Poet and philosopher, Ralph Waldo Emerson, wrote:
“The stars awaken a certain reverence,
because, though always present, they are inaccessible;
Every night come out these envoys of beauty,
and light the universe with their admonishing smile.”
My son, Paul, told me a story when he was in high school. He and his hockey buddies were driving around dialoguing in the usual locker room banter of adolescent boys. The sun was setting and, suddenly, the sky was illuminated in such a brilliant way, that Paul pulled over and said, “Check out the sunset and all the colours!”… There was an awkward silence that followed. It was then that Paul remembered where he was and who he was with. He continued, “Never mind,” and they carried on as before.
How many of us actually take the time to see Nature; to breathe her in and share in her beauty? I suspect we live mostly mesmerized by the distractions of our material world, cleverly manipulated by professional marketers who are skilled in drawing our attention. And we use other means to divert ourselves away from the present moment, as well. What is your “delight” of choice?
A good movie?
Cheese?
Social gatherings?
Spirits?
Work?
Trail blazing?
Emerson had more to say… “The lover of nature is they whose inward and outward senses are still truly adjusted to each other; who has retained the spirit of infancy even into the era of adulthood. Their intercourse with heaven and earth becomes part of their daily food. In the presence of nature, a wild delight runs through this person, in spite of real sorrows. Nature says, ‘they are my creature, and in spite all their impertinent griefs, they shall be glad with me’. Not the sun or the summer alone, but every hour and season yields its tribute of delight; for every hour and change corresponds to and authorizes a different state of the mind, from breathless noon to grimmest midnight.”
This year’s theme at The Centre is: Living the Secrets of Nature. Every day we walk upon this land. It feeds, warms, shelters, entertains us… but do we stop to notice our intimate connection? Can it compete with the flashing billboards and the pitch of our radio stations and mobile devices?
I decided to search for the word ‘nature’ in the Science of Mind textbook. There are 409 entries! Here are just a few examples:
The creative principle of nature
Nature is perfect and when let alone will flow through humanity in a perfect state of health.
The nature of being
The inherent nature of humanity
The natural laws of life…
Nature’s forces
The storehouse of nature (And so on…)
I have so much material to choose from for 2022!!!
Not only are we in relationship with the land upon which we live, there is also, within each one of us, our own individual and perfect nature. But we tend to cut ourselves off from that.
Our staff at work were discussing time off during the holidays. We had all booked 9 days away from our desks, yet we all agreed that it wasn’t until about day 6 or 7 that we finally dropped into holiday mode. (What mode is that? The ‘present moment’!!!!) In fact, even though we have a very strict policy at our Centre, whereby staff are to have 2 days off every week for replenishment and rejuvenation, separate and apart from our regular Centre demands, we are all discovering… we want more!
The deeper connection with all of Life, that arises from the stillness that is felt when one drops from routine and commitments, is powerfully compelling. "Come! Come!”… The heart call is heard, and our consciousness is awakened to something so much more… “Come! Come!”.
Emerson, again, had more to say that is applicable here: “In the woods, we return to reason and faith. There I feel that nothing can befall me in life — no disgrace, no calamity, which nature cannot repair. Standing on the bare ground, my head bathed by the careless air, and uplifted into infinite space; the currents of Universal Being circulate through me - I am part or particle of the One.”
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