Guiding Thought
How does Beauty feel? What is the energy or vibration of Beauty? How do you bring Beauty to all you movements? Can you breathe in Beauty? What is the mental attitude of doing with Beauty?
Reflection / Contemplation
One theory of creation states that our world/Universe is the result of one big exhale. This is a pretty big exhale.
The poet, Mark Nepo, in his book, Seven Thousand Ways to Listen, references Hildegard of Bingen, the 12th Century nun, mystic, herbalist, artist, composer, spiritual director extraordinaire. She defines prayer as the breathing in and the breathing out of the one breath of the Universe.
Hildegard is also known to have said, “All of Creation is a symphony of joy and jubilation.” Here we are again with diversity and frequency. And, of course, Beauty can well be substituted for the joy and jubilation. I don’t think she would disagree with me on this.
A breathing practice within a system of acupressure, Jin Shin Jyutstu, of which I have been practicing for close to 20 years now ( the acupressure part yes, the breathing, not so much) involves taking 36 breaths. If you have ever done a breathing meditation, trying to maintain concentration on breathing itself, for even a few breaths is remarkably challenging. This system of breathing suggests giving yourself a big hug and placing your hands in your armpits (acupressure points) whilst breathing. Even on this purely physical act of breathing, you are changed: more relaxed and expansive for the experience. Your vibration is certainly changed.
If you care to take the practice deeper, you can focus on the 9 breaths in the following way: Break down the breaths into 4 cycles of 9, beginning with 1. Universe/Planets; 2. Light/Sun; 3. Human Blueprint/Individual Consciousness; and 4. Harmony/Blood.
This practice is a bit esoteric, but it is the distillation of that One Big Breath from the Universe all the way down to me/us. My relationship with this practice over the years has been a dalliance at best, nothing serious. Well, here it is knocking again, and with a twist – Beauty.
Journey of Beauty is now available as a free book.
You no longer need to wait for the Guiding Thoughts to be posted here daily–you may move at your own pace. This link will take you to the document in Dropbox; you may download it from there.
I accept donations and gifts via paypal: paypal.me/SusanBillmaier Thank you for the energy exchange!
Here is the schedule:
Apr 18 Preliminary day Introduction: Why A Journey of Beauty (02.10.0)
Apr 19 Preliminary day Commitment and Dedication (02.10.00)
Apr 20 – 29 Days 01-10 Round One (02.10.01-10)
Apr 30 – May 9 Days 11-20 Round Two (02.10.11-20)
May 10 – 19 Days 21-30 Round Three (02.10.21-30)
May 20 – 29 Days 31-40 Round Four (02.10.31-40)
May 30 – June 8 Reflection days Gently care, de-fuse, and write one day of reflection on the Journey (02.10.41)
SusanWithPearls 