This series is dedicated to the sacred union humans feel when immersed in places of natural beauty: the high desert, a running river, the trees of an old growth forest or the edge of the sea. I was lucky enough to grow up on 100 acres of Pennsylvania farmland, surrounded by open fields and forest, with a stream running through it. From the age of six, this was my landscape, and as a child I intuitively understood that I was part of its magic; there was no separation between me and the water I waded through, the crayfish I stalked, the grass I chewed the ends of, the rocks, bones and bird nests I collected. Honeysuckle, clover, Queen Anne’s Lace and wild briar roses scented my wanderings.
At the same time, my family belonged to a small religious sect based on the writings of a 17th century Swedish mystic, which, from the first day of kindergarten, taught me that everything in the natural world had a spiritual connection. Thus, the concept of the universe being composed of multiple realms, seen and unseen, came naturally to me. I did not discover until much later that this tenet defines many occult religions… just as human interconnectedness with Mother Earth (which I knew by instinct) forms the bedrock of indigenous wisdom.
I believe that long forgotten childhood experiences bubble up and guide the work of artists, particularly in times of crisis. After the isolation, internment and lonesomeness of 2020, all I desire is to explore the embrace of my country’s landscape with my camera. Making images with my collaborators becomes a mind/body experience, connecting us to the land, water, sky and sunlight… and to something larger, deeper and more timeless than our human selves. Inspired by the closing prayer from the Navajo Blessing Way Ceremony, I hope these photographs rekindle a sense of childlike wonder and delight and provoke others to walk in beauty. -Jacqueline Asplundh
Walking in Beauty
Closing Prayer from the Navajo Way Blessing Ceremony
In beauty I walk
With beauty before me I walk
With beauty behind me I walk
With beauty above me I walk
With beauty around me I walk
It has become beauty again.
Today I will walk out, today everything negative will leave me
I will be as I was before, I will have a cool breeze over my body.
I will have a light body, I will be happy, nothing will hinder me.
I walk with beauty before me. I walk with beauty behind me.
I walk with beauty below me. I walk with beauty above me.
I walk with beauty around me. My words will be beautiful.
In beauty all day long may I walk.
Through the returning seasons, may I walk.
On the trail marked with pollen may I walk.
With dew about my feet, may I walk.
With beauty before me may I walk.
With beauty behind me may I walk.
With beauty below me may I walk.
With beauty above me may I walk.
With beauty all around me may I walk.
In old age wandering on a trail of beauty, lively, may I walk.
In old age wandering on a trail of beauty, living again, may I walk.
My words will be beautiful.
BIO:
Since I began making photographs at sixteen, environmental portraits have been a calling. I’m drawn to the mysterious connection that happens when people work together to create something that is both personal and universal. After working professionally in journalism for many years, my focus is now on fine art images.
You are welcome to explore my ongoing work on Instagram @jacquelineasplundh
Featured Image: Conjuring ©Jacqueline Asplundh
