Artist, poet and mental director Aline Lindemann offers this reflection on finding God in nature. Aline is an apprentice in spiritual direction for the Phoenix Center.
The sun shines on us, not on us.
The river flows through us, not through the past,
Thrilling, tingling, Vibrating all the fibers and cells of our body’s substances,
Let them slide and sing.
– John Muir
“This!” My brother, John, said we would walk together along the Fieldstone path towards the area behind his house, making a big, drastic move with his arms, “This is God to me.”
John’s Wisconsin home sits on a small hill overlooking a lush grassy grass surrounded by towering evergreen trees. Fern, lilies and various Ivy thrive every summer and is a gorgeous show of geraniums. In the middle he built a large garden full of bumper crops of garlic, eggplant and tomatoes. Mother Nature is generous here. His statement was emphasized – as if he had informed me that he had found God, he was good. There is no need for catechism or judgment here. thank you very much. I nodded, staring at the distant line of wood that seemed to be fixed in his eyes, continuing to walk with him, hearing as he had told me about his landscaping adventures.
His declaration reminded me of what Thomas Keating said. Thomas Keating told the story of walking through a grove soaked in silence, all the sudden, sudden. “The whole place just exploded. The leaves and branches are delightful!” he said, spreading a smile across his face. “Fortunately, humility awakened to me and I realized that they weren’t waving at me. They were waving to God inside me. So I turned around.”
Thomas Moore said we have all the spirituality we need. It’s up to us to recognize that. Be careful about that. This recognition does not need to take place in cathedrals or sacred sites. If we wait for an altar location before we recognize divinity, we miss out on a lot. Intimacy and friendship with nature feels good because it’s a reunion. Humans, plants, and water are connected by the greater energy that created us. We are one. God exists in every particle. Nature, there is no god. Know nature, know God. Knowing this reminds us of peace beyond understanding. It’s God.
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Today’s guest post is Aline Lindemann, an artist, poet, educator and spiritual director in East Ham, Massachusetts.
Aline has graduate certificates in Religion and Education (Harvard Theology and Extended School) and holds a Masters degree in liberal studies focused on religion, culture and health (Arizona).
For more information on the spirituality of her artwork, please visit her website https://www.alinelindemann.com/
Source: Spiritual Direction 101 – www.patheos.com
