I am studying the Christian understanding of creation. Before the 19th century, Christians had a greater appreciation of God in nature. That is, pan-en-theism (God in nature) not pantheism (or nature as God). Each beauty in the world and in the universe is an expression of the beauty of God, much like the way a painter paints one's interior understandings of beauty on to the canvas, God has painted the world.
There was a Christian understanding of Jesus' mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, that had started to develop as symbolism early on, but for some reason it stopped. The understanding saw Mary as like the earth. The Logos was planted in the earth and sprang from it as the Vine from his own creation to become Jesus, true God and true Man.
Anyway, this is an idea I have been exploring this week. I have been moved to better understand what St. Francis de Sales had to say about nature and creation, but that has been difficult. It has not been as easy to study as St. Francis of Assisi, all the references to nature in the old and new testaments, and Celtic Spirituality. I will keep searching. With prayers from the Queen of Heaven, I hope I will succeed in my search.
IramaT2
