A great blessing, among many, of Prairiewoods is the honor of walking with people in discovering nature as threshold into deeper awareness of God. In these days of pandemic—a.k.a. pan-deepening at Prairiewoods—we witness young and old of all faiths, race, economic status drawn to the intriguing woods, wetland and prairie. As John Muir, father of the national parks, says:
“And into the woods we go,
to lose our minds and find our souls.”
Tonight we open the annual Spirituality in the 21st Century: Courting the World Soul. Each attendee, in his/her local woods, is invited to listen, to see, to hear, to touch, to taste the world soul. What longings captivate our hearts as we imagine the expansive ecosystem of the world soul?
My own prayer and reflection within this gently nudged me to previous wooded gathering. In 2015, persons from 193 countries of the world gathered to imagine a future for the world in year 2030—the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) offer us some insight into the longings of the world soul.
Rest assured in the deep, generative woods, accompanied by eagle, cats, deer, ducks, dogs, geese, groundhogs, garter snakes, fox, hawk, owl, fauna, foliage, flowers and tree buds … we all follow a trail home to soul. All sense Mother Earth’s soothing, deepening embrace. Families discover favorite Prairiewoods spots by the creek, near Grandmother Oak, in gentle rain, bright sunshine, illuminating moon light … families and individuals receive this grand invitation to journey inward, to host healing in awe, reflection and prayer, to know one’s soul held in God revealed through the radical hospitality of nature.
In gratitude, “We’re all just walking each other home” (Ram Dass, spiritual teacher).
—Ann Jackson, PBVM, Prairiewoods spiritual services coordinator