Beauty Is Functional

I´ve never spent much time on my beauty routine, I always considered it rather not important which stemmed from my belief that physical appearance is superficial and not worthy of my attention. Maybe, it was just an excuse for me to disconnect even more from my body as I’ve always had a troubling relationship with it. As I´m getting older, I´m realizing how much deeper we can go with the concept of beauty and how interconnected it is with the proper function of our body. 

When we look at things that are symmetrical, properly aligned and that form a coherent whole, they make us feel at peace and in harmony and we tend to find them beautiful. The classical conception of beauty has always been about order, about a perfect arrangement of integral parts into a coherent whole, according to proportion, harmony, symmetry, and similar notions. This is a primordial Western conception of beauty and is embodied in classical and neo-classical architecture, sculpture, literature, and music wherever they appear. If we want to consider this concept from an astrological viewpoint, we can turn to Venus in its domicile in Libra and her relationship to Saturn that is exalted here.
There is more to beauty than a perfect appearance though. What has its proper place within an ordered whole is also functional. Each part of the system is interdependent. Change in one systematic part will impact other parts of the system. Some of the implications of these changes can be seen immediately but often they are hidden from our eyes.

Beauty and function are intertwined. Beauty is functional and function is beautiful. Just look into nature. The perfect symmetry of the hexagonal shape of the honeycomb cells. The shape itself allows the bees to make the most of the available space within the hive and thanks to these structures, bees have managed to store honey in the most optimal way and using the fewest possible resources. 
Imagine the neatly arrayed honeycomb or radial symmetry of a snowflake or a sunflower, or spiral buds of a Romanesco broccoli. 

How does it make you feel? I feel awe and wonder. I see the purposefulness of creation. I see beauty. I feel how much more there is to beauty and how healing it can be.

Beauty is not superficial and beauty is not accidental. Beauty is orderly and harmonious. It is deeply meaningful and functional.
It seems that our culture is either hyperfocused on one or the other - function or beauty. Why do we see them as separate entities? For a long time, I´ve been stuck in this weird schism as well. Our Western culture is very much invested in the rational, mechanistic way of looking at reality. It is obsessed with taking things apart and analyzing them on its own. There is a great emphasis on a mercurial approach to reality - considering separate parts and often ignoring how they function within a greater perspective. 
We often assume that not having a properly aligned teeth or missing a tooth is just a cosmetic matter (and this is unfortunately often endorsed by healthcare professionals).

Any misalignment has always its functional consequences. When you lose a tooth, other teeth have to adjust to this new reality. They have to do extra work that they were not made to do. When things are not beautifully arranged, the whole system is depressed. Some elements experience greater pressure and are being weakened. They are slowly crumbling away.
Managing a missing tooth, a part of the whole, is not a cosmetic decision, it´s a functional one. I will never procrastinate on making decisions about my teeth again, I know better. 

What functions well is healthy, it looks healthy and beautiful. Just look at your face when you´ve been giving yourself enough sleep - your face is brighter and shinier.

And it goes deeper. Our physical health is linked to our mental one and vice versa. Imagine beauty as a powerful way of healing ourselves, our psychological wounds and traumas and physical ailments as well.
Beauty as a deep therapy of our sense of self.
Look in the mirror and feel your body. Be gentle. How do you feel? What looks lifeless, misaligned, in need of proper care. 
It´s not vanity to spend time on your body. It is an expression of self- love. Taking care of ourselves is an opportunity to connect with our body on a regular basis, to feel comfortable in ourselves. 
This is a slow medicine that is all about making better choices for ourselves. Quality over quantity. Think about simple steps and steady routines you can incorporate into your every day.

Personally, I am “under Venusian construction” right now. I love it even though many pathways are not cleared just yet. I feel a great sense of joy and pleasure being on this mysterious healing journey.

This musing was inspired by a “my heart filled to the brim with beauty and joy kind of day”. I spent it walking through one of the Great Spa Town of Europe, enjoying the beautiful symmetry and art of colonnade while sipping natural spring water and feeling happy inside out.

​Keep hope alive, keep dreaming.
Petra