Lately, there's this discussion happening on Facebook, all about real or fake miracle photos. I am so happy that someone finally brought this up. For a long time, I have been trying to tell people that it's very difficult to capture a miracle photo nowadays, especially with the new digital cameras. It can create many effects that people might think it is a miracle photo.
Back in those days, where film was used for those analog cameras, miracle photos was also rare but when we finally captured one, it feels like a blessing.
Anyway, I am not going to share the photos that were discussed on Facebook. The uncle has taken few photos all around Google, some Sahaj and some non-Sahaj to make comparison.
Here's a recap:
1. Lights - These happened from slow shutter speed. I am not a professional photographer, but I have taken many of these photos, whether at Sahaj events or not. Try this at home with a digital camera. Don't shoot the altar. Try somewhere else, say a Christmas tree. Now adjust your digital camera to have slow shutter speed. Then while shooting the Christmas tree with lights on, move your camera around it when it starts to click. Now you can see the miracle lights photo.
I have tried this on a friend who was holding the sparklers during Chinese New Year and told her to write an alphabet. And ta-da....the alphabet appeared and seems like a miracle but it's not. She can even spell her name if she want to.
2. Orbs - I have a story to tell on this one. The first time I heard that the orbs represented something was through someone who is not in Sahaj. She showed me a photo where there were numerous orbs and then said that it is representing some kind of negativity and if I look really closely, I can see faces in those orbs. I tried to see, but can't really tell.
Then the second time, someone told me that the orb represented someone who meant a lot to her and had died and when it appears in the photo next to her, she felt his presence.
Now the third time, it's through a Sahaj sharing session, where a Sahaja Yogini went to Delhi for a puja and took a photo with yogis and there were so many orbs all around them. She insisted that they were vibrations.
I got truly confused. How can the orbs represent both, good and bad? So which is which?
Now try this. Go to a very dusty place. And make sure your lens are also dirty. Then start taking photos, any photo for that matter. You will see orbs.
Then try this. Clean your lens and take the same photo again. No more orbs, yes?
It's just dust.
3. Shaky photos - Shaky hands produced shaky photos. Even my 2 year old nephew can show you that.
What I cannot stand is yogis sharing shaky photos at self-realisation program and claiming them to be miracle photos. I have been trying to tell that it's all because of her shaky hands, but no one is listening. People are amazed by it. And if yogis said it has very good vibrations, well, the more the photo get endorsed.
Again, shaky photos are not miracle photos.
I just don't understand why we need all this confirmation to show that Divine exist. Divine exist everywhere especially in our hearts, if we keep our heart clean. Yes, taking a miracle photo can be a very fulfilling experience.
I used to aim my digital camera at altars and photos of Shri Mataji and Sahaja Yoga seminars just to see if I can capture a miracle photo. And it feels so good inside just to capture one, to show that Divine is there where our naked eyes cannot see. And in 2006, I managed to capture one when I was in LA with my lousy digital camera and I will still maintain that it is a miracle photograph, although it is not as impressive as those lights and orbs. This is because I took the same photo, at the same location, at the same zoom, at the same setting numerous times and yet I cannot get the that one photo where it looks like Shri Mataji appeared before Her arrival.
I have seen real miracle photographs, captured by both amateurs and professional photographer. And it's very different from what the lights and orbs and shaking photos looked like. I am sure many have seen those olden times, where miracle photos of vibrations appear in front of Shri Mataji.
And some said, well, checked vibrations and it was cool. So must be miracle photo. I guess this is a testing time for us. Vibrations will be there if yogis are there too. Vibrations are there if Shri Mataji's photo is in there. But please don't look outward for all this confirmation. Look inside us. Are there vibrations in us? In our hearts?
Have you seen the double rainbow photo after havan at Russia? That's a miracle photo.
It's so hard to define what's a miracle photo now. But use your discretion.
Oh, and please don't take those photoshopped photos as miracle photos. It's so easy to superimposed or do some effects on photos.
Miracle or not. It's in our heart. Listen to it. In fact, every single day, little miracles happen in our lives. If only we open our heart to see it.