I can still pull up a twinge of the anger I felt on that summer day, back in the 60’s. I had not worshipped nature, but rather connected with Great Mystery there. In one brutal act, the tangible was gone.
Our counselors asked us to fashion something from found treasures, in nature. As we were finishing our creations, they ran through the camp, smashing our works of art. The exercise gave us a memorable experience of co-creating and then watching our expressions destroyed.
Some of us left camp that year with a renewed sense of wonder for creation. Sacredness had spoken to us through nature.
Creation is an ongoing invitation to belong. Nature models the great give-away of offering self, so another might live. In doing so, it reminds us of the continuous cycle of life, death and rebirth.
Patriarchs and early heroes of formalized religions had dreams and visions, rather than written words or guides. They had prophetic encounters and watched bushes burn without being consumed. Full of belief and doubt, they stepped out in faith.
Nature is all-inclusive, inspiring any one of any faith tradition, and those with a broader sense of Sacredness in everything. Insects foretell metamorphosis. Mountains lend us strength. Birds lead us to aerial perspectives. Seasons invite us to move with ongoing cycles.
Nature’s medicine offers harmony and healing. The further we live from the natural world, the more disconnected we become.
I could have earned another degree, completed one more certification or sat under the tutelage of another spiritual teacher. Instead, I called my ancient clan to come and count the rings of a juniper tree, with me.
Bringing Spirit to flesh (or matter) asks us to consider our experiences alongside explanations or long-held belief systems. It begs us to sit and be present to a person or lie on Nature’s floor, letting Infinite Love nurture us until we can see its imprint in a dove, a tree or within.
Sacred Sensations*
Spend some extended time in nature. Feel the wind. Let it blow through you. Notice what Spirit awakens, in you.