Beauty Above Me

Too often, I forget to look up. I get so wrapped up in what I'm doing, that I forget to look up and see the beauty around me. We all do it.

When I lived in Arizona, after a time, the beautiful vistas I saw every day became routine. If I looked with purpose to see the mountains, I could still see the beauty, but most of the time, I took it for granted.

We're taught, as American Indians, to greet God in the morning - to thank God for giving us the gift of life each new day. (Technically, we are supposed to do this at dawn, but since God gave me ADHD, I have to think that he understands that mornings are tough.)

As a Cherokee, I sing the morning song and say my morning prayer. The purpose of the prayer is to show gratitude for God and to remind me of the beauty around me.

I'm very fortunate to have lived and visited so many beautiful places. But even in the middle of Kansas, there is beauty to be seen (a gift from my mother is to see that beauty).

I adapted a Navajo prayer to conform to my Cherokee culture, where we have seven points of reference, instead of six. I also use the Cherokee order of the cardinal points.

Beauty above me, I walk in beauty,
Beauty below me, I walk in beauty,
Beauty to the East of me, I walk in beauty,
Beauty to the South of me, I walk in beauty,
Beauty to the West of me, I walk in beauty,
Beauty to the North of me, I walk in beauty,
Beauty within me, I walk in God's beauty every day of my life.

As in all things Indian, there is a lot of meaning packed into "beauty". Beauty is a metaphor for love, for instance. Each cardinal point has its own meaning ascribed to it, as well. For the purpose of this post, it serves to remind us that we are surrounded by beauty each moment in our lives.

Most importantly in this age of bad body image and where the world can beat down your spirit, the last line reminds me that I have value and beauty in God's eyes. I have a pretty healthy ego, but it still helps me to remember that I often view myself from the wrong perspective.

I have friends from every religion and even atheists. I respect each person's right to choose his or her religion or lack thereof.

But, I think that every one of us needs to pause each day and feel gratitude for the beautiful things that we are fortunate enough to see and experience every day. We need to believe that there is something bigger than ourselves - above, below, around and within us.

Fire and Light

After the heavy topic of the last post, which left me unsettled, I thought about places that I go for comfort, to pray, or to just be alone with my thoughts.

Sometimes, I get too wrapped up in myself and lose my sense of how I fit into the world. I am focused on the micro instead of the macro.

Some places seem to "magically" recenter me.

One is the Grand Canyon. It is one of those places that makes one feel small, but appropriately so. But it is hard to get to and to be alone without significant effort and planning.

Likewise, I like to sit on a beach all alone and watch the waves crashing in. It also centers me and reminds me of my place in this world.

But neither a beach nor the Grand Canyon have the energy of my favorite places.

One place that everyone seems to think has spiritual significance is Sedona, Arizona.

There is something about the red rock with the green flora against the azure sky that creates palpable energy.

My theory is that it is the reflected light in certain parts of the spectrum from which we feel energy.

Something about red rock and blue sky seems to be a prime example. It just gives off a certain energy that is hard to describe.

Even the adobe buildings in Santa Fe give me a certain buzz on a sunny day.

But only when the sun shines. I don't get the same feeling when I'm in Sedona or Santa Fe on a cloudy day.

My all time favorite place to get spiritual and re-energized is in the Superstition Mountains.

Again, the light reflects off the canyon's rock walls ending up in small area with a stream.

There is an indescribable energy in this place. You have to drive a dangerous mountain road to get here, but everyone stops at this particular spot.

There is nothing unusually beautiful other than the effect of the reflected light.



I always left this canyon feeling better than when I came.

I just wish it were closer to San Francisco.