THE MUSIC OF THE MOUNTAINS
Where weight is concerned, it does not matter how heavy anything is, what matters, is how long you are required to hold it up. The weight of an object doesn’t change over time, all that changes is the muscles ability to support it. Even a Butterfly can end up weighing as much as a pile of books after an hour of filming. Here is how I know.
I was on top of Mariposa mountain when a storm came rolling in. The temperature dropped very quickly, and because I was only wearing summer shorts and a polo shirt, I thought of ending the filming session early. Just as I was picking up my things, a twin tailed Pasha butterfly stopped by. I thought I would take a few pictures, maybe a short video, and then head back home.
The maximum length of video my camera can record, is fifteen minutes. At the end of the session the camera stops recording and I have to start another session. I set the camera to video mode, held out my hand and the butterfly came to settle. I started the video recording, and patiently waited for her to fly off, except she didn't. When the session ended I clicked the shutter release and waited to see what happened next.
Twin tailed Pasha (Charaxes Jasius)
THE SOUND OF SILENCE
"If you want to listen to the music of the mountains, you must run a diamond through the valleys."
When a record is played, the quality of sound is determined by the relationship between the needle and the groove. A diamond stylus must be light enough to oscillate freely within the groove, and at the same time heavy enough so that it doesn’t jump out of the groove. The secret to high fidelity reproduction, is perfect balance; the needle must remain in a state of perfect balance the entire time the record is playing, or the signal will be distorted
A Butterfly is the perfect natural diamond stylus.
“The first gulp from the glass of natural sciences will turn you into an atheist, but at the bottom of the glass,
God is waiting for you”
Werner Heisenberg Quantum physicist
When butterflies sense rain they usually go and hide. Midway through the second session, the Pasha was still happily sat there, but now, it felt as heavy as a bag of sugar. As weather conditions deteriorated the other butterflies disappeared. I was really very surprised that the Pasha stayed, but stay she did, for another full session. So now I have 30 minutes of video in total. I clicked the shutter release to start another session.
I was determined to see this interaction through to the end; I am so glad I did. The third session went without a hitch, but now, the camera felt like a bag of rocks. I was finding it increasingly difficult to maintain a steady grip and eventually had to reposition myself. it is during these adjustments that Butterflies can get spooked and fly off. I did think this might be the end, but no. The third session ended and the Pasha was happily sat there, waiting for something, so it seemed. I clicked the shutter release for the fourth time, and waited.
At 1m:40s into the last session the Pasha started to share a vibratory signal which passed straight on to me. The message came in the form of a high speed sequence of vibrations, like a modem signal. long and short flurries of activity, which felt amazing actually. When you watch the video, you will see that the vibrations are caused by a conscious and intentional act.
If you want to discover more about the power of vibrations, click here.