So here is something that is neither exceptional or mediocre, sort of an upbeat interlude, a stream of consciousness ode to beauty and the sublime. Although it's technically not an ode, in terms of the rules of poetry it's not even a poem, more of a poetic prose, but it is an ode in spirit, and that's what counts.
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| The Ancient of Days by William Blake |
"The two sides of 'true' art are beauty, which lifts the soul, and the sublime, which shatters the ego." - Joseph Campbell
To lift the soul and shatter the ego - what do you think that means?
To rise above limitations, to gain a higher, wider, deeper, clearer, and more authentic perspective; to expand your boundaries of self into the infinite, like a drop of water (ego) in the ocean of existence realizing that it is actually the whole ocean and not merely a drop.
Your body and sense of self is like a drop of water, but your consciousness is potentially as vast as the ocean of infinity.
Awareness of beauty and the sublime, is an experience that connects us to the divine, awakening the sacred dimension of the mind, cosmic consciousness refined.
Why does beauty matter?
The appreciation of beauty and the sublime matters, because it is an act of love, it connects you to the experience of love. Beauty awakens the heart, reminds us that we are not alone, that both life and love is a collaborative affair, and life without love would be full of despair.
Love is the root of happiness. I don't mean love only in a romantic sense. While that's certainly an authentic option, it's not the only one. Although love by its very nature is the epitome of relationship. Whether that be relationship between people, or relationship between self and the world. The world is filled with beauty and opportunities for connecting to the sublime. It is all around us, above and below, within and without.
"The sublime is that which arouses sentiments of awe and reverence and a sense of vastness and power outreaching human comprehension." - Joseph Campbell
When you experience the sublime, it takes you outside of your mind. It activates the higher levels of consciousness beyond intellect, beyond the confines of the left hemisphere of the neo-cortex of your brain, into the wordless intuitive knowing of direct experience.
Artistic creations, music, poetry, literature, and nature can trigger this experience. Recognition not just of outward beauty, but inward beauty, beautiful ideals, the experience of love, joy, and ecstasy; the appreciation of beauty, and the communion with God, nature, the sacred totality of the universe, the magic and mystery of the sublime.
You don't even have to be religious or believe in God, if you look at the sky, at the face of a flower, the eyes of a lover, in the spirit of open-mindedness and wonder, tuning into the sacred majesty within the heart of the world, feeling a great joy and exultation and reverence for life, this too can connect you to this "vastness and power outreaching human comprehension."
To lift the soul and shatter the ego - what do you think that means?
To rise above limitations, to gain a higher, wider, deeper, clearer, and more authentic perspective; to expand your boundaries of self into the infinite, like a drop of water (ego) in the ocean of existence realizing that it is actually the whole ocean and not merely a drop.
Your body and sense of self is like a drop of water, but your consciousness is potentially as vast as the ocean of infinity.
Awareness of beauty and the sublime, is an experience that connects us to the divine, awakening the sacred dimension of the mind, cosmic consciousness refined.
Why does beauty matter?
The appreciation of beauty and the sublime matters, because it is an act of love, it connects you to the experience of love. Beauty awakens the heart, reminds us that we are not alone, that both life and love is a collaborative affair, and life without love would be full of despair.
Love is the root of happiness. I don't mean love only in a romantic sense. While that's certainly an authentic option, it's not the only one. Although love by its very nature is the epitome of relationship. Whether that be relationship between people, or relationship between self and the world. The world is filled with beauty and opportunities for connecting to the sublime. It is all around us, above and below, within and without.
"The sublime is that which arouses sentiments of awe and reverence and a sense of vastness and power outreaching human comprehension." - Joseph Campbell
When you experience the sublime, it takes you outside of your mind. It activates the higher levels of consciousness beyond intellect, beyond the confines of the left hemisphere of the neo-cortex of your brain, into the wordless intuitive knowing of direct experience.
Artistic creations, music, poetry, literature, and nature can trigger this experience. Recognition not just of outward beauty, but inward beauty, beautiful ideals, the experience of love, joy, and ecstasy; the appreciation of beauty, and the communion with God, nature, the sacred totality of the universe, the magic and mystery of the sublime.
You don't even have to be religious or believe in God, if you look at the sky, at the face of a flower, the eyes of a lover, in the spirit of open-mindedness and wonder, tuning into the sacred majesty within the heart of the world, feeling a great joy and exultation and reverence for life, this too can connect you to this "vastness and power outreaching human comprehension."
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