Nature: The Forgotten Gateway

In today’s world it is a real challenge to remain centered, calm, in possession of Self, in touch and in harmony with God.  Yet, this is what we must strive for and hold as our number one priority if we want to make spiritual progress and attain self-mastery.

Throughout history humanity’s greatest teachers have been those who knew how to hold themselves “apart” from the noisy clamor of society and keep counsel with their Higher Self.  One way to do this is through regular contact and communion with the natural world.

Children are instinctively drawn to nature, as are geniuses, philosophers, artists, and holy men and women.  Nigel Calder tells us in Einstein’s Universe that this genius “wondered with an intense, child-like curiosity about the workings of nature and had a very good intuition concerning them…”  Albert Schweitzer’s active philosophy of reverence for all life took root in childhood when he and his mother used to wander for hours through the mountains, woods, and lake country of Alsace.  Jesus went into the wilderness and Moses to the mountaintop to commune with God.  Gautama Buddha experienced his “Great Enlightenment” while sitting under a Bo tree.

As for the rest of us, we tend to grow up and grow away from nature.  We work in an office; shop in a mall; relax in front of the television or computer; and worship in a church, mosque, or synagogue.  In the modern world, being in nature isn’t “natural” at all.  It takes planning and effort and travel and time–just to get there.

Although we are spiritual beings, we possess physical bodies and brains that are programmed to be acutely attentive to all that is happening around us–programmed for “fight or flight.” Being in the natural world can help us to still and purify our five senses so that they are able to receive and know.

A simple walk in the park, woods, or along the shore can help us to clear our minds and purify our senses. You’ll need to leave your headphones at home, though; and, the best walking companion around is your dog.  Animals are great teachers.  Being with and observing how they interact with their surroundings helps us to shift our attention to the present moment and to experience life with the same intense awareness as we did when we were children.

The natural world is instructive.  It prompts us to question and helps us to understand spiritual truths, natural laws, and our place in the scheme of things.  It is symbolic.  And, once we discover the deeper meanings inherent in its symbolism, we discover something about its Creator, as well.

Nature’s cycles provide us with a sense of security, hopefulness, and optimism: light always follows darkness; warm, luxurious springs push through cold, barren winters; radiant rainbows appear after the worst storms; and regeneration, in some form, follows even the most devastating of natural disasters.

As human beings we are a marriage of both matter and spirit; and, if we are to fulfill what many believe to be our highest calling–Self-actualization and reunion with God–we must come to know both sides of our self, intimately.  We need to go into and through that part of our being which is one with the natural world to meet that part which is one with the spiritual world.  While angels might minister to our souls; the beauty, harmony, purity, and vitalism of nature can minister to our bodies, minds, and emotions every single day.  We just have to be there.