A Few Fractals...

I believe in God, reincarnation, karma, and the importance of treating others the way I would like to be treated. However, I am not a religious person.

With that said, I have read parts of the Bible. And there is one sentence that fascinates me more than anything else: “Let there be light”.

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.  – Genesis 1:3

In Latin, the words translate as ‘fiat lux’ and do not just refer to the creation of light. They are also often used to express the concept of wisdom.

From my late teens until my early 30s, I suffered from deep depression. The kind that hurts the mind so much that the body feels it too. Sometimes, lying in the foetal position was the only thing I was able to do.

And yet, even in my worst moments, I could see a speck of light. It just seemed completely out of reach.

One day, though, I noticed that the dot had become slightly larger. I was not too sure of what was going on. So, I sat up in my bed to try and see better, and felt less pain.

The size of the circle of light grew daily, leading to some sort of awakening in my mind and body. And then, one morning, I found myself surrounded by pure joy. Nothing else existed.

The joy hasn’t left me since.

The above fractal is my attempt at depicting what went through my soul when it finally understood the beauty of self-love. It is about light as a messenger of life and hope.

I would not be the person I am today without those painful years. Depression taught me to appreciate the little things and moments, and take nothing for granted. And for that I am (very) grateful.

I don’t know about you, but I love the word “wavelength”.

The distance between the highest points (crest) or lowest points (troughs) in two consecutive waves.

A wave is not just a moving shape on the surface of a liquid. It can also be something that doesn’t involve sight or touch, like energy, voice, or the emotions or thoughts two people share.

Being on the same wavelength as someone implies a common understanding of things, as well as open and constructive communication.

To me, the concept of wavelength is part of the Butterfly Effect, which I briefly discussed recently. If a wave hits an obstacle, it will bounce back in a different direction, bend, or spread out, hence interfering with the waves that follow.

That is the idea behind today’s fractal.

We miss many important lessons in our lives because of our intense focus on the half-emptiness in our glasses. We are on the outside looking in way too often.

Yes, our world is imperfect. Yes, 99% of the population has nothing to do with the current atrocities and problems we see in many areas. And yet, each individual behavior plays a role in the long-term fate of the status quo.

Our reactions to the waves we encounter create the very obstacles that cause those waves to bounce back, bend or spread out in our backyards and the backyards of our neighbours.

There is no way around that fact.

The above fractal is among the first ones I created. New Path is based on the concept of information and brain cells.

I often picture brain cells as full of light whenever they transmit information to the entire body. Without them, we would not be able to think, feel, or move. We would not even be able to understand the world around us!

I am not a scientist. I highly doubt I’ll ever be able to fully grasp how the brain works. However, I remain amazed by what it allows us to achieve throughout our lives.

That is the reason why it is important to treat it right.

• Eat healthful food, drink plenty of water, and sleep at least 6 hours per night.
• Be curious. Ask questions.
• Read a lot of inspirational content.
• Find your passion(s).
• Educate yourself. Question your beliefs as often as possible.
• Learn the value of well-argued and well-balanced debates.

No matter how angry, sad, overwhelmed, or depressed you may feel, always aim to embrace the positive in the end.

Stay away from trolls, bullies, and emotional leeches.

Finally, turn off your smartphone or computer once in a while. Seek silence and welcome solitude. Breathe!

In a nutshell, take “the road less traveled by” (to quote Robert Frost’s famous poem), and see the difference it can make in your life.

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That's it for today! Thank you for reading!

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Cendrine Marrouat is a writer, photographer, podcaster, blogger, anthology editor, and the co-founder of Auroras & Blossoms and A Warm Cup of Cozy. She has authored and co-authored more than 40 books, including The Train: A Short Story (2023), In Her Own Words: A Collection of Short Stories & Flashku (2022), After the Fires of Day: Haiku Inspired by Kahlil Gibran & Alphonse de Lamartine (2021), Rhythm Flourishing: A Collection of Kindku and Sixku (2020), Walks: A Collection of Haiku (2019-2020), and In the Silence of Words: A Three-Act Play (2018).

Cendrine's work has appeared in many publications. She is the creator of the Sixku, Flashku, Sepigram, and Reminigram; as well as the co-creator of the Kindku, Pareiku, Vardhaku, and Hemingku.