Establishing the Sanctuary of the Morning Light made a strong environmental statement. But it was only the first step on the path to individual and community action. It provided a place for people to become more aware of the spiritual connection we all have with the natural world. Sitting in silence, people could find their true selves, gather strength and pleasure from contact with the natural world, and then go beyond their own selves to recognize the connections between all people and all the life of the planet.
The creators of the Sanctuary began to see how that spiritual connection to the natural world could be deepened and enhanced in other ways. It’s a universal and unifying aspect of human existence; it doesn’t depend on faith or religious dogma, political ideology or cultural custom. As such, it could, and should be, the most powerful force for environmental protection on a global scale. It’s an abundant and free source of energy and pleasure. Connecting, or re-connecting to the natural world in a variety of ways is the next step to individual growth and community action.
In addition to the sanctuary experience, we can develop our inner strength through yoga and chi gong and tai chi and other activities which engage our minds and bodies in close harmony. We can enhance those mind-body activities by practicing in a natural setting, by letting our own energies merge with the subtle energies of the natural world around us.
And when we walk or run or ski—simply moving in any way we like—in a natural setting, when we’re moving well and are aware of our surroundings, that’s when we feel the exhilaration of being fully alive. That’s how we experience the amazing synergy created by mind, body, spirit, and nature that is the birthright of every human being on the planet.
The final step is to take the strength, confidence and optimism that we’ve received from the natural world and share it with friends and neighbours and the communities in which we live. Essentially, by taking action to protect the natural world around us and the well-being of people everywhere. It’s the notion of service. Service that is a source of happiness and pleasure, not a chore or a duty.
Again, the story takes place in the present day, with one important qualification: it reflects a somewhat idealized world. It’s not fanciful or fantastic, but a realistic and practical "world that could be." With an important contribution from an unexpected source, the creators of the Sanctuary find a way to expand the Sanctuary experience and benefit from the resulting synergy of mind, body, spirit, and nature.
Creative fund-raising, collective barn-raising, and the growth of a new community are described in Chapter Four: Integration (
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When we go to a natural sanctuary we give ourselves time, through relaxed contemplation and meditation, to find our true selves. With time enough, we ultimately lose ourselves. We slow down; we breathe the clear mountain air, and gradually become one with the world around us.
Sitting is just sitting.
Finding time to sit quietly for a while is not always easy, but sitting itself is easy: you just sit. Comfortably on a bench, a platform, a cushion or chair or any improvised way you like.
You don’t have to do anything, think anything.
You rest and relax and let your breathing and heartbeat slow down.
You let stress and tension subside from your mind and body.
Gradually, patiently, you begin to find inner peace. You can begin to sense your inner strength. It doesn’t happen in one sitting. It takes time. With time enough, you ultimately lose yourself and gradually become one with the surrounding world.
It’s not easy to describe. But when, in a moment of stillness and quiet, we become fully aware of the natural world around us, when we realize how much it offers us, we begin to sense a spiritual feeling that touches the heart and soul. It’s a very quiet and subtle feeling, and because it is, it’s easily ignored or missed completely.
After you’ve sat quietly a number over weeks and months, you become aware of changing seasons and unchanging cycles of life. You might begin to sense the different time scales of human life, the life of plants and trees, the almost unimaginable extent of geologic time that measures the existence of rocks and mountain ranges.
When you get up again and return to everyday routines, personal cares and concerns won’t disappear. You will have escaped them for a short time, but you’ll have a wider perspective in which, with any luck, they’ll seem a bit smaller and perhaps more manageable. Relaxed, refreshed, you have the basis for developing the confidence and optimism needed to deal with the challenges ahead.
Meditation can be done anywhere. There are many different approaches, but almost all start with a quiet place to sit, a comfortable position for sitting, and a focus of attention, at least at the very beginning. Meditation can also be done sitting on a chair or lying down, and walking meditation is a common part of Zen practice.
There are many book and Websites with further advice on how to meditate.
The Benefits of Meditation
Research studies have identified a wide range of benefits when meditation is practiced consistently over a period of weeks and months.
Meditation can:
- Lower the rate of breathing.
- Increase blood flow and slow the heart rate.
- Lower blood pressure.
- Decrease muscle tension.
- Reduce symptoms of anxiety and stress.
- Increase serotonin production which has a positive impact on mood and behaviour.
- Enhance the immune system.
- Improve concentration.
- Increase exercise tolerance.
- Contribute to higher levels of energy and creativity.
- Increase self-awareness.
- Reduce negative emotions.
- Contribute to calmness and happiness.
The following websites (among many) provide more details:
A person’s experience of the Sanctuary is determined largely by what he or she takes to it. It also reflects what is laid aside, what defences are lowered, and how much a person can open themselves to their surroundings. There is no structure, no pattern, no guide.
A variety of experiences including sitting, mind-body activities, and trail walking are described in Chapter Six: Practice. ( (380Kb)
When we practice yoga, chi gong, or tai chi, we let the mind and body move together in harmony. We engage both body and mind in relaxed but purposeful movement. We begin to feel a joyful energy that contributes to both our physical and mental strength.
You don’t need to be young and strong to start doing mind body exercises like yoga, chi gong, and tai chi. At a very simple level yoga and tai chi could probably be described as stretching and flexibility exercises. Yoga especially, is often seen as a fitness activity, not unrelated to Pilates and other forms of weight loss exercises. But in both yoga and tai chi, the mind has a very important role in every action. Whether you go deeply into the spiritual philosophy of each discipline or not, yoga, chi gong, and tai chi are practices that stimulate and strengthen both mind and body.
As many practitioners have found, one of the most enjoyable ways to do yoga or tai chi is in a natural setting. For that reason, many yoga centres, retreats, and workshops are located in places of natural beauty from New England to New Mexico, from the Laurentians to the Mediterranean, from California to Cancun—and those are just a few places amongst many others.
The Benefits of Yoga and Tai Chi
There are ten thousand books, CDs, and Websites with information and advice on yoga, chi gong, and tai chi. The benefits of yoga and tai chi are generally similar to those for meditation. The studies have been relatively small and the benefits—mainly in the areas of cardiac and respiratory fitness, blood pressure, and enhanced immune systems—have been subtle. Anecdotally, the most commonly claimed benefits are less stress, more energy, a positive mood, and an overall sense of enhanced well-being.
The following websites provide more details:
The relationship between mind and body has been a very small part of the research into health and medical issues over the past fifty years. There have been few large scale studies done and few definitive results achieved. Still, there is evidence that humans can consciously influence more aspects of bodily function than earlier believed possible, e.g., heart and respiratory rates and body temperature. And there have been recorded cases where visualization and mindful concentration have ameliorated, and even contributed to the healing of medical conditions. This is an exciting field for further research into the full extent of human capabilities.
When we go into the natural world, we feel fully alive. We experience the simple joy of physical movement in a natural setting. We test the limits of our physical strength and endurance. We experience the synergy of mind, body, spirit, and the natural world. Together, the value of those four elements is much greater than the sum of the values of each alone.
Working out in a gym, weight room, or fitness club is undeniably a good way to improve physical strength and fitness and train for specific sporting events. A standard environment and consistent exercise routines are vital for accurate measurement of progress and improvement. The same criteria apply to anyone wanting to perfect yoga or tai chi skills.
But with simpler aspirations for general well-being, there are challenges and pleasures that can’t be found in the average fitness club. Physical exercise in a natural setting provides the final element in the process of connecting to the natural world by enhancing the connection between inner energies and the surrounding external energies. When walking, hiking, running, or cross country skiing in a natural setting, a person can continue to move calmly or briskly and at the same time be aware of the surroundings. Body, mind, and spirit are active and alive. Body, mind, spirit, and nature combine to create a synergy that is calming and healing, joyful and strengthening, energizing and exhilarating. It’s a freely available source of optimism and confidence to help you deal with whatever life has brought you and the all the other people you know and care for.
The Benefits of a Natural Setting
Many studies show how people feel better when they spend time outdoors in a natural setting. Research has indicated that hospital patients recover more quickly when they have a view of nature.
More recent research indicated that spending considerable time in natural settings produced a change not only in mood, but also in attitudes which became more open and outwardly-focused. The outdoor experience strengthened a connection to the natural world—and equally or more importantly—to other people.
Research on this subject can be found at the following websites :
Connecting with the natural world with body, mind, and spirit is a start. But it doesn’t cure illness, make you younger (although you’ll likely feel younger), richer, or more beautiful. You have to be lucky, or believe in advertising to achieve those goals without hard work (and luck). But when we make a deep connection to the natural world with our minds, bodies, and spirits, we begin to see how much poorer our lives would be without access to the natural world, without the variety and richness and wonder of it. We can begin to understand how much it means to have abundant water, clean air, good food, and how much natural processes contribute to those.
With that understanding, we can begin to see that how we treat the natural environment influences how we deal with other people and other cultures that are foreign to us. And in today’s world, we are connected to everyone else as never before. Not just because of the global reach of the economic and financial system that dominates news headlines. But through patterns of migration and immigration, food production, water and energy resources, and pollution of air and water.
We, the human population of the world, are all connected.
From its earliest days, the Sanctuary is a place of celebration: of seasons and cycles of life, of community creativity and energy, of human spirit and the bounty of the natural environment.
Community activities and celebrations are described in Chapter Seven: Seasons. ( (364Kb)
In a period of economic uncertainty and insecurity, we are naturally enough concerned with ourselves and our families, our jobs, and homes, and health. In such periods, studies indicate we’re not open, tolerant, compassionate, and generous. People who feel worn down by circumstances beyond their control often feel helpless. They feel weak and pessimistic. That’s why we need to do whatever it takes to be strong, healthy, confident, and optimistic individuals.
And while it’s often useful to feel self-assured, we need to go beyond individualism. The strongest people are not full of themselves, egotistical and selfish. The strongest people are calm and confident, open and tolerant. They don’t feel the need to impose their views on everyone else.
Fortified by the inner peace and strength we derive from our connection with the natural world through mind, body, and spirit, we can move beyond our own personal needs and wants to interact and work with others. We can be more confident, optimistic, compassionate, and generous. Working with others, we combine our strengths to deal with the social, economic, and environmental issues that confront us all today.
Service, in the sense of service to others, is a familiar concept to many religious congregations and communities. It underlies much of the work done by environmental groups and organizations. It’s a key element in the final stage of connecting to nature: taking action, individually, or better, in groups, to respect, protect, and enhance the natural world on which we all depend.
A natural sanctuary represents a positive addition to any community as an expression of energy and creativity, not an exclamation of complaint and outrage. Creating and maintaining a natural sanctuary can be an example of local achievement, a source of pleasure, a focus for celebration, and an inspiration for wider action.
Start with your friends and neighbours.
Be positive! Celebrate and enjoy natural areas in your region. Help others enjoy them.
Take part in seasonal celebrations of the solstices and equinoxes and of Earth Day.
In your neighbourhood or community, join local groups exploring environmental, social justice, or spiritual issues.
With friends or colleagues, consider forming a group to explore those issues. Start simply, with local issues and small, practical actions that individuals can take.
Recognize the natural resources of your region; encourage wise and safe use of them.
Consider the vital resources of your community or region: sources of water, land for agriculture, weather patterns and prevailing winds. Consider the sources of pollution of water, land, and air.
Consider ways to protect or enhance your local environment.
Expand the focus of action beyond your region by following links to other regions for foods, water, energy, and other elements of trade.
Consider any and all the community activities and initiatives that politicians can’t ignore.
As much as possible, take a positive attitude. Consider new possibilities and all points of view. Act from a spirit of tolerance, compassion, and generosity, rather than from a sense of complaint, injustice, and anger.
We can’t rely on corporations or governments. By working together, we can influence both corporations and governments, not by criticizing them but by setting examples. Connected to other people, we have power to shape our community. To create a better life for ourselves and others.
