Quotes From The Masters: Plato

Encouraging, a photo by Fergiemoto on Flickr.  (click on photo to enlarge)

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Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no matter how slow.
~ Plato
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Check out the left foot on this scrub jay.  It is deformed but he carries on regardless of how limiting it may be.  I’ve noticed he has more difficulty perching on the bird feeders than his mate.

As for me, I am gradually healing.  It is slow and there have been bumps in the road, both large and small, but there is still progress.  Even small successes are definite reasons to celebrate.  Also, sorry for the long delay since my last posting, and thank you for being patient.

This post is in response to a blogging challenge by Robin in her blog, “Bringing Europe Home” where she hosts a periodic blogging challenge called “Quotes from the Masters.”  These quotes can be used as inspiration for your own interpretation whether it be a photo, story, poem, song, etc.  I thought the Plato quote fit well in this blog.

Linking up with:
MACRO MONDAY
WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY
NATURE NOTES

Emotion: Anger

Anger, a photo by Fergiemoto on Flickr.  (Click on photo to enlarge)

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Passionate lava
Erupts through delicate veins
Withering cyclone
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This is an attempt to take a photo that represents an emotion that I may be experiencing.  I would have a better and quicker variety of art to create if I could draw or paint, but since I don’t have those talents, I look for photo opportunities.  The intention is to release the energy caused by that particular emotion and become calmer.  Otherwise, the effects of the emotion will continue to build in the body with each occurrence.

As far as the bees, I watched them for a bit, taking several photos.  I like this one the best.  They continually fought with each other on the flower.  It seemed like the bee that was on the flower first was not in the mood to share it with another.

Body Awareness – Notice the details

Notice the details – Haiga, a photo by Fergiemoto on Flickr.  (Click on photo to enlarge)
This is my first submission to Kim Klassen’s Texture Tuesday

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Whispers of guidance
Subtle taps at awareness
Enlightened healing!
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The foot feels the foot when it feels the ground ~ Buddha

My previous posting on mindfulness meditation touched on the benefits of becoming more aware of the physical feelings in your body, both large and small.  Also, when you pay attention to and study your body, you begin to notice the physical sensations that occur in your body during a particular experience or emotion.

If you ask people what they feel in their body when they experience a certain emotion, a response you might get is, “I don’t know, I’ve never thought about it.”  People generally are not aware of these details.

Go with the F L O W

The creative process is a process of surrender, not control. — Julia Cameron

Skipper in the moment, a photo by Fergiemoto on Flickr.  (Click on photo to enlarge)

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Flow with the river
Float with the breeze, bathe in bliss
Notice nothing else
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In my last post, I cited that getting lost in an activity could be considered a type of meditation for me, which allows an escape from some of the pain.  I can get lost in certain music, artwork, photographing nature, etc.  This is described as Flow psychology (or being present in the moment).  It involves being fully immersed and absorbed in an activity to the point you are oblivious to everything else.  It is being connected to an activity, to a moment.  The expert on this is Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a psychologist and educator who emigrated from Europe to the United States in the 1950′s.  (I’m  unable to pronounce his name correctly.)

The skipper butterfly in the photo above is a good example of Flow, in my opinion.  This butterfly was so absorbed in drinking nectar from the flower that it was totally oblivious to me.  I stroked its wings, I nudged it back and forth, I put the camera right in its face, which is how I got such a closeup shot, and it did not budge or fly away until it was done.  Great Flow!  Working on getting this photo and enhancing it afterwards was Flow for me.

What activity is Flow for you?

These wings have a story to tell

Tattered Wings, a photo by Fergiemoto on Flickr.  (Click on photo to enlarge)

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Frayed wings reveal grief
Heart desires pristine respite
Mind soldiers forward
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This butterfly must have quite a story to tell.  It seems to have been through a lot, but it’s still pretty.  It reminded me of a program I saw recently on monarch butterflies.  One of the segments showed a butterfly after a very long migration northward.  She had just finished laying her eggs on a milkweed and was trying to fly away.  Her wings were tattered and transparent; her colors and design were faded; she was weak and could barely fly.  What a journey they have.