FX Clouds

FTLComm - Tisdale - Thursday, May 30, 2002

These pictures were taken yesterday around 6:30 with thunder clouds on three quadrants, the sound of thunder from the South and not a drop of rain. When we realise the power of our imagination, our ability to visualise and see things as we want to see them or think that they are, one is easily caught in the rapture of probable illusion. Since so much of what we think, we know is really illusory and we are the creator of these illusions. Clouds like those that filled the sky yesterday made me think of some grand

scheme of things by some practical joker deity The formidable nature of these sky scapes immediately makes one think of imminent storm and yet we have come to realise that in a "dry year" these trappings of possible precipitation are a part of the trick. Just as in movie making most of what we see on the screen is conjured up in what are referred to as "special effects" and for short the movie makers refer to all such sequences as "FX" shots. Images created as illusion to simulate the

real thing. In 1988 we were living in Herbert and that was one of the most arid years I had ever seen. That part of Saskatchewan was transformed from prairie land to dust clouds heading for Manitoba. But the skies that summer were amazing. Angry turbulent cloud formations threatening to rent the land asunder as armadas of sky bound dreadnoughts roared over head and of course they were all just "special effects." Little rain came from these shows just bluster and all the trappings of storm without the rain.

Close to seven the show was almost over last night, the director and producer of the evening pretend storms packed it up for another day and let a gentle wind blow to wash the clouds from the sky. But throughout our journey in life our desire and will exercise what may be reality, convincing us that what we want is about to happen, only to realise that all that really happened was our intense desire for what was not. Hope and illusion are as much a part of life as clouds and wind.