Beauty is found wherever you choose to pause

Beauty is found wherever you choose to pause. – Amparo Muñoz Morellà, founder AndanaFoto

Right now, before you read any further, take a deep breath and pause. In this one still moment, look at the image of the Cypress Tunnel. What do you notice? The dappled light. The straight path on the ground. The winding sky-path above made by the gap between the tree tops. What a metaphor for life? The path we think we control and the one we are actually on. What else do you see?

When we pause, we allow space to receive and acknowledge “what is,” including beauty in our outer world and our inner landscape.  I hold space in three different circles–– “exploring the veil between,” a conversation about dying and death with members of the Sonoma Ashram sangha; fellow Chaplaincy Institute grads, the Sisters of Upasana, exploring Beauty as Medicine; and an integration circle with Laurie Higgins of Big Mesa Healing Sanctuary.  In each case, we pause monthly, gathered in safe sacred community, reflecting on and celebrating the beauty of our psycho-spiritual growth together.

When was the last time you paused to reflect on your inner life, on your Spirit and growth? What changes, no matter how small, do you notice? How are you holding yourself and others differently these days? When facing turmoil, can you choose not to get hooked, and to focus on what you can control; your breath, your response, your way of being. As the sanctuary of our Divine Self becomes still and strong, that beauty radiates outward so that we can become the pause for others.

When I slow down and become still, the results most often manifest in the photos I share here. For me, these illustrate the pause where Spirit speaks. Enjoy the gallery below, and ask yourself, “What do I see…sense…feel…hear? How might it reflect where I am at this moment in my life?”
Beauty-as-Medicine™ Gallery    (Click on any image for larger view)

My Upcoming Workshops and Retreats
Visio Divina Meditation:  September 9 on zoom – Marin Interfaith Council, San Rafael, CA
Visio Divina in Spiritual Direction:  September 12 in person – Marin ICC, San Rafael, CA
Annual Retreat: October 29 – November 1 – Sisters of Upasana, Fort Bragg, CA
Stay tuned for 2027 dates!