Sometimes you're born into a family, sometimes you marry into one and sometimes you find your family in a room filled with sweaty headstanders. But whether you are bound by blood or love or belief, family means family photos. Usually the family comes first. But recently I discovered a part of my family I wouldn't have known about without the pictures. Orbs. Frisky quanta of light, bouncing around my pictures.

According to Wikipedia, Orbs are 'just a symptom of new digital camera tech, capturing previously sub-visible particles."  Where's the 'just' in 'previously sub-visual'? Debunkers claim they are dust, or moisture or due to a digital effect. But in fact I have pictures of orbs I shot with an old fashioned SLR during the day. I didn't notice them in those shots at first, maybe because I wasn't looking for them. But my own semi-scientific experiments suggest that consciousness is more at play than humidity here.

My first orb shot ever -  happens to feature Felicia Tomasko the beloved editor of  LA Yoga Magazine. I was telling her I’d seen orb photos and was like 'why don’t I get any orbs in my photos?' Then I snapped this picture. Seek and ye shall find? I notice the orbs like it if I demand they show up but not if I whine. They also like it when I feel loving, or when there’s music or art around. They like it when I’m playing with friends. They also seem to like my garbage can. Hmmm.

A close up. While some orbs are almost transparent, some are showing up that have this cottony, cloudy thickness with spirals and letter-forms patterning inside. I’m trying to detect synchronicities of these patterns and my consciousness. They are getting me to pay closer attention to my focus. A constant reminder that I’m not seeing everything yet. And that real miracles are when you see things differently. Some of my friends can see the orbs without a camera. When I’m jealous of those friends I’m pretty sure I get shot of green orbs.

Greg took this shot of me at one of the olive trees in our back yard. We love this tree and consider her to be part of our family. There are always orbs around her. Now the orbs are starting to feel like part of our family too. And while we don’t totally understand them, there are lots of our human relatives we don’t understand either. Greg is partial to the theory that the Orbs are bio-photons of some enormous intergalactic being(s) of love. I’ve heard some entities call the orbs, flocks. And angels. And signs in the skies. Signs of what? The human species evolving from homo sapien to homo luminous?

Here's a picture of me making a toast at our dear friends John and David’s wedding. The orb is the same color as John’s head. Oh those orbs have a good sense of humor. And are clearly for equal marriage rights for gays. Or possibly angling for a sip of my champagne.

Solly, the very bright young son of our long time friend Joel, is sure that the orbs are space ships. Of course some people say space ships don’t come from out there but from right here in a parallel reality. Others say that the orbs are a sign that the dimensions are thinning, or that they are the energy freed from human chakras as the people pass to the other side. I can’t even think of it as the other side any more. The other side implies an either or. Here or there. When it seems clear there are so many sides. Which are all one. In union. Yoga.

Kasey Luber of yogamates.com just finished meditating by the Buddha (tucked behind the umbrella and at the foot of another olive tree) under where the orb still hovers. Some orbs love meditators – we call those meditatorbs.

Om mani padme om. The jewel in the lotus. Bright shiny jewels – these orbs and the eyes we see them with. Jewels - these stars, loves, truths, lights of our hearts. We must become more familiar now with these jewels, these mani. We must form the Family of Mani. All one family. In union. Not this or that. Not either or. Now is the time to practice yoga. Every now. Not either or, either orb.

(Tech note: I have enhanced the brightness and contrast in several of these photos but there is absolutely no photoshopping or superimposition of the images.)

More of my Orb photos on flickr

More from Malone Mills, professional Orb photographer

Interview with Malone by Sea Glassman

Read more My Other Car Is A Yoga Mat columns

Get the license plate frame

Express your love of yoga when you drive instead of advertising some car dealership.

(landscape not included)

Listen and subscribe to the My Other Car Is A Yoga Mat podcast on iTunes.