Iceland - As Above So Below
Magnificent 'God Rays' illuminate the landscape in the Highlands region of Central Iceland.
The term As Above So Below has been around for a very long time. While its origin and meaning are beyond the realms of this photography site I still believe we can appreciate the poetic and spiritual aspects associated with this simple phrase.
And what better way to approach our need for understanding than through an exploration of the spectacular landscapes of Iceland.
The Three Big Questions You Need To Think About
The need for religion, by which I mean a formal, rule orientated belief system seems to have come about, primarily, as a way of making sense of that which is largely intangible.
Three great questions, and the themes associated with them, have challenged mankind for millennia. They are as follows:
Creation: where did we come from?
Death: where are we going?
Identity: who are we?
A spectacular panoramic view of the Vik Luthern Church on a hillside above the town. At around 300 inhabitants Vik is the southern most town in Iceland.
Is There A Place For Myth In Religion?
Religion has done its best to answer these questions.
However, along the way bureaucracy, power, politics and, on occasions, the desire for greater market share have, to my mind, adversely affected the potency and legitimacy of the original message.
Let's not forget that what are regarded as the world's great religions came into existence when most of the world was uneducated.
Myths were incorporated into the teachings as a way of trying to explain the unexplainable.
As a way of clarification I believe myths are both true and false. And when I speak of truth I am not, necessarily, implying an actual factual event.
However I do understand and respect that other folk approach their own belief system in a more rigid manner.
The problem is when that degree of conservatism leads to an us and them or my way or the highway approach.
As a result the ability to increase tolerance, understanding and co-operation is significantly lessened.
Some folks believe that Jonah did live in a whale. Others see that and other such writings as myths and metaphor that, while strictly speaking, may not be particularly factual are, nonetheless, rich with meaning and message.
To my way of thinking, that's where truth resides. Not so much in the story, but in the meaning implied within that story. You might call it a personal truth.
Soft, gentle light illuminates this scene of a fast flowing river cutting its way through a rocky landscape in Southern Iceland.
Separate the Wheat from the Chaff
I know some folks that umbrage at such a suggestion.
But I think a large part of the problem is that we misunderstand the value of myth in our contemporary world.
Might it not have been the case that folks from long ago were better able to separate the message from the myth?
Personally I believe that a literal interpretation of what is written can be dangerous.
It leaves certain believers with very little flexibility when it comes to dealing with someone who adheres to a different belief structure or to someone of the same faith who interprets the text differently.
But, please, don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying any one way to the source is better.
I respect that other people think differently to me. And they have a right to do so.
As long as they believe in and practice love, peace, compassion, forgiveness, respect, pluralism and equality for all I have no argument.
An A-frame building set in a geographically stunning landscape in rural Iceland.
I first became aware of the saying "separate the wheat from the chaff" in the song Almost Cut My Hair on the Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young album Deja Vu.
It's probably my all time favourite album, although there are a couple from The Band that are right up there as well.
Basically the saying means to separate what’s important from what’s not. It’s a great metaphor for how we should spend the limited time we have available on this earth.
The clock’s ticking my friend.
Twin waterfalls, bathed in sunlight, feed a fast flowing river in the Highlands region of Iceland.
The Search For Understanding In Our Contemporary World
Today we live in a world that is largely absent of ritual and metaphor. We deal, everyday, with symbols that help us navigate our way through life.
But most of these symbols are little more than signs (e.g., go, stop, turn around, be quiet, don't walk on the grass) with no spiritual significance.
I think the reason Star Wars, The Lord Of The Rings and a swag of other science fiction and fantasy novels and films have resonated so deeply with folks, all around the world, is that they portray notions of good and evil so effectively.
If only it was possible to live the life of a Jedi.
“Science and its offspring, technology, are the new gods by which so many endeavor to discover meaning.”
We are, after all, meaning seeking people.
Yet I often despair that, in order to navigate our contemporary world, we heavily favour our left brain.
The more you favour a particular way of doing things the more likely you'll be to gravitate to that way or method or approach in the future.
So, for many folks, the left brain may be more dominant than it otherwise would be. As a natural consequence of this dominance the more intuitive, creative and spiritual side of our natural self is repressed.
As a result we deny ourselves of so much of who and what we really are.
Could this be the primary cause of our world's spiritual malaise?
How can we ever hope to be complete, enlightened beings?
My friend, Tony Jackson, at the gates of an abandoned cemetery in rural Iceland.
All Is Not Lost | Just Get Back To What’s Important
You might know the joke that follows:
A young girl passes an old man in the street.
"Excuse me sir, can you tell me how to get to Carnegie Hall?"
The old man replies.
"Practice, practice, practice."
Now there's a metaphor for you. No matter what you want to do it's essential that you pay attention to it so that it becomes a bigger and more important part of your life.
The more attention and practice you dedicate to that area of endeavor the more you'll begin to associate yourself with that skill, technique or way of thinking or behaving.
I feel this is true whether you want to improve your photography, guitar playing or simply to be a better person.
There are lots of ways by which we can better integrate with our more intuitive, spiritual self. And it doesn't have to cost money to do so.
Make it a point of getting outside and going for a walk on a regularly basis.
Forget about burning off substantial calories, for which you have to walk a very long way indeed, or building muscle power.
Such outcomes will come in time and through repetition of effort. In this case you don't want to sweat, pound the pavement or accelerate past other people.
You simply want to slow down, breathe and, by communing with nature, get in touch with what's going on around you.
As a consequence you'll break through the barriers of ego and begin to recognize your true creative self.
This is Not a Photographers Free Zone
Does all this seem a little wishy washy?
Photographers, are you with me? The word illumination isn't just associated with exposure.
Next time you're out and about just look at the light.
A huge iceberg in the shape of a submarine on Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon in Iceland
Do You Need To Believe In Something?
I want to preface what follows by stating that I believe that nothing is not nothing. It’s just an absence of something.
There are three ways by which we can approach belief.
Believer
Non-believer
Unsure
While folks with very firm and definite beliefs must derive a considerable degree of certainty from their faith, I'm glad that I was born in a country where I was both permitted and, in some ways, encouraged to question the belief system into which AS A BABY I was initiated into.
Is it not a uniquely human trait to question? After all, isn't that the very basis upon which science, art, philosophy and religion are based.
The world is a beautiful place and, regardless of your own belief system, the easiest way to get in touch with the sublime is to, dare I say, tune in and drop out (even for a few minutes a day).
Some folks relish community and ritual as a way to touch the divine. Just look at the massive growth of Pentecostal churches throughout the western world.
It's amazing how powerful a positive message and a youthful band can be for those seeking community.
For others, like me, a more personal approach is preferred.
“I find connection in the landscape; in the faces and openness of the very young; and the faces and wisdom of the old.”
As is often the case, photography is the vehicle by which I can both connect with and record my impression of the sublime.
I don’t so much need to name or define it. I just need to experience and appreciate it.
Your Travel Resources
Iceland And The Artist | A Creative Journey
Iceland, geologically speaking, is a very young country. Its landscape is beautiful, often sublime.
There's no wonder the landscape forms such a dominant part of Iceland's local mythology.
You can bet that, while I was thinking (left brain) about issues relating to composition, exposure and focus while making these images, I was also feeling (right brain) that which had drawn me to make them in the first place.
On one level it was the transforming nature of light, rather than mountain, cloud, water or sky that, intuitively, drew my attention.
As to where that transformation leads, now that's what can't be understood, at least through any definitive, measurable, logical framework.
But that doesn't mean we can't connect with it and, as a consequence, with our true creative selves.
Whatever it is (names can be both powerful and problematic) that’s at the heart of that connection, I can assure you it's working on a level that's entirely different to the way most of us go about our day to day existence.
Which is kind of a shame, don't you think?
Here's an interesting post that discusses the whole notion of left and right brained approaches to perceiving the world around you.
Marshy lake country in Southern Iceland illuminated by warm, atmospheric light.
Simple Suggestions That Will Change Your Life
Get up, get out and get about.
Breathe the air, take in your surroundings and still your mind. The rest will follow in due course. Like most change it comes when most needed, but rarely when expected.
For photographers I'd simply suggest that you endeavour to make light the primary subject of your photographs.
Whether it’s immediately obvious or not you’ll be exploring the transitory, transformational and transcendental nature of light.
You might be surprised to discover how far that little tip will take you, through the photos you make, along your own life long creative journey.
How incredible is that?
As always, if you like what you read here, please feel free to share widely and wildly.
