Within your landscape of life, who or what lures you to something more, something more profound? In what ways do you foster your mindset of awareness and intention? Your art of seeing the holy ordinary?
The Art of Seeing
One of my favorite movies is Hidden Figures, the story of the black women mathematicians who played a critical role at NASA in the US space program’s early years. There are three scenes in the movie that highlight the art of seeing.
First, there is a scene where Al Harrison, the head of the Space Task Group, is speaking to Katherine G. Johnson, one of the human computers working on the calculations for launch and landing, asking her to keep this perspective in mind.
Al: What I’m asking you to do, what I’m asking everyone in that room, all my geniuses, is to look beyond the numbers. Look around and through them, that answers the question we don’t even know what to ask, the math that doesn’t yet exist. ‘Cause without it, we are not going anywhere. I mean, we’re staying on the ground. We’re not flying into space. We’re not circling the earth, and we’re most certainly not touching the moon. And in my mind, in my mind, I’m already there. Are you?
Katherine: Yes, sir.
Look Beyond
A little later in the movie, the task group leaders question Katherine about being a Russian spy. They ask her how she figured out the numbers.
Katherine: What is there tells a story if you read between the lines….I looked beyond.
Finally, the last scene is at the end of the movie, after the successful launch and landing of John Glenn in Friendship 7. Al congratulates Katherine and asks her this.
Al: So, do you think we can get to the moon?
Katherine: We’re already there, sir.
Practice the Art of Seeing
To commit to the art of seeing is to practice reading between the lines, looking beyond the mundane, and trusting you are already there.
Start with your intention. What is your desire? What does that longing for something more look like for you? Curiosity? Peace? Wonder? Laughter? Wisdom? Love? Where do you see that desire in your daily living?
Tangible Reminders
One of my friends collects heart-shaped rocks. She sets her intention to notice them when she goes hiking or walks about the natural surroundings close to her home. Collecting heart rocks is her way of practicing the art of seeing. Her collection is a tangible reminder of her inner desire to seek something significant in life, a form of practicing her spirituality.
The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existence. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery each day.
Albert Einstein, “Old Man’s Advice to Youth: ‘Never Lose a Holy Curiosity.'” LIFE Magazine (2 May 1955) p. 64
Commit to the Art of Seeing
The art of paying attention is not about working hard or stressing over how to find the holy in the ordinary. Instead, it is about releasing and relaxing into each moment with a mindfulness of what you recognize at first glance and meaning at the more prolonged glance of life.
Commit to fostering the art of seeing when practicing your spirituality in everyday life. Here are a few suggestions.
- Begin with the desire to pay attention, which sets your intention for the day.
- Visualize being there, already noticing the meaningful perspective (trust you are already there).
- Look beyond what you initially see (read between the lines).
- Take note of the tangible reminders (what are your heart rocks?).
There are hidden gems of the spirit in the mundane. The art of seeing is about looking intently at the world with the desire to see something more, something more significant, something more meaningful in life.
Your Turn
Nothing here below is profane for those who know how to see. On the contrary, everything is sacred.
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin in The Divine Milieu
What are you seeking and seeing in life that draws you to the holy ordinary?
What are the tangible reminders of your sacred moments of meaning?
I welcome you to share photos or stories of your experience. Thank you.
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