Beauty as Medicine

I’ve been practicing contemplative seeing since 2005 when I took a workshop with photographer and Zen Buddhist monk, John Daido Loori, Roshi. It has become both a spiritual and healing practice.

Since the beginning of Covid time, I meander around my neighborhood, mask on, every morning observing the plants and animals, the light of the day and the cycle of the seasons. I stop to smell the roses, to listen to the bees, to watch snails slither through ground cover. Flowers bloom and die and bloom again. Brilliant colors, textures, and patterns of light and shadow capture my attention. This daily practice keeps me grounded and in touch with the mystery of life and all that is Sacred. It keeps my interior world connected with the landscape around me. I find beauty in the mundane, experience joy observing a family of woodpeckers in their hollow tree, and have come to know the language of a flock of turkeys.

It is my belief that nature heals, that beauty heals, and that becoming one with the beauty in nature we open our hearts and transcend to a Divine consciousness. If this offering resonates with you as a spiritual practice, I invite you to join me for a walk once a month. Between our times together, we'll practice with prompts for seeing, listening and writing from your own Divine Sight.

“The beauty of Lisa’s vision, and how she captures it for us through the lens of her camera and through her words is profound. Her great gift as a teacher is how gently she guides us to see through an open heart.”

– Gay Luce, Founder, Nine Gates Mystery School