This week: The Power of Beauty Edited by: Sophy New Year  
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Hi, I'm Sophy New Year ~ your editor for this edition of the Spiritual Newsletter.
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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The Power of Beauty
These days it seems there is so much ugliness in the world. Centuries of oppression based on race and gender and class and religion; national economies addicted to militarism, fossil fuels, ignoring climate change and making the rich even richer; suspicion of and malice toward anyone of a different race or culture; homophobia, transphobia, violence; inequities built into the very structures of society which many of us benefit from without even realizing it. The list of ugliness goes on and on. In particular these days it feels like racism and xenophobia are coming out from the rocks they used to hide under, with videos posted on social media of (usually) white people yelling at people of color, threatening them and calling them despicable names, brazenly, without any shame.
Some days it just seems like too much.
The philosopher Blaise Pascal wrote, “In difficult times, carry something beautiful in your heart.” So that is what I've been trying to do in the midst of all of the ugliness. For instance, this past Friday a little bit of beauty broke through the ugliness after the shooting in El Paso, Texas, when Antonio Basco stood in front of his wife's casket for two hours hugging strangers. His wife, Margie Reckard, 63, was one of 22 people killed when a gunman opened fire at a Walmart. The couple had no family in the area, so a few days earlier he invited anyone who wanted to come to the service, because he assumed no one would show up. When he walked into the La Paz Faith Memorial and Spiritual Center he was met with a storm of applause and a procession of 400 people waiting to hug him, while outside another 700 waited in nearly 100-degree heat to pay respects. Since Friday, I have carried that image of hundreds of strangers hugging Antonio Basco in my heart.
Difficult times require courage, commitment, hope, and self-care, all of which can be sustained by the beauty that is all around us. Whether it’s going for walk in nature areas, listening to beautiful music, reading a perfect poem or prayer, or stepping outside to see the full moon through the clouds at night and listen to the cicada song – during challenging and difficult times we need to remind ourselves to make the time for the beauty that will help us through. Finding beauty that nourishes helps us hold on to hope.
Always keep something beautiful in your heart, especially during times when it’s most difficult. If you can hold some kind of beautiful image that you are able to glimpse out of the corner of your eye every now and again, you can endure great bleakness. Blaise Pascal said, “In difficult times, carry something beautiful in your heart” – what do you carry? Write about it and let me know.
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Below you'll find some spiritual offerings from other WDC members. Please let the folks know if you read their piece by leaving a thoughtful comment or review. If you have something you would like me to highlight, please do share it with me, thanks!
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Here is a response to my last newsletter "Spiritual Newsletter (July 24, 2019)" about "Trust Circles:"
From Zeke 
Unfortunately there are some secrets so deep and terrible we can't even share them with ourselves. This piece offers great advice.
Zeke
Very true - and thank you for the compliment.
      
From Beholden 
Nice job of standing in the middle, trying to keep everyone happy. I wouldn't have your job for anything!
Not sure what this means - but thank you?! 
Please keep your comments and suggestions coming! Until next time! Sophy New Year
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Spiritual: August 21, 2019 Issue [#9715]
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