Photography as a Spiritual Practice I have a friend who deals with moderate to severe anxiety and is working very hard to cope with heal it. She recently discovered photography as a hobby and it became clear pretty quickly that she’s quite gifted. It got me to thinking about how I got started in photography and how it has helped me along my spiritual life path. I started taking pictures when I was a little kid with a little Kodak camera and it was mostly of family and friends, events and vacations, and I had a lot of fun with it. My dad was a wonderful role model since he was a talented photographer and did a lot of portrait photography with family members, developing and printing and even hand- coloring his photos. My own picture taking remained pretty “occasional”. Then, in my twenties, as I began to awaken spiritually, I too experienced moderate to severe anxiety along with frightening panic attacks. I did a number of things to cope with this. It was during that same time that I became a serious photographer. I had friends who were using SLR cameras and I decided to get myself one. I bought a Minolta SLR 102 and I practically lived with that thing hanging from my shoulder. The most wonderful thing I discovered was that it began to connect me with nature in a very intimate way. As I begin to see the natural world through the lens of my camera, I became filled with awe, appreciation, and wonder. I took tons of photos , and in fact, after coming back from one trip out West with my friend and our two little girls, I remarked that I had “…seen the West through the lens of my camera.” It was only in thinking about my friend today and her picture taking that I realized that purchasing that Minolta and beginning to photograph the natural world connected me to that world in the same way that I had been naturally connected to it as a child. Whether I was sitting in the tall grass in the field at the end of my street, the sun beaming on my head, a blue sky over me, buzzing insects all around me and wildflowers capturing my attention… Or lying on the grass, looking at the clouds and finding pictures in them, and feeling the cool damp grass and earth underneath me… I felt a oneness with everything. This was my sanctuary. This was my everyday joy. This was me being me me…completely. I know now that what I thought back then was a new exciting, fulfilling hobby, was a part of my spiritual healing path. It was one of the ways that I expanded my consciousness. It was a powerful way of connecting with my inner being. And it was a path to feeling that oneness again was such a natural state for me as a child. I still take a lot of photos. I have even published books with one of my color photos of the natural world on every page. That’s how much a part of me this so-called “hobby” is. The truth is, it’s far from a hobby. The truth is, it’s a significant part of my spiritual path. I’m very grateful to have discovered it. I have my father to thank for it…and my friends who encouraged me to take it farther. And all of the people who appreciate the photos I have shared in my books and my Facebook memes. I have my friend to thank for triggering this awareness of the importance of photography in my evolution of consciousness. And by the way, I overcame panic attacks by beginning the practice of Transcendental Meditation during my twenties, and eight weeks later I never had another panic attack. I have overcome the chronic anxiety I had suffered from childhood through thought transformation, and by radically shifting my relationship with my ego. These elements are central to my work these days. And photography is still a joy for me. While I don’t take as many pictures, I still love the process and appreciate the results. And the natural world is still my sanctuary. I would love to know what tools you have found along the way to support you and help you on your path of spiritual evolution toward higher consciousness. Please leave your comments below. As always, I hope you **::**SPARKLE**::** Love you,Bless you, Jan Janice Masters, The Everyday Joy Coach EverydayJoy and SoultoSoulMarketing PS I’m here to help. xo
Posted on: Fri, 26 Jul 2013 14:35:19 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015