Focus & Depth of Field

Road to Healing – Lenten Journey 2014
Day 10:

Being open to miracles means our senses are open to possibilities beyond our understanding. In this frame of mind, we can accept that all disciplines and sciences have something to contribute to any discussion. It is remarkable but true.

Today we will continue on our journey with a lesson from the world of photography. We have been talking about focus, specifically in mediation. Today we will continue to focus, on the term “focus.” Point-and-shoot cameras, and now smart phones have left less to chance when taking a picture. But still, if you’re willing to venture to the manual mode of the camera and tinker with some of the dials and switches, you’ll find pictures can be taken with a variety of effects.

For instance, you can adjust the depth of field within a picture based on the amount of light you allow in through the lens. Depth of field is the zone of sharpest focus in front of, behind and around the focused object. I’m sure you’ve seen these pictures, where one object is in focus and the rest is a nice blur.

When we focus on an object, it means we’re giving it extra special attention. It means we will shed more light on that particular object. The more light we place on an object, the sharper becomes the focus, and the more blurry – that is less in focus – become the other items in the picture. The aperture, (the F-stop) controls the amount of light coming into a camera, and the photographer, that is you and me, controls the aperture.

This is our second lesson about meditation. Like the photographer who opens the aperture of the camera, through meditation we are increasing the light, shedding it and thereby focusing on our illness, blurring-out everything else. The more light, the sharper the focus.

Yesterday, I asked you to set aside time for meditation. It was a time of day where background and peripheral activity was to be minimized or even better, completely eliminated. Today, use that time of meditation to focus in on your illness, disease, disagreement, separation, heartache, depression, bereavement, financial loss, addiction or self-worth. Meet at the appointed time you decided yesterday. Turn off everything around you and turn on the light within. Think of the healing you wish in your life. Focus on it. Now open yourself so that more light can come in. Feel that light – it is more than illuminating, it brings feeling to you. Some warmth and some fear. Focus sharper. The items in the background will be blurred out; they are not receiving light, they are not being nourished. They will die off, but for right now, they’re too obvious. In the long term they won’t survive without the light. Healing is both a process of focusing on the good and diminishing the light the bad.

This is a tough exercise, but today we begin on focused meditation. Imagine a large room filled with people and objects. You are standing in the center of the room with your head up and your palms turn out. Turn the light towards you and intensify that light. You’re getting more and more into focus. That person who hurt you, he’s standing by the wall. He’s no longer visible. We don’t need to discuss him anymore. That car that struck your child is fading in the shadow. The alcohol and drugs on the table next to the mounds of food, they’re close to you, but you don’t notice them any more. They’re out of focus and dimming out of sight. Even the cancer within is no match for this powerful light; it is dying and cannot survive.

Tomorrow we will continue with some more meditation practices. Keep in mind what we have learned thus far and let each day of this Lenten Journey build on the day before.

Let us pray,

Light of Light, True God of True God. I approach you in a thankful spirit. You have given me the power to love which opens my heart and soul to the Light that comes from without and lives within. Shine your light so that every ray hits the disease of my heart and soul, darkening the decay and disease and illuminating the life and wellness I so need. Amen.

This is Fr. Vazken, inviting you to join us tomorrow as we continue to walk on the Road to Healing.

Produced by Suzie Shatarevyan for epostle.net
Photo “Grandma flowers” (c)2012 Fr. Vazken Movsesian
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