18 Ephemeral I
"Realize deeply that the present moment is all you have.
Make The Now the primary focus of your life." Eckhart Tolle
KEY WORDS
Present
Moment
Grasp
Thank
Fleeting
Temporary
VIDEO
MEANING
Seize the day - this is the moment that you can act and influence. Now is the only time that exists, and now is when we must continue with projects and conversations. Live completely in this moment because living in the past or the future is an illusion. Accepting what is here and what is not is the key to transcending unnecessary suffering. "Be present in all things and thankful for all things." Maya Angelou
This too shall pass. Remind yourself who you are and accept the transient nature of everything around us. The seasons change, the music plays on, and the cycle of life continues. Power comes from accepting that change will happen and embracing fully the present moment. Worrying less about the fading past or the as-yet-unwritten futures allows us to cherish the time we have right now. Invite others to be present with you.
OBJECTS
Star (Light) Be a star, a guiding beacon of light for others. Inspire. Stand tall. Shine.
Fan (Air) Be a fan, celebrate the accomplishments, beauty, kindness, and generosity of others.
Gargoyle (Dark) Fears and doubts can spoil the present moment. Honour the future by respecting today.
Feather (Air) Birds shed feathers to make way for new. All skills and tools become blunt if neglected.
Cup (Water) Fill your cup, and serve others today too so you may celebrate together.
Fork (Fire) A fork in the road, particularly a short window of opportunity.
THE MAGIC SEAL
THE ART
The iconic 1950 classic noir Sunset Boulevard is one of my favourite films. In one particularly powerful scene, inside a Hollywood villa a super vamp is posing on a majestic staircase, lit by her bright star... but everything is ephemeral, everything is passing away, fading away in the darkness... Norma Desmond, the main character (played by Gloria Swanson), is a silent movie star who refuses to see that past fading around her as her beloved cinema industry changes. She insists she will make her comeback, “I promise you I'll never desert you again because after 'Salome' we'll make another picture and another picture. You see, this is my life! It always will be! Nothing else! Just us, and the cameras, and those wonderful people out there in the dark!” Alas, the past is gone, it is no more, and the present too will be soon a ghost, forever gone....
AUGMENTED REALITY
Everything is fading away, becoming a pale ghost. Time is ticking away, every moment is forever lost... it may appear a dark animation, full of sadness, but as Seneca wrote in De Brevitate Vitae (On the Shortness of Life) “it is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it...”. This card is a reminder to all of us to keep moving, and to live in the present, not the past.
THE MUSE
This collaboration with the brilliant Felicity Furore was simply the perfect way to create this card. Felicity is a Burlesque Artist, and a Vintage Pin-Up Model, whose performances are utterly captivating. The audience has the feeling of witnessing a performance so unique and so intensely present that they are simultaneously experiencing the present moment, whilst also finding themselves drawn into the world of an immortal, timeless, eternal embodiment of glamour and style. A perfect combination to bring to bring to life visions of the golden era of Hollywood.
Felicity Furore appears here, and also in Action. Can you see the different ways these cards both explore the meaning of the present moment?
Discover more of Felicity Furore's world at www.FelicityFurore.com
THE MUSIC
Ephemera last only for one day, they are momentary and transitory. Living in the moment is only possible when we allow the imagined barriers around us to dissolve and to accept that all things are connected. Ephemerality in music is in lightness of touch, of a kaleidoscope of sounds. If you believe the cosmos is kind, that spectrum of sound is not a chaotic cacophony, but instead is beautiful and harmonious - both perfect and imperfect at once. Listen closely and you can hear the stars twinkling, and the grass growing, and the spheres orbiting. Nature being graceful on a galactic and microscopic level. Lose yourself in the moment, because the moment will happily lose itself into the ether.
LINKS TO GO DEEPER
Treat yourself to watching: Sunset Boulevard (trailer on YouTube)
See the magical Peter Greenaway's Prospero's Books (trailer on YouTube)