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Posts from the ‘Beauty’ Category

Feb 11

Indigo, Red, Green, Azure

“Life is a painting, and you are the artist. You have on your palette all the colors in the spectrum - the same ones available to Michaelangelo and DaVinci.” – Paul J. Meyer

“Life is a painting, and you are the artist. You have on your palette all the colors in the spectrum – the same ones available to Michaelangelo and DaVinci.” – Paul J. Meyer

Blessings of color, light, joy, peace and awe to you.
Your home and fortress.
A resting place and oasis.
Blank canvas.
Use all of the colors unsparingly.
Indigo, red, green, azure, yellow, purple and all the hues between.
Brilliant, bold, beautiful.
Blessings abound.

Beannacht / Blessing by John O’Donohue

“On the day when
the weight deadens
on your shoulders
and you stumble,
may the clay dance
to balance you.

And when your eyes
freeze behind
the grey window
and the ghost of loss
gets into you,
may a flock of colours,
indigo, red, green
and azure blue,
come to awaken in you
a meadow of delight.

When the canvas frays
in the currach of thought
and a stain of ocean
blackens beneath you,
may there come across the waters
a path of yellow moonlight
to bring you safely home.

May the nourishment of the earth be yours,
may the clarity of light be yours,
may the fluency of the ocean be yours,
may the protection of the ancestors be yours.

And so may a slow
wind work these words
of love around you,
an invisible cloak
to mind your life.”

Feb 10

Soul Nutrition

“Wherever you stand, be the Soul of that place.” – Rumi

May wonder still awaken in you
Delight in the journey
In small things, little delights
A walk into the woods
Listening to music
Observation of place
Prayer, meditation, reflection
Play, frolic, laughter
Unknowing, mystery, space
Explore and wander
Do not lose heart or stray from hope
Fill up, be nourished
Soul nutrition

“Put your heart, mind, and soul into even your smallest acts. This is the secret of success.” – Swami Sivananda

Feb 9

Treasure is Found

“The true secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life.” – William Morris

“The greatest treasures are those invisible to the eye but found by the heart.” — Judy Garland

In details
In nuance
In between
Treasure is found
Pay attention
Be alert
Observe the ordinary
Woven throughout
Treasure is found
In layers
In fragrance
In edges
In the midst
Treasure is found
In a glance
In a smile
In play
In a song, a dance
Treasure is found
In moments
In each day
Right beside you
Overflowing
Abundant
Treasure is found

“Happiness is your own treasure because it lies within you.” – Prem Rawat

Feb 8

Altars and Thrones

“The earth has received the embrace of the sun and we shall see the results of that love.” Sitting Bull

“The earth has received the embrace of the sun and we shall see the results of that love.” Sitting Bull

Before the Throne of Beauty XXVI by Khalil Gibran

“…After a deep silence, mingled with sweet dreams, I asked, “Speak to me of that beauty which the people interpret and define, each one according to his own conception; I have seen her honored and worshipped in different ways and manners.”

She answered, “Beauty is that which attracts your soul, and that which loves to give and not to receive. When you meet Beauty, you feel that the hands deep within your inner self are stretched forth to bring her into the domain of your heart. It is the magnificence combined of sorrow and joy; it is the Unseen which you see, and the Vague which you understand, and the Mute which you hear – it is the Holy of Holies that begins in yourself and ends vastly beyond your earthly imagination.”

…And as she withdrew, I found me alone in the valley. When I returned to the city, whose turbulence no longer vexed me, I repeated her words:

“Beauty is that which attracts your soul, and that which loves to give and not to receive.”

May you greet beauty daily, allowing it to wash over your soul.
Taken in and held.
Receive, without question.
Into the domain of your heart.
Altars and thrones.
Kneel in praise and awe.
Beauty abound to be witnessed and entered.
The Creator creating and recreating, in motion, in silence, at work.
Light breaks through, again and again.

Jan 24

Soul Gardner

“Roses do not bloom hurriedly; for beauty, like any masterpiece, takes time to blossom.” ― Matshona Dhliwayo

“Roses do not bloom hurriedly; for beauty, like any masterpiece, takes time to blossom.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo

“Won’t you come into the garden? I would like my roses to see you.” – Richard Brinsley Sheridan

Tend to the garden of your soul.
Daily.
Do not allow weeds of the world to take over.
Tend, nurture, root, prune, water, light.
With beauty, music, poetry, flowers, quiet, gratitude, hope, joy, faith, awe, laughter, delight.
Slow down to see the layers, colors, complexity, simplicity, duality, mutuality, brilliance.
Into the deep, beneath the waves to the current.
Unknowing, re-seeing, mystery, expanse, cosmos and order.

“In all chaos there is a cosmos, in all disorder a secret order.” – Carl Jung

Jan 15

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Focal Point

“Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others.” – Jonathan Swift

“Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others.” – Jonathan Swift

“Art, in itself, is an attempt to bring order out of chaos.” – Stephen Sondheim

As each moment appears and unravels, may peace be the ground you walk on.
Carrying what is necessary for the journey, laying the rest down to travel lightly in grace and ease.
Same place, fresh eyes, new place appearing as if for the first time.
Invisible revealed.
Order from chaos.
Keeping the beauty, releasing the rest.
Clarity and discernment.
Surprise and awe.
Witness and engage.
Focal point, art unfolds.

“The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.” – William James

Jan 12

Brushstrokes

“Imagination allows you to bend the rules of the temporal world.” – Amy Sheral

“Imagination allows you to bend the rules of the temporal world.” – Amy Sheral

“A line is a dot that went for a walk.” – Paul Klee

On the canvas of today, what colors, shapes, strokes will you brush on the white space?
How will you see the same differently, be changed, moved, uprooted, furled into awe?
Where will you reside and where will you venture to?

You are the artist, the writer, the creator of today.
Do not let the past, circumstances, others take that responsibility and power from you.
Own what is yours and create something beautiful that only you can create.
Be generous, invite whimsy, take the voyage, shine your light.
Blank canvas, create a masterpiece, unfolding a brushstroke at a time.

“Every painting is a voyage into a sacred harbour.” – Giotto di Bondone

Jan 11

Divine

“Caress the detail, the divine detail.” – Vladimir Nabokov

“Caress the detail, the divine detail.” – Vladimir Nabokov

“If you see with innocent eyes, everything is divine.” – Federico Fellini

The divinity of a flower, of purple, of color.
Of laughter.
Of a sunrise.
Of an embrace.
Of music
Of acceptance.
Of art.
Of belonging
Of no permission or approval needed.
Of poetry and prose.
Of possibility.
Of enthusiasm and encouragement.
Of optimism and hope.
Of threads and themes.
Of patterns and clarity.
Of tipping points and transformation.
Of dreams fulfilled, renewed and reignited.
Of it all.
Ordinary days, in the details, the divine awaits your arrival and companionship
Find the divine and revel in it.

“When your dreams turn to dust, vacuum.” – Desmond Tutu

Jan 9

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May I, May We

morning glory

“We inhabit a universe that is characterized by diversity.” – Desmond Tutu

“My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together.” – Desmond Tutu

May I never get used to and miss the glory of a sunrise.
May I pause to witness how the light dances on all it touches, including me.
May I begin and end each day aware and in awe more than a minute, steeped in gratitude.
May I always be curious and inquire of others, self and circumstances to enrich the narrative.
May I expand “I” to “We,” inviting and welcoming connection, belonging and generosity into each and every interaction.
May we all seek, find and cast light, peace, grace and joy into the world to be made new daily.

“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” – Desmond Tutu

Desmond Tutu died on December 26, 2021. A beautiful conversation with Krista Tippett, The Onbeing Project is well worth the listen.

Dec 29

See It, The Beauty

“Pay attention to the beauty surrounding you.” – Anne Lamott

“Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.” – Confucius

Rush to color, joy, beauty.
Let them do their work in you.
Be slow to judgment, resentment, assumption.
Think the best in others and let them prove you wrong.
And then forgive them.
People are imperfect, including self.
Beneath the surface, the real story lies.
Don’t accept the answer “fine” when you ask how someone is doing.
Ask the follow up question. Listen, don’t solve.
Choose to be kind and considerate.
Go first in letting others go first.

Music. Art. Literature.
Expand the world, pull us out of “what about me” ruts.
Gratitude. Grace. Anticipation.
Expand the world, focusing our eyes on possibilities and blessings.
Light. Laughter. Love.
Expand the world, saving it from itself.

Live this day in color, joy and beauty.

“Beauty is power; a smile is its sword.” – John Ray

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