Photo of the Month
On this page we highlight a new photograph each month with information about the story that led to the photograph. This month we offer a message of hope at this challenging moment.
One frustration of doing landscape photography in the Southwest is that one occasionally gets to a place to make a photograph and is convinced it is the first time anyone photographed there. This view upstream on the Rio Grande was one such place for me. But recently I was watching a documentary of the photographer Laura Gilpin and discovered she beat me here by half a century. Below the Navajo prayer is a screen grab from the documentary of her photograph. I would love to see the actual work.
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Walking in Beauty: The Closing Prayer from the Navajo Blessing Way 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 forever, 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…
It is finished in Beauty.
It is finished in Beauty.
Aho.
If you would like to listen to the prayer in Navajo,here is a link.The prayer starts 1 minute 22 seconds into the recording.
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 forever, 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…
It is finished in Beauty.
It is finished in Beauty.
Aho.
If you would like to listen to the prayer in Navajo,here is a link.The prayer starts 1 minute 22 seconds into the recording.
