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Spirituality and Nature

Kathleen Fischer notes that nature is a common context for secular spiritual experience. In her view, it is by encountering nature with an openness to joy and wonder that you can find a connection to the sacred.^[31] According to Fischer, spirituality is the broader reality, the search for meaning and purpose for those who long to discover a deeper dimension to their lives.^[31] She characterizes spiritual experience as being rooted in the feeling of awe in nature, which, in her words, may be inspired by sensing "the intricacy, majesty, and beauty of creation: the delicate mist that arises from the spray of a waterfall, a hummingbird hovering at a flowering bush, white beaches bordering turquoise waters."^[31] These spiritual experiences can be deepened and extended by spiritual practice such as meditation or deep reflection. concluding sentence needed

Fischer's work is intended to affirm that not only that the lives of human beings, but all aspects of nature, are filled with a sacred mystery or power.^[31] 

Vicki Grieves' study of aboriginal Australian groups aims to use spirituality to understand contemporary development mission of Australian Aboriginal groups. Their spirituality attends to similar themes on the sacredness of nature that is seen in Fischer's work. As they were all taught that life is a sacred hoop and everything has its place within it Template:Sentence fragment. For them the elements of nature, whether plants, animals, or insects, should be treated with the same respect as humans. According to Vicki Grieves’ work with Australian Aboriginal groups, "Indigenous spirituality derives from a philosophy that establishes the holistic notion of the interconnectedness of the elements of the earth and the universe, animate and inanimate."^[32] Her research emphasizes the communal form of spirituality. As Grieves reports, spirituality is "the connectedness of the community for the aboriginal groups. Spirituality is a feeling, with a base in connectedness to the past, ancestors, and the values that they represent, for example, respect for elders, a moral/ethical path. It is about being in an Aboriginal cultural space, experiencing community and connectedness with land and nature including proper nutrition and shelter."^[32]

Kim Knott's contribution to the understanding of secular spirituality is through her work with the secular sacred. Her aim is to separate experiences of the sacred from the institutional context of religion. She believes that the sacred functions both within and outside of a theological context through the beliefs of individual persons. Knott deconstructs the common conceptional separation of the sacred from the profane. She argues that the concept of religion should not be conflated with the concept of the sacred, and that the concept of the secular should not be conflated with the concept of the profane. She argues that in the context of secularization, the sacred has never left the lives of people but rather religion had met its social and historical fate but the sacred was present in an unnoticed secular way. Throughout history this separation between religion and the spiritual has presents itself in wilderness sites, marshes, coves, and other sites have been called sacred or spiritual places, without having religious influence or belonging to a religious sect. This is not just an understanding based on nature or sacred sites as it is the understanding of the sacred to an individual. She prefers to describe the sacred through the individuals embodiment, spatiality, and cognition experiences of the body and the spaces inside and around it. As these are the basis of the sacred as it becomes an operative connection within boundary crossing situations taking place inside and outside the human body and the inhabited territory.

connotations

Nature is a common place for an individual to uncover the a truly secular spiritual experience, and by encountering nature with an openness to joy and wonder you can find a connection to the sacred. Kathleen Fischer work in the field of spirituality aims to uncover the keys to a spiritual experience, as it is by believing the entire world and not only human beings, but all aspects of nature is filled with a sacred mystery or power. This view of all aspects of life being filed with a sacred mystery or power is similar to the interconnectedness of Aboriginal spirituality. According to Vikki Grieves’ work with Australian Aboriginal groups, "Indigenous spirituality derives from a philosophy that establishes the wholistic notion of the interconnectedness of the elements of the earth and theuniverse, animate and inanimate In regards to the connectedness of the community for the aboriginal groups, Spirituality is a feeling, with a base in connectedness to the past, ancestors, and the values that they represent, for example, respect for elders, a moral/ethical path. It is about being in an Aboriginal cultural space, experiencing community and connectedness with land and nature including proper nutrition and shelter."

Secular spirituality Podcast prep

Kim Knott- Looking at her work: Social Identities Between the Sacred and the Secular

Introduced the idea of the secular sacred. The sacred is able to function within and outside of a theological context in the intrinsic beliefs of a person.

·     Deconstructs the common views of the sacred and profane Religion should not be combined with the sacred and secular should not be combined with the profane

·     She argues that in the context of the secularization that occurred the sacred never left but rather religion was met by it’s social and historical faith but was presented in an unnoticed secular way.

·    She brings in works that argue that the sacred has been around for years and it is important to understand that throughout history, wilderness sites, marshes, coves, and other sites have been called sacred, without religious influence.

·     She describes that the sacred can be attributed by people in non-theological as well as theological contexts, irrespective of the nature of their belief system.

·     She brings up the work of Ben Rogers, and his opinion from Is Nothing Sacred? That people are fine to live their life without some godhead or the existence of the supernatural but that cannot as easily jettison the concept of the sacred.

·     She prefers to describe the sacred through embodiment, spatiality, and cognition

·     Experiences of the body and the spaces inside and around it are the basis of the sacred as it becomes an operative connection within boundary crossing situations taking place inside and outside the human body and the inhabited territory.

Kathleen Fischer- Spirituality and Nature

Definition: spirituality as the broader reality, a search for meaning and purpose that can be pursued either within or outside of a religious institution. Spiritual practices then become available to those who long to discover a deeper dimension to their lives but are disillusioned with conventional religion

·     By simply approaching nature with joy, and wonder will fill us with a sense of sacredness.

·     Believing the entire world- not only human beings, but all aspects of nature is filled with a sacred mystery or power

·     This has shaped the modern spirituality of the Native American people. As they were all taught that life is a circle or sacred hoop and that everything has it’s place within it, and elements of nature whether plants, animals or insects should be treated with the same respect of humans.

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·      “A great example of the individual in secular spirituality is Kathleen Fischer views on the subject of spirituality and nature, as the sacred is not only in religious services, encounters with other people, and times of prayer, but also when we sense the intricacy, majesty, and beauty of creation: the delicate mist that arises from the spray of awaterfall, a hummingbird hovering at a flowering bush, white beaches bordering turquoise waters. Attending to nature evokes awe, and awe is the root ofspirituality”

·      “But it can be deepened and extended through spiritual practices variously called meditation, contemplation, or spiritual disciplines”

Aboriginal spirituality

The Chicano people’s spirituality is used to connect he community this is much like it does within aboriginal communities. According to Vikki Grieves’ work with Australian aboriginal groups, Indigenousspirituality derives from a philosophy that establishes the wholistic notion of the interconnectedness of the elements of the earth and the universe, animateand inanimate In regards to the connectedness of the community for the aboriginal groups, Spirituality is a feeling, with a base in connectedness tothe past, ancestors, and the values that they represent, for ex- ample, respect for elders, a moral/ethical path. It is about being in an Aboriginal culturalspace, experiencing community and connectedness with land and nature including proper nutrition and shelter.

Source links

http://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/2012/11/07/christopher-r-cotter-secular-sacreds/

http://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/2012/11/07/christopher-r-cotter-secular-sacreds/

http://journals2.scholarsportal.info.proxy.queensu.ca/pdf/15528030/v23i0003/172_lloafpnsaa.xml

https://books.google.ca/books?id=hvr2uPzxR6gC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_atb#v=onepage&q&f=false

http://www3.brandonu.ca/library/CJNS/28.2/07Grieves.pdf