Beauty Is Soul Deep

By Balbina V. Mars

[From The Rosicrucian Digest April 1949]

"A THING of beauty is a joy forever." Thus declared Keats. But how many of us APPRECIATE true loveliness? How many take the time from material pursuits to bask in its glory for a moment, to respond with their being to the transcendental qualities of beauty?

Too many of us, unfortunately, let the power of beauty skim over the surface of our consciousness, letting it make only "skate-tracks" across the ice of our hearts, instead of allowing it to seep through, to quicken us with joy and love.

To be "a joy forever," beauty must be assimilated and retained--must become PART of us--not just glanced off our consciousness like a rubber ball against a pavement.

There is beauty in a verdant expanse of lawn. In a fleet-winged bird against the blue of the sky. In a rose. In a tree. There is beauty in ALL of God's handiwork. But none can compare with the exquisite beauty of love, radiating warmly from a human heart--radiating and inspiring all who pass by.

Schiller wrote: "Truth exists for the wise, beauty for the feeling heart." For the FEELING heart, was Schiller's keen observation.

Redeem your heart from merely being a mechanism, pumping blood throughout your body, nurturing it. It can "pump" love throughout your consciousness, too. Allow it, then, to radiate from you, to nurture humanity.

BEAUTY begets this radiating love. And love is an artist supreme. It paints stars in our eyes, and roses in our cheeks, and infuses our expanding auras with a rosy radiance that soothes our fellow men like gentle, healing caresses.

This instinct for beauty plays a predominant part in our soul's unfoldment.

When minds fill with beauty, through proper thoughts, and hearts with beauty, through love, the very touch becomes salubrious, the smile a benediction!

Acquire the habit of reading a lovely poem each day, or of studying a beautiful painting, or listening and yielding to the alchemical power of music by master composers--and you will not only "walk in beauty," but in love!

And when you discover beauty in a book, or perhaps in a single inspired thought, or in a new understanding of truth, SHARE it with someone. Remember the admonition in the parable about the talents. Light is not to be hidden. It may wither away by being entombed in your own consciousness; therefore, assist in planting it in another's heart.

Share beauty and light. It will grow. It will expand. Until wave upon wave, in the ocean of life, it will encompass and enrich the entire universe, returning again to you (as surely as there is God it will!)--inspiring and strengthening you anew.

A rose in a crystal vase, an exquisite painting on the wall, or a lovely melody infusing the room and you with harmonious vibrations--all of these have alchemical propensities, which can transmute discontent with life to a consciousness transcendental.

It is possible to respond to one's innate instinct for beauty. Nurture it, by indulging it. Therefore, SURROUND yourself with beauty.

Not all of us, it is true, can afford a luxurious, ornate environment. Yet each of us, regardless of our station in life, CAN LIVE IN BEAUTY!

We can create MENTALLY an exquisite, colorful background--then literally step into it! WISHING will not make it so, but THINKING it will!

Thinking properly can change your entire environment. That simple painting on your wall may become like an exquisite Renoir; that threadbare rug, like a Persian creation. Those dingy, grey walls can take on an empyrean hue. Thinking it, will make it so for you! It all depends on your ATTITUDE.

Therefore, transmute that dissatisfaction with your "lot in life," and ultimately you will ATTRACT to yourself the kind of environment which you had created mentally. Seek that Kingdom within, develop it--"and all else shall be added unto you."

A Persian poet once said: "If thou hast two pennies, spend one for bread. With the other, buy hyacinths for thy soul."

Do not flagellate yourself in contempt, after yielding to an "extravagant" impulse. It is NOT selfish for a woman to adorn herself with a bright piece of costume jewelry, or with a fragrant corsage of violets or gardenias. Nor for a man to indulge his colorful taste in neckties, or a daily carnation in his lapel.

Neither is it selfish to add an exquisitely-bound book to your library, or to add new symphonies to your collection of recordings. All these "bits of beauty," because of raising your consciousness through your inward reaction to them, are "hyacinths for thy soul."

Take care of your body, the earthly temple your heavenly Father bequeathed unto you. Honor it. Respect it. Buy it "bread." But do not concern yourself so exclusively with it, that you neglect your soul.

Pamper your soul a bit, too. Buy it "hyacinths." "Feed" it a daily dose of beauty. The soul THRIVES on it.

Build of yourself a Cathedral. Prepare your raiment to be like the exquisite stained-glass in a Holy Temple. Cultivate your thoughts to be like whispered prayers--your smile like a benediction, your words like glimpses of Eternal Truth--and you will be a glory unto God, a living, divine specimen of His handiwork.

Rosicrucian Writings Online
Beauty Is Soul Deep By Balbina V. Mars [From The Rosicrucian Digest April 1949] "A THING of beauty is a joy forever." Thus declared Keats. But how many of us APPRECIATE true loveliness? How many take the time from material pursuits to bask in its glory for a moment, to respond with their being to the transcendental qualities of beauty? Too many of us, unfortunately, let the power of beauty skim over the surface of our consciousness, letting it make only "skate-tracks" across the ice of our hearts, instead of allowing it to seep through, to quicken us with joy and love. To be "a joy forever," beauty must be assimilated and retained--must become PART of us--not just glanced off our consciousness like a rubber ball against a pavement. There is beauty in a verdant expanse of lawn. In a fleet-winged bird against the blue of the sky. In a rose. In a tree. There is beauty in ALL of God's handiwork. But none can compare with the exquisite beauty of love, radiating warmly from a human heart--radiating and inspiring all who pass by. Schiller wrote: "Truth exists for the wise, beauty for the feeling heart." For the FEELING heart, was Schiller's keen observation. Redeem your heart from merely being a mechanism, pumping blood throughout your body, nurturing it. It can "pump" love throughout your consciousness, too. Allow it, then, to radiate from you, to nurture humanity. BEAUTY begets this radiating love. And love is an artist supreme. It paints stars in our eyes, and roses in our cheeks, and infuses our expanding auras with a rosy radiance that soothes our fellow men like gentle, healing caresses. This instinct for beauty plays a predominant part in our soul's unfoldment. When minds fill with beauty, through proper thoughts, and hearts with beauty, through love, the very touch becomes salubrious, the smile a benediction! Acquire the habit of reading a lovely poem each day, or of studying a beautiful painting, or listening and yielding to the alchemical power of music by master composers--and you will not only "walk in beauty," but in love! And when you discover beauty in a book, or perhaps in a single inspired thought, or in a new understanding of truth, SHARE it with someone. Remember the admonition in the parable about the talents. Light is not to be hidden. It may wither away by being entombed in your own consciousness; therefore, assist in planting it in another's heart. Share beauty and light. It will grow. It will expand. Until wave upon wave, in the ocean of life, it will encompass and enrich the entire universe, returning again to you (as surely as there is God it will!)--inspiring and strengthening you anew. A rose in a crystal vase, an exquisite painting on the wall, or a lovely melody infusing the room and you with harmonious vibrations--all of these have alchemical propensities, which can transmute discontent with life to a consciousness transcendental. It is possible to respond to one's innate instinct for beauty. Nurture it, by indulging it. Therefore, SURROUND yourself with beauty. Not all of us, it is true, can afford a luxurious, ornate environment. Yet each of us, regardless of our station in life, CAN LIVE IN BEAUTY! We can create MENTALLY an exquisite, colorful background--then literally step into it! WISHING will not make it so, but THINKING it will! Thinking properly can change your entire environment. That simple painting on your wall may become like an exquisite Renoir; that threadbare rug, like a Persian creation. Those dingy, grey walls can take on an empyrean hue. Thinking it, will make it so for you! It all depends on your ATTITUDE. Therefore, transmute that dissatisfaction with your "lot in life," and ultimately you will ATTRACT to yourself the kind of environment which you had created mentally. Seek that Kingdom within, develop it--"and all else shall be added unto you." A Persian poet once said: "If thou hast two pennies, spend one for bread. With the other, buy hyacinths for thy soul." Do not flagellate yourself in contempt, after yielding to an "extravagant" impulse. It is NOT selfish for a woman to adorn herself with a bright piece of costume jewelry, or with a fragrant corsage of violets or gardenias. Nor for a man to indulge his colorful taste in neckties, or a daily carnation in his lapel. Neither is it selfish to add an exquisitely-bound book to your library, or to add new symphonies to your collection of recordings. All these "bits of beauty," because of raising your consciousness through your inward reaction to them, are "hyacinths for thy soul." Take care of your body, the earthly temple your heavenly Father bequeathed unto you. Honor it. Respect it. Buy it "bread." But do not concern yourself so exclusively with it, that you neglect your soul. Pamper your soul a bit, too. Buy it "hyacinths." "Feed" it a daily dose of beauty. The soul THRIVES on it. Build of yourself a Cathedral. Prepare your raiment to be like the exquisite stained-glass in a Holy Temple. Cultivate your thoughts to be like whispered prayers--your smile like a benediction, your words like glimpses of Eternal Truth--and you will be a glory unto God, a living, divine specimen of His handiwork.

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Beauty Is Soul Deep