A day in the country

To me God is not only the most beautiful golden Being or Spirit; to me God is everything. You just mentioned nature: a beautiful flower or a beautiful tree. Anything that is God's creation embodies God....You can appreciate the beauty of nature and if you are happy, then the happiness that you are getting is God. In one word, if God has to be defined, then I wish to say God is happiness.

Sri Chinmoy

To appreciate God’s creation is to appreciate God is to meditate.

After a busy few weeks of organising our Festival of Meditation in Dublin, members of the Sri Chinmoy Centre spent a day in the countryside. Rajnandini arranged a visit to a nature reserve known as Girley Bog near Kells in Co Meath. Nature communicates very well when the sun communicates, particularly in Ireland and this was very much the case during the visit. 

Wow! – when you slow down and observe, you realise that that a bog is much more than a 15,000 year old compost heap! So much life, so much drama, so much beauty and diversity from the Sun Dew insect digesting plant, the elegant Bog Cotton swaying in the wind to the colourful seeding Sphagnum Moss, all existing in varying settings. You soon realise that by slowing down to observe each marvel, your heart is tickled with joy and if you give yourself permission to do so, the warmth of gratitude descends upon you.

Rajnandini imparted her vast knowledge of botany to the (mostly) city folk along the way. And most times when we get together, snacking along the way is the norm – but during this walk, it was the energy-charged wild strawberries, blueberries and green peas instead of the usual coffees and pastries.

After the walk, the group returned to Rajnandini’s home in Kells to join her parents Sean & Mary for a sumptuous lunch in the garden. To burn off the ice cream and chocolate cake, Sean organised Lawn Croquet with simplified local rules to suit the multi-national make-up of the group (Poland, Vietnam, Croatia & Russia).

The day was brought to a close with a group meditation and celebration of Elena’s birthday. 

Thanks Rajnandini - just what the doctor ordered.