This week I read ‘Spiritual revelation in
wilderness under down under’ by Peter Ashley and he really made a good point as
to the role that the environment and nature play in individual spirituality. He
also noted that this role could be reversed as the idea of spirituality in
important in the protection and cultivation of the environment. The important
message, for me, in this paper was the significance of creating a wholesome and
sacred relationship with the environment, in which both the human and natural
world can benefit. He notes that, wildlife and its protection are “essential to
maintain the mental and spiritual balance of the people”. Unfortunately, Ashley
continued by explaining that, “the value of spirituality in the environment has
not been fully appreciated or understood in Australia”.
As I was reading this article, there was
one place that I was thinking of as my little ‘spiritual oasis’ I guess you
could call it. My family has a small house upon a hill at Coolum Beach. You can
just see the water through the trees and it is away from the hustle and bustle
of normality for me. Apart from it being a visually beautiful environment, its
about so much more than that. Ashley seems to focus on the visual environment
in his article, and how this inspires certain emotions in people, but my experiences
encompass an array of different feelings. For example, the feeling of a cool
breeze, the sounds of trees rustling and birds singing and certain smells of
eucalyptus. When these aspects are experienced together, they create something
that is spiritual and relaxing for me. Therefore, it is not simply about a
beautiful environment, but the whole experience.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sunshine_coast_02.jpg
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