Breathe

"That the heart is the primary organ of perception of the deeper aspects of the physical world around us was long recognized by ancient peoples. The Greeks had a particular word for it, aesthesis, from which our word aesthetic is derived. Aesthesis describes a particular event, the moment when a human being encounters, and feels the impact of, the deeper soul essence in a thing of the physical world. The word literally means 'to breathe in.' The ancient Greeks knew that this moment of recognition was usually accompanied by a gasp, a breathing in. Something from outside is entering into us, something with tremendous impact, something that causes an immediate inspiration, or breathing in. It is important, and often overlooked, that at the same time the world is taking us in, we too are breathed in. When we experience this sharing of soul essence, we have a direct experience that we are not alone in the world. We experience the truth that we live in a world of ensouled phenomena, companioned by many forms of intelligence and awareness, many of whom care enough for us to share this intimate exchange."
Stephen Buhner