Beauty. How do we experience beauty? What are the feelings evoked, the state of mind that prevails during the moments when we stand face to face with beauty, be it the beauty on a face, in an act, in a gesture, in a form – a tree, a flower, a body - beauty of words? What is it in us that is touched and makes us decide that the experience was intense and unique as to term it an experience of beauty? Was there a feeling of sublimation that we feel at no other times? Or do we feel that our entire life is shrouded in and with beauty? If no, why not?
Let us take a good look at an object of beauty. I have a before me a little flame that is only as high as the blackened wick that it burns away. The flame moves gently from side to side, it almost seems like it is taking a peak at me from one side and then the other, as the top end of it moves away from the wick, gently, to and fro. I cannot help smiling. It seems like a living entity, my one living companion for now. I smile and my heart fills with joy. I exclaim quietly, “What joy in you, what candid light you emit, its almost like a smile. How you stand before me, holding your two palms together in salutation and I likewise, cannot help but return the salutation in gratitude”. Such was a monologue that arose in me and the moments were, to me, beautiful. It all started with the flame which I saw as beautiful. It appeared that there was nothing that the flame wanted from me; it gave away its beauty without asking from me anything in return. The form was beautiful, there was a beautiful light emitted, chasing the darkness of this little space away. There was a beauty in its existence. There was gladness and gratitude during those short moments.
Is beauty in the eye of the beholder? Is it ever present, only that sometimes we are not able to see it, because of our other preoccupations. Is everything beautiful? Some things give us pain or disgust, to see or hear. These often tend to draw away from the atmosphere a certain life-force or energy, and leaves behind a sore feeling. Now this sore feeling is something one could have fanned. Does one have a choice to turn around a not-so-beautiful feeling into something more beautiful and therefore, more gratifying. Is beauty an attitude? Does it dwell more in a heart of purity that gives away beauty to all and in so doing, attracting beauty to it as well?
In this issue, we are drawn into this inner debate about beauty. The ultimate question we can ask ourselves - Am I beautiful? Can I become more beautiful?– and like this, we build bridges inside ourselves and traverse paths never crossed before. Would it be a beautiful story that would unfold, as we go in pursuit of beauty?
This editorial concludes with what The Mother has said about beauty in several lines. Contemplating on these lines, one could see paths opening before one. Let us not leave them as only paths, virgin paths untrodden. Let these be trodden upon. Worlds of beauty may arrive before us, if we are persistent enough?
“Let beauty be your constant ideal.
The beauty of the soul
The beauty of the sentiments
The beauty of the thoughts
The beauty of the action
The beauty in the work
So that nothing comes out of your hands which is not an expression of pure and harmonious beauty.
And the Divine Help shall always be with you.”
Let us take a good look at an object of beauty. I have a before me a little flame that is only as high as the blackened wick that it burns away. The flame moves gently from side to side, it almost seems like it is taking a peak at me from one side and then the other, as the top end of it moves away from the wick, gently, to and fro. I cannot help smiling. It seems like a living entity, my one living companion for now. I smile and my heart fills with joy. I exclaim quietly, “What joy in you, what candid light you emit, its almost like a smile. How you stand before me, holding your two palms together in salutation and I likewise, cannot help but return the salutation in gratitude”. Such was a monologue that arose in me and the moments were, to me, beautiful. It all started with the flame which I saw as beautiful. It appeared that there was nothing that the flame wanted from me; it gave away its beauty without asking from me anything in return. The form was beautiful, there was a beautiful light emitted, chasing the darkness of this little space away. There was a beauty in its existence. There was gladness and gratitude during those short moments.
Is beauty in the eye of the beholder? Is it ever present, only that sometimes we are not able to see it, because of our other preoccupations. Is everything beautiful? Some things give us pain or disgust, to see or hear. These often tend to draw away from the atmosphere a certain life-force or energy, and leaves behind a sore feeling. Now this sore feeling is something one could have fanned. Does one have a choice to turn around a not-so-beautiful feeling into something more beautiful and therefore, more gratifying. Is beauty an attitude? Does it dwell more in a heart of purity that gives away beauty to all and in so doing, attracting beauty to it as well?
In this issue, we are drawn into this inner debate about beauty. The ultimate question we can ask ourselves - Am I beautiful? Can I become more beautiful?– and like this, we build bridges inside ourselves and traverse paths never crossed before. Would it be a beautiful story that would unfold, as we go in pursuit of beauty?
This editorial concludes with what The Mother has said about beauty in several lines. Contemplating on these lines, one could see paths opening before one. Let us not leave them as only paths, virgin paths untrodden. Let these be trodden upon. Worlds of beauty may arrive before us, if we are persistent enough?
“Let beauty be your constant ideal.
The beauty of the soul
The beauty of the sentiments
The beauty of the thoughts
The beauty of the action
The beauty in the work
So that nothing comes out of your hands which is not an expression of pure and harmonious beauty.
And the Divine Help shall always be with you.”
The Mother
No comments:
Post a Comment