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Invitation to Photography: Letting Go

Welcome to this month’s Abbey Photo Party!

button-photographyselect a theme and invite you to respond with images.

We began this month with a Community Lectio Divina practice with our reflection on letting go from the story in the Gospel of Luke.

I invite you for this month’s Photo Party to hold these words in your heart as you go out in the world to receive images in response. As you walk be ready to see what is revealed to you as a visual expression of your prayer.

You can share images you already have which illuminate the theme, but I encourage you also to go for a walk with the theme in mind and see what you discover.

You are also welcome to post photos of any other art you create inspired by the theme.  See what stirs your imagination!

How to participate:

You can post your photo either in the comment section below* (there is now an option to upload a file with your comment – your file size must be smaller than 1MB – you canresize your image for free here – choose the “small size” option and a maximum width of 500).

You can also join our Holy Disorder of Dancing Monks Facebook group and post there. Feel free to share a few words about the process of receiving this image and how it speaks of the harvest for you.

*Note: If this is your first time posting, or includes a link, your comment will need to be moderated before it appears. This is to prevent spam and should be approved within 24 hours.

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13 Responses

  1. Letting Go…
    Of our physical frame;
    Of our ideas of good or bad,
    pleasant or unpleasant;
    Of our life on this earth;
    Of our belief of separateness.
    Becoming…
    One.

  2. Something about the rain on this spider’s web symbolizes letting go for me. There is simple beauty here transience. I hold it in this photo, but if I were to return to this spot on this sunny day it would be gone.

  3. I was walking yesterday around the Potomac River with the theme in my heart and I received this image ,I have been pondering on it ,was a windy day and the leaf was enjoying the ride !!

  4. Lance, the spiritual creativity you have brought to your picture inspires me. I carry the image and your insights with me today. Am taking a ‘leaf’ out of your book I hope! ……and am grateful. James.

  5. This image is from a recent outing to the Oregon Gardens. The Gardens were full of the beautiful effects of the change of season and rhythm. This image was a lovely reminder of the letting go of leaves and petals as fall comes into its fullness and of my change of rhythm and those things I must be releasing as I move into a new season in my life.

  6. This is not a recent photo, but one that I took a few years ago when living in Vietnam. As I look at this photo again, however, I see myself as the leaf being carried along by the Living Water. The Living Water may carry me through difficult rapids but also lead me to quiet, restorative eddies where the water is still and calm.

    My task is to let go and trust the Living Water, to embrace the process at hand, to not panic when flailing down the rapids, and to not push too hard when I find myself in places where the water is hardly moving.

    Lastly, the leaf in this photo is being carried by the water while also carrying water itself. What a great parallel to my life and interaction with the Living Water!

    1. Lance,
      Thank you for sharing this beautiful photo and reflection. I love the concept of Living Water -so sacramental in a very real way. Also, the way the photo captures delicacy and strength and trust is quite amazing.