Spirituality Information

Lonely Photos


After first seeing my photography, people often try to understand the man behind the lens. "I'll bet he is..." Lonely. Sad. Depressed. Tortured. Lives alone. About the work itself, it is often quite positive, but about my personal life? Wayne Wirs is invariably... misunderstood.

It is true, that as of this writing, I live alone, but as for the rest - I seem to suffer those burdens far less than most. As a serious spiritual seeker, I naturally had to travel through those dark lands of Sadness, Depression, Loneliness and deep Inner Conflict. These trials I have described in Fading Toward Enlightenment, but those forsaken lands are mostly behind me now. What is it then, that prompts these remarks?

The misunderstanding, it seems to me, is simply a result of perspective. As any artist will tell you, where the artist stands in relation to the subject, their "viewpoint" so to speak, has a tremendous bearing on the aesthetics of the work. My viewpoint, in terms of spiritual growth, is simply on the far side of the darkness that lies within our souls. Simply put, where most see Lonely, I see Solitude. Where most see Isolation, I see Unity.

For those familiar with my writings, you'll know that I see life as a sort of Hero's Journey. A journey that is fraught with many trials to be passed and demons to be slain with only the promise of the Holy Grail of Enlightenment somewhere at the end. One of those terrors to be faced, one that lies buried within every human soul, is found in the heart of the dreaded Woods of Isolation. It is the subtle yet persistent feeling of Aloneness.

For most normal people, people who are not called on the Quest, Aloneness often has a darkness associated with it, a subtle, hollow feeling - something akin to worthlessness and futility. Buried deep within the back of our minds, we know that we will always be alone, that no one will ever truly understand us, and that, when we take our final breath, no living person will be able to help us with what we are going through.

But for those Seekers who have found their way through the Woods of Isolation, Aloneness has a wonderful, paradoxically unifying effect on our souls. The seeker realizes that all humans share the feeling of Aloneness, that it is an emotion that all of us experience, that it links us. The core of my Aloneness feels exactly the same as the core of your Aloneness. They are the same Aloneness. Not Two, but One. One and the Same. To the spiritual seeker, Aloneness is often one of the first signposts indicating that their Path is true - that at the core of everything, everything is the same. One unified whole.

This unity, this commonality, this all pervasive stillness that lies behind everything, is what I try to capture in my photography. It is this Stillness, this common feeling of Aloneness that pulls the viewer into the photographs. It is simply my soul talking to your soul. It is what we all have in common. It is the result of a simple man trying to take a picture of God.

Wayne Wirs is the photographer and author of Fading Toward Enlightenment - Life between the Ego and the Ethereal. For more information about Wayne, his writings or his photography, please visit http://FadingTowardEnlightenment.com

  


MORE RESOURCES:

Scripture or spiritual slavery?
Ashland Daily Tidings
By Gokul Gokani The first and last obstacle to a real spiritual experience is to find out whether we really are part of the whole or separate from it. Are we an island; are we to struggle to find our destiny, work hard to survive or be doomed, ...



Take a Moment for Spiritual Reflection with Goods from WondrousWinds.com
Albany Times Union
Founder of Warner Ventures, LLC, Charlotte Warner is proud to announce the launch of her online faith and spiritual objects shop, WondrousWinds.com. Customers are invited to browse through an impressive collection of beautifully designed wind chimes, ...

and more »


SPIRITUALITY: We pause to honor the brave who didn't waver
Muncie Star Press
For me, Memorial Day has a face. It is the face of the family members whose loved one made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. Since 9/11 I've seen these faces in at least 30 homes in my community. If I could introduce you to these families, ...

and more »


Christian Post

The Skinny on Fasting (the Elusive Spiritual Discipline That I Avoid)
Christian Post
When my 24 hours of self-imposed "spiritual discipline" time was up I would rush to the school cafeteria and pig out again. I would go to bed that night with a full stomach and empty heart. Probably not God's idea of an acceptable fast.

and more »


National Catholic Reporter

Crafting a spirituality of family creativity
National Catholic Reporter
While I would prefer my home to be mistaken for a Pottery Barn catalog shoot, I accept this colorful mess because it fosters creativity, an important developmental skill for children -- and a spiritual practice for adults.



Investment banker to spiritual counsellor
Deccan Herald
But for clairvoyant, spiritual counsellor and angel-therapist Shivani Sinha Sola, these are not worlds apart and neither does she regard it as a huge transition. “It is actually a natural progression. Also, spirituality is all about integration,” she ...



The Times of Trenton - NJ.com

Artist Bill Plank injects spirituality into landscape paintings
The Times of Trenton - NJ.com
“He painted the landscape but saw the spiritual aspect of nature and tried to get that feel in his paintings.” “Sometimes I use a bit of symbolism too.” Plank says, referring to his painting in this exhibit, “Waiting for the Light,” which shows a ...



Impending Spiritual Renaissance Heralded in New Book
San Francisco Chronicle (press release)
Stepping outside duality while embracing a new consciousness, author Cynthia Boulton uses humor in "Your 'Tor-tell-ah's' Upside Down" to bridge the deep divide between religious traditions and a spirituality based within, in this memoir of ...

and more »


Globe and Mail

My Conversation With the Dalai Lama: The Convergence of Science and ...
Huffington Post
It is for this decades-long passion to bring together science and spirituality that he was awarded the Templeton Prize. I sat with him before the awards ceremony. Here is our conversation (with a video slideshow here): by Arianna Huffington by Arianna ...
China suffers from "moral crisis", Dalai Lama saysReuters
China Rubbishes Dalai Lama Death PlotWall Street Journal (blog)
Dalai Lama wins Templeton Prize, says China suffers from 'moral crisis'Christian Science Monitor
MyFox Detroit -The Independent
all 1,564 news articles »


Being Indispensable: Willingness + Spirituality = Success
Huffington Post (blog)
She asked for spiritual assistance on the way to help her get to me somehow. Willingness in action! When she got to the airport, she went to security to find a "courtesy phone" to page me, but one didn't exist. However, the person at security was ...


Google News

Article List | Index | Site Map
All logos, trademarks and articles on this site are property and copyright of their respective owner(s).
The comments are property of their posters, all the rest is Copyright © 2006 CanadaSEEK.com - All Rights Reserved.