 Spiritual: July 28, 2010 Issue [#3881] |
  Spiritual
This week: B is for Beauty Edited by: Sophurky  
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Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Hi, I'm Sophurky ~ your editor for this edition of the Spiritual Newsletter. This week we'll return to our occasional series on the Alphabet of Spiritual Literacy, moving on to the letter B for Beauty.
The Rev. Scotty McLennan, author of the book "Finding Your Religion," compares humanity's innate need for spiritual searching to climbing a mountain. In his view, we are all endeavoring to climb the same figurative mountain in our search for the divine, we just may take different ways to get there. In other words, there is one "God," but many paths. I honor whatever path or paths you have chosen to climb that mountain in your quest for the Sacred.  |
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Amazon's Price: $ 4.99
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B is for Beauty
Do what is beautiful. God loves those who do what is beautiful.
From the Koran
Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.
Anne Frank
Continuing our occasional series based on the Alphabet of Spiritual Literacy by Frederick and Mary Ann Brussat, we move to the spiritual practice of the letter B for Beauty, which is described on the Spirituality and Practice web site as follows:
The Navaho blessing "May you walk in beauty" catches the essence of this spiritual practice. Beauty is both a path you travel and what surrounds you on the path. In the splendor of the Creation, we see its outer forms. In morality and benevolence, we recognize its inner expressions. Start this practice with the assumption that beauty is everywhere just waiting for you to notice it. Allow yourself to feel its effect upon your soul. Some experiences will stop you in your tracks and take your breath away. Others will be more subtle but equally sublime. Make your actions reflections of the beauty all around you. Clutter gets in the way of beauty. If we have too many things and tasks in front of us, we may not notice what is beautiful about them. The contrast is simplicity; by paring away excesses, we make an opening for splendor. Routine and rigid thinking also restrict our appreciation of beauty. If we are stuck in a rut, we never discover the refreshment waiting just around the corners of our daily schedule. If we have a narrow understanding of aesthetics, we are limited in our ability to recognize beauty's varied manifestations. Beauty is startling, stimulating, and soothing. Try this practice when you need to be pulled out of your habitual way of seeing and being. Its cultivation produces pleasure.
For some, Beauty may seem an unlikely or perhaps even unnecessary Spiritual Practice. There are at least three reasons for this initial aversion to including Beauty as a valid Spiritual Practice. The first reason is that for some of us, Beauty may seem an inconsequential or trivial spiritual practice, and we may wonder why it's part of the Spiritual Literacy Alphabet. I've already confessed that I wondered if it was a practice worth pursuing. Obviously that changed for me as I explored it in more depth, and will hopefully change for you as well.
The second reason is that much like Passion, Beauty often gets a bad rap within certain religious circles. Or if not a bad rap, it is certainly downplayed or seen as something negative and not to be sought after or paid attention to, especially for ourselves. For while we are certainly expected to celebrate the beauty of God's creation and find the beauty within others, in terms of our own beauty, in particular outer-beauty, we are encouraged to seek more substantial, important things because beauty fades and has little depth.
And the last reason Beauty may be an unlikely spiritual practice is because many of us struggle with accepting and acknowledging our own beauty. In other words, we may feel less than beautiful on the inside or in terms of how we look on the outside, or both. So if we struggle with acknowledging or accepting our own beauty, inner or outer, not only does it impact our self-esteem, but also the lens through which we view the rest of the world - which may cause us to struggle with being able to experience the beauty that is all around us.
Thomas Moore helped me over this particular hurdle to the spiritual practice of Beauty when he wrote,
"The discovery of your own beauty - and I don't mean this sentimentally - is the foundation of well-being. Your beauty is complex. It is not all good and wholesome. It is not a superficial thing but is the very substance of your being. Truly beautiful people are not necessarily physically healthy, emotionally together, easy to get along with, or productive and successful. Beauty usually requires some imperfection, transgression, or lacuna. The whole of your being, the good and the bad, is the stuff out of which your beauty makes an appearance. A lover may see it. A parent may embrace it. A friend may struggle with it but love it. . . ."
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It is shaped by cultural context, as well as personal experience. And yet, there seems to be some "ideal" of beauty, some properties that we would all recognize as beautiful regardless of our background or experience. We know that "beauty" exists apart from the object, for we can admire something as beautiful without coveting the object itself. Ultimately, we recognize something as beautiful when it illustrates a connection with the divine, with something larger than us - with the universal web of existence of which we are all a part. Beauty involves a sense of wonder and awe. It is a physical representation of an "ah-ha moment.' Or, one could say it is something physical that inspires an understanding of truth. Beauty, then, whether created by ourselves or other human effort, or recognized by us in nature, serves as a conduit to Spirit/God/The Ultimate.
Let me acknowledge that when there seems to be an overwhelming amount of injustice, evil, and violence in the world, it can be difficult for us to perceive the beauty that still surrounds us at every moment. Whether it be the ongoing wars in Iraq in Afghanistan; oil pumping into and destroying the Gulf waters, sea life, and coastal areas; the terminal diagnosis of a loved one - whatever it may be, sometimes events like these can act as blindfolds that keep our eyes from seeing the beauty that is around us. But that's why Unitarian minister Rob Eller-Isaacs says these are exactly the kinds of times we need to surround ourselves with beauty. For those of us who long for spirituality in the midst of devastation, Beauty has the power to fill us with awe and wonder as it allows us to become one with something far grander than ourselves. Beauty provides us with hope as it offers us glimpses of the mysterious, ambiguous Source of Life that underlies a creation that can sometimes seem so harsh. So in the midst of the darkness you perceive in the world, let the quote from Anne Frank pierce your heart most deeply - that she could write those words, "Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy," while hiding from the Nazis, is astounding, and inspiring.
Look around you -- see the beauty that surrounds us every moment of every day. Write about it!
Sophurky |
Below you'll find some offerings from other WDC members about beauty and/or beautiful things. Please let the folks know if you read their piece by leaving a thoughtful comment or review.
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#1692494 by Not Available. |
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An essay exploring the dynamic qualities of life be they mundane or beautiful...
#1671673 by Lory Jean  |
| | | beauty (E)
beauty... is a complex item like many other things in this world.
#1102926 by Naturess |
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This item number is not valid.
#1652838 by Not Available. |
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This item number is not valid.
#1608377 by Not Available. |
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Now for a few comments about my last newsletter about our "connectedness:"
From From Lauriemariepea
hi, sophy--
i loved this newsletter and its topic of connectedness. "the color purple" gives me chills every time i read it. really lovely stuff.
i like the idea of universal interconnection--that we are all different aspects of the same consciousness--it acknowledges the commonality of the world's belief systems, and underlines that above all we belong to each other, are responsible for each other. every living thing, every natural object and element, all sharing the energy moving through the universe. it's a wonderful idea.
i think until more people become aware of this connection and commit to acts of compassion and a more farsighted way of life this connectedness is only that--an idea. for those who realize it, it becomes true; but blocking the realization is easy, much easier than making significant change, and too many people look no further than their immediate circle of influence.
apologies for rambling on; i love this subject. 
thanks again,
laurie
No apologies necessary -- I'm thrilled this struck such a chord with you, and appreciate your sharing your thoughts, especially in terms of why more people need to become aware of this so that we can offer hope and life to those suffering all around us.
    
From Zeke 
The best example of our connectiveness can be seen in infants. They aren't bothered by all the walls we build later in our lives.
Zeke
Excellent and very true point!
From globug
I submitted this piece "Unique & Wonderful" because I think it relates to the vast interconnectedness and uniqueness of life. I was having trouble keeping up with all the newsletters, so, just last night I had deleted a couple including the spiritual NL, but seeing this posted on facebook has made me reconsider. Your topic of the interconnectedness of us all really resonated with me and my recent medications. I too, think that doubts are what keeps us searching and seeking for our direction and meaning. Great job! Thanks
Thank YOU for your kind comments, and for sharing your piece with us.
From BIG BAD WOLF is Howling 
If I need to read something Spiritual, this is the place I go to. Always a pleasure to read.
Awww, thank you very much! 
Please keep your comments and suggestions coming, they are greatly appreciated!
Until next time! Sophurky |
| ASIN: 0997970618 |
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Amazon's Price: $ 14.99
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