Wednesday, August 16, 2017

HONEYMOON WITH MY SOUL

I connect very deeply with the thoughts of Kazantzakis.
During a 2 month stay at the Cite Internationale des Arts in Paris, during December 2007 and January 2008, I had ample opportunity to study his autobiographical 'Report to Greco'. However, there was so much to digest, that in the end it took me a full year to complete my studies of the book. 
Like the layers of an onion, any significant written piece will reveal something new with each successive reading and one is never 'done' with a book containing such depth of understanding and wisdom.
The Cite is situated very close to the Sorbonne and the Cluny Museum (where I spent days on end), and it felt even more uncanny when I discovered that I was regularly walking and lingering in the parts of Paris, with which he was also so familiar. 
 Paris  1 January 2008

I his words which I've extracted from the book (and which could just as well have been my own) Kazantzakis says:
“All my life one of my greatest desires has been to travel-to see and touch unknown countries, to swim in unknown seas, to circle the globe, observing new lands, seas, people, and ideas with insatiable appetite, to see everything for the first time and for the last time, casting a slow, prolonged glance, then to close my eyes and feel the riches deposit themselves inside me calmly or stormily according to their pleasure, until time passes them at last through its fine sieve, straining the quintessence out of all the joys and sorrows.” and also 'I was having a Honeymoon with my Soul."

Saturday, August 12, 2017

AFFINITY WITH THE BRAVE

'Sometimes you notice the actions of, or read the words written by others (mostly those you have never met before) and yet, you instantly feel an affinity with them in this parallel universe.
In this invisible reality, several fountains of wisdom, truth, compassion, humor, awareness, playfulness and creativity, flow into a communal pool, where you are able to recognize everything as being a part of who you are.
You easily find yourself admiring and identifying with those, who are unafraid of calling a spade a f*****g shovel.'   

Copyright © 2017 ALETA MICHALETOS

Friday, August 11, 2017

ALCHEMY - TRANSFORMATION

'To transform yourself into a golden being, 
 
you have to feed on the gold 
 
which can be found absolutely everywhere.
 
However, the simple secret to achieve success, 
 
is that you have to be hungry enough to look for it 
 
and more than willing to eat it!'
 
 

  Concept & photography: ALETA MICHALETOS
  Copyright © 2015 ALETA MICHALETOS All Rights Reserved

Thursday, August 10, 2017

RESTRICTIONS

Even though I may not want to go anywhere
and even though I may not need to go somewhere,
I deeply resent it when any one creates an obstruction,
or imposes a restriction, on my freedom of movement.

The reason dungeons, airless cellars, jails and penitentiaries were invented, was for the sole purpose of forcibly and severely restricting the movement and comfort of wrongdoers and criminals and punishing them in an inhuman way.

The implementation of the restrictive laws of Apartheid, are therefore the cruelest and most inhumane one could imagine, as they were not based on whether you were a law-abiding citizen or not, but entirely based upon the shade of your skin. 

Being in a continuous and lifelong psychological and physical stranglehold with no hope of ever being released for 'good behavior', must certainly have been the most soul crushing existence anyone could ever hope for. 

It is our moral responsibility to ensure that our law makers and all future legislation, always protect the dignity of all law abiding citizens.

Copyright © 2015 ALETA MICHALETOS