Suggestions for Outdoor Reflections

·        Take time to spend in observing and reflecting on what you see  – flowers, birds at a feeder, waves on the sound, the mountains, rivers, etc.  Pay attention to all of your senses as you reflect.  Notice what is evoked in your heart, not just your head. 

·        Sit in one place and look on what you see as your friend.  Pay attention to the chiut, the divine life force, of a rock or tree or plant.  Ask permission to spend some time together.  Sit still and allow the energy to flow through you.  When you’re done, give thanks to your friend for your time together. 

·        Find a quiet place, where you can be alone.  Listen to the sounds around you.  Listen also for the silence between the sounds.  When your mind wanders, repeat this phrase to bring you back to listening.  “My heart is tuned to the quietness that the stillness of nature inspires.”  (Hazrat Inayat Khan).  Or use the word “still-ness” as a breath prayer, breathing in “still;” breathing out “ness.” 

·        Expanding Circles:  Sit where you have a panoramic view and an interesting foreground.  Begin becoming aware of your body.  Feel your feet and legs, hands and arms, spinal column and head.  Now, extend your awareness beyond your body just a few feet to the nearby grasses, rocks, and insects.  Feel yourself moving and becoming alive in them.  Try to feel that you are in everything you see, as much as you are in your own body.  Do this for a couple of minutes.  Deep breathing may help.  When your mind wanders, gently bring it back to what’s before you.  Then broaden your awareness further to include things nearby.  Feel that you are in everything you see just as much as you are in your own body.

     Where do you see God in all of this?

·        Write or draw something that reflects your connection to God through nature.  Writing might be a Psalm or a prayer of blessing.

·        There are 4 basic elements in nature – fire, air, earth, and water.  Consider your relationship with these four elements and how God is reflected in these elements.  Write or draw how you see these elements and how you see God in them.  How do they fit into your spirituality or faith?  Perhaps you might write a prayer to the 4 directions as part of this.

·        Find a quiet place, still the mind, and listen within.  Take in the natural world around you.  Write a letter to God.  Write whatever is on your heart.  Or, if you have a question, sit with the question, and then write about it to God.