Prayer and Beauty

Contribution from face to grace
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Someone once said that prayer is when we talk to God and meditation is when we listen to Him/Her. It seems that recently my prayers are mostly about gratefulness for the flow in my life despite the chaos of moving and my computer’s demise. Friends and family answered my calls for help when the movers didn’t show up and was soon blessed with visitors of all ages to my new place.


Fifteen days after having moved to Wakefield, I am sitting in the living room, looking outside on pine trees splashed by sunshine and enjoying the mild temperature. A friend came this morning and was excited to point out the wild carrots growing along the steps that lead from the road to the appartment. What a joy to see growth still expressing itself this late in the season.

It is truly in flowing with life’s pace instead of pushing it that we can fully observe the beauty around us and benefit from it. And then the questions come? What is the beauty of the wild carrot? How can we merge it’s beauty with ours?

As I researching on the web, I learn quite a bit about the healing properties of this plant also called Queen Anne’s Lace. Such an elegant plant in the summer, that adopts a more humble appearance in the fall as it looks much with the domestic carrot we all know. Though much smaller, it is as fragrant but more subtle. I harvested one and chopped the leaves and root finely and put it in my salad for lunch.

Carrot oil, extracted from the seed, is great for dry and chapped skin and helps make it softer, smoother, firmer. It is a beautiful oil, translucent orange. As a Pitta oil, it is somewhat warming. However, it is not meant to be used by itself. I love to use it in some of my moisturizers, but it can simply be diluted with almond, sesame or coconut oil to massage babies and all members of the family. Simply use 1 teaspoon in 10ml to 125ml of the carrier oil. For anyone above 2 years old, you can add a few drops of an essential oil of your choice (eg. orange and vetiver). You will feel both grounded and uplifted.

On days like today, I just feel like singing Alleluiah for the beauty that surrounds us and is available to remind us of our own beauty.

Samyukta