Not everyone sees beauty…certainly not those intentionally creating chaos and moral injury in our country.

It goes without saying that this has been a challenging month for many. It’s been hard to know what to write here, so I’ll simply share how I’m feeling and preparing. A week ago I almost fell prey to an apartment rental scam, which amplified for me how vulnerable I am/we are, when we make decisions from a place of fear. Worrying about the potential loss of any support program and/or job, can manifest in fear. If Social Security is gutted, covering my current rent is nearly impossible, hence the search for less expensive housing and the almost costly scam. I’m also keenly aware now, how sophisticated and emboldened scammers and fraudsters are, as they brazenly mimic the corrupt behavior of the felon-in-chief (and his cronies), and their apparent ability to get away with all manner of wrong doing scot-free. I’ve been pretty fearless and independent all my life. It’s hard not to be shaken by these disruptive, criminal events that bring home how interdependent and vulnerable we and all our systems are. And I acknowledge that yes, this is a relatively new feeling for me, an aging, single, white-bodied cat lady.

On a brighter note, I was honored to sit on the review panels of six seminary students preparing for interfaith ordination in May with The Chaplaincy Institute. I was struck by how wide-ranging, and innovative their personal theological statements were in the face of the existential crises we are living through. It was the prophetic Clarissa Pinkola Estes who wrote, Do not lose heart. We were made for These Times. In it she says, “One of the most calming and powerful actions you can do to intervene in a stormy world is to stand up and show your soul. Soul on deck shines like gold in dark times.” These candidates for ordination are made for these times, and they cause me to have hope for the future. I applaud all who bare their souls in service to others. Those intentionally creating chaos and moral injury appear to be soulless.

I think of myself as a realist, balancing my optimism and pessimism (I’m a Gemini/Libra/Libra). It’s hard to witness the pain and suffering being inflicted upon our collective nervous system and psyche, and harder still to find ways to offer upliftment for those I serve. I can’t in good faith, simply offer “love-and-light”, because the light doesn’t exist without the dark. I actually find talking about dying and supporting those preparing for death easier, because death itself is a known ending, at least on this earth plane. Whereas the global systemic collapse we’re beginning to experience may take generations to cycle through to a rebirth. Plus, I’m convinced, based on my own near-death-experience, that the Beauty of the great mystery on the other side of death is far beyond any Beauty we encounter here.

Click on any image for gallery view. All photos ©LjWinston/LjW Divine Sight

And so, in these dark days of grief, anger and sadness, I turn to Beauty as Medicine for solace. The Beauty of an image, a poem, a song, the smile on another’s face, a simple meditation, a walk in nature, and especially, silence. Beauty is soul food. We must find it, create it, savor it, if we are to keep ourselves grounded, resilient and beacons of light in the unsteady, unknown times ahead. And we must DO Beauty together. In that light, I’m taking the wisdom of Confucius to heart and looking for Beauty in less obvious places. Can we see Beauty in collective resistance, in the strength to witness the disruption and dissolution now occurring, and to start over, creating new systems, new ways of living? Where the oppressors perhaps see Beauty in crushing everyone not like them, can the rest of us come together and see Beauty and strength in each other? Colorado’s poet laureate, Andrea Gibson, writes, “It’s everyone’s calling to find Beauty where we are told it can’t be found, and to make it where it isn’t yet.”

 

I’ve left Facebook and Instagram and am cautiously trying out Bluesky and Substack.  This blog will remain my monthly focus, but if you’re curious, you can find me on Bluesky @beautyasmedicine.bksy.social and a longer version of this post with a “to-do” list on Substack @revlisajwinston

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Peace, love and blessings,

Rev. Lisa
Spiritual Guide
End-of-Life Doula, Interfaith Chaplain/Minister
Contemplative Photographer
Free Photos at Pexels
Spirit-Infused Healing Photography Books at Blurb
“Photography is my love language. Teaching people to see Beauty-as-Medicine is my Ministry.” Rev. Lisa