Beauty
Break
“There
is that in the glance of a flower which may at times control the greatest of
creation’s braggart lords.”
John
Muir
Watching
endless hours of news these days can be hazardous to your health. We are all
mesmerized by the protests once again filling our streets. In my younger days,
I would have been right in the middle of it. Injustice is nothing new in this
country—or anywhere else, I suspect. But it is heartbreaking to watch.
Instead
of watching bad news all day and night, why not take a walk in the green world—John
Muir believed it to be healing just to be in the presence of trees. Rather than
immersing ourselves in pandemic fears, why not catalog the flowers blooming in
our neighborhoods. Not forever. No field of poppies and oblivion, here. Just
for a little while—take a beauty break.
When I
was studying with Carol Proudfoot back in the 1990’s, we had all-night drumming
circles. In preparation for those, we went into the garden, the forest, or the
desert, gathered sweet smelling herbs and flowers, and made a little bundle to
keep with us through the night. About three o’clock in the morning, when we
were flagging and wanting so much to lie down and sleep, we would pull our herb-bundles
out and breathe their fragrances in. Restored, rebalanced, refreshed, we went
back to drumming until the sun rose.
During these days of pandemic and unrest, find
some relief in beauty. Feed yourself with the balancing energy of sunlight and
make yourself an amulet of herbs and flowers. Go for a walk in the woods, or in
a park. Our connection with the natural world has restorative powers. Don’t be
afraid to use them.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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