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gaze-shifting

I am interested in gaze-shifting lately...looking for the alternate view. I remember reading a book by Tom Brown Jr. when I was rather young, a certain passage has always stuck with me. I can't quote it, but the gist was about authentic "seeing". In our "label" frenzied world we are fascinated with words, as if words hold a certain power and once something is labeled, it is known. We label things (car, door, pencil, rock, shell, tree, leaf, flower, sand, etc.) and the moment we have labeled it, we stop "seeing" it. We don't look deeply. We label this person, place, thing, feeling or experience with a name or concept and consider it seen and tidily place it in it's appropriate cognitive category. In so doing, we miss the beauty, the mystery, the awe. Tom Brown Jr. was talking about this in terms of sand, how a handful of sand holds a rainbow of color, a history of unimagined proportions, unique and unbelievably beautiful. Few of us stop to consider "sand". We have a name for it, so it is understood, forgotten and unseen. The challenge is to drop the name and see everything as new. Then the world rolls in ecstasy before us, spilling unspeakable beauty, one grain of sand at a time.

Sometimes, I like to challenge myself to look for color or shape, instead of things, when I am out with camera in hand. Here is a taste from my recent Oregon trip:
Rainbow:
redorangeyellowgreen (Aaahhhhh! I don't think I ever feasted with such abandon on the verdent hue as I did this past weekend)turquoise
blue-purple
whiteGreysbrowns






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Profound ~Odysseus~ Alchemy said…
I've been reading a book lately and thinking about you every time I pick it up because you are a teacher, and a rather good one.. I wanted to share because I think you are on to something sometimes.. Even if your intellect constantly gets in the way and tells you it knows.. ~


"Teachers with self cognizance know that they do not know, thus they even give themselves the luxury of learning the creative capacities of their disciples..[] (or seeing differently the flowers ;) )

Regrettably every teacher, every parent, and every student believe themselves to be self-cognizant, to be awakened;behold, this is their greatest error..[]

What is important is to not imitate, to copy in black or white. What is important is to feel the deep significance of beauty and to know how to transmit it, yet for this, it is necessary for fear, attachment to rules and traditions, to not exist, or fear of what people say , or fear towards a teachers reprimand.

It is essential that teachers comprehend the necessity for their students to develop the power of creativity.. Not imitation.."
March 16, 2010 at 9:39 AM
Profound ~Odysseus~ Alchemy said…
Fundamentals of Gnostic Education by Samael Aun Weor

http://www.gnosticbooks.org/by-samael-aun-weor/fundamentals-of-gnostic-education
March 16, 2010 at 9:41 AM
Angelina Lloyd said…
Yes I agree with what you wrote brodie-bro. Absolutely, we are our greatest stumbling block...and in relinquishing our known objective the brilliant blossoming of life is visible.
March 16, 2010 at 10:10 AM
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