To Recognise Beauty

Is beauty a red rose, the city lights on dusk or perhaps the sun shining as a rainbow through the dew on a perfectly shaped spider web on a spring morning? Is beauty any of these examples for you or perhaps something totally different? Beauty is a personal discernment, an understanding that is intimate only to you. And this is where the saying “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” comes from. Beauty is something that makes our hearts sing; that allows us to open ourselves to the wonder of life. So what is your definition of BEAUTY?

Beauty is the key to adjusting our perception of life. If we can decide that beauty is the ultimate to every situation, then every situation will be beautiful. If we break down the word ‘beautiful’, it interprets as filled with beauty. There is beauty in every circumstance if we decide to see it; is always a choice and as confronting as this is, it is true. Depending on our perception of a situation, is how we interpret the beauty. It is similar to finding (or choosing to see) the positive in a particular situation. There is always a negative and a positive perspective in every circumstance; which do you choose to see?

Picture a newborn baby crying at the top of its lungs. How will the mother comprehend this experience? Maybe the baby needs a feed or a nappy change; maybe its cold and needs more clothes put on or maybe its tired and needs to be settled before putting down. The mother sees her baby’s cry as more work for her to attend to. Now envisage the new grand mother seizing an opportunity to swoop in and give the precious infant (in her opinion) much needed love, affection and attention. She is in her element and embraces the opportunity for a smooch and a cuddle from her daughter’s baby that has been long out of her reach. So in this example, it is the grandmother who chooses to embrace the beauty. In another circumstance, the mother may see the same beauty, however her current state, (being body and mind) can influence her perception.

When we begin to notice the beauty around us, we begin to notice more beauty. This may sound like a paradox and yet it is an amazing way to see your life. As you hurriedly drive to work after a frantic morning of getting the children ready and organised for their day’s activities, do you notice the incredible magenta frangipanis in full bloom on the side of the road? Do you notice the delighted faces of the children jumping around their driveway playing hopscotch they created themselves with a rainbow-coloured chalk? What about the lady in the car beside you stopped at the traffic lights bopping around and belting out the notes to her favourite song at the top of her lungs? Even though you may feel too embarrassed to do it, she is having a great old time in the privacy of her own car.

With modern society dictating the fast-paced life of the 2000’s, we are so caught up in our own worlds, we do not allow ourselves to see the splendour in our every day environments. If we can step outside this existence for even a moment at a time, we can create a life of a different reality. This doesn’t mean we have to mosey around all day to stop and find the beauty, it means to interrupt our busy mind for a while and allow our train of thought to be focussed on the fortune of life, rather than the next task at hand. We can still be headed toward the next task while admiring the magnificence around us.

When we notice a vision of beauty that makes our heart sing, we are always so eager to share it with someone else so they can also enjoy beauty in their life. It is a generous gesture, however more often than not, the vision will disappear and you haven’t fully experienced it yourself. Think of a rainbow or a sunset; how many times have you gone to show someone the loveliness of the image to no avail because it has vanished. Ensure you fully experience the encounter before both of you miss out. By all means share, but initially allow yourself to fully embrace the experience by feeling the beauty through your entire body.

The more you recognise the beauty externally, the more you appreciate the beauty internally. By embracing the awesome blessings surrounding you, you produce the perfect mirror to identify yourself with. You will start to notice the incredible achievements about you; the wondrous accomplishments you make on a daily basis and give way to rewarding yourself accordingly. You will view the positive aspects of yourself and any traits you aren’t too fond of will fade off into insignificance as you only make way to see the brilliance within. The inner power you begin to acknowledge in yourself is extensive and continuous. You will be feeding yourself with inspiration and positivity by your state of mind and your state of heart.

We all love the rich splendour in the vision of a rainbow lorikeet. We are in awe of the brilliant beauty in its exquisite colours. But is it the parrot’s colours we are admiring or is it the perfect reflection of the flawless rainbow in our own chakra system? After all, the lorikeet is only reflecting to us what we already possess within.

When you visit the beach do you get annoyed at the forceful wind blowing the sand on your towel and having it stick to your sunscreen? Are the waves so unruly that you are unable to swim because it is too rough? Or do you notice the breeze blowing through your hair allowing you to feel free? Do you feel the strength and power in the grandeur of the ocean and realise that it is all a likeness of you?

And it is also reciprocal; the more you notice the magnificence within, the more you associate with the beauty outwardly. So which comes first, the chicken or the egg? It doesn’t matter, as long as it comes. To choose beauty is to choose love. Make a difference in your own world.