Nature is everywhere, and even though it sometimes seems to be sidelined by modern life, its presence is vital to our existence.

Nature is all around us and has always been with us. Our ancestors lived much closer to nature, working for thousands of years in the same ways and patterns: hunting and gathering for foods, making their own clothes and medicines, and toiling the earth to grow crops and reap a good harvest. They observed nature to enhance their understanding of themselves and the world.

Even today in the world's busiest cities, we can see trees, plants and animals, and the sky above us. When we gaze up at the stars, we see the same night sky as our forefathers and mothers did and we are overwhelmed by the same sense of awe. A walk in the woods invariably calms the spirit.

Modern society prides itself on its sophistication', a word that derived from the Latin sophisticas', meaning tampered with'. Many people, however, are rediscovering their natural roots and finding out how to work in harmony with nature rather than in conflict with it.

Early human societies were dependent on working with nature for their survival, thus rituals and ceremonies arose to help preserve the special link. Hunters would celebrate rites in which they assumed characteristics of the animals they sought to hunt; this helped them to become one with them and also to feel that they were a part of the natural world.

As humans settled into agricultural communities and developed more complex social structures, they still continued to observe closely the seasonal cycle. Religions such as Christianity eventually came to overlay their own festivals on the old rites of nature and gradually changed their meaning and significance to reflect their own belief systems.

Nowadays, many people are returning to the wisdom and magic of the nature religions, in order to find their own spiritual paths through modern life and its obstacles.

Key aspects of nature include objects as small as insects, as old as trees, as intangible as the elements, and as awesome as the Moon in the night sky.

The Moon:
The Moon's magic works through its cycles of the dark Moon, the new, the waxing and the full and waning Moon. By recognizing the link between the Moon and their menstrual cycle, women can choose the best time to work magic. Gardeners often sow certain plants on the waxing or waning Moon.

The Moon has always played a vital role in humanity's need to commune with nature.

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

---

Add your voice

Know something about Reflections: Nature?
We want to hear your view. Write now!