As I was preparing for my Omega Workshop this summer, I’ve been reminded of how many of our loved ones now in Spirit had a hand in showing us the beauty of Nature. As I discuss in my book “Medium’s Cookbook: Recipes for the Soul,” communing with Nature comes so easily if there was someone in your family who loved Nature and showed you the way. Perhaps you came from a family that loved to fish. If so, you may have sat under the magnificent summer sky sharing campfire meals of trout that your mom caught using lures that your grandfather had made. Or perhaps your uncle was an avid bird watcher who could whistle like a sparrow or caw like a crow. If so, you know what I’m talking about. If not, I hope you get the idea!
We are indebted to Teddy Roosevelt and all the others who had the dream and vision to create the National Parks. (Pay attention to your dreams and visions…you have them for a reason.) As a result, Yellowstone National Park so often prompts the comment, “This is God’s country!” Indeed, Nature is God’s own “house of worship.” To be sure, the very essence of Nature can be so empowering. I have no doubt that’s why “Omega”—the popular spirituality retreat in upstate New York—is set in the peaceful countryside, surrounded by farms, gardens, and open space.
I might also remind those of you who describe yourselves as “city people” that Teddy Roosevelt was raised in New York City, and was so very sickly that his father took him to the Adirondacks every summer. That is where Teddy learned his love of Nature, and what led him to protect so much of the land as National Preserves. So I would suggest that you self-described city boys and girls take a little trip to the country if you can. Even you will be amazed and most impressed! If you are “stuck” in the city and can’t get away, at least try to experience Nature in the form of the many wonderful gardens, trees, bird sanctuaries, etc. in your area. No doubt you are aware that one of the greatest city parks in the word is located in midtown Manhattan—Central Park!
Wherever you can find Nature, go for it! Nature can reconnect us to our deeper selves while reminding us of the essence of that “Love/God” energy that is everywhere.
I’m no biblical scholar but I know that “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under Heaven.” This message from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 was converted into the song “Turn, Turn, Turn” by Pete Seeger and made famous by The Byrds. The theme connects us to Nature, and its cycles of birth, death, and rebirth. It’s all part of the process which guarantees that in some future season, we ourselves will be reconnecting in Spirit with loved ones who have passed before. But meanwhile…It’s summer! Rock on!
