Thursday 22 September 2011

September Blooms

A few flowers and weeds, some fruits and seeds.  This is a photographic record of the wonders of nature both cultivated and wild.  These pictures record a garden and pasture in South Yorkshire in the United Kingdom.  September can be a surprisingly colourful month full of natural blooms, or it can begin to show the undoubtable decline into the bleak rigours of winter.  When the sun shines it as if summer might never end and yet there is often a chill in the wind that promises snow and ice.  So it is time to gather in the harvest and celebrate for that which has blossomed for us this year and for that which will preserve us through the coming winter.

September is a good time to record the last blooms and ripe blossoms.  The onset of winter creates a final surge from nature and this finale creates unusual fruits.  I like to take pictures of the strange shapes that grow perfectly well alongside the supposedly standard forms.  The cold nights start to get plants to settle into their dormant phases even as they are still blossoming.  The flowers are retreating and seeds are drying out on the stem ready to begin the cycle the again.  This is a great time to see the descent of the sap energy retreating into the soil.  This retreat is no set back it is a part of the way forward for without retreat at this time there will be a lesser return when the spring calls out for the sap to rise again.

The pictures here were created with a Canon 50mm macro lens on 5D Mark II.  The lighting was a brand new experiment for me.  I used a DÖRR DAF 42 Power Zoom.  This wonderful flash gun is equipped with an in built diffuser and manually adjustable zoom and power settings.  The control over light is quite superb.  When using macro lenses I have often experimented with various light sources to create effects.  Some of the best results are subtle transformations that allow pictures to reveal themselves to the viewer without the viewer considering the efforts that have created the visual effects.  The DAF 42 has an inbuilt slave function and that is superb for off camera lighting which gives stunning results.  The DAF 42 is not feature packed like the Canon 580EX II Speedlite but it has some praise worthy points that are not available with the 580 EX II such as the diffuser screen and the slave function.  The light settings on the Canon offer much greater low light control.  The two guns offer a great combination if you want a second unit, or have more than one body that needs a connected light source.


Poppy (101)

Calendula (101)

Last apples of the year (108)

Wednesday 21 September 2011

Le Grand Etteilla ou Tarot égyptien or Grand Etteilla Egyptian Gypsies Tarot

These Tarot cards were created by Jean-Baptiste Alliette and they were first issued around 1788.  This desk is significant as it is the earliest set of Tarot created under the supervision of a single visionary and for it to be specifically designed to be read and used for magical purposes.  These cards were named after the creator Alliette who reversed his name to form the Etteilla title for the cards.  Whether you favour these designs, or find faults within them these cards are the root of much modern Tarot.  The older traditional cards offer a glance back into the origins of Tarot.  These cards show us the dawn of modern magical interpretations and guide us towards our contemporary use of Tarot so from their point of production they shine a light into the future that is still bright for viewers to this day.

Alliette claimed to have learned the symbology of Tarot from an Italian contact.  As a Print Seller he would have seen many similar designs to those featured in his Tarot cards and he may have adapted existing designs to form the illustrations in his Tarot.  He was very particular about his cards having an upright position and a reversed position.  The interpretation of his Tarot depends upon the dignity of the card whether it be upstanding or upended.  These are the first cards known to be specifically designed to for Tarot readings.  Other earlier sets of cards were possible formed from designs used for playing, or gaming cards.  In 1790 Alliette publishes Cours theorique et pratique du livre de Thot, or, Theoretical and practical course in the book of Thot in which he distinguishes between the Major and Minor Arcana.

When Antoine Court, the self styled Court de Gébelin published Le Monde primitif in 1788 he popularized the notion that Tarot was founded on ancient Egyptian mysteries.  The idea of the Egyptians passing on knowledge of occult significance to European Gypsies gave rise to many spurious histories purporting to be academic revelations.  Alliette stated that his information was acquired prior to the publishing of Court de Gébelin’s books.  The claim and counter claim of various occultists has lead to much misinformation and the falsehoods leave a web of deceit that is a barrier to those endeavouring to find the origins of Tarot.  False histories were concocted in the hope that a historic pedigree would give confidence in the Tarot system being presented.  No matter what the true histories maybe the products can stand alone and be valued as works of imagination and art.  These beautiful cards show off the skills of Alliette who included technical details and artistic visions in this Tarot deck.



Le Grand Etteilla (101) Mobile Phone Pix

 
Le Grand Etteilla (117) Mobile Phone Pix


  Le Grand Etteilla (114) Mobile Phone Pix

Monday 19 September 2011

Rose Crystal Eye on the Stele of Revealing

The images presented here show the seven elements of the rose plant being prepared to make sweet the world.  Whilst producing rose incense recently for a Gnostic Mass the ingredients were arranged atop a Stele of Revealing.  The rose seeds, roots, stems, buds, leafs, flowers and fruits were placed there as a part of the preparation.  In accordance with the scene painted on the stele the seven parts of the plant were arranged over the altar depicted being used by the priest Ankh-af-na-khonsu to deliver his offerings to the gods.  The priest is also known as Ankh-ef-en-Khonsu i and Ankh-ef-en-Khonsu and he can be seen here in the leopard skin priestly regalia on the right hand side of the stele.

The lighting was set to show off the stele as if it were being displayed at noon in Cairo on the Spring Equinox.  The atmosphere required for the drying of the offerings was a shaded spot in the open air where the rose could dry out.  In all three light sources were used.  There was direct and indirect sun light with additional reflected photographic flash light.  In post processing the pictures were crafted to give the surface of the stele an appearance of gold leaf and of rich mineral pigment paints.  The original may have been created with gold and mineral paints so the images here are designed to show how the Stele of Revealing could have appeared in the past.

The Rose Crystal Eye is a crystal sphere that is used to create a new altered perspective for the viewer.  The shallow focus creates intended perceptions delicately guided by the depth of field and the sharpness of colour.    Using the crystal ball as a lens makes ephemeral images as each position of the ball, the lights and the angle of the camera gives a complete new impression.  On this shoot two lenses were used to give alternative views of the items recorded in the images.  One view is more removed or distant that the other.  When seen alongside each other the photographs form a wave of perception bringing the viewer in closer and then taking them away from the stele before repeating the wave again.  Oak panels were chosen to form the background on which the stele rested.  The flame grained oak was particularly good at catching the sun and showing that the stele had travelled from Egypt to Scotland where the oak furnishing are to be found.

The rose plant was selected for the incense as the stele was seen by Ourida or Rose Kelly in a vision.  In her role as a seer she gave directions for the stele to be found.  One of the reasons for the rose incense being prepared here is to recognise Rose Kelly’s role in bringing this stele to prominence.  The sweet perfume of the roses shown here will be used in a Gnostic Mass as an offering not unlike those that Ankh-af-na-Khonsu would have been used to.  The incense ingredients are dried and finally rolled into spheres which are burnt black.  The resulting dark orbs each look like a midnight sun which some say are sacred to Kephra.  Such a mix of symbolism is woven into the incense and so also into these pictures.  Without some of the brief explanations given in this article the pictures stand as colourful images using creative light techniques.  With the information provided here it maybe that the creation of the images can be viewed as an intricate process built around recording much information.  The images are vibrant and thought provoking even without the keys to their structure, but maybe the keys help to unlock the pictures even more for the viewer.
Rose Crystal Eye on the Stele of Revealing 29 Aug 2011 (3 of 9) Rose Crystal Eye on the Stele of Revealing 29 Aug 2011 (1 of 9) Rose Crystal Eye on the Stele of Revealing 29 Aug 2011 (9 of 9)