Unfortunately many of us live apart from Nature. We tend to be more connected to 'virtual worlds' via technology. Less people are experiencing Nature..let alone in a way that it was intended, a way to find serenity and peace, a way to connect back to God, a way to receive revelation. It usually requires you to be alone. Is it any wonder that Joseph Smith went into a grove, Enos went in the forest, Moses went up into the mountain, Christ in a garden.
I happened to open up a book the other day and turned to this page with the following quote. The book is called 'Light in the Wilderness'. I have not read this book yet besides reading this quote. I think the quote is powerful, I can testify it is true.
"Nature’s role is to arrest Man’s attention so he can hear that Voice from Heaven. And it has often worked as each of us has many times yielded to holy messages when absorbed by sounds or scenes in Nature. In those moments the rational processes pause, and a deeper consciousness awakens. In such moments one feels a transcendent sense of connectedness to divine origins. The sensation seems to have the power to transform every fear and every care. The mind becomes deep and still. Attention to Nature’s message then can open the Spiritual Mind, where not only the truth about Nature is revealed, but also our own true nature is stirred into wakening. We become conscious of spiritual realities that flow in and around us. To slow down and let Nature distill within us begins to open the unseen world where the secrets of happiness flourish, where abound “the mysteries and peacable things – that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal ( D&C 42:61)"1
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Sidenote:
A friend of mine send me the below quote from the book, 'Proof of Heaven', written by Dr. Eben Alexander about his near death experience.
"The 'false' suspicion that we can somehow be separated from God is the root of every form of anxiety ... the knowledge that nothing can tear us from God ... remains the single most important thing I've ever learned". 2
"The physical side of the universe is as a speck of dust compared to the invisible and spiritual part." 3
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1 Light in the Wilderness by M Catherine Thomas
2 Proof of Heaven by Dr. Eden Alexander pg. 76
3 Proof of Heaven by Dr. Eden Alexander pg 82