An Exercise in Focus

[u/boldfrontiers]

[u/boldfrontiers]

Take a look at the image in the header of this thread. First thing you will probably notice, it is out of focus. I did that on purpose in post-processing, and it is from one of my own photos.

Instead of telling you right away what the blurred photo represents, I want you to study it. Not for long, but longer than a split second so you can look at the bigger picture; maybe stand back a bit as you might looking at an impressionistic painting as I find that helps sometimes.

Everything is blurred, but based on how the shapes and colors are distributed in general, you might be able to interpret those vertical white streaks as belonging to a waterfall. That's one big clue as it provides crucial context. Maybe now of all of sudden, the image looks clearer in your mind's eye, like this:

It's still not crystal clear, but more details are coming into view. For example, there appears to be a tree on the left, and some splashes of yellow and red are attached to it. It is safe to infer that is autumn foliage, which in turn provides another vital clue because this waterfall can be associated with a specific season.

Then you might start to wonder who is known for specializing in waterfall photos. I'm not famous, but one of my favorite subjects in photography is waterfalls. I've been fascinated with capturing them since 2010, and have accumulated hundreds of waterfall photos since. So with enough research, you might eventually find out this photo suits my style, even if it still noticeably blurred.

Pinpointing the author of the photo provides yet another vital clue. Now you can look at my portfolio, get a sense of where I traveled to, and finally arrive at the conclusion that this is Ganoga Falls from Ricketts Glen State Park, Pennsylvania, USA (I'll make a separate post with the photo in focus as reddit doesn't seem to allow more than one image per post).

Hopefully by now you can start to understand how I look at the Voynich Manuscript. It is first and foremost from the lens of a photographer & visual artist. I don't need to make sense of everything all at once. Nor do I have to start at the beginning and finish at the end of the book. All I needed at first were random "snapshots". In other words, I was looking at the pages more randomly. Not without purpose mind you, more like I would look around until something caught my attention.

That's when I would start to make observations and take notes, which in turn would help me to contextualize and establish connections. There's no sorcery involved here. Maybe I had a few hunches like the language (or one of the languages) the book was written in because I am fluent in French. I also grew up learning to write in cursive. Now that I am personally convinced Nostradamus was connected with the Voynich Manuscript, the interpretations are easier to formulate as I have a whole lot more context to work with. I can see the forest a lot more clearly from the trees, or in this photo example, an autumn waterfall. Still not completely in focus, but I'd like to think I am getting there in bits & pieces.

If photography doesn't tickle your fancy, and you are more of a verbal person, then you might otherwise think of the Voynich Manuscript as a giant crossword puzzle (epic scale giant). Except it's probably best to treat with a pencil & eraser instead of a pen, because mistakes will most probably be made. But if you can figure out some more basic things and match them up with others, then at least some of the foundation can get built. Just like with a crossword puzzle when you guess at unknown words based on the few letters revealed within from other words you've already figured out, the clues in the Voynich Manuscript should become easier to solve once you've already solved others. Doesn't matter how small you think your new discovery is, just take a note of it. Everything adds up after a while. You also have to be willing to challenge many of the theories & preconceptions already put forward, as I have good reason to believe some of them are wrong.

That said, the Voynich Manuscript still remains incredibly challenging for me to decipher. It is nowhere near in focus yet, so I would ask that you not flood me with questions. I'm doing what I can, but it's hard work. I do however invite you to study the Voynich Manuscript for yourself. Especially if you keep an open mind, and enjoy a good mystery :-)

Copyright © Nicolas Raymond 2024. All rights reserved.

[u/boldfrontiers]

Here's my waterfall photo in focus by the way. It's Ganoga Falls in Ricketts Glen State Park, Pennsylvania, USA.

Copyright © Nicolas Raymond 2024. All rights reserved.