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From Wandering to Illumination

3-D Photography as a Path to Awakening

Authors

  • Ryan J. Bush Ryan Bush Photography

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29173/jjs322s

Keywords:

art, photography, 3-D, trees, mandala, consciousness, Self, shadow, Transcendent function, illumination, awakening, satori, transformation, soul, numinous, sacred, oneness

Abstract

This video shares my mandala-like, multiple-exposure 3-D photographs of trees from the series From Wandering to Illumination. For the full experience, search on Amazon and Etsy for ‘red/cyan 3-D glasses’. Starting with black-and-white photographs of bare trees in winter, the video takes us on a journey from the ordinary way of being, down through the lower levels of wandering and suffering, then emerging into the rebirth of spring and summer, with vibrant color photographs evoking the heights of awakening and illumination, and ending in a vision of the great Tree of Life, the radiant Oneness that joins us all together. This series was inspired by a vision of the World Tree in 2014, which made me realize I needed to invent a new photographic technique to evoke the immense power of visionary experiences. By weaving together the immersive images with narration and music, this video shows how art can help us connect with soul in direct, experiential ways that can be completely life-changing. Given the state of the world today, and how cut off from soul and meaning that so many people are, we need as many tools as possible to go from Wandering to Illumination. It’s time for us to take the next step in our evolution and finally start living up to our name of homo sapiens, the supposedly wise humans. Far more is possible than most of us realize!

Author Biography

Ryan J. Bush, Ryan Bush Photography

RYAN J. BUSH, PHD is an artist, linguist and Reiki master/teacher based in Aptos, CA. In his 31 years as a fine-art photographer, he has used abstraction, multiple exposures and 3-D photography to explore themes like consciousness, visionary experiences, and the sacred hidden in the mundane. Bush earned a BA from Swarthmore in 1995 and a PhD in Linguistics from UCSC in 2000, and is the author of The Music of Trees, A Singing Wire, and From Wandering to Illumination. His work is in several collections including the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, the Stanford Medical Center, and the CG Jung Institute of San Francisco.

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Published

2025-06-12

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Section

Conversations in the Field