Nature as Your Temple: Experiencing the Divine Outdoors
- Jo Moore
- 5 days ago
- 8 min read
Introduction
For centuries, humans have turned to sacred buildings — temples, churches, mosques, shrines — as places to experience the divine. These spaces, crafted with devotion and artistry, provide a sanctuary for reflection, prayer, and connection to something larger than ourselves. Yet, long before stone walls and stained glass, humanity encountered the sacred in the rustling of trees, the rhythm of rivers, the blaze of stars across a night sky.
To step outdoors, in the quiet of a forest or the vastness of a mountain range, is to return to our original temple: nature itself. The divine is not confined to human-made structures. It resides in the living world around us — in the moss on a stone, the song of a bird, the warmth of sunlight. When we recognize nature as our temple, we open ourselves to a direct, unfiltered experience of reverence, awe, and belonging.
This post explores why so many people find the outdoors a spiritual sanctuary, supported by voices of wisdom and scientific research into the profound effects of nature on our minds, bodies, and souls.
The Spiritual Language of Nature
Philosophers, poets, and spiritual teachers across cultures have long recognized nature as a mirror of the divine.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, leader of the American Transcendentalist movement, once wrote:
“The happiest man is he who learns from nature the lesson of worship.”
For Emerson, the woods and skies were not just scenery but sacred texts — places where one could study truth and connect directly with spirit. Similarly, John Muir, founder of the Sierra Club and tireless advocate for wilderness preservation, declared:
“The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.”
Such voices remind us that nature does not simply inspire awe; it serves as a direct channel to transcendence. When we walk among ancient trees or stand on a windswept hilltop, we don’t merely observe beauty. We participate in a greater whole.
Awe as a Gateway to the Sacred
Awe is the feeling that arises when we encounter something vast, mysterious, and beyond our ordinary understanding. It is also a state deeply linked to spirituality. Recent scientific research reveals just how powerful awe can be when cultivated in natural environments.
A 2015 study published in Emotion found that awe-inducing experiences — particularly those in nature — decrease the activity of the default mode network in the brain, the system responsible for self-focused thought and rumination. This shift allows individuals to feel less preoccupied with themselves and more connected to others and the world.
Dacher Keltner, psychologist at UC Berkeley and leading researcher on awe, explains:
“Awe binds us together. It motivates us to work for the collective good. And it helps us see ourselves as part of something larger than ourselves.”
In other words, awe has a humbling and expansive effect. When standing before a canyon carved over millennia or watching the migration of birds across a vast sky, we are reminded that the divine is not separate from us but woven into the fabric of existence itself.
Nature’s Effect on Mental Health and Inner Stillness
The sacred quality of nature is not only poetic but also physiological. Scientific studies increasingly show that time in green spaces supports mental health, reduces stress, and fosters calm — all states conducive to spiritual reflection.
A landmark study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2015) found that participants who walked for 90 minutes in a natural setting reported decreased rumination and showed reduced neural activity in the subgenual prefrontal cortex, a brain region linked to depression.
Another study, conducted in Japan and focused on shinrin-yoku or “forest bathing,” showed that spending time in forests lowers cortisol levels, reduces blood pressure, and increases feelings of relaxation and vitality (Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine, 2010).
When we are calm and present, the noise of everyday life recedes. In that quiet, we are better able to sense what is sacred — whether we name it as God, Spirit, or simply the profound interconnectedness of life.
As the poet Mary Oliver observed:
“Attention is the beginning of devotion.”
To walk slowly through a grove, noticing each detail, is itself a form of prayer.
Nature as a Temple Across Cultures
Across human history, cultures have turned to nature as a place of worship and connection.
Sacred groves, mountain shrines, desert pilgrimages — all point to the recognition that the divine is encountered not only in built temples but in living landscapes.
Ancient Druids in Celtic traditions worshipped in oak groves, seeing trees as intermediaries between earth and sky.
Indigenous peoples worldwide hold ceremonies tied to landforms, rivers, and animals, affirming a reciprocal relationship with the natural world.
Buddhist and Hindu traditions often situate temples near mountains, rivers, or caves — places where the presence of spirit feels especially strong.
This universality suggests that experiencing nature as sacred is not a cultural accident but a deeply human instinct.
Practicing Reverence Outdoors
How can we treat nature as our temple in everyday life? It doesn’t require grand journeys to remote landscapes. Sacred encounters can happen in a city park, a backyard garden, or even on a quiet walk through familiar streets. What matters is not where we are, but how we are.
Here are some practices for cultivating reverence outdoors:
1. Walk as Pilgrimage
Approach a walk as if entering holy ground. Slow your pace. Notice your breath. Allow the path to become a meditation, each step a prayer.
2. Practice Deep Attention
Rather than rushing, focus on one detail at a time — the veins of a leaf, the sound of water, the way sunlight shifts through branches. Attention deepens presence, which deepens reverence.
3. Offer Gratitude
Like a ritual offering in a temple, bring a moment of thanks. You might whisper gratitude for the air you breathe, the beauty you see, or the silence that holds you.
4. Embrace Stillness
Find a place to sit quietly. Let the natural world move around you. Listen without trying to interpret. Rest in the awareness that you are part of this vast, breathing temple.
Healing and Wholeness in the Temple of Nature
For many, nature’s sacred quality is not only about awe but also about healing. Survivors of trauma, those navigating grief, or individuals struggling with disconnection often find renewal outdoors.
A 2019 review in Frontiers in Psychology concluded that contact with nature improves emotional regulation, enhances social connectedness, and supports recovery from psychological stress. For those carrying invisible burdens, nature offers a sanctuary where wounds can begin to mend.
John Muir captured this truth beautifully:
“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul alike.”
To experience nature as temple is to step into a space that welcomes us without judgment, holds us in silence, and restores a sense of balance and belonging.
Nature as Teacher of the Divine
If we see nature as a sacred temple, we also begin to recognize it as a teacher. Each season, cycle, and creature carries wisdom.
The resilience of trees, bending in storms but rarely breaking, teaches us strength and flexibility.
The flow of rivers shows us the power of persistence and surrender.
The interconnectedness of ecosystems reminds us of the web of life — that nothing exists in isolation.
Albert Einstein once reflected:
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.”
To sit in this temple is not only to worship but also to learn.
Environmental Reverence: Protecting the Temple
When we truly see nature as sacred, reverence naturally leads to responsibility. Just as communities care for their places of worship, so too must we care for the living temple of Earth.
Scientific evidence makes clear that protecting natural environments is not only a moral duty but also essential for human health. A 2020 study in Nature Sustainability showed that biodiversity and healthy ecosystems directly support human wellbeing by ensuring clean air, fertile soil, and psychological resilience.
Recognizing the Earth as sacred reframes environmental action not as a political task alone but as a spiritual practice — one of tending the temple that sustains us all.
Conclusion: Stepping Into the Sacred Outdoors
The invitation to see nature as your temple is both ancient and urgent. In a world often dominated by speed, screens, and noise, stepping outdoors offers not only a retreat but a return — to reverence, to connection, to the quiet pulse of the divine.
Whether you walk in silence beneath trees, pause by a stream, or gaze at the stars, remember: you are standing within holy ground. No walls are needed, no doctrines required. The temple is already here, alive with wind and water, stone and sky.
As Rumi once said:
“There are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the ground; there are a thousand ways to go home again.”
The sacred is not elsewhere. It is here, in the living world. And when you step into nature with reverence, you step into the presence of the divine.
Re-Find Yourself on Retreat in Southern France
References
Bratman, G. N., Hamilton, J. P., & Daily, G. C. (2015). Nature experience reduces rumination and subgenual prefrontal cortex activation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 112(28), 8567–8572. PNAS
van Elk, M., et al. (2019). Reduced default mode network activity during feelings of awe. Scientific Reports / related fMRI research on awe and DMN. PMC
Monroy, M., & Keltner, D. (2022). Awe as a pathway to mental and physical health. (Review article discussing awe, DMN, and wellbeing). PMC+1
Park, B.-J., Tsunetsugu, Y., Kasetani, T., Kagawa, T., & Miyazaki, Y. (2009). The physiological effects of Shinrin-yoku (taking in the forest atmosphere or forest bathing): Evidence from field experiments in 24 forests across Japan. Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine. (Review of physiological benefits: cortisol, blood pressure, heart rate, immune markers). PMC+1
Li, Q. (2022). Effects of forest environment (Shinrin-yoku/Forest bathing) on human health: Updated review and implications for public health. Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine. PMC
Ríos-Rodríguez, M. L., et al. (2024). Benefits for emotional regulation of contact with nature. Frontiers in Psychology.(Systematic review summarizing nature contact, emotion-regulation mechanisms, and outcomes). PMC
Marselle, M. R., et al. (2021). Pathways linking biodiversity to human health. (Review article describing mechanisms by which biodiversity and healthy ecosystems support human well-being). Science of the Total Environment / Environmental Health literature. ScienceDirect
Bratman, G. N., et al. (2021). Affective benefits of nature contact: The role of rumination. Frontiers in Psychology.(Explores mechanisms—rumination reduction and emotion regulation—as pathways for mood benefits). Frontiers
Mygind, L., et al. (2019). Immersive nature-experiences as health promotion: A systematic review. Frontiers in Psychology. (Systematic review of immersive nature experiences and mental/physical outcomes). Frontiers
Marselle, M. R., et al. (2021). Pathways linking biodiversity to human health. Environment International / related interdisciplinary reviews. (Describes pathways: reducing harm, restoring capacities, building capacities, and providing psychological benefits). ScienceDirect
Emerson, R. W. (1836). Nature. (Quote: “The happiest man is he who learns from nature the lesson of worship.”) — Full text available in Emerson collections and archives. Quod
Muir, J. (various). Selected works and essays. (Quote: “The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.”) — See National Park Service quote collection and Muir anthologies. National Park Service
Oliver, M. (2016). Upstream: Selected Essays. (Quote: “Attention is the beginning of devotion.”) — Penguin Press/essays collection. Goodreads
Rumi. (1995, trans. Coleman Barks & John Moyne). The Essential Rumi. (Commonly cited translation: “There are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the ground; there are a thousand ways to go home again.”) stillwatermpc.org+1
Keltner, D. (interviews & articles). (Various interviews and media pieces describing awe’s social and prosocial effects; e.g., Greater Good Science Center and OnBeing interviews.) (Representative quote in draft: “Awe binds us together. It motivates us to work for the collective good.”) The On Being Project+1
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