unconditional love 2009

Today is a day of peace and love at  11/11 at 11.11am  send a Song, Prayer or Mediation out into the world in a attempt to to heal the planet, focus on unconditional love. Even if you missed the 11.11am time slot in the UK don’t panic, spend some time right now dwelling on love peace and harmony. I have posted my short video once again to help you get focused.

For more info on this see http://www.myspace.com/thewave1111
Namaste Tony

Yoga & the YOGA Show 2009 London, Olympia

So it is almost upon us, the biggest event of the year the YOGA show at London Olympia. This week I have been creating new signage and cutting out nearly 200 backing boards for when my prints show up some time next week. Such a show is always some what of a financial gamble with stand fees of many hundreds. It is a zen monk indeed who’s monkey mind doesn’t flit from will it be everything we hope, will anybody show up, will all the monetary outlays be met etc etc…

I have long since found that such fears are ultimately best left at home as they can strangle an event before you even start. No a deep breath is required and as Wayne Dyer says ‘Let go and let god’.

So why exactly is a visionary artist showing and selling his work at a YOGA show. Well 1st of all we do a number of events with ‘Prime Impact’ (the Organizers) over the year and we wanted to give a different style of show a go. While I enjoy the MBS fairs for me it is important not to get set in one way and try different things. Also I believe YOGA points towards a truth that lies much deeper than simply the striking of what would be for me impossible poses.

Yoga refers to traditional mental disciplines as much as it does physical ones. Yoga originated in India and it is associated with meditative practices in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.The word Yoga has many meanings but the one that deeply resonates with me is Union. It is the philosophy of yoga spread by Yogi’s that I find interesting rather than trendy exercise most gyms have latched onto.

My Photo art work Union (Yoga)

Rāja Yoga principal is the achieving of liberation over the mind via meditation. It is suggested that a good level of physical heath is required before the mind can be tamed. As a non dualist I find all the codes of conduct in Yoga fascinating but simply another plaything to amuse the mind. That sounds flippant but I worry that once again many people will get lost in the doing of yoga and miss the simple being which I believe Yoga points to.

I have not had the time or inclination to dig dip into the Yoga text but what I believe it all points to (and I happy to be wrong) is this simple being that I talk so much about in my work. The natural state that operates undisturbed below the level of thought. This life, this being, this divine matrix, this everything which we are all a part of operates throughout the universe is an uncontrollable force. By that I mean uncontrollable in much the same way we can’t control our organs from the level of thought. To that ends in order to truly embrace the everything one must surrender mentally not in the manner of War where one is ultimately defeated, but in the manner of Love where no-things matter.

The five Kleshas point to the stumbling blocks to this surrender I have summarized these below in my own way…
Ignorance (a belief that knowledge holds the key to peace)
Ego (The belief we are separate, the ultimate illusion )
Repulsion (The belief anything is good or bad, all is equal no thing is below or defective)
Attachment (The belief that we are our possessions that things matter beyond the superficial is a impossible dream we try to make real)
Clinging to life (The belief that death is somehow a failing runs through society like a cancer. It performs an injustice to us all for this mis-guided view of simply another part of life forms the bases of all our fears. Death is simply another doorway which we all gather outside and speculate.)

Now if you read my blog often you will know it matters not if you believe or act on the Kleshas as nothing ultimately matters from a Nondulistic point of view. But I feel these five Kleshas point to as much truth as can be found in all the libraries of the world and at the very least it will save to a lot of reading.

I guess like all human pursuits Yoga can be as simple or as complex as you wish but you are I believe mis-guided if you think the complex hides more that the simple. YOGA is Union and that is good enough for me it is the reason T and I will wait on our stand to meet with you and get lost in the work that has pointed me towards all this in the first place. Forgive me in advance if I am unable to engage you as much as I would like this show will be busy and for a virtual recluse it may be at times a little to much so I’ve no doubt words will fail me but my feeling never will.

About the show :-

There is plenty to do at this year’s show including free yoga & pilates classes, pilates reformer and 1:2:1 equipment sessions, children’s yoga, demonstrations and lectures. With over 200 exhibitors you will also find everything you need for your yoga & pilates practice together with inspirational products for a healthy lifestyle.

The YOGA Show, The National Hall Olympia
Hammersmith Road, Kensington
London W14 8UX

Opening Times
Friday 30th October opening times 11am – 6pm
Saturday 31st October opening times 10am – 6pm
Sunday 1st November opening times 10am – 6pm

Admission
1 Day Pass (Fri) Adult £7 Concession £6
1 Day Pass (Sat/Sun) Adult £12 Concession £10
2 Day Pass Adult £20 Concession £16
3 Day Pass Adult £27 Concession £22

Below is a link to the show program PDF

http://issuu.com/pievents/docs/yoga-show-program-09

Comments and Critics

 

As you will see I have a no comment option on this blog. In fact I usually disable comments or filter them on my you tube page and myspace etc. I’m surprised that so many people do keep comments on because no matter if they are good or bad they for me dilute the impact of an article or image.

Take a look at any YouTube page and it won’t be long until you find a comment which is inflammatory, vulgar or demoralizing. While I’m all for free speech I believe anyone who has an opposing view or an need to just be plain offensive should start up their own website or page and not just play verbal terrorists to others hard work or deep seated beliefs.

I know by taking this line I also stop people from spreading positive messages about what I do but I’m happy to pay that price.

My biggest problem is the whole sheep mentality with comments. Do we not all have very different tastes and perceptions on life? So is it not obvious for everything that is posted on the web there will people that love it while others will loath it. If I am basing my personal opinion on those of my peers or social networking friends then it is no wonder people don’t know their own minds.

I have for many years had a big problem with critics and reviewers, for basing any kind of decision on them like comments is a massive mistake. Years ago a guy called Barry Norman did film reviews on the BBC. Now this guy never liked any kind of action or sci-if film because the acting was never up to par. Yet if the film was foreign with subtitles it seemed he always liked it . (This is a generalization)

Mr Norman failed to understand that as a 15/16 year old all I wanted to see was cool effects, hot women and big guns (shallow I know) but that’s what I wanted back then. The BBC didn’t offer me a cool effects, hot women and big guns critic they offered me Barry Norman. Year in, year out who told me things like ‘Mr Stallone’s wooden acting fails to impress.’ I didn’t care acting was the last thing on my mind when I watched these films.

The same goes for cameras, tvs, food and car reviews. They are all pointless because they are all based on a set of values that are not mine, unless I’m Mr Everyman Followme, which I’m not. The problem is, if I did take any notice of critics I would never make a decision because nine times out of ten critics can’t even agree so where am I then?
Lost, confused, forced to make my own mind up??? Perish the thought.
I guess I can become a critic clone and only like what Jonathan Ross likes or buy what car Jeremy Clarkson would or moan about what Will Self would moan about but how sad would that be? I mean why even be alive if everything your going to be, do and say is what’s already been said and done.

I guess the need for Critics comes down to the simple fact is most people don’t want to standout in a crowd. They don’t want to wear pink when blue is in or eat Mexican when Italian is cool or listen to rap when it’s considered by someone to be crap.

Individuality is not something the bahhhh-ing! majority want. They want BMW drivers in dark suits using Iphones and eating big mac and they want it now! Anything different is just weird. Even God has been packaged into generic icons that you either believe in or don’t. Anyone open to possibilities, gray areas or new ideas are really not welcome at the table of the average Joe.

Comments and critics are simply not that interesting to me. They denote a wish to be chauffeur driven through life – something that sounds very dull for me. Personal common sense it seems in modern life is anything but common.

By all means know what you like but don’t become a born again-er on anything trying to convert anyone to your likes or way of thinking via stealth comments. Build a web site or your own blog and let those that relate to you find you as they always will. I would hope if you think I’m barking mad you will stay well clear of my sites, but if you like what I do then drop by often. This indeed is a far better support than any comment ever could ever be.

I will with deep love and respect tell you this – your validation or rejection won’t change the person I am one bit and likewise neither should you be changed by others comments and views.

Inner change is the only way and here is a simply suggestion :- 
Be your own critic, be true to yourself and challenge what you think constantly. Only then can you know what you like and be an unique and genuine person.

Doubt

It was the act of doubt in times gone by that the branch wouldn’t take our weight, or that we may not make it across three lanes of lumbering mammoths that helped our ancestors survive day to day life. Even today it plays an important part in keeping us alive by asking us to evaluate a situation more fully before making a decision. Sadly for many in the modern world doubt has manifested its self into something far less helpful.

I see many reasons why doubt is now dis-empowering people more than ever. For most, life has become typically safer. People have to worry less about things that may kill them, and more on things that merely bring them discomfort or make them miserable. Over a time these milder discomforts become mislabelled and are consider by us to be as bad as the situations that may bring us death.

Let’s look at the fear of failure: some are paralysed by it. Others simply don’t perceive failure to be that bad. They don’t take it personally. They can fail daily without any emotional scars. They just dust themselves down and try again. And so, by the law of averages they succeed often and are more likely to be where they want in life.

A person, who fears failure because of the past, will do anything to avoid situations in which failure is a possible outcome. Failure to them has become a traumatic event, one that sits along side personal injury and even death. For example, while a new job may be highly desirable and beneficial, the action of going through a job interview will be flagged by doubt as a situation which can have negative outcomes. After a short period of evaluation, it may be determined that the possible embarrassment and disappointment from the failure to obtain the position will far out strip any of the other positive outcomes. Here we can see that doubt has not only held back personal growth, it now also has an out of balance view on situations.

If you were stranded on a desert island, you alone would be left to evaluate situations that doubt has raised for review. You would follow a course of action based on your own personal experiences and your own gut feelings, which are usually far more in tune with the universe than those of the over evaluating mind.

In metropolitan society, the minds evaluation of situations raised by doubt not only references its own gut reactions and experiences it also pulls on what friends, family and even the media may have to say and think on the situation. This consideration of others views not only makes the correct decision for that self harder to find, but at times almost impossible. Decisions are now made on who we deem to know best or who we fear most. Doubt has now indirectly passed the minds controls over to others, hence why many people live life in the shadow of their mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, friends and leaders. The build up of negative energy from such a dis-empowering situation is massive and will ultimately lead to a point of breakdown some time in the future.

The time has come to re-evaluate doubt and return it to its background role of a survival tool and not the driver of our lives. Think on this and then take the appropriate actions. You might conclude to draw up a list of times you want doubt to play a role in your life. Maybe it is time to pay more attention to your gut reactions, your first thoughts and follow these. Often, they tend to bypass the opinions of others and those that are purely ego driven. Start to realign your life today and walk free from the grip of doubt.

Originally written by me for my first book in feb 2008

My time as a Glamour Photographer

Blog 1 of 2

I have never made it a secret that before I set on my spiritual path I was a glamour photographer. So I thought it would challenge everyone’s perceptions of me (if they even have one) by posting three blogs on the subject starting with this one. While I doubt you will find much enlightenment in what I have to say, you may find it at the very least intriguing. I have included some photos over the blogs but I have censored them so as not to offend anyone sensibilities which Iknow is in truth impossible as for some even the subject will be highly taboo.

When I was about 15 (1992) I was standing in the play ground at school and a group of boys asked me what I wanted to do when I left school, I answered just for a laugh, be a glamour photographer. Little did I know that many years later that is exactly what I would do, was this the law of attraction at work?

My first dip into the quick flowing ocean that is glamour was to start from a simple e-mail. It went something like this:-

‘I’m a model and I own a studio, I love your digital art and was wondering if you could turn me into a vampire’

Some weeks later, ill equipped and nervous as hell I was taking photos of the model. I did turn her into a vampire and she liked it as did I. Over the coming months I shot (with a camera not a gun ) her model friends who all like what I had done. Changing women into vampires and fairies was fun up to a point, but I had got a taste for studio glamour photography and wanted to learn more.

Some months later I met a guy who was running a studio locally. He said he would give me some tips. So off I went with my camera and met him. The studio was big but cold but Martin was a helpful chap and over the next few weeks I began to grasp the basics of how to light a shot. Any how time past and an odd friendship grew and the idea of a model agency came up. I had been using models for my work but half the time they didn’t turn up or had no clue what to do when they arrived they weren’t models just good looking women. There is a significant difference trust me.

We decided that if we started a model agency up it should be different than others we had used. We would take everyday women who wanted to be models and show them what it was like to work in front of the camera so they would see if they liked it. Martin could tell them what he knew about the industry (more than me) so they would be forewarned before taking the plunge and best of all we do it for nothing. The only time we would make any money is when the girls got a modelling job. It seemed the perfect idea the girls got free promotion on the web plus a hand full of images/or a cd to start a portfolio. We got the chance to offer photographers brand new models and we also got models to promote the business. I’m sure as many of you are reading this you are think it was a scam or had a seedy side to it and it really it didn’t trust me. I never pushed any women into doing topless or nude work and in fact we had a number of models on the books who never did that for all kinds of reason. This was a strictly no ‘touchy feely’ operation we where both happily married and over stepping the professional line with a model was a no no for us. At the high point we had over 40 local budding models on our books but of course not all of them got work as they where only ever book if people like their look. What people look for in a model is not always as it would seem and some times the most unassuming girls got jobs while the glamour pusses didn’t.

Time went on (as it always does) and I soon discovered I did not have the pushy/bouncer personality to be a model agent but I did have a natural affinity with women and the innate ability to get the best out of them during a shoot. Much time pasted and I found I was becoming very bored and I had come detached from the agency side of the company so I left on as good as terms as possible. Martin kept the company name all the photos and all the problems and I left with a big dent to my wallet (I had invested a lot of money in the company has had Martin) but I did have an invaluable schooling in studio photography. I created my own small home studio and decided I would only work with models who fit my look requirements. Much to my wife’s frustration and disbelief I still didn’t rate my ability as a photographer despite everyone telling me they loved my work. Once on my own I mainly undertook time for print shoots (which will be explain in a following blog ‘I want to be a model, how do I start?’).

I kept learning more and more about photography and most important of all lighting (which is everything in glamour). Over the next few years I produced some great images which I hope the models are still very proud of. I pored hours into digital dark room work (Adobe Photoshop) to create images that where visually stunning without looking too visually fake. Sometimes I would spend 8 hours on one photo and so the rod for may own back began to grow. Normal images no longer worked for me or the models, every photo I gave my clients had to be spot and blemish free, perfection was a reality in my world. Just before my holiday to Scotland in late 2006 and the subsequent awakening with my first visionary work ‘oppressed’ I was physically but most of all mentally exhausted. I had grown to hate glamour photography because of how much of my life it was taking up.

While I haven’t shot glamour in over 3 years I can’t say I will never shoot glamour again as it is in my blood now I have to say it doesn’t conflict with my nonduality beliefs and teachings. For me a body is just a body, it is meaningless. Everything you think or don’t think about is all down to your own perceptions or fetishes. It is you and your belief that makes boobs/bums sexy, nudity crude or something taboo it’s never the body, the model or even the photographer. Yes all three are trying to tap into general perceptions of Western sexuality but once you strip out you mental programming you are just looking at bodies that were designed ultimately to hunt and reproduce both natural states of being.

While even now I have hundreds of ideas for great images, but to do glamour photography well requires a great deal of money for sets, lights and the right outfits. Yes you can make great glamour on a shoestring but right now I don’t even have a suitable studio camera.

Want to see some great glamour?
I am a great admire of the work of the American photographer David LaChapelle as that for me is what true glamour should look like visionary, fun and at times hot. I guess many people doing what I do now would keep a past like mine a secret but I have never done anything to be ashamed of. My only regret from my glamour days is I didn’t have enough money to make it work as I would have liked. In fact I am still paying off the many thousands I invested in equipment and studios. Also its a shame that I have thousands of photo that for now will never see the light of day.

Watch out for my next Glamour Blog ‘I want to be a model, how do I start? ‘

Just glamour

The eyes have ‘it’
Despite what you may think the eyes are the most important part of a glamour shot
Model:- Natalie

Oh what a Tease

My generic remake of a classic 50’s pin-up mag cover that never was. Photo by me Tony Pinfold Model:- Alexandra Sim-Wise

Eckhart Tolle: Uncut Interview

As you know, I think Eckhart Tolle is one of the few  mainstream ‘teachers’ that really is pointing to a fundamental truth of being  so I always like to post  videos of him as I come across them. I found this nice in depth interview with him by CBCtv . I know that many people have slated Eckhart but that is born from a feeling of jealously, and defence of deep set beliefs by those who simply can not see life from any other view point. They refuse to challenge their perceptions. (but I guess that is as it should be…)

New Print shop goes live

Well I have spent the last couple of days putting together a new online shop site for my Visionary Prints. You can view it direct via www.tonypinfold.biz or through the shop/gallery button on my main site www.tonypinfold.com. If you enjoy by work or blog I hope you may consider buying a print as everything I make goes pack into paying for my website costs, equipment improvements and new projects.

Why My new site look the way it does:
I have gone for a more basic navigational path for my new shop as it seemed my old one was a little confusing for people who don’t use the internet much. This is always the problem when designing sites, it would be great to use all the bells and whistles but how many people will really be able to view the site as you intended? It’s a fact very few people update their web browsers (or even know they should). A very large proportion of people still surf the web using internet explorer 6 which is frustrating for the web designing community. Many people who are still using explorer 6 and alike are clueless that new versions or other options are available to them (usually free) such as safari which I use on my Mac and Pc.

The New look shop is split into the following sections (below) with around 9-12 images in each section.
I supply my work in 3 different sizes :
8×6 inch – ￡5 + p&p, 16×12 inch – ￡10+ p&p, 30×20 inch – ￡30+ p&p.
All my prints are Printed professionally on high Quality semi gloss Fuji Archive paper – packed in a ultra clear bag with a backing card to prevent creasing .
hipped from my home in Sunny Clacton on sea, Essex, England UK to you where ever you may live.

Oneness Prints

Direct Link: http://www.tonypinfold.biz/Oneness.html
Thought behind: Separation is an illusion. It is a man made construct. It is just another lie propagated by the Kingdom of the ego. No matter how disconnected you may feel from society this is simply a false perception that blocks you expressing your love for others. Personas are not always easy to resonate with but they are simply egoic masks that hide a divine light buried within us all. Today, no matter where you are on the planet, you will be relying on people you may never meet to feed you, clothe you, produce your power, build your roads and make you secure etc. In knowing this how can anyone entertain the concept of separation. The divine matrix (the everything) is all inclusive, non judgmental and so non dualistic. Only fear stops humanity truly embracing oneness

Pathway Prints

Direct Link: http://www.tonypinfold.biz/Pathway.html
Thought behind section: All Spiritual pathways bring us to new realizations. They point the way to perennial wisdoms but this wisdom is often obscured by thousands of years of allegory which have been taken as fact. It is important to understand all spiritual paths are walked by choice. It is not for anyone to ’save’ anyone else from some belief system we can’t understand or embrace. I have included images of waterfalls as they are metaphors for the ultimate spiritual pathway – one which is guided purely by source energy. We all need to stop trying to mould and manipulate life and simply ‘go with the flow’

Feelings Prints

Direct Link: http://www.tonypinfold.biz/Feelings.html
Thought behind section: Your feelings are your guide to how you really… well feel about something. They can often be far more trusted then the thousands of thoughts that pass through your brain. Feelings tend not to be swayed by the ego’s need to impress or it’s fear if it fails to please. They are unimpressed by money and status. Often if you are not really in tune with your feelings you can make a great many mistakes and bring a great deal of unwanted stress in your life. I have found that dowsing your true feelings on a subject is a good way to go. It is our feelings that will often save our lives due to their great awareness of vibrational energy. Your whole body is a guidance system it should never be underestimated… listen to your feelings

Earth Prints

Direct Link: http://www.tonypinfold.biz/Earthprints.html
Thought behind section: Many people that follow spiritual paths can become so captivated by higher realms that they loose connection with their current reality. This can cause a great deal of emotional trauma. I’m sure we all know people for who even everyday communication has become a problem. I have many works that can be use as images for grounding as not everyone is able to get out into nature and link with the elements. See the peaceful places gallery for more photos of nature.

Peace Prints

Direct Link: http://www.tonypinfold.biz/PeacePrints.html
Thought Behind section: The world is a very noisy place indeed and many people are actually frightened of silence. The chance of finding true peace happens mostly in the natural world. It is not necessary to fly across the planet to find some scared grove, often such places can be found in your own town if you know when and where to look. No matter if it’s sitting by a river bank or the sea, wandering through a wood or down a footpath, every now and then the mind chatter will subside and you will be there face to face with the peace and pace of nature. It is then when you will understand what really does and doesn’t matter.

Perception Prints

Direct Link: http://www.tonypinfold.biz/PerceptionPrints.html
Thought behind Section: Your Perception is your reality, but I have to say that your perception is often based on lies you never even knew you where told. We all see the world through filters that have been shaped by family and friends and a media that has lost it’s way. Every now and then your perceptions of someone or something may be shattered but this is rarely enough to truly wake us up to the fact that no-thing is really ever as it seems. Situations that appear black and white, cut and dry seldom are. This is what I discovered when I created my first image ‘oppressed’ which is below .

Realms Prints

Direct Link:http://www.tonypinfold.biz/Realms.html
Thought behind Section: Angels and spirits have been with us in folklore since the beginning of Art. As long as man has been on earth, he has pondered the higher realms and the great beyond. Often his limited understanding has forced him to reach conclusions that now modern men scoff at and ridicule. I can not say what angels and spirits really are, but I believe that if they do exist they are far more awesome and powerful than the dreamy wishy-washy figures of fantasy tales.

Freedom Prints

Direct Link: http://www.tonypinfold.biz/FreedomPrints.html
Thought behind section: Freedom or rather the lack of it, is in truth a man made perception. For we often place our own limits on our freedom based on what we believe to be right or acceptable. We often say we would like to do something but we don’t have the time or we simply say ‘I couldn’t do that’ which is a self for-filling prophecy. Many times we are in oppressive relationships or jobs but we remain within them like the the animal who refuses to leave the cage once open out of programming. Often we don’t have to even move to be free, we simply have to change our mindset, throw off our mental chains and silence the Minds chatter that torments us with images of the past and fears of the future

Dawn Prints

Direct Link: http://www.tonypinfold.biz/DawnsPrints.html
Thought Behind Section: With every dawn life begins a fresh, who knows what you will discover this day, the possibilities are infinite. Embrace each day and even see within them the many opportunities to have a new beginning

Thank you as always for all your support and making my work possible – Tony