Friday, September 08, 2006

WELCOME

This blog has been inspired by the creative homework set for two Ruhi Books I am presently undertaking-Ruhi Books 4 and 7.

'Creative reflections' blog is a selection of inspired poems and images to reflect my journey through the first section of Ruhi Book 4.

The 'Dawn' blog was inspired from the beginning of the second section of Ruhi Book 4 on the life of the Báb.

'Creative voice' blog was inspired from Ruhi Book 7.

To access these other blogs you just need to double click onto 'view my complete profile' on the top right hand side of this page and you can find the complete list of all my other blog entries.

Please feel encouraged to leave a comment at the end of each entry.

Enjoy these creative expressions.
all my warmest regards and love Terri Turner

Friday, August 25, 2006

Leaves

This poem was created for art homework on the completion
of the first section of Ruhi Book 4...'The Greatness of this Day'
...purpose is...'To gain spiritual insights into the signifiance
of this Day and the promises it holds for humanity.'

We were asked, by our tutor, to reflect back
on this section and create a poem that reflected
our own personal journey.

Leaves
















I am a tree
tree covered in leaves
leaves have seen
seen what has gone before
before this Mighty Day

lessening of light
lightening of heat
heat is guiding me
my autumn
autumn of my physical life

each leaf has its story
story needing to be peeled away
away like pages of paper
paper pile next to an opened window
window with a mighty wind
wind peeling each story away















each leaf off from its branch
branches of leaves peeling
peeling and revealing stories
stories must be heard
heard this last fleeting chance
chance for understanding to be gained

this leaf has seen young children
children playing in dew drenched
drenched spring sunrises over green
green encrusted fields










this leaf has seen forests
forests filled with laughing trees
trees mighty, healthy and tall
tall with delicate orchards
orchards growing at thier feet











this leaf has swum in crystal waters
waters of healthy rivers and streams
streams and rivers full of life
living plants spilling over the rivers banks
banks laden with blossoming plants
plants with red robins dancing
dancing with blue wrens






















this leaf has felt the earths Soul
Soul of the land teaching it's Love
Love and wisdom to whoever could hear
hear the gentle beauty calling from within

this leaf has seen children playing
playing in wide open paddocks leading up
up climbing mountains stretching their views
views to distant futures promised
promised Mighty Day to come



















this leaf has seen destruction
destruction of the rivers and streams
streams and rivers now encased
encased in concrete pipes

this leaf has seen forests burnt
burnt far too often that their protective
protective blanketing under story
story not able to set new seeds

this leaf has seen forests chopped
chopped to splinters of their previous
previous splender to make cardboard boxes
boxes to sell our child plastic trinkets
trinkets and boxes then binned














this leaf has seen the poisoning
poisoning of an entire land to stop
stop harassment by a tiny ant
ant in their newly built suburban homes
homes full of families
families also poisoned but never admit
admit to it effecting own nervous system

this leaf has seen the return of the native
native birds after that 30years demise
demise survivors calling a safe return
return to a reduced landscape once
once their ancient homes











this leaf has seen subtle genocide called
called prejudice of a local peoples
peoples and their culture dismissed
dismissed as worthless and of no good
good nearly fully lost but still alive
alive and growing back very strong




















this leaf has seen entire families
families and communities reduced into
into addictive stupor to avoid the pain
pain of excepting responsibility
responsibility of growing up

this leaf has seen humans in their lowest
lowest abyss, having to watch helplessly
helplessly as some fell to their deaths
deaths of the young never fulfilling
fulfilling none of their capacities

this leaf has seen the struggle to find truth
truth amongst the multitudes of
of materialistic poisonous and empty
empty promises like the wrapped boxes
boxes under the shopping centres
centres Christmas trees










this leaf has seen children reduced
reduced to throw away status
status to fit a fashion or other wants
wants completly indulged in each child
child has to conform to fit into narrow
narrow societal allowances


















this leaf has seen children become
become prisoners in pseudo palaces ruled
ruled by angry mums and absent dads driven
driven around in horseless carriages

this leaf has seen adolescents bribed
bribed, seduced and sedated with desires
desires of superiority, ownership over
over others and objects and futures
futures created only for their fantasies

this leaf has seen an entire society drug
drug their children to silence their noise
noise of thrashing rebellion like jarred
jarred insects left in the midday sun














this leaf has seen the shadow of the Most
Most Mighty Tree growing above us all
all shading us from the scorching heat
heat of the Mightier Sun heading towards
towards its promised zenith

















this leaf has swum in the Most Mighty
Mighty Trees sacred oceans and drunk
drunk from its crystal springs

this leaf has understood the meanings
meanings of the beauties
beauties of sorrow and pain

this leaf has felt love
love from the Most Mighty Tree

this leaf has comprehended
comprehended the mighty day it has lived in





















this leaf has immersed its inner
inner self into the bosom of joy
joy and spiritual wealth pouring
pouring out of Gods Grace

this tree that is me stands naked
naked with all its old leaves peeled away
away now feeding the earth surrounding
surrounding its imbedded roots
roots now stronger in knowing its growing
growing out of sacred earth

this tree that is me can now withstand
withstand the cold winter winds
winds and the on rushing darkness
darkness promising Spring is here

this tree that is me can now shoot
shoot new blossoms and leaves and fruit
fruit never seen before
before its spiritual spring

Reflecting on Shadow

This poem and photo selection was created as homework
for a Ruhi Book 4 group I am presently in. There were many more images used as a slide show and the words were read out loud. The images below are only a selection of the original presentaion.

The homework we were set was to take pictures from our surrounding environment and community that we saw, personally, reflected signs of old orders breaking down
and new order growing up out of that decay.

As I had been stuck for many years, not able to remove a creative block around this very subject, this homework was very challenging for me. I have been a visual artist all my life and found the decay so confronting I chose not to reflect it at all. If I could not reflect beauty I was not going to have a voice.

This of cause ment very little art coming out. After I pushed through this block after consulting with a fellow group member I found myself free and for the first time in many many years able to reflect the beauty and not get side tracked by the decay.

Reflecting on Shadow was born, I now have found my voice
.................................................................................

Dancing sky with clouds
Reflection and shadow uniting
Rippling...dancing
Shadows meeting reality
Shadows of forests dead
Bones still serving
Reflecting a times end
With always a promise
Reflecting the cycle
Reflecting on Shadow
Dancing sky with clouds
Reflection and shadow uniting
Rippling...dancing
Shadows meeting reality
Shadows of forests dead
Bones still serving
Reflected truth
Veiled reality
Path appears through shadow
Negative and positive uniting
What is shadow?
Waves of materialism shadowed by orchards of abundant fruit
Light of reality still struggles through

Shadows of beauty off cold metal walls
Light and shadow rippling
Patterns dancing
Reality slowly forming

Light struggles through
Orchards of abundant fruit a growing reality


Twin manifestations
Shadows and reflections become clear
Shadows of beauty off cold brick walls

Two wings

Light unites with shadow to create form
Cage of imprisonment

Break all binding threads to free the true self

The Ancient Beauty's signs

Thursday, August 17, 2006

shadows

let the Sun of Reality shine through all veils

light and shadow dancing

cascading light pouring down a mountain face, trickling over delicate wild flowers

soft spiky plant leaves shadowed onto hard smoth rock face

Tree of Life reflected in a crystal clear pool growing out of a solid rock

reflecting on shadows

creative reflections

gentle soft motions of water rippling and reflecting light
behind gentle soft motions of she-oak leaves absorbing light

gentle ripples of water outlined with glittering light dancing to shore

as light hits ripples in the water and sparkles a spring drenched day


water reflecting the sparkling spring light through the veil of she-oak leaves

there are many places and many ways of showing and sharing beauty

when finding such beauty, it is only really worth any creative effort if they can be shared

these images are all taken in and around the suburbs of Perth Western Australia

this creative process was inspired by completing art homework for a Ruhi Book 4
when asked by our Ruhi Tutor to take images of what we saw as signs reflecting
decay of old orders and signs reflecting the growth of the new world order

stumbling across immence beauty all around us
places walked past many times and not realising the depth of beauty simply sitting there
by taking time to stop and reflect
as one does in taking a photograph
zooming the camera lens right down into objects
we can see even more immence beauty

we are all surrounded by immence beauty
but we all need to take the time to go seeking and reflecting
to be able to 'see'
the main theme thast grew out of this creative journey
was reflections and shadows

the signs of change are every where in
shadows and reflections
light hitting objects
shadow in reflections on water
light dancing across waves
shadows reflecting what is close by