Visualize This

Last week my husband and I visited Arches National Park in Utah.  The day we went, it was quite cold and snowy, and mostly overcast.  I don’t think it provided the best light for outdoor photography, but on the other hand, there are things that can be seen in otherwise dull, overcast light that you just don’t see in so-called “ideal” light.  I think this photo is an example of that. 

I processed this photo in both black & white and in color.  Both are nice, but I believe I prefer the black & white image, as it allows my mind to wander a bit and fill in the blanks that are intrinsic, rather than just taking in the obvious subjects of the image:  rocks and a two-lane desert road. 

Since we were visiting the park on a weekday in the middle of winter, it made it somewhat easier to stand in the middle of the road and take a picture, I’ll say that.  It gave me a little more time to set up my shot, angling the center dividing line in the road as close as possible to the lower left corner of the image, without throwing the rock formations in the background into some wild visual contortions.  I figured there’s nothing better than a leading line to take you into the heart of the image using an actual leading line. 

Once again, this monochrome image allows the different patterns within the rock formations to stand out and capture my imagination.  I think the rock patterns have been created by moisture flowing down the rocks over time.  I find rock patterns to be as fun to play with mentally, as watching images float by in clouds.  Sometimes they look like one thing, and then another.  The images in these rock patterns look possibly like two llamas walking together to me.  The image above them may be the virgin Mary or the outline of some old rock art, or possibly an angel.  You can make up your own stories about it.  Maybe it looks like something else entirely to you. That’s the idea.

I run through this exercise routinely while looking at or photographing rock formations.  I’ve been told that we tend to see faces in rocks, and sometimes in other things, and that it’s just part of being human.  I don’t know why we do it, but I tend to like to give my interpretations the most metaphysical or other-worldly explanations as I can.  That’s more fun for me. My interpretation may not hold any water scientifically, but it feeds my soul to think that the images my eyes see on the outside are projections inherent in the structure of the rock on the inside.  Since stones hold the history of the planet within them, they may be projecting a soul or a personality of the earth mother. Perhaps the message that they are projecting for me is not the same one as for you, or maybe it is.  It’s all good.  I like to be open to the possibilities and to any messages the earth has for me specifically when I’m out on a nature or photography outing. I find that this helps to build my intuition. I think in all things, it’s important that we stay in touch with that.  If we push it down and give it no credence, we are likely to miss many wonderful experiences and opportunities in life.

The first time I ever went to Arches National Park it was in the winter.  I like winter in the desert for lots of reasons, not the least of which is, the crowds are far lighter. This gives me more of an opportunity to commune with the stone people uninterrupted and to decipher any meanings my interactions with them may have.  So let’s look at the llamas. 

Like me, Llamas are domesticated animals.  They’ve also been around for a very long time, since somewhere around the end of the last ice age.  (I’m not quite that old!) They’re pack animals, so they are very hardy and strong, but also stubborn. I’ve learned that some people use Llamas and Alpacas as security for their sheep or goat herds.  Now there’s something I never would have thought of.  Whenever I see one, I can’t help myself from trying to get close to them and talk to them.  But I’ve been told that if you seem threatening to them, they will, at the very least, spit at you.  Now THAT seems unpleasant! They’ve also been known to kick at predators, sometimes killing them. I’ve run into a few guard llamas and alpacas here in western Colorado, and to date, I haven’t had any trouble with them.  Perhaps the Llama spirit is guarding me!

The story of the turtle and the hare reminds us that slow and steady wins the race, and llama energy also deals with the subject of endurance.  The amount of endurance we need to get through some phases of life is similar to the endurance needed by the llama to trudge up a mountain carrying a pack of heavy camping equipment. 

But the most important thing about all of this right now, is not to stifle your creativity by putting your intuition on ice. Stay with it.  Hold your vision – even if it seems like no one else “gets it” – and know that what you’ve seen in your mind’s eye will soon materialize in the 3D world.  Guard it like a llama guarding a herd of sheep.  You can use this for all kinds of creative projects, visualizing images, or creating a vision for your life. In the world of creativity, there is no difference between big or little.  Create your own vision of whatever you like and allow that vision to carry you forward.     

Guard Llama, Loma, Colorado, 2020