Where Is the Door to the Tavern? Where is the door to God? In the sound of a barking dog, In the ring of a hammer, In a drop of rain, In the face of Everyone I see. ~ The Gift – verses of Hazrat Hafiz r.a - by Daniel Ladinsky

Fifteen images in this series capture moments that were, quite simply, happy accidents: the dragonfly that found its way into the studio one fine morning; the young boy at the mosque oblivious to my presence; the whirling dervishes ‘sema’ at the Sarıhan Kervansaray. I was not sure if my camera had captured the soul-stirring moments unfolding before my eyes; the camera was handheld, perched on the bench beside me, and used without a flash.I did shoot most of these images in color but later to get this look and feel, digital work was done to get the tonal gradations one sees in them now.

It all started with my first photo of the boy in the doorway at the mosque. I wanted to somehow show the fragile but lucid bond one has with God, when young. Later felt the need to do this in a series of images which followed, in which the same boy was digitally copied and transferred to other locations in the city of Lahore – Pakistan. The dragonfly images are straight images which were enhanced tonally

Hear from the heart wordless mysteries!
Understand what cannot be understood!
In man's stone-dark heart there burns a fire
That burns all veils to their root and foundation.
When the veils are burned away, the heart will understand completely...
Ancient Love will unfold ever-fresh forms
In the heart of the Spirit, in the core of the heart.

~ Hazrat Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi (r.a)

Looking For Your Own Face
Your face is neither infinite nor ephemeral.
You can never see your own face,
only a reflection, not the face itself.
So you sigh in front of mirrors
and cloud the surface.
It's better to keep your breath cold.
Hold it, like a diver does in the ocean.
One slight movement, the mirror-image goes.
Don't be dead or asleep or awake.
Don't be anything.
What you most want,
what you travel around wishing to find,
lose yourself as lovers lose themselves,
and you'll be that.

~ Hazrat Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi (r.a)

My perfect love begins with my faith in you
A soul dancing on soundless distant tunes
Comprehend not these dervish vagabonds on a lucid trip
A fever in their soul’s folds elapsed eternities
Till infinity and beyond God bless my Soona Pir ...Fakeer

~ fm

Serendipity of Consciousness just a Beginning

O Creator of all beyond a mere mortal’s comprehension
O Designer of all here there and everywhere
O Architect of all worlds within and afar visible or invisible
My submission in worship inadequate insufficient
My lifetime of diverse deeds is a humiliation
Serendipity of consciousness just a beginning
I beseech you my most perfect timeless One
Guide me to your light upon light
Drown me in waves of vigilance.

~ fm

With a still silent elegant grace she walks into my being
Sanity once drained refilled regained
She shows me the path to the truth in unimaginable ways
As I am crushed with gratefulness my eyes fill up..
A strange desire sweeps through me
Sweet smells drown my senses
I hope and pray that maybe one day
Due to this immense generosity bestowed upon me
By the blessed souls chain that leads to you -The beyond
Make me worthy to have lived this part of the journey to eternity,
For the sake of the blessed souls
Whose lives touched this wayward mortal and made me whole.

~ fm

Revere be in awe of
hold in the highest regard
respect worship
venerate

~ fm