I have a friend who deals with moderate to severe anxiety and is working very hard to cope with and 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 a strap on 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 an epic 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 and awakening 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 that have one of my original photos on each page along with a spiritual question. 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 dad 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 practical spirituality for better living. Please leave your comments below.
As always, I hope you **::**SPARKLE**::**
Love you, Bless you,
Jan
Janice Masters, The Shaman Mama
I love this! I’ve always loved your photos! Your post reminds me of a time when I interpreted for a deaf student who was taking a photography class in college. We had to practice signing into each others hands ( Like Helen Keller) to prepare for the dark room. It took getting used to for her because she was “blind” and deaf for that short time. But some of her photos were fantastic!
Oh really thank you so much this is such a direct representation of how important images and connection are for us what a beautiful thing happened between you and that young person