My wife was honing her photography skills on Cannon Beach in Oregon last month, in particular, learning how to use different lenses.
She showed me the following picture and asked me what I thought.
“It’s alright,” I said.
Then she showed me this picture.
And said the picture was taken at the same time as the first one above.
“Where did all the color in the horizon come from?” I queried.
She told me the difference between the two pictures was the lens she used. And I couldn’t help but reap a metaphysical lesson to remember.
The lens we look out to the world through makes all the difference as to what we see.
It struck me silent to ponder what happened with my wife’s picture taking experiment. In one case, the horizon her camera saw was bland and bluish. Nice enough, but not nearly as beautiful as the second capture where she changed her lens and her camera saw vivid oranges and reds.
People do this all the time. They look out from an uninspired point of view, and see the mundane, maybe lack and other discouraging evidence that depresses them. The more enlightened thought, however, can stand in exactly the same physical location and see the brilliance of God’s creation, stunning beauty, reasons to be grateful, hope and even supply. And it’s all the perspective.
In spiritual truth, we live in the kingdom of heaven now. Spiritual sense discerns it. Material sense is blind to it.
Which sense are you entertaining today? It makes all the difference as to what you see.
Our spiritual thoughts and sights allow us to see through the material haze and reflect only the goodness that is present.
I always seem to like all photos that show God’s natural beauty with no filter needed. In fact, the first picture is far from bland; I find it more beautiful.
Yes, Susan, I agree. But then, I expect that the very act of publishing the image on the site may have deepened the more subtle color a tad in that first image. It may not be quite the pale colors Evan saw at first.
Of course the metaphorical idea remains, as I expect you agree. Whichever view we prefer, the difference is in the effect of the (mental) lens used., the perspective gained. I expect the second lens has foreshortened the view and was a telephoto.
Thank you, Evan. An excellent lesson!
The metaphysical lesson regarding our lens, or perspective, is profound. Thank you Kathy and Evan. I hope Kathy will send those pictures on to be used in our periodicals. Your article reminds me of something I have been praying with lately from the writings of Mary Baker Eddy:
Mis. 194:16-194:18
“The lens of Science magnifies the divine
power to human sight; and we then see the supremacy
of Spirit and the nothingness of matter.”
Amen and amen!
I’m sorry, when I say our periodicals, I should say The Christian Science Journal, Monitor, Sentinel, or online Bible lessons.
I love the analogy, but I also equally love the two pictures. Thank you for
sharing not only the beauty of Haystack Rock, but the metaphysical
analogy.
I am now retired since 1993 but in business I was a photographer. I can therefore appreciate what Evan is bringing out. Why even in the entertainment business, a 24 year old woman with the right make up artist could be made to look 80 plus.
Evan, this is a wonderful illustration of spiritual truth. I love how you are able to draw these out of every day life, just as Jesus drew parables out of the things that go on around us. The garbageman in my neighborhood has a hairlip but he always waives and says hello to everyone. The other morning in the dense fog, he said, “Good morning. Isn’ t this a beauftiful day? Not too hot, not too cold.” No complaining about a physical problem, about his job, or about the weather. All he saw was a beautiful day, looking through the lens of appreciation. When I start to complain mentally to myself now, I think of him. Not too hot, not too cold.
I daily say a little prayer: I am the idea that God’s shines through {thus I want to be sure that I keep that lens clear and clean) for He and I are One not two. I’m always trying to be conscious of providing a clear transparency to see God’s goodness and supremacy every where and with every one. Like those photos, to most of us they were all lovely as we each saw something special shining through.
Thank you, Evan. This blog reminds me of the wonderful children’s story, The House with the Colored Windows, published in 1953 by the CS Publishing Society. In it, two children playing in a summer house with colored windows discover that the white horse outside looks red, blue, etc., depending upon which window they are standing in front of and looking through. They only see the “right” horse when they stand in front of the clean, clear window and look through it.
The correct view, then, depends upon both the right lens and the correct standpoint – which photographers certainly must have, as shown in Kathy’s beautiful photos.
I also appreciate Grace’s quote from Miscellaneous Writings – very helpful to me in my present study.
I don’t know how to make this into a link, but the story can be read at JSH Online, ar http://jsh.christianscience.com/collections/1950s/the-house-with-the-colored-windows. You can paste the address into your browser. (Or maybe your local Reading Room or Sunday School still have a copy of the booklet! 🙂 )
I see that when I submitted the comment, the web address came up as a link – what a great feature! Thanks, Spiritview designers!
Thank you Evan for this great perspective. It’s exactly what I needed to hear (and practice) this morning. It reminds me of something I was studying earlier this week. “As he thinketh in his heart, so is he,” said the wise man long before the Christian era, thus unfolding the fact that individual experience is individual thinking imaged forth.
Is it spiritual sense or material sense that we entertain and see? I’m going to go with spiritual sense for sure. Thanks so much.
I understand the lesson and love MBEs statement quoted by Grace. I do think we must be alert about what the lens of Science magnifies, in this case not the material Haystack Rock, but the God-given power to see beyond that to the rich colors and myriad shapes inherent in God’s creation.
I appreciate Tobias’ comment also because that points me again to alertness about what we are magnifying. The transformation of a 24 year old to an 80 year old is, of course illusion and we would hopefully recognize that.
In an age when so many are trying to teach young girls the value of their own beauty, we should be alert to the filters cosmetics, airbrushing advertising and peer pressure put on our youngsters so we can help them learn which lenses to look through.
BTW I see Canon Beach through (among others) the lens of satisfaction. I had the BEST clam chowder there I have had ever, anywhere! 🙂
I guess which picture you like depends on your lens.
So many thoughtful comments – thanks to all!