

Self-Reflecting Queries –
Although the “spiny” needles surrounding the flower may be prickly, in the top photo they appear to be soft and gentle. The light feels strong and bright, yet there is an overall sense of softness, conveyed in part by the pinks. At least, this is how it feels to me. How about for you?

This cactus flower photo is one of three photos used in another exercise in Through and from The Lens. (see Photos for Exploration)

In that exercise, and now, I invite you to put yourself into the photo, exploring the flower, the setting within which it resides, covering it from all angles.

Observe – What size are you? How does it feel? Would you want to be a permanent resident in this space? Check your responses. Why ‘yes’ or ‘no’? Do they point to similarities in any aspects of your life?

I also invite you to look further into your own life. Are there areas where you are feeling “prickly” places, perhaps ones you wish to avoid? If so, can you look beyond and find a bright light beckoning you? What could you be saying to “soften” them up?

Relationship Tip –
The above photos exemplify, no matter how dense or prickly a situation may seem, there are always other perspectives to it, in interpretation or reality.

YOU have the ability to look for and find them. Then YOU get to choose the one(s) with which you wish to interact, the one(s) that will give you most long-range power, freedom, peace, satisfaction and even joy.

As always, have fun with this and please share your experiences of the photos and/or queries and tips in the COMMENTS section below.

 

What Do YOU want from Treasure Your Life Now –
Your response to a Short Survey – multiple choice questions – could help in having that happen.

Multiple-choice responses are given to questions relating to your interest in photography, using the camera and relationships. Thank you in advance.

Upcoming Program in October – Through and From The Lens Telecourse – Your Digital Camera has the Answers to Shifting I Can’t to I Can and Seeing Your World with New Eyes. So does Your Camera Phone

Through and From The Lens offers the opportunity to find your inner artist and explode your creativity, creating deeper connections in your relationships with yourself and others in your world.

For details, bonuses, registration information and to see some of the photographs of past participants go to Telecourse.