What is beauty, actually?

"Wow! Thats beautiful!" This is what we say or think when we see the sun rise or set over the ocean, see a spectacular view, or a good-looking man or woman. But what we should ask is, where does the appreciation of that beauty originate? Where does our ability to understand beauty come from? It's right there, in our own consciousness.

The very essence of who and what we are is beauty. The true essence of beauty cannot be found in the sunrise or sunset, a face, or a view. Those only awaken the essence of beauty within our own spirit. It's not only something we sense within ourselves, but it emerges in our character as virtue, and in our life as care. And what is virtue, anyway, but love in action?

Can beauty be defined with regard to people? I believe it can. There are two types, actually -- physical beauty and spiritual beauty. Physical beauty is subjective -- we all want to like what we see in our mirror. That kind of beauty can be bought through plastic surgery, cosmetics, clothes and so on, if you have the money. Physical attractiveness is appealing to the senses, but it's a fake beauty, one based on society's superficial standards.

Please don't get me wrong, I don't think there's anything wrong with wanting to look and feel our best. Everyone does something for beauty ... everyone. But that isn't true beauty. Spiritual beauty is true beauty, because it comes from within the heart and soul of a person. When someone has a beautiful soul, their very presence can be sensed by others.

Spiritual beauty comes through awareness and from knowing there is a higher power who gives us the strength and confidence we need to live the best life we can. With it comes peace, confidence, and inner happiness. Spiritual beauty naturally radiates an inner glow that others are instinctively drawn to because they also sense and can feel the awareness and beauty that's there.

Feeling this good, spiritually, has other benefits, as well. It makes us want to take care of ourselves and our health, which, in turn, is good for our overall physical appearance. We gain inner balance by knowing who we are, and knowing we are beautiful, spiritually. As a result, we attract spiritual people into our lives, people who love the totality of us -- our mind, our body and our soul.

The next time you say, "Wow! That's beautiful!" Remember, you speak of yourself, and it is you who is beautiful. You always were. You always will be.

Now that's beauty ...