God in Nature - Paragraph 1

We’ve finally arrived at the first of what Roberts has promised; God’s revelations. The first one she tackles is God in Nature. Roberts will break this universal experience into two parts, Omnipresence and God Immanent in Nature, but for today we will just begin with her opening text: 

God In Nature

“Who has not had some memorable experience in the great out-of-doors? In a quiet moment mundane cares disappear as the surroundings and vistas impinge on the soul to fill and uplift it. No description can do justice to such moments. Call it beauty, wonder, peace or whatever, these experiences in nature transcend our words and descriptions. There is probably no more universally shared experience than man’s experiences in nature. Those with a more contemplative bent will seek them out, and in doing so, will come to know their possibilities for spiritual growth. What one gleans from these experiences will exceed all knowledge that can be gained any other way. As the first steps of our journey, then, we will speak of two revelations where nature is God’s medium.” 

Roberts opening question, “who has not had some memorable experience in the great out-of-doors?” is really a bombshell when you get right down to it. I say a bombshell because it's easy enough, as she says, to not seek out this experience even when the experience itself is quite extraordinary. Why the disinterest in this momentary NOW? If she is correct in saying that we experience an infilling of something wonderful that actually uplifts us, why do we not cultivate that uplifting? In such moments we know that we are aware of something that we often just call “wow!” Don’t we all need more “wow” in our lives? Why then the ease at which we can dismiss such experiences and return to regular life?   

What I mean by regular life is the automated nature in which we move through life. If you pay close attention, regular life is filled with thoughts about the future and “what ifs” as well as the habituated patterns in which we deal with the circumstances of life. I mean in just a millisecond we can let the person who cut us off in traffic know what we think of them or become emotional with someone over a perceived slight. In these moments there is no real choice, there is only reaction, this is the regular life I speak of. This type of life rules us until the point at which we wake up and decide to get serious or curious about what is really driving us throughout the day. 

These serious or curious folks are those that have “possibilities for spiritual growth.” They sense that such “wow” moments are filled with something and note that daily life feels dull or 2D after such experiences. They become curious about how to follow the “wow” and begin to explore those thoughts, emotions, and actions that seem to cover up such “wow” moments. They also explore those thoughts, emotions, and actions that uncover the “wow” moments. Once on to the possibility that there is actually a capacity to live from “wow” the whole of their life becomes about the practice and noticing of this beauty and love. 

Roberts goes on to say that “these experiences will exceed all knowledge that can be gained any other way.” I find this a curious statement, possibly because I would not say it this way. This phrasing seems to lift the experiences into a very high realm of possibility and, while that may be true, my sense of it is that the experience doesn’t lift us anywhere, but instead aids our surrender to seeing what is already present; both in us and in Reality. These experiences need integration before this higher knowledge becomes a lived experience in everyday practical life. 

The invitation this text extends to me is the importance and exploration of “wow” moments. This exploration does not mean grasping for such moments or even an expectation that they occur, but instead an invitation to cultivate a slow and steady stance towards receptivity. What does it mean to be in nature and be open? I’m I attuned to the weather, season, or plant life near me? Why am I rushing by what is around me on my way to something else believing that something else is what holds the key to some imagined future happening? The Dalai Lama said “ rushing is a form of violence.” I agree, if you pay attention to rushing you will feel the energetic signature of violence, the pushing, the overbearing, the dismissing. 

The only remedy for me is to intentionally slow life down, which requires saying no to some things. Another way to look at it is that it requires a prioritizing of what is important. Ways to practice this is intentional pausing throughout the day, or touching base with your breath on and off during the day, or just sensing your feet firmly planted on the ground. It is possible to cultivate a more unhurried pace and from this cultivation a whole new life can emerge; a whole new way to be in the world. It is enough for today to either go moment-to-moment or notice when rushing occurs. Just like meditation practice, in those rushing moments all that is needed is a gentle,compassionate relaxation back into what’s here. 

Here’s to the invitation and the practice!