Yesterday I had at least three reasons to be worried, and in one case even upset.
But early in the morning, as I drove to work, the moon, a splendid white moon, was vanishing behind the western mountains.
I think it was my desire to see beauty, despite everything.
For me it will be making more time to be out in nature. I did get out on Sunday for a walk near the water. It was a nice sunny day and not as cold as it has been. Walked about 2 miles
It is beauty all araund almost wherever my eyes and my heart turn to; when opening the windows in the morning, joyfully perceiving the silence and freshness of the early morning awaiting the morning sun to rise. Currently meditation is extended, which adds beauaty to my day as well as having started with music again. Essential beauties. Some days, it is just a matter of perception to be aware of these treasures all around. Grateful for it all.
I have filled up so much space in my life with beauty,
that there is room for little else . . .
the cervical collar of a large bull,
a wasp’s nest,
birds’ eggs in found nests . . .
an antique Japanese tea cup that took my fancy,
feathers, seashells,
stones and fossils,
all found along the path of my journey.
Finding beauty
has perhaps been my secret mission in life.
It’s everywhere around me . . .
a string of paper birds,
a crocheted table cloth,
made by a friend’s mother.
People see things that make them think of me,
and offer them up as little gifts . . .
an amethyst charm,
a tiny giraffe that you put together
by matching slits,
a cascade of lights that no one wanted,
fossils of seashells and fish
(I dug the seashell out of the side of a mountain in Colorado . . .
foothills of the Rockies),
the skull of a deer,
and one of a bighorn sheep,
including his glorious headdress . . .
the most delicate alabaster candle dish you can imagine,
and a seahorse,
which I regret losing . . .
well,
there it is.
I collect beautiful things,
beautiful music,
beautiful books.
They all comfort me
when I feel lost and alone,
but,
as you might guess,
my housework suffers for it..
For all of my life,
as far back as I can remember,
I’ve been deeply invested in Spiritual beauty,
and I see that all around me as well . . .
in the natural order of the Universe,
in what I see in the faces of those who know their hearts,
in the kindness and compassion all around me.
I understand that I am impure and imperfect,
but I’m learning to find beauty in that as well,
and that means learning to love myself . . .
something I think most of us are trying to do.
I’m going to stop trying,
and allow it in
with love . . .♥
Beauty is essentially everywhere. So how could I miss it? Easily! So my antidote is presence
throughout the day to notice the beauty, however, in whomever, wherever it shows up. I’ll do my best.
Putting together the wonderful responses from Joseph McCann and Mark Piper, I’ll expect beauty to make space for me. I’ll pay attention and that will happen again and again.
There are things in my life that, personally, are very important and other things that aren’t as important. When I remove those unimportant things or people from my life, I leave more room for the beautiful ones. God keeps me strong and He will help me through the times to keep me positive because He paves the way for my happiness and resolving the sins I have once committed. I aim to devote my life to Christ; and keep the Lord in my discussions about the beauty I want to make space for.
How can I make more space in my life for beauty?
Great question.
I could work on my drawings everyday.
The more I work on them,
the more beautiful they become.
I could check out books at a very good library
that show good copies of the work of artists.
I can look out for artists that I haven’t heard of.
It’s so exciting to find a new favorite artist!
I could make a point to see the art exhibits in town,
both those of well known artists,
and that of regional and local artists.
I’d like to go to openings, so that I can meet the artist
and ask questions.
I could schedule photography days,
and go to places that are beautiful
and photograph nature in all its splendor.
Yet, still I long for spiritual beauty.
Yes, I can find it in nature.
Yet I long for a deep beauty that I have experienced in my past.
The scent and setting of a church,
where I most deeply sense the presence of God.
God, whom I cannot define, or even begin to comprehend.
But that sweet feeling I get,
knowing that I am not alone,
and just maybe
all is well.
I can make more space in my life for beauty by being aware of beauty around me and within me then I can acknowledge the need to make more time and space for it by being more curious and being grateful. I will make an intention and set aside a few minutes today and every day to seek beauty and make space for it.
Beauty is all around, and there is always time to take it in. Slowing down. Taking a deep breath. Looking with my eyes and listening with intention.
Getting out of my head, and my little created world for a minute, and coming back to this moment. It’s just like anything, we build boundaries and make excuses for why we don’t do these things. As I sit here and take in the sunrise and notice the wind in the trees. The first birds visiting the olive tree. A cat sitting in my lap. My lovely wife, getting ready for her day. It’s easy in this moment to see the beauty.
How can I make more space in my life for beauty? As the poet David Whyte says in a morning meditation I wrote in 2017 “Beauty is the harvest of presence.” If I am not NOW HERE, I will miss the beauty of this moment and this moment. Seeing is always about presence. Seeking not so much. So I invite myself often to “Come and See.”
Morning Med Sep 12 2017 Beauty
Beauty is the harvest of presence. David Whyte
Good Morning, Many things occupy my mind this morning and I feel as if they need to swirl and hopefully unfurl into something I can actually hold and if necessary choose to let go. I say that because as my 12 Step sponsor used to say, “When we know better, we do better.” This morning I’m struggling with facts, with information, but no sense of confirmation. It’s like making jello. Hot water, Cold water, stir and refrigerate. You have to give it time to gel, to come together. The word ‘come’ means ‘to be with,’ and so I come with self-compassion to this moment, and this moment, and…ultimately I know I will see because I am willing. That’s always been my job. I don’t have to fix myself, I just have to see because I know that Christ Consciousness, the YES of the Universe, Enlightenment, Great Spirit (choose your handle) can and will rise in each and every one of us if we are willing. Sometimes at night, I find my self questioning, questioning, questioning so I know I must get up in the morning and make the coffee and live my questions! But this I know I know:. Current answers change when awareness grows. Absolute truth is often in question. But as David Whyte says “Beauty is the harvest of presence.” Be still (Desist) and know that without knowledge and acceptance of self, life becomes a relentless treadmill.
Blessings, Carol
“What can we gain by sailing to the moon if we are not able to cross the abyss that separates us from ourselves? This is the most important of all voyages of discovery.” Thomas Merton
What especially struck me, Carol, was the Thomas Merton quote.
“Cross(ing) the abyss that separates us from ourselves.
This is the most important of all voyages of discovery.”
Who am I, what is my purpose, what is my essence?
What is my story? What is true and what is illusion?
Can I be love? And so much more. Much to reflect on.
Thank you Carol for your beautiful reflections. ♥️
I’m meeting my friend at a tea house today. The elegant cups, the low lighting, and the teas themselves look beautiful. I’m excited about the process of seeing, smelling, and tasting the various teas, and enjoying time with my friend. I can make time every morning to feel, smell, and savor my tea as well.
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Yesterday I had at least three reasons to be worried, and in one case even upset.
But early in the morning, as I drove to work, the moon, a splendid white moon, was vanishing behind the western mountains.
I think it was my desire to see beauty, despite everything.
The moon has been a great site. Wishing you much peace
Beautiful, Anna.
Beautiful!
wonderful imaging, Anna. may your desire to see beauty expand and support you.
Thank you, dear Carol Ann
For me it will be making more time to be out in nature. I did get out on Sunday for a walk near the water. It was a nice sunny day and not as cold as it has been. Walked about 2 miles
Two miles is a great walk, Robin Ann!
I’m glad you had a nice sunny day
and by the water is always nice!☀️
It is beauty all araund almost wherever my eyes and my heart turn to; when opening the windows in the morning, joyfully perceiving the silence and freshness of the early morning awaiting the morning sun to rise. Currently meditation is extended, which adds beauaty to my day as well as having started with music again. Essential beauties. Some days, it is just a matter of perception to be aware of these treasures all around. Grateful for it all.
“essential beauties”. love that – I will ponder my “essential beauties”. thank you, OSE.
Beautiful, Ose.
Oh no you don’t wanna know the half of the story…
Anyhow ya I better keep this one to myself..
But i wanna know half of the story??
Me too.
Me three?
I have filled up so much space in my life with beauty,
that there is room for little else . . .
the cervical collar of a large bull,
a wasp’s nest,
birds’ eggs in found nests . . .
an antique Japanese tea cup that took my fancy,
feathers, seashells,
stones and fossils,
all found along the path of my journey.
Finding beauty
has perhaps been my secret mission in life.
It’s everywhere around me . . .
a string of paper birds,
a crocheted table cloth,
made by a friend’s mother.
People see things that make them think of me,
and offer them up as little gifts . . .
an amethyst charm,
a tiny giraffe that you put together
by matching slits,
a cascade of lights that no one wanted,
fossils of seashells and fish
(I dug the seashell out of the side of a mountain in Colorado . . .
foothills of the Rockies),
the skull of a deer,
and one of a bighorn sheep,
including his glorious headdress . . .
the most delicate alabaster candle dish you can imagine,
and a seahorse,
which I regret losing . . .
well,
there it is.
I collect beautiful things,
beautiful music,
beautiful books.
They all comfort me
when I feel lost and alone,
but,
as you might guess,
my housework suffers for it..
For all of my life,
as far back as I can remember,
I’ve been deeply invested in Spiritual beauty,
and I see that all around me as well . . .
in the natural order of the Universe,
in what I see in the faces of those who know their hearts,
in the kindness and compassion all around me.
I understand that I am impure and imperfect,
but I’m learning to find beauty in that as well,
and that means learning to love myself . . .
something I think most of us are trying to do.
I’m going to stop trying,
and allow it in
with love . . .♥
Choosing beauty over housework sounds like a very good choice to me, Sparrow.
Dusting is more difficult
when my shelves and windowsills
are full of feathers, stones, and bones,
dear Barb. 🙂
So rich, Sparrow. Thank you.❤️
Resonating with other people
makes me feel whole,
dear Mary. ♥
…and you write in poetry… More beauty.
I don’t see it as poetry,
dear Carol Ann . . .
it’s just the way it comes out of me. 🙂
I love that, Sparrow.
Stop trying and just allow the love in.
♥️
I too have some bones and pretty rocks that have found me.
there you go making me smile again, Joseph
Beauty is essentially everywhere. So how could I miss it? Easily! So my antidote is presence
throughout the day to notice the beauty, however, in whomever, wherever it shows up. I’ll do my best.
Putting together the wonderful responses from Joseph McCann and Mark Piper, I’ll expect beauty to make space for me. I’ll pay attention and that will happen again and again.
There are things in my life that, personally, are very important and other things that aren’t as important. When I remove those unimportant things or people from my life, I leave more room for the beautiful ones. God keeps me strong and He will help me through the times to keep me positive because He paves the way for my happiness and resolving the sins I have once committed. I aim to devote my life to Christ; and keep the Lord in my discussions about the beauty I want to make space for.
How can I make more space in my life for beauty?
Great question.
I could work on my drawings everyday.
The more I work on them,
the more beautiful they become.
I could check out books at a very good library
that show good copies of the work of artists.
I can look out for artists that I haven’t heard of.
It’s so exciting to find a new favorite artist!
I could make a point to see the art exhibits in town,
both those of well known artists,
and that of regional and local artists.
I’d like to go to openings, so that I can meet the artist
and ask questions.
I could schedule photography days,
and go to places that are beautiful
and photograph nature in all its splendor.
Yet, still I long for spiritual beauty.
Yes, I can find it in nature.
Yet I long for a deep beauty that I have experienced in my past.
The scent and setting of a church,
where I most deeply sense the presence of God.
God, whom I cannot define, or even begin to comprehend.
But that sweet feeling I get,
knowing that I am not alone,
and just maybe
all is well.
Mary, “the scent and setting of a church”.
You took me right back to a time in my past.
I can make more space in my life for beauty by being aware of beauty around me and within me then I can acknowledge the need to make more time and space for it by being more curious and being grateful. I will make an intention and set aside a few minutes today and every day to seek beauty and make space for it.
Beauty is all around, and there is always time to take it in. Slowing down. Taking a deep breath. Looking with my eyes and listening with intention.
Getting out of my head, and my little created world for a minute, and coming back to this moment. It’s just like anything, we build boundaries and make excuses for why we don’t do these things. As I sit here and take in the sunrise and notice the wind in the trees. The first birds visiting the olive tree. A cat sitting in my lap. My lovely wife, getting ready for her day. It’s easy in this moment to see the beauty.
It is indeed,
a lovely picture
you have created,
dear Charlie . . .♥
By noticing more often when I am caught in my head, and inviting myself to instead open a space for the beauty inside and around me.
How can I make more space in my life for beauty? As the poet David Whyte says in a morning meditation I wrote in 2017 “Beauty is the harvest of presence.” If I am not NOW HERE, I will miss the beauty of this moment and this moment. Seeing is always about presence. Seeking not so much. So I invite myself often to “Come and See.”
Morning Med Sep 12 2017 Beauty
Beauty is the harvest of presence. David Whyte
Good Morning, Many things occupy my mind this morning and I feel as if they need to swirl and hopefully unfurl into something I can actually hold and if necessary choose to let go. I say that because as my 12 Step sponsor used to say, “When we know better, we do better.” This morning I’m struggling with facts, with information, but no sense of confirmation. It’s like making jello. Hot water, Cold water, stir and refrigerate. You have to give it time to gel, to come together. The word ‘come’ means ‘to be with,’ and so I come with self-compassion to this moment, and this moment, and…ultimately I know I will see because I am willing. That’s always been my job. I don’t have to fix myself, I just have to see because I know that Christ Consciousness, the YES of the Universe, Enlightenment, Great Spirit (choose your handle) can and will rise in each and every one of us if we are willing. Sometimes at night, I find my self questioning, questioning, questioning so I know I must get up in the morning and make the coffee and live my questions! But this I know I know:. Current answers change when awareness grows. Absolute truth is often in question. But as David Whyte says “Beauty is the harvest of presence.” Be still (Desist) and know that without knowledge and acceptance of self, life becomes a relentless treadmill.
Blessings, Carol
“What can we gain by sailing to the moon if we are not able to cross the abyss that separates us from ourselves? This is the most important of all voyages of discovery.” Thomas Merton
CLEAR SEEING by Carol Ann Conner
WE ARE PILGRIMS ON THE JOURNEY.
WE SEARCH BUT ALL PATHS LEAD NO WHERE.
WHY? BECAUSE WE NEVER LEFT THE GARDEN.
WE JUST THINK WE DID.
AND WHAT WE THINK MANIFESTS.
AND WHAT MANIFESTS BECOMES OUR REALITY —
A REALITY THAT DENIES OUR BIRTHRIGHT
AND IMPRISONS OUR VERY SOUL.
SO LET US RE-MEMBER THE GARDEN.
GATHER BENEATH THE TREE OF LIFE.
ROOT OURSELVES IN ITS AGELESS WISDOM
AND BECOME WHAT WE WERE MEANT TO BE.
WHOLE, WHOLLY, ONE WITH NATURE,
FATHER, MOTHER, BROTHER, SISTER, FRIEND,
SUMMER, WINTER, SPRING, AND FALL,
WITH THANKSGIVING FOR IT ALL.
What especially struck me, Carol, was the Thomas Merton quote.
“Cross(ing) the abyss that separates us from ourselves.
This is the most important of all voyages of discovery.”
Who am I, what is my purpose, what is my essence?
What is my story? What is true and what is illusion?
Can I be love? And so much more. Much to reflect on.
Thank you Carol for your beautiful reflections. ♥️
Thank you, dear Carol.
To me it comes down to awareness. To hear, see, taste, smell and feel more attentively
I’m meeting my friend at a tea house today. The elegant cups, the low lighting, and the teas themselves look beautiful. I’m excited about the process of seeing, smelling, and tasting the various teas, and enjoying time with my friend. I can make time every morning to feel, smell, and savor my tea as well.
This made me think of a recent High Tea at 22 Moons – thank you,enjoy your tea and time with your friend.
Thank you Michele.
How wonderful Drea!
I feel like I’m right there with you in the tea house!
Thank you Mary.