“One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star.”

― Friedrich Nietzsche

I believe in beauty. I believe, with Dostoyevsky, that “Beauty will heal the world.”

And what I mean by beauty is what happens when we see ourselves as we really are – as eternal spirits dwelling within a vessel of stardust – as precious, unique, perfect souls who, at this moment, have all that we’ll ever want or need, if we can simply get out of our own way and see it.

The Navajo term for the spiritual path is the Beauty Way. This Beauty Way prayer is like deep calling unto deep for me – perhaps it resonates with you too.

Today I will walk out, today everything evil will leave me,

I will be as I was before, I will have a cool breeze over my body.

I will have a light body, I will be happy forever,

nothing will hinder me.

I walk with beauty before me. I walk with beauty behind me.

I walk with beauty below me. I walk with beauty above me.

I walk with beauty around me. My words will be beautiful.

In beauty all day long may I walk.

Through the returning seasons, may I walk.

On the trail marked with pollen may I walk.

With dew about my feet, may I walk.

With beauty before me may I walk.

With beauty behind me may I walk.

With beauty below me may I walk.

With beauty above me may I walk.

With beauty all around me may I walk.

In old age wandering on a trail of beauty,

lively, may I walk.

In old age wandering on a trail of beauty,

living again, may I walk.

It is finished in beauty.

It is finished in beauty.

Along with that I embrace perversity, uncertainty, the story, the voyage, meaning and metaphor, maps, journeys, discovery; the tiny moment of clarity and truth is my salvation and means more to me than any religious experience ever did. My strength is found in the moments between moments – space, silence, wordlessness.

There is so much in this world of ours to relish and embrace.

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