Spirituality and nature are very closely related. We can all take a close look at the natural world as a whole, or certain elements of it, and see the similarities of nature and human life. If you haven’t made the connection to nature yet then you will likely be feeling an emptiness or a void in your life that you just can’t quite determine why it’s there. The first step is acknowledging that the elements of nature are a definite necessity in your life and naturally move from there to find the way that you can best feel part of it.
First, I want to describe what I’m referring to as nature so you’re sure to include all the important factors in your own analysis of nature in your life. Some of the obvious parts of nature I’m focusing on are the trees, flowers, forested areas, bodies of water and all aspects of weather like the sun, wind, rain and snow to name just a few. Some of the other important nature elements are wildlife, food, herbs, flower remedies and other healing properties that are directly from nature.
With all those different sections of nature in mind I’ll point out a few of the comparisons of human life and nature based life:
• All is created with a specific purpose. Although this topic could go into great depth, for our purposes of feeling connected to something bigger, I’ll just touch on the subject. Humans are created for the purpose of building communities, growing with wisdom from generation to generation and to watch over the rest of creation. The overall purpose of nature is to nourish and regulate the earth and everything in it (including humans). Each part of nature and humans was created with purpose and complexity to all be important aspects of a huge world.
• Reproduction and family life of a variety of wildlife is similar to that of humans. Our existence happens the same way as it does in nature.
• There’s a growth and death cycle of everything, as well as the highs and lows during life. Just as we have good and bad days, months and even years, so do many elements of nature. Weather effects the trees, plant life and wildlife in this way, as does a variety of other external factors, like disease or changes in habitat.
Just making a few realizations of the interconnectedness of the world will create a more connected feeling within yourself. Taking in the realities listed above as well as noticing some of your own (because there are a lot of similarities between nature and human life) you can feel true and deep connections to the world around you and that will bring much more meaning and spirituality to your life. I can’t think of any other way to feel like a special and unique part of a complex world than to make the connection of our relation to nature. If you’re feeling like you don’t really belong anywhere or you’re feeling unsatisfied with life, go and surround yourself in nature. Feel its comfort, its dependability and its strength and you will soon feel that you belong in the world. Even if you haven’t figured everything out yet, you can at least start on the right path by letting nature nurture you.
Stephanie Morrison has been studying various approaches to personal growth for over 10 years. She focuses her teaching on creating a deeper connection with nature to gain a more balance life, experience more happiness and to create more meaning in life through spirituality. Find out more about living a balanced life at www.spirituallifebalance.com