natural beauty

Beautiful Hawaiian Sunrise - photo by Lisa Lindahl — Hawaiian Sunrise

The natural world is often a human being’s first introduction to and relationship with external beauty – the True Beauty without. In our current urban-central, agri-business world, unfortunately too many people develop only a “nodding basis” with the natural world. Sadly, it is no longer a central reference point for the culture.

Yet our instinctual need for relationship with the natural world and its beauty will out…we create gardens. We plant pots. “Gardening” has become a giant industry. Last I looked it was ranked the #2 hobby of American households. And everywhere I have traveled around the globe I’ve noticed the ubiquitous window boxes, flower pots, community plots.

True Beauty is all around us. The first, basic Practice of Beauty is to actually see. To practice turning off what I call our sensory “auto-pilot” and really see/perceive what is around us. We take short-cuts. That intersection we pass by everyday — when was the last time you really looked at it? Or the tree in the front yard?

Try it! How many colors of green do you see outside? Any pink in that grass? And purple in that tarmac? Practice seeing. You’ll find the habit eventually goes far beyond the merely visual.

Natural beauty is True Beauty. Eternal. We yearn for it, and create it as we able.

What is meant by “The Way…”

So, here I am going on about The Way of Beauty. Lou asked me what the heck that was about… so here goes:

The ancient Chinese developed Taoism from “Tao” meaning “path” or “way,” specifically in reference to their ancient studies of the Universe and its ways, or paths — meaning its processes and methods. Taoism is considered to be the Religion of Heaven and Earth, of the Cosmos, the World, and Nature in the broadest sense.

So, Lou — and anyone else who was wondering — it is with that thought tradition in mind that I put forth this Way of Beauty.

The Way of Beauty is about cultivating a daily-living practice of beauty awareness. The reason to do so is rooted in the belief that Beauty — its creation, cultivation and discovery — is an important and centralizing principle of our universe.

The Way of Beauty is simple. It requires no esoteric tools or objects. To practice it requires only an attitude and awareness shift. It is something that is done every day, a practice, a habit. And it will effect one’s choices on every level.

We can make Beauty a verb, as well as a noun and an adjective. The time is now to Practice Beauty. The Practices of Beauty are outlined in my book, “The Way of Beauty.” Of course, sometimes they get articulated here, on the blog…

There are some time-honored practices that speak to and support the Way of Beauty. Meditation is one. Being still and present in the midst of our busybusybusy environment is another. Maintaining a healthy physical body (exercise) is yet another. None of these “practices” are new. But their connection with Beauty has been diminished, even forgotten. I am here to remind us. As we go on here, I will tie Beauty theory back into specific Beauty practices. Stay tuned!

A caution: At the same time that we return to Beauty we must avoid the temptation to idolize it in those ways that stultify and narrow our understanding and practice of it. This is the very trap that the ancient Greeks fell into, and is echoing in our Hellenistic cultural roots. It is the tendency that has, in great part, gotten us into our current dismaying blind and paralytic relationship with Beauty today. The nature of true Beauty is its surprising, refreshing, and elastic daily discovery…kinda like a good blog!

Tag: natural beauty

What is meant by “The Way…”