Nature Spirituality: Praying with Wind, Water, Earth, Fire

by Mark G. Boyer

The presence of the Divine is everywhere. That is both a comfort and a challenge. We are consoled to know that God is with us, but being human we need a sign, something to touch, see, hear, taste, smell. We need something of the ordinary to name the non-touchable, invisible, unable-to-be-heard, tasteless, odorless God's presence with us. So, we employ metaphors, figures of speech which literally denote one kind of object in place of another, to suggest a likeness or analogy. In this book, the metaphors used for God come out of the Bible; they are the four elements of nature for the wind, water, earth, and fire. Wind is a metaphor for God's Spirit. Water refers to God as the source of life. Earth, from which we are created, bears God's fingerprints and footprints. And fire reminds us of the God who purifies and draws all creation to himself. This nature spirituality book consists of four chapters-wind, water, earth, fire-each of which contains twenty, four-part exercises of a few verses from Scripture, a reflection, a journal exercise, and a concluding prayer.

150 pages, Paperback

First published September 17, 2013

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good little devotional with 80 days' worth of stuff. The title makes it sound a bit more out there than it is... it's a very orthodox encounter with the themes of wind, water, earth and fire in the Bible, with the net effect of showing just how grounded in the natural world the Judeo-Christian tradition is at its roots.

The material for each day consists of a scripture, a reflection, questions to ponder (which, by the way, seem to imply a spiritual life more vibrant, dramatic and/or imaginative than mine) and a closing prayer.

Special mention of the cover: a massive pinetree bonfire in a snowy landscape. Love it.