Nature is the Pathway to the Sacred

I recently had the opportunity to be in Portland, OR, moving my son and daughter-in-law to their new home. My son and I drove the rental moving truck from the fire zones of Los Angeles, up to the Pacific Northwest. The drive through the Mount Shasta area was stunningly beautiful as towering conifers were flocked with snow, such a stark contrast from the arid areas of Southern California. Way back in the day, I had lived and worked in Klamath Falls and had made that drive through northern California several times. It was a gift to be on that drive again, now, with my son.

Once arriving in Portland, the vast majority of our time was spent unpacking, moving items here and there, and getting them settled in their first home. My days were spent removing old wallpaper and painting. I settled in by putting in my earbuds and listening to good books while attacking the wallpaper with Zen-like concentration. Which leads me to our fun day outing. Carina had arranged for us to visit the Portland Japanese Garden complete with a guided tour and then time for tea at the tea house. It was lovely. If you haven’t been, I highly recommend that you go.

I must admit, I got a little choked up at times. I have not yet been back to Japan since we moved to the U.S. and there was probably nothing I loved more in Japan than wandering through a garden. The unique feature about the Portland Japanese Garden is that there are five gardens which span a thousand years of Japanese garden design. The goal of each garden is to be a place of natural beauty and contemplation, (and of course for rich people to show off their wealth, but for these purposes I’m focusing on the need for contemplation in nature.)

Which got me thinking, a thousand years ago people were stressed out and needed places of natural beauty to rest their minds and spirits. This level of anxiety in humans is not new, nor is the need to connect to the natural world new. As a species, we are natural creatures who crave the serenity of our planet for healing. We love spaces that are thoughtfully designed which connect us to our natural world.

Another great example of thoughtful design that gives homage to the natural environment to aid the human experience is the Portland airport. There are trees growing in the terminal next to the TSA! The ceiling is constructed from timber locally sourced and magnificently crafted into a lattice which allows light to stream in. Air travel these days is less than calming, but it felt pretty wonderful walking through the Portland airport.

In these very, very troubling times, it helps me to remember that, as St. Francis tells us, nature is the pathway to the sacred. I’m so grateful for spaces and places, like the Portland Japanese Garden and the Portland Airport that allow us to travel along that path.