Chet Raymo, a professor of physics and astronomy and a columnist for the Boston Globe, calls this book a breviary of prayers and meditations inspired by mindfulness to the natural world. As evidenced by his other works, 365 Starry Nights and The Soul of the Night, he possesses a lyrical and mystical appreciation of the wonders of creation.
In the spirit of Teilhard de Chardin, Thomas Berry, and Annie Dillard, Raymo sees prayer as paying attention to the marvels of nature and being reverent in the face of its mysteries. Here the world is a work of art, a pleasure for the senses and a stimulator of curiosity.
The book is structured around three different landscapes where the author spends time each year — the Bahamas, a New England village, and a small place in Ireland. Raymo's celebration of biodiversity is encyclopedic as he writes brilliantly about ants, the zodiacal light, red-winged blackbirds, the green flash, spring peepers, snapping turtles, acorns, wooly bears, and mushrooms. While some may find the author's scientific descriptions a bit too academic, the spiritual undertow of reverence for the splendor of creation makes Natural Prayers an example of nature writing at its best.