Nature as Healer
“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where Nature may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul alike.”—John Muir.
A Forward Day by Day writer today reminds us of this quote from John Muir, one of our country’s most famous naturalists and conservationists. Muir played a pivotal role in establishing the National Park Service and the Sierra Club. In spiritual direction, we ask, “Where do you find meaning or feel closest to God?” The most frequent answer is “outdoors in nature.”
In photosynthesis, trees transform light energy into chemical energy. I believe the trees, the sun, the sky, the ocean, and the mountains also convert some energy inside of us when we are outdoors among them. As a result, we see beauty alive and well, whereas before, we could only see ugliness. We realize that there is something greater than ourselves, something that transcends our own problems. It is there for us. We do not have to pay for it. It is a gift.
My experience is that when I have difficulty sleeping because of physical, mental, or spiritual pain, it helps to go outside or sit by a window and watch the sunrise in the morning, even on a cloudy day. The sunrise, the world outside, can be a constant reminder of a new opening, a new beginning—the dawning of a fresh perspective on things. I am reminded of John McQuiston’s book, Always We Begin Again, a modern version of the Rule of Benedict.
Muir stands out as someone who makes us aware of the marvels of nature, particularly the wilderness, but he also reminds us of our stewardship of this gift.
Consider the experience of viewing nature and the outdoors as one of our most crucial, lifesaving, and life-renewing spiritual practices and remedies—perhaps even more effective than drugs. But nature, like our own soul, also needs care and love.
Joanna https://www.joannaseibert.com/