Contemplate Beauty

“When you look upon another human being and feel great love toward them, or when you contemplate beauty in nature and something within you responds deeply to it, close your eyes for a moment and feel the essence of that love or that beauty within you, inseparable from who you are, your true nature.”

Eckhart Tolle

When hope seems lost and darkness is your constant companion…contemplate beauty.

When pain and heartache sit beside you at the breakfast table and go to bed with you each night…close your eyes and contemplate the ever-present warmth of the sun.

Step outside of your pain for a moment and breathe in the fresh air of the day. Focus your attention on the cool breeze that plays upon your cheeks, the sound of the morning dove calling to her mate, the rustle of leaves as the Tohees scrounge for food.

Take a moment, or two…or three, and step outside of your earthly discomfort and turn your thoughts to the blooming rose. Smell its fragrance; feel its soft petals; remember its perfection…if only in your mind’s eye.

Beauty surrounds us on all sides. It lives within us. It never fades, no matter how dark the night. Spend some time there and let it give you strength when you think you have none.

The beauty of nature, the gift of love freely given, is there for all of us. It can be found in the laughing child, the romping puppy, the purring kitten. It can be experienced in the fragrance of the lilac, the magnificent colors of the setting sun, the glorious tones of a chorus of voices, the soft, carefree tones of the flute, or the mellow hum of the bass violin.

Turn to music, to nature, to the soft touch of velvet, the warmth of your favorite sweater. Take your mind from the place of mental anguish to the place of physical joy. Immerse yourself in beauty in any way you are able, in every way possible. Allow it to heal you. Allow it to remind you of hope.

DJS May 2014