This book is an invitation for us to take the next step in our personal and collective evolution, weaving together the mandala-like 3-D multiple exposure photographs of trees by internationally-exhibited fine-art photographer Ryan J. Bush, along with the story of the ancient Greek Eleusinian Mysteries (which were effective for thousands of years at introducing people to the mysteries of our true nature), and our modern effort to reconnect with consciousness and soul.The exhibition progresses from black-and-white photographs of bare trees in winter, representing the state of 'Wandering' (the ordinary consciousness of our ego, monkey mind, grasping mind, or the lower level of functioning when we're in the grip of strong emotions, suffering or dysfunction), to color photographs of trees in spring, representing the state of Illumination or awakening. Just as Persephone was taken away to the underworld, and Demeter wandered the Earth looking for her daughter everywhere, we face a similar loss of soul today on both the personal and collective levels. Our world is very much lost and wandering, with all the mass shootings, corporate greed running amok, infatuation with strongmen, etc.Fortunately, if we realize that we're Wandering, it really is possible to wake up. It's time for us to drop the veil that has kept these mysteries hidden in esoteric symbolism, locked behind the doors of monasteries, and only taught to the chosen few. The Postscript of this book outlines twelve techniques that can help on our journey, including how to ground, center, balance, and tune ourselves. Together, these tools can help facilitate not just Illumination, but living as skillfully as possible in our challenging world.If we don't want to keep Wandering, we have all the tools we need to wake up.

Our natural awakening—or buddha-nature—is inherent within all of us and waiting to be realized. Buddha-nature has the qualities of both silence and illumination, and by working with silent illumination meditation you can find your own awakening. Distinguished Chan Buddhist teacher Guo Gu introduces you to the significance and methods of this practice through in-depth explanations and guided instructions. To help establish a foundation for realizing silent illumination, he has translated twenty-five teachings from the influential master Hongzhi Zhengjue into English, accompanied by his personal commentary. This book will be an indispensable resource for meditators interested in beginning or deepening their silent illumination practice.

The Mysteries of Light is an original literary meditation on the significance and meaning of photobooks. Written by a photographer and novelist, the book brings a strong new light to the photobook phenomenon. It’s a mix of personal stories and examinations of such great artists as Robert Frank, Daido Moriyama, Saul Leiter, Alec Soth, Masahisa Fukase, and Christer Strömholm, as well as newcomers Daisuke Yokota, Laura El-Tantawy, and Jason Eskenazi. The Mysteries of Light is personal and passionate, fun, lively, informative, inspiring, and will help you understand photobooks—and get you jazzed about them—in a whole new way.

How Americans adapted European royal illuminations for patriotic celebrations, spectacular expositions, and intensely bright commercial lighting to create the world's most dazzling and glamorous cities. Illuminated fêtes and civic celebrations began in Renaissance Italy and spread through the courts of Europe. Their fireworks, torches, lamps, and special effects glorified the monarch, marked the birth of a prince, or celebrated military victory. Nineteenth-century Americans rejected such monarchial pomp and adapted spectacular lighting to their democratic, commercial culture. In American Illuminations, David Nye explains how they experimented with gas and electric light to create illuminated cityscapes far brighter and more dynamic than those of Europe, and how these illuminations became symbols of modernity and the conquest of nature. Americans used gaslight and electricity in parades, expositions, advertising, elections, and political spectacles. In the 1880s, cities erected powerful arc lights on towers to create artificial moonlight. By the 1890s they adopted more intensive, commercial lighting that defined distinct zones of light and glamorized the city's White Ways, skyscrapers, bridges, department stores, theaters, and dance halls. Poor and blighted areas disappeared into the shadows. American illuminations also became integral parts of national political campaigns, presidential inaugurations, and victory celebrations after the Spanish-American War and World War I.