‘The technique by which the god is sought’

 The phrase is Nan Shepherd’s. Since it makes sense to me, I suppose I’m a theist in some way I don’t understand.

My problem is this: I make it a practice to walk in natural places. I walked through the pine forests of East Texas, along the marshes of Galveston Island and beside the creeks of the Hill Country. When we moved to Georgia, I got settled by getting into the woods, rather than joining the Newcomer’s Club.

Recently, I found myself recommending walks through the woods to a friend. As I was talking, it struck me that I really do believe this: Walking in the woods or in a marsh or in a desert is healing, although I don’t understand how that could be.

I know exercise is good for you. I know that seeing beautiful plants and wildlife can lift your mood. But that’s not what I was talking about when I recommended a walk through the forest to my friend. It wasn’t what Nan Shepherd was after in her countless treks through the Cairngorms. Here’s what she said:

 

I believe that I now understand in some small measure why the Buddhist goes on pilgrimages to a mountain. The journey is itself part of the technique by which the god is sought. It is a journey into Being; for as I penetrate more deeply into the mountain’s life, I penetrate also into my own.

 

• Source: Nan Shepherd, The Living Mountain; New York: Scribner, 2025, p. 108.