Finding God in Nature

I have been enjoying reading Sophfronia Scott’s relatively new book, The Seeker and the Monk.  Scott is an African American woman who writes about becoming a friend of Merton’s and sharing conversations with him, even though she never met him.  She is a writer, so has a wonderful way with words.  I am amazed by how familiar she is with Merton’s writings and what a fresh perspective she is offering me on this monk who died more than sixty years ago---before she was even born.  Much of what she is telling me about Merton is not new, but it reveals new ways of seeing and thinking.

One chapter I particularly liked was her focus on nature.  In some ways she is using Merton as a foil to talk about her own spiritual search process and how she is finding some ways to understand life and how life makes sense.  Her chapter on nature opens with her account of a walk she did while on a visit to Gethsemani, Merton’s monastery in Kentucky.  Since I have been there many times, I felt like I was on a walk with her and Thomas.  One of her first observations was to declare that “Merton’s connection with this corner of the earth, located fifty miles south of Louisville, Kentucky, is so deeply personal.” 

That brought me up short.  I wonder how many of us are connected with our little place on earth in ways that are deeply personal?  As I ponder this, I realize that it was easier for me when I was on the farm.  Having said that, perhaps some of the truth is when I was on the farm, I was younger and there were no computers, cell phones and all the modern conveniences.  But I was also on the land every day.  In fact some days I was literally turning up soil.  We ate vegetables from the garden.  I am led to think more clearly what it means to be connected to my place in ways that become more deeply personal.

Her next comment is an obvious one, but so many people don’t do it.  Scott reminds us “It’s a known fact that going outside and being in nature is good for us.” (52)  Of course, this is no secret.  But we also know that smoking is not good for us, but many people still do it.  This is a good reminder that sometimes our shortcomings in life have nothing to do with knowledge.  We know what we should do.  We simply don’t do it.  Eat less grease and exercise more.  Everyone I know would agree with this, but too many of us still don’t act on the knowledge we have.  Nature is all about us.  We would be better off taking notice of it and letting it do some spiritual work on our souls.

Soon Scott gets a little deeper.  She uses some lines from Merton to get to her notion of transcendence.  It is probably easier to experience a sense of transcendence if we are in nature than if we are in our living rooms watching tv.  Scott tells us that for her transcendence “is about an awareness, perhaps even a fine tuning.”  She then concludes transcendence “looks like a complete oneness with all of creation.”  As I understand it, transcendence pulls us outside of ourselves and puts us in a much bigger picture.  As we experience transcendence, it is more difficult to be in our little egos.  Being in nature does this too me.  It is almost as if I am pulled out of myself---I go beyond, above my little self.  I don’t disappear.  I just become put in place---in a good way.

Scott has set us up to consider God.  Experiencing transcendence is often a chance to experience God.  As long as we are stuck in our little egos, God does not have much of a chance.  Or the god of my ego is probably not the real God.  The god of my ego doubtlessly is a servant---a servant god of my own wishes and goals.  I know this and fully agree with Scott’s line of reasoning.  But just because I know does not mean I always act on this knowledge.  Too easily I draw back and put my little ego in charge.  With this move, I drag my own little god into the picture and that is never a good move.

Given this, Scott asks a great question.  She asks, “How can we use nature to cultivate an awareness of God?”  As an old farmer, I appreciate the use of the verb, cultivate.  That’s what farmers do---they cultivate in order that growth happen and fruit is born.  So it is with our souls.  Our life job is to be cultivators of our souls.  On predictably good way of doing this is to get into nature.  Perhaps it is better to say, since we are already in nature, the job is to cultivate awareness of nature and from that, to cultivate our awareness of God.  

Scott uses Merton’s experience to offer some practical advice.  One way to cultivate is “walking the earth in a sacred manner.”  For me this means walking in such a way that I am open, attentive and ready to learn.  Instead of listening to music or a podcast, I can listen for God who uses silence to “speak.”  Walking reverently sometimes means to slow down.  Notice and pay attention.

Scott notices how often Merton talks about weather.  To recognize weather is to be awake and taking notice.  Weather is one way nature is alive.  It is not always the same.  Neither are we!  And the last piece of advice is to learn “about the ‘rooms’ of his outdoor home,” as Scott quips about Merton.  The rooms are the plants, animals, etc.  We become aware of the diversity and enormity of creation.  Again, this puts us in our place.  

Indeed, we are in the place---the right place---to find God in nature.  And to find God means we can find our selves---our true self.