There are many points within Pilgrim at Tinker Creek in which Dillard draws parallels between spirituality and nature. I agree with her thinking; one needs only to look at religious stories and texts to see similarities. Myths, legends and stories that sprout from religion are usually full of wonder, impossibility, mystery and morals. In the Bible, stories tell of men swallowed by whales, prophets parting oceans, the Son of God walking on water, healing the sick. Greek mythology tells of Gods and Goddesses throwing lightning bolts and turning people into spiders when angered, bestowing wonderful powers upon their favorite mortals, such as flight, infallible seduction and supernatural strength. Dillard suggests that nature is just as grand and versatile as the many religions, though perhaps more modest and lesser known. “‘Nature is wont to hide herself,' " (Dillard 204) says Heraclitus. It's true. Only those with great self knowledge and control can truly view nature to the fullest extent.
The praying mantis mating ritual is quite the practice in cruelty. Before the male even begins his vital functions, the female bites his head off, and continues to knaw away as the male mounts her and begins to make love. He holds on tight, even without a head, for up to six hours. In my opinion, that is a story worthy of any religious text, even though the characters in question are only a few inches long.
Being a pilgrim in nature is a practice in subtlety. It requires the utmost patience and faith. From my experience, a soul close to nature will undoubtedly grow, humble, thrive. By watching nature do we learn what real priorities are; the importance of letting things be, balance, hard labor. Dillard is clearly enthralled by nature on the most fundamental level, in that powerful and singular way. "Then on that night, I saw another (muskrat), and my life changed." (Dillard, 94)
What a better way to live then to find all the beauty and wonder you could ever ask for simply residing in our comrades in life.
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