True Beauty Practice – Page 2

June 28, 2015

Practicing True Beauty – Honoring Entropy

“Oh this is the joy of the rose:

That it blows,

And goes!” ~ Willa Cather

Rejoice, even in entropy…in darkness, in the entirety of the cyclical nature of birth, death and regeneration. It is easy to find Beauty in the part of the cycle that is about coming into existence, growth and discovery — less so on the other end: decay, dissolution and non-existence. But that does not mean the harmony and serenity of Beauty are not there.

When a truth rusts, a companion betrays or your sanctuary crumbles it is time to dig into your well of courage and recognize that the cycle is evolving. Call it Winter, transition, shadow or death — whatever resonates with you. It is a necessary part of the only constant: change; what I think of as the order>chaos>order cycle.

Our modern culture has tried to bury this inevitability in layers of illusion. In earlier centuries humans tried to tame change with things like “tradition” and “norms.” In our current techy times, change occurs so rapidly that our collective head spins, societal illusions fade and new ones form on our screens.

And, as chaos theory teaches, it is not chaos that falls from some mysteriously previous order, but order that spews forth from the primeval chaos. The Isness gloriously and unashamedly starts with a messy, unorganized clamor.

In our lives we cycle through various versions of this many times before the death of our physical bodies. Our spirit and personality grows and stretches, withers and shrinks at turns. We succeed, we fail. Sometimes we just coast. Martial arts teach us: to not be broken we must bend. There is cacophony that amazingly returns to harmony. Our bodies begin to decompose. Some believe this only happens to each individual human once, others believe it happens repeatedly.

Whether you believe in reincarnation or salvation, the real struggle is to do all of this messy part of living with grace, to honor the entropic nature of systems, and find the Wabi Sabi elements in the transitional tableau of degradation, impermanence, change, uncertainty and the eventual emergence of what will be.

If we honor the entropy that occurs in our lives rather than resist it, if we befriend it rather than demonize it we will take a long step away from fear towards serenity, toward harmony and the Way of Beauty, in the here and the now.

photo by Lisa Z Lindahl — November’s sunflowers

To Practice Honoring Entropy:

1) Expect it. Since the cycle of birth-death-rebirth is inherent in all living systems, don’t pretend ti will not be an integral part of your experiences. Plan for it even!

2) Think compost, not mere garbage. If it is your life circumstances that are decaying and beginning to stink, look for ways the situation might be fodder for the future. If everything is collapsing, is it time to build anew — or plant trees?

3) Allow for “liminal space.” The transitory time between then & now, before & after. It is that healing time, for scarring over. For the field to lie fallow. Don’t try to repair/rebuild/reconnect right away. The result will be weak and/or ill-conceived.

4) During the sweeter parts of the cycle, practice honing your abilities to be responsive and flexible in the face of change. Notice those circumstance requiring dissolution of some sort (even if it is simply a gardening cycle or refreshing something in your home) and be mindful (oh, that word!) of how you respond and handle it. (For instance: I hate tearing out plants to make way for a new gardening season; it doesn’t matter if they are weakly blooming, way dead, or what — I resist that part of the process. Hmmm…)

There is no doubt that entropy is also a gateway to true Ugliness (which we have not yet discussed in this blog yet). But we cannot allow our thinking and perceptions to fall into “auto pilot” on the nature of decay, death and ugliness any more than we can about birth, life and beauty. Learning to truly appreciate the full cycle is part of The Way of Beauty.

“The pain passes, but the beauty remains.” ~ Pierre Auguste Renoir

June 14, 2015

Teachers

Teachers are everywhere.

I’m not talking about the kind found in academic institutions here. Though upon reflection I’ll not rule them out, either. But teachers, really they are everywhere in our lives — whether we like to admit it (or recognize them) or not.

Just the other day there was a human interest sort of story in the news about these kids and their “mentors.” It was a feel-good story of how the adult mentors had made significant differences in the children’s lives. As I read I noticed a deep yearning inside me; it was laced with…

OMG! Jealousy!

This made me sit there and look at myself; I reviewed an old story I’ve been telling myself, and others, for years:

When asked who my mentors and teachers have been I have always shrugged my shoulders and said, “I’ve had none. No one,” thinking of course of the supportive, enthusiastic role-models in formative years who encourage one on. Who say “Good job!”, who bring you roses after your 6th grade play, or arrive on your doorstep with kleenex and chocolate when that first serious relationship ends. I could think of none in my past. No coach, teacher…

But actually there were plenty of role-models and teachers around in my formative years… In my case I was influenced greatly by what not to do. How not to act, or be, or behave. I endeavored to be the opposite of what was being modeled around me. Often, the loudest lessons available to me were cautionary tales. And as an adult, lo those many (these many) years later, I was not thinking that these qualified as the sort of mentors and teachers that I was being asked about.

I was wrong, I realized sitting there. Teachers are everywhere when one is willing to be a student, willing to observe and extract information, integrating it and transforming it into knowledge and, hopefully eventually wisdom. I had been being that student. And, too, in retrospect I must admit I was being overly dramatic. There had been those who gave me encouragement along the way — professors, siblings…

So, I now know/admit/recognize and declare (should anyone ask):

I have had the privilege of being “mentored” by harsh teachers who would rarely give me an inch. By the Great Teachers of Circumstance and Illness that helped me question, helped me discover my limits and the strength of my character. I have been blessed with sweet friendships of long-standing, where we support and learn from one another as the cycles of this life evolve. And I have the joy of being influenced and guided by the presence of natural beauty that is there for me always, every day. So grateful.

I am changing my story. I have changed my story — for myself and for others who may inquire. I have and have had powerful mentors. Thank you to all my teachers…and I look forward to those I have yet to encounter.

Beauty saved me. ~ Mary Oliver, from an interview on PBS

May 31, 2015

Cultivate a Sense of Humor!

“Laughter is the best medicine.” ~Anonymous

Whaddaya think? Are we born with it, or can a sense of humor be cultivated? I don’t know. But I do think that paradox in general is the cosmos having a laugh.

Humor is everywhere, really. We just have to be on the lookout for it, or choose to see the humor in a situation. It is in the paradoxical and ironical connections. Finding humor in a situation is an avenue of perception — a way of perceiving and understanding.

These funny-bone perceptions might be as everyday as a seagull strutting its stuff up and down a pier. Or it could be as quirky as the time my sister and I, in the silent, stuffy and shadow-filled funeral parlor where my mother lay, sang “Whistle While You Work,” as we made a death mask of Mother’s recently embalmed face. Giggling, we imagined the scandalized mortician lurking somewhere in the back as we worked our loving women’s magic on our mother’s remains. We found humor within our grief. Mother would have approved.

Less darkly, one might find merriment wearing a large, bright pink flamingo stuffed animal as a hat to dinner out with friends, or watching old Laurel and Hardy films, or making silly faces out the car window.

Humor can be physical, visual and auditory. And all of the above at once. Heck, we all know what humor is, don’t we? Do we? It is slapstick for one, parody for some, double entendres or nonsense words for still others. I love witty repartee. My brother is the all-time Champion of Punsters. Humor is in the eye of the beholder as much as is beauty. They are both a certain vibratory level that resonates with one… or not.

And have you noticed how it is the presence of the spirit of humor (that vibration, perhaps?) that can make all the difference in how a situation feels, is perceived. How many times have you said, “Well, you had to be there,” when re-telling what was, for you, a hilarious episode. Like my examples above, they pale in the re-telling. The funny-factor seems to evaporate without the inner alchemy being present in the retelling. (I suppose that is why we are not all Seinfelds, whose magic seems to be able to resonate with so many whether in person or on TV). It is our sensing of the field of paradox that tickles the funny bones and the spirit of fun.

So what does a sense of humor have to do with True Beauty? Or practicing True Beauty? Humor is one of the greatest teachers. To be the one creating humor or perceiving and receiving the humorous, it delights and oft times enlightens. Seems to me that when we are smiling and laughing we are lifted up; it is a physical response to joy.

I cannot end a discussion of the importance of humor without also addressing its dark side. Humor is powerful, and when wielded through sarcasm, derision and ridicule it can be powerfully harmful. There is definitely a place for parody. British comedy has proven that “making fun of” has a sharp and clever role in showing ourselves to ourselves, being a pointed teacher. But sarcasm can be the lowest form of humor, and the most common and popular in declining civilizations. Gratuitous derision and ridicule too often only serve to polarize and separate, underscoring hostilities, supporting anomie. Adding to the degradation of the human spirit. They have no place in a Practice of Beauty.

In this world of sit-coms, zombies and vampires, I’m finding it harder and harder to find funny stuff on TV, let alone to read. I read the funnies every day. (Sometimes they’re funny.) Some “go-to” reading references that I would recommend for an instant shot of ha-has are: almost anything by Bill Bryson. Rob Brezsny‘s “Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia” is sure to make you smile, if not laugh out loud at least once. Very contrarian to all the doom and gloom propaganda out there. (Brezsny is the guy who writes “Free Will Astrology.”) I liked “Pronoia” because it says (in bold) things like:

“Only YOU can prevent the genocide of the Imagination!“

Now, I find that funny, in a clever sort of wordy way.

To practice cultivating, nurturing and exercising your sense of humor:

1) Notice the paradoxical and/or ironic connections that life serves up. Smile at them; laugh at them. Crack a joke about them. (When I was very small I brought a stray kitten home. When asked his name, I replied “Claude.” I didn’t get it at first when everyone laughed. They heard “Clawed” and thought me a very clever and funny little girl. I didn’t let on it had been unintentional…)

2) Let something unexpected dissolve into a humorous event rather than an inconvenient one.

3) Choose companions who appreciate and share your brand of humor…and like to exercise it!

4) When called for do “The 2-Minute Drill.” This means you must put your mouth into the smile position for 2 minutes straight, without a break. You’ll be surprised how your mood follows your mouth!

5) Endeavor to laugh out loud once a day. If this is proving difficult, try breaking out into song instead. Any song; relevance is irrelevant here.

6) Read funny comics — in the newspaper or elsewhere. Being grown up doesn’t exclude “the funnies.” Even read political cartoons if you have the stomach for it. They often point out paradox and irony. (The trick is to be able to laugh at them).

Humor is an instant connector. Have fun, go practice – enjoy your own brand of the lighter side. Laughter resides in the heart chokra; let there be light!

Odd fact: A good belly laugh is beneficial for the lymphatic system.

May 24, 2015

Follow the K.I.S.S. Method

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” ~Leonardi da Vinci

Keep It Simple, Sweetie!

Originally I heard it with the second “S” standing for “stupid.” I like Sweetie better.

I like to think of simplicity this way: what is the essence? Of a communication, task, composition — whatever life dishes up; what is the essence of what is to be accomplished, experienced or communicated? Ask yourself this question before elaborating beyond the essential elegance that is simplicity. Then go forward.

“Practice what you preach, O Lisa!” It is Lou, again. Interrupting. “You do like to go on! Isn’t that why you started this whole blog thing? Man, oh man dude! How many times have I had to listen to you tell me this, tell me that — advise me this and then that!”

After internally trying to get over (once again) the vile use of “dude” for everyone, I don’t know whether to laugh or cringe. Outta the mouths of babes, so to speak. Oh, well — I keep telling him I’m not perfect. I keep saying that in here, too. Trial & error, trial and error. It is a practice, after all, Sweet Lou.

Back to the point. Elegance is a key word here. This “simple” is not the same concept of “bare necessity” as in say, Puritanical thought — not at all! This after all a Beauty practice. Harmony plus simplicity equals elegance: The K.I.S.S. equation. A primary True Beauty equation.

In this context also we want to understand simplicity not as the opposite of complexity, but as the essence of a complexity. Think about that for a moment: simplicity is the essence of a complexity. And lets not confuse confusion with complexity. (A confusing sentence in itself. Ah, paradox!) They are not even in the same family! Confusion may be the result of encountering a complexity we have not yet wrestled to the ground, so to speak, but it is not related. Confusion may be our first clue that there is an underlying complexity of which we are not the mistress. That we may, in fact, be missing the essential simplicity that is at the core.

Simply, to practice keeping it simple:

1) Suss out the core of the task or experience at hand. Identify the essence.

2) Relax; allow it to be easy. If there is melodrama, there is a worrier and a complicator afoot.

3) Call on and engage your other Beauty practices: be present/mindful. Are there any unnecessary NISTs complicating the situation? Get the idea?

I hope that the relationship between simplicity, at least starting in simplicity, and True Beauty is clear.

Lou is calling me in to dinner. He’s made a lovely salad for us! And soup! I am surprised and impressed and tell him so. He smiles slyly at me and says, “Oh, but it is just a simple little supper!”

Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious and adding the meaningful. ~John Maeda

May 10, 2015

Harmonic Relationships

Relationships are all there is. Everything in the universe only exists because it is in relationship to everything else. Nothing exists in isolation. We have to stop pretending we are individuals that can go it alone. ~ Margaret J. Wheatley

I hope by now it is clear that choosing to follow a path of True Beauty is in great part about noticing, cultivating and sustaining Beauty, an integral form of harmonious relationships. Becoming a Practitioner of True Beauty!

While relationship begins first between you and you — being the most authentic self you can be as discussed last week — the next most important and primary relationship is between you and the “Other,” or really a series of “others” whose main characteristic is that they are perceived as external of the “I.” While there is the Other of our immediate environment our first “other of flesh” is, most probably our birth family, then the family chosen and created beyond that. Thirdly are all the relationships one chooses to create just between folks and other species — pets and, say, houseplants. (I am currently in deep mourning for my 20+ year old Jade plant that is seriously ailing. I cannot admit it’s dying.)

Though all of the above may seem obvious, looking at the status of today’s families, community health, ecology and abused and abandoned animals — it isn’t. We only have to look around to see the growing anomie* in our culture.

*Anomie is the disorientation and alienation that arises in a society as a result of the erosion of its moral and social codes. People feel isolated and alone, without a supportive social or guiding framework.

True Beauty is the antidote for anomie.

Relationship is a word that has been so overused in our culture today. Perhaps because truly meaningful relationships are too scarce for too many. For instance have you noticed we now have “Relationship Brokers” in place of customer service departments in many businesses now? Too funny. Or sad.

So what is relationship really about? Hoo-boy! So many books, lectures, TV shows, gurus have gone on about this very subject! But there is actually science behind/about relationship. I’ll try to put it into non-science speak.

Relationship is about attraction and resonance. Being attracting, attracted and resonating with an other –only to find upon entering into the dance of relationship that one-plus-one equals not two, but three — and we are not talking about Baby, here!

The attraction of the two has created something bigger than the separate single units apart: the “field of attraction.” This field is the observable energy created by and between the two. Gravity is a field of attraction. I could say, quite literally, that the Moon fell for the Earth. I like that. The pull you feel towards someone is a real, energetic, observable thing.

Plato wrote about it, Shakespeare dramatized it, and virtually every culture has tradition and mythology around it; many worldwide believe that it is “love that makes the world go ’round.”

So while those millions of books have been written and therapies have been developed to help create and sustain healthy and happy relationships, at day’s (and experts’) end harmony in relationship relies upon the care and maintenance of that field. And that all boils down to “importances.” What is your order of importances? To what and where do you give time, energy and attention? How much to oneself, to the job, the sport, the maintenance of possessions, and to the journey of others around us? On what do you focus?

Ditto to the above for the Other who is creating that field of attraction with you.

And, then, just to complicate matters: can we accept the care, love and concern of an other flowing to us? We often hear of the joys of giving. But how many of us are uncomfortable with receiving? How is it to be the subject of another’s focus? Is it hard to simply say “Thank You” when someone does a thoughtful thing or pays one a compliment?

Finally, how do we communicate? How effective are both at expressing as well as listening? Effective communication is the key to authentic relationship, and successful, harmonic relationship itself is key to living a life of Beauty.

Personal relationships are not irrelevant or extra-curricular. They are a central expression of Harmony, of a life of True Beauty. In formally entering, i.e. consciously choosing a relationship with another human being we are entering the dance and mystery of the Universe itself.

Note, however, it is a core premise of the Way of Beauty that, in fact, all is in relationship. Not just human-to-human. Or man to dog. Or human to earth. All is in relationship, all the time. Being in conscious relationship, therefore, is a tall order.

To practice harmonic relationship:

1) Know that you are in relationship with all, all the time. Your energy effects the energy field of that and those around you.

2) Notice your order of importances. This is a big clue to your own attractions and resonances, if you need a clue… and often we do!

3) Focus on that which you want to include in your life and see more of in the world. If, conversely, you focus on the negative, it is the negative that will occupy your environment.

4) Communicate. You are in relationship. Duh!

5) Really, just follow all the Beauty practices as well as you can. The Way of Beauty is about increasing Harmony, the happy state of relationship.

“Consider the following. We humans are social beings. We come into the world as the result of others’ actions. We survive here in dependence on others. Whether we like it or not, there is hardly a moment of our lives when we do not benefit from others’ activities. For this reason it is hardly surprising that most of our happiness arises in the context of our relationships with others. ~HH Dalai Lama

football team, circa 1923

April 26, 2015

Beauty Practice: Authenticity

If I am not for myself, who will be?

If I am only for myself, what am I?

If not now, when?

~ Rabbi Hillel, “The Talmud”

Authentic. Authenticity. What the heck does that mean, really. And what does it have to do with True Beauty?

Each person is the barometer of his/her own authenticity; it would be an oxymoron to say there is a set way to be authentic, to practice authenticity. However, since it is my authentic (s)elf to virtually always have something to say about almost everything, here’s what I have to say about being authentic:

In our current culture one of the foremost antitheses of personal authenticity is the still deeply embedded “Now-I’m-Supposed-Tos.” (Now I’m Supposed To go to college, get a job, get married, be successful, have children, etc. to name a few of the more universal NISTs of American culture.) Ridding oneself of these “NISTs” is easier said than done, especially since there is often some merit supporting the NISTs. Logic, honoring a parent or significant other’s wishes, or keeping one’s word are a few that come right to mind. Remember, we are only speaking of such things when they are not able to be engaged with personal authenticity.

At every stage of life there seem to evolve new NISTs. As we age it might be Now I’m Supposed to settle down, act like my parents or act exactly the opposite of my parents, have achieved what I set out to do, etc., etc. NISTs can actually be wonderful when they align with our inner desires and abilities. But when they don’t, it can be hell on earth. The suppressed authentic self expresses itself through many un-beautiful ways: depression, violence, apathy, deceit — generally destructive activities for oneself and others. (Please know I am not psychologist or such, just an observer of people and life).

Happily, it seems the NISTs are relaxing. I see younger generations far less in the thrall of these cultural expectations, but I do not know if it is a blip or a trend. And they are not entirely gone. Questions about marriage, parenting, jobs vs. careers vs. something called lifestyle and the meaning of life are still persisting. In the absence of the NISTs, or their weakened position, what guidelines, positive or even otherwise are available?

And then, just to complicate the issue, there is the problem of taking one’s quest for authenticity too far. (What! How can that be? I can just hear Lou now.) To be authentic does not mean always putting oneself first. Under the guise of being “true to oneself” narcissism can bloom. Taking care of oneself (“lookin’ out for #1”) can be a cover for selfishness, lack of compassion. It is also often manipulative, immature and insecure. The difference, I think, between being authentic and being narcissistic is in attitude, action and intention. It means being aware of your actions, reactions, emotions and intentions, and yes, in the context of those of others’. Facing them, if you will, in the private moments between you and you. We live in relationship all the time: to ourselves, our environment, others. To balance this is to practice True Beauty. To be fooling yourself about who and how you are is to have a foundation of sand in all other departments. “Lying to yourself is automatically lying to everyone else” I’ve been known to say. And we do not always like to admit some of those little “white” lies we tell ourselves, do we?

Be aware of True Beauty; practice it…find and be your authentic self. No small task.

Zobian Family Photos 038 — Mother, impersonating 1960’s comedienne Phyllis Diller. She loved a good costume.

To practice and hone one’s own authenticity:

1) Identify behaviors, habits that are not authentic to/for you. You probably already have a good idea about a few of them. You feel it. But if you want to go a little further, listen to that inner voice and feel that gut and heart. If it doesn’t “feel” right for you, it probably isn’t. If your reasoning/analytical mind seems to be finding justifications for a certain behavior or decision, fighting with your gut, this is a red flag. Pay attention!

2) Replace inauthentic behaviors with ones that reflect your true self and values. This will, of course, be done over time. Be patient and kind with yourself.

3) With a clearer sense of your authentic self in mind, envision how the next chapter of your life might look. Take any steps possible that are in alignment with that vision.

4) Look at the material world you’ve helped create around yourself. Does it align with your core values? If you are fortunate enough to have abundance, can you find the right balance for you between that abundance and scarcity elsewhere? Can you identify your areas of abundance?

5) Practice all of the above with compassion for those around you. Beauty is harmony, smooth transitions when possible. Let those you care for know what you are endeavoring to do. Your aspiration to live a more authentic life may well inspire them to do the same. Everything is in relationship!

Simply put, practicing Authenticity is working at “To thine own self be true.” Because here is the thing: if you don’t tell yourself your truth, you’re automatically lying to everyone else, too.

⇒And here is a bit of wisdom: the energy put into maintaining a false self is far, far greater than the energy it takes to displace it and start honoring and maintaining one’s authentic self.

Further resources for this work:

The Ten Commitments, David Simon, MD

The Exquisite Risk, Daring to Live an Authentic Life, Mark Nepo

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

~Steven Jobs, 2005 Stanford University Commencement Address

April 19, 2015

Beauty Practice – Think With Your Heart

Beauty takes time for us to see fully. It always takes longer to hear with the heart, but the song heard there is lasting and precious.
~ Mark Nepo

“It broke my heart!”

“That went straight to the heart of the matter.”

“It really touched my heart.”

“I’m heartbroken!”

“I heart you”

Sound familiar? Ever said or written such yourself? We all have, I bet. Up until several years ago I thought these just colorful expressions; that there was nothing really going on with one’s heart muscle, aorta and such. Then two things happened that radically changed my mind.

The first occurred years ago while doing research for my Masters thesis. It led me to one of my still-favorite resources, the Institute of HeartMath. It turns out there’s actually quite a bit of science to support the existence of ways of knowing and understanding that we have habitually discounted. And heart-related matters are, er, at the heart of it. We do perceive, feel and think using our hearts. The organs of the body have their own electromagnetic fields (EMF) and:

The heart is the most powerful generator of electromagnetic energy in the human body… . The heart’s electrical field is about 60 times greater in amplitude than the electrical activity generated by the brain. … Furthermore, the magnetic field produced by the heart is more than 5,000 times greater in strength than the field generated by the brain, and can be detected a number of feet away from the body, in all directions. ~www.heartmath.org/research

Further, the neural network that most of us were educated to believe was the purview of the brain alone is in fact a web throughout our entire body. Folk wisdom in many cultures has always referred to the heart as a center of knowing, wisdom and feeling. Now our God of Science has validated that knowingness with the astounding data that the heart has a greater electromagnetic field than the brain; and an abundance of neural networks. We do, indeed, think and feel with our hearts. And what we have deemed “intuition” is probably information coming to us via these fields and networks.

The second thing that happened was a personal experience. A non-physical traumatic event occurred in my life and it had, among others, this very physical effect: my chest hurt. Badly. It lasted for several months. I had no idea what this constant physical pain was. Doctors sent me to the ER, more than once, sure I was having a heart attack. It was then I realized that those “colorful expressions” were not merely metaphors, but accurate statements of a real physical response to emotional pain. My heart was broken.

The heart feels, emotes…we are not brain-centric thinkers or feelers. I believe that what we call “intuition” is, in fact, information/knowingness coming to us before being processed by the brain. It is coming to us via the EMFs of our organs, most predominately our heart. We need only heed it.

To practice thinking with your heart:

1) Listen for and to your “inner voice.”

2) As you notice those “thoughts” and impulses you’ve previously labeled intuition speak them aloud and/or write them down. This is a form of acknowledgement, honoring and validating such knowing/gnowing.

3) Try acting on your intuition when possible. Notice the outcomes.

4) Choose to be around what I call “higher companions;” those people who tickle your laugh muscle, lighten your spirit and encourage spontaneity. Who at the same time do not back away from helping you shine a light on your demons. Who tend not to scoff at your intuitions and will encourage you in your endeavors and your challenges. Whose only criticism, when it comes, is insightful, delivered with compassion and always constructive in nature. You’ve heard yourself think or say about them “I just LOVE being with (insert name here). You strive to be the same for and to them. Such friends nurture our hearts and our heart-thinking.

So, in summary, it is time to stop dismissing that which we label “intuition.” It is knowing from a different source. It is “gnowing.” If something is calling to us, moving or inspiring us that seemingly has no “logical” source — so what? Get over it! Release that criteria. Practice thinking with your Heart. And acting on those thoughts/feelings. Allow yourself. To do so creates greater inner harmony, a requisite state in turn for creating True Beauty outside oneself.

The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift. ~ Albert Einstein

April 12, 2015

A Quick Reminder

detail, family photos - photographer unknown — Lou, a bit younger

My mischievous friend Lou came in today and asked me what I was doing spending another beautiful morning at my computer. Good question. I reminded him that I was doing this blog about the importance of recognizing True Beauty, and how to actually practice it and incorporate it into everyday life.

Lou is a major skeptic. Like many, he dismisses beauty; thinks it is trivial. He is confusing (I think) mere glamour for true, deep abiding beauty.

So we have these discussions. It’s been really good for me, actually, as over time he has taunted me about the tenets of True Beauty. It made me realize that this was not some pop-ideaology with which I was infatuated for a brief time, but something that I truly believed and continued to be passionate about. Something born in me, of me. I need to share this with others; I feel it is so very important in healing both ourselves and the earth.

When I say things like that, Lou says I sound pompous as hell. In the face of adolescent Lou-truth I am nothing if not under scrutiny. Which has proved a good thing. My own personal challenger. Gotta love it.

And I love that it has worked its magic. That I have come to understand that Beauty, True Beauty — not the shallow “glamour” that passes for beauty these days — is the very accessible road to a healing harmony for everyone. I’ve done my share of traveling; I’m not naive about the poverty that exists on the globe. And I believe that it is the awareness of True and deep Beauty that contributes to those impoverished lives the bit of spiritual serenity and harmony available to them in their struggle to survive. The ability to tap into it may befuddle those who are better-off . But herein lies a long essay. Not for now. And Lou is scrunching up his face, feeling his question is unanswered.

Why am I inside opposite a glowing screen instead of outside practicing what I preach? Because, sweet Lou, a thread throughout all the Beauty practices is discipline and balance. I am being true to myself by sharing what I gnow (not a typo) about the importance of True Beauty. I’ll go to the beach to “pray” and play later.

So to you who find yourself on this blog page, a reminder: I write here to share my conviction that True Beauty is a necessary tool in the balanced functioning of our earth and universe. It might even be the raison d’être of our universe. We can participate and practice it every day, incorporate it easily into our daily living with simple shifts of perception and/or attitude, with our choices, in our relationships.

Wowza! I want you to recognize, nurture and sustain True Beauty in your personal universe. I want you too to practice True Beauty! It is important to engage now. What’s more, it is fun, fulfilling and so full of grace…

Welcome to the Way of Beauty.

March 22, 2015

Both/And…the power of inclusion

Practice Operating in the Both/And Universe

This Beauty Practice is in response to years of our society operating in an “either/or” mentality. It is one of the major constructs of our automatic pilot reflex. But we do not have to live in the polarizing “either/or” paradigm. All around us is evidence of a both/and reality, reminding us that we live in a truly diverse, amazingly inclusive and paradoxically complex universe. Think sweet and sour, acid and alkaline, yin and yang, black and white, orange and blue, fire and earth… the list goes on and on. It is not a divisive either/or, but the considered balance of both/and.

We can practice living in such a place. And once aware of it, we find it is beautiful, balanced, full of harmony — and yes, as well as the cacophony of chaos (but more about that later).

To Practice living in the Both/And Universe:

1) Notice each time you make a choice between one event (thing) and another. Does one really preclude the other?

2) Notice when you tend to disagree with someone and see if you can allow that viewpoint to co-exist with your own, allowing both to be. You needn’t agree — just let be.

3) Try dismissing time (that most stern driver of eliminations). Go forward without looking at clocks, but listen to your body’s needs/clock instead. You might find greater “time” to include more.

4) Challenge yourself: where have you, through habit more than choice, excluded something? An idea, a doingness, or someone’s company — because you believed that it was an “either/or” circumstance. Was it truly?

I am very much an advocate of making clear choices for ourselves. This is not about undermining that. What practicing living in the both/and universe is about is refining our process to reach those choices. A both/and “personal universe” is richer, deeper and more inclusive. More aware of the field of infinite possibilities. It provides more insight into the dynamics of True Beauty. The sharp knife of an either/or situation is still in the proverbial toolbox; it simply should not be used as unconsciously or as rapidly as we sometimes do.

So speaketh La Lisa…

February 8, 2015

Practicing True Beauty in Everyday Life – Compassion

Beauty Practice:

Practice Feeling Compassion

Compassion is specifically about the ability to feel another’s experience of suffering. This Beauty practice is purposely not expressed as “practice being compassionate” as I don’t know if one can be compassionate until one has really felt compassion on a somewhat regular basis. Can one routinely choose a behavior, have an emotion one has not experienced? Studies of the brain show that compassion doesn’t always come naturally, but that it can be learned. So we must exercise the “compassion muscle,” learn compassion, in order to use it with ease and regularity.

Compassion is the root expression of awareness of the universality of the ability to experience pain — no matter its origin or reason; no matter species, race, intelligence or preferences. Compassion is the Great Leveler, the Great Unifying Knowing. The Dalai Lama has been widely quoted as saying:

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”

What does this have to do with Beauty? If we can objectify an Other, disassociate ourselves from “Them,” it is easy to find fault, ugliness, un-beauty. Once, however, we can truly feel compassion, we can practice being compassionate…from a place of sincerity, without artifice. We glimpse into the “oneness.” Compassion allows us to be able to see/feel there, into the experience of an other. We enter the possibility of experiencing harmony between the other and ourselves — and it is harmony that begets True Beauty.

Compassion is the basis of all morality, and I posit, the basis and beginning of one’s awareness of True Beauty.