{"id":1915,"date":"2024-11-13T18:54:46","date_gmt":"2024-11-13T17:54:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/johnny-gustavsson.se\/wordpress\/?p=1915"},"modified":"2025-05-20T13:51:47","modified_gmt":"2025-05-20T11:51:47","slug":"from-darkness-to-light","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/johnny-gustavsson.se\/wordpress\/from-darkness-to-light\/","title":{"rendered":"From darkness to Kali, the goddess of death"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

My friends, Jorge and Mathias, along with Shimaya<\/a> from Beyond Nudity, invited me on a walk outside of Amsterdam. All they asked was that I photograph a ritual\u2014nothing more. On the way there, as we crossed a quiet stream, I saw a heron. It stood motionless on a stone, its ancient silhouette and piercing gaze. The heron felt like an omen as it unfolded its wings and slowly flew away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"symbolic<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We continued our walk, and soon we stopped at a large uprooted tree, rising from the ground like a backdrop holding ancient secrets. The three of them began to remove their clothes. It quickly became clear that the ritual would be a symbolic journey, filled with shamanistic and pagan elements. A transformation that reflected the stages of alchemy\u2014from darkness and dissolution to light and wholeness, from nigredo to rubedo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Was this some kind of artistic expression, a way to challenge their own limits, or something entirely different? I was judgmental, perhaps because I didn\u2019t understand what they were trying to convey. But the camera captured what I saw, even though I wasn\u2019t sure what I was experiencing. They seemed unaware of my presence, but perhaps I was still part of the ritual, a spectator who would later share this moment with others who weren\u2019t there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Memento
Memento mori emphasizes that death is a constant presence and a reminder to live consciously. It can be likened to Kali, who reminds us that both life and the ego are transient, and that by accepting this we can find spiritual liberation.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the ritual\u2019s dynamics, gender roles became apparent. The men\u2019s presence felt like a source of power, but it was the woman who carried a special symbolism. She represented memento mori, the reminder of death\u2019s constant presence, our fleeting nature. The clay that covered their bodies connected them to the earth, as if they were returning to something primal and eternal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
\u201cContact with clay and bare skin brought forth visions of ancient times. Anger, sorrow, and fear\u2014emotions carried through generations. Every life is a ritual, a new encounter to see where we truly are,\u201d Jorge explained.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"A
Shimaya explained, \u201cFor me, the mask also symbolizes our ephemeral nature. Each of us has limited time here on earth. Our actions become more meaningful, and all our attachments become visible. When we are aware of our surroundings from this perspective, we can make wiser decisions for the benefit of all sentient beings.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The ritual ended as the participants sculpted a woman\u2019s body from clay. They embraced her, loved her, and in their movements, there was both reverence and desire. This clay figure became a final tribute to life and death, to creation and decay, a reflection of something greater than themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Like<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps the heron had already seen all of this. I was there to capture the moments with my camera, but their meaning was beyond my understanding, and the interpretation is left for someone else.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My friends, Jorge and Mathias, along with Shimaya from Beyond Nudity, invited me on a walk outside of Amsterdam. All they asked was that I photograph a ritual\u2014nothing more. On the way there, as we crossed a quiet stream, I saw a heron. It stood motionless on a stone, its ancient silhouette and piercing gaze. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1899,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"slim_seo":{"title":"From darkness to Kali, the goddess of death - Johnny Gustavsson","description":"My friends, Jorge and Mathias, along with Shimaya from Beyond Nudity, invited me on a walk outside of Amsterdam. All they asked was that I photograph a ritual\u2014n"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1915","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nude-fine-art"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/johnny-gustavsson.se\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1915","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/johnny-gustavsson.se\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/johnny-gustavsson.se\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/johnny-gustavsson.se\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/johnny-gustavsson.se\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1915"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/johnny-gustavsson.se\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1915\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2546,"href":"https:\/\/johnny-gustavsson.se\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1915\/revisions\/2546"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/johnny-gustavsson.se\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1899"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/johnny-gustavsson.se\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1915"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/johnny-gustavsson.se\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1915"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/johnny-gustavsson.se\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1915"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}