Inner Beauty is in the Soul
Posted by Becky Waters at 5/3/2008 12:30 PM and is filed under inner beauty,Namaste,appreciation,Perspective 
May 3 - This Week's Quote:
“Human beauty can be seen by the light of the soul, not the light of the sun. Even in darkness, someone who is filled with that light is instantly recognizable.” – Edna Tilghman Larson, healer & herbalist, mid-20th Century
This quote is from a book that Amanda Larson wrote about her grandmother, Healing From a Grandmother’s Heart. And a subscriber and friend of mine, Elaine Graves, sent it to me. Elaine is a massage therapist here in the Huntsville AL area, and she says this quote really resonated with her because when she begins her sessions and first puts her hands on the person, she can feel their essence, their soul. “Everyone has true beauty,” she says, “you just have to get beyond the exterior.”
This idea of acknowledging the inner beauty, inner essence, or soul of another person is expressed in the Sanskrit term, “namaste,” which literally means, “I bow to you.” The basis of this greeting recognizes a common divinity within the other person. In some Eastern traditions “namaste” is said aloud or silently with the physical gesture of placing your hands in front of your chest and bowing slightly when greeting another person.
Back in the mid-90’s I was living in Atlanta, Georgia, and working on my Masters degree at Georgia State which was in downtown Atlanta. Each day, riding the marta train into town, gave me a wonderful opportunity to practice this concept of seeing the inner beauty in people.
During each trip downtown and back, I would look at the people sitting around me and one by one I would say to them silently, “The Christ in me blesses the Christ in you.” It was my way of practicing and “exercising” my inner vision muscles – looking beyond the outward appearance and connecting with their essence.
Because, I believe inside, at the core of us, we are all the same. We all got here the same way – a sperm and egg getting together, developing inside a uterus; we’re all made from the same common elements – hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon; and we all have a story. We all have hopes and dreams and frustrations and challenges. We are all searching for that deep inner peace and yearn to live lives full of meaning and fulfillment.
So, in essence, we are all filled with that “light” Edna talks about – that “light of the soul.”
I challenge you this week to look for this light in the people you come in contact with. See if you can get past the appearance, or the irritating behavior, or whatever it is that may annoy you about another person – look beyond that and try to connect with their inner essence – their inner beauty. Use the greeting, “namaste” or “the Christ in me blesses the Christ in you” or some other version. Whatever feels right for you.
Try it for a day, or two, or for a week and see what happens. How do you feel at the end of the day? Does it make any difference in how your life flows? I’d be curious to know. Leave a comment on the Happy Seeds blog and let me know.
We all have an inner magnificence, an inner divinity… an inner beauty that can be seen when we look into the soul essence of our fellow human beings. The question is can you go deep enough to see it?
Blessings!
Becky
“Human beauty can be seen by the light of the soul, not the light of the sun. Even in darkness, someone who is filled with that light is instantly recognizable.” – Edna Tilghman Larson, healer & herbalist, mid-20th Century
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This quote is from a book that Amanda Larson wrote about her grandmother, Healing From a Grandmother’s Heart. And a subscriber and friend of mine, Elaine Graves, sent it to me. Elaine is a massage therapist here in the Huntsville AL area, and she says this quote really resonated with her because when she begins her sessions and first puts her hands on the person, she can feel their essence, their soul. “Everyone has true beauty,” she says, “you just have to get beyond the exterior.”
This idea of acknowledging the inner beauty, inner essence, or soul of another person is expressed in the Sanskrit term, “namaste,” which literally means, “I bow to you.” The basis of this greeting recognizes a common divinity within the other person. In some Eastern traditions “namaste” is said aloud or silently with the physical gesture of placing your hands in front of your chest and bowing slightly when greeting another person.
Back in the mid-90’s I was living in Atlanta, Georgia, and working on my Masters degree at Georgia State which was in downtown Atlanta. Each day, riding the marta train into town, gave me a wonderful opportunity to practice this concept of seeing the inner beauty in people.
During each trip downtown and back, I would look at the people sitting around me and one by one I would say to them silently, “The Christ in me blesses the Christ in you.” It was my way of practicing and “exercising” my inner vision muscles – looking beyond the outward appearance and connecting with their essence.
Because, I believe inside, at the core of us, we are all the same. We all got here the same way – a sperm and egg getting together, developing inside a uterus; we’re all made from the same common elements – hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon; and we all have a story. We all have hopes and dreams and frustrations and challenges. We are all searching for that deep inner peace and yearn to live lives full of meaning and fulfillment.
So, in essence, we are all filled with that “light” Edna talks about – that “light of the soul.”
I challenge you this week to look for this light in the people you come in contact with. See if you can get past the appearance, or the irritating behavior, or whatever it is that may annoy you about another person – look beyond that and try to connect with their inner essence – their inner beauty. Use the greeting, “namaste” or “the Christ in me blesses the Christ in you” or some other version. Whatever feels right for you.
Try it for a day, or two, or for a week and see what happens. How do you feel at the end of the day? Does it make any difference in how your life flows? I’d be curious to know. Leave a comment on the Happy Seeds blog and let me know.
We all have an inner magnificence, an inner divinity… an inner beauty that can be seen when we look into the soul essence of our fellow human beings. The question is can you go deep enough to see it?
Blessings!
Becky
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