No matter your religion or absence there of, many of us consider our time in nature to be a spiritual experience. The outdoors represents a place where we feel most connected to something or someone beyond ourselves. It is where I feel closest to God and where life is at its simplest. I know I am not alone in my belief that nature is a sacred place and there seem to be reminders everywhere, in the most unlikely dwellings.
I was recently pursuing The Book of Tea (of all things) at a tea ceremony demonstration and the instructor had her books out on the table. Originally written in 1906 to an English audience, the work is well known in tea lover circles. I, of course, hadn’t seen it before so I expected recipes and thoughts about tea exclusively.
But much to my surprise, I was found this little gem tucked inside…
Amen! Oh, the many times have I stood on top of a mountain and thought, “Preach on!” or rested in a flowery meadow and listened to my soul open and connect with the hum of hovering bees and whisper of the wind.
As I have pondered this lovely poem, I saw more and more symbolism, filling my head with both questions and answers. Yes, I see my God in it but I believe there is even more that can speak to any and every person. The way that nature interacts can provide a common language that we can all speak.
Poets have been writing of the human condition through the lens of nature for centuries.
But even more than positive affirmations, imagining nature as scripture or sacred writings gives us an insight into its discourse and what it is trying to share with us. Is nature not but a body of writings revered and authoritative? Shouldn’t we learn from what we observe in nature to drive our everyday actions and thoughts? Google “what is nature trying to tell us” and you will get over 79 millions results. Changing weather phenomena, the rings in a tree, the patience of a spider, the camouflage of a chameleon, death of a species, erosion, tidal flows, glacier melting, birth, evolution. Nature has a wealth of knowledge to offer us.
Have you had an experience in nature or wilderness, that thought that you have somehow tapped into something larger than yourself? That something was more than just the babbling brook or rising summit? What did look like? How did it feel? Did what you observe give you hope or concern? What fills your mind as nature talks to you?
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