Let the beauty within us be shared out in the world. Let the beauty of the world remind us of the beauty within. Let us continually orient and reorient to harmony.

Great Spirit, may I walk in Beauty

May Beauty be above me

So that I may be a part of the Greater Beauty

Great Spirit, may I walk in Beauty

May Beauty be in front of me

That I may perceive Beauty in all things

Great Spirit, may I walk in Beauty

May Beauty be to the left of me

That I may receive Beauty through my inner woman

May Beauty be to the right of me

That I may give Beauty through my inner man

Great Spirit, may I walk in Beauty

May Beauty be behind me

So that the only tracks I leave are those of Beauty

Great Spirit, may I walk in Beauty

May I touch my self, my life and all others with Beauty

May I walk this Blessed Beauty Way

Great Spirit, may I walk in Beauty.

-a version of a Navaho (Navajo)/ Diné (Dineh) prayer

The Navaho term for the spiritual path, their practice of living in a good way, has been translated as ‘The Beauty Way’.

When I first heard the term, I knew nothing of it’s roots, but was deeply drawn to the concept as I understood it.

My understanding, out of context, was simple: make things beautiful.

Although simplistic, and out of cultural context, I do believe my being was resonating with a deeper truth.

I facilitated a women’s leadership circle for a year, in a small town in rural BC. Every week we met around a table thoughtfully adorned with a beautiful tablecloth, a beeswax candle, and a bouquet from someone’s backyard. Something about this intentional setting supported us to share the beauty within us. This beautiful table, this artful decorating just for us- just for us as we sat and drank our tea and shared the tender wyld beauty of our hearts. Sacred.

In my family, beautiful birthday cakes have been a way to honor and cherish our beloveds, without words. Check out this deliciousness made by my sister for her husband!

How are you living the beauty way in your life? What does the concept mean to you? What ideas do you have as to how you could bring more beauty into your life? How can we humans, as a species, live in harmony with all of creation? (spoiler alert: leave all coal and oil in the Earth!)

Let the beauty within us be shared out in the world. Let the beauty of the world~ a sunrise, a flower, a tree in fall colour ~ remind us of the beauty within us. May our intentions be beautiful, may our thoughts be beautiful, may our actions be beautiful. May we learn to receive beauty~ to stop and soften and be with the miraculous glory of creation as it unfolds every day in nature (remembering of course, that humans are nature too).

The first work of art each one of us has is our lives, and if we have not created our lives in beauty, we have not completed our mission here. -Shelby