Longtails and spirit scarves, Krabi, Thailand

Longtails and spirit scarves

Tied to the prow
Long colourful scarves
Honouring the water spirits
And Mae Yanang
Goddess of journeys
A bid for safe passage
And good fortune

Some see superstition
And irrationality
I see a deeper wisdom:
A belief that the world
Should be made beautiful
To honour the spirit
Of existence

Spirit Scarves
Krabi
Thailand

Taken during travels, 1995

Some see our superstitions and spiritual beliefs as a cage which can only be unlocked by the application of reason and the method of inquiry called science. Perhaps there is some truth in that. But what I also see is how belief and a sense of spiritual connection underlies much of our art. Few poets and painters rely on science or articulate reason for inspiration, for thematic gesture.

So where others see a cage, I see the spirit unleashed.

And all that is justification enough to post this as a response to Jennifer Nichole Wells‘ One Word Photo Challenge which, this week, happens to be Cage

On a bit more of a stretch, when our bus arrived in Krabi, there were more longtails than necessary to transport the passengers onward to Railay Beach. These were the spares… so a response to this week’s WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge.