We are, by nature, contemplative.
Contemplation is where we meet the silence and stillness of much of creation. Trees are our best teachers rooted firmly in their place in the earth. Without the nourishment of soil, no plant will grow and develop to its full potential. Much goes on inside trees, as much goes on inside us.
Contemplating helps us listen to our hearts, where God quietly speaks. Being quiet without being restless yields many rewards. Like trees we wait, and like trees we are called to be truly ourselves, not what others desire us to be.
What we know is that the stiller we can be (interiorly and exteriorly) the more readily a bird, a butterfly or any insect or animal will feel drawn to say “hello” and deliver a message or two. Ancient Chinese sage, Lao Tzu, taught that the more still we are the more the world can come to us.
So not only can we encounter wildlife but also the Spirit. Everything in creation flows as if on a river of grace and this river begins to flow when we step out alone into nature to pray.
"Prayer only looks like an act of language… Fundamentally it is a position, a placement of oneself.”
- Patricia Hampl
Excerpt from The Green Soul:
Returning to our Sacred Belonging in Nature
by Lucinda M. Vardey
I enter the sacred grove
Through a narrow gate
Bending beneath the
Overhanging beech boughs
The path made of roots,
Protruding from the earth,
Trodden in prayer.
Water glistens in sunlight
Gurgling over rocks
Dry stones welcome my feet,
A leaf canopy
Below a dome of elders
Reaches up towards
The light.
A lizard waves,
A dragonfly passes,
The choir of birds begin.
I take my seat, a simple pew.
A daily prayer to help guide our path to harmony with God and creation.
To focus can help acknowledge and become closer to natural beings and the elements on creation.
As every season has its particular beauty and spiritual message, these help enkindle a relationship with the energies of the changing environments.
Summer - COMING SOON
"Nature always wears the colors of the spirit."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson