bythemethod.com blog

One of the keys to spirituality is learning to see. You must learn to see things that you have never really noticed before. This will help you enjoy the world around you more.

Our brains are very clever because they help us to filter out the familiar so we can cope with life. If we were forced to experience everything around us as though we had only just seen it for the first time we would soon go mad. As we get up in the morning or go outside we do not have to cope with all the sights and smells and feelings. For general living this is a good thing but for our spirit this is bad.

In the first part of this series we are going to explore how we can learn to see.

Start where you are now

One of the great things about spirituality is that you don’t have to go anywhere else to enjoy it. There are things around you that you look at every day but you never really see them.

Look for the colour

Look around the room right now to see what there is around you. Look at each thing in turn but don’t think about what that thing is or what it is called I just want you to look for colours. We are surrounded by colour every day and yet we seldom ever notice it. When you see a colour think about it for a moment. Is it dark or light? Does it stand out? Is it dirty or clean? Can you see anything red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple? What about silver and gold? What about black and white.

Next see the shapes

Now look at the shape of things. Look at the way the shapes cross over each other and form other shapes. Spend some time just looking at the shapes.

Now see any movement

If you are outside or can see through a window then you might see movement. Perhaps cars are moving or trees blowing in the wind.

Is something beautiful or ugly

Do you find what you are looking at beautiful or ugly? Try to decide. If it is beautiful then try to work out what it is that makes it beautiful to you.

Don’t do this all the time

You don’t need to do this all the time, in fact you will soon get fed up if you do. Just take a few minutes each day to look at the world around you. Soak in the things you see. Enjoy the colour and movement and shapes that you see. Look for the beauty in things. Look for the beauty in people.

You will find that after a while you start to see things naturally. You may walk past a garden that you have walked past many time before and suddenly notice the colour of the flowers or how green the grass is.

The world is a wonderful place

Your brain is always trying to work things out but this is a time to not think but to experience. You need to stop your brain from dominating your life for just a little time to let your spirit through. The world is filled with many wonderful things to look at so take the time to enjoy them.