麻豆社

I don鈥檛 know about you, but May is my favourite month: spring in its pomp and the blessing of light, warm days to come!

And with 鈥榠nternational dawn-chorus day鈥� tomorrow, too, it鈥檚 an invitation to hear nature鈥檚 songs of praise sung from the treetops afresh.

If you struggle to rise early, you could follow the advice of journalist Henry Porter and drink a lot of water before you go to bed.

Though some may not have been to bed at all! 鈥� a report out this week says that birdwatching is now the second most popular hobby among 鈥淕en Z鈥�. Almost three quarters of a million 16-29 year-olds bird-watch regularly, which has to be good news.

A young woman called Jess Painter, of the RSPB youth council, said that by pausing 鈥渢o be curious, to watch, listen and learn, you open yourself up to endless small moments of wonder.鈥�

With so much strife in the world, it鈥檚 surely one profound way of clearing our heads.

Yet as Jess hints, getting out to watch the birds, or to listen to the dawn chorus, is not merely escape from what鈥檚 wrong, but embrace of what鈥檚 right: nature calls to our own better nature, too 鈥� to give the gift of our attention, so desperately fought over by the tech giants, to what鈥檚 natural, beautiful.

And as a Christian I鈥檇 say to sense the Creator鈥檚 presence, too, within the awe-inspiring symphony of Creation.

Such awe is so good for us 鈥� our ego knows it can鈥檛 possibly compete with a choir of blackbirds, robins, warblers, even a nightingale if we鈥檙e very lucky 鈥� so it quietens, and lets the soul stir to become part of 鈥榯he family of things鈥� again, as the poet Mary Oliver puts it.

And in such moments, shift happens.

Recently, I interviewed the eminent ecologist Tom Crowther, who says that nature is filled with feedback loops 鈥� some of which are destructive, when the balance of an ecosystem has been upset (so often by humans); while other loops are restorative, regenerative 鈥� and we can be part of them.

As a scientist, he said that it鈥檚 crucial his discipline learns spiritual practices of contemplation, meditation, prayer, as ways to help break the circuit, to step out of our personal feedback loops of despair, into ones of hopeful uplift instead.

Take joy in nature, as we rediscover our own nature singing its song, too.

Watch the birds of the air, as Jesus said for good reason.

It may start simply with setting an alarm for tomorrow 鈥� or by drinking that large glass of water tonight.

Whatever helps us best to catch this polyphonic wake up for the soul.

Show less