Repeatedly, the Qur'an says that there are signs of God in nature. A daily walk in nature becomes a form of pilgrimage to holy places: It is the place where soul and world meet. I feel graced by nature's energies of healing, rejuvenation, and guidance. By sending out light, love, and gratitude to nature, I feel palpably loved in return. "Walk softly on the earth," urges the Qur'an (25:63), and many Sufis make a sacred practice of walking gently and mindfully in nature while silently invoking the mantra Astakhfurillah, which means, "I beg repentance." Among other things, this means that we should beg forgiveness from the tiny insects and worms, to which we unthinkingly cause widespread panic and pain simply by treading through their earth-based territory. By doing this exercise with sincerity and mindfulness, we earn unexpected blessings.

Jamal Rahman in Finding Peace through Spiritual Practice by Don Mackenzie, Ted Falcon, Jamal Rahman