Beauty is in the…

We’ve all heard the saying, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”  Literally, it means whatever one person sees as beautiful IS beautiful.  And we know this to be true, there are so many different attributes people see as beautiful, and they aren’t all the same!  Some people like blonde hair, others like red, brown and still others prefer brunette…straight, wavy, curly, long medium, short.  Some people prefer purple, others think green is the color, others like orange best.  Some people like muscular, other’s don’t.  People tend to a have vastly different criteria for what they believe is beautiful.  Another interesting saying is “Beauty is only skin deep.”   This one tends to refer to character rather than actual physical beauty.  And there are just as many personality trait favorites as physical ones.

We tend to think of beauty as something that is pretty, lovely, attractive and pleasing to the eye.  BUT, there’s more than just sight that needs to be pleased!  Let’s take a look at the actual definition of the word “beauty.”  Merriam Webster defines “beauty” as, “the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit.”  Add a definition for the word “beautiful,” “generally pleasing,” and you can get a sense that both words can also mean beauty with regards to something not necessarily seen, like beauty that strikes our mind, heart, soul, or maybe even our spirit.  I think we can all agree that what is generally pleasing to the eye is not always pleasing to these other aspects of our selves, and that’s worth noting!

Take for instance a beautiful plant or flower.  We expect it to be very wonderfully fragrant, but that’s not always so.  What surprises may lurk within the walls of a beautiful house, which could be hiding a money pit of repairs.  A nice looking car could cost us a fortune in repairs, as well.  Or, what about a beautiful person with an angry disposition?  All of these may be pleasing to the eye, but none would fulfill other parts of our being.  BUT, I think we could all agree that a sweet smelling flower, a nice sturdy home, a solidly built car or someone with a wonderful personality, regardless of outward appearance, can touch more than just our eyes, protecting us from disaster.  Also, looking past the aesthetically pleasing could reach our very soul and spirit…the true essence of who we are.  What can be more fulfilling than that?

We live in an age of where almost nothing physical is out of reach.  Car, home, things, person, but we are always searching, never satisfied.  Why?

We are complex beings and to satisfy us, we need more than beauty that we can see.  We need beauty that touches our mind, heart, soul…our spirit!  Wouldn’t the world be a much better place if we all started looking with not just our eyes, but our entire being?  Oh, what we would be able to sense…to feel on a cellular level!  Looking with just our eyes can be fun, but it can also be deceiving.  Looking with our entire being, now there’s how we will find true beauty!

Divine Artistry

Seasons change in a whirlwind of colors.
As the earth prepares to quietly slumber,
some greens fade to yellow and orange and to red.
Some transform into a brilliant burgundy.

As leaves tumble gently down to the ground,
the sky somehow seems clearer, the breeze crisp.
The beautifully shaded flowers blooming for Fall
mesh perfectly with the brightly colored pumpkins.

As Fall slips away, making room for Winter,
colors give way to sharp contrasts of evergreens
against crystal blue skies or brilliant white snow.
Simplistic, yet brilliant, pictures with few colors.

As Winter draws back, Spring’s varied colors return;
The rebirth of Nature in its magnificent glory.
Leaves and buds unfurling, stretching out to the sky,
as once-barren plants awaken in a sunny, warming glow.

Spring gently pushes Summer to take its place,
with even more breathtaking color, warmth and life.
Mother Nature dances, unceasing, through each changing moment,
as we look on with amazement at her staggering beauty.

Many take for granted the exquisite nature of Earth.
Yet with each passing season, its own beauty abounds.
And try as they might, artist cannot recreate its
meticulous texture, color and elegance.

And so the canvas of God lies in waiting…

Taking Cues From Mother Nature

A cool front moved through here between Saturday and yesterday, leaving us with temperatures 20 to 25 degrees cooler for the past two days than most of last week.  As Summer fades into Autumn, the night breeze has a slight chill, as does the daytime breeze, and for some reason, overnight the air seems to be more crisp and clean.  It is a beautiful day here today, and even the sunshine seems somehow prettier.  As things have died out over the Summer heat, the plants that managed to withstand the brutal heat seem to be even brighter.

Our part of the earth is preparing to hibernate, as Autumn will surely give way to Winter.  Our area will be at rest, rejuvenating for the next phase, Spring…and the cycle will repeat…waking, living, resting & sleeping, waking, living, resting & sleeping…on and on it goes.

We tend to push ourselves to the breaking point every single day.  Most of us don’t have too much trouble with the waking part of our day, but we try to cram so much “stuff” into it that we ignore one of the most important thing we can do for ourselves.  Rest & sleeping…

If we pay attention to nature, we can get clues.  Take for instance the perennials.  They sprout forth their life, grow, start to wither and die, only to repeat the cycle, sometimes even bigger and better over the following years.  I’d like to use, as examples, two particular plants; Crape Myrtles and Pampas Grass.

When I lived in Texas, everyone grew Crape Myrtles.  One particular fellow had a fence lined with Crape Myrtles.  I passed his place everyday on my way to work.  Before I knew much about them (I still don’t know too much!), at the beginning of Autumn, he cut every single one of them to the ground.  I thought to myself, “What the heck are you doing, mister?” because they were beautiful…smaller, but beautiful.  The next Spring, after resting the Autumn and Winter, they came back with a vengeance!  They grew bigger and more full, and even more beautiful…that next Fall, he did the same thing…Cut them to the ground!  Yet, in the Spring, they came back and grew even bigger and more lovely…

My parent’s driveway is lined with Pampas Grass.  It is a beautiful sight when they are covered in full plumes.  People here, in the Midwest, grow them, as well.  What they do here, though, in Autumn, is cut them down and burn them off…If you know nothing about it, it sounds crazy, right?  Yet the following year, after the Autumn and Winter rest, they come back fuller and more beautiful.

The same goes for deciduous trees, as well…Ever seen a Maple Tree go through it’s cycle?  Another lovely tree with a similar cycle is the popular Bradford Pear.  Beautiful life emerges in the final throws of Winter and the onset of Spring as the trees flower.  Pretty leaves emerge (most are green, but there are other colors as well.  Japanese Maples are famous for their red or red lined leaves and are very popular ornamental trees!) and by Summer, they are covered with leaves.  In Autumn, as the trees wind down for rest, the leaves put on a SPECTACULAR show as they change color from green to yellow to orange and to red (sometimes having all four colors on one leaf!), as the tree gets ready to shed its leaves for the upcoming hybernation. It is an awesome show!

I have known many people who leave the trees to their own devices, once they are established, and they do alright.  I have also known others to nurture and care for their trees, and boy do they flourish!

There are a couple of things we can learn from Mother Nature…

First, we NEED our rest and relaxation to rejuvenate.  Sure, we can go and go and go all day long, deep into the night, crash onto our beds, get a few hours of sleep, get up the next day and do it all again, but that pace takes a toll on our body, and on our psyche.  Our bodies need proper rest, and nourishment if we plan to live long lives.  Lack of sleep leads to stress, confusion and moodiness.  Stress is one of the main sources for dis-ease and bodily malfunction in otherwise healthy adults.  Lack of sleep causes us to not “think” to our fullest capacity, causing us confusion, which breeds frustration, and then anger.  These are preventable things, if we nourish ourselves through proper rest and diet.

Second, Mother Nature can also show us the beauty of life and dignity in death.  As both the Crape Myrtle and the Pampas Grass and deciduous tree examples show us, we can live our lives in beauty and splendor, and at the end, if we do not fear our life or death, we can transition into our next great adventure, and be even more splendid at that.  Many religions teach us about life after death, reincarnation, etc.  So, as you watch Nature, you can see what happens after it appears to “die.”  The next “life” is so much bigger and more beautiful…and on it goes…

Take good care of yourself, respect yourself and don’t be afraid of what is to come.  Take time to “rest.”  There is nothing wrong with simply being still for a while!  Sure, you can take a vacation every year, but what about a little rest every day?  Take a short walk, relax in a warm bath, read, listen to music, take up a hobby, or yoga.  Get proper rest, and then be SURE to get proper sleep!   The things to promote rest do not have to take up much of your time, but the benefits of rest and sleep are unending!  I challenge each of you to take on your life, but treat it with respect.  Grow, live and nurture your life.   And, try treating every living thing with the same “respect for life” and see what you cultivate in your own!  Many Blessings!

 

Blessings!

Intentionally Positive…

Want to see some interesting news?  Take a look at this…Jellyfish are shutting down nuclear power plants!  This was sent to me by another friend and great spiritual soul like ourselves.  Read the story…While humankind has no regard for the
environment and its own lives, nature can, and apparently will, take care of it itself!  It is amazing!  Also, these photos of grains of sand remind me of the first stanza of a poem by William Blake,

To see the world in a grain of sand,
And Heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
and eternity in an hour…

Amazing what the world can do…As many of us who study alternative medicine know, some cultures view the body as a mini solar system.  I think we would be very foolish to think that if our own bodies can heal themselves, given the right energy, so, too, can our earth.  Does this mean we need to trash her?  Heavens no!!!  This world is amazing…even if some of the people on her are totally unaware!

What we do need to do is realize the potential in positive energy and concentrate all we can on it…Positivity can change our outlook and our attitude, our health…and even the world (population and the physical earth)!

Today, may we vow to always strive to look at the world, events and our own lives in the most positive light we can…and by doing so, maybe we can change the outlooks, attitudes, and health of the world!

Within

Moving forward, ever so slowly,
we seem to always be searching,
and yet never finding,
our truth.

Minutes turn into hours, into days
and then weeks.  People tell us
what they think we want
to hear.

Little do we know what we long for
has been inside us all along.
A Gift from the One who
loves us…

Truth is, we know the truth, but
are afraid to embrace it
for fear it may not approve
of us.

Only problem is, we are the ONLY ones
who have to approve…
and we cannot  seem to
accept that.

Drowning in our own self-made sorrow,
we turn, pitifully, to another,
someone else who has given up,
turned away…

Blind and deaf, we chose to move,
yet all along we have been given
eyes to see and
ears to hear.

We are better than this…
We all possess within
the power to do great things
and to be GREAT!

It is time we quit wasting time
and precious energy
and become who we really are
’cause wasted time just isn’t good enough
for who we really are;
the child of a MIGHTY Creator!

“Eye Candy”

The beauty of the season surrounds us
as we move to and fro.
Here and there we pass,
taking in sights and smells
once far removed as our world slumbered…

As we appreciate
the artistry that can’t be matched,
violets, deep purples, yellows, white,
so many shades of green,
pinks, magenta, even blues
replace drab as this planet emerges.

So much “eye candy” as earth reawakens,
stimulating our inner soul,
and our mind and body accord,
inviting all to come and play,
reviving from their hibernation!