”Eu fiz um acordo com o tempo…
Nem ele me persegue, nem eu fujo dele…
Qualquer dia a gente se encontra e,
Dessa forma, vou vivendo
Intensamente cada momento…”
~Mario Lago
I had another realization today of the unconscious flow that happens when I work with stone balance… The flow was not part of my conscious awareness at the time, but looking back, it seems that somehow I am tapping into an intention of beauty inside AND outside myself… at least for my own enjoyment and bliss, if nothing else… little more than a vessel for the desires of something greater than myself…?
Anyway, I’ve come to believe that most, or all rock balancers are unconsciously drawn to certain locations at certain times to balance… through an infinitely complex “system of wiggles” or circumstances, or whatever.. something quite incomprehensible. All I know is that I am absolutely drawn to balancing rocks… as if possessed at times… here I will attempt to illustrate the small nuances that led to a final balance of the day, perfectly aligned with the sunset twilight itself..
The day started with a regular visit to the creek.. and a rather ordinary balance.. :) but through a series of obscure nuances, my awareness jumped around to and from a variety of things.. With the first balance completed, I began my usual photography of the work, despite the sharp sunlight, making less than ideal photo conditions… I’ve always been keen to small details, especially in my photography… I’m very particular to precise angles and distances to achieve what the best possible result… Shooting the first balance was rather mundane… just some regular pictures… however, a small imperfection in the water surface caught my attention in the distance… a very small twig, barely visible reached above the surface making an unwanted ripple in the reflection… so…. being a slight perfectionist… I went to remove the subtle distraction..
In the process, I stumbled across another larger rock nearby (in the background of my photo) that was causing another slight unwanted ripple… so I picked it up, not giving much thought.. and threw it to the side without care.. :P BUT, the image of the rock crashing into the water *crystallized the interesting shape into my brain… from that point, the rock had found it’s own way into my awareness… perhaps for a reason… I didn’t think much about it at the moment… but some time later, I finished photographing my balance and decided I could elaborate on its complexity (all while keeping the nice top rock i found :)
It was later when I decided to rearrange, that the crystallized shape came back as something I could implement into a more elaborate design… so I went and searched for my previously discarded ‘nuisance’ rock. :) The rock turned out to work seamlessly as a trunk to a wonky counterbalance… I worked with my counterbalance for at least an hour… frustrated at times… but KNEW it was possible. and had the intended possibility already in mind as something that excited my spirit… so i worked… and worked… to make it happen. Finally it was realized… I shot some pictures and decided to abandon to go home and eat.. and say hi to a special someone.. <3 :)
afterward I decided to return to the same balance to see if it remained in the waning daylight on such a beautiful day… normally i experience a certain enchantment surrounding sunsets and rocks :) today was no exception… however, my balance collapsed during my absence.. and I had to rebuild… but this time i perfected the process and tweaked the angles slightly to get my ideal design :D and it came back together in about 5 minutes :) ***PRACTICE ;)
but this time it was more beautiful than before… and the sky was now overcast for perfect photo light… though the sun was just about to peak through a cloud gap.. so I started shooting photos and basking in the shifting light.. AWE INSPIRING BLISS…. purely in the moment.. :D
There is always such an inspiring feeling when I create a certain design through rock balance :) it just happens, and my intuition identifies the beauty IMMEDIATELY.. :)
Along with the series of nuances over the course of the day… the final and perhaps most spectacular realization for me, was shooting the above photo.. :) The image jumped out at me as a somewhat metaphysical realization or transition of seasons… The Spring Equinox (in a physical sense) was nearly a month ago, but Boulder has received the majority of the year’s snowfall just recently… so mental processing of the seasonal shift was still in development… Through this picture the shift jumped out at me, as one side (south) of the creek was still covered in melting snow, while the North side began growing green grass on the banks.. All with a beautiful balance along the divide… the observation was profound for me because in my mind it finally felt like the last of winter conditions and a fresh start approached… since this moment… inspiration has felt infinite.. and refreshing <3
I shot pictures of the balance for at least an hour, catching all kinds of magic ;) and then, interestingly, after darkness fell, I decided to pack up my gear… within 2 minutes of stopping the photography and packing up, the balance suddenly collapsed on its own, completing the cycle :) and giving me a very happy feeling <3 like I was completely aligned with the universal flow somehow :) I felt some extreme gratitude in these moments… that continued into the night and on my bike ride home…. :D
In my mind… the tiny twig on a regular day was one of many small nuances that inevitably led to my realization and feeling of seasonal shift. and PURE BLISS. <3