Forgetfulness. Isn’t that how Edgar Cayce described the essence of our spiritual predicament? As spirit souls we became so fascinated by the experience of interacting with materiality that forgetfulness of our true identity left us imprisoned by our distractions. We are finding our way back through a process of remembering.

          Many techniques, programs, rituals or tools for enhancing personal spirituality involve some kind of remembering process. Take meditation. During that process we focus on an affirmation. When we realize our mind has wandered, we bring it back to the affirmation focus. Each moment that we notice that our mind has wandered is a moment of remembrance. It is a moment of spiritual awakening, as we awaken and free ourselves from the chain of thought. As you probably have experienced yourself during meditation, you can be lost in thought for a long time before you remember what you are supposed to be doing there. No wonder total and permanent remembrance can take lifetimes of practice.

          To give another type of example, consider the Life Seals that Cayce suggested we create. These visual collages arrange our own personal symbols of important soul memories that can remind us of our larger life. I have also created something similar using symbols from dreams, arranged to tell a story about some aspect of my soul growth.

          Similar to life seals, actually, but with perhaps a different connotation, are altars. These are specially constructed sites where a person may come to have a moment of remembrance. In my house, for example, there are three or four spots in the house where pictures and objects of special significance are arranged as reminders of important spiritual recognitions. I have a “higher self” altar that has a picture of Jesus, a picture of Mary, a couple of angel sculptures, a teddy bear and a drawing I made of a dream figure. All these remind me that I can call upon higher forces for help, especially assistance in keeping my remembrance. In another place in the house, there are candles that are kept lit as a reminder of the constant availability of prayer.

          Once you get the general pattern of devices for remembrance, you can see them everywhere. You’ll see portable altars, for example, on people’s bodies. Some people wear spiritual jewelry, a cross, a dove, a heart, and so on. Reminders all. Others wear t-shirts with explicit reminders printed on them: “Help me! I’m a spirit trapped in a body!” Shall I also mention tattoos?

          My favorite source of remembrance, which many would call an altar, is the one that periodically grabs and reminds me with both great forcefulness and grace, and is the one that Edgar Cayce favored as our best earthbound teacher of spiritual principles—nature herself! It might be the sight of a bird soaring high above, the little flower sprouting in the crack of the cement walk, the rotting tree that makes a home for the insects and mushrooms, the noticeably loud silence of a heavy snowfall, in short—nature in all its glory and warts.

          Research has confirmed Cayce’s opinion about the effectiveness of nature as a spiritual teacher. To give one example: surveys have shown that when people are asked if they have ever had an experience where they knew they were connected to a spiritual force greater than themselves, the most frequent context for such reported experiences were moments in nature. It can be a spiritual awakener. It’s always there, it’s always all around us.

          How are we to attune to nature’s spiritual messages? The way I first learned about becoming receptive to nature as a teacher was to practice a suggestion from Edgar Cayce that I use my imagination to explore what it might be like to be those natural entities. By imagining being a cloud, a tree, a rock, I create a bridge of empathy with that object of nature. I attune to and become one with that natural entity. Becoming empathic, or one with, the teacher, is the way, researchers have shown the best students stay on top. I love the smell of roses, for example, and have spent many an occasion imagining myself to be a rose that I had encountered at that moment. As I do so, I notice how gentle the unfolding process must be for the aroma to be sweet. Forcing myself open seems to destroy the smell. In patience I possess my soul—how sweet it is! I learned from a rose, using its sweet scent as a powerful symbol of my ideal, that it is important to allow myself to grow gradually and naturally, if I am to emit my sweet odor. Forcing myself doesn’t smell as sweet.

          Being able to draw analogies from nature is an important skill here. Cayce often used events in nature as metaphors to create parables. That same skill is used in dream interpretation, so it is worth developing. As Cayce would often say, “correlate those truths,” which means to use your intuition to realize the pattern that connects. The pattern of the sweet opening of the rose connects with the soul’s natural pattern of opening through patience. Often remembrance is served by being able to recognize such resemblances or patterns.

          The symbolic communicative value of nature provides still another way to remind ourselves of your spiritual oneness with life. Let me describe a meditation that many have stumbled on by themselves, because it is so natural. When I have a problem, a dilemma, or am upset about something, and I want to respond to that situation in a more spiritually conscious manner, I go for a walk. As I walk, I meditate on staying in the present moment, as in “be here now.” I try to remain in the present, aware of what I am seeing, hearing, feeling, and so on as I walk. Of course, my awareness fades in and out, and my mind wanders during my walk, but as in any meditation, I “wake up” as often as possible and return to being in the present moment of experience. It is a gentle thing, for I must relax and let go, simply be aware. Before long, there will come into my awareness a sudden insight handed to me by nature herself.

          Here’s one story of such natural inspiration: I find myself troubled by a deadlock with someone. I seem to have trouble staying out of an anger/aggressive mode in my thinking that “I’m right!” I can feel myself locked up on this issue and I know my attitude is just not right, but I seem helpless to change it. As I’m walking down the road, wondering how I might loosen up to be open to a new frame of mind, I hear this loud singing. I notice that a row of pine trees I’m walking past are blowing hard in the wind, creating this musical sound. Immediately I realize that the pines trees sing so well because they are willing to be moved by the wind. In comparison, I’m a real stiff piece of work. As soon as I imagine myself moving as they do, I’m aware of a totally different approach to my dilemma, one much more flexible and creative. Thank you, pine trees! I’ll take my wake up call where I can find it.