Sermons

Minister: Rev. Margaret A. Beckman | Talk of mysteries! Think of our life in nature, — daily to be shown matter, to come in contact with it, — rocks, trees, wind on our cheeks! the solid earth! the actual world! the common sense! Contact! Contact! Who are we? where are we?
~ Henry David Thoreau, The Maine Woods
 

READING ~ “Nature” Henry David Thoreau
O Nature! I do not aspire
To be the highest in thy choir, –
To be a meteor in thy sky,
Or comet that may range on high;
Only a zephyr that may blow
Among the reeds by the river low;
Give me thy most privy place
Where to run my airy race.

In some withdrawn, unpublic mead
Let me sigh upon a reed,
Or in the woods, with leafy din,
Whisper the still evening in:
Some still work give me to do, –
Only – be it near to you!

For I’d rather be thy child
And pupil, in the forest wild,
Than be the king of men elsewhere,
And most sovereign slave of care;
To have one moment of thy dawn,
Than share the city’s year forlorn.
This poem is in the public domain.

READING ~ The Three Day Effect by Florence Williams, Audible Studios, September 27, 2018. 
Does nature really make us feel better? The 3-Day Effect takes a look at the science behind why being in the wild can make us happier, healthier, and more creative. Whether it’s rafting down Utah’s Green River, hiking in Utah’s wilderness, or walking through Rock Creek Park in Washington, DC, scientists are finding that the more exposure humans have to nature, the more we can benefit from reduced anxiety, enhanced creativity, and overall well-being.

Trek with science journalist Florence Williams and researchers as we guide former war veterans, sex trafficking survivors, and even a nature hater on three-day excursions to the wild to see how being outdoors offers something like a miracle cure for an array of serious and everyday ailments. They wire themselves up to see what happens under the vast sky.
 

SERMON

Shinrin-Yoku

It’s Japanese. It means Forest Bathing. Shinrin-Yoku is a popular method of retaining or restoring health and well-being in Japan and, increasingly, in many other places. Scientific studies of the practice have shown a variety of health benefits from lowering stress and blood pressure to easing the side effects and increasing the effectiveness of cancer treatments. Spending time in nature can improve cognitive function and increase creativity. And here’s one for you: forest bathing can reduce morbid rumination – a condition of mental-emotional-spiritual rumination that leads one to focus on the negative aspects of one’s life, often times leading to increased anxiety and depression. Wandering quietly in the forest can lower the activity in the brooding portion of our brain and thus decrease morbid rumination and increase happiness.

It is indeed fascinating that science can now describe, measure and even to some extent predict, the benefits of being in nature. It is heartening to know that science is ‘discovering’ what wilderness enthusiasts, spiritual guides and healers have known since forever, i.e., the natural world provides for our needs and can restore our souls when we are dis-spirited. I’m interested in getting more people outside in intentional forms of nature bathing that are naturally nurturing of mind, heart, body and spirit.

Did you know: We are now spending about 93% of our time indoors. By the middle of this century, more than 66% of us will be living in cities. And we are more sick, more stressed, more depressed, more morbid and, we are less likely to report being content and happy. Being in nature is what the healer often orders and now the doctor is catching on.

Andres R. Edwards educates and consults on sustainable practices for green building and business initiatives. He writes in “Renewal, How Nature Awakens Our Creativity, Compassion, and Joy”:

“During one of the most trying times in my life, when my marriage was coming to an end, I would venture daily into the forested area near our home and take the family dog for a long walk. Walking through the meandering fire roads gave me the space to reflect on my current predicament and what lay ahead.

Having the dog as my companion was an added bonus.

During this difficult period, nature provided me with relief from the stress of a major life transition. The exercise, combined with the beautiful scenery and my dog’s company, was my daily dose of soothing comfort. Gazing at the ancient redwoods reminded me of the many winter storms and changes they’ve weathered during their lifetime. Seeing a red-tailed hawk soaring above helped me to think of the need for a “bird’s-eye view” for a broader perspective on my own circumstances. Witnessing the vegetation, ants, butterflies and squirrels mirrored to me that life is constantly evolving and adapting over time. .  . .

 Looking back several years later, I appreciate the healing power of my walks in nature. The wilderness gave me a place to reflect, discern, plan, and exhale from the stress of the personal changes taking place. Taking the time to stop and look closely at the insects, the flowers, rocks, and leaves rejuvenated my spirit and gave me renewed appreciation for how life is constantly unfolding around us. Even during the subsequent years as I adjusted to my new status, being in nature gave me a constant grounding that I cherish to this day.” (Excerpted from Renewal: How Nature Awakens Our Creativity, Compassion, and Joy by Andrés Edwards (New Society, April 2019) reprinted by permission of the publisher, newsociety.com)

Even small doses of nature, taken regularly not in combination with screen-time or multi-tasking, can preserve good health and well-being.

Longer infusions can produce more dramatic and perhaps longer-lasting health and spiritual benefits.

The 3-day effect.
Outdoor guides have long noticed a shift in people after three days on a wilderness trip. On the third day, participants are far enough removed from their ordinary lives that they shift the way they interact with the natural world and the way they reflect on their life and their place in the world.

The term 3-day effect was coined by David Strayer, a cognitive psychologist who specializes in the benefits of attention. He wanted to know if this shift in well-being was more than the fleeting emotional “natural high.”

After taking groups backpacking into the wilderness for at least three days, Strayer discovered that the participants performed an impressive 50% better on creative problem-solving tasks. And it was on Day 3 that the magic happened. Or, as Strayer puts it, this is the point that the “cleaning of the mental windshield” occurs. It boils down to this: your brain needs a break from technology and every day stresses; it takes 3 days in nature for your brain to relax. It takes three days for your spirit to renew.

Florence Williams is a freelance writer and outdoor enthusiast. On assignment for National Geographic, she too observed and documented the 3-day effect.

“When we slow down, stop the busywork, and take in beautiful natural surroundings, not only do we feel restored, but our mental performance improves too” – Florence Williams, National Geographic (January 2016)

But, what about the healing power of nature? Can nature fix what has gone terribly wrong for people who experience trauma, high stress and anxiety, or the deeply challenging periods of our lives when things we took for granted or counted on for our own happiness are lost?

Florence Williams set out to answer that question. She signed up to go on a wilderness rafting trip in Utah for combat veterans who live with physical and emotional injuries. She signed up to go on a backpacking trip for women who are recovering from being captives in sex trafficking operations. The 3-day effect for both groups was dramatic. Participants were able to talk about their experiences and reflect on their lives in ways that gave them an inner calm and hope for the future that they did not have prior to their wilderness trip.

It’s not rocket science, but it is a bit of magic.

There are three elements of being in nature that promote and invite us to be restored and renewed.

Intention. We must be willing to go into nature with the intention of being with nature and allowing the natural world to change us.

Attention. We must put aside our devices and to-do lists and use all of our five or six senses to interact with our surroundings. Most of us rely on just two senses – seeing and hearing. When we are in nature, we expand our awareness to include all our senses and we focus our attention on what we are experiencing. We taste the water. We hear the birdsong. We feel the change of wind as it brushes our face. We feel the roughness of the tree’s bark. We smell the flowers and the mud and the air. Our awareness expands so we know that we are in the presence of creation and that we are creation, not separate from or an observer of, but that we are creation – along with everything else that surrounds us. It is the sense of being insignificant and all-encompassing all at the same time. When our attention is focused and our heart is open, magic happens.

Awe. The sense of awe is common when we are in nature and our intention and attention are in harmony with the place where we are. Awe can occur on a short walk to a high vista or while watching the tide change at Fundy Bay. A sustained sense of awe can set in with the 3-day effect when everything merges into a creative whole of which we are a part. Some will describe this sense of awe as being in the presence of the divine or God or the angels or the ancestors. Whatever it is, it is amazing; and no one has yet been able to capture adequately the experience in words.

That’s it. Intention. Attention. Awe.

Whether we are going full throttle for the multiple health and spiritual benefits of the 3-day effect by participating in a multi-day wilderness trip or taking a healthy dose of shinrin-yoku (forest bathing) from time to time as nature therapy and restorative wandering in the woods, nature can nurture our spirit and restore well-being and happiness.

Healers and spiritual guides have been sending people out into nature for millennia. Time for us to get with the program and get outside.

Here in Castine on the Blue Hill peninsula, we are in a near-perfect habitat to take advantage of nature’s gifts.

A forest bath is half a mile away at Witherle Woods. On a clear day, the long view is utterly awe-inspiring. On a cloudy or rainy or snowing day, the discovery of things close by in the trees or bushes or patterns of wind-swept snow is awe-inspiring. Sailors – you know about the restorative power of an hour of simple drifting with the motion of the waves.

Some of you remember the first time you climbed the trail up Blue Hill and looked out on an awe-inspiring panoramic view of the ocean.

We don’t need to go far to wrapped in the beauty of nature. We just need to remember to get out and be in nature the best way we can. None of us is probably going to climb Everest or raft the Amazon, but being in nature even with all our limitations of physical abilities and time constraints can be a great way to keep strong in body, heart, mind and spirit.

Naturalist John Muir went into nature initially to heal an eye injury and then, for the rest of his life, to feed his spirit. He knew all about the benefits of forest bathing and remaining outside for at least three days.

Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.
– Muir quoted by Samuel Hall Young in Alaska Days with John Muir (1915) chapter 7

No synonym for God is so perfect as Beauty. Whether as seen carving the lines of the mountains with glaciers, or gathering matter into stars, or planning the movements of water, or gardening – still all is Beauty!
– John of the Mountains: The Unpublished Journals of John Muir, (1938), page 208.

The ancient Hebrew prophets, priests, and kings knew all this as well.

Think through the intention, attention and awe that is evident in the 23rd Psalm. It’s not a surprise that these images of nature provide comfort and restoration for many in times of grief or loss or confusion.
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want;
he makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters;
he restores my soul.
Let me end with the wisdom of our Naaho elders who know that beauty is our constant companion, if we allow it and if we accept its invitation to be with us always.

I Walk in Beauty – Navajo prayer/song
Beauty in front of me, Beauty behind me,
Beauty Above me, Beauty below me,
Beauty all around me,
I walk in Beauty…..
In the house of long life, there I wander.
In the house of happiness, there I wander.
Beauty before me,
Beauty behind me,
Beauty above me ,
Beauty below me,
Beauty all around me,
In old age traveling, with it I wander.
On the beautiful trail I am, with it I wander.
In beauty, it is begun,
In beauty, it is finished.

May you always find your way back to nature and let it nurture and restore your spirit.

And so it is.