Create New Ways of Seeing

Whirligig Beetles at Sunset © Lynne Buchanan

All Rights Reserved, Image watermarked by Digimarc

This photograph was taken on the Santa Fe at sunset following a wonderful Thanksgiving picnic along the river.  We had gotten out of the canoe for a few minutes and suddenly a swam of whirligig beetles appeared making the most incredible patterns in the water.  The sun was setting and the water began to glow.  We were all mesmerized.  Although the image appears abstract, it is actually one of the most concrete moments I have ever experienced.  Previous paradigms of what rivers should look like were suddenly obsolete.  None of us ever imagined a scene like this was possible, and yet it was happening before our eyes.  All we could do was watch in amazement.  This is one of the great values of nature.  The longer we are alive, the more we take things for granted.  We tend to only half look at things, registering something as being familiar and then quickly moving our awareness to the next thing that catches our attention.  We get jaded and skim the surface of life.  We lose touch with the wellspring of creativity that exists inside of us when we really connect with the nature of being.

Looking at things through eyes that aren't clouded with preconceived patterns of perception applies to scientific inquiry and social activism, as well as spiritual growth. Buckminster Fuller said, "You never change things by fighting the existing reality.  To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete." In order to build a totally new model, we have to see the world in a fresh way that is not limited by the problems we face as we previously defined them.  We need to form new paradigms by leaving old issues and baggage behind.  The first thing to go might be the emotionally charged labels we put on things or situations.  If we perceive something as being "bad," we want to fight or run from it as quickly as possible--both of which are reactive instead of pro-active behaviors.  Instead we might be better served by sinking into a situation without judging it.  If we just allow ourselves to be and experience what is going on with a more open focus, then we see the situation for what it is in the moment, with all the insights we have gained as we've progressed along the path of our own awakening.  New ways of responding might appear to us and suddenly the problem becomes an opportunity for more growth. Solutions will be formulated based on entirely new ways of framing the world and real change can happen.

Earlier this week, I heard my father, Douglas Berggren, discuss the Age of Enlightenment and the darkening of the world at the Pieriean Spring Academy in Sarasota.  The Age of Enlightenment and science allowed man to dominate the world and use resources for his own ends, which has led to the increasing destruction of our planet at a faster and faster rate.  Many argue we have already reached the tipping point.  Do we just decide it is too late and keep going on the path we are on, because nothing we do can stop the problems from getting worse?  Or, do we become so saddened by the imminent death of our planet that we try and prevent any development, which is not truly feasible given the population explosion we are facing?  Do we blame science for making industrialization possible and mistrust any suggestions coming from this arena, or do we help scientists and politicians create new frameworks of perception so that we can come up with partial solutions that we haven't even considered yet?  I believe our only hope is in working together to make our existing models obsolete.  Yes, we need to move forward in accommodating the ever increasing population on this earth, but we need to do so with open eyes--aware of the impact of our actions on the natural world and aware of what we are losing every time we destroy another acre of the rain forest or allow more chemicals to drain into our rivers that we are diverting water from at an alarming rate.  The only hope is to think outside of the box, because all our current paradigms are clearly no longer working...

More Photographs from Kenya

White-browed Coucal © Lynne Buchanan

All Rights Reserved, Watermarked by Digimarc

Just uploaded some more photographs from Africa.  Visit my website at www.lynnebuchanan.com to see the new images.  Soon I will be uploading some of the photographs to be included in my river exhibition that will be held at the South Florida Museum in March, so stay tuned!

The River of Life and Balancing Your Energy

"Serpentine Trees, Hillsborough River"

©Lynne Buchanan. All Right Reserved.  Image watermarked by Digimarc

Here is a recent image I shot on the Hillsborough River, an example of what will be on display in my upcoming exhibition at the Museum of South Florida.  The exhibition is slated to open sometime in March and will run through June.  I will post the exact opening date as soon as it is available.  I am so honored that the museum is exhibiting my work and hope that it will motivate people to save our rivers before it is too late.  Already so much damage has been done through fertilizer runoff, draining, and other development issues.  As we move forward in accommodating the influx of people into our state, a trend I am well aware of from my past life in commercial banking, we need to be conscious of the ramifications of our actions upon the environment.  The rivers in Florida contain some of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.  Please join me in honoring these natural resources by doing your part to ensure their continued existence. 

"Serpentine Trees" speaks to my soul in the way it exhibits balance and fluidity, while retaining a strong center.  In the past few weeks, I have been very busy and I keep running into people who have also been busy and stressed out.  It seems to be the nature of life in the 21st century.  Without external and internal pressures, things often remain undone and sometimes it is impossible to avoid these pressures. even if we want to  Yet succumbing to them often brings us to a state of imbalance, especially if these pressures cause us to act in ways that are not in accordance with our authentic selves. Whenever I am feeling pressured and ungrounded, all I have to do is go kayak on a river or take a hike somewhere and I soon feel more connected with my life's purpose. When I step away from the commotion of daily life and take a deep breath in nature, I am suddenly aware of the path back to my center and how important it is to stay on track with my own goals.  Nature also reminds me of just how small our place is, though our ability to appreciate and preserve it places the responsibility of ensuring it's good health and the health of the planet in our hands.

Although it is not always possible for us to go walk in nature when we are in the midst of uncomfortable situations, we can create this same sense of spaciousness through our breath.  These little pockets of awareness are what prevent us from going down the drain, as Tami Simon put it when she interviewed Pema Chodran on Sounds True. (Take comfort in the fact that Pema Chodron states most enlightened beings she knows have bad tempers or other negative behaviors that suddenly break out unexpectedly. )  Of course regular yoga and mediation practices are a great idea, especially since we can bring ourselves into a state of balance fairly quickly by focusing on our breath.

For the New Year, Vow to Draw into Your own Truth and to Live the One Life that is Right for You.

Lily River Styx @ Lynne Buchanan

All Rights Reserved, Watermarked by Digimarc

There are so many possibilities that exist in life at every moment and so many people and forces in the world that can help us on our way, but it we don’t draw in and stay true to our authentic selves, the essence that we were each born with, we can become distracted and lose sight of our purpose.  Yes, our purpose and our work is always unfolding, but when we direct our attention inwards we will always discover some unchanging aspect that reflects our core.  When we lose awareness of the connection with our essential nature, this is when we begin to flounder and go down dead-end paths.

The importance of drawing into your truth is very relevant at the start of a New Year, when many of us make vows.  Just because you make a vow does not make it something that is meaningful or appropriate for you, unless it is a vow that connects with your essence and true purpose.  It is also more likely that you will uphold those vows you make when you are connected, since they are of greater personal value.

When I first started practicing yoga, the hairs on my neck rose when people talked about the importance of living your truth.  I thought the majority of the world’s problems stemmed from people claiming that their truth was better than somebody else’s.  I felt that telling people to live their truth was dangerous.  However, now I see that any truth proclaiming superiority over another truth is false and not the truth yoga directs us to seek.  All these false truths and vows come from the chatter that is always around us and that drowns out our true voices.  In order to connect with our own truths, we have to listen in silence with open focus, so that we are able to take in only that which truly resonates with us.   When we take something in, we do so recognizing it as something we have been seeking which in fact has always existed within us.  These are the “aha” moments of our awakening.

Our truth is at the very core of our being.  When we tap into this core, which is our higher Self, we realize that we are not isolated beings but in fact are truly connected.  We draw in from the many to the one and in the one we discover the many again, which is something recognized by all ancient cultures.  Our truth is our unique manifestation of this cycle, and it reflects our understanding on every level that we are all one and inseparably connected with each other, the natural world, and the entire cosmos.  All hierarchies of power dissolve and all reason for violence is lost.  When we draw into our own intertwined truths, it becomes clear that harming another is the same as harming oneself and that when we destroy nature we are violating what sustains us. The more people who vow to awaken and live according to their true purpose, the more hope there is for the salvation of our planet.

So in this New Year, let us make our authentic vows in the silence of open awareness of what is.  Let us make them count by doing our best to not break them and by staying true to our essential nature, which has always existed within us since the moment we were born.  If we do this, we will know our path is in alignment with what is best for our own lives and the health of the planet.

First Batch of Africa Photographs

Image @ Lynne Buchanan all rights reserved

Watermarked by Digimarc

I have processed and posted a group of photographs from my trip to Kenya last summer and will be posting a second group of images in a few days.  It was an amazing safari.  I fell in love with not only the magnificent animals but the beautiful, exotic birds, and of course the earth.  The cycle of life was so apparent.  I saw baby chicks and carcasses lying on the ground, as well as new growth and trees toppled by elephants.  This photograph was taken in the Nairobi National Game Park on our first day there.  We were driving around a bend in the road and I saw the lion on the top of the sign from a distance.  He was situated so perfectly and appeared so sphinx-like that I thought it was a statue, until we got closer.  No one could believe it.  You can see the city of Nairobi in the distance.  Please visit my website at http://lynnebuchanan.com to see the photographs I have posted so far.  Enjoy!