image is from an altar created by Susannah Crolius
You Do Not Have to Be Good: Poetics of Self-Blessing
Marie Joseph or Mercy by the Sea
"Good" is a problematic word for a lot of us. And, "Loveliness", it is a "soft" word, perhaps even a bit antiquated. But let me ask you: "Do you want to be lovely?" I don't mean in the usual cultural way we name something as "beautiful", but lovely in its best meaning: in harmony,delightful, wonder-full, experiencing joy.
Shame, perfectionism, all the 'shoulds', the gnawing urgency of having to be "good" or "more", there are so many things that get in the way of seeing our loveliness. Only when we can our loveliness can we truly see and bless all the beauty around and within each of us.
This is a very different concept of beauty from what you see in the media. According to the Buddha, everyone is born to be beautiful — not just for twenty-five years, but always. The source of all beauty is within. — Eknath Easwaran
"Beauty" is a core virtue and practice of a thriving spiritual life.
This workshop is an invitation to practice listening for and seeing again your loveliness and to offer it blessing. We'll explore what it is we choose to see, about ourselves and others, and why we see the way we do. In the nuturing company of others who long to reteach themselves their own inner beauty, we will en-courage one another to see through fresh eyes and hearts.
Beauty saves. Beauty heals. Beauty motivates. Beauty unites. Beauty returns us to our origins, and here lies the ultimate act of saving, of healing, of overcoming dualism. Beauty allows us to forget the pain and dwell on the joy. — Matthew Fox, The Mystic Vision
Marie Joseph or Mercy by the Sea
"Good" is a problematic word for a lot of us. And, "Loveliness", it is a "soft" word, perhaps even a bit antiquated. But let me ask you: "Do you want to be lovely?" I don't mean in the usual cultural way we name something as "beautiful", but lovely in its best meaning: in harmony,delightful, wonder-full, experiencing joy.
Shame, perfectionism, all the 'shoulds', the gnawing urgency of having to be "good" or "more", there are so many things that get in the way of seeing our loveliness. Only when we can our loveliness can we truly see and bless all the beauty around and within each of us.
This is a very different concept of beauty from what you see in the media. According to the Buddha, everyone is born to be beautiful — not just for twenty-five years, but always. The source of all beauty is within. — Eknath Easwaran
"Beauty" is a core virtue and practice of a thriving spiritual life.
This workshop is an invitation to practice listening for and seeing again your loveliness and to offer it blessing. We'll explore what it is we choose to see, about ourselves and others, and why we see the way we do. In the nuturing company of others who long to reteach themselves their own inner beauty, we will en-courage one another to see through fresh eyes and hearts.
Beauty saves. Beauty heals. Beauty motivates. Beauty unites. Beauty returns us to our origins, and here lies the ultimate act of saving, of healing, of overcoming dualism. Beauty allows us to forget the pain and dwell on the joy. — Matthew Fox, The Mystic Vision