Journal Entries :: InnerOptics.net

Kayaking Skookumchuck Tidal Rapids

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 23:46:00 CDT

A kayaker surfs the food at Skookumchuck Tidal Rapids, British Columbia

Redwoods Elk Rut Slideshow

Sun, 02 Oct 2011 19:54:00 CDT

If you happen to visit Redwood National Park during the early autumn you may have a chance to see the seasonal Elk Rut. Within the aptly named Elk Prairie, this impressive bull elk actively defends his harem of up to 20 cows from challengers. In order to maintain his peak position within the heard he quickly chases them off any other males who wander too close. The juvenile bull being pursued in these photos has just reach the age where it's seen as potential mating threat, and is forced away by the alpha male from his mother's protection.

Flamenco & Classical Guitar

Thu, 25 Nov 2010 16:35:00 CST

A collection my favorite flamenco and classical guitar videos, with performances by Paco De Lucia, Andre Segovia, Manolo Sanlúcar, Tomatito, Pepe Romero, & Ana Vidovic

The Mayan Kingdom eBook

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 20:56:00 CDT

The Maya are one of the Mesoamerican cultures of this New World. They are descendants of the Olmecs, inhabiting Southern Mexico, the Yucatan Peninsula, and Central America. At their peak around 500-1000 C.E., Mayan society was one of the most advanced the earth had known, developing a complex culture, with a precise knowledge of astronomy, mathematics, and an intricate written language.

Singing Bowls, Hang Drums & Gamelans

Tue, 04 May 2010 03:14:00 CDT

Singing Bowls

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Hang Drum

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Gamelan

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Taiko

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The Sensation of the Mystical - Albert Einstein

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 18:00:00 CDT

"The most beautiful and most profound experience is the sensation of the mystical. It is the sower of all true science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead. To know that what is impenetrable to us really exists, manifesting itself as the highest wisdom and the most radiant beauty which our dull faculties can comprehend only in their primitive forms - this knowledge, this feeling is at the center of true religiousness."
- Albert Einstein

The Web of Life

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:19:00 CDT

"The Earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the Earth.
All things are connected, like the blood that unites us all.
Man did not weave the web of life, he is a strand in it;
whatever he does to the web, he does to himself."
- Chief Seattle

...

Modernities commodification of nature stands in such sharp contrast to native peoples vision of a living, breathing earth.

Jean Dubuffet on Art

Sat, 01 Aug 2009 19:54:00 CDT

Art does not lie down on the bed that is made for it; it runs away as soon as one says its name; it loves to be incognito. Its best moments are when it forgets what it is called.

Amplifying Nature

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 01:09:00 CDT

I want to put a spotlight on the natural world, and to amplify the space it takes within the viewer's mind; to remind people that we share this planet with other species, fellow creatures that we evolved along side of; to share the remaining wild places, in hopes that they are protected instead of forgotten and lost.

Sentient Beings

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 23:57:00 CDT

We humans tend to under-estimate the intelligence of other species, or at least the level of their awareness. They may lack a common language and the ability for complex thought to put exactly what they are feeling into words, but they are sentient. Many of these creatures are capable of feeling the same emotions as we do, since we inherited an early form of our limbic and nervous systems from a common ancestor. These creatures have been shaped by time and nature, evolving along side of us, and possessing a consciousness in many ways similar to our own. Have you seen other animals, whether wild or a pet, express some of the same emotions as we do? They can express joy, sadness, and an almost infinite number of complex emotions in between (although in the wild the emotion that we most commonly invoke in them is fear).

What sets us apart from other more evolved mammals (primates, cetaceans, canidae) is our ability for complex thought and speech (made possible by our more advanced cerebrum). This is often used as the justification for treating them as lower forms of life. But is it right to discount the lives of other species simply because they lack our ability for rational thought? Is pain inflicted on these animals felt just as strongly as if it were another human being? It is possible that some of these species may possess a kind of awareness that we ourselves have lost?

On Religion, Atheism, and Consciousness

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 18:06:00 CST

Throughout each of our lives we each come to our own conclusion about the nature of our existence. Some people accept the cultural narrative, which in the West tends to take the form of Christianity. For many there's too much conflict between the Bible's archaic tales and what science and/or their direct experience tells them of world, and so they reject the teachings of the Church. With a literal interpreation of the bible disproven by science, many unfortunately end up at the opposite extreme.

I think a lot of people who regard themselves as "atheist" not because they don't believe in a higher power, but because the inherited description of that higher power has been inaccurate. The Christian notion of god is a 2,000 year old metaphor, presenting a personified image of God, created in a time when we lacked the contributions of the great philosophers, psychologists, and scientists. Today, our understanding of "God" (which some would rather refer to as the universe, or simply as Objective reality) is a whole lot better. It presents an amazingly complex universe governed by laws. Our understanding has evolved, and the church should embrace this progress as it provides a more complete understanding of what God is and isn't. Why the church would forsake the contributions of some of humanities greatest minds who have spent centuries studying the nature of the universe, and instead place their faith in a 2,000 year old book, largely escapes me. Perhaps the Church fears that if Bible is challenged as being the infallable, absolute word of god, it may loose it's legitimacy (at least the catholic church is coming around). But concepts like evolution don't disprove God, they simply alter our understanding of how the universe functions (or in personified Christian-speak, it shows us how God expresses his will). The contributions of science build upon a primitive, ancient notion of what "God" is, and how his/her/its laws have brought us into existence. If religion debates the tried and tested truths discovered by science, it will loose simply because that's sciences arena.

But I do feel that there are some elements of truth contained in our ancients religious texts that science has not yet captured. The analytical/scientific perspective has it's shortcomings. There is still so much that is unknown. Just as people 1,000 years ago would have thought we were mad in stating that matter is simply energy, or that diseases are microscopic viruses and bacteria, 1,000 years from now people will regard us as equally primitive. These shortcomings of modernity may be part of the reason that so many people refuse to let go of the more primitive, mythical worldviews offered by the ancient religions (although I suspect most of it comes down to a lack of education).

This is where I'm going to loose some of those reading this, those that I haven't already offended with my critique of religion, but what sets me apart from atheists is that I think/feel/believe that the universe is in some way conscious. There is a kind of emotional/karmic/psychic energy that pervades all life, and extends beyond the confines of our brains, and that and feelings and thoughts ripple out into the universe. Many of the world's spiritual traditions have presented similar concepts, the most notable being Prajñā in hinduism or Chi (Qi) in Taoism. In the Christain tradition this sensation is interpreted as a personal god, because it seems to react to our thoughts and actions individually, but there isn't an autonomous deity responding to our actions. It seems to be a more fluid, natural process.

For years I questioned this belief, largely because it runs so counter to the materialistic centric view of reality that I had been taught in school, and because it's so easily disregarded as hippy, newagey junk science. But I've since come to the conclusion that it is simply an aspect of the universe that science has not yet discovered or explained.... just as gravity always existed before Newton, although we hadn't created a logical framework to fully to pull the concept into our existing worldviews. If this model is accurate, then emotions like love and hate aren't just biological reactions, but the consonance and dissonance energies when we interact.

Do I have proof of all this? No, not beyond my own personal experiences (although it certainly explains some strange scientific findings). I can't prove it to you with an experiment or a mathematical model, and for many that will be enough to disregard the hypothesis. But the effectiveness of natural healing techniques such as acupuncture and Qi Gong demonstrate that something exists on this level. Even mainstream medical practitioners are also beginning to embrace the health benefits of these eastern approaches, when these were all ridiculed by the mainstream just a few decades ago. My hope is that we're going to continue to see a convergence in these western and eastern world views in the coming years.

On Being "Creative"

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 18:52:00 CST

Growing up, I was a different kind of kid, more eccentric than most. I was always into more artistic endeavors than most. I played the guitar. I did graphic design. Eventually I started getting pretty deep into photography. In some kind of way, others recognized this and it reinforced this notion of who I was. I thought those talents made me special, and that I should share them with the world. I used to think of myself as "creative". That is, until I moved to Portland, Oregon.

I moved here for the classic set of reasons, seeking opportunity, adventure,... a change of scenery. This is a city whose personality is epitomized by the brooding artist, the man-purse wearing cyclist, the tattooed hipster... I really do love this town, for all of its eccentricity, even if its weirdness often conformed into somewhat predictable mimes. Portland is a rare kind of city though. It's a town that cultivates the creative, one that allows the dreams of the artist to gestate, and provides an atmosphere that encourages their expression. But here, everyone plays the guitar. Everyone's in a band. Everyone's a the next great designer / poet / writer / juggler / (insert your passion here). Everyone's trying to make their mark. And I'm just one of the thousands trying to make some kind of mark too, which is fine by me. Here those activites that used to set me apart seem like prerequisites. A seeming over-saturation of talent has changed the equation... the biggest audience for such endeavors are those within one's own field. I guess this is nothing new. People of similar interests tend to flock together, and Portland is a good fit for artists.

Coming here has been humbling though. It's shown me how many others reach for that same goal: some external recognition and the ability to make a living from one's creative pursuits, as hard as that may sometimes be. It's made me re-evaluate why I do all of these activities. I could probably be making more money with my time. Or I could be working a lot less instead. But for me, life would be less fulfilling. We're only here on earth for a brief time, so I can think of little better way to spend one's days than by trying to pour one's inner life back to the world through arts, music, language, and thought. Humans are a strange breed, keeping ourselves so occupied with our work. We sometime place such importance on what we do, while in a way what we do here is often frivolous and insignificant. But it's also something precious and rare - something that we should do regardless, provided that it helps fill our souls and the souls of others.

I used to think of myself as "creative". And I still sorta do, even if here it seems like everybody is. The culture of Portland has decided that the arts are something to be celebrated. Unlike many U.S. cities, commerce doesn't seem to be the driving agenda behind life here. It's something more fundamental. And a large part of it is the strange pursuit of meaning through self-expression, of which I'm proud to be a part.

Photography On The Square Showing

Sat, 01 Apr 2006 10:37:00 CST

this was for a showing I did at Photography on the Square back in 2005 after graduating.

(check out some of work by Dave Edwards, one of the resident photographers there)

Jackson Grill Showing

Mon, 01 Aug 2005 21:50:00 CDT

This was from my first showing, at Jackson's Grill in Flagstaff. My friend Catfish was managing the restaurant there at the time, and was kind enough to convince me to put some work together.

The two prints pictured are Wukoki Ruin & Ghosts.