Category Archives: April 2010

Images of Transcience

Shared on April 8, 2010 by Amy
In April 2010

Fallen Petals

Some photographers take reality… and impose the domination of their own thought and spirit. Others come before reality more tenderly and a photograph to them is an instrument of love and revelation.
~ Ansel Adams

Each month, we would like to invite you to join in a photography project to capture and share images of that month’s specific theme.  This month’s theme is of TRANSCIENCE, so grab your camera, set off out into the world and start looking around you for subjects which you feel express impermanence in all its forms.

You may want to take a photograph of the blossom, spring flowers (northern hemisphere), changing autumn leaves (southern hemisphere), or anything which you see as a representation of the passage of time.  Once you’ve taken your photos, upload them to your Flickr account, join our new Flickr group, and then add your images to the group for everyone in the View From Sirius community to share in their beauty and meaning.

1 Comment - Leave a comment!

City of Angels

Shared on April 8, 2010 by Amy
In April 2010

Here’s a great movie to watch this month, the month of transience.

I’ve always thought that no matter what you believe about whether or not there’s a life after death, Life is incredibly special.

Let’s just assume for a moment that part of a human being (call it “soul”, “spirit”, or some other such term) exists after the death of the body. If a soul is eternal, then does that make the short few decades of the average life trivial? It doesn’t feel that way to me.

Whether you believe in reincarnation or not, the average time a human being spends on Earth (any one time around! :) ) is around seven decades. In the context of eternity that’s a very short time. In many religions, believers emphasise how much there is to look forward to after death (if you believe), but it seems to me that whatever we believe, living, this short time we spend alive on the Earth, is a truly amazing, incredible and precious experience.

That thought is captured by this great story. I first came across this story as “Wings of Desire” by Wim Wenders (in German, with English subtitles) and the moment when the angel falls to Earth and becomes human transfixed me. As he becomes aware of the sensations of his new body, I felt totally overcome with the thrill, the uniqueness, the wonder and amazement of Life. The re-telling of the story as “City of Angels” captures all that equally well.

There are many great scenes in the movie, and it really merits a complete viewing, but my favourite scenes include the one where the angel falls to Earth and becomes human; the one where he stands on the beach with the other angels asking the patient if he can hear the sound the angels hear, and the man replies, “no, but you can’t feel this” as he runs into the surf; and the scene where the angel-become-human runs into the surf himself as his fellow angels look on; ah, many favourite scenes actually.

The main theme of this story, which is most appropriate to our theme this month, is transience, or impermanence, without which there could be no Life.

There’s another theme in this story, however, which I think is also worth highlighting. Before he becomes human, the angel walks, invisibly amongst people. He hears their thoughts, and sitting silently beside them, he soothes their troubles with his presence, but once he becomes human he can experience dialogue, and, so, relationship. We touch each other with our words and with our actions, neither of which last forever. How special does that make today?

What do you think? Watch the movie, and then come back and share your thoughts.

Tags:
2 Comments - Leave a comment!

April

Shared on April 1, 2010 by Amy
In April 2010

April is the month of the tree blossoms. In Japan, it’s the month of the annual appearance of the Cherry Blossom. This is a such a celebration that photographs of cherry blossom make the front pages of the newspapers, and stories of people flocking to see, and photograph, the beautiful trees appear in prime time news programmes.

The reason for this is that this time of glorious blossom is brief, even though it comes around every year. The brevity reminds us of transience. This month is a month to celebrate that.

Why should you celebrate transience? Often we desperately try to hold onto what can’t be held onto. We strive to maintain the status quo, facing inevitable change the way King Canute faced the waves. To recognise the fundamental reality of transience can provide a healthy counter to that attitude.

However, more than that, we can begin to appreciate our life experiences even more profoundly in the full knowledge of their impermanence. This is a time to celebrate the beauty and uniqueness of transient blossoms, to be aware of the transience of everything in life, and not to fear that.

Instead it’s a time to celebrate and enjoy what we have for just a short time, intensifying our enjoyment of the present by accepting it as it is, fully, here and now.

Over the coming month we will be discuss transcience and its implications on a wide variety of issues ranging from nature, science, health, society, culture and art.  This month’s film club is already up and running as is our April photo project.  Please do join in, share your thoughts, your images, your words.

Let the conversation begin!

0 Comments - Leave a comment!