Responding to the idea that there was a monk with three doubts and a Goddess who would transform herself into a human with three longings, I brought together two friends of mine who had never met. The guidelines for the shoot were that they could not speak to one another for the duration of the photo session, nor except rarely see each other’s faces, since they would be positioned one in front of the other. They could rely only on the connection of touch. It was up to them to be present and respond.

We talked a bit. They dressed. It began. Six hours later, it was complete. We were speechless. We were changed. For each of the three of us, it was a transforming experience of trust, compassion, love and the healing power of kindness. I didn’t know what my images would reveal, but I knew what I had witnessed through my lens.

The results? Quiet amazement, as we sat witness to what was offered in the images. Each portrait whispered, sang, shouted, even danced bits of a story I had yet to write. In the following months, I remained open to flickers of images, like Tinkerbells dancing across water. I gathered them up. I assembled the details—and a journey of enlightenment emerged. A journey as much for myself as for the Monk and the Goddess.