In this era of seeking alternative ways of dealing with chronic illnesses or just avoiding them, many people have rediscovered the old wisdom of tonics.  Tonics are things you do or put into your body on a daily basis so as to support your body’s natural immune system and help it to function at its highest levels of health.

Those of us who have struggled to conquer bad habits, especially sinfully bad habits, have often wished that it was easier to make good choices and appreciate the virtues, especially when we find ourselves tempted again and again.  Is there something that could support our spiritual good health, the way tonics support our physical health?

I think there is, and it is simple and natural like those other tonics, but the world in general tends to discount, suppress and deny its importance just as the medical community does the benefits of certain simple foodstuffs.  Its name is Beauty and it comes in so many forms that it should be easy for anyone to work it into their lives.

Beauty is the reflection of Truth and Goodness in created things, and it can still be found everywhere. There is such a thing as beautiful art and churches– you just have to go looking for them. There is such thing as beautiful music– and thanks to internet radio you can build your own station of just the sort that suits you. There is such thing as beautiful literature– you just have to go ask writers and readers you trust to help you find more.  There is such thing as beautiful products– but when you find them, you find they fetch a pretty price. So own less.  Beauty is still everywhere, but we have to look beyond what the world sells through Mega-Corp.

Ultimately our greatest resource for beauty is God’s creation. Far too often we city dwellers tend to miss or overlook it because it has been sequestered into parks, so it may take a little effort to get at.  Sometimes it’s just a matter of paying attention. The landscape of my commute is littered with buildings and highways and billboards, but oh, the sky! I get to see spectacular color shows most mornings and glorious billowing clouds most days.  And trees. Someday I hope to understand the mysterious appeal of trees.  Perhaps it’s their quiet reliability, their human-like uprightness, or their friendliness toward children and animals. I’m not sure; I only know I love them and they are beautiful. Even on the streets of Manhattan you can find trees to gaze upon. Finally, you can always bring some forms of creation right into your home. Personally, I’d like an aquarium, but I’m settling for houseplants and bouquets for now.  All are beautiful.

Like all tonics, Beauty is not a quick thing.  Beauty must be taken slowly and regularly; it must be gazed upon.  You can’t rush it into your mind or heart– it must soak. This is probably the greatest blockage to our spiritual well-being: our tendency to rush everything, to think there is a fix instead of realizing there is a mode, to want a cure rather than a tonic. Like the mysteries of God, we must ponder beautiful things and let them work their calm, quiet magic on our hearts and minds. He says, “Be still and know that I am God.”  Beauty says, “Be still and know He loves you.”

Be still.  Be well.  Be Good.