Beauty
by Jef Bartow
From the winter solstice through a good part of January, the light of the Sun brings greater self-awareness to the natural home of Capricorn in our astrological mandala. For those born between December 21st and January 20th, this is an ideal 30-day period to become more aware and spiritualize your self-consciousness and internal individuality. For those of you who study astrology, this greater self-awareness can also be gained in the areas of life where Capricorn lies within your astrology chart. In the development of the soul, the SPIRIT characteristic of Beauty aligns with the areas of life represented by the 10th house astrologically. These areas include our professional life, the outer world in general and our social image; the goal of which is to develop a social image, reputation and foundation for life. The characteristic of Beauty can be highly beneficial for each of us in this regard.
To see how, let's first develop a better understanding of Beauty. From various sources in Western mysticism, Beauty is defined as "splendor of form." Beauty is referred to as "shining in company with the celestial forms beyond the pale of appearances." Three conditions of Beauty include: perfection, proportion and brightness and clarity.
Psychologically, "Beauty is the transparency of any phenomenon to the One." Abstract Beauty "bears the transcendent." Philosophically, "Beauty is a form or mode of goodness." It is the "manifestation of the spiritual force that animates all reality."
From these perspectives, I conclude that Beauty is the mode of goodness (SPIRIT) that bears the transcendent, which is the splendor of what a form is. Beauty expresses a godlike form shining beyond the pale of appearances. It is the perfect proportion and clarity that lies behind the appearance of forms. When one sees Beauty, one glimpses through the transparency to the reality of the One, Spirit. Objectively, Beauty becomes the quality that evokes our highest sense of pleasure through its aesthetic expression in life. Spiritualizing ExercisesSo how do we use this Beauty to amplify our spiritual practices? First, for the next few days take some time during your daily meditation and/or reflections to review your social life and what social image you have developed and express. Document a summary of what you've learned about yourself in this review. Next, take a few days to reflect on what you consider to be the inner you, the core of your individuality or consciousness of self. When completed, compare this inner self with your social image. How does your self-image express your inner self? How does it not? What changes can I make in my attitude, orientation and behavior to better express my true individuality? How can I more express the core of myself in this season of celebration and socialization?An ideal way to bring Beauty into expression is through the celebration of Christmas or Hanukkah. Most of you have by now completed your decorations for the season and preparations for the holidays. Now is a time to bring more Beauty into these celebrations of Spirit. What can I do to more fully express the Christ/Messiah in the appearances of this holiday season? How can I proactively initiate at least one activity that will bring the splendor of the Spirit of Christmas or Hanukkah to my family and friends?For those of you who are not faint of love or will, this is a good time to introduce a very powerful spiritual practice; that of the celebration of the 12 days of Christmas. Mythologically, Christ was born on December 25th. Responding to this spiritual event, three wise men brought gifts to the manger in Bethlehem through following a bright star in the sky. We can all experience the Beauty of this process each year, beginning on Christmas Day. For this first year, let's utilize three primary aspects of Christmas celebration: joy and appreciation, love and self-sacrificing giving.Each day for 12 days, express one of these primary parts of Christmas. Express your appreciation for what God and Spirit have given you within some part of your professional or social life. I have baked Christmas breads and goodies to give to those who serve the needy, or just need appreciation during this time. Or, demonstrate a new level of love to someone meaningful in your life. Or thirdly, initiate a self-sacrificing act of giving to someone or cause in the outer world that reflects an aspect of the Christ energy. This is how we can bring Beauty into the outer world in the celebration of Christmas/Hanukkah. One difficult part of this practice is that is follows Christmas day, rather than before. The positive part is that it will powerfully express the solstice energy into the new year and the Epiphany of Christmas on January 6th. Characteristics of Spirit
Images on this page provided by: Jenny McCarthy
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