With Beauty Before Me I Walk
The prayer ‘With Beauty Before Me I Walk’ filled my heart and soul today while I was walking down the country lane (boreen in Irish) that meanders past our house on the Dingle Peninsula. Mother Earth has clearly wakened from her winter slumber, and the land is now covered in amazing shades of vibrant green.
This is the third spring that Gerhard and I have lived on the Dingle Peninsula. As a result, I recognized many of the new, young plants and trees that will soon be bursting into fragrant white hawthorn flowers, vibrant yellow irises and glorious purple foxgloves. As I passed them, I said hello to the tender young plants as though they were dear friends.
With Beauty Before Me I Walk
Surrounded by so much beauty, I slowly began to recite the words of a prayer I learned over 40 years ago. It is clearly based on the Navajo prayer called ‘The Beauty Way,’ but the version I learned is slightly different.
With beauty before me I walk, with beauty within me I walk.
With beauty beside me I walk, with beauty within me I walk.
With beauty behind me I walk, with beauty within me I walk.
With beauty beside me I walk, with beauty within me I walk.
With beauty above me I walk, with beauty within me I walk.
With beauty below me I walk, with beauty within me I walk.
With beauty all around me I walk, with beauty within me I walk.When I recite this prayer, I feel connected to the light and energy of all that surrounds me. The prayer is also a way for me to express the gratitude I feel for being alive and for all of the experiences I have had. Whether they have been challenging or full of wonder, they have made me who I am and brought me to this magical place in time and space.
The First Flowers Arrive
Although the landscape was overwhelmingly green, I noticed that many little flowers have already arrived. The first on the scene every spring–and the last to disappear in late fall–are the lovely little white daisies. I especially like how they form carpets of white along the roadsides. They are also practically indestructible. They often grow in green lawns and don’t mind being mowed a bit! A day or two after, they are back in full force.
Dandelions arrive just after the daisies, as do the pretty pale yellow primroses and purple violets.
And Sounds of Nature, Too!
One of the reasons I love walking on our boreen is that it is so quiet, with almost no traffic. The only thing I heard today were sounds of nature–such as the song of birds, the bleat of baby lambs calling for their mothers, and the rushing of a hidden stream.
Truly, beauty was before me everywhere I walked today. And for this I am so grateful!
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Beautiful, Bountiful, Glorious, Clarice! Cheers to your essay and the Navajo poem is in my Soul! Thank you!