Beauty is the harvest of presence. ~ David Whyte, Consolations

I love David Whyte’s quote above – beauty as the harvest of presence. Since practicing contemplative photography, I’ve considerably expanded my definition of what is beautiful. When I look closely, and see with eyes of love and attention, beauty reveals itself. The image above is from my morning walk this week, where I spent some time with the stillness of Lake Ontario. For me, beauty is often experienced in simplicity – the heart, core, or essence of the subject or moment.

When our eyes are graced with wonder, the world reveals its wonders to us. There are people who see only dullness in the world and that is because their eyes have already been dulled. So much depends on how we look at things. The quality of our looking determines what we come to see. ~ John O’Donohue, Beauty: The Invisible Embrace

Writer and poet John O’Donohue has a whole book about this topic. I’ve been thinking this week about the sub-title of his book – “The Invisible Embrace.” When we truly connect at a heart level, it feels like an invisible embrace, a hug of connection.

How and where do you experience beauty? 

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