“The fountain of beauty is the heart, and every generous thought illustrates the walls of your chamber”
—Frances Quarles
Have you ever been stunned by the spectacular beauty of someone, found yourself admiring them, only to realize their beauty faded as their spirit leaked through their skin?
Have you ever walked past a nameless face, their outward appearance causing nothing to flicker an impression, when suddenly a light from within them lit up their entire being with an internal glow that blinded you with their brilliance?
Have you ever been taken aback by how quickly faceless strangers bond into tightly woven friendships and relationships of love within the safety of Internet communication? Have you experienced it yourself perhaps? Seen how the lack of physical barriers provided a look into seeing something deeper?
It isn’t superficial or shallow to be immediately attracted to beauty. It is normal to seek what is beautiful and pleasing to the eye. But the eye’s attention to beauty can only see it at the surface level. It is the movement within your spirit, that you feel at the heart level when you connect with someone, or something that they have written, spoken, or created that speaks to true beauty within all of us. Superficial beauty is subjective. However, spiritual beauty is pure and generous and sharing and open and kind.
It is a light and an energy and something you connect with in your heart center. You know it when you experience it, even if it is different for each of us.
Examples of Spiritual Beauty
Beauty glows on the road-lined face of a woman aged and weathered by eighty decades, but who’s heart has reached out and gathered the tired and the poor and the weary-worn and given them back spirits filled with love.
Beauty beams up at you in the tiny trusting lashes of of a freshly bathed infant, gazing upon you as if delight were his gift to hand out to the world.
Beauty radiates peace in times of purposeful acceptance. Serenity and power. Quiet calm. Read in the faces of only a few, those who have learned the secrets of the difficult battles. The gift of daily gratitude.The balance of knowing when it’s enough. They are the ones you stand closer to, sometimes without even understanding why. Hoping their peace will brush on to you. You bask in their beauty…and warmth.
Beauty shines out of the honest, the gullible, the innocent, the curious, the sunny bright hopeful ones who see the light wherever they go. The big smiles, the bright lights, the energetic, the ones who light up rooms with their glow.
Beauty pours out of the caretakers, the mother, in her many forms, rounded curves of a child-filled belly, swaying hips that gently rock infants, crouched knees that forever bend to speak at an eye-level near the floor. Later still, looking up to children grown taller than her, she will always huddle them back, hold them close, hold them like babes in the beauty of her heart. She cares, she loves, she gives, she nurtures.
Beauty flows from the father, the look of the protector, his honor in knowing that the ones he cherishes shine brighter for his effort. He holds it in the weight of his shoulders, the crook of his neck, in the way he holds his lips, just a little tighter than he ever did before. He cares. He loves. He gives. He leads by example.
Beauty flows out of the small child, who wishes on stars and believing in miracles, would give you everything, because they have not yet learned to be jaded, or unkind, or to hold back love in fear of running out of it, as if such a silly thing could ever happen at all.
Beauty glitters in miracles, in gardens, in stones and minerals that hold the memories of the earth, in wishes and dreams, and life and love and every day moments and in the spirits of all the people that are right there next to you all the time.
Beauty. An overused word. not nearly used enough. Not paid attention to enough. Are you seeing the true beauty in your every day life?
Are you looking for it? Does it catch you by surprise as you are hurrying on by? Are you looking in the wrong places? Or the right ones? Where are your favorite beautiful places? Favorite beautiful people? What makes you feel beautiful? Please share.
That was absolutely beautiful. It kind of goes along with something I tried to write the other night but couldn’t get it out into words!
“The first act of awe, when man was struck with the beauty or wonder of Nature, was the first spiritual experience.” H. Skolimowski
Beauty for me is found most easily in nature. The act of creation playing itself out, over and over. Walking within the confines of my back yard and the many new gardens just executed and planted. Each morning something new appears. I have a Nature Journal filled with writings about my daily nature finds. Also, hand drawn pictures of critters, growing things, water fowl that fill the area in which I live, bounded by canal and a river.
For those with children, consider a beauty inventory. At dinner, ask each family member to name a few of the most beautiful things they have seen. Then discuss what is beautiful in their own day to day lives. The answers are often illuminating and surprising!
Beautiful writing, Wendi. This is a keeper!
Ms. O
Wendi,
This is a beautiful and eyeopening post.
It reminds me of a dear friend of the family who has since passed away. She was 98 years old the last time I saw her, and she was a vision of beauty. The warmth of her heart, the wisdom of her years and the love she had for everyone and everything around her showed in her face. I remember telling her how beautiful she was. She blushed, and that even made her more beautiful.
Thanks for letting me share a beautiful memory.
Beauty is this post, Wendi. It brought tears to my eyes and warmth to my heart. When I am starved for beauty, I often turn to nature or to animals and find that their presence is very calming and rejuvenating. Everything you’ve said here moves me.
So so no words for this one. Except to say that I made myself a promise to both seek this beauty and be this beauty.
Welcome back. You were missed. Or have I said that already?
Crystal,
that is a promise worth all of us keeping. May I join you?
and yes, you have mentioned it….smile….it’s good to be back.
Melissa, thank you. I appreciate those words. It makes a difference. I agree that nature and animals and a huge source of beauty around me too.
Barbara,
Thank you very much for sharing your memory with us. I was happy to have it here, it was inspiring. I hope others will share as well.
Ms O,
Some wonderful suggestions! Thank You! and again, it seems we all have found such a connection with the beauty in nature. How is your new garden coming along?
Hello, all,
Barbara, my son came to visit and dug me four new gardens. Two are elevated and enclosed in wood (as the ones in front of my home that we put in last year. The other L shaped one is to the south fence line and the most vibrent with over forty new plants and a baby Birch tree. The other two gardens are one from last year enclosed with designed wrought iron and the resting place of my beloved cat, Itty Bitty. We planted new flowers and recleaned his grave stones and have a wrought iron bird feeder at the head of his resting place. Also, Irises surround his “spot”. Next to that garden is a new one just dug and also surrounded with wooden planks. It holds bulbs, both for summer and fall growing. I new need to add in open spaces we left on purpose, my herbs. This is the first time in 68 years of living that I have had my own home and gardens! It is wonderful!
Ms. O
Wendi, this post was beautiful and may just be my favorite one yet. I find beauty everywhere in places that others may look. I think strength is beautiful, not physical strength but strength of character, purpose, strength in surviving and thriving. I think that those who have endured life’s challenges and smile brightly from a deep place within are by far the most beautiful people on the planet. Generosity of spirit, kindness and humor are beautiful. You my dear friend are truly beautiful and it is a beauty that radiates from within and shines even in cyberspace. 🙂
Thanks for the delicate article on beauty, I enjoyed reading every line 🙂
Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it. ~Confucius
Thanks, Wendi. I met at least one of those definitions of beauty. I guess I am beautiful.
Donna,
You ARE beautiful, Your giving heart, that heart that cares so much for others, that always remembers the little things, the big things, that goes the extra mile, that is a special friend to so many…
Never doubt that there are many many people who see great beauty in you. In your smile, in your laugh, in the twinkle of your eye, in your warm hug, in your heart, in your giving life.
You are true beauty.
Wendi, When you wrote, “she will always huddle them back, hold them close, hold them like babies in the beauty of her heart. ” it conjured up freeze frames of dreams I continue to have of holding my son as if he were 4 again. It is so. That is something I cherish.
As an artist and a creative, I seek out opportunities to beautify my world around me. For example, one of my favorite pastimes as of late is beautifying a piece of my yard with a new palette of flowers, or a new landscape feature.
I also think there is something beautiful about getting to know friends, such as you, across the miles, and through the depths of sharing.
This post is the beauty of my day. Thank you so much for sharing your gifts with us, Wendi!
Pamela Wills\’s last post… Talking Points
Thanks Pam!
Wendi, this post reads like poetry. I love your emphasis on the deeper meaning behind the physical structure. The stones holding energy of our earth’s history, the invisible beauty of believing in miracles, the beauty of peace. There is something so transcendent about this post – something that hints at a new era awakening, where true beauty will be revealed to us all. Thank you so much Wendi! 🙂
Miriam Wiener\’s last post… Sugar-free and FABULOUS!
Miriam,
Thank you for that lovely comment. Your comment read so much like poetry itself that it made me want to go back and read what I wrote!