BEAUTY AND APPRECIATION (95)

Nature’s scenery –

Its beautiful trees, flowers,

Mountains and rivers –

Is God’s great art,

Created for humanity’s pleasure.

Because of my aim,

Which is to help everyone

Live in paradise,

I must first become

A person of paradise myself.

It is God’s great blessing

That we are uplifted

And purified

In spirit and body

Through the enjoyment of art.

 

There are three ways for people to attain spiritual

purification and higher awareness: one, through suffering;

two, through the practice of virtue; three, through beauty.

The first way, suffering, is experienced in physical illness

or adversity. When spiritual clouds are accumulated to a

certain level, a natural purifying activity begins, according to

the law of purification. This is Nature’s way of maintaining

harmony.

The second method of purification, the practice of virtue,

is experienced through the giving of self in service to others,

both on an individual and a worldwide level. This is a better

way of dispelling spiritual clouds and raising one’s spiritual

vibration than through the first method. It is much easier

and offers the joy of service while cleansing the spiritual

being of its impurities.

The third way for purification to take place, through

awareness of beauty, is experienced by a direct contact with

the beauty of Nature and with the enjoyment of lovely things

created by human beings.

Places of natural beauty carry a high spiritual vibration.

Part of God’s Plan was the creation of flowers, trees,

mountains and seas for us to enjoy, and while enjoying

them, to be purified in spirit, mind and body.

Any type of manmade beauty purifies the spiritual being

to some degree. Paintings, sculpture, music, poetry and

prose all carry the vibrations of their creators as well as their

own, producing a vibratory power that is second only to

God’s own creation, Nature.

Both service and beauty are stressed in our work. They

form a balanced harmony that constantly purifies our

spiritual beings.

 

Foundation of Paradise, “Three Ways to be Spiritually Purified” – May 6, 1950