The luminous and shocking beauty of the everyday…

“The luminous and shocking beauty of the everyday is something I try to remain alert to if only as an antidote to the chronic cynicism and disenchantment that seems to surround everything, these days. It tells me that, despite how debased or corrupt we are told humanity is and how degraded the world has become, it just keeps on being beautiful. It can’t help it.” – Nick Cave, Faith, Hope, and Carnage

Beauty – What a stunningly beautiful, rich, and resilient month April has been, (in spite of all the dread in the world, and having to pay taxes that will fund a madman’s war or ballroom). It all started with a trip to New Jersey to celebrate my best friend’s retirement. The weeping cherries and magnolias were in their glorious and short-lived full bloom. We spent time at Princeton University’s new art museum. The building and collection rivals museums in major metro cities. We toured the nearby Swaminarayan Akshardham temple complex. Intricately carved marble and sandstone shipped over from India and put together like a giant 3D jigsaw puzzle. It could claim a spot on the “Wonders of the World” list. No photos are allowed in the Mahamandir temple, so check out the website.

Belonging – Easter evening we visited aunties for a little love and homemade Italian dessert. We broke bread and shared precious time with friends from college. Rather than reminisce we held each other just as we were, in that moment. There’s a deep sense of belonging when you’ve known friends through 50 years of love and loss. You recognize that essence, the beautiful soulful spark in each other that never changes. It really struck me that belonging is different than connection. Connection can be momentary, transient or even transactional. Belonging is a commitment. No explanation needed. I am deeply grateful for belonging with and to life-long friends.

Receiving – Mid-month I participated with a dozen amazing women in a retreat to ReWild the Heart. How luscious it is to be in a group so willing to open hearts, bare souls, share joys and sorrows, all in a safe container held by generous and loving guides. I came away re-committed to receiving and sharing more love, joy and wonder, playfulness, passion and magic, and to dance!! One is never too old to ReWild the Heart. A shout out to Laurie Higgins and Big Mesa Healing Sanctuary for this enlivened weekend. Luminous and shocking beauty comes in many forms. 

Integrating – As the retreat was winding down one of the guides asked me, “What are your superpowers?” I thought about a walk I took on the land, where I was drawn to a huge gnarled old oak tree with long limbs that were intertwined with each other, stretching far out away from her trunk. I thought how they looked like the arms of various goddesses in the Hindu pantheon, and it came to me to name, and to own, my superpowers in the form of the many arms of the goddess. So I’m working on that. I’ll ask you dear reader, what are your superpowers and how do they touch others?

April Beauty-as-Medicine™ Gallery
One of my superpowers is receiving and sharing Beauty-as-Medicine. These are just a few highlights from late April hikes at Point Reyes National Seashore and meanderings around the neighborhood.

2026 Retreat & Workshop Dates
PhotoPlay for the Soul – June 10 @ChI Retreat, Santa Cruz, CA

The Seen and The Unseen – July 15 – 19 with Katrina Leathers in Maine
(spots still open)

Coming Closer to the Divine Through the Elements – July 30 – Aug 2 @Upasana Hilltop Sanctuary
(space still available)

Sisters of Upasana – Sept 2 – 6 @Upasana *Full

Celebrating Spirit’s Bounty – September 20 @CCC Tiburon

Retreat for Sonoma Ashram Sangha members – September 24 – 27 @Upasana
(Email me for more information)

Recommended Reading – Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi – If you haven’t yet read this novel, I highly recommend it for sheer enjoyment. It’s a really sweet story with a twist at the end. The characters are paradoxical––colorful and complex, in subtle and nuanced ways. I find myself wanting to know more about many of them. It takes place in a sleepy southern town, so don’t expect lots of high-powered, gripping action. It’s about love and loss, longing and belonging, suffering and redemption. Above all, it’s about kindness, civility and a love of beauty. Yes, it’s book-club material. Perhaps it should be required reading in schools everywhere.

Recommended Doing – In between the dancing and the reading, get out for slow mindful walks in nature!!!  No earbuds, no chatter, just noticing in silence, all the beauty that surrounds you. Do what you can to keep your inner peace and to stay resilient. Sign up for one of my 3-day retreats above, to deepen into true belonging with the elements of nature! We are not separate. Beauty heals. Nature Heals. Walking keeps me sane.

Beauty-as-Medicine™ photo card decks for sale
Printed on deluxe 6×9 sturdy postcard stock with velvet finish, they feel lovely in the hand and are large enough to practice visual meditation and psycho-spiritual inquiry. An instruction card with prompts comes with each set. Email me if you’d like to experience Beauty-as-Medicine™ healing photography with me, or to order your own set of photo cards. $108 for each set (vertical or horizontal), or $200 for both, shipped directly to you from the printer.

Thank you for reading my musings and spending time with my photos. Feel free to send me comments and to share how this writing and imagery touched you. If you, or anyone you know, are on a spiritual quest, celebrating a significant threshold in need of spiritual guidance or a healing ritual, please reach out. AI was not used here.

🙏🏻 Namasté 🙏🏻
Rev. Lisa
Email: lisa@Ljwdivinesight.com
Spiritual Guide. Wise Woman.
Contemplative Photographer. Mystic.
Beauty-as-Medicine™ workshop creator.

Spirit-Infused Healing Photography Books for sale at Blurb
“Photography is my love language. Teaching people to see Beauty-as-Medicine™ is my Ministry.” Rev. Lisa