According to my earliest memories, Nature has been soul-food for me.
Growing up interfaith, my family really did not have any rituals for marking time and the change of the seasons. We did not attend worship services anywhere, but I found my first personal connection to The Divine while exploring the central Appalachian woods near the house where I grew up. I felt the sacredness of the earth as a sat dipping my toes in a cool mountain creek, or sunk my fingers into the dark, fertile soil.
Beech Mountain, NC waterfall.
I found all the proof I need of a loving Adonai-- Creator merely by taking time to be totally IN Nature.
I've lived on the Florida Gulf Coast for most of adulthood, and I still am fed by the natural elements. Salt water is especially sacred to me, a swim in the emerald green waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico is a cleansing ritual-- a reminder of my baptism. I am mindful of the many small, shelled creatures that feed the sea birds. My affinity for Nature is seen on my home altar, as I keep stones, seashells, and other gifts from the Earth in my place of prayer.
For me, time in Nature feeds my soul like bread and water feed my body.
Amen.
Sarah Elizabeth McCarren
No comments:
Post a Comment