As happens with love, beauty is often misunderstood in our contemporary society. Reduced to its mere physical aspect, demonized as oppressive by those who do not feel graced by it, or even emptied by those who relativize it to the extreme, beauty ceases to be perceived in its essence, and the access to its transcendent potential is lost.

The Transcendent Concept of Beauty

True beauty goes much deeper than what appears on the surface and suggests something bigger than ourselves. It brings a sense of harmony and a feeling of joy.
I see beauty as a universal law. It is an expression of internal and external harmony for being aligned with our purpose.
Beauty is the radiance of a soul in its natural place in the cosmos, freely expressing the Source. Maybe that’s why it is easier to see beauty in a child or in nature.

Seeing beauty in a transcendent way does not exclude its physical aspect. On the contrary, this points to the importance of the physical dimension and helps us to recover our connection with the body.

The Beauty of The Body

True contact with the body, which comes from presence, grounding, and self-acceptance, promotes openness to life. And this is expressed as beauty. It may seem simpler than it usually is in practice because, for most of us, the full connection with our body is blocked by trauma, chronic tensions, and limiting beliefs.

The process of self-knowledge implies awareness on all levels, including the physical. By doing this, we realize that in reality, all planes – physical, mental, emotional, and energetic – are interrelated. That’s why self-care is so important in order to promote vitality, and that includes what we usually call beauty care.

Beauty expresses our psycho-emotional state. An example of this is the tendency not to take care of our appearance when we are depressed. Conversely, when we are happy, it is instinctive to take care of our appearance and well-being. I’ve heard many people recommend dressing well and doing skin and hair care as a remedy for depressive states, which makes some sense when not used in a suppressive way. I believe in beauty as a natural expression of self-acceptance, self-esteem, and self-worth.

During my teens, I didn’t feel beautiful, and there were real issues that reinforced this. As I entered adulthood I recognized that my physical shape and appearance were a result of being in an environment that was hostile to my soul expression, my purpose, and my sexuality.

Upon entering university, which was something I really longed for as a means to gain independence, I noticed that my appearance was getting more beautiful. The moment my sexual energy flowed more freely, my body responded and I became more beautiful. It was noticeable on my skin, body, and hair. Whenever I acted more independently to express my soul’s yearnings, I found that it accompanied a change in my body, in my physical appearance, which I perceived as more beautiful.

By understanding this simple but profound relationship between the bio-energetic state and beauty, which implies well-being, my way of taking care of myself changed drastically. Each day is a continual learning experience, and each time I make conscious choices that affirm my being, I feel that I am creating and expanding true health and beauty.

Conscious Beauty

Beauty is also physical, but not only. And it is never just physical, otherwise, it becomes empty. This explains the existential vacuum of a society so obsessed with image and aesthetics, disconnected from our immaterial roots. But this obsession also represents a quest. There is the impulse, the yearning for meaning, although not fully understood and often unconscious.

The frantic search for beauty products indicates the lack of this internal connection and the search for external substitutes. I’m not against beauty products, quite the contrary, but from my own experience, I understand the importance of consciously expressing our own beauty, and of putting external stuff in its proper place. They are there to serve our beauty, never for us to be their slaves or slaves of the brand’s fallacious promises, which take advantage of the people’s vulnerability caused by the prevailing existential dissatisfaction.

This is why conscious consumption is so important. It is not only related to protecting the environment and promoting fair labor relations but also to self-care. It is very important to make our choices with soul, aware of what moves us in each choice, and truly connected with what each purchased object represents, be it shoes, clothes, makeup, cosmetics, etc. In general, we realize that we don’t need so many things at the same time, and we start to value the high quality of what we acquire more than the quantity and prefer products that better express our personality and values than what is on trend.

The Importance of Living in Beautiful and Healthy Environments

I need beauty to continually access the joy of living, and that means being in a balanced environment. A healthy and balanced environment includes preserved nature, our home, our personal space, and our relationships.

It is widely known that contact with nature has healing power over us. Only being in a balanced natural environment, or even seeing a beautiful picture of nature, makes us feel at peace, more in touch with the essential part of ourselves. For this and many other reasons, there is no doubt about the importance of preserving natural environments and the need for us to recognize that we are part of nature.

By choosing personal objects that are beautiful and made with love, and arranging our surroundings in a way that is pleasing to the eye, we feel more inspired. In our workplace, it motivates internal organization and productivity and creates well-being. In our home, which may or may not include our workspace, it creates a welcoming atmosphere and reaffirms our sense of identity.

Many studies and our own personal experiences show the harmful effects of toxic relationships. Whether in the family, at school, or in organizational environments, interpersonal dynamics where the sense of worth of oneself and/or the other is denied always generate a negative impact on mental health and at the same time are a reflection of collectively validated psycho-emotional dysfunctions.
As we learn to love ourselves unconditionally and be self-responsible at the same time, setting healthy boundaries becomes second nature. We learn to say ‘no’ when necessary and to honor our personal space, as well as respect others’ personal space and choices. This makes us actors in a new dynamic of healthy and mutually vitalizing relationships, and this is also creating beauty.

Beauty expresses the state of consciousness of a being in harmony with oneself and the world. In our case, as adult humans, everything starts with self-awareness and love for oneself, which favors feeling comfortable with ourselves and in being in the world. This is expressed in creating and maintaining a balanced personal space, be it our office, our bedroom, or our home. At the same time, beauty will also guide us in the way we relate to others and the environment around us, and along with other noble values, it will guide in choosing relationships and environments that do us good psychically and emotionally. All this contributes to the expression of what is best in us, and this is good for the world. It’s a virtuous cycle.

I believe in beauty as an expression of inner harmony.
And I also believe in beauty as a catalyst for the best in us.
And you?

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Credits for the images in this post: 1. two pink flowers from Petra (Pezibear) by Pixabay; 2. aurora borealis from Noel Bauza by Pixabay; 3. Carla stretching from my personal archive; 4. Carla’s face from my personal archive; 5. natural beauty items from Silvia (silviarita) by Pixabay; 6. woman sitting on the lawn from Jill Wellington by Pixabay.

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