Light reveals and hides!

The above photo of a rose flower in our garden, was taken around 7 am on a misty morning in the automatic mode with 400 mm lens by a Lumux micro two third mirrorless camera. 

The three photos below are of the same rose flower during the editing process when exposure alone was controlled. They appear different from each other and has a variation in colour and brightness different from the original in the first photograph!

I have elementary knowledge of physics of light and its modulations required to capture photos to look natural. I do not use the editing software often excepting for adjusting its size. 

The editing with a software is a filter based mechanism when the software controls, the exposure in six different ways by different combinations in the camera I use.

Light reveals and hides. In the third photograph, the light reveals the stains on the petals. In the original photograph the light hides some stains in the petals. The light falling on the flower creates shadow around the flower. Light reveals the flower and hides the shadow created by the light falling on the flower. 

That formed an interesting theme for me to reflect on!

When a candle is lit, it brightens the ambience, but the candle itself appears less bright. It also casts shadows of objects on the surface. 

Light has therefore a dual function- revealing and hiding! The depth psychologists from the time of Carl Jung have referred to our true self and shadow self! Who we are, truly can only be known by engaging to know the depth of our being by aligning our mind and heart. The mind permits self disclosure which the heart consents to. even when one is vulnerable. The duality of true self and shadow self would get gradually integrated when one discovers what resides within in the dark corridors of our memory lane. 

The unifying of the fragmented consciousness about which David G Benner referred to in his book, Spirituality and the awakening self-the sacred journey of transformation comes to my mind (P 83).The three themes that he explored from pages 78 to 83 covered  foundational thoughts- Trust in the darkness, Aligning mind and heart and Healing the wounded self. It is our consciousness that creates a window within ourselves to have an overview of the inner panorama of our soul. If that consciousness is an integrating experience when we accept our true self and shadow self as just being ourself.  Then we move from duality to being integrated slowly but progressively. But if that consciousness is under the governance of our ego, we create an aura around ourselves which is different from the inner truth about  ourselves deep within.  

David quoted Richard of Saint Victor of 12 th century (p84) to suggest that humans possess there sets of eyes:  Oculus carnis (eye of the flesh), Oculus rations (eye of reason) and Oculus Fedei ( eye of faith). It is when we move to the plane of faith that we can feel integrated from duality and our consciousness can recover to stay unified, when we experience the light within gradually covering the shadows unknown to us or not comfortable to accept or confess!

Let me quote from David's text in page84-85: "A unified consciousness is an expanded consciousness. It comes from being one within ourselves as we learn to live the truth of our being at one with God. It is seeing the world from the place of union with and in God. Genuine openness to God brings with it an openness of our whole being to the whole of reality". 

The way David initiates us to a journey of transforming awareness, has two processes. We can grow to accept ourselves as we are because God has accepted us just as we are!

The light within is revealing of what exists as shadows to free us of entanglements that restrain us from becoming a flower from being a bud. A bud remains closed. A flower is open to share its aroma and nectar!  

Our life is lot more larger, deeper and expansive when we find God integrating our duality to become our true self!

I am grateful to the rose flower.  It initiated these thoughts with me!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)