WHAT IS REAL?

David Blaine is considered one the greatest magicians, illusionists and endurance artists in history.  When I've watched people respond to his magic, their visceral reaction is either one of unbridled excitement or of absolute fear.  Those who seem to come alive from being a witness to it, realize from the experience that things are not always what we think they are.  It awakens them to the limitless possibilities of life.  It opens opportunities of  new thought.  Others who witness his 'magic'  may become extremely frightened. Their concept of what is real, what is true, has been cracked.  They want to hang on to the world as they believe they know it to be. They are very uncomfortable with the idea that life could have limitless possibilites.

In 2012, in New York City, Blaine appeared to let a million volts of electricity from seven Tesla coils pass through him for 72 hours.  I went to see this event for a number of reasons.  I had read a biography on Nikola Tesla 30 years earlier. There was a photograph of Tesla in the book that showed him calmly sitting in a chair while electricity ran through his body. This image has always stuck in my mind as a kind of proof that anything is possible.  Reading about his life experiences taught me many lessons.  Tesla's freedom of thought as to what is possible and his dedication to manifesting his ideas was inspiring, however his interactions with people kept him from achieving the success he should have had.  His singular dedication to work separated him from the world.  He needed help from others but did not have the personal skills to make that happen. Tesla went from rags to riches to rags. He died penniless and alone.

Both Blaine and Tesla clearly understood how an open mind and self- discipline can enable one to achieve the unimaginable. At the event I made some photos. On the front page of this site is one of those images only I have replaced David Blaine with Will Powers.  I wanted to create an image from Blaine's daring feat which would make the viewer question what they were seeing.  What is real?  What is imagined?  I believe that if we accept the limitless possibilities of perception, that we can open ourselves to greater possibilities in life and to our true potential.  To make a visual reminder can be helpful in attaining that goal.  You can make your own visual reminders.  Paste an image of yourself in a scene that reminds you of how anything is possible... the photo does not have to actually document a truth.  The purpose of it is for you to have a mental picture of what might be possible so that you can focus on it with your mind's eye when you are feeling like you can't to do something, in order to help you feel you can!

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