Have we ever experienced pictures that turn out absolutely glorious when we simply pressed the shutter without any expectation or thinking? Have we ever been blown away by the deep beauty we see in ourselves when we were not intentionally posing to be photographed?
Working in the image industry, I have frequently experienced this. There are many moments when I simply felt impulsed to press the shutter of a camera without even seeing exactly what was in my viewfinder. Something was calling me to simply receive what was being offered. When I looked at these pictures, my heart skipped a beat, not only because the glory was physically visible, but also because the harmony captured was deeply palpable.
Working with my phone camera this way for many years, I have come to realise that pictures call out to be received. Divinity presents itself all around us, all of the time, and it is up to us to register it, to feel the call and not hold back in receiving it and allowing it to be expressed through us.
This is the only way I feel true pictures are created – to express what is Truth.
A true image is formulated only when everything aligns at one single moment, and after that moment, something else is already formulating. No images can be held onto when they are true because we, nature and everything are constantly changing from moment to moment.
By contrast, in the image industry we are constantly trying to re-create images – we regurgitate images and seek a perfection based on images. However, when we hold onto any images, this act is already not aligned to the natural movement that our bodies feel, which is simply to receive what is being presented in that moment. For when we expect something to be only a certain way then we are allowed to only see what our mental expectation permits. But seeing is receiving, and what we are receiving every moment is an opportunity to evolve.
Images are truly successful only when they allow us to let go of, rather than further cement, preconceived ideals and beliefs.
I have observed that the way to work with images is to be image-free within ourselves; not by controlling our thoughts that having images is bad, but by the choices we make every day to free ourselves from the big daddy of images, the ideals and beliefs we have accepted in life.
If we prepare ourselves every day by connecting to ourselves and being true, a freedom and truth will be expressed, simply by receiving the truth that comes through us. As everything is complete once it is expressed, there is no attachment to any image we capture, portray and/or share. This then leaves us free to express the next Divine image that is already coming.
If we are honest, we can all feel Truth, which is one and the same for all. This realisation in relation to working in the image industry is also a truth for any industry and life in general because it is only when our preconceived attachments to what we are looking for subside that we get to truly express as ourselves.
By Adele Leung, Fashion Stylist, writer, photographer, model, presenter, Hong Kong
Further Reading:
Truth
Having my Photo Taken – Seeing the Real Me
What does it Mean – ‘Holding Onto’?
The Truth about Serge Benhayon 
I agree to this statement, ‘a true image is formulated only when everything aligns at one single moment, and after that moment, something else is already formulating’. This is about life too, no situation remains the same either.
I recalled many years ago, my life of doing the same thing, working, exercising, partying every weekend, at the end of the year travelling to the same country and doing the same thing. This repetitive routine just couldn’t continue, and in the end life wasn’t all that fun anymore or made out to be.
So in life, but also in everything, it is constantly changing. We also are changing hence why we grow old and pass on too.
There is much to ponder over this blog…
An image is something you want others to see, whereas a reflection is truth.
When an image is captured on a camera, we can capture just that image and it can look all pretty. Or we can capture everything about it, it’s vibration, the soul (if a person), their essence, their everything. A marked difference.
Shushila, you mention it’s a vibration, the soul (if a person), their essence, their everything. I have been communicating with a fellow student of the Ageless Wisdom Teachings by email and the vibration of their email is beyond words it is possible to feel their living vibration which is divine and the vibration is calling me to the same depth of quality and purity. It is a joy to accept the invitation. I have rarely experienced this level and depth of vibrational quality before.
Adele, this is beautiful – and a reminder that each moment is uique in its expression and to try to re-create something is simply a bastardisaition in stead of allowing and honouring the moment for what it is and was: “A true image is formulated only when everything aligns at one single moment, and after that moment, something else is already formulating. No images can be held onto when they are true because we, nature and everything are constantly changing from moment to moment.”
Letting go of images and pictures is a challenging process but one that certainly frees one up to see the truth.
By letting go of images, pictures, ideals, beliefs, justifications, projections etc., it allows us to free our bodies so that the true essence of who we are can come through. This is how we will change the world.
Lately I have no wanted to take pictures of things on my phone. I’ve felt that looking at something through a screen detracts from the beauty I can feel in that moment. So I rather not capture it and simply enjoy it for the moment it’s there.
Leigh I agree with you, I have taken photos with my phone of stunning sun rises or a cobweb covered in rain drop jewels but when I look at the captured image it does not in anyway do justice to what was there to be seen. It feels to me that the moment is there to be enjoyed and bath in the beauty, too as you say simply enjoy the moment of the offering.
Living in the understanding of what life can bring is an ever expanding spiral or cycle in our life that is a deepening within to those things we feel are True as you have shared Adele.
“I have come to realise that pictures call out to be received.” I find when I am at the beach wit my phone camera I don’t feel with some scenes to take a photo, but with others I do. I enjoy focusing on the quality I am in when I take the photo and what the scene feels like.
No attachment to what we see but appreciating when something deeply beautiful, inspiring or harmonious is felt. I love it.
Understanding the way we take pictures is a responsibility, thus to live in at-least decency and respect (a forerunner to Love) as a starting point and working towards True Love, thus living all we are and this is what we bring to others, which would be clearing any negativity that would be felt in a photo. Would this not change the way we live and bring a much healthier incarnation as we would be able to live in a way that holds that energy until our last breath and coming back into the same energy. This is a much simpler way of living that supports every incarnation, and would change our approach to life and the energy we do everything in.
True sight is granted (by ourselves and no one else) the moment we are not moved by an image. Therefore, we must learn to move in a way that frees us of all the ideals and beliefs we have allowed to shackle us so that we once again can see the beauty beneath it all. And as well as seeing this beauty, we must also allow ourselves to see the ugliness and the horror we have allowed to be in the world and that alerts us to how far we have drifted from such beauty.
When we allow ourselves to be image free what we receive often turns out to be vaster than anything we can imagine.
This is very beautiful and applies to life. What is expected can never be as encompassing as what could be when allowed the space and surrender towards the only true direction back to our soul.
Yes indeed… Once we start to let go of images we can start to let go of the really big pictures that seem to dominate and run our lives
And we realize we have been controlled by something for so long that we are not.
I’m just allowing myself to reconnect back to the sense that we as human-beings are being controlled by some other outside force that is not us. This feeling comes from my body when I feel the stillness within me this feels exquisite and I am content within myself. When a situation occurs that I have reacted to then my body can feel very dense and ugly and I can say and do things that are totally against the stillness and contentedness. This has given me the realisation that there are two types of energy and depending which one we align to changes how we see ourselves and those around us.
Yes, pictures, and everything really, only serve when they express, reflect or symbolise the truth.
Thank you Adele for presenting the truth images and that there is always a quality behind every image we see and are met with. When we live and move impulsed by our connection to our Soul, our essence, we are the divine image of God, and the representation of the divine vibration of us all. When this movement or expression is captured in a photo or on film is offers inspiration and confirmation of who we all are in essence.
We hold many pictures and images and it is when we let go of the pictures that we actually start to see beyond what the image represented and there is far more to see.
Letting go of pictures and images we hold is very liberating.
I once saw on TV how some people were learning to take pictures, and I think they had some fancy equipment, but still, it got very obvious that it was in their ability to connect and receive, in deep surrender, appreciation and adoration of what was in front of them that allowed them to capture a moment to reveal the exquisite beauty in its true essence. The difference was quite remarkable.
A photograph can catch a moment of joy but the joy is not static as it offers a foundation of deeper joy.
I love this Adele, so simple- “If we prepare ourselves every day by connecting to ourselves and being true, a freedom and truth will be expressed, simply by receiving the truth that comes through us.”
A great way of sharing the effects of images Adele and what this means to be invested in pictures. The image industry can really grab us and so it is great to talk about and raise this.
I feel that the pictures that appear on my computer screen are doctored because too me they seem unreal the colours do not match the colours of what I know I have seen in nature. For example the colours on my computer have been enhanced, so what we are receiving is a false picture which adds to the falsity of life as we know it.
We have the image and the one looking at or receiving the image. Even the most true image can be re-interpreted if ones receptivity is not of that standard.
Beautiful Adele, especially working in the field of fashion and image industry.
‘Images are truly successful only when they allow us to let go of, rather than further cement, preconceived ideals and beliefs.’
Exactly that. No other way. Love is space.
It is easy to be fooled by images but not if we dedicate ourselves to knowing that everything is about energy. When we know that everything is energy we can step back a bit and not get so caught up in images.
Step back and connect to ourselves, ‘If we prepare ourselves every day by connecting to ourselves and being true, a freedom and truth will be expressed, simply by receiving the truth that comes through us.’
How beautiful it is when someone sends us a photo and we see our beauty shining back at us. A moment to appreciate and realise what a difference we are making by just being ourselves.
“Something was calling me to simply receive what was being offered.” – Wow, very beautiful, I really get the sense of how you weren’t identified with making it ‘your’ photo – as in not needing to impose your own stamp on it so to speak but to instead support capturing a certain quality of moment or expression.
A true image is a momentary alignment that captures something intangible, an energy, that communicates that we are more than humans.
Beautiful.
This is a case when we really do need to let go of pictures 🙂
These pictures are everywhere because even thinking we need to let go of pictures is a picture 😉
I love the freedom expression offers that is simply the connection with ourselves and it is every single moment a living and breathing experience.
Having a pre-conceived idea about images, means that we place expectations around what it should look like, which means that we don’t allow the image/moment to present itself. It is like we come at it loaded and don’t allow it to come to us.
I remember when I was young being told about an Island just off the coast of France and what a beautiful Island it was and I built pictures from what I was told about how it looked like. Many years later I went to this Island and it was nothing like the pictures I had made in my mind and I was quite disappointed and felt let down. Building pictures, ideals and beliefs I now understand stops the flow of what is naturally there to be presented; we miss out on the magic of God.
That reminds me of how often I talk to people or have email conversations with them sometimes even for years without seeing them. Then one day I see a photo of them and discover what a big picture I had without realising it. For example last week I saw a photo of a woman I have been communicating with for some time and discovered she was a young red head. It was only at that moment that I realised I held a picture of her as being middle aged with mousey coloured hair!!!
We are fed many images and pictures, it’s up to us whether we allow ourselves to be controlled by this or open ourselves up to a greater truth and see all there is to be seen.
When I was younger I was very much into photography until I realised that I was trying to capture something to hold on to it, instead of experiencing it in full. I would want to own it so to speak, as it then became mine and I could have it again if I felt to. But in that I was missing the next beautiful moment that presented itself. I now see this as a great metaphor to life as we try to own it, get the picture right, hold on to what has been and in that miss out on that which is unfolding right in front of us.
“Something was calling me to simply receive what was being offered.” This is true of how I felt before attending my first presentation by Serge Benhayon even though the picture I had in my head of what was on offer was far from true.
So we don’t have pictures, we can take the best pictures… Sounds wonderful 🙂
This blog has far reaching implications, in so far as it taught me how important it is to actually allow myself to see all that is being presented to me in life (whether that be a visual image, a conversation, a dream, or an animal sighting) in a way that considers it without any belief system or need clouding what is truly there to learn from and grow. I can feel how many times I have gotten enthralled by images in a way that considers them greater than me ( as in a gorgeous golden sunset) when in fact they were really a reflection of my own inner beauty.
When I try to make a picture with an image in mind of how it should be it never works and it actually feels very fabricated instead of naturally beautiful and divine.
Absolutely Adele, when you hear the silent call of life and move your equipment to capture light – it’s so beautiful and so clear we’re just an instrument here to act out the will of God.
I have really started to appreciate pictures of myself where they were taken unexpectedly. It is a very natural thing and I see me as I am. This is a gorgeous point to raise Adele and welcome in the unplanned moments that truly capture who we are.
“For when we expect something to be only a certain way then we are allowed to only see what our mental expectation permits” Well said Adele, it limits us to the true beauty of what is in front of us, even as uncomfortable as it may make us.
We are fed images all of the time but it is our choice to allow them to come in and take them seriously. Our truth is much stronger than any thought or belief.
Finding an image to fit every situation is impossible as everything has already moved on but finding a connection or reconnecting to our essence has a feeling that brings us back to a movement that is divine.
“If we prepare ourselves every day by connecting to ourselves and being true, a freedom and truth will be expressed, simply by receiving the truth that comes through us.” the beauty in the preparation is the simplicity of our movements and how being gentle and observant of how we move within our days allows us to be open to the all and learn from what unfolds.
Often times we feel something that calls our attention and that bring us to observe something playing out underneath what we see. We capture a movement that is going on, which hold those in it in a particular configuration. The fashion industry is one that is recognized by movement… in the same way the military are. It is pretty homogeneous in how it invites to move and to observe those moving. We can concentrate in what is on offer from that angle. If we do we capture a version of beauty that may be very pleasing to the eye. That, however, is always about the outer. This may be enough for some or many but not for those that feel in their hearts that the beauty of this industry lies with the people working for it that may found that the outer matches their inner. Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder.
We can expres truly ourselves.. Yet we need to find a way, one that is allowing us to be in our fullest loving selves.. That way can only be lived by ourselves. We only need one person that shows us another way which is The Way of The Livingness shared by Serge Benhayon, since meeting him and Universal Medicine I have re-connected to my true self again and started to live my way.
Pictures can and have taken away our freedom if we allow them to run our lives, being still and present and choosing to observe life helps us be more aware of their presence.
Anytime we want life to be perfect or to go in a certain direction or look a certain way we find ourselves stuck in images, I find the easiest way to untangle myself from the imprisonment of that image is to embrace the imperfections, know that life is about learning and choose quality above all else.
“…. it is only when our preconceived attachments to what we are looking for subside that we get to truly express as ourselves.” This is a great truth. Furthermore when we express from preconceived attachments or expectations we are living from the past and judging the present and future from past experiences rather than seeing/receiving the present moment for what it is.
I love what you share that pictures call out to be received, ‘Divinity presents itself all around us, all of the time, and it is up to us to register it, to feel the call and not hold back in receiving it and allowing it to be expressed through us.’
Letting go of images is shaking ourselves free from the binds of control, and opens up a world of potential where the next step is always evolutionary.
Yes images are like chains that hold us to the past.
“For when we expect something to be only a certain way then we are allowed to only see what our mental expectation permits.” So true Adele. Having expectations or pictures of how things should be causes problems in so many areas of life.
It is as if with no pictures of the pictures, we can truly receive the true pictures that are there to be seen
When we truly see we are open and receive without any pre-cast images, projections or expectations. But most of us don’t truly see what is there and colour everything with past experiences, ideals, beliefs, hurts, desires, images and expectations. I didn’t used to realise just how much I did this, but the more I became aware of the mechanism the more aware I became aware of just how much we all do this and how much we don’t see (pun intended) just how much we do it!
It is beautiful how you describe taking photos as receiving what is being offered as that is how our eyes work – they receive.
Very beautiful, ‘Something was calling me to simply receive what was being offered. When I looked at these pictures, my heart skipped a beat, not only because the glory was physically visible, but also because the harmony captured was deeply palpable.’
“No images can be held onto when they are true because we, nature and everything are constantly changing from moment to moment.” I can relate to this, how often do we try to re-create something that we think is good by trying to replicate it, yet it never turns out quite the same, and here you have the answer. Everything is constantly changing from moment the moment what ever was just created we have already moved on from so it is already in the past and can never be exactly the same.
So true Alison, the ability to keep being open to what is in front of us and not relate to what we have seen or know is about allowing ourselves to be unattached to images and be in space.
I love that concept of images that are true can’t be held on to because we are ever changing/evolving. So what is true in one moment, is simply done and dusted the next. Not to say it’s not true anymore, but it’s already no longer needed.
it seems to me that what you are saying Elodie is that the universe has moved on so therefore it makes no sense to hold onto anything in an attempt to control what cannot be controlled.
The image is the reflection of what it IS. When this is captured in an image, we can deepen in it through its observation
“A true image is formulated only when everything aligns at one single moment, and after that moment, something else is already formulating.” I find the pictures I take on my phone in my day to day movements are appreciations of the beauty and honesty around me and there is always something to learn in what is shared too. We live in moments and what we see around us is a constant reflection of what is truly going on if we observe and connect from honesty.
There are many times when I don’t like the look of myself in a photo and will delete it quickly. We can be so critical of ourselves, so Ive started myself on a selfie program, where I take a picture every week or so, and don’t delete it. Its interesting to look back on them and observe how I feel about each one, especially if there any expectations rather than simple acceptance.
What a lovely program to put yourself on Debra.
“Divinity presents itself all around us, all of the time, and it is up to us to register it, to feel the call and not hold back in receiving it and allowing it to be expressed through us.” I find the most divine moments are found in the everyday, when we are connected and at one with our bodies. When we move from this quality I find the seemingly humdrum days become magical because we have aligned to the magic and reflection of the divine in all and the most amazing conversations or meetings take place, you see such honesty and beauty in nature and the support comes at us in all angles because we have surrendered to the rhythm of our natural connection and that power is absolute.
Not being attached to an image is harder than I had realised! What you share here is really precious though because it reminds us all of the magic that is offered in every moment, no expectation, simply just receiving the image that is there on offer in that moment.
We are so caught up in pictures, of what we want the world to look like, our role we play in the picture and how we need to live also. What matters is how we connect with ourselves and then to others, it can be a challenge sometimes, especially when we want others to be certain way so that we can feel less tension. But if that arises, it is key to come back to ones connection with self.
raegankcairney yes we cement ourselves into a situation by wanting something or someone to be a certain way to meet our expectations, ideals or beliefs.
‘..it is only when our preconceived attachments to what we are looking for subside that we get to truly express as ourselves.’
Brilliantly expressed, we are all that we choose to be, so it is the most true to let go of anything you have chosen to be not who you actually are… And choose what you actually are.
Great sharing Adele on how images control us and making the choice to let them go allow us to express ourselves in a more true way.
I love what you have so simply and powerfully expressed here Adele; our responsibility is just that, to lovingly prepare ourselves daily;
“If we prepare ourselves every day by connecting to ourselves and being true, a freedom and truth will be expressed, simply by receiving the truth that comes through us”
To be open to receive life rather than cast our gaze out allows for an undistorted, unfiltered honesty to arise as to the whole before us that we oft deny and are wholly blind to by our held pictures and perceptions which filter life and create it in the way we want it to be.
When recording in studios, Jenny would always say to the engineer to be ready for the ‘first take’ of my singing, and so many times this was the one… just letting it come.
Wise advice that we need let go of all images and preconceived notions and expectations, results and perceptions and remain open to receiving life and responding with an unbiased canvas.
The pictures of how life is supposed to be don’t give us a way forward, they limit us to the potential that is truly there.
In the image-driven culture that we are currently living in, the purpose behind the use of images is generally to sell a quality that is missing in our lives, on the premise that we are not enough and this is what will deliver fullfillment. However, there can only be a supply if there first is a demand, which highlights that there is an emptiness that we as a humanity are in general experiencing. And so, the images of perfection, power, beauty, success to name but a minuscule few, drives us to seek outside of ourselves and compete with each other to attain the quality we are missing. Yet what you are sharing here Adele brings a greater and far more purposeful use of images. What if images represented a quality of vibration that confirms who we are in essence? Although we are forever changing, evolving or de-evolving, as you have shared, images that hold the vibration of love, truth, harmony, and Soulfullness will reflect a quality of vibration that we know is true and inspire us to be and live with the true fulfilment being in connection to who we are within, with the quality of vibration of our Divinity, which is one and the same for us all in essence.
“Divinity presents itself all around us, all of the time, and it is up to us to register it, to feel the call and not hold back in receiving it and allowing it to be expressed through us.” Divinity is found in the connection of our bodies to every fine movement expressed and it is from here that I too find the most glorious things happen and the reflections in nature and connections with others is simply magic and full of honesty.
“pictures call out to be received” I have never seen it in this way before but it makes absolute sense to me. And this will go for the pictures that are both physical ones we capture or the ones we take on from the ideals and beliefs we hold in our heads.
We can indeed record moments of intense beauty and reflection of the divine being expressed all around us.
True Chris, such beauty is ever-present and a forever blessing.
The camera is a pretty cool representation of how we see – instead of looking out a camera takes in the light of the image it’s receiving – just like us and our eyes. We don’t look outward, we receive light.
I am fascinated by light. What I feel is light comes from within us and it is reflected everywhere, we are receiving light all the time and that is what we “see”. What photography lighting does is, sometimes it enhances the light within us that we know can be more fully expressed. It is awesome to receive this awareness, and it is a reminder for the reminder to be lived, so that eventually this light is simply emanated from us to be received. I wonder if then photography would be done differently–imagine if everyone emanated light so bright from within 🙂
The image industry relies upon the grip images have on everyone. It sells images of how can one look and it aligns to images of what does a look mean and represent. Escaping totally from images in such an industry is not an easy task at all. This is important since this brings up the element energetic quality into the picture and the whole array of things we can do to make sure that the quality of an image is simply divine.
Our feeling through and from our body are much more attuned to who we are and these body experiences can be life changing so when there is an understanding of how this relationship re-connects us back to our divine essence magic happens with all our relations because our expression becomes a great reflection.
For more on essence go to;
http://www.unimedliving.com/search?keyword=essence
Images ask us to constantly create.
‘For when we expect something to be only a certain way then we are allowed to only see what our mental expectation permits.’ Those pesky expectations they get us nowhere! I love the way you work Adele and can palpably feel the joy and ease in which you work. I also loved what you shared in that to work with images we have to let go of … images! And ideals, beliefs and expectations. Ironic but so true 💕
In an industry that is all about image, its great to bring forward a bit of truth into all that glamour and illusion for there is nothing more beautiful than natural beauty which is completely image free.
Only yesterday I heard some basic science about the body and how it functions in its movement; We even “image” how are bodies are going to move and where they are at any given moment, because evidently we have a preconceived notion of how it will feel from the brain that has been trained through habit in this way. I think I understood it right, but basically the result was that we do not necessarily feel the truth of where our bodies are. It seems imaging is learned so we can unlearn it. Instead of allowing our brains to image our next movement, how about feeling the energy that is flowing through it instead and following its flow? This must be what is happening Adele, when you just respond to being open to whatever picture your camera is taking?
I have been reading about mirroring neurons which tell me we need to be the change we want to see because influential children and teenagers are watching and mimicking! Unlearning learnt behaviour is far harder than deepening that connection with ourselves in the first place.
I wonder if there will come a time when the image industry won’t be all about image, but truth and true beauty. For when this occurs we will be in a far better state because the image industry has a lot to answer for in creating images most can’t live up to and by this are made to feel less.
So true kevmchardy, and we feed it by not speaking up enough about the images that are feeding the sexism and unrealistic images for both men and women.
Totally Kev ad Lucy. As the world has become more ‘global’ and ‘mass-produced’ and a small number of influential people and corporations are calling the shots, so the images of beauty become more limited, and channelled into a particular style and all the millions of women that cannot fit that image are kept in discontent. I have observed lately watching a program about a Scottish doctor ( at the time just after the war) what a gorgeous selection of women with faces and figures that do not fit the current mould have been show-cased. Their joy, clarity and purity and delightfulness are so fresh and enchanting – it was as if truth and beauty was to some extent still acknowledged then. But,as you say Kev, a future with true truth and beauty will be such a glorious thing to behold.
“A true image is formulated only when everything aligns at one single moment, and after that moment, something else is already formulating. No images can be held onto when they are true because we, nature and everything are constantly changing from moment to moment.” This is such a gorgeous revelation and shows how unnatural it is to demand that people and life deliver an image we have been holding onto in our mind.
All of us have a sense of who we think we need to be, and so when one says, just be your true self, that is quickly and easily misinterpreted, and is a truth that can only be arisen to if one is incredibly honest at first, and thus willing to question the forces that made them into who they currently think they are. That process of unravelling is in esoteric terms called the process of initiation.
Imagine a world without images, could this be something like a world without lies so that truth is understood to be an absoluteness, which is part of our divine connection to God?
Exposing that when we have expectations of things being a certain way and we are only allowed to see what our mental expectation permits, is truly profound… for so many if not all of us are consumed and therefore restricted by the pictures we have…. And when living through their lense we are denied being able to truly see what is there to evolve us should we let go and surrender and just see what is there to be seen.
Almost every time I am not myself it is because what I have put expectation on a picture and it does not turn out the way I want it to be. This expectation is very often on myself. Pictures lock us in a false security thinking we can get away with not feeling, not observing, not reading, that is unawareness. But it is never worth it to be disharmonious with myself and others when being controlled by pictures in life.
So true Adele, the images I have definitely paint a facade that takes me away from my connection through expectations of myself and others.
“we can all feel Truth, which is one and the same for all.” two incredible scientific laws in one small part-sentence Adele! – very confirming to take into the day with me.
As someone else who works on the image industry I can see how valuable it is to be able to let go of images. I’ve built up images to give me security of how things need to look and then I fee let down when something does not meet my picture – so letting go of images is a huge thing and I really appreciate this blog and the fact that it is possible if we trust our senses.
I love this concept that images are pictures to be received – I have never been a confident photographer this gives me something more to play with.
‘If we prepare ourselves every day by connecting to ourselves and being true, a freedom and truth will be expressed, simply by receiving the truth that comes through us.’ I love the simplicity and wisdom expressed here Adele and by choosing to live this we become free of the images that control us.
Beautifully shared Adele – images can certainly lock
Us into a single picture and expectation – when really there is so much more on offer. I really relate to what you share when you say that a true image will never stay the same as nature is always changing. Thank you for your sharing and helping all to understand that a true image is ever changing.
“Divinity presents itself all around us, all of the time, and it is up to us to register it, to feel the call and not hold back in receiving it and allowing it to be expressed through us.” This is powerful Adele, and can feel the responsibility we all have to live in a way that is true and allowing of the volume that is there for us to tap into for the benefit of all, thank you for such an inspiring blog.
I love what you are presenting here Adele it is so refreshing to what the normal approach to images are. The images I have seen created in what you share absolutely holds a quality to them, you are left to be who you are and there is no imposition of any kind. These are images that I am deeply inspired by.
Yes, letting go of the images in our head is not easy, but we can choose to see them for what they are and choose instead to be open to the unfolding path of the Soul.
Are images that call out for us to capture, just markers for us to reflect back on and appreciate our evolution?
Our entire world is made up of pictures.
It is actually difficult to personally imagine the world without some sort of picture underlying its manifestation.
We are heavily vested and influenced by pictures every single day.
It’s an interesting point Adele, how to let go of images in an image industry. I have used images for a long time to structure how I should live or what I could live up to. Without those pictures, it feels very liberating to have the space to develop and grow.
One thing that I tend to get caught up in is that I am the one seeing what is out there but in actual fact what is happening out there is what is coming towards me. That I am receiving the images in life and that I don’t have to take any of it on and absorb it. I can just see it for what it is and thats cool. When you turn it around like this you absolutely start to see things differently and then people get to see your natural reflection as well.
I have been so tied to my life being one of being driven by the images or way a thing should be that it is taking me a long time to start to break out of the way images have influenced my life.
Almost from day one I was my mothers baby boy then I was her first baby boy, and this image was something she held me in until her passing. After being sexually molested I had the possible image I may be gay and this was a huge upheaval in my life. Drinking and partying gave me an image of being like a TV star and made me forget about being molested. My life was riddled with things that were just heaped one upon another that disconnected me from being the loving tender man who was humbly sensitive and divine. Thank you Adele and also thanks to Serge Benhayon for helping my ability to heal any issues that I am carrying from my past about images of what my life should be like an image has never helped me reconnect to my inner-most. It is only the light of the soul that when I reconnect to it that brings me to an image free place in my life.
I agree with you Greg. Having experienced the recognition of what an image can bring, still, nothing is more beautiful and fulfilling than the light that is felt within, no matter what the image is on the outside.
Love it Adele, and may I add that the light of the Soul is our deepest aspect of Love and when reconnected to that “light that is felt within” is all that we need and in that simply reflect our inner light to others.
The topic of images is pertinent – a friend and I were recently cleaning out our respective wardrobes with the help of a consultant and we realised how our choices and purchases had been driven by a certain image; for one of us it had been overconsumption based on pretence and for the other sparseness rooted in lack of self worth. The result and conclusion: images are not the truth, they are just an image.
“There are many moments when I simply felt impulsed to press the shutter of a camera without even seeing exactly what was in my viewfinder. Something was calling me to simply receive what was being offered. When I looked at these pictures, my heart skipped a beat, not only because the glory was physically visible, but also because the harmony captured was deeply palpable.” Every time I read this paragraph again I marvel at what I have read. I know what is expressed here, and am left realising how much of the world around me and my own life is spent chasing images and control. This example is a great prompt for allowing true harmony and flow.
This feels so true, Adele, that when we try to hold onto something or project a certain image, we have lost the graceful flow that comes with connection to the natural and perpetual unfolding process of evolution.
A picture not just captures the physical but the energy a person holds. When the picture is of more than one person, in addition to what everyone brings, there is the flow of underlying energy between them that brings a particular flavour to a situation. That is what a spontaneous picture captures. Let’s face it, when there is beauty, the beauty stands out in the picture and when is not, this becomes very evident.
“If we prepare ourselves every day by connecting to ourselves and being true, a freedom and truth will be expressed, simply by receiving the truth that comes through us.” It really is that simple isn’t it? A choice to connect to who we are offers an opportunity for truth to be revealed.
One only needs to take a beautiful photo of a sunrise and know that you waited for that moment that is just right, it is a feeling, then the moment is gone. It is like capturing an explosion, a freeze frame of something that happens so fast we can’t see it and then it is gone. Advertising photos are as you have said Adele, just an attempt to re-create a spark after it is gone.
Expressing and capturing what is truth is certainly the key to a gloriously divine image. As you have expressed Adele, hanging on to pictures denies us the opportunity to feel the truth in every moment.
“For when we expect something to be only a certain way then we are allowed to only see what our mental expectation permits. But seeing is receiving, and what we are receiving every moment is an opportunity to evolve.” This is so true and the way we are held in images and the fashion industry is all based on these images ideals and beliefs and is enormous in the world. Our evolution is what we are all here for so exposing this is in our lives allows and opens up a true honesty and expansion in and with the all. Seeing the beauty and magic all around us opens us up to receive and allows everything and everyone a joyful way of being with no pictures only truth.
Glorious to receive life instead of impose on it.
This is my experience also that when I drop any thoughts of how a picture has to look like then the picture comes to me.
Adele, I can really feel the difference between controlling an image – having an expectation of how it should be, to allowing what is naturally there to be captured, I can feel with people photography that so often people are told to look or be a certain way rather than us allowing them to simply be themselves and capturing them as they truly are.
As I slowly remove the images from my life reality is starting to take hold. Images have held me in the past. Moves take the unreal and seemingly make things real. Role-models are shaping what is to become the future for most and I have had some not so good role-models. All these in the past have given me an expectation of something outside myself to be possible when in reality all they have done is disconnect me from my true inner-essence.
‘…when we expect something to be only a certain way then we are allowed to only see what our mental expectation permits’ – This is groundbreaking Adele; could it be that when we have expectations of someone or something we only pay attention to their actions that fit into our picture, or their lack of ability to fit our picture and become so fixated on this that we miss out on actually getting to know them?
It is great to see an alternative take on image especially in the fashion industry that you are in, that is all about image. The best photos ever are not the ones manufactured but simply captured in a pure instant when everything magically aligns.
The power in an image is more than what we are prepared to admit and we have allowed ourselves to be bombarded with images continually that tell us everything that we are not. We don’t want to admit this because we have desperately tried to live up to what these images are asking of us. To have images that are free from such imposing beliefs and ideals absolutely are few in far between. When I see them I instantly can feel the difference in my body and can feel the space that they give us to just be who we are. I know which one I prefer.
I agree Adele, photography continually shows me, that when I try to create something, arrange or generate an image that I think is ‘good’, everything reduces down and often falls apart. When I open myself up to just what comes and take photos without expecting anything big, what comes through blows me away. This is a potent metaphor for how we are given everything we need naturally in life and trying to control it just misses the point.
‘ No images can be held onto when they are true because we, nature and everything are constantly changing from moment to moment.’… so true Adele.
I can relate to your focus on these words of Adele’s, Jenny. What kind of madness possesses us that we have to hold onto an image of anything at all, when it cannot be anything but already past. It reminds me of those collections of dead butterflies. Can we imagine doing that in Heaven?
When I am not present and still inside I find I get bombarded with pictures, coming at me from every angle, literally changing the way I act and move. When I feel present and still it becomes much easier to have the space to observe what is taking place and choose what I do and don’t want to be part of.
Your blog made such sense Adele of all the feelings I have around pictures and I can see that I have always looked for the ‘perfect image’ – when the perfect image is the one that presents itself in any moment – ‘As everything is complete once it is expressed, there is no attachment to any image we capture, portray’. Interestingly I recently had a photograph taken of me standing with my granddaughter and it is patently obvious that we were both uncomfortable with the situation…….and the way it had been contrived. Something that I like about this ‘moment in time’ is that it allows for an understanding and real appreciation of how we were both feeling and how so often photographs are used to present an image that is not true. We cannot hide the truth no matter how much we try……..
I love the way you write, Adele, the clarity and simplicity with which you break through whopping great beliefs about how we think things are. Thank you.
When we feel impulses to take a photo I know I begin to concoct images of how I want it to look like, with the angles and the scenery and the “happy” or “good time” look, which is to show that I’m always having a good time, but the truth is found in the original impulse of the moment, not what we want it to be.
It’s amazing isn’t it Harry… We have to return to the original impulse… To connect to the foundational truth.
Adele this is super powerful what you share here and imagine if we could receive images as you say and have the space to be us and not be imposed upon all these ideals and beliefs of what it is to be as women. This sentence really stuck with me -‘Images are truly successful only when they allow us to let go of, rather than further cement, preconceived ideals and beliefs.’
I just have to wake each morning to feel the influx of images that can pour in from the moment we step out of bed. Each one loaded with how we should be rather than stopping to feel where the body needs to be.
It all comes down to relationship with our selves and others and the magic of this – true religion – in the image and fashion industry as in all other work-places, occupations and activities. Images can be a particularly tricky and seductive milieu to be working in and I love the way you have described coming to terms with that Adele. And it is also interesting that images rule us in whatever situation we are in, if we are unaware of them and let them rule us with the shadows they cast between us and the Sun/Son of God.
Love this sentence …. ‘But seeing is receiving, and what we are receiving every moment is an opportunity to evolve.’ Allowing ourselves to feel what is there for us to receive, rather than choosing to ‘see’ what we want to see, to fit a picture we may have.
‘No images can be held onto when they are true because we, nature and everything are constantly changing from moment to moment’ – a beautiful reminder that when we catch ourselves ‘holding onto images’, we know they are not true. They are, in fact, holding us back, stopping us from being all that we are as we are trying to be something we are not. We are trying to replicate something that is false.
Stepping away from the image I held myself in was the start of my true healing.
Yes Greg, we offer the body a true healing when we let go of the pictures that have ruled us for so long.
So true Anna, the pictures restrict our movements, so therefore the way we walk and talk.
In every moment we can align with the one unified truth or try and hold onto a picture we are drawn to create and live.
This is so well explained and teased out, the way we allow ourselves to be dominated by images; they are held as icons when in fact, they hem us in and limit us in many more ways than we are generally willing to see and accept.
Images can be so influential on our thoughts, choices and behaviours. Recognising this it then becomes important to always check in with ourselves to see if we are being swayed by an image or if it is a true feeling or impulse.
Adele this is so powerful what you are sharing, this particularly jumped out at me -‘For when we expect something to be only a certain way then we are allowed to only see what our mental expectation permits. But seeing is receiving, and what we are receiving every moment is an opportunity to evolve.’ – Seeing is Receiving. It really is a matter of undoing our default mode of thinking we are seeing what is in front of us to switching back to the original divine design that we actual do receive. So if we don’t have any ideals of pictures of what life is then with this blank canvas what is it that we are receiving?
I’ve heard and understand that divinity is all around us but stopping to read how it calls us and is our responsibility to register, and let it in and express it through us is a beautiful space to actually feel and let it in.
There is true science in what you offer here, Adele. ‘It is only when our preconceived attachments to what we are looking for subside that we get to truly express as ourselves.’ But many don’t fully reach that moment, bombarded as we are with all manner of external imagery that detracts us from the alignment that is possible with our own natural movement and expression. We are continually drenched in pictures that cement certain ideals and beliefs and this creates a mental expectation of what should be, leaving us disconnected and far behind from what is our own unique expression.
Adele, this great blog exposes how influential an image can be, and how susceptible we are to them – as they seem able to actually have an affect on our choices about how we care for ourselves. How important therefore are the image makers of this world and the responsibility of knowing that what they produce will potentially shape the life of another person?
“A true image is formulated only when everything aligns at one single moment, and after that moment, something else is already formulating. No images can be held onto when they are true because we, nature and everything are constantly changing from moment to moment” – a true image, is one that reflects evolution through a universal order. There is nothing more beautiful than to see-feel this image, that is really just truth’s reflection.
It is always beautiful to receive images at any moment, as it is equally beautiful to be able to let that moment completely go, to surrender for more.
Interesting you share this insight Adele. I have often felt the way a person is with the camera can be almost like pointing a gun at another person. Not literally of course but definitely so with the ideals and beliefs this can impose on them.
And as we all feel, Joshua this was one of the reasons why I have refrained from having my photo taken for the longest time. Not until I have built a relationship with myself, when I was willing to be more open and trusting with myself, that I am able to live this same openness and trust with another person, and slowly step by step, I feel the imposition that could arise from both sides begin to melt. Now I truly enjoy to be photographed, the experience is one of deepening of relationship every time.
Beautiful Adele expressing with no attachment leaves us free to be the true beauty we are innately.
“If we prepare ourselves every day by connecting to ourselves and being true, a freedom and truth will be expressed, simply by receiving the truth that comes through us.” something well worth pondering on for us all with such an image driven industry as fashion and what we feel and follow and with everything in life also.
It is amazing what can be achieved when we let go of it needing to look or be a certain way. The moment we say ok I am going to do what is before me because it is there to be done and will benefit everyone then, as I have experienced, literally anything is possible and the result is far greater than what I could have anticipated or expected. So if I had had a picture about what it would have looked like I would have limited what the potential and possibility was.
So true James, when I take away all my pictures and I feel much freer in my choices and with this I also feel a responsibly that then also brings a greater awareness and therefore more potential.
It is such a greater feeling of freedom when we do not feel tied or attached to any outcome or picture – it is like we can then naturally let what is before us unfold irrespective of what it looks like.
We put so much attention on what we see. We also automatically go into judgement on what we see. But everything the eyes see are not the full truth. What do we truly feel beneath what we see tells us the complete story, our hearts always know what is truth.
“But seeing is receiving, and what we are receiving every moment is an opportunity to evolve” – using our eyes to ‘just see what we see’, over receiving what objects, sights, images, senses are surrounding and coming toward the eyes – completely changed my seeing-sight, and also vision of what was going on around me, for example what was below the surface of what was seen visually. To truly be receiving is also a true observant of what we see with the eyes…where our eyes and sight equally are also our sound, our taste, touch, feel and sense.
In life I have been trained to always go deeper than the superficial—what I see, what I hear may not be the full truth of the matter until I confirm it with what I feel. Every time I trust to go deeper, life is confirming to me that there is more to what meets the eye (and our senses).
‘Images are truly successful only when they allow us to let go of, rather than further cement, preconceived ideals and beliefs.’ wow – the power in this is amazing – healing through images.
When we miss the natural beauty of life, it’s like we think we have to construct ‘beautiful’ things, places or moments artificially. But as you show Adele, this is the very thing stopping us from seeing the gorgeousness of what life is and who we are. This vision of us as mundane, everyday, commonplace human beings must be one of biggest misunderstandings known to humankind.
Needing to re-create beauty, is a sign that we are not living the beauty that we know within us. In this case, we will never get to the beauty that we know.
Where we have images we can also have expectations, which may prevent us from proceeding for fear of the outcome or be disappointed when our expectations don’t come to fruition. Whereas if we are open without any preconceived idea of an outcome then we are open to understanding what is truly being presented to us and what is true.
“No images can be held onto when they are true because we, nature and everything are constantly changing from moment to moment.” An amazing sharing and understanding which makes sense and changes everything. Expressing truth is the only way of being aligning our bodies with everything that is divinity.
I have often been surprised and shocked at how I can sometimes interpret experiences or events in my life in a certain way based on my own hurts or ideals or beliefs. It’s like I have some kind of built in filter that can distort and reinterpret life’s events into something which may not be the full truth of what is actually occurring and why.
It is always inspiring to read deeper, is this picture a creation from an ingrained momentum or pattern of energy? Love it.
So true Andrew I use to have a treasure trove of images to bring my ideals and believes to the front so as I would not feel hurt. As I have dropped a lot of images my life feels more complete and not as topsy-turvy.
Interesting to consider that a true image is already there energetically and that there is no need to recreate it, this is being something entirely different.
It is interesting how much we may hide behind a camera to capture an image, when we have the most amazing capacity to live in the fullness of every moment by living our truth. These felt moments are far greater than 2 or even 3d images, they have so many angles and dimensions to them, perhaps without any limit at all.
The predominant use of image in our society is distraction, illusion and manipulation – part of the unreal fabric of the ‘world’ we have created that did not come from love but is individualistic and security-based.
“But seeing is receiving, and what we are receiving every moment is an opportunity to evolve.” So there is no point in trying to ‘think’ of how to make a perfect picture it is about being open to receiving what is there.
Being open to receive what is being offered. This is a teaching that applies in every area of our lives, thank you, Adele.
Being open, life is coming to us with the energy being chosen. Recognize it and never hold back in receiving.
We have learnt that images are real and something to truly strive for, when truth is that all images are an illusion that keeps us in a constant need to live up to a picture that keeps us separated from who we truly are.
An image made without preconceptions and ideals has the power to deconstruct false beliefs as powerfully as words or actions can.
Only once an ‘image’ that we have sold out to is shattered do we get to feel the prison it created. Not only that we get to see how we have been part of selling this image to others.
That’s a very ugly set up Vicky and one that is great to expose.
Seeking a perfection based on ever changing images that we’ve picked up is really undermining and stops us from appreciating the beauty that is already there within us, just waiting to be released!
In nature, nothings stands still, even though everything can be so still – what this means is that in each moment, there is a new moment being presented where things have moved or shifted in some wonderful way, and so to try to re-create what was a moment ago means to go agains the natural flow of things. This is what the image industry attempts to do, to copy or re-create what was…and in so doing the control of the situation takes away all the natural elements, and does not allow for the openness of what could be…
When we allow things to be as they are, and take a photo or capture an image as is, then there is an honesty in it, especially more so when the image captures the beauty of a moment that only nature has offered, be it in our natural way of being, a moment of unawareness of the camera…thank you Adele for sharing the magic of allowing for true photography.
This is the way of how children communicate, what is expressed is complete and they have moved onto the next moment. It is a blessing to be able to communicate this way.
Images flood our everyday, and there are so many times that we don’t even notice that we have been influenced by a picture. More and more though I am noticing when I have been taken in by a picture as my body goes into a tension and I go into my head.
It feels open and expansive to be in a relationship with what is on offer each and every moment (evolution), but it feels suffocating and limiting to be in a relationship with any image already created.
When we are limiting ourselves to being in a relationship with an image already created, it is like trying to fit ourselves into a specific mould and not appreciating all that we bring. It is like talking about a sphere as it were a circle – you take away its 3 dimensionally and reduce it to something it is not. The freedom to just be and be celebrated for this is exquisite.
Yes, as soon as we try to hold onto something we are interfering with the constant unfolding of evolution.
My father was a quiet and humble man who loved photography. Once in a while he would turn up at gatherings with his camera and the huge zoom attachment and sit quietly in a corner playing, testing the zoom, pointing it at different angles for ages. After awhile everyone would clock he is not actually taking photos, so everyone would relax and carry on. Afterwards he would always surprise people with the odd moments captured where they looked free, open, innocent and divine. I always marvelled at the difference between these photos and the ones in which people posed for the camera. What is naturally expressed through us is so much grander and more beautiful than the glossy prescribed images we buy into, whether in photography or anywhere else in life.
I am loving this ongoing expose of the fashion industry. As a woman, especially when I was a teenager, the images I received in the magazines and media were very influential. Even if I rejected those images, I had a measure of what I was supposed to be like and whether I was measuring up. This is one of the many filters we look out on life through.
Comparison is so ingrained for many of us—it takes us away from ourselves, or more accurately, we are so ingrained in not having a solid relationship with ourselves, that we measure ourselves with everything we encounter. In the fashion industry, comparison is seen as normal and needed, to make a name for yourself.
When we expect to see something in a certain way, that is what we receive, the perception that we already held. This to me explains why 20 people in a room can recount an event in a completely different way. The practice of just receiving what you see is one that is a constant work in progress for me, but it is well worth it. So much more depth and richness in life and myself is revealed when I allow myself to see and feel it.
‘A true image is formulated only when everything aligns at one single moment, and after that moment, something else is already formulating. No images can be held onto when they are true because we, nature and everything are constantly changing from moment to moment.’ Well said Adele, and hence we are totally open to true evolution.
The images in the world seem to take us further and further away from the beings we are. Sexualised advertising and music videos show our children there is no sacredness in our bodies, when in fact the opposite is true.
Connection is key. All movements without connection take us away from ourselves and further into emptiness. Stay connected and move in that way, this movement may not look like anything we expect, but our openness will know if it is true.
We are constantly fed images of how we should look like, if we take on these ideas our whole physical and mental health will suffer. I love how you have shown the way to work in an industry that, in truth, is all about comparison.
Letting go of images is such a huge one as we are bombarded with imagery wherever we look. We don’t even realise we are comparing things, life, partners, children to images we have built up over our life. There is so much to let go of and we can start by observing life, reading it, receiving it and being connected with ourselves.
Yes, Adele, I can feel how liberating it must be to relinquish any mental constructs or images in your work, creating the space for something to occur that is spontaneous, natural and in alignment to the love you bring to everyone involved.
“But seeing is receiving, and what we are receiving every moment is an opportunity to evolve.”
I am particularly struck by the paradigm shift in the difference between the words seeing & receiving Adele.
For the word ‘seeing’ suggests to me an assumed sensory dominance and control over what we perceive externally, perhaps in how we have mastered ‘seeing what we want to see’, whereas to receive an image begins with a humble discernment of what we perceive internally, an openness and availability to an whole energetic package.
I love taking candid photos where people aren’t aware that they’re being photographed because it shows the rawness of who and how they are naturally rather than who they ‘become’ when a camera is pointed their way.
As we hold existing images in life our perception will often tint what we receive as an image and we can sometimes only see what perception itself allows rather than the truth offered in any moment of reflection.
‘For when we expect something to be only a certain way then we are allowed to only see what our mental expectation permits’ – thank you for this awesome reminder, Adele, which very aptly applies to how we are in life, the more we let go of all our ‘pictures’, of needing things to be a certain way from our ideals and beliefs, we will be open to receiving so much more of what is there for us to receive and share.
It is interesting to ponder why we feel we need images – and whether we actually do. What is the underlying message of seeking out images? Perhaps that we enjoy creating things? Or that we are seeking something better in life? Maybe it is a way of escaping? Rather than taking the fact that we need images for granted perhaps we should look at what is already in place before we engage in creation, betterment or escape. We might discover that what we already is innately beautiful and give up our need for imagery altogether.
It is amazing how our eyes only receive.. they don’t actually look out. When we look we miss out on the entirity of what we are receiving.
And when we look it is easy to believe that there is nothing more to life than what is seen physically. Observing what the eyes are receiving always reminds me of the multi-dimensionality that exists within this reality.
Images and pictures run the world and we control and are controlled by them – this is a devastation to the worlds they are all fabricated.Combined with the use of words as a poisonous weapon, our relationships with each other can be mostly destructive and totally unreal, unless we are willing to feel and observe life.
“By contrast, in the image industry we are constantly trying to re-create images – we regurgitate images and seek a perfection based on images”… how true is this Adele, and in this, it develops or further cements our own sense of lack of value and worth… things that the image/beauty/fashion world and industries play and feast on to make more profits – they create an image/advert to feed the internal picture or ideal we hold about ourselves in relation to that, like not measuring up. When we get to know who we are through the love we are, images become nothing more than the tantalising flimsy whims they actually are, leaving the only thing we ‘measure’ to – is our true selves.
‘…what we are receiving every moment is an opportunity to evolve.’ This is a lovely statement Adele, which confirms that we are being offered this opportunity at every moment and we have the choice to say yes or to further delay by missing that moment. This fluid response to the moment allows us to unfold with the flow so that, for example, by taking photos when they ‘call out to be received’, we can capture the essence of the subject because we are not imposing our own idea on them.
‘Divinity presents itself all around us, all of the time, and it is up to us to register it, to feel the call and not hold back in receiving it and allowing it to be expressed through us.’ This is beautiful Adele. To consider that the magic of God is there for us all to connect to always, is amazing.
Adele, what a refreshing look at the image industry and how one can work within it. So many photos taken are taken from the need to present a certain kind of stereo-type image but how different are photos taken where we respond to the call of the moment.
Every time I reflect on what is expressed I get a deeper understanding. Preparing ourself every day to simply be open and receive what life and divinity present, and to simply flow with it in our expression is a beautiful way to be with life. And so inspiring.
‘No images can be held onto when they are true because we, nature and everything are constantly changing from moment to moment.’ …. which is why allowing ourselves to be open, receptive and to express in the moment is so important, whether it’s verbal, a movement, or the way in which we’re doing something. It’s up to us to allow the magic to flow through us, to be shared by everyone.
Yes who hasn’t experienced that great picture which was taken by accident or without any preparation and brings an honest account to our expression? It can be seen to be honest in two ways – from the point of view of the photographer as well as the subject. Bringing this up as Adele has, serves to place our attention on the quality of the eyes we look through and not so much as a judge of what we look at. This feels freeing and enables us to unravel our confusion as to where the true power in images really lies.
Adele re-reading this article for the fourth or fifth time makes me realise that it is literally studded with absolute gems, this morning this line simply danced off the page ‘If we are honest, we can all feel Truth, which is one and the same for all’ and made me realise that the vast majority of what we say and do is not truthful because we all wrangle so much over it all.
“But seeing is receiving, and what we are receiving every moment is an opportunity to evolve”, which begs the question ‘if every moment is an opportunity to evolve, how many moments are we choosing to make about evolution?’
To be image free is to choose the quality of energy that we align to opposed to letting our eyes rule with pictures.
If we mould a scene before taking the photo then it’s impossible for that photo to reflect the truth.
I agree there is a big difference between truly observing and receiving whatever we experience in life and projecting our perception outwards on to the world expecting it or wanting it to be a certain way.
It is so interesting to realise that our preconceived ideas affect what we see…what we allow ourselves to receive through our eyes. All our held beliefs cloud how we see. To let go of these and to allow truth is such a freedom and is pure light in our lives.
I often find some of my best photos happen instantly without any effort – and those I try to set up or want to be great never seem to work! It is funny how when we really want something things get complicated but when we just go for it, the results usually always blow me away!
The pictures of truth that can be taken when one is aligned with their inner heart hold a quality of clarity that is not available any other way but from the heart.
‘Divinity presents itself all around us, all of the time, and it is up to us to register it, to feel the call and not hold back in receiving it and allowing it to be expressed through us.’ – Beautiful. We can so easily ignore or dismiss the magic that is forever playing out in and around us.
Adele, I can certainly relate to this, ‘it is only when our preconceived attachments to what we are looking for subside that we get to truly express as ourselves.’ I used to try and create certain images, I would have a picture in my head of how I wanted a photo to look and so I would try and re-create this picture rather than going with the flow and staying present and allowing what was naturally there to be captured.
What a realization that we do not look out for images, but they come to us. To live life holding this truth inside changes our whole perspective of the way we perceive life.
If pictures are coming to us they can reveil to us how we are living life concerning the images we attract or not.
What you describe here Adele allows time to stand still and at the same time keeps us in the flow that we are naturally in.
Yes, Esther, it is capturing a moment with the knowing that is ever evolving and cannot be held onto.
Trying to live up to an image feels a bit like a dog chasing its tale.. only not as fun.
Self-identification is one of the greatest hindrances to being able to receive the truth that is there for us all to know in any instance.
Its so relevant Adele that your blog about taking a picture can be transferred to anything in life, from a gathering preparing dinner, to a work project or road trip, coming together without images and allowing things to unfold gives an awesome result!
It seems an impossibility, to let go of images but it is very doable. The more we commit to remaining in the present moment and respond to what we feel, the less need we have to create an image of how life should be.
I find my own images of things can distort so much what is truly there, if I just stop connect with myself and allow myself to see what is truly there truth is revealed.
picture perfect – how many aspects of our life do we have a perfect picture idea of how it should be or look? how often are these pictures supported, added to or inspired by the media images of family, relationships, home etc?
I get a very clear sense on reading this that any ‘attachment to what we are looking for’, ie a picture, binds us and blinds us to what is truly there to be received and enjoyed.
Thanks, Adele. I can feel the control of trying to produce certain images to match mental projections, and the freedom of your way in allowing things to flow and align in a moment that can be captured and then moved on from.
We need to let go of images full stop. They permeate our life and can be very destroying taking us further away from us and deeper into a mess.
‘…free ourselves from the big daddy of images, the ideals and beliefs we have accepted in life.’ this truly brings light to just how much we are influenced by images in life; that they are in fact the very things that we have over time created and held as our ideals and beliefs.
Great point Michael this brings a whole different level of images, the ideals and beliefs we hold about how life is or should be. Those images are far stronger than what we see on TV even though the TV then backs them up.
‘But seeing is receiving, and what we are receiving every moment is an opportunity to evolve’. Profound, and true and something I wish to be more aware of.
Living by a rule book of tick boxes, expectations or images we have to meet up to is like living in a cage; how do you find your own style or unique expression if every action is limited to what you’ve seen other people do and are trying to replicate?
Adele I do love this as its ironic to think that the whole industry, the image industry, is keeping people away from who they are, that what we seek in images is often the direct opposite of what is true for us. Quite amazing when you go in the social media sites full of images yet most with no purpose other than to entice. In effect social media images are the new images from beauty magazines.
That is why blogs such as these, need to be posted to show that there is another way to be that is giving us an opportunity to not doubt what true expression lies within.
‘If we prepare ourselves every day by connecting to ourselves and being true, a freedom and truth will be expressed, simply by receiving the truth that comes through us.’ A beautiful statement Adele that encompasses the ‘rewards’ of making a commitment to self love.
This is such a beautiful sharing Adele and very inspiring and exposes the truth about images and true expression.” Divinity presents itself all around us, all of the time, and it is up to us to register it, to feel the call and not hold back in receiving it and allowing it to be expressed through us.” Thank you for a brilliant reminder.
When we bring all of ourselves to what it is we do, then this is felt. An image taken by a photographer who is connected with themselves as well as connected to whom or what they are photographing feels real and true beauty is captured within that moment.
I love the expansion in considering that divinity and magic are always present all around us, simply waiting to be received. That is a whole new depth in which to relate to life. Thank you for this inspiration. Adele.
I have been called to read this blog magically. This is the first one I read this year and I thank you Adele for being always an inspiration and to
any one for the wisdom shared. This blog questions the depth with which we relate to life and this for me today is really medicine.
Adele if only we could ‘receive what was being offered’ then we would see life very differently but we don’t. In fact, not only do we interpret pretty much everything according to us but we re-interpret everything repeatedly until what we end up with looks nothing at all like the original.
It is important to appreciate that when we are willing to identify that we are not sold by an image or an investment that that the quality in how we dress, live and move has a far reaching effect on others that does not fit the norm but is felt in a far deeper way than meets the eye.
Regurgitation, replication and recall of an image is already a step away from us reflecting our true selves as a son of God
I fully enjoy experiencing images upon styling myself, and yet none of these images are important because what allows me to play comes from a non-attachment to any image.
Great post Adele and it’s got me thinking…i don’t enjoy having my photo taken very much, and when i’m being photographed, (and this can depend on who’s taking the photo), but i note my preference to not look full face straight into the camera, as i can feel it set-up or a bit contrived, much preferring a more ‘capture the moment look’ e.g. looking to the side for instance. Though i’m only seeing it as contrived because of all the pictures that are lacing the eyes.. and so if i’m looking into the camera, i’m looking with all those pictures, so no wonder i don’t enjoy a full on photo, eyes projecting how things should look/i should look. When it’s more impromptu it’s like the eye has no time for the image or picture, to get in the way, and what happens is just a super and natural shot!
I observe this about myself too Zofia. Which side of the face I would like to portray more, which side I would like to hide more. How I allow others to control what and how much I express myself. Whether I can allow the full frontal transparency of my all to be shared without holding back, it is all an amazing reflection of choice.
It is not that I don’t like my picture taken, or is it because I have always been the one behind the lens. It has always been a great place to hide in the open and not be seen. And as you have said the natural shots are when all the walls are gone, in front and behind the lens.
I love the way you speak about detachment from images Adele: ‘ it is only when our preconceived attachments to what we are looking for subside that we get to truly express as ourselves.’ We carry preconceptions, partly because we desire a world of ‘safety’ and of ‘protection’, and anything outside of these armours is threatening and therefore not permitted or admitted. There is a livingness that is far grander than this prescribed way of being.
I agree Adele and Lyndy it is the desire to be safe that creates the images of what life should be like rather than feeling true safety through connection to our inner heart and being open to all that constelates around us.
‘Working with my phone camera this way for many years, I have come to realise that pictures call out to be received. Divinity presents itself all around us, all of the time, and it is up to us to register it, to feel the call and not hold back in receiving it and allowing it to be expressed through us.’ In order to be able to do this we need to be open and observational and relatively free of perceptions, mind-sets, beliefs, ideals, and other hindrances and obstructions, to truly seeing what divinity and life offers.
‘This is the only way I feel true pictures are created – to express what is Truth’ ….. beautiful, Adele, I totally agree. Being open and receptive to express from our hearts, not our heads, so it’s not our perception of truth, but a knowing that something is true from feeling the energy first, from being impulsed from a place of love.
‘Something was calling me to simply receive what was being offered’, absolutely love this line, Adele. It shows how much we miss when we try to control everything, when we are impulsed from our head, from meeting expectations and deadlines, rather than surrendering to, and being impulsed, from our bodies. It’s then that we feel the magic that is all around us.
This is super interesting – not holding onto something which we initially seek to capture.
Images are everywhere. As a species we are not consciously aware of the way we are influenced if not controlled by images that are put out to communicate how we are to be. We’re not robots, no one is the same and we are all to connect to ourselves, become aware of the images that rule us, let go of these images and start living our own life. Life is within us, all of the time. I’m more and more amazed by all the experiences and wisdom that I carry on the inside. It is simply fabulous!
When we look through any lens at life, we obscure our view. We need to put the camera down and simply allow our eyes to drink in the absolute majesty that it all is. And when I say ‘all’ I do mean all, but it’s impossible to see the majesty in tragedy when you’re looking through a lens.
Absolutely Adele, the software and techniques we can now use are not wrong – but truly they are our attempt to play God. When in reality when we naturally play and be and stop trying to control, God aligns and art directs gloriously. The thing is sometimes we don’t like to see that we are not playing our part in this divine alchemy.
Thank you Adele, what you have presented here is gold! as it is only when we are image free that we can allow ourselves to surrender to the magic of the divine and have almost a blind trust that as long we are aligned to the truth and quality within ourselves everything is right as it should be.
‘A true image is formulated only when everything aligns at one single moment, and after that moment, something else is already formulating’ – this is a powerful comment and awakens in me the realisation that so much is missed, so many blessings and messages from God because we are so busy being busy, so busy moving in disconnectedness. The amount of clutter I allow to get in the way of what is true, comes in many layers. What a beautiful lesson Adele to ‘stop’ and appreciate the experience of what the shutter will bring when free of all the control we apply to a picture. Thank you.
Wow I hadn’t truly stopped to consider the fact that we might be impulsed to receive a picture in a moment – those are indeed the most amazing shots but I love that I now understand why. You have presented something here I feel I will continue to develop as I view the world afresh today!
We are blessed to have photographers who have this relationship with photographs.
‘I have come to realise that pictures call out to be received.’ This line stood out for me – it is so true Adele. It is those moments when we ‘spontaneously’ (supposedly) take a photo, without thinking about whether it is the right perspective etc, that turn out to be the most magical of pictures that seem to last forever – because they capture the magic of the moment.
“If we are honest, we can all feel Truth, which is one and the same for all.” This in itself is a truth that cannot be denied Adele – we can ignore it, deny it or resist it, but the Truth will always remain, patiently waiting for us to connect with it.
The end result of an image will always expose the intention of the photographer – it can energetically be felt in the image itself … whether they have truly connected to their subject or it is all about them getting their great picture
Letting go of images in every sense seems to make sense. Not only are we looking for that perfect image when photograph taking, pushing to get that shot, we are also filled with what the perfect image of life should look like. It could be the marriage with 2.4kids or the perfect home, job and friends. Letting these pictures go and accepting life is as it is, right in front of us would be very freeing.
You’ve given us a new way to prepare for life: taking responsibility for our connection and taking super deep care of ourselves – from my experience, a connected and well nourished body can handle anything.
‘Have we ever been blown away by the deep beauty we see in ourselves when we were not intentionally posing to be photographed?’ Yes.. its called being natural. There is always beauty when we feel our natural selves.. its not natural to perform or pose to fit an image you or another wants you to be.
What is natural has no expectations. What we want to be or what others want us to be comes from an expectation. When our movements can be free to reflect this in life, we can then support ourselves and others in how they simply are. What I find interesting though is, we live in a world where because of a lack of connection with ourselves, we want others to impose their expectations on us, we want to be criticized and be told what to do, this is misunderstood to be love or care, and vice versa we feel we have the right to judge. This is a choice that some of us have made, and it takes someone who is very solid in their own love to be able to understand this beyond its superficiality without judgement or avoidance, and offer another way of love, which no matter what beholds, speaks truth and allows everyone to come to their own understanding.
Adele, I have experienced this, ‘Have we ever experienced pictures that turn out absolutely glorious when we simply pressed the shutter without any expectation or thinking?’ When I am not trying to control the photo and how the person should look and instead go with the flow and simply capture the person as they are in that moment, in the light and place available rather than trying to find the best location and control the time etc.. the pictures flow and are easy, it is when I have a preconceived idea of how I want the photo to look that it becomes hard and complicated.
Indeed Rebecca – this could be said for every area in life. The more ideas we have around the outcome, the harder and more complicated it gets.
Images can be tricky to let go of because they are designed to keep us imprisoned and oblivious to truth – so we keep pressing the same memory button, activating that internal hard disk over and over again.
Perception is one of our greatest issues. In short, we see what we want to see, rather than allowing ourselves to receive what their is to receive .
I do not trust thoughts, especially the ones which are not loving. What I will go back to reflect is what choices I have made with my body that has led to my mind conjuring up something toxic and in my perception seeing what is not truth.
I will always trust my thoughts if they are in line with what I have equally felt. Even then, that needs clarifying, for what does it mean to feel? Ask a man who is angry, and he will say that what he feels is equally in line with what he thinks, and you cannot argue with that. Thus, there is a certain energetic quality of being within myself that I trust, and have learnt to recognise as trustworthy. The esoteric calls that state of being fiery, or Soul-full. When in that state, I will always trust my thoughts equally. So, the problem is, how do you describe that state of being to another? How do you put words to it, other than to simply say, “be love”, which even then in itself is open to misinterpretation? The truth? You can’t. You can only live according to its dictates in order to understand it.
True love http://www.unimedliving.com/unimedpedia/word-index/unimedpedia-love.html is an emanation, and a non-imposing one at that, that can be easily felt by another if they so choose. Of course, most of us would not recognise true love even it was cast upon our shores, not because we do not seek it, but because we live in such a way that gives more power to physicality than it does the fact that the world is energetic before it is physical, and so we do not understand how we are played with energetically and if I may say been mislead. Until we accept and become aware that there is such an energetic state of being known as fire, and a lesser state of being based on the energy of prana, then we will never understand true love.
And there you have in essence what the true esoteric student is devoted towards understanding, not because they accept it as a theory, even though much of it remains so until it is lived, but because at some point they have felt and recognised fire, even it was for just a moment, and equally they have witnessed another who by their very movements confirms the power of living by the quality of our true essence in physical form. And so begins the path of return for the reawakened student, a path of burgeoning awareness, and a path of a gradually unfolding understanding of what is needed to allow us to reawaken to the full embrace of our true inner nature.
When I read the following sentence, to me it shed light on the phenomena of ‘TRENDS’ and the way trends are in fact a regurgitation of the same and never are they aligned to the natural evolving expression our bodies might otherwise feel… “By contrast, in the image industry we are constantly trying to re-create images – we regurgitate images and seek a perfection based on images.”
“If we prepare ourselves every day by connecting to ourselves and being true, a freedom and truth will be expressed, simply by receiving the truth that comes through us.” Thanks, Adele, for sharing your wisdom…this is a simple principle to live by.
‘There are many moments when I simply felt impulsed to press the shutter of a camera without even seeing exactly what was in my viewfinder.’ I love this confirmation of allowing the impulses as they come through without the effort of trying or controlling. This totally supports the fact that when we are connected everything flows.
It’s not even letting go of images in the image industry, it’s letting go of images in our head. We are ruled by images we don’t even have to see them on a piece of paper or screen in front of us. They are in our heads faster than we realise, milli seconds and bang we are gone. Images can destroy people, families, work, relationships because they are not the truth and they are not real, they never will be, they are being fed to us and we buy into them, to stop us evolving and connecting to people, God, and ourselves.
Candid photos are the best. The essence of another is easily seen and felt. There is no pose to deliver an aspect or picture of oneself rather than the whole person as they truly are.
Living our life based on pictures and images is debilitating and gives us a filter in which we live life through. To break through the pictures that I hold onto, I have found it useful to question and enquire as to where these images comes from. Often I discover that they are indeed false, being based on ideals opposed to based on a true quality of energy. As I put energy first and have the willingness to look at what choices I have made based on these images, I am finding that I can start to see through these images in which I have chosen to subscribe to.
I swear my shutter has pressed itself sometimes when I lift my camera to take a photo, a split second before I do. Those photos are usually magic.:-)
Adele an image industry that is not all about images, wow what a world that would be like. With each image at the moment we are present layer upon layer of how things should be, how we should look, feel, talk, move etc.. time to change that up.
The fashion industry is about creating wear on details that make a difference; details that get our attention and which ‘suck us in’ because we have an adoration for images and wish to become one that we like.
“Images are truly successful only when they allow us to let go of, rather than further cement, preconceived ideals and beliefs.” – I agree for sure, the grace of a picture that captures someone’s (or something’s) beauty and true expression without imposing ideals onto or through it is truly successful.
Do we impose on life what we want it to be to suit our needs based on the inner emptiness or are we open to living life with all that it presents from the fullness of who we are and therefore don´t need from life but contribute to it a quality that serves everyone equally? Emptiness produces images/expectations, fullness/inner richness doesn´t need any images.
Yes, Alex, when we feel empty we are constantly projecting images onto our lives and relationships.
True Janet, instead of being a clear mirror reflecting God’s light, Love and magic.
Indeed Alex, if we are ‘full of ourselves’ and living all of who we are, the need for pictures will not exist.
“Have we ever been blown away by the deep beauty we see in ourselves when we were not intentionally posing to be photographed?” They are the most beautiful moments to capture, snapshots of people just being themselves with their guard down. How glorious when we are all able to let the world see who we really are, to let our beauty shine naturally, whether we are posing for a picture or not.
We are under constant bombardment from images, advertising perfection everywhere. Unless you live like a hermit in a cave with no TV, radio, mail, internet magazines, billboards and signs… the advertisers will get you. Being a hermit is not an option, so being deaf and dumb is the only way not to be affected by this attack, or, you feel and see the falseness of what is being presented!
Most people who look at their photo make some kind of comment that they look awful or it was a bad photo or how photogenic the other people are… I have felt this also, and feel part of it comes back to pictures we have of what we ‘think’ we look like from the images we perceive are good or bad. But what quality are we looking at ourselves in, that then gets reflected by a photograph? I can see myself one way in a mirror and then look completely different in a photo.
At last years Vietnam retreat hosted by Universal Medicine I was made aware of what images actually are, and the absolute control they can have over us if we are unaware of how they can completely rule our lives and keep us miserable because we can’t quite live up to the images we have been sold.
Each of us has turned life into our own personal decoupage, hail the day that we all hold the same identical picture of life in our hands and our hearts.
True Alexis and when this happens we will have true brotherhood here on earth.
We can all feel truth… The barometer is built in… It’s just whether we actually take the time to build a foundation within us so we can recognize truth… And this is what is essential for our evolution
It’s ironic how the magic happens when there is no image or picture of what it should be. This can be said about everything.
‘Images are truly successful only when they allow us to let go of, rather than further cement, preconceived ideals and beliefs’ ….. how divine it would be if the media understood and honoured this truth. So many of the images being published in women’s magazines aren’t even real. We are being brainwashed into believing that we should look a certain way with images that aren’t even real people, rather electronically altered bodies and touched up faces to project a slimmer, younger look. No wonder there is a global epidemic of lack of self-worth in women and many men.
Yes, so true Alison, when you really consider the repercussions of this and the responsibility it is huge. Thank you for reminding me.
‘Have we ever been blown away by the deep beauty we see in ourselves when we were not intentionally posing to be photographed?’ …. absolutely.
I love candid photographs, they feel true, they capture the person in the moment and it’s easy to connect with them as they feel present, just being themselves rather than changing themselves for a pose.
I agree Adele the only way to prepare our self to be able to receive true images or reflections is to live a life that is free of projected images. We do this by letting go of any image we are holding of how things should look or be like, as any expectation is a rejection of what is there to be received.
Thank you Adele. You remind me that our souls attempt to communicate with us every moment of every day and that they use whatever means available to reach us. We may try to close our eyes, cover our ears and shut down our awareness but we will always be presented with the next step in our evolution.
“We may try to close our eyes, cover our ears and shut down our awareness but we will always be presented with the next step in our evolution”
I love it!, Its so true..
Yes to both of the questions first asked in that I am amazed at pictures I have taken with no expectations and also that I have been blown away by my beauty and tenderness in photos that have been taken of me I have seen without intentionally posing for them. This is quite big for me as I never thought I was good at taking photos and always hated having my photo taken and hated how I looked.I love what you have shared here ‘If we prepare ourselves every day by connecting to ourselves and being true, a freedom and truth will be expressed, simply by receiving the truth that comes through us.’ … So true.
So true Vicky. I am not keen on having my photo taken, particularly when I know! I recently saw a picture of myself where I was chatting with another person and although I could so easily have said it was not a great picture of me, I was struck by how I was connecting with the other person and they with me. It was a photo about connection and I loved it. I was being reminded of what is actually important!
When we let go of how things should look, we are often surprised because we are able to see what is really there and it can be way more spectacular than our imagination and our preconceived picture was.
I know that whenever I look at a situation I want to photography, the moment I had an idea of how I want it to look I will almost always not like the photo I take, because it doesnt match up – but then I miss out on the real image and the beauty it might have captured
As you have said Adele, God is reflecting back to us all the time, and when we connect to this, it becomes Magic of God, the moment of beauty before us, but the magic is beyond the image we see, it is what we feel, what we receive from that image. For example when we look at the sunset in all its beauty and glory as it lays to rest after a day of shining bright. If we only see it as just another sunset, we can completely dismiss it as we continue on in our life. But when we take a moment and let it in, not only see its beauty, but also feel it, we feel something deeper…that is the emanation of the image we receive through our eyes and our hearts.
“But seeing is receiving, and what we are receiving every moment is an opportunity to evolve.” This to me also highlights the need for us to be discerning about what it is we are receiving – and to do this we need to be connected and not off in our heads somewhere, unconsciously casting our gaze about. So it makes sense then to work on living in connection with ourselves, in conscious presence, thinking about what we are doing when we are doing it, so when we receive an image, we are able to feel instantly the quality and energy it comes with.
Yes Lucy, to live connected and open is the key to experience moment to moment the magic of God. For this we need to be free of pictures.
Reading this is opening me up to appreciating what is true is not an intellectual exercise that I control or create but an openness to what is there already. No effort to make something happen required.
As usual a very interesting sharing Adele. We are changing everyday! There is no way we can see an image of anything and expect it to be the same next time we look at that person or scene, a bit like time lapse photography!
The images we have can so much determine an outcome, but when we just observe the true beauty is shown.
Gorgeous to read this, and I feel this is the magic that pulls me into photographing life in all its facets. It isn’t in every shot, but when I am just observing life, seeing something of beauty take place before me the real beauty is shown through a picture. We are blessed by this medium, freezing moments that can show us true harmony, but at the same time it is very much able to constrict us to the images that we get presented everyday. Pulling us away from who we truly are.
Our preconceived images, ideals and beliefs, are really just us trying to control everything and everyone around us – its hard work and exhausting to maintain these images… and so much easier to go with the harmonious flow of our true impulses, to follow our innately harmonious and joy-full inner heart.
Once you can wrap your head around this one, “because we, nature and everything are constantly changing from moment to moment” it is a game changer. I have started to develop a relationship with this and it is so liberating because it allows me (and those around me) to be who ever they are in that one give moment, and then the next, different. it does involve letting go of pictures and allowing the Divine to unfold.
When we have preconceived images of how life should be, how someone should be or how we should be, then we miss the beauty and magic of God, and end up resisting the natural flow of life which is so harmonious.
“…it is only when our preconceived attachments to what we are looking for subside that we get to truly express as ourselves” and to truly see what is before us.
‘If we are honest, we can all feel Truth, which is one and the same for all….’ – this is awesome Adele – If I sit with this line I can absolutely feel the truth of it. And as you share – truth is the same for all of us!
“There are many moments when I simply felt impulsed to press the shutter of a camera without even seeing exactly what was in my viewfinder.”
I feel this sentence completely changes what it means to ‘take a photo’. It removes the rules and knowledge around getting a good photo and instead allows the person/scene being photographed to express its self, with out direction to fit a certain way, but to offer their way in full open innocence.
I love what you are saying here Adele about not holding back on receiving what divinity is offering us all of the time. This brings such richness to life and reminds us that we do not come from here and that we are returning to live the truth of our divine origins.
‘For when we expect something to be only a certain way then we are allowed to only see what our mental expectation permits.’ – Expectations stop us from seeing what is truly in front of us – this is how we narrow down the grandness that we are all part of.
What’s amazing is to see people’s real essence come out in photographs that are taken in this way.
“…Images are truly successful only when they allow us to let go of, rather than further cement, preconceived ideals and beliefs…” Yep, some images have the ability to bring you to a deeper connection and sense of self, where some images feed a concept that can make you think, dream or want something other than everything that you already have.
Life is a naturally expansive and ever changing flow and yet we hold set images of how we either think it should be, or want it to be and try to get life to match our narrow and restricted visions. What’s even crazier is that when life doesn’t match our patched together images we become disappointed, bitter, frustrated, angry, resentful etc. How would life be if we simply let go of all of our pictures and allowed life to simply be what it is?
One of the beautiful images we have around in the UK at the moment is of bare trees silhouetted against a stunning sunset backdrop. Whether it is the mathematically precise divisions of the branches or their stark blackness against the orange, I don’t know but it is there for us to enjoy every single day.
I love these natural winter images Carmel – another is when the sky is stormy and the sunlight is lighting the tree in front of the sky like a great torch of light standing tall and strong against the elements.
I am not an expert here but it seems that the relationship between the observer and the object governs whether or how much truth can be captured and communicated with a photo taken, and I don´t refer to the general reality of the physical process but the energetic dimension whereby the observer or viewer of an object by his ability to either receive or instead project onto the object will define what the image energetically will communicate.
Absolutely Alex. The object does not change, but when the relationship the observer has with evolution deepens, the object hence received and portrayed convey more spaciousness.
This is always a gift given in Adeles blogs. She is amazing at sharing Divinity in the finer details of life. A double thank you Adele – very appreciative.
Images are really all around us from the obvious forms of advertising and in the industries etc to the beliefs and ideals that people carry of having to be a particular way or meet certain criteria to be something . . . And the list goes on to every area of life and every role available.
It is the beauty of self connection that I have discovered that has allowed me to see the images that I was blinded by and really sold out to or accepted in others. Thank you for this amazing blog Adele – as always you share in a very realistic and loving way that reminds me of the purity we see in children.
The pictures we try so hard to live up to certainly have a way of holding us to ransom. And it’s no fun, and certainly doesn’t get us anywhere.
I very much like this line “images are truly successful only when they allow us to let go of, rather than further cement, preconceived ideals and beliefs.” As I experienced that on my own. When a picture does suggest to have an ideal I get a feeling of narrowness, but the other pictures you spoke about, they give me a feeling of space. I am inspired to discover the same magic in me and not to copy something from someone else I do not have.
“For when we expect something to be only a certain way then we are allowed to only see what our mental expectation permits.” – and we miss the beauty in the moment when we expect something or someone to be a certain way.
‘No images can be held onto.. because we, nature and everything are constantly changing from moment to moment’ So true Adele; how can you become attached to something that has already evolved and changed? When we hold onto images and ideals we are trying to live in the past which is actually impossible to recreate, so like a hamster in a wheel we’ll never feel fulfilled by meeting the expectation we’ve put on ourselves.
When I read this Adele, ‘the way to work with images is to be image-free within ourselves’ reminds me of people who say they don’t like their picture taken, because what they see in a picture is not what they feel inside. Could this be because of an image of who or what they are trying to look like? Losing that image takes away any of those expectations to the outcome and allows us all to simply be ourselves.
In deep appreciation for what you are presenting here Adele – I can feel how it is the foundation I build for myself that supports the movements that make me available to receive true images,
‘We prepare ourselves everyday’ it feels like when we take this responsibility for the way we are in whatever we are doing the quality of what we are doing changes.
“By contrast, in the image industry we are constantly trying to re-create images – we regurgitate images and seek a perfection based on images.” How exhausting and how unsatisfying this pursuit feels. How glorious to let go of the end game and learn to allow yourself to really connect to and see the beauty that is already present, a fleeting moment of connection that is captured, appreciated and honoured for its own worth, unhindered by a constant pressure to fit into an ideal or definite picture.
How boring and dull is life if we are settling for the constant recreating of images- . . . give me the truth, vibrancy and freshness of a snapshot impulsed from the heart any day.
“If we are honest, we can all feel Truth, which is one and the same for all.” just reading this brings a stillness to my body, I’ve always known and felt what is true – just either not expressed it, ignored it and put the “images” of life ahead of the truth. What if images where used not to hide and cover up and entice but to present the truth of life?
Absolutely. Truth is always felt. This is why people gravitate to the true beauty in children and new born babies or photos that absolutely sparkle with a radiance or the magnificence that nature offers us in amazing moments and scenery. These all bring an ‘ahhh’, a pause, an appreciation and form of stillness to the body. Different for different people but still an acknowledgment of the truth we are from.
You are so correct, Adele, when you write, “No images can be held onto when they are true because we, nature and everything are constantly changing from moment to moment”. .So much stress and conflict we have in life is because we hold onto an image of how it should be rather than letting life unfold.
I love this part – ‘constantly changing from moment to moment’
This exposes the craziness of people who always stand behind their video or camera instead of being part of the moment and truly enjoying it.
‘…to express what is Truth.’ I love this and in it exposes that images either capture the truth of a situation or create an image by design to be appealing to those who view it, in doing seeking approval, acceptance and recognition.
I have a feeling that a photograph reflects more truth when it is the intent of the photographer to connect with the innate beingness of their subject rather than to just create a great looking image.
When the beingness of the person is captured, it shines thru the photo, and one can feel and be touched by their essence, where the great looking one is just flat.
Adele, it’s really helpful to read this, ‘it is only when our preconceived attachments to what we are looking for subside that we get to truly express as ourselves.’ I can feel how I can have a set idea of what a photograph should look like and so try to control the situation and person to get this image or I can not have an idea beforehand and be open to whatever comes and allow the divine to come through me, the latter feels like a very simple, easy, fun way to work.
I know there are never any coincidences in life. What comes our way and I hadn’t thought of it in this context is that every image presented to us is an opportunity to evolve. As I receive this truth in this light it supports me to detach from the image. Thank you Adele for sharing another amazing blog.
There is a post online about glamour magazines that rip out all of the advertising pages with about 90% removed. The remaining 10% will advise you on how you can improve your looks. Most adds are altered images of what you should strive to look like, but they are the carrot on the stick that will never be achieved… but meant for you to never stop buying and trying.
I love the line in this that What we are receiving in each moment is an opportunity to evolve as this is so true we just have to open up and be aware of it. Also not buying into the images that we are constantly fed so that life never actually adds up to the image in our heads so we are always left wanting and not fulfilled and we miss the true image when it is staring us in the face.
So true Kev, looking out from pictures can be like looking through smudged sunglasses, there is always a haze that is never clear to see everything that is there.
I can see how having pictures (expectations) box me in and limit what I am able to see or express.
Yes and we can have images and expectations in any area of our lives, it feels like only by living in the present moment and feeling what is needed in that moment can we stop the disappointments, set backs and limitations of the images we hold.
A definite yes to this question “Have we ever been blown away by the deep beauty we see in ourselves when we were not intentionally posing to be photographed?”. I love pictures being taken where people are actually naturally laughing / being themselves. The openness, sweetness, love, naturalness and tenderness are so palpable. Feeling back into these pictures, I cannot but smile and feel myself opening up more and feel my own tenderness.
So true Floris. I take a lot of photographs of people and I find that they often hide their beauty when they are aware they are being photographed. I have even seen this happen when the person is not consciously aware they are being photographed. When someone chooses to be seen in front of the camera the results are beautiful.
When we don’t pose to an image we tend to come out better then picture perfect.
Imagine being image free in all areas of our life, it can allow for what is truly there to be brought through to happen.
Only the true photographer knows that it is these divine constellations captured that will support us in our evolution back to Soul and the images made in this space will show us our natural way of being we all have a remembering of.
This is the best advice not only for the fashion industry: “No images can be held onto when they are true because we, nature and everything are constantly changing from moment to moment.” Thank you Adele for pointing this out.
It is huge what you are trying to relate Adele. Can it be simplified by the image of black or white. Black can be used for divinity or it can be used to have a dark meaning. We could go into more significant colours like Gold and the same can be portrayed, it can be used to support us or used to deceive us. It comes back to the vibration of how the images are produced, and as Adele expresses the vibration you know is true in your body. So, it makes sense to run with what you know is true in your body so you can discern what is true out there.
Life in it’s unadulterated state is glorious but we constantly ‘strike a pose’ over the top of it and although there are millions of different poses, they are actually all the same one pose ‘who we are not’. All we need to do is to stop posing and we will return to the gloriousness that we all naturally are.
There is only truth and then all the images that flood in to offset this if we do not hold steady to the truth that we in essence are. I love what you are presenting here Adele, that the key to receiving a true ‘image’ (reflection) is through living life image free. Not in a wipe-your-mind clear kind of way but simply by living (moving) true to the essence (love) within so we are better able to see and feel the divinity and thus the magnitude of support (God’s love) that surrounds us and imbues us to help us return to the great love that we are. How great then is our responsibility to live in a way that reflects all that we are so that we do not end up, by way of chosen blindness, reflecting all that we are not? We are being asked here to no longer choose to reflect a very false way to be that we have been fed by a whole host of images and ideals that do not honour such truth.
As soon as we pose the magic of life is lost.
Adele in answer to your opening question ‘Have we ever experienced pictures that turn out absolutely glorious when we simply pressed the shutter without any expectation or thinking?’ it’s a resounding ‘yes’ from me. I recently went on holiday with my family and there was one photo in particular that feels almost magical to me, it was a very hastily taken selfie of me, my son and my partner and we were all moving at the time but the feeling of the photo is of pure harmonious joy. This was in stark contrast to all of the thousands of awful staged shots that I’ve either taken or been part of over the years.
Yes Adele it is as if we all are trying so desperately hard to ‘come up with something’ when we are given absolutely all we need already. The whole idea that we create things in the first place is the biggest picture of all, for as our bodies know and you show, true beauty flows when we don’t try and just let whatever comes through right out. Imagine if we all lived in line like this, ironically the picture of the world we see would be so much grander than the one we currently see.
“If we are honest, we can all feel Truth, which is one and the same for all.” This is a huge truth that most people choose to ignore on the outside meanwhile it sits so infinitely patient inside us all.
“… seeing is receiving…” Love it Adele! This statement orientates you to recognise that everything around you is living as is there to support and evolve you in some way, no matter how obvious or small.
“Images are truly successful only when they allow us to let go of, rather than further cement, preconceived ideals and beliefs.” Absolutely blown away by every word in this blog and this sentence was particularly strong for me. When I see a photo of a woman radiantly sharing her joy and beauty I am supported to let go of the false and harmful images that the media bombards me with. The photos of Natalie Benhayon on Unimed Living are a great example of this. http://www.unimedliving.com/natalie-benhayon
‘Divinity presents itself all around us, all of the time, and it is up to us to register it, to feel the call and not hold back in receiving it and allowing it to be expressed through us’ … I so love what you are sharing here, Adele, it’s so true. It feels like we have become so ‘conditioned’ by society, we function almost like the computers we have created, with a program in our brains constantly running, assessing, comparing, judging, reacting …… when we choose to de-activate this and just be in our bodies, then we start to truly see all that is there, the divinity that surrounds us and to feel the impulse to share this beauty that is there for us all.
‘I have come to realise that pictures call out to be received.’ What an extraordinary understanding to present Adele, thank you. True pictures, free of the ideals and beliefs you mention, are moments of divinity and thus have a purpose that heals rather than harms. When you think about the plethora of images that populate our everyday and the motivations behind them, it’s easy to feel how damaging this is. Responsible photography – now how about embracing that?
“True pictures… are moments of divinity and thus have a purpose that heals…” How inspiring to view pictures in this way… the world needs so many more true pictures!
‘Have we ever experienced pictures that turn out absolutely glorious when we simply pressed the shutter without any expectation or thinking?’ ….. yes! My father was an amateur photographer and spent hours trying to create the ‘perfect’ shot. I am a point and snap kind of person, I have no expectations, I see something I love and see if I can capture it then and there. I was walking with him on a beach at sunset being mesmerised by the exquisite sky with the sun shining through very moody clouds. I simply pointed my camera and took a picture with my father cautioning me that you can never point your camera directly at the sun and expect it to come out well. This was in the days of film and we developed our own pictures, you can just picture his astonishment when he saw how gorgeously amazing my photo was. It captured heaven on earth.
I have seen some photos where I could really feel the photographer’s appreciation of the subject. It literally takes my breath away as I feel like I am with them right there, and it fills me with appreciation for them the photographer for receiving the subject so clearly, with no added ingredients or filter of their own, and simply conveying their essence. Those pictures feel very much alive.
Expressing as something comes up is all that is necessary, nothing sticks and the moment is freed.
I love those photos that are not posed, where the raw beauty from within is captured and shines through. You feel it more than see it and it touches you and inspires you. We all have so much to share when we don’t hide behind a mask.
This feels amazing to ponder…”I have observed that the way to work with images is to be image-free within ourselves;” I have struggled to have my picture taken and have also not captured what I Wanted to in a photo, these are wise words concerning how we approach this subject. ‘Image-free within ourselves’…gold.
Every day life asks me to feel and read deeper than what is being perceived on the surface. Images do not bring me to full truth. This is a bold statement, but I work in the image industry but I do not rely on images.
So often in life we see what we project not what is truly there and also with the world of social media we share images to create an image not to share the honesty of what is there.
Reading this I can feel how the mind wants to re-create, re-produce what has already been done because last time it was good so in theory more is better. While the body offers co-creation impulsed from a true source of what is required in that moment supporting constant evolution. Never will there be a lack of inspiration to work with when we are truly impulsed from our bodies.
A camera can capture and image which can be beautiful but is one dimensional, but real magic Is when the essence of the image is felt… that’s when we feel beyond the photo.
Thank you Adele – Your first couple of sentences nailed it and the depth of truth that registered in my body encapsulated all you went on to share. ‘Have we ever been blown away by the deep beauty we see in ourselves when we were not intentionally posing to be photographed?’ – Yes, I have had this moment and it came free from any limitations, setup, holding or contraction. This understanding happened in an instant and has shown me the limitation of words and images and that they will never capture the moment of fullness, a moment like this can bring. Your blog has invited me to feel more deeply ‘Appreciation’ and the light it brings.
I love the title Adele! It captures for me the difference between creating images from ideals and beliefs rather than as you say truly seeing, observing and receiving what is before us and responding to what is there, without attachment, need or imposition. I’ve had the grace of having my photo taken by some great photographers who helped me to really be me in front of the camera – supporting and encouraging me to truly let myself be seen and shine.
Wow – I loved reading this Adele. Having recently begun taking more of an interest in photography and buying a camera. ‘Divinity presents itself all around us, all of the time, and it is up to us to register it, to feel the call and not hold back in receiving it and allowing it to be expressed through us.’ This is something I have felt so clearly too and that there is an amazing picture in everything when we are open to receive it.
What is deeply humbling to me is the fact that life is presenting Divine moments one by one, everyday. It is up to recognize / connect to / accept the Divinity that is presented in front of our eyes. Life is to be received, rather than being controlled and / or manipulated with pre-conceived ideas. We’re the recipient of life, not the owner. Thank you Adele! A divine piece of writing to receive:-).
Great blog Adele. Our whole life is bombarded with images. When we remove the images, the looking out, we remain with our connection to our divinity, our truest reflection. “Images are truly successful only when they allow us to let go of, rather than further cement, preconceived ideals and beliefs.”
“Images are truly successful only when they allow us to let go of, rather than further cement, preconceived ideals and beliefs.” Wow, well this sentence really stood out for me in a big way. There can be a certain amount of control that comes with taking a photo, I love what you say about letting go.
I love taking photos. It’s amazing how many times I will take a photo based on an impulse, really enjoy what I see and then try to get a better shot or different angle…and of course it never turns out as well as the original. I had been contemplating what you share here in recent weeks, thanks for the confirmation!
Holding on to images keeps us blind to receive and truly see what is available for us to perceive. To be really open to life and people equals having no images or at least not having an investment into images and the willingness to let go of them in any moment.
Well said Alex. We are constantly fed a vast array of images that seek to seduce us and through such a spell a blinding occurs that will not let us see the truth that lives at the very core of us all.
When we really start to look at the way that we use images it becomes obvious that for most of us we are living our life one image after another, for example, we have an image of what kind of man/woman we want to be with, what friends to have, how much money to make etc. Facing up to the fact that we are living from a set of ideals and beliefs is the first step to getting a handle on what we are doing. Feeling how cold and lifeless images are is another step to becoming free of them. True freedom is simply living true to an inner pulse and deeply honouring our connection with all that is.
Hi Adele, this is a really interesting blog that raises so many issues. It’s true that we can hold onto false images for years and will go to great lengths to preserve them. When they get shattered it can be devastating because we have invested so much energy into maintaining them. It’s fascinating to contemplate that ‘no images can be held onto when they are true because we, nature and everything are constantly changing from moment to moment.’ It makes absolute sense to me now.
This is good food for thought, Adele, I always carry my camera on my iPhone, and often take several pictures of the same thing, but the first one is usually the one I keep. When we ‘try’ to improve things, they do become stilted. I know when I have enjoyed a photo session, it is usually when the photographer encourages me to move naturally and let my natural playfulness come out.
“For when we expect something to be only a certain way then we are allowed to only see what our mental expectation permits.” This is quite huge what you write here Adele. As when we have expectations, we only see through that lens and that either brings delight or disappointment, depending on if they were met. It narrows our view of the world when we are not open to the whole.
Everything that is truth has movement, if we hold an image we hold what is not true.
“Something was calling me to simply receive what was being offered.” This is a beautiful sharing… very different from the feeling of having to ‘get the shot’ and, or pushing and looking outwards for the perfect image.
I get a mixed bag with this blog to be honest and find it a little difficult to relate to parts of it. Overall I see possibly an industry built on getting this ‘right’ and not being flexible in just the beauty of feeling what’s in front of them. Trying to perfect something that already has a beautiful perfection in it’s own way. When we try and own a part of life, an image, a word, a phrase and don’t see it as something grander then this is already a restricted view of what is there. If we open everything up all the time to not own our part but truly see everything then no matter what the flavour of what’s in front of us we can appreciate what’s there. It would seem when we make it less then that we try and always be better and exact and spend or waste a lot of time.
Reading this made me think of ‘selfies’ and how perhaps, underneath all the need for recognition or to be accepted, we are trying to capture our divinity, which will not be there unless we can see and accept ourselves in full as that before the shutter is pressed.
‘I have observed that the way to work with images is to be image-free within ourselves’ – Awesome Adele – another honest account from you on a whole new way to see the world – with truth at the forefront. I love how you have shared the difference when we do not hold onto an outcome -it can be said for anything really but images is a big one!
“However, when we hold onto any images, this act is already not aligned to the natural movement that our bodies feel, which is simply to receive what is being presented in that moment.” To see through the pictures and images that we hold around certain things in life, we need to feel the truth of what is presented to us. It is through feeling and staying true to what we feel are we able to allow the ideals and beliefs that are associated with our pictures drop away.
‘Images are truly successful only when they allow us to let go of, rather than further cement, preconceived ideals and beliefs.’ Great statement Adele!
Wow this paragraph offered a light bulb moment: “I have observed that the way to work with images is to be image-free within ourselves; not by controlling our thoughts that having images is bad, but by the choices we make every day to free ourselves from the big daddy of images, the ideals and beliefs we have accepted in life.” Trying to not have images is like trying to squash symptoms of an illness, in both cases the underlying foundation that gives birth to them need to be addressed for any true change, healing and expansion.
Whenever we hold onto any image we are forgoing the opportunity to receive the truth already known and available to us through our bodies, and as such embracing the wisdom of knowing there is always more to us, through which we can evolve. An image is a reflection or symbol of light, yet it is the degree of Divine light within that image, that reflects whether it holds the truth of the light of the Soul or not. And so the greatest moments ever captured, are any moments that are lived and expressed from our connection to our Soul.
Beautiful Adele. So often when we look at photos of ourselves we pick them apart. We seek things we don’t like. But do we see the energy? And when the photo is taken do we have a fear of what the image will look like and does that impact how we move in front of the camera? Or are we moving freely and expressing the truth of who we are? I recently was part of a photo shoot and it was very exposing. The entire process revealed a lot.
Have a preconceived notion will certainly affect what I see, I have experienced this before when I have looked at an image while I was in a certain mood and then gone back to it in a different mood and seen a completely different picture. Worth considering for sure.
I have to say that I am right at the beginning of seeing the images that my life is ruled by. I am seeing my patterns, ideals and beliefs more clearly, however they have to come from somewhere. I almost don’t want to see them in a sense because I will see the hold they have (or I have allowed them to have).
I remember having my picture taken when I was in my early 20s for a gate pass and how my body and face re-arranged themselves without my doing and I looked particularly lifeless at that moment.
You are so right Adele, if we have an image of how the world should be we are trying to control life, which of course is futile and only leads us to resentment.
When a photo is staged it never captures the essence of the moment, like the smile from sheer joy, it is there naturally for the moment and can not be staged or fabricated.
From what you describe I can feel how limiting these images are and how they put us on a lineal track that seeks confirmation of itself and doesn’t truly allow for inspiration and unfoldment; it thwarts evolution.
“Images are truly successful only when they allow us to let go of, rather than further cement, preconceived ideals and beliefs.” Ohhhh Adele this is a powerful statement and one I feel liberated by as I feel the truth of it and as I feel just how much can be truly gained from images which can help us to let go and open up.
I do so love this expose of how much more is going on in the capturing and viewing of images than this world generally has been wanting to admit…
When we think it is us creating an image or anything for that matter and seek to identify ourselves through that, a lot of energy, anxiousness and strain goes into the task. Whilst if we approach life as something that is coming towards us and all we need to do is to receive it, life becomes a flow, and an ease that we may only remember from our childhood.
‘But seeing is receiving, and what we are receiving every moment is an opportunity to evolve.’ Beautiful expressed Adele, when we start to open up and are no longer attached to what is the outcome, to an image we start to receive and take in what is true.
The best images are the ones that authentically capture the real natural truth of life, it’s easy to make an image look amazing, but to actually capture the essence of life – now that is a skill.
Yes, we are always seeking perfection in the external body without truly understanding that the perfection we are seeking is from within and not from a preconceived image in our heads. We are missing many heavenly moments when we seek external perfection.
Thanks Adele, we learn at a very young age to start looking for the ‘right’ image and keep adding more images as we go along. By the time we are adults we are trying to live up to countless images. We need reminders like this, to tell us that these images are not real, they are not who we are and that it is never too late to let go of them.
Its so true Adele! Even a picture that is full of lots of light and colour can still felt ‘heavy’ and dull when its captured with the intent to be the ‘perfect’ picture or to impose an ideal on us. Yet in contrast, a picture can be very dull and dark and still feel very light and freeing when it is capturing the true beauty, or harmony in that moment. Its all about energy not just about looks.
Yes Joshua, I have noticed this too for many years; some pictures emanate a ‘light’ and deeper beauty even if they are not physically so…
I also feel the heaviness in many pictures and paintings and when I come across one that feels light it really stands out for me.
…there is no question fro me that there is more going on than meets the eye; this is not just physical functional world…
I agree and I have found that even true images can be photoshopped into something false.
What an amazing and truthful presentation, filled with absolute gems such as – “Divinity presents itself all around us, all of the time, and it is up to us to register it”. How beautifully you see the world, Adele…thank you for sharing this with us.
A photo taken without images captures the essence of any moment.
Yes lovely harryjwhite. An image with out any ‘image’ is a true reflection. Perhaps this is what we are trying to ‘capture’?
Love this!
‘Have we ever experienced pictures that turn out absolutely glorious when we simply pressed the shutter without any expectation or thinking?’… using this sentence as a metaphor for life, yes I have! When we let go of images, which come from expectations, ideals or beliefs then life comes to us in even grander ways than we can imagine.
Our soul is a collaboration of movements engaged from our connection to our heart. It is from this connection to our every movement that then encapsulates our quality of being, when we hold this quality there is no room for anything outside of ourselves to sway us off track. i,e images and or beliefs, because we are solid in our connection. True beauty captured in its purest form.
What you present here Adele is groundbreaking, to let go of images in an industry that is solely build on images. But as you explain it is not the picture as such we have to let go of but the preconceived ideas we have about life, the ideas how things have to be and look like and that they have to be captured in a perfect shot.
The thing about images is that they are impossible to live up to, and meanwhile whilst trying we miss out on what is actually unfolding around us.
The whole idea of receiving an image rather than looking out at it as we’re so accustomed to think we’re doing is fascinating Adele and fits very well with my experience that we also receive our thoughts, rather than generate them seemingly from inside our heads. No different to a transistor radio, our thoughts are determined by the channel we’ve dialled into. And when it comes to images, there is a truth to be received from what we ‘see’, and if we insist on being the ‘looker’, then it is us who casts out what we will then be sure to see. We have it very messed up… it’s no wonder we (as a humanity) are just that too.
It is true that a reproduced pose cannot hold the living quality of a natural expression.
Taking more snap shots with my iPhone is definitely going to happen, thank you Adele.
The spontaneity of a true image captured when everything comes with the alignment to that single point is what the photographers yearn to catch. That is a moment of true harmony reflected for us to feel the difference between that and all the other false images.
So true Adele, if we are solid and confident in what feels true to us then we won’t look outside of ourselves for the ‘answers’ and this is how images/ideals lose their power.
How beautiful and how freeing to let go of our images we create and our beliefs ,trying and controlling behaviours and thoughts. What a beautiful way to live with impulses and no attachments and holding on to things allowing the magic of God all around us to be seen and enjoyed. Inspirational Adele.
Those pictures of people that get taken without posing often feel the most genuine. And I understand the restrictive feeling that comes with re-creating images, trying to have images look a certain way on Instagram. Does make me wonder about how images are taken without a pre-constructed image before hand. Thank you Adele.
I absolutely love reading your blogs Adele! Thank you
We all have images or pictures of how we want or expect our lives to be, but when we stay attached to these and life doesn’t work out that way, then we get disappointed or hurt and this gradually colours our lives. Having no pictures and just being open to what is on offer for us allows so much more, and is an opportunity for our own evolution.
“……only when our preconceived attachments to what we are looking for subside that we get to truly express as ourselves.” So true Adele – holding pictures – aka expectations – prevents us from seeing what is truly there to be seen – ie felt.
I have also experienced this Adele, where I will simply capture a moment for no seeming reason and find I have a beautiful photo that is also free from the ideas of how it should have been or should have looked, for as you say when we work from here, we are seeking to make life or the situation fit into the pictures in our head and in the process miss out on how it already is.
Adele – I love what you share here about pictures and feel deeply inspired to go and pick up my phone and begin to experiment with taking pictures without any ideals or beliefs of how they should be and simply receive the truth of what is there.
“When I looked at these pictures, my heart skipped a beat, not only because the glory was physically visible, but also because the harmony captured was deeply palpable”.
“No images can be held onto when they are true because we, nature and everything are constantly changing from moment to moment.” I love this Adele because it prevents us from the ownership and identification that holding on breeds.
I love your point about allowing images to come to us. Instead of looking out trying to create an image we can simply allow ourselves to receive.
An interesting title that got me pondering on what makes a true image and what is one that we like to continually recreate based on ideals and beliefs. We are made in the image of God, and our eyes are there to receive and confirm these images but we have managed to create so many of our own images it is difficult now to decipher what is made in the image of God and therefore true, or an image that we have created of how we want things to be based on our own needs. I am learning that the more I let go of the images of how I want things to be, the more I can align to what I know truth to be. “If we are honest, we can all feel Truth, which is one and the same for all.” This is true Adele but we allow the outer images of what we see to become our truth without stopping and feeling what is really true or not.
Adele i simply loved reading this line “Images are truly successful only when they allow us to let go of, rather than further cement, preconceived ideals and beliefs.” its very much the opposite of how images are used today but brings a real truth and purpose to them. From fashion, design, graphics and so on what if all images were approached in this way?
This is presenting so much truth Adele, how our own held and preconceived images and pictures of what we think life needs to be gets in the way of what is truly there to be seen. Even the concept that we receive images constantly rather than us seeing life is a curve ball to what we are taught. I have been re-adjusting the way I have thought I was seeing and receiving and you are so right, there are messages everywhere if we so choose to allow them in.
Images really distort what we are seeing and really do limit the potential in a moment, as when we are open and allow ourselves to receive what’s there, the situation has so much more space around it to actually take the time to express from a body that is un-encumbered and open, because it is more in the flow of what is next.
Thank you Adele this is huge, I can feel how much I have held onto images and also how often I have been disappointed with photos I have taken so much so that for many years I gave up taking photos saying that I was no good at it. What I can also feel is the attachment that I have had to photos from my past – going as far as to say that they would be the one thing that I would rescue if there was a fire at my house! Connecting and feeling the truth of what is there to express allows for a letting go of any attachments to past images that are no longer required.
What we see, becomes a film that is made up of frames that are a capture of frozen moments. Why would we stop and try to change the past or wish it to be something it was not?
When my wife and I got married a couple of years ago, we didn’t have an official photographer but just asked our friends and family to bring their cameras and take pictures of the day as it naturally unfolded. The result was stunning and the photographs of the day were simple reflections of the joyfulness that was innately present. Very beautiful.
Adele, it’s great to read your article, I work as a photographer and so it’s really helpful to have this reminder. I find that sometimes photographs just flow, are simple and work, this seems to be if Im feeling at ease and am not stressed about trying to capture a certain picture and am open to whatever the photograph will be, if I have a set idea of how it should look and try and control the photographs this is often feels hard and complicated.
Taking a photograph for me has to come free of any need for it to be liked, or worrying if it’s okay. Exactly the same when I share it on social media, if there is any need or worry etc this can be felt. As too how I am living – the same can be said, although I no longer paint, for painting as well. There is a huge difference in the same photograph when you take it knowing who you are, a Son of God, of full appreciation and confirmation of yourself as to when you need something from it or from people.
Photography for me has always been to tell a story and captures a moment of where I was, and they become markers for myself, rather than being some flat random moment frozen in time, Why, when you have your photo taken are so many taken? It is to find the one that let the real you to come out and shine, that catches your essence.
Because we are trying to fit an image of what we think we should like and need other people to like it, because we are empty and lack true love for ourselves.
Thank you Adele, you have brought an incredibly important subject out in to the day light, because our modern world is very much based on imagery and it can be easy to loose sight of the fact that there is divinity here also.
If we let go of all images of what might happen, what we would like to happen, and images from the past that have happened, we are simply trying to control our lives, instead of just being present in the moment and allowing ourselves to be open to what comes next; definitely a much more freeing way to live.
There is a magic that is constant, unending, always present in us and around us all the time. So the question is are we present enough to witness it?
Yes images are very powerfull both in their true and false form. If we hold a false image, an image that is not true, we often do not see the truth and can be lost in falsity for ages thinking it is the truth! Yet a true image can help us let go of the false images we have because it is igniting the truth in us so we can ‘shake of’ the falsities.
Beautifully expressed Adele. Yes letting go of the image, the ideal can be so challenging in a world that is governed by the perfect picture, of what we should look like, live like and be. Relinquishing the need to control the image is quite an art but well worth it, for there is nothing more delightful than the spontaneous moment where everything naturally falls into place. Its these moments when we realise the more we let go, the more the natural harmony and grace is allowed to return to life.
No image we see with our eyes is greater than the feeling we hold in our inner-heart.
“It is only when our preconceived attachments to what we are looking for subside that we get to truly express as ourselves”. Very well said Adele, for when we hold onto how things should be we are wearing blinkers and our choices in all we do will be to confirm that narrow perspective.
So very true Adele, I have experienced this myself when taking photographs, when I let go of ‘trying’ to make something look good and start to experiment and have fun then the magic happens.
Very true Laura. I have noticed that photography is actually more about getting myself out of the way than it is about anything else. The soul cannot help but express when it is able to shine through and God is communicating with us all day long. If we let go of the need to control outcomes then we can receive these messages and the blessing they bring.
‘If we prepare ourselves every day by connecting to ourselves and being true, a freedom and truth will be expressed, simply by receiving the truth that comes through us.’ Wow Adele, this is amazing. If we are able to live this consistently, the way we connect to each other will be in harmony.
This is inspirational to read Adele, to me it sounds so true that we are preloaded with the many images that are constantly being presented to us that it is sometimes difficult to stop, see and recognise the natural beauty that is on offer to all of us constantly.
Yes Nico, in our society from TV, magazines and advertising we have preloaded images of the world and of course stereotypes, If we buy into these false notions it becomes how we see the world, but it is artificial and never works that way in reality. If we don’t buy into these images, we see the world for what is really going on and don’t get fooled, this wisdom is priceless.
I fully agree with you Bernard, the images that constantly are presented to us are repeatedly telling us a story that invites us to be who we actually are not but, we have a choice, to buy into them or not and that is of course not something that these images will ever tell to us. Only the wanting to be free, and a readiness to look beyond that way; then we will be supported immensely by people that already have chosen to ignore these images and are following the impulses from their inner hearts instead. And as you say, when we remove the veils from our sight by letting go of these images, the truth of the state of our societies will be visible to us again and then we know there is work to do, to gather all who are lost in this self created world the images are a representation of.
There is much wisdom in these words: “…it is only when our preconceived attachments to what we are looking for subside that we get to truly express as ourselves.”
Dropping ideals and pictures of how something ‘should’ look, sound, or be, we allow truth to express through us as it’s vehicle of clarity. Have one iota of needing to measure up to a standard imposed from without, and our expression is marred.
What a learning it is, to commit to a way of living where all that has hindered our true and soulful expression can be brought to light, that we may become ever-deepening vehicles for the light of the soul. It is this expression that unifies and truly represents all, rather than the divisiveness, subjugation, personal identification and separation brought by so much that is produced in this world – whether by way of the image, music, sound, architecture, the written word, a product from our supermarket… We indeed have a great responsibility to bring such awareness to the intent we have behind everything.
I am constantly being blown out by the beauty I see when I look in the mirror with eyes that are not looking at my outer form but one’s that are receiving my inner beauty and my connection to God.
I love what you’ve shared here Adele about there being nothing ‘fixed’ in a true image – for we are not beings who are ‘fixed’ by any measure. And yet, when something special is captured in an image – something that reflects the true essence of a person or subject matter – we can’t help but feel it. There can be no forcing or trying in capturing such truth, but simply a framework that allows for the possibility…
In contrast, the images that bombard us, that basically try to ‘tell us’ (if not demand) how we ‘should’ be can be sensed a mile off, if one is willing to truly see… These are everywhere in our world today, especially in the industries of fashion and ‘beauty’ – hence the importance of not negating what we feel from such images, for they will seek to erode, if not corrode, our sense of worth if we give them but an iota of validity.
We are so ruled by images that are created by our ideals and beliefs keeping us from truly seeing. To live image free is to see the divinity that is in everyone and everything.
Reading this is a real lesson in the beauty of letting go. I can find myself being nostalgic for shared moments with people who I once shared a connection with but how now no longer wish to be part of my life. But all the while this takes focus off the wonderful people who do choose to be with me.Accepting what once was and letting that go; giving myself permission to being open to the next constellated moment and appreciating it is all about letting go of my will and living the will of God.
A very valid and powerful point raised Adele about the power of images being captured in that moment and from that point there is constant change. No different to the movements we alter and modify to suit our actions for the day. It is so powerful to read how the industry that feeds us ideals and beliefs about how we should express is far from keeping up with the energetic truth that is being shared in this blog.
I’ve often wondered what it is like for photographers and other workers in the image industry – whether they have an idea and an image already in mind before they shoot or not. Great insight Adele, thank you for sharing.
I agree, Rachel. This is a game changer in how we see and understand the photography and imagery industries.
What I feel very strongly reading your blog Adele is how we are always presented with truth and it’s there for us to receive, never static and always presented in a moment to give us pause to appreciate, to expand and evolve us – for us it’s about letting go of our filters, our ideas so we can truly see what is there to receive, the magic offered to us always.
That moment behind the camera can bring up a similar feeling to that moment before we’re about to play a keyboard, the piano, or stand up and perform in some other way. And this is the trick, because it can be and ought to be a moment to simply be, to rest in ourselves before sharing our inner most beauty through our eyes, our physicality, our movements with the rest of the world. We have bought into a contract to hide from the world and in so doing we then seek to be recognised, liked, rewarded and the picture, the performance becomes part of that gesture void of the love we truly seek.
Wow, a stunning article and exposure of images and the harm they do through denying us the opportunity to truly express ourselves… affecting not only our true movement but the divinity and evolution that is there to be received.
” it is only when our preconceived attachments to what we are looking for subside that we get to truly express as ourselves.”
I am beginning to experience this statement as a truth. One that is challenging, amazing and deeply humbling all in one, but one I am willing to continue to explore more each and every day.
You are so right, the images we hold are simply exhausting, they have no purpose.
Even the most ‘perfect’ of images we create through the lense or in life are not ‘it’, hence why we attempt to attain image after image. We actually crave to live in a way in which we experience something far greater than any image can ever provide.