living with inner elegance

In today's world, appearance often takes precedence over substance. However, true elegance encompasses more than just external beauty. It is about graceful behavior and authentic solutions that align mind, body, and spirit. My mission is to create a sanctuary where we can support each other in making the world a more elegant place in every sense of the word.

living with inner elegance

At this point in human evolution, our main focus has shifted to the external. The appearance of things has become very important and affects everything we do. The idea that the form things take is more important than the content inside is prevalent in our lives. Packaging is crucial! Special effects are prioritized over storytelling; creating the perfect app seems more important than its application. The supermodel has become a celebrity icon, and external beauty is closely linked with youth, with the Cult of Youth becoming the Holy Grail.

While all of these things have value, there's more to elegance than just a glamorous exterior. Interior elegance can be defined as dignified and graceful behavior in which the mind, body, and spirit align to create simple, authentic solutions to complex and difficult problems in a fast-paced world.

Elegance is accessible to all of us, no matter the condition of our lives. It is my mission to create a sanctuary where we can explore, celebrate, and support one another in making the world a more elegant place in every sense of the word.

the elegant rings

Understanding who we are and finding meaning in life requires a deliberate search for our authentic selves. To discover our authentic selves, we must align our mind, body, and spirit. As spiritual beings living in physical form, we can achieve a sense of balance and create a harmonious existence. This balance allows us to synchronize with the energy of the Universe, which can help us alleviate the suffering caused by resisting our circumstances. Resisting inevitable changes, relationship break-ups, and illness only intensifies the cycle of suffering.

A beautiful way to illustrate this concept of balance is by exploring Eastern traditions, such as the Chakra System. Chakras are energy points within the body corresponding to significant plexuses of arteries, veins, and nerves. Through these energy channels flows the vital life force known as "prana." In the Western world, the term "Chakra" has become increasingly familiar.

Every aspect of our lives, every thought, and every action is influenced by this system. Blockages within our energy flow can lead to illness, making it crucial to maintain a flow state and avoid getting stuck.

The New Age movement utilizes colors to help us connect with this Eastern tradition. Our response to different colors can be seen as a universal language embedded in centuries of collective consciousness derived from our connection to and reliance on the natural world.

The First Chakra represents our basic survival instincts on the physical plane. It is where we connect with others and form communities for our protection. The energy from this Chakra can be seen in the tribe's power and manifests in families, institutions, clubs, societies, nationalism, corporations, and so on.

We have been programmed since the beginning of humanity to pay attention to the color red. It's a volatile color that induces a complex response. Red represents two extremes simultaneously: the life-blood that sustains us and the bloodshed that can destroy us. Connected in our psyches to the ebb and flow of life, it is a color that demands our attention and represents extremes in life, as can be seen in depictions of Cupid and the Devil.

The Second Chakra, a symbol of Partnership with others, plays a crucial role in our evolution. The color Orange, a blend of Yellow and Red, triggers a captivating response in our collective psyche. Like Red, it demands attention, yet it carries a soothing undertone from its mellow Yellow origin. The Second Chakra energy center is a reflection of our physical survival, a constant reminder that our existence on earth can oscillate between comfort and alarm. A striking illustration of this dichotomy is our primitive response to fire, a force that can be both comforting and perilous.

The third chakra represents personal power. As we grow up, we develop a sense of self that is unique to us and goes beyond our inherited tribal identity. This chakra is where we hold the energy related to our self-esteem, our sense of purpose, and our ability to think clearly for ourselves.

Yellow symbolizes warmth, brightness, hope, and joy. Our collective connection to the sun is crucial for our well-being. Healthy self-esteem has a light, bright, and effortless energy intertwined with optimism. Scientifically, yellow light waves have been proven to stimulate clear thinking, which helps illuminate the path ahead and gives us confidence.

The Fourth Chakra represents emotional power. Situated in the middle of our bodies, it is where the body's and spirit's energy come together in harmony. The energy created here is emotional and helps us understand that love, which comes from spirit, is the most potent fuel we can utilize daily.

The color green manifests from a combination of yellow and blue. Green only exists in the natural world where there is water (blue) and sunshine (yellow). Places where sun and rain are abundant on the earth provide sanctuaries for humans to thrive the most easily. As a result, at a deep survival level, green is the most reassuring color for the human mind. With both a warming and cooling effect, green denotes balance, harmony, and stability.

The Fifth Chakra represents the challenges we face when we let go of our ego and submit to a higher power. Located in the throat area, the energy here is connected to our emotional and intellectual struggles regarding choice and the strength of human will.

The color pale blue holds a universal significance in our minds: we all gaze upon the same sky. Clear skies and tranquil waters have a calming effect on our minds and souls. Serenity is achieved when we learn to surrender and accept that things are as they are meant to be.

The energy of the Sixth Chakra represents the challenges we face in harnessing the power of our minds. It involves understanding the influences on our belief systems and attitudes and learning to differentiate between what is authentically true and what we tell ourselves to be true.

Symbolized by the color indigo blue, this energy expands our collective sense beyond our immediate surroundings to the astral plane of the heavens. The night sky has a mysterious and infinite quality that goes beyond the rational mind, yet it imbues us with a comforting sense of security. When we gaze at the galaxy of stars in the night sky, it's possible to feel the awesome and authentic truth of our place in the Universe.

Located at the crown of our heads, the Seventh Chakra represents our connection to spirituality and our ability to let spiritual guidance influence our daily lives. This energy sustains our mind, body, and spirit, enabling us to access the profound aspects of human existence.

Symbolized by the color Purple, a result of mixing Red and Blue, this contrast brings about a multifaceted effect. The combination of the fiery intensity of Red with the calming tranquility of Blue makes it exceptionally powerful. It is no coincidence that the military award for extraordinary acts of selfless courage is called The Purple Heart. It exemplifies selfless bravery in extreme environments, where individuals shed blood to protect others, demonstrating the infusion of spiritual power into our survival instincts.

The Rings of Elegance offer us a comprehensive understanding of our mental, physical, and spiritual aspects, serving as a valuable tool for exploring our inner elegance. They help us identify our obstacles to reaching our full potential and understand why we remain stuck in old patterns that do not serve our higher purpose.

We are living in an immensely complex time where many certainties have become uncertainties. Our traditional guide book seems obsolete, and reinventing ourselves is becoming necessary. Earth requires our utmost efforts and calls for us to rise up to the challenge of being the change we wish to see. As the late Nelson Mandela said, "Who are you not to be magnificent?" This embodies the essence of elegance!