Street performer, amazing singer, € 5.00 CD, if I love you, street of Dublin, Ireland, Late Fall 2010.

SONY hifi

Woodpeckers tap to find grubs under dead wood and bark. The sound here tends to be stop-start. When a woodpecker is in the mood for love, it will find a dead branch or tree and make it resound, sending a sonar signal far and wide to let potential partners know that there is vigor in the air. Low populations of man during the ages of prehistory were rarely individuals lost in the disordered woods of time. Reindeer runs opened wide 'motorways' north south and more; many coastlines offered fast path along beach or matted dune, animal tracks to rivers and lake might be opened with the snap of a twig and river paths kept free as winter sodden trees fell for fire wood. Even away from paths, man might copy nature and make sonar signals learning the rules of amplification via the experience and observation of dead wood and rock cavity. Emulating and perfecting natural sources of amplification being a simple jump of logic to be repeated and assimilated through the Mesolithic, Neolithic and ages of metal. Seeing an alcove carved smooth with acoustic properties would simply be an expected subplot within man's great journeys.

 

Taken with a vintage 135mm, I think the Takumar 1:2.5.

 

AJM 06.05.14

The speaker is turned on & the mic is set for a recording session.

Champion 20

Does this one go up to 11?

Statue of Daedalus (2010) by Igor Mitoraj (Oederan, March 26, 1944 - Paris, October 6, 2014) - Bronze sculpture - staircase of the cathedral of Noto

 

ispirandosi all'arte classica, Mitoraj ha saputo fondervi elementi moderni, disarticolandone e frammentandone la purezza per comporre una realtà in disgregazione, popolata da personaggi tormentati, reliquie di un mondo perduto e della brutalità della storia. A suggellare un binomio osmotico tra archeologia e contemporaneità dell’arte, sue sculture in bronzo sono state temporaneamente collocate in aree archeologiche di eccezione, quali i Mercati di Traiano a Roma (2004), la Valle dei Templi di Agrigento (2011), Pompei (2016) e Noto (2020-2021) in suggestivi allestimenti che ne amplificano l'intensità.

 

Inspired by classical art, Mitoraj was able to blend modern elements, disarticulating and fragmenting its purity to compose a reality in disintegration, populated by tormented characters, relics of a lost world and the brutality of history. To seal an osmotic pairing between archaeology and contemporary art, his bronze sculptures have been temporarily placed in exceptional archaeological sites, such as the Mercati di Traiano in Rome (2004), the Valle dei Templi in Agrigento (2011), Pompei (2016) and Noto (2020-2021) in evocative settings that amplify their intensity.

Another piece of street art in Asbury Park, NJ by Shepard Fairey. This is stenciled onto the bricks of this building next to the convention center. I had a look with Google street view and noted that this stenciled image was still here at the time the Google camera car went by.

Respect thy Father, Mother & Country was my first program. After all, isn't it their empathy that tells me to put on my toque and mittens...Eh? lol ♥

In my last post I had a bit of a rant about the vagrancies of the British weather during, what is laughably termed, Summer. On reflection, I have realised that my frustrations have been somewhat amplified by modern technology. Back the good old days, the only source of information was the BBC’s Michael Fish slapping magnetic rubber symbols onto a map of Ol’ Blighty. And we all accepted it would be wrong more often than not as it was mainly based on three pine cones located in Michael’s downstairs loo, a piece of old seaweed hanging from a rusty rail outside the front door of BBC Weather Centre, and the dawn and dusk phone calls to the National Shepherds Association to see if the majority of their members were delighted or not when they looked out of the window. And the BBC acknowledged their inherent inaccuracies by making sure their predictions were very vague of where a shower would appear; Michael’s magnetic symbol for rain covered three entire counties (admittedly, if you are making a weather forecast for Wales, you only need one symbol that is big enough to shroud the whole principality). But now we in the age of supercomputers and AI algorithms and satellites and the internet. So, surely, we should expect an uptick in the forecast accuracy figures? With phone apps having a claimed precipitation prediction precision of minutes within a given postcode, we can now plan the family day out with complete confidence and without the fear that we have not packed enough contingency waterproofs. And I’m sure the parents of the kids in Eyemouth had the same anticipation of warm sunny spells with a light breeze at 16:19, as I did.

So much photography romanticizes our world, erasing from scenes the conflict between country and urban, ugly and beautiful... Along our Fleurieu Peninsula the urban sprawl is gradually devouring the countryside... In this photo there's actually three zones under pressure. The hills, the Carrickaling Creek and its surrounds and crop farming in the foreground... Similar scenes are to be had all around our world and I am beginning to find travelling depressing. You can find many beautiful places and people but it's hard not to be upset by the destruction of habitat and lack of regard for the environment in so many places, amplified by overpopulation...

 

He has to be the best street musician I’ve seen, yet. He drew a huge crowd.

Belém, Lisboa, Portugal

 

POIMANDRES, THE VISION OF HERMES

The Divine Pymander of Hermes Mercurius Trismegistus is one of the earliest of the Hermetic writings now extant. While probably not in its original form, having been remodeled during the first centuries of the Christian Era and incorrectly translated since, this work undoubtedly contains many of the original concepts of the Hermetic cultus. The Divine Pymander consists of seventeen fragmentary writings gathered together and put forth as one work. The second book of The Divine Pymander, called Poimandres, or The Vision, is believed to describe the method by which the divine wisdom was first revealed to Hermes. It was after Hermes had received this revelation that he began his ministry, teaching to all who would listen the secrets of the invisible universe as they had been unfolded to him.

The Vision is the most: famous of all the Hermetic fragments, and contains an exposition of Hermetic cosmogony and the secret sciences of the Egyptians regarding the culture and unfoldment of the human soul. For some time it was erroneously called "The Genesis of Enoch," but that mistake has now been rectified. At hand while preparing the following interpretation of the symbolic philosophy concealed within The Vision of Hermes the present author has had these reference works: The Divine Pymander of Hermes Mercurius Trismegistus (London, 1650), translated out of the Arabic and Greek by Dr. Everard; Hermetica (Oxford, 1924), edited by Walter Scott; Hermes, The Mysteries of Egypt (Philadelphia, 1925), by Edouard Schure; and the Thrice-Greatest Hermes (London, 1906), by G. R. S. Mead. To the material contained in the above volumes he has added commentaries based upon the esoteric philosophy of the ancient Egyptians, together with amplifications derived partly from other Hermetic fragments and partly from the secret arcanum of the Hermetic sciences. For the sake of clarity, the narrative form has been chosen in preference to the original dialogic style, and obsolete words have given place to those in current use.Hermes, while wandering in a rocky and desolate place, gave himself over to meditation and prayer. Following the secret instructions of the Temple, he gradually freed his higher consciousness from the bondage of his bodily senses; and, thus released, his divine nature revealed to him the mysteries of the transcendental spheres. He beheld a figure, terrible and awe-inspiring. It was the Great Dragon, with wings stretching across the sky and light streaming in all directions from its body. (The Mysteries taught that the Universal Life was personified as a dragon.) The Great Dragon called Hermes by name, and asked him why he thus meditated upon the World Mystery. Terrified by the spectacle, Hermes prostrated himself before the Dragon, beseeching it to reveal its identity. The great creature answered that it was Poimandres, the Mind of the Universe, the Creative Intelligence, and the Absolute Emperor of all. (Schure identifies Poimandres as the god Osiris.) Hermes then besought Poimandres to disclose the nature of the universe and the constitution of the gods. The Dragon acquiesced, bidding Trismegistus hold its image in his mind.Immediately the form of Poimandres changed. Where it had stood there was a glorious and pulsating Radiance. This Light was the spiritual nature of the Great Dragon itself. Hermes was "raised" into the midst of this Divine Effulgence and the universe of material things faded from his consciousness. Presently a great darkness descended and, expanding, swallowed up the Light. Everything was troubled. About Hermes swirled a mysterious watery substance which gave forth a smokelike vapor. The air was filled with inarticulate moanings and sighings which seemed to come from the Light swallowed up in the darkness. His mind told Hermes thatthe Light was the form of the spiritual universe and that the swirling darkness which had engulfed it represented material substance.Then out of the imprisoned Light a mysterious and Holy Word came forth and took its stand upon the smoking waters. This Word--the Voice of the Light--rose out of the darkness as a great pillar, and the fire and the air followed after it, but the earth and the water remained unmoved below. Thus the waters of Light were divided from the waters of darkness, and from the waters of Light were formed the worlds above and from the waters of darkness were formed the worlds below. The earth and the water next mingled, becoming inseparable, and the Spiritual Word which is called Reason moved upon their surface, causing endless turmoil.Then again was heard the voice of Poimandres, but His form was not revealed: "I Thy God am the Light and the Mind which were before substance was divided from spirit and darkness from Light. And the Word which appeared as a pillar of flame out of the darkness is the Son of God, born of the mystery of the Mind. The name of that Word is Reason. Reason is the offspring of Thought and Reason shall divide the Light from the darkness and establish Truth in the midst of the waters. Understand, O Hermes, and meditate deeply upon the mystery. That which in you sees and hears is not of the earth, but is the Word of God incarnate. So it is said that Divine Light dwells in the midst of mortal darkness, and ignorance cannot divide them. The union of the Word and the Mind produces that mystery which is called Life. As the darkness without you is divided against itself, so the darkness within you is likewise divided. The Light and the fire which rise are the divine man, ascending in the path of the Word, and that which fails to ascend is the mortal man, which may not partake of immortality. Learn deeply of the Mind and its mystery, for therein lies the secret of immortality."The Dragon again revealed its form to Hermes, and for a long time the two looked steadfastly one upon the other, eye to eye, so that Hermes trembled before the gaze of Poimandres. At the Word of the Dragon the heavens opened and the innumerable Light Powers were revealed, soaring through Cosmos on pinions of streaming fire. Hermes beheld the spirits of the stars, the celestials controlling the universe, and all those Powers which shine with the radiance of the One Fire--the glory of the Sovereign Mind. Hermes realized that the sight which he beheld was revealed to him only because Poimandres had spoken a Word. The Word was Reason, and by the Reason of the Word invisible things were made manifest. Divine Mind--the Dragon--continued its discourse:"Before the visible universe was formed its mold was cast. This mold was called the Archetype, and this Archetype was in the Supreme Mind long before the process of creation began. Beholding the Archetypes, the Supreme Mind became enamored with Its own thought; so, taking the Word as a mighty hammer, It gouged out caverns in primordial space and cast the form of the spheres in the Archetypal mold, at the same time sowing in the newly fashioned bodies the seeds of living things. The darkness below, receiving the hammer of the Word, was fashioned into an orderly universe. The elements separated into strata and each brought forth living creatures. The Supreme Being--the Mind--male and female, brought forth the Word; and the Word, suspended between Light and darkness, was delivered of another Mind called the Workman, the Master-Builder, or the Maker of Things.

"In this manner it was accomplished, O Hermes: The Word moving like a breath through space called forth the Fire by the friction of its motion. Therefore, the Fire is called the Son of Striving. The Workman passed as a whirlwind through the universe, causing the substances to vibrate and glow with its friction, The Son of Striving thus formed Seven Governors, the Spirits of the Planets, whose orbits bounded the world; and the Seven Governors controlled the world by the mysterious power called Destiny given them by the Fiery Workman. When the Second Mind (The Workman) had organized Chaos, the Word of God rose straightway our of its prison of substance, leaving the elements without Reason, and joined Itself to the nature of the Fiery Workman. Then the Second Mind, together with the risen Word, established Itself in the midst of the universe and whirled the wheels of the Celestial Powers. This shall continue from an infinite beginning to an infinite end, for the beginning and the ending are in the same place and state."Then the downward-turned and unreasoning elements brought forth creatures without Reason. Substance could not bestow Reason, for Reason had ascended out of it. The air produced flying things and the waters such as swim. The earth conceived strange four-footed and creeping beasts, dragons, composite demons, and grotesque monsters. Then the Father--the Supreme Mind--being Light and Life, fashioned a glorious Universal Man in Its own image, not an earthy man but a heavenly Man dwelling in the Light of God. The Supreme Mind loved the Man It had fashioned and delivered to Him the control of the creations and workmanships."The Man, desiring to labor, took up His abode in the sphere of generation and observed the works of His brother--the Second Mind--which sat upon the Ring of the Fire. And having beheld the achievements of the Fiery Workman, He willed also to make things, and His Father gave permission. The Seven Governors, of whose powers He partook, rejoiced and each gave the Man a share of Its own nature."The Man longed to pierce the circumference of the circles and understand the mystery of Him who sat upon the Eternal Fire. Having already all power, He stooped down and peeped through the seven Harmonies and, breaking through the strength of the circles, made Himself manifest to Nature stretched out below. The Man, looking into the depths, smiled, for He beheld a shadow upon the earth and a likeness mirrored in the waters, which shadow and likeness were a reflection of Himself. The Man fell in love with His own shadow and desired to descend into it. Coincident with the desire, the Intelligent Thing united Itself with the unreasoning image or shape."Nature, beholding the descent, wrapped herself about the Man whom she loved, and the two were mingled. For this reason, earthy man is composite. Within him is the Sky Man, immortal and beautiful; without is Nature, mortal and destructible. Thus, suffering is the result of the Immortal Man's falling in love with His shadow and giving up Reality to dwell in the darkness of illusion; for, being immortal, man has the power of the Seven Governors--also the Life, the Light, and the Word-but being mortal, he is controlled by the Rings of the Governors--Fate or Destiny."Of the Immortal Man it should be said that He is hermaphrodite, or male and female, and eternally watchful. He neither slumbers nor sleeps, and is governed by a Father also both male and female, and ever watchful. Such is the mystery kept hidden to this day, for Nature, being mingled in marriage with the Sky Man, brought forth a wonder most wonderful--seven men, all bisexual, male and female, and upright of stature, each one exemplifying the natures of the Seven Governors. These O Hermes, are the seven races, species, and wheels."After this manner were the seven men generated. Earth was the female element and water the male element, and from the fire and the æther they received their spirits, and Nature produced bodies after the species and shapes of men. And man received the Life and Light of the Great Dragon, and of the Life was made his Soul and of the Light his Mind. And so, all these composite creatures containing immortality, but partaking of mortality, continued in this state for the duration of a period. They reproduced themselves out of themselves, for each was male and female. But at the end of the period the knot of Destiny was untied by the will of God and the bond of all things was loosened."Then all living creatures, including man, which had been hermaphroditical, were separated, the males being set apart by themselves and the females likewise, according to the dictates of Reason."Then God spoke to the Holy Word within the soul of all things, saying: 'Increase in increasing and multiply in multitudes, all you, my creatures and workmanships. Let him that is endued with Mind know himself to be immortal and that the cause of death is the love of the body; and let him learn all things that are, for he who has recognized himself enters into the state of Good.'"And when God had said this, Providence, with the aid of the Seven Governors and Harmony, brought the sexes together, making the mixtures and establishing the generations, and all things were multiplied according to their kind. He who through the error of attachment loves his body, abides wandering in darkness, sensible and suffering the things of death, but he who realizes that the body is but the tomb of his soul, rises to immortality."Then Hermes desired to know why men should be deprived of immortality for the sin of ignorance alone. The Great Dragon answered:, To the ignorant the body is supreme and they are incapable of realizing the immortality that is within them. Knowing only the body which is subject to death, they believe in death because they worship that substance which is the cause and reality of death."Then Hermes asked how the righteous and wise pass to God, to which Poimandres replied: "That which the Word of God said, say I: 'Because the Father of all things consists of Life and Light, whereof man is made.' If, therefore, a man shall learn and understand the nature of Life and Light, then he shall pass into the eternity of Life and Light."Hermes next inquired about the road by which the wise attained to Life eternal, and Poimandres continued: "Let the man endued with a Mind mark, consider, and learn of himself, and with the power of his Mind divide himself from his not-self and become a servant of Reality."Hermes asked if all men did not have Minds, and the Great Dragon replied: "Take heed what you say, for I am the Mind--the Eternal Teacher. I am the Father of the Word--the Redeemer of all men--and in the nature of the wise the Word takes flesh. By means of the Word, the world is saved. I, Thought (Thoth)--the Father of the Word, the Mind--come only unto men that are holy and good, pure and merciful, and that live piously and religiously, and my presence is an inspiration and a help to them, for when I come they immediately know all things and adore the Universal Father. Before such wise and philosophic ones die, they learn to renounce their senses, knowing that these are the enemies of their immortal souls."I will not permit the evil senses to control the bodies of those who love me, nor will I allow evil emotions and evil thoughts to enter them. I become as a porter or doorkeeper, and shut out evil, protecting the wise from their own lower nature. But to the wicked, the envious and the covetous, I come not, for such cannot understand the mysteries of Mind; therefore, I am unwelcome. I leave them to the avenging demon that they are making in their own souls, for evil each day increases itself and torments man more sharply, and each evil deed adds to the evil deeds that are gone before until finally evil destroys itself. The punishment of desire is the agony of unfulfillment."Hermes bowed his head in thankfulness to the Great Dragon who had taught him so much, and begged to hear more concerning the ultimate of the human soul. So Poimandres resumed: "At death the material body of man is returned to the elements from which it came, and the invisible divine man ascends to the source from whence he came, namely the Eighth Sphere. The evil passes to the dwelling place of the demon, and the senses, feelings, desires, and body passions return to their source, namely the Seven Governors, whose natures in the lower man destroy but in the invisible spiritual man give life."After the lower nature has returned to the brutishness, the higher struggles again to regain its spiritual estate. It ascends the seven Rings upon which sit the Seven Governors and returns to each their lower powers in this manner: Upon the first ring sits the Moon, and to it is returned the ability to increase and diminish. Upon the second ring sits Mercury, and to it are returned machinations, deceit, and craftiness. Upon the third ring sits Venus, and to it are returned the lusts and passions. Upon the fourth ring sits the Sun, and to this Lord are returned ambitions. Upon the fifth ring sits Mars, and to it are returned rashness and profane boldness. Upon the sixth ring sits Jupiter, and to it are returned the sense of accumulation and riches. And upon the seventh ring sits Saturn, at the Gate of Chaos, and to it are returned falsehood and evil plotting."Then, being naked of all the accumulations of the seven Rings, the soul comes to the Eighth Sphere, namely, the ring of the fixed stars. Here, freed of all illusion, it dwells in the Light and sings praises to the Father in a voice which only the pure of spirit may understand. Behold, O Hermes, there is a great mystery in the Eighth Sphere, for the Milky Way is the seed-ground of souls, and from it they drop into the Rings, and to the Milky Way they return again from the wheels of Saturn. But some cannot climb the seven-runged ladder of the Rings. So they wander in darkness below and are swept into eternity with the illusion of sense and earthiness."The path to immortality is hard, and only a few find it. The rest await the Great Day when the wheels of the universe shall be stopped and the immortal sparks shall escape from the sheaths of substance. Woe unto those who wait, for they must return again, unconscious and unknowing, to the seed-ground of stars, and await a new beginning. Those who are saved by the light of the mystery which I have revealed unto you, O Hermes, and which I now bid you to establish among men, shall return again to the Father who dwelleth in the White Light, and shall deliver themselves up to the Light and shall be absorbed into the Light, and in the Light they shall become Powers in God. This is the Way of Good and is revealed only to them that have wisdom."Blessed art thou, O Son of Light, to whom of all men, I, Poimandres, the Light of the World, have revealed myself. I order you to go forth, to become as a guide to those who wander in darkness, that all men within whom dwells the spirit of My Mind (The Universal Mind) may be saved by My Mind in you, which shall call forth My Mind in them. Establish My Mysteries and they shall not fail from the earth, for I am the Mind of the Mysteries and until Mind fails (which is never) my Mysteries cannot fail." With these parting words, Poimandres, radiant with celestial light, vanished, mingling with the powers of the heavens. Raising his eyes unto the heavens, Hermes blessed the Father of All Things and consecrated his life to the service of the Great Light.Thus preached Hermes: "O people of the earth, men born and made of the elements, but with the spirit of the Divine Man within you, rise from your sleep of ignorance! Be sober and thoughtful. Realize that your home is not in the earth but in the Light. Why have you delivered yourselves over unto death, having power to partake of immortality? Repent, and change your minds. Depart from the dark light and forsake corruption forever. Prepare yourselves to climb through the Seven Rings and to blend your souls with the eternal Light."Some who heard mocked and scoffed and went their way, delivering themselves to the Second Death from which there is no salvation. But others, casting themselves before the feet of Hermes, besought him to teach them the Way of Life. He lifted them gently, receiving no approbation for himself, and staff in hand, went forth teaching and guiding mankind, and showing them how they might be saved. In the worlds of men, Hermes sowed the seeds of wisdom and nourished the seeds with the Immortal Waters. And at last came the evening of his life, and as the brightness of the light of earth was beginning to go down, Hermes commanded his disciples to preserve his doctrines inviolate throughout all ages. The Vision of Poimandres he committed to writing that all men desiring immortality might therein find the way.In concluding his exposition of the Vision, Hermes wrote: "The sleep of the body is the sober watchfulness of the Mind and the shutting of my eyes reveals the true Light. My silence is filled with budding life and hope, and is full of good. My words are the blossoms of fruit of the tree of my soul. For this is the faithful account of what I received from my true Mind, that is Poimandres, the Great Dragon, the Lord of the Word, through whom I became inspired by God with the Truth. Since that day my Mind has been ever with me and in my own soul it hath given birth to the Word: the Word is Reason, and Reason hath redeemed me. For which cause, with all my soul and all my strength, I give praise and blessing unto God the Father, the Life and the Light, and the Eternal Good.

   

L'Orecchio di Dionisio (o Orecchio di Dionigi) è una grotta artificiale che si trova sotto il Teatro Greco di Siracusa, all'interno di una cava denominata " latomia del Paradiso ".

La grotta si sviluppa ad "S ", per 65 metri di percorso, è alta quasi 23 m e la larghezza varia tra i 5 egli 11 m.

E' una meta turistica rinomata per la sua architettura ma anche per l'acustica dei suoni, molto particolare. Possiede infatti la capacità di amplificare i suoni fino a 16 volte

Provare per credere, gridandoci dentro...

Ho scattato questa foto quando sono andata a visitarla nuovamente con i miei parenti...

 

The Ear of Dionysius (or Ear of Dionysius) is an artificial cave that is under the Greek Theatre of Syracuse, in a quarry called "latomia of Paradise."

The cave is developed at "S", to 65 meters of path, is nearly 23 m and the width varies from 5 to 11 m he.

It is a tourist destination renowned for its architecture but also for the acoustic sound, very special. It has indeed the ability to amplify sounds up to 16 times.

I took this picture when I went to visit it again with my relatives ...

central cardiff

caerdydd canolog;

  

www.maybemaq.eu

So I went outside to take a pic of my freshly dyed hair as soon as the sun came up and was hit with a wave of humidity that was my first clue things weren't going to go my way. The lens, viewfinder and screen kept steaming up faster than I could shoot. Unfortunately this was my only chance to take a self portrait today, so we're stuck with it.

 

This is 17 different Manic Panic colors in my still wet hair, through the haze of the rising sun shining on trees surrounding the sauna my veranda turns into during the summer.

Reposting this one today in solidarity with the people of Paris in this difficult time. This one hits me particularly close to home because of my own familiarity with the city, a place I have lived in in the past, and which I have continued to visit since. I have eaten in restaurants like these, walked these streets, and even seen concerts in the Bataclan itself. I know that tragedies happen all over the world every day, but when something touches so closely on the familiar – particularly in this great city that has such history (howsoever troubled and complex) in inspiring humankind towards freedom, beauty, and greater things – it amplifies and underlines the tragedy, painting everything with that melancholic brush.

 

Here's what I wrote when I first posted this image of mine, back on 14 July 2012, still eerily fitting on this particular day:

 

"Bonne Fête Nationale, tout le monde! Happy Bastille Day, everyone! Here's a little tricolore triptych I put together in honor of the occasion.

 

Bastille Day is the name given in English-speaking countries to the French National Day, which is celebrated on the 14th of July each year. In France, it is formally called La Fête Nationale (The National Celebration) and commonly Le quatorze juillet (the fourteenth of July). It commemorates the 1790 Fête de la Fédération, held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789; the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille fortress-prison was seen as a symbol of the uprising of the modern nation, and of the reconciliation of all the French inside the constitutional monarchy which preceded the First Republic, during the French Revolution. Festivities and official ceremonies are held all over France. The oldest and largest regular military parade in Europe is held on the morning of 14 July, on the Champs-Élysées avenue in Paris in front of the President of the Republic, French officials and foreign guests.

 

The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris, commonly known as Sacré-Cœur Basilica (French: Basilique du Sacré-Cœur, pronounced [sakʁe kœʁ]), is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in Paris, France. A popular landmark, the basilica is located at the summit of the butte Montmartre, the highest point in the city. Sacré-Cœur is a double monument, political and cultural, both a national penance for the supposed excesses of the Second Empire and socialist Paris Commune of 1871 crowning its most rebellious neighborhood, and an embodiment of conservative moral order, publicly dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which was an increasingly popular vision of a loving and sympathetic Christ. The Sacré-Cœur Basilica was designed by Paul Abadie. Construction began in 1875 and was finished in 1914. It was consecrated after the end of World War I in 1919. The inspiration for Sacré Cœur's design originated in the wake of the division in French society that arose in the decades following the French Revolution, between devout Catholics and legitimist royalists on one side, and democrats, secularists, socialists and radicals on the other. This schism became particularly pronounced after the Franco-Prussian War and the ensuing uprising of the Paris Commune of 1870-71. [from Wikipedia]

 

So my image is a conscious paean to both the revolutionary spirit and the rights of man on the one hand, and to national and international renewal in the wake of such struggles on the other. Here's to liberté, égalité, et fraternité in today's world -- preferably without the same levels of bloodshed the world has so often seen."

Early morning light settles quietly along the San Francisco side of the Golden Gate Bridge, where the structure meets land before the city fully stirs. From this vantage near the south end of the span, the tower rises with measured authority against a cool blue sky, its International Orange softened by the hour rather than amplified by it. The bay stretches outward in muted tones, while the dark mass of the Marin Headlands sits across the water, distant and subdued.

 

The composition privileges the bridge’s working geometry. Beneath the roadway, a dense framework of trusses, beams, and catwalks reveals the bridge as an engineered object first, monumental not because it performs, but because it endures. A line of streetlights traces the deck in warm points of amber, marking distance and scale as traffic begins to trickle across, still tentative at this hour.

 

What makes this moment distinctly San Francisco is its restraint. There’s no fog drama, no theatrical sky, no need for embellishment. The bridge stands as part of the city’s daily infrastructure, embedded in coastal terrain and shaped by weather, maintenance, and habit. The foreground path and posts root the scene firmly on land, a reminder that this is a place walked, observed, and returned to.

 

Before the day asserts itself, the Golden Gate feels less like an icon and more like a presence — steady, familiar, and quietly indispensable.

An Orange 🍊 amp awaits its next companion in the music studio.

I was summoned from my sleep by the mournful sound of a ship’s horn. And as I was waking I was aware that the sound had been beckoning me from my dreams, and had in fact, been going on for a while.

 

It was a long time before the sound of the Muezzin’s call, which would later join the chorus. The ship’s horn was answered by another and yet another. Sounding out in a melancholy dirge across the straits of the Bosphorus. Mating calls of giant tankers that ply their way to and from the Black Sea.

 

Fog horns. The sound was vaguely familiar and yet strange to my ears. I had heard them in movies of course, and as I child when our ship had docked in Southampton after a wild and rough voyage across the Atlantic.

 

Fog. I sat up in bed and the view of Istanbul that normally greets me, the minarets, Topkapi Palace, Haghia Sophia, The Blue Mosque... all of it was hidden beneath a blanket of fog.

 

I stepped out, barefoot, onto the cold wet tiles of my balcony and could see no further than the rooftop of the French Palais across the street. A seagull circled overhead and the city of Istanbul seemed strangely hushed, save the plaintive and eerie sounds of the ships’ horns still booming through the air, as if each droplet of mist was amplifying their call.

 

I made my way to the Galata Bridge, descending the steep laneways down to the waterfront. At street level, there was little sign of the fog I’d witnessed from my balcony. The air was damp, like I was, as I walked through wet air. Somehow, without my noticing, I found myself below the fog layer, instead of above it. I reached the Galata bridge to find it disappearing into nothingness... a bridge to nowhere.

 

I joined the ranks of some local photographers who’d gathered at the quayside. And watched the fishermen cast their lines into the void.

 

The sun glowed dimly, every ship, ferry and boat was stationary on the water. We peered into the white, and slowly ghostly shapes appeared from the gloom. The shadowy outline of the back of a ferry, a small fishing boat, and then other, and another. The angular prow of a ship. And finally, on the opposite shore, a solitary minaret seemed to grow right out of the mist, followed by its twin.

 

The outline of Seraglio Point traced a soft silhouette of the Palace and the Mosques and the empty branches of winter trees.

 

The fog seemed to condense, as if weighted down by softest tinge of blue sky above. The sun’s rays warmed the gold-tipped turrets and domes of the city’s skyline.

 

I watched the other photographers launch their drone camera and followed its journey with my eyes, as it flew above the Golden Horn, circling with the seagulls.

 

An hour later, the skies were clearing, the fog horns had ceased and life on the water was beginning to return to normal.

An amp is warming up & getting ready to play.

A vintage amp awaits to be plugged in during a recording session at Blue Light Studio in Vancouver. bit.ly/PBMusicFB

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aaargh!

Fujifilm Instax mini EVO + Fujifilm Instax Mini Monochrome film

You couldn't write it. Well, you can, but some people will always ignore it because, obv, it does not apply to them (even though it applies precisely to them). Surprisingly she did not get pinged £3 to aid and abet her criminal enterprise but more for lacking any sense of irony and any consideration for those living nearby (and, if it makes a difference, the nearest residents are all council tenants).

London. This is the back face of the buildings seen in the image:

 

www.flickr.com/photos/icypics/14813781791/

 

The way the orange facing reflected, and amplified, the brick colour of the older building opposite was what caught my eye.

This was taken on Broadway, between 96th and 97th Street.

 

(More details later, as time permits)

 

**********************************

 

As I wrote a few years ago, in another Flickr set: every spring and every fall, a street fair magically appears along a half-mile stretch of Broadway in our neighborhood. I don't know where the vendors come from, or where they store their booths and supplies; I have visions of them camped in squalid tents somewhere in the wilderness of New Jersey for the rest of the year, anxiously counting the days until they can invade the city once again. As I discovered on a billboard placed on the street at this year's fair, the vendors sneak quietly from one neighborhood to another in the middle of the night throughout the spring and fall, from Manhattan to Queens, Brooklyn, Bronx, and Staten Island.

 

Anyway, I've dutifully photographed the fairs for the past several years; if you're interested, here's the Flickr collection for the fairs that I've photographed in previous years. It's always the same: colorful, hand-made baskets from Central America, cheap socks, scented candles, specialty soaps, sunglasses, trinkets, and outrageous, profane t-shirts. Booths selling reggae music, discount subscriptions to the New York Times and Daily News, and chiropractors earnestly telling passers-by how they can make anyone's back feel good once again. Volunteer organizations beseeching tourists and residents for donations to some worthy cause, and a few street musicians making a racket with their over-amplified music.

 

And then there's the food: gyros, sausage, candy apples, souvlaki, corn on the cob (lots of corn on the cob -- it seems liked everyone had one), lemonade, watermelon, French crepes, hot dogs, calzone, funnel cake, zeppoles, shish kebab, pickles, olives, french fries, onion rings, spring rolls, and Thai food. For the past fewyears, we were spared the fried twinkies, deep-fried oreo cookies, another such greasy atrocities....

 

I had assumed that the whole thing would be "deja vu all over again," which is why I've skipped these fairs for the past couple years. But it’s been a while, and I have to admit that I couldn’t resist it this time: I decided that it wouldn't take too much time to stroll the 10-block stretch of booths just one time. And while the booths and the vendors were basically the same as before, one thing struck me: nearly everyone was eating something. I didn't think the food looked any tastier than before, but perhaps everyone had skipped breakfast ...

 

Anyway, I took 1,500+ photos by the time I got to 106th Street and back to my starting point at 96th, and ended up with about 15 that looked reasonably interesting...

maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lovely%20Star/25/229/19

St. Hilda’s By The Sea is a small Anglican church in Sechelt. Set among the verdant green trees of the temperate rainforest, it is an eclectic mix of old and new: retired British pensioners polish the altar crystal and set out flowers for Sunday services, presided over by a gay Chinese-Canadian priest. Tai chi mixes with Celtic mysticism in a melange that is somehow stronger than its parts. And isn’t that what community is all about?

 

From the official website:

 

Walking the labyrinth is an ancient spiritual act that is being rediscovered during our time.

 

Usually constructed from circular patterns, labyrinths are based on principles of sacred geometry. Sometimes called “divine imprints”, they are found around the world as sacred patterns that have been passed down through the ages for at least 4,000 years. When a pattern of a certain size is constructed or placed on the ground, it can be used for walking meditations and rituals.

 

Labyrinths and their geometric cousins (spirals and mandalas) can be found in almost every religious tradition. For example, the Kabbala, or Tree of Life, is found in the Jewish mystical tradition. The Hopi Medicine Wheel, and the Man in the Maze are two forms from the Native American labyrinth traditions. The Cretan labyrinth, the remains of which can be found on the island of Crete, has seven path rings and is the oldest known labyrinth (4,000 or 5.000 years old).

 

In Europe, the Celts and later the early Christian Celtic Church revered labyrinths and frequently built them in natural settings. Sacred dances would be performed in them to celebrate solar and religious festivals. During the Middle Ages, labyrinths were created in churches and cathedrals throughout France and Northern Italy. These characteristically flat church or pavement labyrinths were inlaid into the floor of the nave of the church.

 

The Chartres Labyrinth

 

The labyrinth constructed at St. Hilda’s is an 11-circuit labyrinth. It is a replica of the one embedded in the floor of Chartres Cathedral in France. The design of this labyrinth, and many of the other church labyrinths in Europe, is a reworking of the ancient labyrinth design in which an equal-armed cross is emphasized and surrounded by a web of concentric circles. As with many Christian symbols, this was an adaptation of a symbol; that is known to have predated the Christian faith. This medieval variation is considered a breakthrough in design because it is less linear than the preceding, more formal, Roman design that developed from quadrant to quadrant. The medieval design made one path as long as possible, starting at the outer circumference and leading to the centre. Fraught with twists and turns, the path’s meanderings were considered symbolic representations of the Christian pilgrim’s journey to the Holy City of Jerusalem and of one’s own journey through life. This classical design is sometimes referred to as “the Chartres Labyrinth” due to the location of its best known example. The labyrinth was built at Chartres in the early 13th century (~ 1215 A.D.). No one knows the source of this classical 11-circuit labyrinth design, and much of its spiritual meaning and use has been lost.

 

The Chartres Labyrinth is located in the west end of the nave, the central body of the cathedral. When you walk in the main doors and look towards the high altar, you see the center of the labyrinth on the floor about 50 feet in front of you. It is approximately 42 feet in diameter and the path is 16 inches wide. At Chartres, the center of the Rose Window mirrors the center of the labyrinth. The cathedral is perfectly proportioned, so that if we put the west wall of the cathedral on hinges and folded it down on the labyrinth, the Rose Window would fit almost perfectly over the labyrinth.

 

Labyrinth or Maze?

 

The difference between a labyrinth used for meditation and mazes can be confusing. Mazes often have many entrances, dead-ends and cul-de-sacs that frequently confound the human mind. In contrast, meditation labyrinths offer only one path. By following the one path to the center, the seeker can use the labyrinth to quiet his or her mind and find peace and illumination at the center of his or her being. “As soon as one enters the labyrinth, one realizes that the path of the labyrinth serves as a metaphor for one’s spiritual journey. The walk, and all that happens on it, can be grasped through the intuitive, pattern-discerning faculty of the person walking it. The genius of this tool is that it reflects back to the seeker whatever he or she needs to discover from the perspective of a new level of conscious awareness.”

 

The Labyrinth is a Universal Meditation Tool

 

Anyone from any tradition or spiritual path can walk into the labyrinth and, through reflecting in the present moment, can benefit from it. A meditation labyrinth is one of many tools that can be used for spiritual practice. Like any tool, it is best used with a proper, good, intention. A church or temple can be used simply as a refuge from a rainstorm, but it can be so much more with a different intention. The same is true of the labyrinth. The seeker is only asked to put one foot in front of the other. By stepping into the labyrinth, we are choosing once again to walk the contemplative spiritual path. We are agreeing to let ourselves be open to see, to be free to hear, and to becoming real enough to respond. The labyrinth is a prayer path, a crucible of change, a meditation tool, a blueprint where psyche meets soul.

 

The best way to learn about the labyrinth is to walk a well-constructed one a few times, with an open heart and an open mind. Then allow your experience to guide you as to whether this will be a useful spiritual tool for you.

 

The Chartres Labyrinth and the Pilgrim’s Journey

 

Pilgrims are persons in motion – passing through territories not their own – seeking something we might call completion, or perhaps the word clarity will do as well, a goal to which only the spirit’s compass points the way.

Richard R. Niebuhr in Pilgrims and Pioneers

 

“The tradition of pilgrimage is as old as religion itself. Worshippers on pilgrimage traveled to holy festivals whether to solstice celebrations, to Mecca to gather around the Ka’aba for the high holy days of Islam, or to Easter festivals in the Holy City of Jerusalem. Pilgrimages were a mixture of religious duty and holiday relaxation for the peasant, the commoner and rich land owner alike. The journey was often embarked on in groups with designated places to stay at night. The pilgrims were restless to explore the mystical holy places, and many were in search of physical or spiritual healing.

 

The Christian story, which emphasized the humanity of Christ, fascinated the pilgrims. In the Middle Ages, most people did not read. As a result, they were much more oriented to the senses than we are today. They learned the story by traveling to Jerusalem to walk where Jesus walked, to pray where he prayed, and to experience, in a solemn moment, where he died. Unlike today, Pilgrims encountered the truth of the Christian mystery through an ongoing intimacy with all their senses.

 

When a person committed his or her life to Christ in the early Middle Ages, they sometimes made a vow to make a pilgrimage to the Holy City of Jerusalem. However, by the 12th century when the Crusades swept across Europe and the ownership of Jerusalem was in tumultuous flux, travel became dangerous and expensive. In response to this situation, the Roman Church appointed seven pilgrimage cathedrals to become “Jerusalem” for pilgrims. Consequently, in the pilgrimage tradition, the path within the labyrinth was called the Chemin de Jerusalem and the center of the labyrinth was called “New Jerusalem”.

 

The walk into the labyrinth marked the end of the physical journey across the countryside and served as a symbolic entry-way into the spiritual realms of the Celestial City. The image of the Celestial City – taken straight out of the Book of Revelation to John – captivated the religious imagination of many during the Middle Ages. The wondrous Gothic cathedrals, with painted walls either in bright, even gaudy colours, or else white-washed, were designed to represent the Celestial City. The stained glass windows – when illuminated by the sun – created the sense of colourful, dancing jewels, allowing the pilgrim to experience the awesome mystery of the City of God.”

 

The Journey of Life

 

A fundamental approach to the labyrinth is to see it as a metaphor for life’s journey. The labyrinth reminds us that all of life, with its joys, sorrows, twists and turns, is a journey that comes from God (birth) and goes to God (death). It is a physical metaphor for the journey of healing, spiritual and emotional growth and transformation. Following the path is like any journey. Sometimes you feel you are at or nearing your destination, and at other times you may feel distant or even lost. Only by faithfully keeping to the path will you arrive at the physical center of the labyrinth, which signifies God, the center of our lives and souls.

 

Applying the Three Fold Mystical Tradition to the Labyrinth

 

In the Christian mystical tradition, the journey to God was articulated in the three stages. These stages have become recognized as being universal to meditation: to release and quiet; to open and receive; and to take what was gained back out into the world.

 

The Three Stages

 

The first part of the Three- Fold Mystical Path is Purgation. This archaic word is from the root word “to purge”, meaning to cleanse, to let go. Shedding is another way of describing the experience. The mystical word is empting or releasing. It is believed that monks journeyed the first part of the labyrinth Purgation on their knees as a penitential act. This was not done for reasons of punishment as we might think, but as a way to humble oneself before God.

 

The second stage of the Three-Fold Path, Illumination, is found in the center of the labyrinth. Usually it is a surprise to reach the center because the long winding path seems “illogical” and cannot be figured out by the linear mind. After quieting the mind in the first part of the walk, the center presents a new experience: a place of meditation and prayer. Often people at this stage in the walk find insight into their situation in life, or clarity about a certain problem, hence the label “illumination”. As one enters the

center, the instruction is simple: enter with an open heart and mind; receive what there is for you.

 

The third stage, Union, begins when you leave the center of the labyrinth and continues as you retrace the path that brought you in. In this stage the meditation takes on a grounded, energized feeling. Many people who have had an important experience in the center feel that this third stage of the labyrinth gives them a way of integrating the insights they received. Others feel that this stage stokes the creative fires within. It energizes insight. It empowers, invites, and even pushes us to be more authentic and confident and to take risks with our gifts in the world. Union means communing with God.

 

The Monastic Orders experienced a union with God through their community life by creating a fulfilling balance between the work that was assigned, sleep and the many hours of worship attended daily. Our times present a similar challenge: we struggle to find balance between work, sleep, family and friends, leisure and spiritual life. The lack of structured communities in which people share work responsibilities and the “every person for himself or herself” mentality (or every family for itself) prevalent in our highly individualistic society makes the task of finding balance even more difficult.

 

Monastic communities offered a mystical spirituality that spoke to highly intuitive and intensely introverted people and (paradoxically to some) at the same time provided an economic structure throughout Europe. Monasteries during the Middle Ages provided schools and hospitals managed by monks; yet, at the same time, cloistered life helped the monks stay inwardly directed. Today, without any reliable structure directing us, the way of union needs to be re-thought. Our times call for most of us to be outer-directed. We are called to action in every aspect of our society in order to meet the spiritual challenges that confront us in the 21st century. Gratefully, there are still people in religious orders holding the candle for deep contemplation, but the majority of people involved in the spiritual transformation are searching for a path that guides them to service in the world in an active, extroverted, compassionate way. The third stage of the labyrinth empowers the seeker to move back into the world replenished and directed – which makes the labyrinth a particularly powerful tool for transformation.

 

Walking the Labyrinth: The Process

 

The purpose of all spiritual disciplines – prayer, fasting, meditation – is to help create an open attentiveness that enables us to receive and renew our awareness of our grounding and wholeness in God.

 

The Experience of Walking Meditation

 

Many of us have trouble quieting our minds. The Buddhists call the distracted state of mind the “monkey mind”, which is an apt image of what the mind is frequently like: thoughts swinging like monkeys from branch to branch, chattering away without any rhyme or conscious reason. When the mind is quiet, we feel peaceful and open, aware of a silence that embraces the universe.

 

Complete quiet in the mind is not a realistic goal for most of us. Instead, the task is to dis-identify with the thoughts going through our minds. Don’t get hooked by the thoughts, let them go. Thomas Keating, a Cistercian monk who teaches Centering Prayer (meditation) in the Christian tradition, described the mind as a still lake. A thought is like a fish that swims through it. If you get involved with the fish (“Gee what an unusual fish, I wonder what it is called?”), then you are hooked. Many of us have discovered through learning meditation how difficult it is to quiet the mind; yet, the rewards are great.

 

In the labyrinth, the sheer act of walking a complicated, attention demanding path begins to focus the mind. Thoughts of daily tasks and experiences become less intrusive. A quiet mind does not happen automatically. You must gently guide the mind with the intention of letting go of extraneous thoughts. This is much easier to do when your whole body is moving – when you are walking. Movement takes away the excess charge of psychic energy that disturbs our efforts to quiet our thought processes.

 

Two Basic Approaches to the Walk

 

One way to walk the labyrinth is to choose to let all thought go and simply open yourself to your experience with gracious attention. Usually – though not always – quieting happens in the first stage of the walk. After the mind is quiet, you can choose to remain in the quiet. Or use the labyrinth as a prayer path. Simply begin to talk to God. This is an indication that you are ready to receive what is there for you, or you allow a sincere part of your being to find its voice.

 

A second approach to a labyrinth walk is to consider a question. Concentrate on the question as you walk in. Amplify your thoughts about it; let all else go but your question. When you walk into the center with an open heart and an open mind, you are opening yourself to receiving new information, new insights about yourself.

 

Guidelines for the Walk

 

Find your pace. In our chaotic world we are often pushed beyond a comfortable rhythm. In this state we lose the sense of our own needs. To make matters worse, we are often rushed and then forced to wait. Anyone who has hurried to the bank only to stand in line knows the feeling. Ironically, the same thing can happen with the labyrinth, but there is a difference. The labyrinth helps us find what our natural pace would be and draws our attention to it when we are not honouring it.

 

Along with finding your pace, support your movement through the labyrinth by becoming conscious of your breath. Let your breath flow smoothly in and out of your body. It can be coordinated with each step – as is done in the Buddhist walking meditation – if you choose. Let your experience be your guide.

 

Each experience in the labyrinth is different, even if you walk it often in a short period of time. The pace usually differs each time as well. It can change dramatically within the different stages of the walk. When the labyrinth has more than a comfortable number of seekers on it, you can “pass” people if you want to continue to honour the intuitive pace your inner process has set. If you are moving at a slower pace, you can allow people to pass you. At first people are uncomfortable with the idea of “passing” someone on the labyrinth. It looks competitive, especially since the walk is a spiritual exercise. Again, these kinds of thoughts and feelings, we hope, are greeted from a spacious place inside that smiles knowingly about the machinations of the human ego. On the spiritual path we meet every and all things. To find our pace, to allow spaciousness within, to be receptive to all experience, and to be aware of the habitual thoughts and issues that hamper our spiritual development is a road to self-knowledge.

 

Summary of How to Walk the Labyrinth

 

Pause at the entry way to allow yourself to be fully conscious of the act of stepping into the labyrinth. Allow about a minute, or several turns on the path, to create some space between yourself and the person in front of you. Some ritual act, such as a bow, may feel appropriate during the labyrinth walk. Do what comes naturally.

 

Follow your pace. Allow your body to determine the pace. If you allow a rapid pace and the person in front of you is moving slower, feel free to move around this person. This is easiest to do at the turns by turning earlier. If you are moving slowly, you can step onto the labyrs (wide spaces at the turns) to allow others to pass.

 

The narrow path is a two-way street. If you are going in and another person is going out, you will meet on the path. If you want to keep in an inward meditative state, simply do not make eye contact. If you meet someone you know, a touch of the hand or a hug may be an important acknowledgement of being on the path together.

 

Symbolism and Meanings Found in the Chartres Labyrinth

 

Circles and Spirals

 

The circle is the symbol of unity or union and it is the primary shape of all labyrinths. The circle in sacred geometry represents the incessant movement of the universe (uncomprehensible) as opposed to the square which represents comprehensible order. The labyrinth is a close cousin to the spiral and it, too, reflects the cyclical element of nature and is regarded as the symbol of eternal life.

 

The labyrinth functions like a spiral, creating a vortex in its center. Upon entering, the path winds in a clockwise pattern. Energy is being drawn out. Upon leaving the center the walker goes in a counter clockwise direction. The unwinding path integrates and empowers us on our walk back out. We are literally ushered back out into the world in a strengthened condition.

 

The Path

 

The path lies in 11 concentric circles with the 12th being the labyrinth center. The path meanders throughout the whole circle. There are 34 turns on the path going into the center. Six are semi-right turns and 28 are 180° turns. So the 12 rings that form the 11 pathways may symbolically represent, the 12 apostles, 12 tribes of Israel or 12 months of the year. Twelve is a mystical number in Christianity. In sacred geometry three represents heaven and four represents earth. Twelve is the product of 3 x 4 and, therefore, the path which flows through the whole is then representative of all creation.

 

The obvious metaphor for the path is the difficult path to salvation, with its many twists and turns. Since we cannot see a straight path to our destination, the labyrinth can be viewed as a metaphor for our lives. We learn to surrender to the path (Christ) and trust that he will lead us on our journey.

 

The path can also be viewed as grace or the Church guiding us through chaos.

 

The Cruciform and Labyrs

 

The labyrinth is divided equally into four quadrants that make an equal-armed cross or cruciform. The four arms represent in symbol what is thought to be the essential

 

structure of the universe for example, the four spatial directions, the four elements (earth, wind, water and fire), the four seasons and, most important, salvation through the cross. The four arms of the cross emerging from the center seem to give order to the would-be chaos of the meandering path around it.

 

The Chartres labyrinth cross or cruciform is delineated by the 10 labyrs (labyr means to turn and this is the root of the word labyrinth). The labyrs are double-ax shaped and visible at the turns and between turns. They are traditionally seen as a symbol of women’s power and creativity.

 

The Centre Rosette

 

In the Middle Ages, the rose was regarded as a symbol for the Virgin Mary. Because of its association with the myths of Percival and the Holy Grail at that time, it also was seen as a sign of beauty and love. The rose becomes symbolic of both human and divine love, of passionate love, but also love beyond passion. The single rose became a symbol of a simple acceptance of God’s love for the world.

 

Unlike a normal rose (which has five petals) the rosette has six petals and is steeped in mysticism. Although associated with the Rose of Sharon, which refers to Mary, it may also represent the Holy Spirit (wisdom and enlightenment). The six petals may have corresponded to the story of the six days of creation. In other mystical traditions, the petals can be viewed as the levels of evolution (mineral, plant, animal, humankind, angelic and divine).

 

The Lunations

 

The lunations are the outer ring of partial circles that complete the outside circle of the labyrinth. They are unique to the Chartres design.

 

Celtic Symbols on the St. Hilda’s Labyrinth

 

The Celtic peoples have given us seven enduring spiritual principles:

 

1. A deep respect of nature, regarding creation as the fifth Gospel.

 

2. Quiet care for all living things.

3. The love of learning.

4. A wonder-lust or migratory nature.

5. Love of silence and solitude.

6. Understanding of time as a sacred reality and an appreciation of ordinary life, worshipping God through everyday life, and with great joy.

7. The value of family and clan affiliation, and especially spiritual ties of soul friends.

To show our respect for such wisdom, two Celtic designs adorn the St. Hilda’s labyrinth.

 

To mark the entrance to the labyrinth is a Celtic zoomorphic design painted in red. Traditionally, Celtic monks used intricate knotwork and zoomorphic designs (odd animals intertwined in uncomfortable ways) as mere filler for their illuminated gospel texts. They had no discernible meaning.

 

However, because of their unique design components, zoomorphs are now associated with transformations.

 

Transformation, change, action, and passion are also associated with red, the colour of fire. Therefore, this entrance symbol may well be an appropriate sign for the journey ahead.

At the labyrinth’s centre is a Celtic triquetra. This interlocked knotwork design of three stylized fish (whales) is often interpreted as the Trinity knot. It is a perfect representation of the concept of "three in one" in Christian trinity beliefs. Having the design enclosed within the centre circle further emphasizes the unity theme.

 

The triquetra can also be considered to represent the triplicities of mind, body, and soul, as well as the three domains of earth- earth, sea, and sky.

 

Final Reflection: The Labyrinth as a “Thinning Place”

 

In Celtic Christianity, places where people felt most strongly connected with God’s presence were referred to as thin places. It was these places in nature (forest groves, hilltops and deep wells) that the seen and unseen worlds were most closely connected, and the inhabitants of both worlds could momentarily touch the other. Today our churches, temples and sacred sites are the new thin places to meet the Divine. Here, at St Hilda’s, we have opportunities to encounter many thinning places – whether it be during Eucharistic or Taize services, while singing or praying, or through the love of a welcoming inclusive community. The labyrinth is a welcome addition; and with the right intent can also become a new thinning place for the modern pilgrim/spiritual seeker.This outward journey is an archetype with which we can have a direct experience. We can walk it. It can serve to frame the inward journey – a journey of repentance, forgiveness and rebirth, a journey that seeks a deeper faith, and greater holiness, a journey in search of God.

 

This 360° High Dynamic Range panorama was stitched from 66 bracketed photographs images with PTGUI Pro, tone-mapped with Photomatix, processed with Color Efex, and touched up in Aperture.

 

Original size: 20000 × 10000 (200.0 MP; 1.04 GB).

 

Location: St. Hilda’s By The Sea Anglican Church, Sechelt, British Columbia, Canada

Cova de Sa Tuna

Baix Empordà, Northern Spain

 

Press the 'Go' and then type 'L' to enlarge. It loops. 'Escape' to return.

 

To hear the subsonics and reverbs the video needs to to be viewed on a computer linked to a sound system and there is no effect on a portable phone or tablet.

 

A test for acoustic properties. On the third pass you can just hear a 'sweet spot' of reverb that has astonishingly deep subsonics. Whilst the sound on the camera is poor and equalised, and the Flickr processing compressed, you can still just hear both the reverb and sweet spot by listening to the end of the test sounds and 'underneath' the sounds. When in this man-made late bronze age cavity, the accelerated effect of the sweet spot is astonishing and like being inside a musical instrument. The space itself is like a large pot with the sweet spot on the upper left as you look in from outside.

 

The sound in the clip is an alternative to clapping and is not meant to illustrate a potential.

 

With the nearby Cova dels Clots de Sant Julià seeming to have had a past with acoustic properties, it seems worthwhile testing other man made prehistoric cavities of the local area. A reverb for a tone will also reverb for a song or a musical instrument. The reverb of this space feeds back on itself and the term amplification must apply. Prehistoric monolithic amplification.

 

This site is currently proposed as a sepulture. Whilst individuals may have asked to be buried here at the end of its period of meaning, the origins of the cavity may have been for applied musical effect over large distances.

 

A choir of 10 singing from inside

A drum skin attached outside and wedged against an interior roped beam.

Early oboes turning rondes.

Interior percussive cascades.

Lone melodious voice...

 

Unlike the Sant Julià site, which sits clean above an established quarry, the Sa Tuna site looks at first site to be on a typical hunters outcrop of rock, uphill from a fine menhir. Aside the idea of a sepulture, one might expect an explanation as a food store or shelter of one form or another. Providing the arguments as to how an 'acoustic cavity' may have been created on this spot requires a step back...

 

AJM 07.05.18

The story you're about to read is based on a real event. Names have been changed to protect the innocent. Locations have been changed to protect the curious.

  

The three friends sat at the roadside diner table, simultaneously yawning.

 

"Okay, that's it," announced Erebus. "I'm going to be the voice of reason and say we throw in the towel for the night."

 

"C'mon it's -- only -- sixty-ish mi-- miles," Teddi's argument devolved into another huge yawn. "Yeah, okay, I'll find a campground."

 

"No, no, no," Seth complained. "Not out here, in the middle of banjoland nowhere. That never works out for us."

 

"It's not like we're going to find a Hilton, honey," Teddi commiserated.

 

A redhead in the booth behind them piped up. "Maybe not a Hilton, but there's a little place about two miles up Highway 2 that's not bad." She left her booth, coming around to the end of their table. "It's cheap, but it's clean. My sister, Bonnie works the front desk." She pointed at the name plate on her waitress uniform. "I'm Connie. You tell her I sent you and told her to give you the best rooms she's got." She gave them a big smile and a little wave. "Be safe out there." Then she left the diner.

 

"We can just grab a campsite and crash for a few hours then head out again," Erebus reasoned.

 

"But showers, and big beds, and cable--"

 

"Oh, my," Teddi interrupted Seth's whine.

 

"Meanie," Seth pouted.

 

"No, I was talking about the nearest campground. We should definitely check it out! Look!" Teddi enthused, holding out her phone toward the guys. "It's by a lake, and it looks super clean, and there's a museum!" Her eyes twinkled.

 

"One of those little roadside attraction things?" asked Erebus, taking her phone and flipping through the images. "That could be fun."

 

"Save me from quaint--" Seth began.

 

"But Seth's right. Let's grab a place where we can shower and fall asleep watching reruns," Erebus interrupted, handing the phone back to Teddi.

 

"Two against one, and the lady pays for dinner," Seth celebrated.

 

"Boys suck," Teddi pouted, leaving the table to pay at the cash register.

 

"Some do, some don't," Seth agreed, smiling at Erebus. "So, why did Daddy vote my way?"

 

"I'm not your daddy, and I saw what kind of museum it has," Erebus replied, lowering his voice. "It's for Native American artifacts."

 

Seth frowned. "You have a problem with Native American artifacts?" He gasped comically, and his eyebrows raised. "Daddy, are you racist?"

 

Erebus eyed him with a helter-skelter stare. "The artifacts are from the area," he explained. "Because there's a legend that there was an Indian burial ground somewhere by the lake."

 

"I promise to be a good boy for the rest of the night," Seth promised, crossing his heart. "You're my hero."

 

"You're making him soft," Teddi complained, hearing the last thing Seth said, as she returned to the table. "Let's go get the two of you tucked into your comfy hotel rooms. I sure hope they have courtesy blow dryers for you." She sauntered away and the two men followed, smiling.

 

Only a few minutes later, Seth exclaimed, "There's the sign!" He pointed to the right side of the dark road and Erebus slowed the car, turning off the road.

 

"Why isn't the sign on?" Erebus wondered. "I almost missed it."

 

"They might have forgotten," Teddi suggested. "Sometime you think you do a thing, but you didn't do a thing. We can let them know when we check in."

 

"Oh, well this isn't too bad," Seth observed, as they rolled into the sparsely occupied lot of a small, but tidy, single story hotel. "Looks like they might have a lighting issue in general," he joked, pointing at the sign over the office that said, HIGHWAY 2 HOTEL, but the O and T were burned out.

 

After parking at the office, they exited the car, stretching. "Just get two rooms," Erebus called after Teddi, who was bouncing toward the office. "We need to save money."

 

In reply, without looking back, Teddi waved two fingers above her head to indicate she heard him. The office turned out to be more brightly lighted than it appeared from outside, due to the blinds being closed, and Teddi was glancing around the clean little space when a redhead came out of the back office.

 

"Connie?" she questioned, surprised.

 

The redhead beamed as Erebus and Seth entered the office. "Hello. No, my name is, Bonnie, but it sounds like you met my twin sister. And from the way you're all looking at me, I'm betting she didn't tell you we're twins." She laughed lightly. "I don't know if she does that because she doesn't think it matters, or she likes playing jokes on folks."

 

"You're right, she didn't tell us," Erebus agreed.

 

"Connie said we should mention that she sent us--" Seth began.

 

"And I'm supposed to give you the best rooms I've got, right?" Bonnie laughed again. "Well, all the rooms are identical so I guess they're all the best I've got. The good thing about that is, they're all pretty nice." She pointed at an open register. "Go ahead and sign in. How many rooms do you need?"

 

"Two," Erebus told her, and Teddi held up two fingers.

 

Each of them took turns signing in. "And who gets the keys?" Bonnie asked.

 

"One for me, and one for them," Teddi chirped.

 

"Here you go," Bonnie slid a key to Teddi and one to Seth. "Now comes the tricky part, I hope you nice folks carry cash or checks, because our machine is down. Some kind of weird power problem in the area.

 

"Oh, I was going to mention, your road sign is off," Teddi told her, looking in her wallet for cash.

 

"It's on," Bonnie said. "It's just the power glitch. Boyd, down at Public Works, said they'd see about it tomorrow. Probably got all the customers I'm going to get tonight, anyway."

 

After paying Bonnie with communal cash, the trio bid her good night and parked the car in front of the room where Teddi was staying, the guys had the room right next door. They all looked inside Teddi's room and the consensus was that it was spartan, but clean, and just fine for an overnighter. They agreed upon a time to hit the road, parting company for the night.

 

Teddi showered (briefly noting there was no bathroom door and assuming that, since it was a single room, who was going to be embarrassed), changed into a t-shirt and gym shorts, settling in to watch late night talk shows until she fell asleep, grinning now and then at the comical banter of the guys, in their room. She hoped they didn't annoy the other people occupying rooms on the opposite side of theirs. As things quieted down and Teddi settled back to sleep, something disturbing happened.

 

Drip. Drip. Drip.

 

She opened her eyes, staring at the ceiling.

 

Drip. Drip. Drip.

 

She turned her head, looking at the dark rectangle of the bathroom doorway.

 

Drip. Drip. Drip.

 

She sighed, getting up and slipping on her flip flops, going into the bathroom to check on the leak.

 

Drip. Drip. Drip. It was in the shower, the tile walls amplifying the sound. She fiddled with knobs, the shower head, and nearly asked Erebus to come take a look, but the silence from their room suggested they were already asleep. She finally folded the towel she'd used into a thick square, setting it under where the drops were landing. The drips became plips and she was satisfied they wouldn't wake her. She went back to bed.

 

Splat. Splat. Splat.

 

Teddi woke and glanced at her phone. It was just past midnight. She'd dozed off during a late show, and for some reason, the TV was off. She fiddled with the remote, but it wouldn't turn on. She sighed and got up, going into the bathroom.

 

Splat. Splat. Splat. The towel in the shower was completely waterlogged, the drops raining into a towel swamp. Splat. Splat. Splat.

 

"You win," she told the shower, changing into sweatpants and a sweatshirt, taking one of the pillows, her phone, and her purse, and going out to the car. She quietly got into the back seat, closing the door so that it made the faintest click, locked it, then made herself comfortable for the night.

 

Whispering. The sound of shoes on concrete.

 

Teddi woke up, reaching down to her phone, on the floorboards, poking it and seeing it was nearly two A.M. What had wakened her? Then she heard it, whispers, and footsteps clearly trying to be sneaky. The only reason she'd heard them was because her windows were cracked to prevent the glass from fogging up, revealing the car had an occupant. She slowly raised her head from the pillow, looking out the side windows then catching movement between the car and her hotel room door.

 

Bonnie was standing outside the door whispering with two large men. Each man carried a duffel bag, and one held out a fat manila envelope to Bonnie. She took the envelope then used a master key to unlock the door to the room where Teddi was supposed to be sleeping, walking away!

 

Peeking over the back seat, Teddi watched the men enter her room, and a moment later they hurried out, chasing down Bonnie, whispering loudly to her while she tried to quiet them. Teddi heard part of what Bonnie told the men.

 

"--must be with those guys," as she gestured toward the room shared by Erebus and Seth.

 

The men seemed aggravated, and the trio went into Bonnie's office.

 

Teddi turned off the interior light of the car before cautiously opening a door, slipping out, leaving it ajar, and sneaking to the room where Erebus and Seth slept. She tapped on the door, getting no response. She texted Seth, Bad men here. We need to RUN! And after a moment she heard Whitney Houston, inside the room, belt out, "And Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii eeIiiiii will always love youuuuu!"

 

"Are you serious?" came Erebus' sleepy, annoyed voice. "Put that thing on vibrate!"

 

"It's from Teddi," Seth told him, clearly yawning.

 

Teddi began frantically tapping on the door again, trying to keep it quiet enough not to alert Bonnie, or the men with her.

 

"What's it say -- who's at the door? Where are you going?" Erebus' questions followed what was happening inside the room and Seth suddenly yanked open the door, Teddi shoving him back inside, closing and locking the door behind her.

 

"Look at my face! No time to explain. Grab your stuff and we need to run!" she told them.

 

Nearly an hour later, huddled together in an office in the nearest small town, the three friends sipped coffee, watching as officers passed the window, glancing in at them, talking, dispersing, returning, and finally the sheriff entered the room.

 

"Well, we believe your story," he said to Teddi.

 

"Did you get them?" she asked.

 

"No, there was nobody there when we got there," he told her. They had a generator hooked up for the lights, and they were stealing cable, that's why you had TV to watch, but there were only two rooms set up for tourists.

 

"But, all the cars," Seth remarked.

 

"Yeah, we're running the plates," said the sheriff. "None of the other rooms were occupied."

 

"What about Bonnie, and her sister, Connie, the waitress from the diner?" asked Erebus.

 

"Sorry, but that diner's run by Jim and Cathy Nelson, nice folks," the sheriff told Erebus. Cathy remembers a redhead dropping in now and then, dressed like a waitress, and just figured she worked in town and stopped in on her way to or from work. Never regular enough to get familiar with her, y'know."

 

"So, she and her sister set us up for -- what? A robbery?" Seth suggested.

 

"I don't think there were two women," the sheriff said. "I think this one woman, whatever her name really is, pretended to be Connie, then Bonnie. You were set up, but I don't think it was for robbery," he didn't finish, glancing at Teddi.

 

"Oh, my god! You think they were going to kidnap Mommy?" exclaimed Seth.

 

"Mommy?" the sheriff asked.

 

"Inside joke," said Erebus, slipping an arm around Teddi's shoulders.

 

"They went to Ms. Beres' room, probably paid to go in --" the sheriff broke off. "I don't know what they planned, but it's a good thing you weren't in there when they showed up," he told Teddi. "The three of you can go. We've got your information. I'll be in touch, when we have anything to tell you."

 

After the sheriff left, Teddi looked at Erebus. "I guess that sign was right after all."

 

"What?" asked Erebus.

 

"With the burned out O and T...that made it the HWY 2 HEL." They all looked around at each other.

  

Time passed, the redhead and the men were never found. The cars belonged to people who'd been reported missing, but no one ever found their bodies.

So, be careful out there. And if someone suggests a nice place to stay, just off the main highway, have another cup of coffee, and keep driving.

 

(Thank you to Bailey for making me look cute, and scared, and thank you to Erebus and Seth for helping me with the horror.)

Taken at Teddi Towne, where summer is truly endless. Tourists are welcome.

maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Hawaiian%20Islands/196/236/21

French postcard, no. 2056. Kevin Costner in Dances with Wolves (Kevin Costner, 1990).

 

Kevin Costner (1955) is one of Hollywood's most prominent strong, silent types. He had his breakthrough with his portrayal of Eliot Ness inThe Untouchables (1987). For several years he was the celluloid personification of the baseball industry, given his indelible mark with baseball-themed hits like Bull Durham (1988), Field of Dreams (1989), and For Love of the Game. His epic Western Dances with Wolves (1990) marked the first break from this trend and established Costner as a formidable directing talent to boot. He received two Oscars, two Golden Globes, and a Primetime Emmy. Although several flops in the late 1990s diminished his bankability, for many, Costner remained one of the industry's most enduring and endearing icons.

 

Kevin Costner was born in 1955, in Lynwood, California, and grew up in Compton. His mother, Sharon Rae (Tedrick), was a welfare worker, and his father, William Costner, was an electrician and, later, a utility executive at Southern California Edison. Kevin was not academically inclined in school. He enjoyed sports (especially football), took piano lessons, wrote poetry, and sang in the First Baptist Choir. While a marketing student at California State University in Fullerton, he became involved with community theatre. Upon graduation in 1978, he married Cindy Silva, who worked at Disneyland as Cinderella. Costner took a marketing job that lasted all of 30 days before he decided to take a crack at acting. He took work that allowed him to develop his acting skills via tuition, including working on fishing boats, as a truck driver, and giving tours of stars' Hollywood homes to support the couple while he also attended auditions. He made an inauspicious film debut in the ultra-cheap independent film Sizzle Beach USA/Hot Malibu Summer (Richard Brander, 1986), AllMovie mentions 1974 as the premiere date. According to Wikipedia, Filmed in the winter of 1978–1979, the film was not released until 1981 and re-released in 1986 after Costner became a celebrity. However, Costner decided to take a more serious approach to acting. Venturing down the usual theatre-workshop, multiple-audition route, the actor impressed casting directors who weren't really certain of how to use him. That may be one reason why Costner's big-studio debut in Night Shift (Ron Howard, 1982) consisted of little more than background decoration, and the same year's Frances (Graeme Clifford, 1982) starring Jessica Lange, featured the hapless young actor as an off-stage voice. Director Lawrence Kasdan liked Costner enough to cast him in the important role of the suicide victim who motivated the plot of The Big Chill (Lawrence Kasdan, 1983). Unfortunately, his flashback scenes were edited out of the film, leaving all that was visible of the actor - who had turned down Matthew Broderick's role in WarGames (John Badham, 1983) to take the part - to be his dress suit, along with a fleeting glimpse of his hairline and hands as the undertaker prepared him for burial during the opening credits. Two years later, a guilt-ridden Kasdan chose Costner for a major part as a hell-raising gunfighter in the 'retro' Western Silverado (Lawrence Kasdan, 1985), this time putting him in front of the camera for virtually the entire film. He also gained notice for the Diner-ish buddy road movie Fandango. The actor's big break came two years later as he burst onto the screen in two major films, No Way Out (Roger Donaldson, 1987) and The Untouchables (Brian De Palma, 1987); his growing popularity was further amplified with a brace of baseball films, released within months of one another. In Bull Durham (Ron Shelton, 1988), the actor was taciturn minor-league ballplayer Crash Davis, and in the following year's Field of Dreams (Phil Alden Robinson, 1989), he was Ray Kinsella, a farmer who constructs a baseball diamond in his Iowa cornfield at the repeated urging of a voice that intones "if you build it, he will come." Riding high on the combined box-office success of these films, Costner was able to make his directing debut. With a small budget of 18 million dollars, he went off to the Black Hills of South Dakota to film the first Western epic that Hollywood had seen in years, a revisionist look at American Indian-white relationships titled Dances With Wolves (Kevin Costner, 1990). The supposedly doomed project, in addition to being one of 1990's biggest moneymakers, also took home a slew of Academy Awards, including statues for Best Picture and Best Director.

 

Kevin Costner's luck continued with the costume epic Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (Kevin Reynolds, 1991). The film made money, though it seriously strained Costner's longtime friendship with director Reynolds. The same year, Costner had another hit - and critical success - on his hands with JFK (Oliver Stone, 1991). The next year's The Bodyguard (Mick Jackson, 1992), a romantic thriller which teamed Costner with Whitney Houston, did so well at the box office that it seemed the actor could do no wrong. However, his next film, A Perfect World (Clint Eastwood, 1993), casting Costner against type as a half-psycho, half-benign prison escapee, was a major disappointment, even though Costner himself garnered some acclaim. Bad luck followed Perfect World in the form of another cast-against-type failure, the Western Wyatt Earp (Lawrence Kasdan, 1994). Hal Erickson at AllMovie: "Adding insult to injury, Costner's 1995 epic sci-fi adventure Waterworld received a whopping amount of negative publicity prior to opening due to its ballooning budget and bloated schedule; ultimately, its decent box office total in no way offset its cost." The following year, Costner was able to rebound somewhat with the romantic comedy Tin Cup (Ron Shelton, 1996), which was well-received by the critics and the public alike. Unfortunately, he opted to follow up this success with another large-scaled directorial effort, an epic adaptation of author David Brin's The Postman (Kevin Costner, 1997). It featured Costner as a Shakespeare-spouting drifter in a post-nuclear holocaust America whose efforts to reunite the country give him messianic qualities. Like Waterworld, The Postman received a critical drubbing and did poorly with audiences. Costner's reputation, now at an all-time low, received some resuscitation with the romantic drama Message in a Bottle (Luis Mandoki, 1998), with Robin Wright, and later the same year he returned to the genre that loved him best with the baseball drama For Love of the Game (Sam Raimi, 1998). A thoughtful reflection on the Cuban missile crisis provided the groundwork for the mid-level success of the historical political thriller Thirteen Days (Roger Donaldson, 2000).

 

Kevin Costner's played a member of a group of Elvis impersonating casino bandits in 3000 Miles to Graceland (Demian Lichtenstein, 2001) with Kurt Russell. This film drew harsh criticism, relegating it to a quick death at the box office. Costner's next effort was a more sentimental supernatural drama lamenting lost love, Dragonfly (Tom Shadyac, 2002). Hal Erickson at AllMovie: "Costner fared better in 2003, and returned to directing, with Open Range, a Western co-starring himself and the iconic Robert Duvall -- while it was no Dances With Wolves in terms of mainstream popularity, it certainly received more positive feedback than The Postman or Waterworld." Next, Costner starred alongside Joan Allen in the drama The Upside of Anger (Mike Binder, 2004). It cast Allen as a single, upper-middle-class woman who unexpectedly strikes up a romance with the boozy ex-baseball star who lives next door (Costner). Even if divided on the picture as a whole, critics unanimously praised the lead performances by Costner and Allen. After the thoroughly dispiriting quasi-sequel to The Graduate, Rumor Has It... (Rob Reiner, 2005), starring Jennifer Anniston, Costner teamed up with Fugitive director Andrew Davis for the moderately successful Coast Guard thriller The Guardian (Andrew Davies, 2006), co-starring Ashton Kutcher. Costner then undertook another change-of-pace with one of his first psychological thrillers: Mr. Brooks, (Bruce A. Evans, 2007). Playing a psychotic criminal spurred on to macabre acts by his homicidal alter ego (William Hurt), Costner emerged from the critical- and box-office failure fairly unscathed. He came back swinging the following year with a starring role in the comedy Swing Vote, playing a small-town slacker whose single vote is about to determine the outcome of a presidential election. Costner's usual everyman charm carried the movie, but soon he was back to his more somber side, starring in the recession-era drama The Company Men (John Wells, 2010) alongside Ben Affleck, Chris Cooper, and Tommy Lee Jones. As the 2010s rolled on, Costner's name appeared often in conjunction with the Quentin Tarantino film Django Unchained prior to filming, but scheduling conflicts would eventually prevent the actor from participating in the project. He instead signed on for the latest Superman reboot, playing Clark Kent's adoptive dad on Planet Earth in Man of Steel (Zack Snyder, 2013) starring Henry Cavill. In 2020, he returned to form with Let Him Go (Thomas Bezucha, 2020) with Diane Lane.

 

Sources: Hal Erickson (AllMovie), Wikipedia, and IMDb.

 

And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.