‘Suncatchers’
…it’s hard to imagine anything as uplifting as as floral blooms in sunlight.
given i have had a busy and somewhat stressful day, i am posting this recent shot for my own benefit as much as anything.
it would be lovely if it gives you a lift too!
‘A Hope Beyond’
…through the dark maze, with its countless twists and turns – there is brightness, there is hope, always…
‘All The Colours Within’
…amazing what one finds when you scratch beneath the surface!…
‘Through Adversity To The Stars’
(That is the translation of the Latin motto of the Royal New Zealand Air Force at top left of the stained glass window in the picture. Great inspirational motto, and art!)
‘Onward’
…there is really only one way to go…
‘At Year’s End’
2020 has been a rocky path for the world alright.
But the end is in sight!
We hope for better times in 2021, as we do with every New Year. That is the optimism of the human spirit.
I wish those who have stopped by Ebb Then Flood this year every happiness and success (however you may define those things) in 2021. I am hugely grateful for those who viewed, liked and commented on my images and musings, and who also inspired me with their creativity.
Peace, Andy L.
‘Taitomo’
The view southwards to Taitomo Island from Piha Beach, on the Tasman Sea west of Auckland.
Majestic, really, in defiance of perpetual wind and waves.
It’s the sort of view I find inspiring. I hope you do, too.
‘The Church Below The Mountain’
Biomimicry – where animals mimic their surrounds, and man made objects copy nature.
In this shot of an Anglican church in a small New Zealand town, the church’s roof and steeple mirror the apex of the mountain and the trees jutting from it.
Sometimes imitation isn’t just flattery; it can be aspirational.
Aren’t we all reaching upwards for a touch of heaven?
The church is handsome, but as in the story of Moses, it’s always the mountain that challenges and inspires.
“Holding A Light Out For You”
…you know, because I always will…
” Stop your snivelling creek bed;
come rain hail & flood-water
laugh again “
– Hone Tuwhare ,‘ Haiku (1)’
This great New Zealand poem, inscribed on a carved wooden gateway in Auckland’s Aotea Square, is an inspiration to Ebb Then Flood (for hopefully obvious reasons!)
“Early Morning Anzac Ave”
…the early morning sun hits the façades of the buildings halfway between the train terminal and the work that awaits me – it cheers me up to see the illumination – I hope for similar inspiration and clarity…
” You are not one, you are a thousand. Light your lantern.”
-Rumi
A multitude of hanging lanterns covers a ceiling in Penang, one of my favourite cities.
Spectacular and uplifting (or down dangling ,take your pick)!
If it is not too much of a cultural mish-mash to attach a quote from a Persian poet and philosopher to a Chinese icon such as these lanterns, I’ll tell you why:
Sometimes the world is just overwhelming, and we feel that we are insignificant in the face of it.
But when we project our true selves and passions, we can connect with those around us .Somehow,and this is sort of mysterious, we become “bigger”and grow. As we ourselves are lit up and inspired, we have the power to inspire others too.
Soon the whole ceiling is covered…
Ok, right turn, straight down, left turn….then what?
Just remember these simple directions:
“The descent to Hades is the same from every place.”
– Anaxagoras (Greek philosopher)
No believer in a physical hell, but metaphysically, yeah, and we can all find it alright.
If you feel yourself going down, grip tight the proverbial handrail, or latch onto any inspiration that will make you realise that stairs work in two directions…
Another fearsome pou ,this time depicting Taikehu, an ancestral figure of Auckland Maori.
See his companion piece here in my previous post: Gaze Of Hoturoa
It is the constant remembrance of tipuna (ancestors)by Maori that I admire greatly.
Western thinking is so much in the now, and while that can be a good thing, we should not forget the sacrifice and leadership of those who have gone before. They connect and ground us to our physical and metaphysical place in the world, and they inspire our futures.
ebb then flood 