The Virtue of Beauty

A Self Portrait Finding the Beauty Within

I chose to focus on the virtue of “Beauty” during the start of spring because the beauty of nature’s various colors return. For me, beauty is hard to define because it is subjective to each person. As I was beginning to write this post, I kept thinking of my own song “All Is” which touches on some of my thoughts about the concept of beauty.

            Initially, this song was an exercise in paring up idioms and considering some of the paradoxes of beauty, love, truth, and freedom. Typically, we think of beauty as something we see, but it can be known and felt as well. The lyrics are below followed by the audio track.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

Love is blind, yet we know both

Beauty is lovely like the sound of singing

Love is beautiful like evergreen growth

All is within and all is about

All is within and all is about

Dance like no one is watching you

Sing out like no one can hear

It takes two to tango, come with me

Duets make the harmony clear

All is within and all is about

All is within and all is about

Truth hurts but we still want to know

Free as a bird to explore

Truth is found in fact and fiction

Freedom can never be either/or

All is within and all is about

All is within and all is about

All Is

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            Beauty is in and all around us. It comes in many shapes and sizes. It has many sounds and textures. I feel it is our task to find the beauty in our world and in each other. If we find a place or person that is lacking a sense of beauty, we can help them cultivate it by sharing our beauty. Our beauty can be the gifts and talents we have that could potentially support others. Go out and create beauty in the world anyway you know how.

            In terms of magic and ritual, it is simple. Beauty is innately in our essence, so we just need to be. Yes, sometimes things can look or feel ugly or shadowy. But I am challenging myself and you to find the beauty, or contemplate what you can do to transform that energy into something beautiful. Beauty could be the transformation. Consider how butterflies come to be. This is why it is so important to support yourself and others as you acknowledge the needs to fully embody gender.

            Yet, feeling beautiful, inside and out, can be very difficult in this society with all its standards. I have always struggled with self-image. I am short, fat, and don’t have a clear complexion. I am not as outgoing, charming, and eloquent as some. But I have other qualities that make me beautiful and so do you. We should be free to explore what makes us feel and act beautifully as long as it does not harm ourselves or others.

            I believe the Gods hope we see their divine beauty in our own reflections.