I couldn’t resist it, after mentioning the dreaded O word I have to say my two pennies worth, and get it all off my chest. Orbs, if you haven’t come across them, are blobs or points of light. These days the term is almost always used to describe the ones that appear on photographs.
As I mentioned in a previous post, the mind, body, spirit sector seems to have latched on to orbs as ‘emanations from spirit that modern digital cameras can actually photograph!’ There are plenty of books around with titles such as Orbs Speak, Ascension through Orbs, Orbs the Veil is Lifting. I get a little cross about this whole money spinning gravy train.
Pollen
The above photo is of a waterfall in Deeside, it feeds a stream into a very atmospheric natural cauldron, but the orbs are not spirits, they are raindrops. Probably 99% of all the orbs on photos can be explained as raindrops, dust motes or pollen. The fast shutter speeds on the modern digital camera mean that these can be picked up very easily, especially if you use a flash. If you want to prove it to yourself, shake your bed covers and then take a photo, your room will be full of orbs!
Dust Mote
I suppose it must seem a bit odd that someone who does believe in Spirit, is sceptical about orbs. I do actually believe that, on very, very rare occasions they may be photos of a manifestation. In my experience though, orbs are seen as bright, golden pin pricks of light. I see them quite often at work, tracking across the room.
I guess what I am trying to say is that it is healthy to have a little scepticism when dealing with the otherworldly. After all if you accept everything carte blanche you can actually mask the magic when it occurs. Certainly Druidry, and probably all spiritual traditions, encourages their students to question everything, and to learn through experience, rather than from other’s revelations. To do this you need to keep your common sense, your sense of perspective, and most importantly your sense of humour!
