an image of perfection

8/12/2019 an Image of Perfection

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UPWARD BOUND J *O *U *R *N *A * L

SPIRITUAL LESSONS FOR YOUR PERSONAL GROWTH

An Image of Perfection

I have rediscovered something that brings joy to myheart, renewing a passion I developed when I was a very

young man. That something is photography. Back then itwas natural light, black and white, film photography;today its digital, full spectrum, computer enhanced. Butits not the method or the modification that I love, its theimages, especially the images I am able to observethrough the lens of the camera. Some of them so fleetingthat they are gone by the time the shutter has clicked,some so solidly permanent you can wait for hours and

even days for just the rightdefining shadow or color inthe sky behind.

What I had forgotten and whatI am now reminded of, is theincredible beauty and wonder thatGod creates all around us, that weneglect to look at, to observe, to seeand to find fascinating, most of thetime. The light and shadow that intheir extremes are merely day andnight, but in subtle ways magicallyblend together as they fall in and

around everything from a humanface to an autumn leaf or aHerculean building that defines acitys skyline.

Photography reminds me tolook with new eyes and with childlike wonder at every aspect of theworld around me. Photographydraws me out into a cold and dampmorning to see if I can capture boththe temperature and mood of the

moment and yet see in it a beautythat is hidden in the foggymonochromatic setting.

Everywhere I look now I seereflected before me Gods incrediblecreation. Perhaps its my way toreally catch on to the idea ofOmnipresence. Everywhere I look,the images are manifested in infinitevariety, but the signature of theartist is obviously the same.Sometimes I feel that stopping totake a picture is an invasion ofprivacy; that the scene is meant tobe observed, admired and evenremembered in great detail, but outof respect it is intended to be leftundisturbed. But when I raise thecamera to my eye, I realize I cantdisturb the scene, in fact it isvirtually impossible to record it in

Issue # 26

Art Holt photo


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such a way as to duplicate the reality I have witnessed.And yet the camera magnifies and records, inexcruciating detail, the lines and imperfections in anaged face, but in doing so permits us observers tobecome aware of the gentleness of that persons soul,the wisdom of many years of experience, and thebeauty that is so much more than skin deep.

Sadly, the camera is a recent invention; there wasnothing like it 2000 years ago in the life and time ofJesus. And for centuries artists around the world haveattempted to convey their impression of what Hisimage might have been. The results are confusing atbest, an interesting collection of the ethnic and culturaldiversification of the artists or perhaps their patrons;Heaven only knows if any of them are even close.Maybe it is best if that image remains in the realm ofeach individuals imagination.

The camera is hardly what I would call a Godlyinstrument, but the images that photographers record,

remind us of Gods existence andpresence all about us. So, setting offwith a camera, whether in the deepwoods of the Pacific NorthwestRainforest, or along the sunlit shores ofFloridas Gulf, in a garden or observingpeople from a city park bench, is reallysetting off in a search to find God. Apretty easy quest when we recognize thatGod appears all around us and in everyform imaginable. All we have to do is

look.And so, when I return and

download the images from my digitalcameras memory card to my computer,and start viewing them on screen, Iremind myself that each picture is holy,in its own way. Each picture is a mirror,reflecting a tiny part of the tapestry oflife, a gift I have been given and aprivilege granted not just for my eyes, but to be sharedfor all to see.

In early November we drove up to Atlanta for afamily wedding and chose to take the smaller roadsthrough the countryside and leave the freeway toothers. The further north we went the more thebrilliant colors of fall began to show their beautyBright shiny reds, abundant oranges and yellowscontrasted with the evergreens and even the brightgreen leaves of the trees not yet affected by the coldnight air. I could hardly wait until we reached ourdestination because all along the way up we didnt havetime to stop for pictures. But the next day we tooktime just for that purpose, because for more thantwenty years neither one of us have seen such adramatic and royal display of Autumn. It literally tookour breaths away. One of the pictures that resultedfrom that outing graced the cover of the last UpwardBound Journal.

Being in that breath-taking world even for just afew hours was as refreshing and spiritually uplifting as I

have felt on many a Sundaymorning.

So, what is the lesson thatphotography teaches usPerhaps its the value ofperception, seeing beyond theobvious, spiritual awarenessunderlying spatial reality.

I recall vividly much earlier in

my life, sitting in a class at theUniversity of Washington on abeautiful spring day. Ourprofessor was talking aboutseeing without perceiving, andin an effort to comprehend hislesson, I began staring out thewindow, taking in a large leafygreen tree, the paved walkways

benches and people talking in small groups here andthere. I thought I was perceiving everything there was

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to see. It took years to understand that I had actuallymissed a great deal. What kind of tree and how oldwas it? What direction was the sun light coming fromand how long were the shadows it cast? What part ofthe scene was man-made and what was nature in

bloom? What was the nature of the conversation thepeople were having; animated, romantic, studious?Did their clothes indicate that they were students, orfaculty or both? Was I inspired to learn by what I sawor was I just bored with the class lecture, and if so,why?

I didnt really get it back then, but I did begin tobecome aware that it takes a conscious effort toperceive beyond just seeing. Perhaps it awoke in methe need to question life, and philosophy, and cause-and-effect, and relationships, and my beliefs and other

peoples opinions and so on...Emmet Fox sheds light on this idea in a passagefrom his book, The Sermon On The Mount, in which hemakes the following perception on the Beatitude,Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God.the promise in this Beatitude is nothing less than tosee God. Now we know that God has no physical/mortal form, so if we could see Him, God wouldhave to be limited, and therefore not God. To see inthis sense means spiritual perception, to comprehendthe true nature of being. The Presence of God is

infinite; but our capacity to see is limited to thephysical, three dimensional world. Our humanblessing is that while we see physical reality with oureyes and other senses, we can also perceive, at thesame time, with our spiritual eyes, beyond and within

the visual images. When we seek at this level we findunderstanding in the midst of chaos, empathy in theobservation of ignorance and grace in the shambles ofa disaster such as Hurricane Katrinas wrath. Thephotograph is limited in what it can portray, but it canremind us of what we have seen with our souls eye.

Understanding photographys inability to fullycapture and preserve the world of dimensions, andcolor, and light, and shadow, is the beginning ofperceiving that there is something beyond our sight, arecognition of a creative force that gives life to literally

everything. Perhaps the purpose of taking picturesthen, is merely the admission that regardless howbeautiful we might consider the image, it is, in the endsymbolic of the limitation of what we are capable ofseeing. Ultimately, our pictures are not just a reflectionof what we have seen, but a window through which wehave revealed our perceptions. And that is enough tomake each one An Image of Perfection.

Richest blessings,Art Holt


Ocala sky - Photo by Art Holt


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We hope you are enjoying

Upward Bound Journal

We pray you are benefiting from Upward BoundJournal. We make every effort to fill each issue withuplifting, transformative, thought provoking andworthwhile lessons, ideas and meditations.

Its only through your support that it is possibleto keep on with our publishing ministry. Our wishlist this year is singular; a new high speed computerto manage our website and enhance photography.To make a contribution to that end just sendyourcheck to:

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The InternetEqualsHuman Consciousness

Time Magazines Person of the Year this year is youand me, all of us actually, in the form of our collectedconsciousness via the internet, the World Wide Web.The magazines selection made me stop and think

What is the consciousness of the human mind?Certainly it must be a composite of our thoughts,feelings, attitudes, beliefs, education, and experiences;our political, moral, ethical, spiritual and religiousconvictions; and our desires for self and our attemptsto change the people and world around us to conformto our point of view.

Imagine coming from outer space toward planet

earth for the first time, and using sophisticatedelectronic methods, probing out ahead of your arrivalto see what was there. Suddenly you encounterhttp://www. Earths internet. The World Wide Web.There you find every moral and immoral expressionknown to mankind; you find religious perspectives ofevery persuasion; political extremes; passion,compassion and bigotry; the very breadth of humanknowledge and understanding; the history of everyempire, war and human event since the earliestrecordings; art, architecture, science and philosophy;

fiction, fact and far-out; all at the click of a mouse, andcoming from every corner of the globe. Earths humanpopulation connected for the first time in history in away never before possible. In short, a macrocosmicmirror of the microcosmic view of humanconsciousness.

If we want to understand human consciousness, weneed only to probe the internet. If we want to measurehumankinds conscious evolution, we can study theinternet over time. If we want to prepare for social,political, religious, technical and spiritual impact onhuman consciousness, we must study the internet forthe lessons it can provide. And if we want to make apositive impact on human consciousness, we mustcontribute our positive consciousness tothe internet.Human life on the planet is reflecting theconsciousness we find today within the internet. Someareas give us hope and others cause despair. If we wantthe world to be a better place, we can start, even assingle individuals, by contributing our positivethoughts, encouragement, mentoring, prayers, andpersonal experiences. And we can delete, instead ofpassing on, messages of bigotry, hatred, violence, and

obscenities.The internet in its all-embracing-entirety, is

providing us with a continuing, recordable view ofhuman consciousness. It is a composite of everything,from what individuals think, to the social, political,

religious, and other groups attitudes; to the vast varietyof what the entire human mind thinks, and thus itoffers a window to the near future of what we canexpect to be made manifest as the result of the creativepower of human thought. It is both amazing andfrightening at the same time.

So, if you were the pilot of that space ship nearingearth and probing the internet for an understanding ofthe planet ahead, would you eagerly look for a place toland or simply pass earth by, reasoning that the way itstands, for the moment at least, it is completelyuninhabitable?

Art HoltUpward Bound Journal



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What is it that we are seeking? When wehave a desire for a new house or a new car, or a

new job, or more income so we can buythe thingswe feel were lacking, or even a new relationship;what were really feeling that were lacking is ourcloseness with God. The more we desire in the

physical or material world, the more were feelingseparate and apart from our spiritual senseof well-being. The more we want to feel all-cozy and athome the more were really feeling a desire to walkhand in hand with God. Weve lost our oneness

and we want it back. There is no greater desirethan to know God. Sadness and depression aresymptoms of separation.

But even knowing this, the question becomesHow do we get back to at-one-ment?

The simple answer is We get quiet and pray,and then we take time to listen; we meditate in the

silence and in a peaceful, quiet place.So, let ustake a few moments now in our own

quiet place, to return to our oneness, in the silenceof meditation.

Sweet Holy Spirit, we enter into

Your presence with joy and

thanksgiving. You are the source of

all life. We thank You for Your

loving presence and for the wisdom

to live this day to the fullest.

We open our hearts to You, Lord,

giving thanks for Your guidance,

Your strength and Your forgiveness.

Whatever cares we may be

holding, we gently release them to

you. We place our trust in You, and

we are uplifted and filled with a

profound sense of peace.

How thankful we are to share this

day with Youto bask in Your loveto feel Your gentle spirit soothing us

and guiding us.

Your are the light which fills us

with ideas, the direction which

makes our way clear, the love which

keeps us safe.You are the source of all the life

within uswithin our heartswith

our souls.

Lord, we open our hearts to You

in total faith, total peace, knowing

that You are providing for each one

of us in right and loving ways.

Thank You, God, for filling our

lives with such goodness, love, and

abundance.

As we begin a brand new year, we

place our trust in You as our source

and give thanks for the blessings

that we know You are with us today.

Thank You Sweet Holy Spirit

Thank You, God!

Amen

M E D I T A T I O N


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Words to live by: I Believe -

Our beliefs are the auto-pilot that steer the course wecall our life. As we begin a new year its to our benefit totake a closer look. Here are a few of the essential beliefs

that guide my life. Perhaps this would be a good time to goapart and contemplate your beliefs. It could have apowerful impact on the year ahead for you. I Believe...That the nature of God is love.That the nature of humankind is good.That heaven is a sate of Grace and experienced as joy.That death is just another dimension of our souls journey.That every child remembers Godfor a little while at

least.That there is infinite abundance for all to share and limited

only by our state of consciousness.That the thoughts we think (dwell upon) manifest as our

reality.That we share two common purposes: to love one another

(everyone) and to take care of our planet (the Garden ofEden).That with prosperity comes responsibility to fulfill our

common purposes.That evolution is Gods manifestation of lifes continuum.That we create our own life experience by our thoughts,

words and deeds.That the energy that is life is eternal.That every life experience has both a reason and a lesson.That nothing in the Universe is wasted, proving that

human life is eternal.That dark chocolate and red wine are heaven sent.That only light has power (energy), and darkness is simply

the absence of light.That when were centered in God, it is impossible to feel

hatred.That when we pray, believing, God energy brings together

in ways we cannot foresee, all the people and circumstanceswe need to manifest our desires.

That physical laws of science are the same as metaphysical(Spiritual) laws of life.That a beautiful sunset is enhanced when shared with

someone close to your heart.That the image and likeness of God that we are created in

is not our physical appearance, but our creative mind andour loving heart.That the reason goals of money and success do not

provide fulfillment, is because they are moving targetswhere more is never enough.

That everything in life is either cause or effect.That our choices are the cause that determine our life

experience (effect).What do you believe?

Upward

Boun

d

Journal

A Unity Publishing Ministry

Rev. Arthur Holt,

Unity Minister

Dottie Holt,

Licensed Unity Teacher

Upward Bound of Unity, Inc.10870 SW 71st Circle

Ocala, FL 34476

Phone (352) 861 -5518

Email: [email protected]

Upward Bound Journalis a Unity publishing ministrybased on Biblicalteachings and dedicated to writing and presentingspiritual, inspirational, and metaphysical principleswhichempower people to enrich and transformtheir lives.

For more information about Upward Bound check ourwebsite: www.upwardboundjournal.com.

Issue # 26Upward Bound Journalis of Upward Bound of Unity,Inc.

Member: Association of Unity Churches International, SunCoastUnity Ministers Association, and affiliated with: Unity School ofChristianity and Silent Unity, publishers of Daily Word.

U P W A R D B O U N D J * O * U * R * N * A * U P W A R D B O U N D J * O * U * R * N * A * U P W A R D B O U N D J * O * U * R * N * A * U P W A R D B O U N D J * O * U * R * N * A * L LLL


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U P W A R D B O U N D J * O * U * R * N * A * U P W A R D B O U N D J * O * U * R * N * A * U P W A R D B O U N D J * O * U * R * N * A * U P W A R D B O U N D J * O * U * R * N * A * L LLL

May you be blessed with laughter, love, joy, health and prosperity as you experience the presence of Godeverywhere in your life throughout the coming year.

Rev. Art & Dottie Holt

Introducing Do The Angels SingA brand new spiritual CD album featuring 13 original inspirational songs, written

and produced by our good friend, Zeb Billings, the well known jazz musician ofNaples, Florida.

Sung by Jenny Bintliff, a vocalist

with a great variety of expression, plus

instrumental backing by two other

awesome talents, Stu Shelton and

Jimmy Dale, Do The Angels Sing

will quickly become one of your alltime favorites.

Listen to:He Believes In You,

I Love America, The Joy of

Giving, When You Believe In

God, Say a Little Prayer to the

Lord, My Song of Loveand many

more.

We are delighted to introduce this inspirational work to all our

Upward Bound Journal subscribers. This album is our gift to you with a tax

deductible donation to Upward Bound Journal of $25 or more.

Do The Angels SingCD Album Donation/Order form:Here is my donation for Upward Bound Please send Do The Angels Sing to:

Name: Email:

Address:

City/State/ZipEnclosed is my tax deductible donation $_________ for Upward Bound.

Upward Bound Journal, 10870 SW 71st Circle, Ocala, FL 34476

an image of perfection

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