Saturday, January 06, 2007

Red and Birches

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dear Eolake,it's very original and beautiful,like a corner of paradise from a little Prince tiny planet.In style rememember to me the so desired vortex posted about a month ago.
With endless admiration and sympathy,always yours Paul Alexandru Cazacliu artmanro@yahoo.com
P.S.This one really looks like spinning around itself.

Anonymous said...

Yup. Lovely little pastoral planet you got there, Prince Eolake.

Reminds me of the visual impression I got the first time I played Magic Carpet, some 15 years ago. I still love that poetic game, where you struggle to restore the magical balance of small cursed planets.

"You have restored a small portion of the Cosmos to Nature's order. You make good progress!"

Eolake Stobblehouse said...

Thanks for the nice feedback.

Due to the fisheye, this looks like a big space. Actually it is taken on the island in the middle of a traffic circle! (A roundabout, it's called in the UK.)

Anonymous said...

Very strange looking piece. Ever thought doing any nudes this way?

Anonymous said...

Prince Eolake?

Eolake Stobblehouse said...

1: I think Pascal was referring to the book "The Little Prince", where the Prince was living on a tiny, tiny planet. And the photo looked to him like a small planet.

2: I haven't thought of doing nudes like that, but I'm game for anything. Bill Brandt made some wonderful nudes with super-wide lenses, and with distortions in carnival mirrors.
Very hard to do well, though.

Anonymous said...

yes. I remember "The Little Prince" very well. He came from the planet B6-12 (I think). just as the cartoon...you inspire a beautiful illusion, Eolake. But really...is not that all it is - an illusion? i wish that i had a small piece of that beauty in my life right now...'cause once again i am being overwhelmed by despair.

Eolake Stobblehouse said...

"i wish that i had a small piece of that beauty in my life right now...'cause once again i am being overwhelmed by despair."

Been there. It is hard.
I overcame my problems, mainly with a natural remedy, St John's Wort, and with EFT, see emofree.com

Anonymous said...

Right. The Little Prince (a famous classic french tale) lived on a small round planet, about as big as a house.

Lady Tiger said...
"Ever thought doing any nudes this way?"

I think a Mr Fernando Botero already did that effect... in female nude sculptures!
:-D

St John's Wort is reputed to be efficient herbal medicine. You'd probably also like reading the comments of people like Signalroom and Lucid Twilight. The archives are full of these, and I believe you'd find them inspirational.
My mother was severely depressive during a good part of the Lebanon war. The main lessons she gained from the ending of that period was : "It's only as dark as you're ready to see it", and "Beating yourself up nevers helps a thing".
Trust me, Foxy despair is also an illusion. Don't ever trust it, nothing good comes of it. Now, serenity, THAT's real. (Just ask Buddha.)
My thoughts are with you. Keep your spirits high, you are not alone. I've found out that this blog is a good place to make supportive friends.

There's also the lebanese way : self-derision. If you can find something to laugh at in your very misery, you can overcome anything. The worse things get for me, the more I joke at them. Humor separates us from animals, and is a very precious gift. You should see the silly stuff I write about my situation when I happen to lose my voice! :-D

Anonymous said...

despair is also an illusion.

To Foxy Lady,
No, despair is not an "illusion." It's a mental illness that can be dealt with through medication and or therapy.
This is only a blog. You will only get simple advice but nothing concrete.
Don't hestitate to seek real help from those who specialize in this field.

Eolake Stobblehouse said...

Quite right.
Laughter is important, I recommend watching more comedy than drama, for example.

I also recommend:
http://www.clinical-depression.co.uk/

... they have a large course for FREE.

Anonymous said...

You'd probably also like reading the comments of people like Signalroom and Lucid Twilight.

Actually if you want in depth thinking chose the latter blogger. (No offense Signalroom) I might also add that His posts are extremely long. If he would condense more than most could understand his points.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
You'd probably also like reading the comments of people like Signalroom and Lucid Twilight

The best I've seen so far are Proud Black Man, Apoloyon and King Zod. They seem to represent Truth, Insight and great Spirituality.
But you'll need to decide for yourself, have a great day :)

Anonymous said...

"No, despair is not an illusion. It's a mental illness"
That would be depression, actually. Or its twin disease melancholia. Despair is the illusion that there is no hope in life.
In any case, seeking trusted professional help if you feel any need for it is always a wise idea! There's absolutely no shame in admitting one can be weak and need help. Every support you can find counts: therapists, friends, family, a loving pet...

"This is only a blog. You will only get simple advice but nothing concrete."
Well, Mark, this is usually true. But I'm well placed to know that sometimes, a few chosen words can do miracles. Especially when they're sincere. I'd say comfort is the concrete healing of the despair illusion.
I'm not saying, of course, that despair doesn't exist. Rainbows are an optical illusion, but they definitely exist too and everybody can see them. Same with mirages in the desert. My point is, despair is an attitude, stemming from a subjective perception. An image in the mind.

There once was a man who got trapped in a big freezer room, inside a cargo ship. It's a true story. When the ship reached its destination, his corpse was found. He had written on the walls a testimony of how he slowly and horribly died from cold. But... it turns out that since there was no food in the freezer (which is why nobody went in there and found him), it hadn't been turned on. The poor man was so sure that he was in freezing temperatures, that this illusion killed him.
If you ask me, he should have just noticed that his breath didn't make a cloud in the air, but... fear makes us dumb.

The powers of the mind are astonishing, and especially in emotional and mood problems, because your attitude SHAPES that world which is your mind. We are each, in a way, our own inner god. This is why I say that despair is an illusion. If you believe it's an illusion, it BECOMES an illusion and vanishes. If you choose to believe it's real and has the power to destroy you, it just might do that.

This is why laughter is so important and powerful. And Nature's beauty, Domai, music... Call it "optimism therapy". :-)

Anonymous said...

The best I've seen so far are Proud Black Man, Apoloyon and King Zod. They seem to represent Truth, Insight and great Spirituality.

Thank you Human Trash. I am glad you feel this way. To Mark I'd like to say that I strongly agree with you.
Despair is by NO MEANS AN ILLUSION. It's as real as the earth itself. Don't let people trick you into believing that despair isn't real because it is. There is nothing illusionary about it.
Also the story Pascal wrote about has no validity here. The man who "reportly" died from an illusion cannot be real.
You cannot freeze to death by simply "believing" you are freezing. The man probably perished from a heart attack or some other illness. (I believe they call stories like these, Folklore.)

Eolake Stobblehouse said...

"The man who "reportly" died from an illusion cannot be real."

Oh, the mind rules reality. Evidence abounds. Just for instance, it is routine in hypnosis to convince somebody they are being touched by a red-hot item, and they will get a burn mark!

Anonymous said...

"The man who "reportly" died from an illusion cannot be real."
I think the man who reported it several times : [http://www.bernardwerber.com] is a very serious and reliable guy.

I tried a similar but less risky experience myself. On a very hot summer day in Beirut (and they can be HOT!), while walking and sweating in the sun, I decided to cool off by focusing very hard on the idea of cold. Winter, snow, icy drafts, freezing water, etc... just diving decidedy in my menories of cold from mountain winters.
Well, I was forced to stop after a quarter of an hour, because it worked too well : I was getting shivers. An amazing experience! I use the trick every time necessary, but I focus with less intensity. I believe it is just a form of self-hypnosis. Do you think hypnosis is also mere "folklore"? It's mysterious, but very real.

BTW, there IS an urban legend about hypnosis I'd like to clear. The real power doesn't come from the hypnotist, but from the subject. It's the subject's mind, when sufficiently receptive, that does all the work from an effective outer suggestion. This is why you can't hypnotize an honest person to commit a murder : they'll snap out of it if their mind truly disapproves of crime.

Nice remark, Eolake. The burn mark will not be *identical* to an instant third-degree burn with skin patches falling off, but the body is capable of self-suggesting stigma, to the point of spontaneous wounds appearing given some time. Or, reversely to shut off most to all of an intense pain, and have puncture wounds not bleed. It won't work if you go through a major artery with a knife of course, but does "miracles" with, say, nails through the cheek or mere skin.
Peripheral circulation responds to emotional states and sometimes also to the conscious mind. These are proven scientific facts.

Boy, I love learning and sharing interesting stuff like that!

Anonymous said...

Do you think hypnosis is also mere "folklore"? It's mysterious, but very real.

In some dark areas of the mind evil exists and the mind can be deceived vastly. Everything comes down with a mere thought "deep thought" and if one dwells on it long enough than the illusion becomes reality and all hell breaks loose.
You can conjure up anything.........anything they desire. I know. Oh how I know. The demons can be summoned but I don't advise it. They are ruthless and extremely dangerous.

Anonymous said...

We're in agreement, Apoloyon. Just remember this uplifting thought : if demons can be summoned, so can angels. The mind can also make Good and light emerge.
This is an eternal struggle, my friend. As long as there shall be breathing humans.

I suggest you read "A Course In Miracles", freely available and with a link provided by Eolake on the blog. It might help you attain a lucid optimism, which can never hurt. :-)