Leading With Beauty
Annaloes Smitsman is an evolutionary systems scientist, futurist architect, and published author the founder and CEO of EARTHwise Centre. Listening to her speak recently, she uttered the phrase “Leading from beauty.” I felt the magnificence of that statement—full of so many cosmic possibilities. I got excited at the prospect of diving deeper. Taking in this statement felt revelatory and awesome.
This is our greatness.
I remember a sci-fi television series I used to watch in the early nineties called The Highlander. The premise was that the leading character was an immortal who would roam the Earth, sometimes helping people, but when he ran into another immortal, the battle was on. The fight to the death included him beheading his opponent and absorbing his power as he proclaimed: There can be only one!
Last week, five-time Grammy award winner jazz trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard became the first Black composer to present his work at the Met in its one hundred and thirty-eight-year (138!) history. I can’t tell you the level of frustration that rises in me every time I hear “the first Black to … fill in the blank” Terence reflected my emotions when he said that while he was honored, it was not like he was the first qualified to do this. Amen!
Artists see the beauty in us and all around us—that’s why we’re drawn to the music, dance, film, and visual art that speaks to another dimension—coaxing the beauty to the stage and canvas. Greg and I went to see the Lion King recently and it was one moment after another of captivating beauty that filled every fiber of my being with molecules of joy. Each audible exhalation was one of deep appreciation for the richness of sound, movement, costume, and story.
This is the rise of the feminine
We are seeing a surge of feminine energies all around us as we strive to step away from fragmentation and polarization; as we endeavor to deepen collective and self-awareness; and as we embody the intelligence of our feelings and emotions. It is through the feminine that beauty emerges. Empathy, compassion, humility, reverence—these are all feminine energies that propel us towards a beauty that we can all connect with.
The feminine journey moves us beyond self-interest and brings others along so they can also discover their strengths and talents.
This is the lure of becoming
Our limited views of who we are and of our innate capacity keeps us and those around us in the same holding pattern, like a plane waiting its turn to glide up to the terminal, one at a time. We don’t have to be like planes and wait our turn to land in our rightful place. All of our brilliance can shine at the same time, causing a supernova of beauty. Leading with beauty is calling for the beauty of our souls to emerge—that which we have held down or have yet to realize that we all possess.
