Yesterday, we finished with the topics in the book and today we are starting at the beginning of the book and going through each topic, one-by-one. We ended in joy, serenity, and peace, and it’s nice to know that that’s where we’re eventually headed.

Webs of Fear

The book begins with fear. Interestingly enough, it was the verse for the picture on the right that led me to realize I was writing a book. Up until that point, I had no idea I was creating one.

“Over here,” I was photographing these great wrought-iron gates, and “over there,” I was journaling every day to sort out my feelings and emotions, and to preserve my sobriety.

One day I wrote in my journal, “I have spent a lifetime spinning webs of terror and shame between the spires that stand as sentinels to my heart.”

I immediately stopped, flabbergasted, because I had just titled the image above “Webs of Fear,” in preparation for showing it in a gallery. These words I had just written gave voice to the photo far beyond the visual element.

Well, this prompted a search of all my journals and soon I had found prose that fit about 25 gate photographs. It was at this point that I realized I was creating a book. For the next six years, I gathered together the prose and photos, ending up with a book with 42 photos, prose, and titles. During that six years, I also spent time gaining the courage to present it to the world.

And that is the story of how the book was created. Tomorrow, I’d like to deal with the fear you experience when you step into your Being, when you step up for all the world to see you. This is what I experienced when I started to get my book published. It stopped the process for two years, as I dealt with and overcame that fear. I’ll relay some tips of how I was able to bring my book, and myself, out in the world.