A Deeper Understanding of Beauty

By Stephanie Gretchen Burgevin. Stephanie is a writer and retreat leader. She is an associate faculty member of Shalem and a graduate of their Leading Contemplative Prayer Groups and Retreats Program and leads spiritual and secular programs. Stephanie manages Shalem’s blog. You can see more of her writing at blessedjourneyblog.com.

This holiday season has given me a deeper understanding of beauty and it’s connection to Spirit.

It’s probably pretty easy for us to have that feeling of awe and connect to what’s holy when we see a beautiful vista or sunset.

But recently I’ve come to know beauty in a different, expanded way. I realize that when something is “beautiful” it is because there is a connection there from me to that other person or thing. Beauty is when there is that sense of unity to that of God in someone or something. It could be when you hit a tennis ball or golf ball and feel the sweet spot; it could be the deep, cerulean blue sky. It could be an interaction with another person when you feel that reverberation, that current. It could be the awesome new decorated paper star that I got for Christmas. We are drawn to all forms of beauty in our longing for connection, our longing for unity, our longing for truth, and our longing for what is holy.

John Keats said, “Beauty is truth, truth beauty,” and there is all kinds of conjecture on what he meant, but perhaps beauty is that raw, foundational truth, the truth of connecting to that of God in ourselves and others and it calls us like a homing device, bringing us home to ourselves, bringing us home to what’s holy.

What is your experience?