In its essence, existence is one and indivisible, but in manifestation, the forces are innumerable and have different functions. Existence is life and life is a blessing for one whose understanding has reached a high point on the ladder of evolution.
All the elements of Nature contribute to make our life a blessing. It becomes a different" affair when we make abuse of them thus making our life more of a curse than a blessing. It is our duty to live in harmony with our environment and with the whole of existence. Those who can
understand the functions of the elements, planets, plants and all the other objects of existence appreciate and express gratitude towards Nature. In this way, worship of the elements, planets and other things have come to exist.
That which gives life is a god indeed. This concept has given birth to many gods, because the whole of Nature contributes to make life possible. Of course, the forces that seem to be most essential are given top priority in worship. For example, the sun, central in position in the pantheon of gods, stands supreme. Without the sun, life is not possible; It is its gravitational force that keeps the planets in orbit. Existence becomes visible to our eyes by its virtue. It stands apart in the sky by its
brilliance and beauty, driven by the seven horses or seven colors.
Sunlight impregnates Mother Earth. Their union gives birth to plants and innumerable forms of life. God's subtle nature is invisible. The sun has been used to represent Him because He is infinite light. Indeed, God is the real sun that gives birth and sustains the whole creation. In the Hindu religion, the sun is called Surya Narayan, meaning that God is the sun or the sun is a manifestation of the Supreme Lord. The solar plexus in the astral body is the fourth center of energy, the opening of which makes clear that the aspirant yogi has left the material world to step into the spiritual dimension, though it is
not the ultimate spiritual attainment.
The expression of respect and gratitude towards the forces of Nature has become worship. But worship should not be done blindly. Instead of living in harmony with Nature and expressing gratitude towards her, people have invented a lot of rituals and beliefs. Some have even fallen a prey to the evil or negative forces. In some civilizations, food and other ingredients are offered to the ‘Spirit of Nature’ as they call it. Some even go so far as to sacrifice animal and human lives as an offering to God. Natural disasters were thought in ancient times to be caused by the angry spirits. To pacify them, ceremonies were performed. Even today, prayer is offered to active
volcanoes.
The real provocation to Nature is caused by our disturbance to the ecological balance. We destroy forests, kill innocent lives and make abuse of anything that Nature has provided to us. Once man starts exploring, he never stops till the resources are completely exploited. By so doing, we invite reaction and rebellion from Mother Nature. Then, we say that God is angry.
We reap what we have sown. To each and every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Man does not respect his own life, then how can he understand and respect Mother Nature? Respect and
gratitude should be a question of attitude, though some mystics say that each of these forces of Nature is represented by a god or goddess. Meister Eckhart has said that great transformation would be possible even if our prayer were only this much, “Thank you!" What is lacking in our existence? Nothing! Yet, man lives in misery.
Man will never stop suffering unless he is at peace with Nature. We should ask ourselves whether we have not reached a point of no return in our disrespect and abuse of Nature. Modern education does not teach our potential young leaders about our relationship with every aspect of Nature. Not a single plant is devoid of any importance, yet many people look at them as if they are of no use at all. Even rocks have much importance in the building of our civilization. In fact, every object of existence has a definite place and a specific role.
Some of the ancient civilizations have had blind beliefs about the worship of Nature. The Aztecs worshiped the sun by exposing the living heart of a soldier to please the god. The heart should be still
throbbing, for of course, they would not offer a dead life to him. Wrong notions about the forces of Nature have led to the emergence of many useless rituals. At the dawn of the twenty-first century, we know that the universe is governed by laws. But these laws are in themselves so marvelous and mysterious that we cannot overlook the fact that there is a Supreme Mind behind all these. The mere acceptance of this reality fills us with awe and reverence: this is how worship is born.
