Macro Day Five
One more quiet relaxing day doing a bit of Meditation Macro was had by two, myself and Robert – who might post some of his pix later. The after effects of the floods and other things still keep some from making it.
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It was a lovely day, not too hot, some cloud and no rain. We started it in the shade of the house surrounded by some living nature, with a simple and effective breathing technique to put the body at ease. Then a method of relaxation that helps dissolve tension of the mind. And a practical nuts and bolts form of meditation that helps consolidate the above and develops clarity of mind – more really an uncluttering of mind – by taking control of what we focus our attention on.
What to say about this day? There was a shine to it, inside. A clarity that allows the natural simple intelligence to shine through. It’s a simple practise to learn to do it.
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If anyone is interested in coming along for hands on experience of what and how I do what I do check these links : Macro Meditation Day, Macro Illustrated and Meditate, and email me at contact (at) beingmark (dot) com so you are on the list for mailouts.
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And a few pix from the day.
Mark Berkery ……. Click any picture and click again to enlarge
Rainforest Recital
I came across the most incredible sight the other day. As I was carefully making my way through the rainforest, dodging the spider webs and water holes, I heard some strange sounds, like music but none I had ever heard before. It sounded distant but also seemed to be coming from behind a tree to my right, a few metres away.
I stopped dead in my tracks and as quietly as possible came upon the tree and rested my hand on it. I leaned out a bit to see around the tree and there in a clearing of grass, surrounded by fallen wood and other plants, stood an ant, and she was dancing. I know it was a she because she was so graceful. She was dancing a dance unlike any I had seen before. Amazing!
I hadn’t been spotted as I was quite still so had a look around and saw all these little creatures watching the dancing ant, an audience. What’s this then, insect culture? What a wonder to happen upon such a rare sight.
Were these then the little people of the forest that so many stories have referred to? Must be! Who else?
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As I looked around I recognised some in the audience.
A neatly groomed Tufted Leopard Longhorn Beetle had climbed to the end of a stick overlooking the dancing ant and was waving his long horns in time with the music.
A Whiskered Weevil was sitting still on a nearby blade of grass, just listening as his antennae moved slowly in small circles.
A Sleek and Slim Waisted Zebra Wasp stood proud on her high perch and watched and listened intently, antennae twitching as the music rose up from the grass, source unseen.
A Giant Green Grasshopper sat safe on the side of a fallen log, absorbing the pure sense of this unusual rainforest scene.
And another kind of Ant, Golden Back, stuck to the spot, mesmerised by the magical ambience of it all in the fading afternoon light.
My attention wandered between the characters in this fairy like place and I was timelessly listening and seeing all that was there when a loud rasping sound went off in my ear.
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I turned sharply to see what the cause of this sound was and there, looking down on me from the tree, not four inches from my nose, was the Countess Cicada, Matriarch of this little piece of rainforest.
Oooh! What a stern look she gave me. “What’s this, sneaking up on the little ones?” she said. “Why don’t you go about your concrete business and leave us foresters alone.”
“But I’m not a concreter” I said. “I’m a forester too, I’m just big for my size.”
“You don’t look like any forester I’ve seen before, are you sure you are a forester?”
“Well,,, I’d very much like to be”, I said.
And she tut tutted at me. “You don’t know what you are saying, it’s dangerous being a forester, you could get eaten in seconds and no one would even know” she said in her rasping way. “Or get a broken leg and nobody to fix it.” “But I can see you have some forester in you, why don’t you go tell the other concreters to be kinder to us little ones, that way you would become more like us too, if that’s what you want.” “You are just too big to be a forester anyway, but you can be more like us.”
“Ok” I said. “That makes sense, I’ll just go and tell the concreters how to be more kind to foresters and we’ll all be more like foresters.” So off I went to tell the good news to all the big concreters, but how?
I Know, I’ll ………… ((:
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But it was all imagining, wasn’t it?
Mark Berkery ……. Click any picture and click again to enlarge
Whether the Weather …
… is good for finding ‘bugs’ to photograph?
It has been cloudy with occasional rain and the odd ray of sunshine, so it’s a natural question.
My experience is as long as it’s not actually raining there is usually something to shoot, 99 times out of 100. I’m sure there would be something to shoot in the rain, or sheltering from it, but I don’t have a waterproof camera.
Shooting refers to a time in our culture when hunting to kill was the preferred way to get close to exotic nature. Probably because all the skills of the hunter are employed in the capture of a ‘good’ image, the need to kill has been civilized. Though a willingness to put yourself in some danger at times, sensibly so, will get the shot others won’t.
The first thing a hunter does in order to spot the prey/subject is be still, inside and out. If he’s not quiet of mind he’s not present to see or otherwise sense the minutia that often represents the presence of prey/subject. And if he’s not quiet and fluid in his body and environment most creatures will take offense and run or hide.
For a hunter/photographer to master the hunt of exotic creatures he must become one with the nature. In appearance, sound, movement, any other sense, and above all attitude.
The ultimate hunter is invisible to the prey/subject. From that the greatest capture rate will flow.
The attitude is ‘I am transparent’, I am nothing!
That’s the strategy, and then there are the tactics, the ‘how to’, which are best shown.
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Another take on it …
Nature is always changing. Nothing stays the same for long. Everything in it is active according to the local conditions.
Beneath the appearance of things there is one life, one psyche, which everything is a form of, and in. Being so every form has a connection to every other form, at some unconscious lever of being.
That means you and I have a connection to everything around us. We are the most impressive form in any natural landscape. Impressive of our condition of mind. We impose our will, be it conscious or not, on our nature. And our nature is impressed by this, for good or ill.
I am not suggesting bugs can be willed to appear, just that there is normally an effect of one being present in nature that can be minimised for the purpose of capturing an image of one of nature’s unusual and often beautiful creatures, and of doing so more creatively.
So, how we are inside makes a difference to the nature around us, because we are connected. That doesn’t mean we have to be absolutely still of mind for anything to appear, obviously. It just means we have to do our best and not impose our mind on the nature around us – the sense of it – by leaving our thoughtful and emotional worldly concerns behind.
Intent matters.
This can’t be proven except in your own experience. It’s the sort of thing, once you know it, unfolds as your experience if you are observant of facts and not given to doubt it. And if you go along with it will result in peace of mind, relatively speaking.
This is the essence of right meditation, no belief, no imagination, no thought or emotion. Just a plain and simple practical exercise of the will to engender a quieter, more relaxed way of being.
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The weather has been unusually cloudy with occasional showers and the odd ray of sunshine for a while now. This being so I was asked if there will be any creatures to photograph on a Macro Meditation Day.
This is my answer, which is also touched on in Macro Illustrated, what is true in my experience. :
There are no guarantees nature will show up in the forms that please the most, or are wanted, and everything has its time. It’s the not knowing that gives rise to the sense of wonder and discovery at the infinite variety of form and colour at our feet, as it presents. The chances of something showing up are increased by our respect for and acknowledgment of the simple wonder and beauty of the nature that does show up – in the little things.
And a little gratitude, to nothing in particular – spoken or not, for the nature that does show up is the best way I know of ensuring it shows up next time – in some form.
The pictures on this page are from the last five or so cloudy days, these are the fruits of my exercise.
© Mark Berkery ……. Click any picture and click again to enlarge
Predator – Shield Bug
Came across this fellow recently.
Feeding on a bigger bug.
After a short while the weight became too much and its food dropped to the ground. So I arranged a few more shots.
I put it back where I found it and it immediately went in search of food. And found it in a resident Longhorn Beetle.
The Longhorn Beetle was aware of the bug but was slow moving and it didn’t get away.
Though the LB eventually made a ‘run’ for it.
The SB was tenacious. And the LB walked off into the bush with the SB in tow siphoning off its innards.
Symbolic?
© Mark Berkery ……. Click any picture and click again to enlarge
Who Knows?
Some times … there’s nothing left to do but pack up and start again. Whatever that takes, or means.
New year, new life.
New death?
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Some think I’m just mad. Or bad.
Who’s to care?
When’s nobody here, or der!
© Mark Berkery ……. Click any picture and click again to enlarge
Lord in Blue
Such an insignificant creature? Not at all. Every thing in creation has its perfect place. The only imperfection is in the mind that perceives one, or holds to what is past, what is not now. The creation is now, as close as it gets. In sense.
While the arguments rage as to whether there is a god let’s look at the obvious beauty of the creation as it is. This shot is of a Longhorn Beetle as it happens in the wild near where I live in SE Brisbane. It is undeniable this is a beautiful creature, it touches a point in the psyche where you can recognise a sense that goes; Mmmm! That’s good, that’s nice.
Without knowing exactly what ‘that’ is. Because ‘it’ is not the insect form, but what it represents, the beauty or inscrutable genius behind it.
There is no manipulation here, as I said, this is how the beetle appeared to me. God like? Why not? To me.
Simply sense.
© Mark Berkery ……. Click any picture and click again to enlarge
Nature's Place 
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