Day 2

Day 2

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am writing this the morning after so as to be able to reflect on what happened yesterday.

It was a beautiful day despite the forecast for rain which I was very thankful for!

I have to admit to feeling anxious. It was something that seemed to develop as the day wore on and was not something I had planned for. My thoughts about this trip had always been that whatever I needed I would get, yet I found myself concerned with what I would shoot and how much film to commit to what. It was a familiar feeling from a few years ago when worrying would be very much a part of any trip but I was surprised to carry this along me with yesterday.

I have been told that while in Sedona, the intensified energy will address many parts of your being, one being a release of anything unwanted. I guess I had not thought that this would be the case in this way but if it meant I let that go then I am happy.

Waking this morning, I feel differently today. Much calmer and matter of fact.

I woke at 6am yesterday morning to shoot from the balcony while the sun came up which was very therapeutic. It was nice to sit and acknowledge the magnificence of the view and take it in quietly. The sun was on its way up and was only hinting at the details of the surfaces of the mountains and it all seemed - for lack of better word - very quiet.

While I was packing my equipment up, I noticed a moving light on the ceiling by the door. It caught my attention as I could not work out where it was reflecting from. I decided to take a photo of the door anyway as this light was beautiful and was very surprised at my photo. I took it on a digital camera as that was nearest me at the time and while I had the light I had intended on getting, there was a strong oval of white light that was so strong it was burnt out. I could not see this with my own eyes so I got excited that I had managed to get perhaps some of this invisible life force that lives here. I took it again on my iPhone just to prove to myself it wasn't the camera and it was the same.

So to give thanks on Thanksgiving, I am thankful for being able to be exposed to something as beautiful as that.

The Lay Lines Project - Day 1

Day 1. Arrival in Sedona.

Now that I am here it all seems so much easier. Research and planning of ideas and preparation out the way, there was nothing that could have prepared me for the sensuality of this place. Driving closer to Sedona, there was an unloading of tension - that is perhaps the best way for me to describe it. We drove right by a Vortex and that was phenomenal. It was the same sensation from an intense group session, the same heat and ease. I was amazed at how it came in. We weren't even that close - had we of gotten out the car, I can only imagine it to be like a tidal wave of energy.

The whole experience has got me very excited for tomorrow.

The light was leaving as we were arriving but I took a walk and a few photos. The project has officially begun!

I think the first thing to notice about Sedona is the integration of the land with the buildings and man made objects. The mountains tower over the buildings like skyscrapers and I can't help but compare the contrast to New York.

The houses are coloured to compliment the landscape and there is something nice about the respect related to such an act.

McDonald's have even made their famous yellow 'M' blue in order to fit in with the surroundings.

It is refreshing perhaps to have a change in perspective as this. We must respect what was there before us rather than to apply ourselves over the top. This has meant that nature is a force that truly is all around and should you forget it, you only need peer up at the overshadowing red rock to remember. Refreshing as well to be brought down to size.

The people who live here accept that they live within the realms of these vortexes and regardless how their believes are formed, they accept its presence.

I know from my own experience of sharing this project, that there is a weariness once people make the connection to it being a spiritual project, so to be in the company of people who take this as an everyday occurrence is quite strange, in a completely lovely way.

So my initial reaction is one of awe.. but I guess that was always to be expected.

I took a video on the way in to try to help you understand the journey in.

On speaking to a local, he told me that once you come to Sedona, if you stay longer than 6 months you will never leave, that you will always end up coming back. From all the reading I have been doing, it would seem most of the authors are having the same pull to Sedona and moving here permanently. Perhaps there is something in the magnetism of this place that follows you and pulls you back.

The Ley Lines Project

I have decided to blog about the beginning of The Ley Lines Project. For those of you who don't know about the project, Ley Lines are invisible lines of energy that run the world over. They exist as the energy of the earth and when in the presence of such energy, it is honestly breath-taking.

The points at which these lines intersect are called Vortexes. Used as a descriptive term relating to such scientific forms as tornadoes as well as the way the water goes down the hole in your bath, its function in this purpose is more symbolic than literal.

The energy of a vortex acts as an amplifier. Trees and surrounding areas have shown signs of distortion in their growing patterns, beginning to provide a physicality to the idea of this energy.

Scientific equipment cannot measure the electric or magnetic effects present in the vortexes which has raised a certain amount of scepticism in people who perhaps are adversed to the 'New Age' ideas this raises. I would ask that you try to move past any preconceptions you may have about what you do or do not believe and start to consider the idea of a connection to the earth we are living on. This type of energy has been called many different things to many different people - 'Life Force' is how I will choose to describe it.

The relation to this energy once you are within the comforting realms of the vortex, are said to be silencing. Allowing us the rare freedom to be closer to consciousness and perhaps a quietening of the mind, brings us back to a connection to the land and our ‘Life Force’ that was familiar of our older generations. The way our lives are lived had evolved in such a way that this element has sadly been forgotten as an access to perhaps a 'quieter' way of living.

So, if these energies cannot be measured then how would anyone who had not been there understand it? Energy is something that can manifest itself. We see the effects of invisible energies all the time - namely electricity. It is my belief that energy can be contained within a medium.

I have experienced just this in the form of a CD. Healing energy was contained within a guided meditation on the CD and there is no denying it's impact. It is sometimes like being stunned with a brick - no joke!

I am therefore interested in what might happen in the containment of this energy within photographs. Is it possible to connect with a photograph and not know exactly what it was you connected with.. could it be a connection the place? Something that you related with in the energy of that place? All is up for debate. If this can be explored then perhaps someone who was not there can take some form of experience from the photos.

In the way that orbs are documented in areas, I am interested in examining any residue that may show. I have gone to lengths to ensure that there is no possibility of any technical inabilities that might be confused with this.. so we shall see!

Living on this area of land intrigues me. There are communities that are built on these intersections and life here has been reported to be slightly different. With beliefs ranging from spirituality, to 'New Age', to UFO experiences, people bring to it what they will. It is my interest to document these communities. As the project grows, I wish to expand and photograph within the homes of people who live on Ley Lines.

As the Ley Lines travel over the world, research has shown me that these intersections are varied and in the masses. Places of historical and monumental interest lye on the lines, such as Stone Henge, the Bermuda triangle, Ayers Rock, and many many churches and temples. Alfred Watkins, original founder of the Ley Lines theory, used these points to prove his theory that Ley Lines existed.

This project writes itself, with every new avenue I research, new aspects open themselves to me. It is on-going and endless and terribly exciting.

The first place that I am travelling to is Sedona, Arizona, boasting 4 of these intersections and being well known for it’s vortexes and acceptance of this energy. In terms of beginning to explore this energy, I could not think of a more fitting place.

I will be blogging the days and experiences as an on-going journal.

For a shorter summary and nice little video featuring me, visit the Ley Lines section on my site.

Link here.

These are some maps of the vortexes I have plotted the world over, just to give you an idea. As these points are not exact, I am working with estimations of grids plotted and co-ordinates of these given places to plot them.

All maps are referenced from Google Earth for purposes of explanation and not for reproduction.

To see larger versions, please visit my website on the link above.

PBN

Please take a second to vote for me if you like my latest book in the Photography Book Now competition run by Blurb.

Vote by clicking the link!

Artists Wanted

Artists Wanted I would love it if you could take the time to have a look and vote if you like what you see!

New York when it was 'New York'.

I found a few photos taken last June in New York City. Held some memories of being here with my dad and how I used to look at things. Odd when you come across things like that.

New Work

These are some snippets from a few different projects that are undergoing at the moment. For more complete series please go to my website www.alexandralethbridge.com.