Sacred Beauty
In times of chaos, beauty sustains us.
I write that statement boldly, knowing all the while that in order for beauty to sustain us, we have to see it. In order to see it, we have to slow down. Our eyes need to be open; our hearts attentive. “Take time to stop and smell the roses” is a valid mantra. In my opinion, a better one is, “Take time to stop and SEE the roses!” Our hearts are refreshed when we allow the beauty that we see to feed our soul.
As I walked the Camino de Santiago in Spain last June, I encountered a road that was long and hard. Most days required 12 miles of both uphill and downhill climbing. But, what kept me moving forward was the beauty all around me. A feast for the eyes was constantly in front of me, with the added bonus of the terrain regularly changing from one gorgeous landscape to another. From the wildflowers lining a path just big enough for one person to walk through to roses blooming in the multiple vineyards, to thick forests so lush you thought that Frodo would appear any second- the Camino was simply BEAUTIFUL.
What is it about beauty that can capture us with wonder, enough to bring a brief moment of refreshment and strength to our souls? I believe that we were made for beauty- to appreciate it, to sense it, to recognize it, and even to create it. Think of all the artists since the beginning of human civilization that have made beautiful things. Art reflects the impulse to appreciate beauty and in so doing, it adds sustenance to life.
This desire to create lovely things is planted deep within us because we have a God who dreamed up beauty and creativity! He painted our world in color and glorious variety. All we need to see this is to take a long look at the human race. People are gloriously beautiful in all of our shapes, sizes, colors, features and creativity. We reflect beauty and we delight in making beautiful things.
I believe that we also experience a holy ache when we encounter beauty. This ache reminds us that we are very much alive and that we were made for more than what we have been satisfied with. When we ache with longing and delight and wonder, we feel a spark of the divine and a joining with all that is living and that has lived. There is an awakening to wholeness that happens in us. This moves us toward appreciation of all that is good in the world.
The book Hinds Feet on High Places describes nature as carrying a song of color that could only be understood by the heart and not by the mind. The author describes this imaginative idea as flowers which sing “a little chorus all their own which thousands upon thousands of them were singing in different color notes.” I understood what this meant as I walked along the Camino. I stopped to “listen” to the song of color as flowers waved in the breeze. I even developed a habit of waving back in order to simply acknowledge their musical colors.
In these continuing dark and difficult times, may we remember that spring is blooming all around us, bursting with beauty to feed on. This beauty is the sign that winter always gives way to new life. This is the pattern of creation and it is a pattern we can take joy and comfort from. Beauty can sustain us.
Let beauty fuel you today. Listen to the song of the colors around you. Wash your soul in the light of the warm, bright sun.
Many blessings, my friends.
