Creating Space for Courage and Hope in Dark Times
Extinguishing and Welcoming New Light
I recently participated in a practicum through Kinship Photograph Collective led by Frances Bukovsky called “Bodies Connected by Air” in which we pondered how we experience and interact with air. The practicum began while I was still in Japan, so I made several diptychs of images from Japan combined with ones I made back home in Asheville. I realized that air is how cultures connect, especially when they are far apart and separated by oceans and great distances. The images I made also were impacted by the moment in history that we find ourselves in, where so many of us are experiencing heightened anxiety. My photographic practice has always been an important way for me to stay balanced and find a modicum of hope, as well as a way to celebrate the diversity that remains in the natural world, while acknowledging that it and our democracy are under threat.
When I made the composite above, I was thinking about the times we are living through and how sometimes it feels as if there is only a tiny spark of light left that outside forces are trying to extinguish. I lit a candle in a dark room and then blew it out. After I’d done that, the air seemed to go out of the room and a sense of unease crept over me. Then I remembered that within each of there is a small flame that cannot be put out by anyone or anything if we remember to tend to it. I also reminded myself that each day the sun rises and we can open the window to new light and that light and life are sacred. The image on the right side of the diptych was made in Japan in the small tea room at Temple 88 of the Ohenro, Okubp-ji, the last temple on the pilgrimage road. It is only lit by natural light, which integrates the internal with the external and which also pays tribute to the light and dark that exists within all life.
Stirring Up Change
We are currently living in a time when the basic tenets of capitalism are changing and not being a political scientist, I won’t dive too deeply into this. However, suffice it to say that artificial intelligence and automation are changing how labor, production, and capital are linked and we are seeing an increased concentration of wealth in corporations and a very few individuals which ultimately leads to imperialism. The United States appears to be becoming increasingly fascist, although some have argued Trump is a hypercapitalist (capitalism freed from the constraints of democracy), which is just as dangerous. In any event, we are seeing our system of checks and balances dismantled and the vulnerable in our society are under attack and are not being afforded due process. The Constitution is not being upheld. The trends are contributing to a rise in cruelty and a diminishing of compassion and concern for the common good. Diversity is also under attack, as one religion and one race are heralded as being superior by certain factions. This way of being is ultimately not sustainable. As any biologist will tell you, diversity is essential for our survival and when people are forced to live in a state of fear they ultimately resist. Anyone who is paying attention to what is going on has to wonder what will happen next.
All of this also made me recognize that we often sense change is happening without actually being able to see it or fully comprehend how it will come about. A common idiom is in fact “change is in the air.” And Bob Dylan’s famous anti-war song Blowin’ in the Wind suggests that the issues we face in establishing peace, justice, and compassion are complex and that the answers are both right in front of us and impossible to grasp. Yet despite the often perceived impossibility of writing all the wrongs, stemming climate change, and ushering in a new era when so many seem to be going down a different path and are bent on taking advantage of people and using up our limited resources, many see the importance of creating a new paradigm so that we can uphold the common good and take better care of our suffering planet. In order to make good decisions when working for change, we need to acknowledge the mistakes and successes in our past and look to the future, not just for ourselves but for our children and all the lifeforms that will come after us.
The diptych above was made by putting dry ice in a fire pit. In the self-portrait on the left, I am wearing a Janus mask to indicate the importance of looking backwards and forwards since Janus was the god of thresholds. I am stirring the cauldron to reference how throughout history independent women who challenged societal norms and gender roles and worked for change have often been persecuted for being witches. Yet in mythology, especially Greek mythology, there are witches who are beneficent, wise and protect children and the innocent, such as Hectate, Circe, and others. When we are in the process of creating new paradigms, things are more intuited than seen. I cannot give up hope and prefer to hold onto the belief that nothing is permanent and change is always possible.
Reaching Between Worlds
The top image in this diptych was made of a sacred tree at the Suwa Shrine in Karuizawa, and the bottom image of me reaching was made in my front yard. When I saw the trunk and branches of this sacred tree reaching into the heavens, they appeared as if they were bringing divine energy down into the world. The energy of the ancient and sacred trees at this shrine and other temples and shrines was palpable, and in their presence I felt drawn to connect with my higher self and a benevolent force greater than my own being. When I came home and was missing the incredible connections I experienced in Japan, reaching up towards the tree canopies in my own yard and nearby forests reminded me that it is possible to connect with the best in ourselves even when we find ourselves in challenging situations. For all who resist what is occurring on the planet right now, it is important to remember to stay true to our higher self and act with only our best intentions and not to allow ourselves to be triggered and reactive, behavior patterns which are often easy to fall into. As a shaman friend once told me, we can always press the up button in the elevator of our consciousness.
Typology of Japanese Tree Crutches
One of the things I loved most about Japan were the tree crutches they made to hold up the branches of old trees. The Japanese people believe trees and all beings are sacred and I loved that. Their belief in the common good and not causing discomfort in others is reflected in this lovely tradition. It also made me realize how imperative it is that we speak up for the vulnerable and the elderly in our society, especially now when it seems that people are viewed as data points, or capital to be used, or even players in some video game that can be done away with or banished instead of living beings that should be supported and nurtured. I believe in a culture of life, not death, and will do all I can to support the vulnerable and the oppressed.
Serene Pond, Moss Temple (Kokedera)
These times are fraught and the more difficult they become, the more critical it is that we find space within ourselves where we can still experience a deep sense of peace and calm. When anxiety overcomes me, I always think of a special place I have visited where I was able to meditate on the unity of existence in all of its diversity. Previously, I have often conjured up a memory of a beautiful beach on a lake in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where I felt at one with nature and filled with a sense of light and peace. After my recent trip to Japan, this lake in the moss temple is what I keep coming back to. When you visit the temple, the first thing you do is copy calligraphy to get your mind into the right space to appreciate the garden. Then George Nobechi, who was one of our tour leaders with Aline Smithson, told us to walk around first before making any photographs to experience the garden more intuitively and poetically. After that, we made photographs with a greater sense of what was calling to us. I would suggest this way of being when we confront the challenges ahead as well. Before acting, balance yourself so you can stand more firmly in your power. Then observe without feeling the need to act or react. Then when you do act to help bring about the change we so desperately need, it will be from a place of inner peace and will likely usher in more peace in the world. My prayer for us all is to find our way back to sacred love.