Beauty is Not a Vain Pursuit: More than Vanity, Beauty is Vitality

We were born into this world being allured by beauty. It could be a beautiful sunset, a beautiful face, beautiful architecture, beautiful gardens, or even a beautiful sound. Humans appear to be hard wired with an innate attraction towards beauty. Therefore, rather than feel shallow or shame over a desire to be beautiful or create beauty in the world, let’s be mindful there can be a very healthy and evolutionary reason to embrace this intuitive hankering.

Beauty shows up in nature when we look at crystal rock formations, a summer sun setting betwixt violet hues, a crystal blue brook, or the divine swirls of a rose. What do these seemingly random formations have in common? There is a certain symmetry, light, balance, and clarity to matter which our subconscious perceives as uplifting and reacts to with awe. In fact, aesthetics is part of the mathematics of the universe, indicating order and congruent intricate designs cannot be separated from the vitality of life, astronomy, evolutionary and celestial intelligence, biological growth, and expansion. For example, water extracted from a pristine source, unpolluted and in harmony with its surroundings, exists in beautiful, complex, geometrical patterns encoding both symmetry and clarity at a microscopic level. Water burdened with toxic materials, or even toxic sounds, create crystal formations which are more chaotic and muddied. Flowers, likewise, are appealing because of their dazzling array of symmetric patterning and the way the light interacts, giving us a splendor of color. Furthermore, harsh sounds impede the verdant growth of plants, while complexly arranged symphonies evoke lush flourishment. Life, even amid plants, responds positively to specific musical sounds and rays of golden light, both of which we may whimsically label beautiful, while indicating beauty is anything but whimsical.

In the human form, much of what we chalk up to as beauty, even on what some may propose to be a shallow context, is actually very deeply seated in the psyche of humanity from generation to generation and cross cultural. There is even a formula for the human face whereby all of us are born programmed to be attracted to, based on the golden ratio of Phi. However, while the exact calculations are still a topic of debate, there is a simplistic truth which is not up for debate. Babies to adults, country to country, humanity is attracted, allured, and mesmerized by faces which display greater symmetry. And, unbeknownst to our immediate captivation, symmetry in the face does translate to greater health.

The Greek philosopher, Plotinus, impressed upon us, “Beauty is rather a light that plays over the symmetry of things than the symmetry itself.” This again brings into account the pairing of symmetry and light, while solidifying the concept of radiance. Often, we have seen someone enter a room, not necessarily tall or unique as to demand our attention, yet rather emanating a luminescence we call radiant. Synonymously, we are enthralled by a clear complexion which seems to glow from the inside out. This is why skincare is a centuries old pursuit and an undyingly lucrative industry in every continent. In this case, clarity translates into health. Stress, pollutants, and hormonal imbalance produce dis-ease in bodily cells, reflecting an outward image of damaged collagen, acne, and uneven, tired-looking skin. When we acclimate and gain positive stability amid life’s biological, emotional, and environmental volatility, our skin rejuvenates. Our inner peace, steadiness, vitality, wisdom and compassion seem to shine through in an aura of soothing energy and attraction. Hence, again, we see balance, harmony, clarity and health in the human form captivates our attention, and for a valuable reason. It is biologically fortuitous that we choose mates who are well adapted to survive, flourish, and provide viable offspring. On a deeper level, many studies indicate a healthy body is an outward projection of a mind capable of balance.

From the health of our cells to the divine sustainability of our planet, beauty is a natural component of well-being. Every single one of us emanates the aura of beauty and vitality when we are living as our most authentic self, taking care of our bodies, and cultivating loving thoughts. On the contrary, we all have seen our skin, hair, and body suffer due to neglect, stress, fear, hostility, and imbalanced environments. The ravage signs our daily robotic habits and unkind thoughts leave on our body are one way of letting us know, we are not aligning with our true heart’s desires and ideals. This is when self-care is important, regardless of what others expect of you. The spiritual component of your being, who is connected to your God source, wants you to take care of your body and mind to cultivate your aura’s unique signature of beauty. Only harmonious thoughts create a harmonious world, and beauty is a reflection of this higher sense of order, clarity, evolution, and love. Beauty is the frequency of flourishment. Therefore, there is no wonder we equate beauty as something desirable, and it is time we embrace beauty with a deeper, holistic attitude of spiritual gratitude.