Planes of existence

I generally don’t shoot a picture to intentionally make a point or convey a message, other than “Hey, I saw something pretty or interesting and here it is.” Such was the case with this grouping of reeds on Defiance Lake in Moraine Hills State Park in McHenry, Illinois. Most of the time, it’s only after studying the finished photograph and pondering why I found it interesting that a meaning occurs to me.

A little internet digging into the symbolism of reeds revealed that in many cultures, reeds are considered an Axis Mundi, or world axis which can be used to join or travel between the planes of Heaven, earth, and Hades. I guess it makes sense, since reeds are deeply rooted in the mud, emerge through a watery layer and reach to the sky. In Christian symbolism, reeds represent baptism and the righteous ones thriving upon the rivers of God. Of course, in Christianity, the Axis Mundi is the cross on which Jesus died. It’s our connector from the mud of this life with the glory of heaven.

It was only after I had processed this photo for uploading that I noticed the reflection of clouds and sky on the surface of the water. The reflection of heaven on the surface of this life and the reeds reaching toward the higher plane. Hmmm, a self-portrait, perhaps?

Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph © 2007 James Jordan.