...You look at decay, and it is beautiful. Laura Huxley, who is a very
dear friend, in her kitchen has these jars over the sink, and she takes
old beet greens and orange peels and things and sticks them in the water
in these long, beautiful pharmaceutical jars. Then they slowly start to
mold and decay, and there are these beautiful decaying formation of
mold. It’s really garbage… it’s garbage as art. We look at it and it’s
absolutely beautiful. There’s absolute beauty in that.
I’ve begun to expand my awareness to be able to look at the universe as
it is, and see what is called the horrible beauty of it. I mean, there’s
horror and beauty in all of it, because there is also decay and death
in all of it. I mean, we’re all decaying – I look at my hand and it’s
decaying. It’s beautiful and horrible at the same time, and I just live
with that. And also with it, I see and live with the beauty of it.
So we’re talking about appreciating what is. Not loving yourself, as
opposed to not liking yourself, but allowing yourself. As you allow, it
changes. I think that gets behind the polarities. I think that’s what’s
important.
- Ram Dass -
