Holding Our Breath

February 29, 2024

"It was so beautiful that it took my breath." Have you uttered those words when you saw something so stunningly beautiful that you gasped with amazement? When we come upon something shockingly beautiful, our amygdala, the small part of our brain that senses sudden differences in our environment, sends the following warning to the brain: "What you see is out of the ordinary; get ready to run or fight." So, we gasp for more oxygen to fly away or fight through. But quickly, we perceive that the difference is an unexpected pleasure, not a threat, so we soon relax into the beauty before us.

Seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time, I consciously experienced my breath being taken away. The huge crevice had incredible depth, multiple rock layers, and intense colors. The play of light on its myriad shapes took eons to carve, and now they are part of such infinite majesty that it shocked my perceptual intake. I'd never encountered anything like it. Looking deeper into the canyon, more beauty flooded over me. After gasping, my regular breathing quickly returned.

Many of us have had stunningly beautiful spiritual experiences that transported us to the world of the Divine. It takes our breath away because we'd never had that particular spiritual experience. We are speechless, stunned, awed, and transformed. During a spiritual vision or experience, the limitations of our egos are entirely out of the picture. We feel a direct connection to the Divine, and we’re transparent to the Divine's perfection. Experiencing the beautiful connects us to the Divine.

Plato surmised in The Republic that even though the beauty of the earth is seemingly flawless, in reality, it is only an imperfect imitation of Divine beauty. So, when we see beauty, it is the closest thing we can directly experience of Divine beauty. It is a spiritual experience that takes our breath away. But what would it be like to see the perfect beauty that this earth only beautifully imitates?

Inquiry: When you see a photograph of your soul child, do you experience beauty?

Dear God,

I am always looking for the beautiful, which means I am always searching for you, God. Guide my search, Oh God.

Amen

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