June 2009 (Vol. XXII, No. 6)

Nan Merrill

Blessings of great beauty be with you all, dear friends of silence.

Without Beauty what a dull world this would be. For, when we are able to see and feel the beauty that abides within us, we, naturally, begin to see the beauty within everyone and everything. Beauty hides Her face only to those whose eyes see others and things as objects to be collected or used. We can, however, learn to see beauty everywhere through the eyes of Love abiding within our hearts. When you love — especially those you would rather turn from — Beauty will gently reveal Herself, if you are open to Her. Then, you will both begin to shine with the Divine Beauty of Love and extend it out to the world. Be still, silent, and see.
 

The Beauty of the Trees

Chief Dan George | June 2009 (Vol. XXII, No. 6)

The beauty of the trees,
the softness of the air,
the fragrance of the grass,
speaks to me . . .

The strength of fire,
the freshness of morning,
the taste of salmon,
the trail of the sun,
and the life that never goes away,
they speak of me.
And my heart soars.
~ Chief Dan George

God First Came in the Atlas Mountains

Pinions | June 2009 (Vol. XXII, No. 6)

To me the realization of God first came in the Atlas Mountains and then in the beauty of nature which stirred my whole inner being. The flowers growing everywhere were absolutely breathtaking, and I saw in them such beauty and wonder that could not have been put there by humankind. When I picked the frangi-pangi flower and thought much about it, I saw Spirit Creator. Who else could have made such beauty?  Once natural beauty had turned my heart to God, I found myself continually raising my heart to God, without words but in thought. That is prayer in itself.

 
~ from Wind on the Sand by Pinions

A Poem Lovely as a Tree

Joyce Kilmer | June 2009 (Vol. XXII, No. 6)

I think that I shall never see
a poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
against the earth’s sweet flowing breast;
a tree that looks at God all day,
and lifts her leafy arms to pray;
a tree that may in summer wear
a nest of robins in her hair;
upon whose bosom snow has lain
who intimately lives with rain.
 
Poems are made by fools like me
but only God can make a tree.
 
~ Joyce Kilmer

Wild and Untamable Beauty

Bernard Leach | June 2009 (Vol. XXII, No. 6)

There is a wild and untamable beauty in us when we are in harmony with nature.

~ Bernard Leach

Don't Fill Up Your Life with Petty Knowing

Dale Salwak | June 2009 (Vol. XXII, No. 6)

Don’t fill up your life with petty knowing. Leave space for something more mysterious, more beautiful, more profound than you can presently even imagine. The Great Creator has more beauty in store for you than you can even dream is possible at this point in your life... Leave space for the Great Mystery to offer something new and wonderful! Everything is unfolding in beauty; we need only stop holding on to the familiar.

~ from The Power of Prayer, ed. Dale Salwak

Our Lives and Deaths Can Be of the Beauty Way

Joan Halifax | June 2009 (Vol. XXII, No. 6)

Teachings can only bring us back to who we truly are. Our lives and deaths can be of the Beauty Way. But we must start now; we must become refined—the grinding away process to become truly who we are ... beautiful.

 
 
~ Joan Halifax.

Liken Yourself to a Beautiful Original Part of Creation

Robert J. Wicks | June 2009 (Vol. XXII, No. 6)

Liken yourself to a beautiful original part of creation—a true work of art. Then each day ask yourself how you are living: either in ways that show gratitude for this beauty or in ways that indicate how you are defacing it.

 
 
~ from Snow Falling on Snow by Robert J. Wicks

If Only You Could See Your Face Through My Eyes

Rumi | June 2009 (Vol. XXII, No. 6)

If only you could see your face through my eyes,you would realize how beautiful you are

~ Rumi

There Is a Way to Smile Through Your Eyes

V. Inayat Khan | June 2009 (Vol. XXII, No. 6)

There is a way to smile through your eyes: to see the beauty behind the appearance of things. Imagine looking at a person who is forlorn and broken and has a bad self-image, and seeing the hidden beauty in that person. When you smile, that person sees their beauty through your eyes. Imagine the gift you are offering that person... A silent, gentle gift of love.

~ V. Inayat Khan

She Is From God's World -- A Direct Disciple.

Tony Bentley | June 2009 (Vol. XXII, No. 6)

She is from God’s world -- a direct disciple, I think, sent down to brighten our lives and teach us of higher things. To me she is beauty itself—the word came after her presence. Each time she smiles, I can only cry, and I think of something I read about the sadness of beauty: just to find it is not hard, but to bear it, that is impossible. If she were totally aware of the beauty she was creating, she would stop in awe of herself. She somehow makes life so much more than it is.

~ from WINTER SEASON by Tony Bentley

Hear Creation Sing

Alaysinta | June 2009 (Vol. XXII, No. 6)

Hear creation sing
As your heart slowly opens
Towards inner beauty.

~ Alaysinta

The Most Wholesome Beauty is Virtue-Beauty

Colton and Murro | June 2009 (Vol. XXII, No. 6)

The most wholesome beauty is virtue-beauty, the beauty of the soul-emergence into the whole of life, producing a whole person. Virtue-beauty is centered in mortal and immortal goodness shining forth upon the countenance, the movements of the body, and the expression of the individual. The deep, sweet memories of a beloved face, of a beloved deed, passed on from a pure soul, leave the underlying mark of good which all yearn and hope for.

The lamp of grace keeps alive virtue-beauty.
 
~ from GALAXY GATE: the Holy Universe by Colton and Murro