Plotinus Beauty

This morning, I was studying Plotinus' Enneads 1.6.2. I put together these pieces.

Beauty - something, a quality seen, heard, or sensed or felt and known. We think: beautiful.
Beauty - "...all the loveliness of the world which comes by communion in Ideal Form."
"...minds that lift themselves above the realm of sense to a higher order are aware of the beauty that derives from Soul."
"This, then, is how the material thing becomes beautiful - by communicating in the thought that flows from the divine."

Plotinus leaves the door wide open for the spiritual aspirant. Step through the door. Touch the thought that flows from the divine. This communion is more that what is found in church. Turn off the TV. Put down the drink. Stop. Listen.

Not everyone is a spiritual aspirant. But, if you hear the call:
1. answer it.
2. Reduce the world.
3. Take up a practice.
4. Balance your worldly needs with communion.

I have had a long term interest in self transcendence. Another way to express that is to become beautiful; as in communicating in the thought that flows from the divine.

Somewhere, I heard about the book "Into the Silent Land" by Martin Laird. It is about Christian contemplation. It is the sort of book where you can read one paragraph and then shut your eyes and let your spirit soar. "...Our greatest need is to be silent before this great God....A spiritual practice is not a technique but something that disposes us to allow some thing to take place....God is already the ground of our being. It is a question of realizing this in our lives....why most of us spend our lives ignorant of this...."

How blessed I am to have entered the spiritual path. I admit it seems to have reduced a family live or sexual relationship or co-habitation. This causes me to see the world differently: not as me and my family but as us.

I simply boil the beans and rice.

I go running. I am actually in training. I own tickets to Calgary and am entered in the 2014 Calgary marathon. My body is different now that before surgery last September. I am up to 10 miles. My task now is to get the weekly mileage up. I think I can. It is wonderful to jog around Seabrook and also El Lago. Now I will go do that.