Beauty therapy

In the normal course of events, we have times in which we feel happy and stress free, and times in which we feel down and worried. One of the main differences between our happy state and our down state is that in our happy state we have an expansive consciousness. We are aware of the sky, the passing clouds, bird song, children’s laughter and the smile on the bus conductor’s face.

In our down state however, the world shrinks until it is no larger than the patch of pavement on which we are walking, and sometimes it is not even as large as that. We close in on ourselves and become locked into a very small world that has no room for happiness and laughter.

We tend to oscillate between these two states, to a greater or lesser extent. A positive experience will boost us into our bright expansive mode, a negative experience will send us tail spinning into our inner straights.

How we can increase our propensity to be aware of the joyous tinkle of life, and stay away from the doom zone?

Beauty

Upon reflection, many of the experiences wherein we feel the spirit of life, are experiences that we would describe as beautiful. Being aware of the sky and the passing clouds, hearing bird song, watching children’s laughter and seeing the smile on the bus conductor’s face, are all experiences to which we could apply the word beautiful as an adjective.

Let us assume then, that experiencing beauty makes us feel positive and alive. Subsequently it should follow that if we make a conscious effort to associate ourselves with beauty by seeking out beautiful experiences and by increasing our awareness and appreciation of them, that we will thereby enhance our “up” state and increase the length of time for which we are our great happy selves.

But what exactly is beauty?

Natural balance

It is often very hard to put a finger on exactly why we find something beautiful so evocative. A glorious sunset or a field full of of wildflowers can bring happiness into our hearts in a way that makes the whole world seem a more cheerful place. There is something in these scenes that resonates within us and which says, “Life’s not as bad as that, let’s look forward to a bright new tomorrow.”

But where does that cheerful voice come from?

In a sense, beauty is an expression of the essential healthfulness and vivacity of the natural world. When we experience and appreciate beauty, we align ourselves with the harmonious balance of which that beauty is representative. By internalising beauty, we internalise the glowing harmonious balance at its source, and through this internalisation, we are transported to the world in which that harmony exists.

For example, when we perceive the backlit multi-hued clouds of a spectacular sunset, we are transported to the world of wide vistas and serenity that exists beyond the confines of the tower blocks which we call home. When we perceive the beauty of a wildflower, we are transported to the world of primal colour and design which is formed from the elemental building blocks of earth, sunlight and rain. A world which is far removed from cereal that grows on supermarket shelves and from milk that comes from plastic bottles.

The world’s raw beauty is an interface through which we connect to the goodness and vitality of the natural world.

Artificiality

As natural beings, our mood is synchronised with the cycles of the primal world. We are influenced by the cycle of the seasons, by the constant change between day and night, by feeling sunshine and rain, wind and snow, by seeing the new growth of the forest, and by smelling the sweet smell of earth and listening to the rushing water of the river after it has rained.

In the modern world, we are alienated from these cyclical influences. Street lighting and electricity blur the difference between day and night. Air conditioning blurs the difference between winter and summer. Digital clocks control our schedule by the hour and the second, and blot out our awareness of the passage of the sun across the sky. And the vast expanse of the tarmac and concrete cities in which we live, dulls our connection to the earth and its mysterious vitality.

The more artificial our lives become, the further we grow away from the life force that fills every detail of nature. And the further we grow away from nature’s life force, the further we grow away from our own inner natural life force, for we too are part of nature. We are born to be as natural and vital, but we are trained to see no further than the house across the street, to look no higher than the skyscrapers in the CBD, to venture into no greater jungle than the city streets and to hunt for food with a credit card.

Eventually we formulate a plastic self image of our artificial veneers, we make life decisions which are incongruous with the sweet well springs of inner life and finally we wonder why we are not “feeling well”.

Homework

Find something natural which is not a product of man’s efforts. This natural thing does not necessarily need to be something of “outstanding natural beauty”. It could be as simple as filaments of moss growing on a tree stump, a pretty pebble on a beach or a flower growing where no-one ever planted it.

Pause for a moment to ponder what you have found, and use it as a gateway to connect to the natural and unaffected world which it comes from. After a day, a week or a month, go back and ponder the same item again. Think about the deep calm and the natural balance of nature, and then compare this mood with the experiences you have had since you first pondered on this corner of the natural world.

Was all that stress worth it? Are we taking life too seriously and missing out on what really counts? Are we missing out on opportunities for personal satisfaction and fulfilment that will never again repeat themselves so that we can get ahead in the concrete jungle?

Take a step back, and wonder.