If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass
springing
up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things of nature
have a message that you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive.
up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things of nature
have a message that you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive.
Eleonora Duse
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Today's Meditation:
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Today's Meditation:
Our connection with nature is a precarious one these days, at
best. In many ways, it seems that most of us spend so little time even
noticing nature that we simply can't forge any sort of connection with
it. And those of us who live in cities often tend to forget all about it
except when we happen to walk through a park or take a week or two of vacation
in a nice spot.
For most people, this isn't even an issue. Most people are fine with the situation as it stands, and they don't consider it to be a problem. But part of the reason they feel this way is because it's a connection that they've never felt the benefit of, something that they can't miss because they've never felt it. But as Eleonora says, the presence of this connection is an indication of the state of our spirits: the more we pull ourselves away from the natural elements of our world, the less fully we're living as human beings.
Life, of course, is about unity, and about the connection between all things. When we know that connection and we feel it, then we're able to recognize and appreciate the messages that nature sends us, the messages about the fleetingness of our experiences, about the inevitable cycles that all life passes through, about the effects of nurture and neglect, drought and plenty. And these messages can bring us joy--if we allow them to do so--when we notice them and appreciate them. When the crisp autumn air can bring a thrill just for being alive, when the early snowfall can make us feel the sublime astonishment of the beauty of our world, then we know that we have that connection.
And if we don't feel this connection, it would do us a great deal of good to work at forging it, strengthening it, and sharing it. We can't always expect such a connection to just happen. It takes some effort on our part--not a lot of hard work, but definitely some effort and recognizing and appreciating the interconnectedness of life and all of the parts of life that are present with us on our planet.
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Questions to consider:
For most people, this isn't even an issue. Most people are fine with the situation as it stands, and they don't consider it to be a problem. But part of the reason they feel this way is because it's a connection that they've never felt the benefit of, something that they can't miss because they've never felt it. But as Eleonora says, the presence of this connection is an indication of the state of our spirits: the more we pull ourselves away from the natural elements of our world, the less fully we're living as human beings.
Life, of course, is about unity, and about the connection between all things. When we know that connection and we feel it, then we're able to recognize and appreciate the messages that nature sends us, the messages about the fleetingness of our experiences, about the inevitable cycles that all life passes through, about the effects of nurture and neglect, drought and plenty. And these messages can bring us joy--if we allow them to do so--when we notice them and appreciate them. When the crisp autumn air can bring a thrill just for being alive, when the early snowfall can make us feel the sublime astonishment of the beauty of our world, then we know that we have that connection.
And if we don't feel this connection, it would do us a great deal of good to work at forging it, strengthening it, and sharing it. We can't always expect such a connection to just happen. It takes some effort on our part--not a lot of hard work, but definitely some effort and recognizing and appreciating the interconnectedness of life and all of the parts of life that are present with us on our planet.
* * * * *
Questions to consider:
How do many of us lose the ability to be awed and amazed at the natural world?
What do you most appreciate about the "simple things of nature"?
What does it mean to you to have a soul that's alive?
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For further thought:
What do you most appreciate about the "simple things of nature"?
What does it mean to you to have a soul that's alive?
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For further thought:
Those who understand nature walk with God.
Edgar Cayce
more thoughts and ideas on nature
more thoughts and ideas on nature
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