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Yes I am excited about this. I'm always looking for the bridge, or lens, or icon, that takes me from the mundanity of my own self to the ineffable beauty of God's presence. Is it not just amazing me that I could find such an instrument in the lens of a camera. So here's a new direction in my meditations. On the way of seeing the world we belong in.

1. “No matter how slow the film, Spirit always stands still long enough for the photographer It has chosen.” (A recurring favorite highlighting the idea of Spirit actively participating in the creative act.)
2. “Be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence.” (Often extended to emphasize capturing essence through receptive stillness and meditation.)
3. “One should not only photograph things for what they are but for what else they are.” (Core to his philosophy of equivalence and seeing beyond the literal.)
4. “To see through, not merely with, the eye, to perceive with the inner eye, and by an act of choice to capture the essence of that perception. This is the very core of the creative process.” (Emphasizing mystical perception and inner vision.)
5. “The state of mind of a photographer while creating is a blank… It is a very active state of mind really, a very receptive state of mind, ready at an instant to grasp an image, yet with no image pre-formed in it at any time. Such a state of mind is not unlike a sheet of film itself – seemingly inert, yet so sensitive that a fraction of a second’s exposure conceives a life in it.” (Describing the meditative, ego-less receptivity akin to Zen mindfulness.)
6. “When the photograph is the mirror of the man, and the man is the mirror of the world, then the Spirit might take over.” (Reflecting photography as a path to spiritual unity and transcendence.)
7. “I seek out places where it can happen more readily… get myself ready through meditation. Through being quiet and willing to wait, I can begin to see the inner man and the essence of the subject in front of me…” (On seeking solitude and meditative preparation to access inner essence.)
8. “While we cannot describe its appearance (the equivalent), we can define its function. When a photograph functions as an Equivalent we can say that at that moment, and for that person the photograph acts as a symbol or plays the role of a metaphor for something that is beyond the subject photographed.” (His concept of photographic equivalents as spiritual symbols.)
9. “I strive to undo my reactions to civilization’s syncopated demands and hope that inner peace, quiet, and lack of concern for specific results may enable a stance of gratitude and balance—a receptiveness that will allow the participation of grace.” (On cultivating receptivity and grace through inner peace.)
10. “I’m always and forever looking for the image that has spirit! I don’t give a damn how it got made.” (Expressing his relentless pursuit of images infused with spiritual presence.)

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