Coincidence, or magic?

Coincidence, or magic?

It's a question that seems to come up a lot for me, since I'm kind of a spooky bitch who leans towards seeing magic, symbolism and mystical synchronicities where others might be inclined to see an obvious "logical" explanation.

When I first edited these photos of the Frank Lloyd Wright designed council fire ring at the Walter House at Cedar Rock State Park in June, I saw this photo and considered it ruined.

I tried to edit out this streak of light, but I'm not a particularly talented or detailed oriented editor and my edit wasn't looking very convincing. Instead of spending time trying to fix this image, which I otherwise liked, I just considered it ruined and moved onto other photos.

But yesterday, as I was beginning to write up my experiences in photographing this fire ring, I decided to go back and look at the images I had rejected during my first batch of editing.

I stopped to look at this photo again.

And I noticed something.

That ray of light just happens to shine through the exact spot where Frank Lloyd Wright sat when he visited the Walter House to celebrate its completion

I know not everyone is as quick to jump to "It's a ghost!" in situations as I am, and I respect that, but to me, as a spiritually-curious person, who absolutely is open to the idea that there is more to the universe than any of us could ever hope to understand, my intuition and instincts say that ray of light is not merely just a little lens flare.

Coincidence? Maybe, but I believe in magic and energy and signs, and I will take this image as a sign that Frank Lloyd Wright was there with me in spirit on that hot June day, encouraging me as I explored this incredible property that we Iowans are all so lucky to call our own.

It hurts no one else for me to believe this, so believe it I will.

I love this quote by Roald Dahl:

“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.”

I absolutely try to watch with world around me with glittering eyes, and if something happens to me that I suspect might be magical in origin, I run with it. Others don't have to agree with me, and I don't expect them to believe it, honestly, because those who don't believe in magic, after all, will never find it.

The idea of Frank Lloyd Wright following me through my journey to photograph his creations gives me a happy, warm, and optimistic feeling. I hope he approves, from wherever he is.