Holy Moments

How do you stay present in every moment? Is every moment holy?

A friend and I had a conversation yesterday when we rounded the corner and saw this beautiful sunset ahead. The contrasting colors of the sun's bright yellow and orange rays against the hazy blue sky and dark indigo-grey clouds was just stunning. How could you not feel your heart beat faster at the sight of it? But I noticed that after just a couple of minutes, that extraordinary feeling faded. I got used to it, used to the beauty around me ... yep, real quick. This saddened me, but reminded me of a scene in one of my all-time favorite movies Waking Life, where two people speak of Holy Moments. Instead of reiterating it really badly, I'll just post part of the transcript.

These two are having a dialogue about film mostly, and how everything captured on camera is a way of expressing a holy moment after another, letting the viewer know that 'This is Holy', kind of like God incarnating into every moment.












"It's just that moment, which is holy. You know, like this moment, it's holy. But we walk around like it's not holy. We walk around like there's some holy moments and there are all the other moments that are not holy, right, but this moment is holy, right? And if film can let us see that, like frame it so that we see, like, "Ah, this moment. Holy." And it's like "Holy, holy, holy" moment by moment. But, like, who can live that way? Who can go, like, "Wow, holy"? Because if I were to look at you and just really let you be holy, I don't know, I would, like, stop talking.

- Well, you'd be in the moment, I mean ....

- Yeah.

- The moment is holy.

- Yeah, but I'd be open. And then I'd look in your eyes, and I'd cry, and I'd like feel all this stuff and that's like not polite. I mean it would make you feel uncomfortable.
   
- Well you could laugh too. I mean, why would you cry?
    
- Well, 'cause ... I don't know. For me, I tend to cry. Well, let's do it right now. Let's have a holy moment.
    
- Okay.

(Long moments pass with them staring at each other) "

So anyway, my point here is that I think we may be built this way; we MUST become used to and comfortable with our surroundings quickly, so we may adapt and survive. We are animals afterall. I do sometimes wish that moments were captured as being holy more often, like the sunset my friend and I saw. But is it possible? Is it practical? How do you remind yourself that you're part of this grander holy moment? After noticing I'd gotten used to the sunset, I zoomed out a little and was kind of able to get back into the wonder of the view before me, but it still wasn't the same as when I first stumbled upon it.

Whale at the Ferries

Fun synchronicity:

At work the other day a customer was coming in to pick up a document. His name was James Whale. When I heard his name, I automatically thought of an old friend of mine who had the same last name. I hadn't seen him in probably 2 years, or more. I quickly let the thought go.

Later that day I was at the ferry terminal, watching the people come through into Victoria from Vancouver. I told my friend that I'm always looking and expecting to see someone I know from my past, but it never happens. Just a few moments later, Jake Whale walks through the terminal, and my heart skips a beat. WHAT?! This random guy who I thought about today at work has magically appeared in front of me only 5 or so hours later?

That is just so cool. Ooooh life how crazy you are!

Self-evaluation // This is who I am

My teacher may not know this but he did really inspire me today. Who knew photography class would have made me have an epiphany?

It's gotten me thinking -- What do I love to do most? Am I doing it? Am I putting everything into proportion, and properly prioritizing? I must take what I love and put it out on the table. Not only this, I must project it to the world, hand it on a platter and service myself and others with it. My love for fashion and style has meaning, no matter how I try to avoid it. I keep thinking it's vein, pointless, immature and unimportant to most (including me?) but that's my own bullshit I'm feeding myself.

What I love about Iain is that he puts himself on display. He says hey, look here, this is what I do, this is WHO I AM, and I can't avoid it. I can't get away from it, so here ... TAKE IT. Enjoy it, because I do, and forcing myself to neglect it will make me and everyone around me be worse off.

It's inspired me to be the same. To take into consideration every thought and every incline I am possessed with and make something come true from it. Why must I judge it as irrelevant or stupid? Childish and below any other passion or obsession? Everyone has something. Something. Don't they? Don't you? Sure, fashion isn't everyone's thing. But it's SOMEONE'S thing, and I'll aim for them. You know what, better yet, I'll just aim for myself, because if I can please myself then everyone else shall be pleased in the long run. No need to constantly critique and judge based on other's opinion.

Man, I need to learn to not give a shit.
And also, give MORE of a shit -- with what intrigues me the most.

Cornerstone Visit

"Creativity is harnessing universality and making it flow through our eyes." - Peter Koestenbaum

"The refusal to be creative is self-will and counter to our true nature." - Julia Cameron

I ran into a friend I hadn't seen in a long time, in a place I hadn't been to in a long time. He said he actually never really goes there anymore. So that's really cool, that we both never go there but ran into each other on that specific occasion. We started talking about our lives, and we both are going through creative changes: we want to be better at managing ourselves, going at it hard and strong, making sure we get things done daily and rise up to challenges. He said he had read a really good book called the Artist's Way. Funny thing is that I'm currently reading another of this same Author's books, called The Sound of Paper. It's truly inspiring, the way she puts it together like poetry. Julia Cameron is a wonderful writer who really knows how to show you that creativity is a part of you and that all you need to do is harvest it, cultivate it, and let it OUT. Let it grow. Like a flower, its path is only to blossom and bloom.

Anyhow, he went home and grabbed the book for me which I'm very excited about. I'll be trying out her ways, a 3 month "workbook" style, where I'll be doing exercises and seeing the shifts happen within myself and my world. I will update here often I'm sure.

Worry n' Hurry

"There's two things in life I don't do: Worry and Hurry."

"If you're early, you're on time. If you're on time, you're late, and if you're late, you get left behind."

- Dion Brathwaite

I lived enough

The only thing we should ever strive for is to be comfortable all alone -- all by ourselves -- where could die and say "I lived enough, loved myself enough."

Grateful for History

History.
History is a funny thing.
We are born into it -- before us there was this stuff, and then we were born and we just overlooked the fact that everything's been done for us already. We don't have to learn how to build a house, how to even make a fire (no, the thermostat has already evolved to its current state where you push a button and your house is warm). We don't have to learn how to build a computer to use one. It's all there! Everything we use has a past -- a long one at that -- and without people sitting there, coming up with the idea, having the will power to get up and get it all figured out, taking the time and effort to make these things come to life, you and I would not be surrounded by much. Thousands of years were strung together to make today happen. People built towns, they built roads and built cars for those roads.

I am so grateful for it all! Life is beautiful, luxurious, comfortable -- I barely have to lift a finger. With our kind of society, I get to go to work and make money so that I may go home and do my art, and to have the time to go to school and learn new skills. The exchange of labor for other necessities is crucial to our development as "evolving" human beings. There would not be much time to develop the artist within if we had to take care of hunting and gathering our food, building our shelter, taking care of the kids and the community and getting all of our basic needs met in the longest way possible. We've shortened the amount of time it takes to get things done, and as much as this has its down sides, it's also brilliant and amazing. Cherish it. Think about it -- you don't have time to cook so you go to the store or the restaurant and you buy pre-made food! Where in the world did this food come from and how long did it take to make it there? Think about each ingredient that was grown in someone's garden, and then cultivated, shipped off, processed, packaged, shipped off, and then landed in your market. Then think of how you've got a job to make the money to purchase this good. MIND BLOWN! It's this beautiful orchestra, where everything aligns and fits together so smoothly that we can have free time.

Take notice of your predecessors. Thank them. Love them for having come along before you and having the hardships and victories so you could live this kind of life.

Also, think about how you will be changing the world for the next generation, the next person who walks into your world and crosses your path. It's immediate. Everything you do reflects outwards and changes other's lives. We share this place with billions of other souls who will either benefit or suffer from our actions.

What will you leave behind?