Labyrinth of the Spirits

Growing up in south Philly, I learned some tough lessons from the men that guided me and as an adult, I made the decision to learn from nature for guidance. I also had a desire to discover a sacred place for solitude; a place to process emotions and heal old wounds. Through the years I’ve come to acknowledge that spending time in nature by myself is neither an option nor a self-indulgence for me. It’s as important to my well-being as food or sleep. The solitude of backpacking goes a long way to restocking my capacity for sharing with others. Saints, mystics, and prophets have praised the gifts that solitude has to offer. It allows them to gain access to their truest self and to connect more deeply with the rest of the natural world. 

 

Ghost Ranch is one of those places I found that offers the kind of solitude I seek. I've sat there for hours watching hawks and ravens soar on thermals rising from the floor below. Now and then I'll see a lone eagle high overhead. They're lovers of solitude as well. What backpacking in the wilderness has taught me through the years, what I seek most in going into the wilderness is not exercise or escape, but a physical and spiritual connection.

 

I was alone in the forest, freezing in the snow. The forest was deathly quiet and full of ghosts. The forest always remembers and from her trees, I seek wisdom. Trees can reveal startling secrets. Trees are in a web of interdependence, linked by a system of underground channels, where they perceive and connect and relate with an ancient intricacy and wisdom. From the free-standing oak I learn that it takes bravery to stand alone in the world and I see beauty in its solitude and silence. From the trees’ roots, I am reminded of my own roots and the old people, along with my parents and my grandparents who taught me about respect. 

From the mountains I seek strength. The climb teaches me that persistence and resilience is required to reach the summit and the summit is where I learn how valuable it is to gain perspective and how to approach this world from a different angle. The mountain trail requires me to keep an eye out, attending to variations in the terrain and the weather patterns of life. The unfinished mountain trail however, is often the most beautiful. Anyone who likes to hike can appreciate that sometimes reaching our destination is just not in the cards. I can think of many unfinished trails in my life, both real and metaphorical, but I look at these as gifts to help me see that whether you face a physical inability to make it to the end of the trail, or a realization that you're no longer the king of the hill that you were thirty years ago, what we aren't able to attain sometimes proves more powerful than anything within our reach. I grow, and I work towards becoming the version of me that will be required to reach the next summit.

 

In a remote area of northern Italy, Lago di Braies is a bright blue mountain lake in the heart of the Dolomites. Here, the play of light and shadow, the contours of wind and water on rock offer similes for spirit, change and migration. From this lake, I learn the importance of stillness. With that, comes an opportunity for reflection. When I look into reflections, I see myself; what I am or, perhaps, what I wish to become.

 

As I think of decisions I have to make in my life now, I realize that I, too, am simply asked to become what I already am. By nature and by choice, I’m a lover of wilderness, an acolyte drawn to the mystery of the sacred, a weaver of stories helping to lead men’s rites of passage in places out on the edge. At this time in my life, I’m graduating into a still deeper practice of those very things, embracing a broader kinship of knowing. Wilderness draws me out of the dry, intellectual security of my home. It sharpens my hunger for a beauty that I cannot master. Here I fall in love again with a God more wondrous than I have words to express.

 

By photographing these beautiful moments that I experience out there beside the tranquil lakes and among the trees, and by turning them into art, I wish to impart some of the wisdom that I have learnt along my journey. I hope to inspire others by sharing my stories; stories of growth, healing, transcendence and reconnection. I like to think that I can help others to create their own path that is worth walking. To be a part of the gestalt that helped me to grow in the first place. I’ll step into that role and when the opportunity presents itself, I’ll see if I can get an upward spiral happening, to be that person who is positive and uplifting with my fellow artists. It’s a good place to be, it’s a lot of fun, it’s a good ride and it leaves everyone in a better place.