Bhava

Bhava is a Sanskrit word that has many meanings for many different religious and spiritual paths.  But the meaning that speaks to me is the emotion and state of the mind and body that creates existence from a thought or idea. 

Capturing these sacred moments in cultures, portraits and the naturescape that surrounds us is what I live for. I photograph for the sheer joy that these moments bring when I am an essential piece of the naturescape. To witness the “becoming”, the unfolding of a thought in the world around us … this is the essence of Bhava.

It all began ...

Like most people, I carried my camera everywhere I went.  I would spend time not just seeing but taking in an image, much to the dismay of those who would be with me waiting patiently for me to catch up!

But when I started traveling overseas, photography became something more.  It became a way to capture feelings and bring them home with me.  Feelings about place, about spiritual experience, about the connection with people.  Seeing a photograph of a landscape is one thing, but infusing that image with the dimension of feeling is something unique.

Moment by moment, images capture an instant of beauty, of movement, of time.  Whether an infrared frame of a waterfall, or a colorful image of a Bhutanese ritual dance, beauty is definitely in the eyes of the beholder.

So you hold your breath for one moment and truly see the world, it is clear that the divine is present in so many tiny places that you pass. There are spectacular and sacred images in these places that will take your breath away if you only stop and see them for a moment. It is this connection to place and moment that creates an internal record that we carry with us always.

The Photographer

Karen Clickner is a Naturopathic Physician in Central Massachusetts, owner of Conscious Body Natural Medicine, Inc. and The Herbal Advisor. In every moment around her practice, she is creating images and her images can be seen in her books and framed prints in her clinics with an occasional gallery exhibition. Her images are available in notecards, books and prints.