Another equally ethereal concept that Michals has tried repeatedly to reveal with his camera is the notion of human spirituality and enlightenment. "I have been interested in spiritual things forever and I always will be," he says. "I'm curious about everything. I'm curious about physics, I'm curious about who's speaking, I'm curious about the very nature of my very existence - and that is illumination."

9. The illuminated man 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Michals' contention - and the theme of one of his more famous images "The Illuminated Man" - is that while we all possess the power of finding illumination, or an enhanced consciousness, most of us totally ignore it.