Examples Of Spirituality In John Muir

1264 Words3 Pages

Natural Spirituality
“We all travel the milky way together, trees and men, but it never occurred to me until this day that trees are travelers, in the ordinary sense.” – John Muir

When you hear the word spirituality, what is the first thing that comes to mind, is it churches, cathedrals, or God; why not nature? To John Muir, a botanist, environmental activist, and author, nature is one of the most pure forms of spirituality you can have; much greater than sitting in a church. All things in nature, the trees, the water, the animals, it’s all alive and teeming with spirituality yet to be discovered. To tap into that spirituality, and become one with nature, the first place to look is in the forest. If you’ve ever seen a map of the Upper Peninsula …show more content…

He is referred to as “The Father of our National Parks” as a result of his tenacity in the effort to preserve natural landmarks. (Now, Muir wasn’t a little geeky man who sat and wrote and hugged trees (except for when he sat through a windstorm in a tree, I’m sure he was literally hugging trees then), he was a very adventurous man and laughed in the face of danger. The most interesting thing about Muir though was, the fact that in the apex of a gale force windstorm or in the blustery force of a winter storm, he was able to connect deeply with the natural spirits in the area. In his story Stickeen, Muir is on an expedition to Alaska to explore a region known today as Glacier Bay. As Muir was planning a trip to explore a glacier the next day, he noticed a storm coming in, skipping breakfast, he said, “I heard the storm and looked out I made haste to join it; for many of Nature's finest lessons are to be found in her storms, and if careful to keep in right relations with them, we may go safely abroad with them, rejoicing in the grandeur and beauty of their works and ways” (Muir, Stickeen) Muir notes that if you respect the spirits at work, they will grant you safe passage. I couldn’t agree anymore. In another one of his famous works, Muir decides it’s a bright idea to climb into a tree prior to a wind storm and document how conflicts between the …show more content…

I was never a big church goer, most times I dreaded it, I mean, who wants to wake up at 8:00AM or 9:00AM and go sit in a building listening to someone talk for what seemed like hours? That wasn’t how I planned on spending my weekends. I thought I was more deeply connected, spiritually, when I was out in the trees. Something about the natural state of something, untouched by any hand beside God’s, to me is far more meaningful than sitting in a brick-and-mortar church or cathedral. After all, it was God who created the natural world according to the first book of

Show More
Related

  • The Pros And Cons Of Yosemite National Park

    1795 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the 1800’s into the early 1900’s a man named John Muir began to explore the western American lands. He traveled down South and up North. But, when he reached Yosemite Valley, his life changed. As said in John Muir’s Wild America, written by Tom Melham, “Following the forest-lined mountain trails, Muir climbed higher into the Sierra Nevada: suddenly, a deep valley enclosed by colossal steeps and mighty water falls yawned before him. Spell bound, he entered Yosemite Valley” (79). Muir’s travels and adventures, highlighted in Melham’s book, explain this man’s love of the wilderness. Yosemite Valley was like a wide, open home to Muir, who, lived alone and discovered new landings and important later landmarks that create the aura of Yosemite National Park. Yosemite Valley was given to the state of California in 1864, part of the continuous idea of Manifest Destiny, later, in 1890; Yosemite became one of the first National Parks (“World Book”). Uniquely, the longer Muir stayed the more that he...

    Read More

  • The Ship Wreck Rhetorical Analysis

    762 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Concord, Henry David Thoreau fell in love with the peaceful accord of the natural world. Thoreau found Concord's nature to be inspirational, soothing, refreshing, and mesmerizing. His perspective caused him to seek out a connection between himself and the natural world. It is a viewpoint that created within Thoreau a blissful oneness with nature. "I think that I cannot preserve my health and spirits, unless I spend four hours a day at least-- and it is commonly more than that-- sauntering through the woods and over the hills and fields, absolutely free from all human engagements" (Thoreau, "Walking" 50-51). Thoreau effectively extricated himself from the trappings of society and found his roots by deeply connecting to nature at Walden Pond. “Not till we are lost, in other words not till we have lost the world, do we begin to find ourselves, and realize where we are and the infinite extent of our relations” (Thoreau, Walden). He saw the relationship between the natural and the human as one of reciprocal harmony, because he perceived himself to be part of nature. He recognized that he was permanently linked to it. “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived” (Thoreau, Walden). He found personal harmony by reflecting on the...

    Read More

  • Richard Douglass And Thoreau's Connecting With Nature

    1892 Words  | 4 Pages

    The thought of not doing something or living a different way because of the perceived consequences could be a difficult thing to push aside, even more so for a slave. Thoreau surmises that the American work ethic is in many ways a form of self-imposed slavery and more detrimental than the life of a slave. With that in mind, Douglass, a slave who became free, could possibly give some context and disprove such a claim. The life of a slave is substandard of a free white man, which makes their life more controlled and their way of thinking of themselves is forced upon by the masters; thus, their release is prolonged and hindered which leads to a more trying life -- by being trapped and even when trying to escape being held back.

    Read More

  • How Is David Thoreau A Transcendentalist?

    1293 Words  | 3 Pages

    Henry David Thoreau is among many other early American transcendentalist thinkers, including Ralph Waldo Emerson. Thoreau wrote many pieces and accomplished much in his lifetime; including the time he spent in the wilderness near the Walden Pond observing only the essential facts of life to further understand life as a whole. Many would quote him for his tremendous contributions to early American thought and his outstanding thoughts, “Even to call him a Transcendentalist is to underplay the carefully observed and circumstantial style of much of his writing and the sense of physical participation on which the style is based,” (Dougherty). One of the many things that Thoreau did and journalized in his famous writing Walden was his adventure from

    Read More

  • The Red Path And The Sioux Lakota Virtue

    1018 Words  | 3 Pages

    All things in nature; humans, plants, and animals were believed to be a spiritual being. Totemism, the belief that humans all humans have a spiritual connection with spirit beings (often in the form of an animal) was central to the Native American tribe’s spirituality. Health and wellbeing are closely linked to spirituality, requiring a spiritual and harmonious relationship with the environment.

    Read More

  • Spirituality And Spirituality

    783 Words  | 2 Pages

    Melhem et al (2016) define spirituality as an “abstract, subjective, and complex term, whose definition varies between individuals, philosophies, and cultures” and has “many subjective meanings” (p.43). I have learned from many friends who view themselves as spiritual, but don’t follow any particular religion, that spiritualty has allowed them to find meaning and balance in their life. Many feel that all individuals have the capacity to be spiritual, but I haven’t felt the need to tune into this concept thus far in my life. I would tell you where I find meaning and balance in my life, but I don’t even fully know that answer myself. Spirituality is such a new concept for me, and I find it hard to wrap my head around the ways in which I may be able to view or understand it. Therefore, it is something I hope to explore as I mature and continue to understand who I am as a person in this

    Read More

  • Heroes and the Journey Home

    1645 Words  | 4 Pages

    These heroes for the Parks include John Muir, Ansel Adams, Theodore Roosevelt, and the many boatwomen of the Canyon Country, particularly Georgie White. All of these heroes sought to establish, preserve or improve the parks, for the benefit of the public, so that anyone could experience and understand the love affair with the wilderness that they so loved. They saw these expanses of raw wilderness, and felt that they should be passed on to and enjoyed by everyone for generations to come. They also sought to educate people by using their own forms of expression and influence such as writings and photographs of these natural treasures. Their motivations were not just in the public interest, but also had more selfish goals in mind. All of these people felt it necessary to fight for the protection of the parks because they had formed intimate bonds with the places that they tried to save. Edward Abbey, yet another hero of the parks, expressed it best by calling it the...

    Read More

  • Environmental Movements in the United States

    1029 Words  | 3 Pages

    The United States’ origin of environmentalism can be found in nineteenth century literature. The preservation era began with the newfound appreciation of nature that derived from transcendentalism. Ralph Waldo Emerson, author of the 1836 essay “Nature,” mentored and greatly influenced Henry David Thoreau, who went on to publish Walden in 1854 (“Ralph Waldo Emerson”). Thoreau’s studies of nature demonstrated the necessity of preserving the wild habitat, claiming “We need the tonic of wilderness…At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable…We can never have enough of nature” (Thoreau 187). Although Thoreau regarded nature in a manner of spiritual development, countless environmentalists and naturalists were inspired by his revelations; one of which, was John Muir. Through his various travels and occupations throug...

    Read More

  • The Four Types Of Spirituality

    742 Words  | 2 Pages

    Worthington et. al. (2011) says historically, religiousness involved individual and institutional elements; however, now spirituality is thought of as an individual phenomenon and linked with meaningfulness, New Age beliefs, and personal transcendence. Additionally, spirituality is described in personal terms like one’s relationship with God, and as a result, spirituality is more highly regarded than religion. The authors define spirituality as a feeling of closeness and having a relationship or dedication to God or a higher power; this can be a religious experience or a nonreligious one. They state that what one considers sacred is usually related to the awareness of social influences. According to the authors, four types of spirituality have been identified based on closeness to God. First, is religious spirituality. Religious spirituality’s connectedness to God is based on one’s specific denomination and the closeness is specific to the deity identified. Second is humanistic spirituality. Humanistic spirituality involves closeness to humans. This type of spirituality fosters a loving connection with a specific group of people and a sense of selflessness and concern

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast John Muir's Relationship With Nature

    659 Words  | 2 Pages

    When thinking about nature, Hans Christian Andersen wrote, “Just living is not enough... one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.” John Muir and William Wordsworth both expressed through their writings that nature brought them great joy and satisfaction, as it did Andersen. Each author’s text conveyed very similar messages and represented similar experiences but, the writing style and wording used were significantly different. Wordsworth and Muir express their positive and emotional relationships with nature using diction and imagery.

    Read More

  • Dillard and Thoreau Comparison

    1452 Words  | 3 Pages

    From the lone hiker on the Appalachian Trail to the environmental lobby groups in Washington D.C., nature evokes strong feelings in each and every one of us. We often struggle with and are ultimately shaped by our relationship with nature. The relationship we forge with nature reflects our fundamental beliefs about ourselves and the world around us. The works of timeless authors, including Henry David Thoreau and Annie Dillard, are centered around their relationship to nature.

    Read More

  • Gifford Pinchot, John Muir, and Aldo Leopold Saved the Beauty of the Wilderness

    1016 Words  | 3 Pages

    Pinchot become known at the time as the man who saved U.S. forests. He introduced sustained-yield forestry---cutting no more in a year than the forests could produce new growth. Pinchot’s goal was to show private landowners that they could too can harvest trees without damaging the forest and graze livestock without denuding the range. He is known for reforming the management and development of forests in the U.S. Pinchot believed that it was important for people to depend on natural resources, and conservation must be utilitarian. The conservation movement was movement for all people and all people should control resources, not only few businesses. Pinchot believed in Government interference and regulation. He says, “The obvious and certain remedy is for the government to hold and control the public range until it can pass into hands of settlers who will make their homes upon it” (292). I like that he wants to get everybody’s attention and make them responsible for the future by saying,” The vast possibilities of our great future will become realities only if we make ourselves, in a sense, responsible for the future. The planned and orderly development and conservation of our natural resources is the first duty of the United States” (293).

    Read More

  • Wendell Berry and Fredrick Turner's Views on Human Relationships with Nature

    1123 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many of the readings that we have studied in class have discussed the idea of human beings and our relationships with nature. The different authors we’ve studied and the works we’ve analyzed share different views of this relationship – a very interesting aspect to study. Human relationships with nature are truly timeless – nature can have the same effects on humans now as it did millions of years ago. Two of the works in particular which offered differing views on this relationship were “Entrance to the Woods” by Wendell Berry and “The Invented Landscape” by Frederick Turner.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On National Park

    2141 Words  | 5 Pages

    The beginning of the journey towards forming the first national park begins with a battalion in California, charged with the task of bringing the Native Americans onto reservations. During this trek, they came across a valley of immense beauty, and named it in what they believed was the Indian tribe’s name. They named it “Yosemite”, which later on was found to actually translate to “they are killers” (pbs.org, 2009) in the Native’s language. After a period of nine years, a photographer visited the park, accompanied by a land developer by the name of James Mason Hutching’s. His photos slowly made their way around the country, amazing people with the beauty of this piece of land. They called for its protection, even as the nation was slowly being torn apart by the civil war between the Union and Confederacy. With the Natives being pulled off of their land, the movement to save the lands they previously occupied was in danger. Niagara Falls in New York had already been nearly devastated, and Yosemite might be soon to follow in a short period of time, if Hutchings had his way. People gave back to the goal of protecting the land and towards building the national park system, but the man who truly brought this movement forward to create this first park was John Muir a naturalist who had studied “geology and botany at the University of Wisconsin” (pbs.org, 2009),

    Read More

  • The Wilderness in Margaret Atwood’s Surfacing, Mary Austin’s Land of Little Rain, and Gary Snyder’s

    2535 Words  | 6 Pages

    ...our experiences: the progress of our consciousness. This progress resolves issues of the self and one’s individual past, heals our psychic pain, and releases us from powerlessness and fear. By accepting the wilderness in ourselves we will understand the wilderness in each other and our connectedness. Nature functions as catalyst, as guide, as test, as teacher. Then opening the spiritual window to grace, we ultimately realize the possibility of being fully human.

    Read More

More about Examples Of Spirituality In John Muir

Open Document