Our propensity to engage with life and to form social bonds is not restricted to people. Nature is one such entity we can do it with. At the heart of nature-connectedness lies a meaningful relationship with nature. It’s the feeling that we are not separate from nature—instead, we are part of a much wider natural community and, thus, connected to something much bigger than ourselves. That’s where the magic happens.
Ryan Lumber
That is what this project is all about. The magic of nature-connectedness.
Every lifeform in existence on our planet is born in harmony with Nature and remains that way, except for man. We alone have fallen out of harmony because we have free will and the knowledge of good and evil. But we have powers far beyond those of any other being and we get to choose how to use them. Because of this we have the power to restore ourselves to our rightful place in the grand harmony of Nature, but we must use our free will and choose to do so.
A human being is a spatially and temporally limited piece of the whole, what we call the “Universe.” He experiences himself and his feelings as separate from the rest, an optical illusion of his consciousness. The quest for liberation from this bondage [or illusion] is the only object of true religion. Not nurturing the illusion but only overcoming it gives us the attainable measure of inner peace.
Albert Einstein
All of the universe, every other being, from the single-celled to the biggest whales, the tallest giraffes, the birds soaring in the sky, and even the plants, from the lowly grass to the tallest giants of the trees, they are all constantly singing a song of praise, a beautiful, harmonious, blissful song. Humanity was gifted with the most beautiful voice of all but, also, free will. While every other being is compelled to join in, we have to use our will to choose the path of harmony. But we have been given gifts to aid us in this quest. We have the Word, the Breath, and the Prophets. We have the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars. And, finally, we have the Book of Nature all around us always pointing towards the One.
“Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made.” Romans 1:20
I’m Justin Birkholz. And this blog is a celebration of that quest and my attempt to help fellow seekers. It will be the home of all of the original poetry, prayers, meditations, essays, spiritual practices, and more that I am constantly creating. And I am excited to bring this content to the world!
I want this site to be a beacon of light and a source of inspiration. My goal is to be a catalyst which propels people forward on their personal/spiritual development journey. Personal transformation often begins with an event so powerful that it forces you to break out of your normal perspective. My goal is to be a living embodiment of that catalyst, that spark, that jolt to the system that causes people to stop and think. Like Shams was for Rumi.
May our light shine brightly.
❤🙏☀