When my Lakota (a.k.a Sioux) friends and I say our good-bye, whether on the phone or in person, we part with the comment, “Walk in Beauty.”
“Walk in Beauty” means–“Beauty before me, beauty behind me, beauty beside me, beauty below me, beauty above me — I walk in beauty.”
Walking in Beauty is walking in–Joy, Bliss and Safety. It permeates our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual bodies.
In Incan shamanism, the South direction of the Medicine Wheel contains four practices. These are non-attachment, non-suffering, non-judgment and beauty. Pondering this for a moment, you can understand that if we practice non-attachment, non-suffering and non-judgment, we will arrive at a space where we can walk in beauty.
“Walking in Beauty” is more than a feeling or emotion. It is a state of being that can best be described as grace. In this state of grace called beauty, we accept that everything is–neither good nor bad, and we live in a universe that exists on our behalf.
In examining the other three practices of the South in depth and examine our lives honestly, we realize that our attachments often lead to a great deal of unhappiness. There are many such attachments–to people, careers, money, romantic love, outcomes, possessions, religious practices, keeping up with the neighbors–the list is endless.
All attachments, at some point, inevitably lead us to an awareness, which prompts us to refuse or are unable to accept what is. Non-acceptance eventually leads to pain and suffering, and we fall from grace and forget we are surrounded by beauty. By practicing non-attachment, we eliminate the source of the majority of our suffering. In this life, pain is inevitable–suffering is optional. The key to practicing non-suffering is to stay in the moment, stay in our “Beauty.”
To help you to “Walk in Beauty,” ask yourself these questions.
o What beliefs do I need to reevaluate/change?
o Who in my past does this person/situation remind me?
o What about this person annoys me?
o What does this person do that I don’t like about myself?
o What do I need to change to change my experience?
o What are his/her motivations?
o What are my motives?
o What are my choices?
While the majority of our suffering comes from regret, remorse and guilt about the past or fear of possible future pain, judgment also plays a part. It is astonishing how much time and energy we spend on judging. Not just judging others, but judging what is good and bad about our own lives, and the world around us from our limited perspectives. Our judgments are all based on comparisons made with past pain or pleasure.
Our suffering and judgments not only keep us from the grace of beauty, but they keep us locked in time. When we are locked in linear time, we cannot experience our divinity. One of the greatest joys of walking in beauty is the consistent experience of our own divinity.
So, as we part, my friend(s) and I are reminding each other to stay consistently connected to our own divinity.
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