The interior of the mosque was absolutely magnificent – intricate patterns, colours, shapes. Islamic abstract art is extremely beautiful. It is such a shame that religion becomes so intolerant, competitive and is propelled by a desire to convert and ‘save’.
Religions build cathedrals, temples and mosques in order to impress. If someone is prepared to invest so much time and effort it must be true.
They employ the best architects and artisans.
Ceratinly the The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is impressive. I think the name says it all. Someone wanted their name to be recognised. In past times Trump might well have built a cathedral, temple or mosque. Instead he built Trump Tower.
The beauty of this mosque was breath-taking.
The most beautiful sunset. A sky full of colour. Silhouettes of fortresses, rocks and sculptures. I had fun taking these shots.
Without Me
The large Moon gliding through
The illuminated scales
Of some giant surreal fish
With icy-blue bitter light
Bathing the fields
With stark clarity.
As the fields rolled in eerie relief
Like a crystalline sea
I found it hard to imagine
That the scene could exist
Without me.
Opher 10.10.95
Without Me
Sometimes the world is unreal, like a stage-set. The lighting is too surreal. It bathes everything in its frigid glow and freezes it in a moment.
That night the moon was casting a bright, hard blue glow, creating sharp shadows and inky pools. It transformed the countryside into ice.
It seemed to rush across the sky yet it was the clouds streaming by. Those clouds were high and wispy and formed into the scales of some huge celestial fish that glowed with life; the life that the moon was sucking from the land.
I did not know what to look at: – the wondrous rushing panorama of the sky or the frozen ocean of the land. They were both as magnificent and unreal.
It held a story of vastness and mystique. The eye and mind were held by the spectacle. It felt like a performance, a living piece of Art, yet it was so cold and devoid of warmth. It was a tableau of beauty yet without life.
I felt as if I was the only person in the whole universe who was witnessing it. It was exhilarating yet it sent a tremor of fear through my spine.
I knew one day it would perform its similar tricks and no eyes would be there to marvel, certainly not mine.
When I was young we hitched to places and partied. Now I’m older I visit places, see the sights and drink it in. It’s a different experience.
Nowadays the art jumps out at me. I see the beauty and I enjoy it. Back then I was too full of fire to settle. There was too much life in me, too much to understand and explain. Now I am quieter.
I love sunsets and sunrises. Nature paints the world with a palette of colours. Here’s a few I took on my trip to South America in 2016.
The trees were looking fabulous. As chlorophyll greens turn to reds and yellows. There is a delicacy of colour.
It was a sunny day for a walk in the countryside in Yorkshire. Many trees were changing colour, some had already lost their leaves. Streams of black peat-stained water flowed like rivers of Guinness.
I am always amazed by the beauty of nature and the fact that we can perceive it.
Consciousness of Splendour
Blues and greens
And yellow sheens.
Reds and blues
And violet beams.
Streaming through the sky
Illuminating the eye,
Setting the brain on fire
With the majesty
Of a universe
Whose mysteries inspire.
Crimson, mauve and magenta.
The imagination
Of the world’s placenta,
Germinating
A fusion of thoughts
That stimulate
A creative agenda.
Cerise, vermillion and chartreuse,
The full spectrum
Of all the colours we can use
In the consciousness
Of splendour.
Opher – 1.11.2020
Our eyes, our brain, accessing the wonders of nature all around us – a universe full of colour, full of nuance.
All those colours, the full spectrum of nature, flooding into our minds.
The wonder out there is inside us.
We all glow with possibility, revelling in the consciousness of splendour.
Walking out and about in the Ribble Valley is magical. In the midst of Nature. Up the mountains tomorrow!!
