There is beauty in all things, even those we deem harsh or disagreeable. How can that be? Can ugliness also be beautiful? I think it can be, if we relieve ourselves from the burden of judgment and realize it couldn't exist without a purpose or cause, that it has a place in the world which nothing else can occupy, a function that no other thing can fulfill. This perspective facilitates the acceptance of our surroundings and experiences and thus, it promotes authentic inspiration and understanding. I'm not talking about conformity, mind you; if there's something wrong with the way things are going, we shouldn't just let it be, but we have to fully acknowledge it first, to know that it is in fact happening and how mild or serious it actually is, because only this information allows us to change it properly,
At any given moment, we have a choice between dark and light, complaint and gratitude, surrender and resistance. We can take things as they are or reject them; the former option opens up possibilities for consideration and the latter automatically negates them. Sometimes possibilities should be negated, for instance, when we're invited to take part in some sort of transgressive activity, but in the majority of cases these propositions are either too subtle to pick up at first sight, disguised as something inconsequential or more palatable, presented by people that we generally trust or appealing to our inner urges, so we may ignore their potential for harm and engage in them all the same. But if we're paying close attention to how we feel, what we see and hear, the likelihood of getting ensnared in anything untoward declines. This awareness often comes with experience, when we cross a line and pay for it; however, even totally new scenarios set up with deliberate care and intention can be identified if we take time and study them. Rejection can be a quick fix, but we really don't know what we're rejecting if we don't reflect upon it, do we?
Once confusion and distractions are done away with, what remains is knowledge, and we can use what we know in all sorts of ways: to build, to charm, to redirect, to reshape, to teach, to explore, etc. This knowledge never comes if we refuse it, if we immediately say "I don't like it," "I don't want to believe in this," "I'm not interested."
Soon after I consciously began by spiritual journey, I was inevitably pitted against the darkness of the regime, the practices they used to subdue my country and keep people split apart, angry, despondent, depressed. I had to contend with the systems they used to foster conflict and retain power, particularly how they personally affected me. After I'd suffered, cried and squirmed for a couple of years, I began to see that I was responding exactly as they expected all of us to respond, by insulting them, resenting them, hating them. I was feeding them my strength, I had to change that. It was during a series of Ayahuasca ceremonies that I could untangle my pain and find forgiveness. I freed myself from the yoke of their oppression day by day, month by month, year by year, until I finally received the revelation: as much as I despised their actions, there was a reason for them, and if I could only see that reason, I'd never had to dance to their tune or anyone else's ever again.
So I did a lot of shadow work, investigating my deepest fears and insecurities, my loneliness and sadness, my grief and wounds, my own capacity to cause damage and inflict pain. Then, in one fateful meditation session, I found myself floating in the middle of a chasm, between two walls filled with corpses, ghosts and things of horror far beyond anything the regime thugs could've summoned. They were my most profound expressions of darkness and the walls were closing in, but I was ready for that and, thanks to the previous work, I knew what to do.
I knelt, prostrated before all of that shadow, and verbally accepted its place in the Universe. I honored it and thanked it, because it had to do things, deal with filth and exist in areas of Creation that I never had to tread due to their presence. The moment I did that, the walls moved away and I was allowed to pass. That's when I made peace with my void, and it greatly helped me understand what Beauty truly is, how it can be found everywhere, for nothing can be without the very essence of Self, of Being, and that essence is always Light, always pregnant with the potential for growth.
Out of the pit I came, able to appreciate and enjoy more and more things, much less inclined to pronounce judgment on anything or anyone. I distinctly feel how this has improved my life and it's what I offer others through my words, actions, thoughts, feelings, creations and my mere presence. Beauty is a spring that never ceases to provide freshness and nourishment, here on earth, under the surface and beyond, amidst the distant stars and galaxies, well beyond what we deem safe, nice, comfortable and likable.
Awe, like Majesty, is our birthright, and so are Joy and Peace. These are all aspects of Beauty, and we can see them all the time, if we let them spring naturally from our hearts, minds and hands.
Rune of the Day: Sowelo
A flash of sudden illumination reveals a hidden truth and lasts for long enough to show it in detail; do not look away, the image may be hard to assimilate but it is necessary to witness it all the same, it shall be useful to you later on. Majesty is part of the nature and destiny of humanity; to recover it, clear your shadows, unlearn the attitudes of poverty and abandon the desire for control. Arrogance is a form of pettiness and boasts are signs of insecurity, a soul that is noble and open to new knowledge is its own testimony. Kindness is always more auspicious that contempt, genuine fun enriches the spaces and stimulates the honest exchange of ideas; foster virtuous cycles wherever you go and your prosperity is guaranteed.