This month I facilitated a retreat a beautiful Villa Maria del Mar in Santa Cruz. Part of the retreat was a Bonaventuran meditation, a silent meditative walk on the beach to discover what lesson it held for each of us.
St Bonaventure was a medieval Franciscan who believed that God had given the world two books: the Bible or book of the word and Nature, the book of the created world. As we can find inspiration reading the Bible, so he believed, we could also find inspiration reading the Book of Nature, meditating on the natural world.
We can find a lesson of timing watching the ocean waves, noticing how they recede and then return again in the natural rhythm known in the East as yin and yang.
In a tiny flower growing from a crack in the cement we can find a lesson in hope and perseverance.
Now it’s your turn. Try this brief meditation to begin reading the Book of Nature for yourself.
- Take a deep mindful breath and release it.
- Feel your feet on the ground as you breathe slowly and deeply and slowly walk outside.
- Feel yourself there in the present moment, noticing the trees, the sky, the warm sun or gentle breeze touching your body.
- As you walk around slowly and mindfully, look around you.
- Notice what you see.
- Breathe in the beauty of nature and notice any message, large or small.
- What lesson does it offer you today in the journey of your life?
I wish you joy on the path.
Namaste,
Diane