Natural Prayers

by Chet Raymo

All my life has been a relearning to pray-a letting go of incantational magic, petition, and the vain repetition me, Lord, me,' instead watching attentively for the light that burns at the center of every star, every cell, every living creature, every human heart.-from the introduction

Informed by his work as a physicist and astronomer, Raymo strives to connect with that which unifies our intricate world, and thus effectively explores the wonders of what Nikos Kazantzakis called "the dread essence beyond logic." The "natural prayers" that flow from the pages of Raymo's work, then, begin as mere observations and slowly open into profound meditations immersed in the languages of science and literature.

"Physicist Chet Raymo chews up the Big Bang Theory and spits out something that Blake might have written about angels. Spend an evening stargazing with this man and you'll never be the same."-Paul Ingrim, bookseller, Prairie Lights

"Raymo's writing is passionate and compassionate, mixing his reverence for the myriad possibilities of life with his amazement at what science has revealed."- Seattle Times

"[Raymo] approach[es] all of creation with wonder and eloquent delight."- Boston Globe

Chet Raymo is a professor of physics and astronomy at Stonehill College in Massachusetts.

Genres: Science, Spirituality, Nature, Nonfiction

212 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Chet Raymo (born September 17, 1936 in Chattanooga, Tennessee) is a noted writer, educator and naturalist. He is Professor Emeritus of Physics at Stonehill College, in Easton, Massachusetts. His weekly newspaper column Science Musings appeared in the Boston Globe for twenty years, and his musings can still be read online at www.sciencemusings.com.

His most famous book was the novel entitled The Dork of Cork, and was made into the feature length film Frankie Starlight. Raymo is also the author of Walking Zero, a scientific and historical account of his wanderings along the Prime Meridian in Great Britain.

Raymo was the recipient of the 1998 Lannan Literary Award for his Nonfiction work.

Reviews

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn't really that interesting to me. Mr. Raymo basically created a diary of observations in the natural world. He included plants, insects, animals, even early life forms after the Earth was created. I found some of the entries interesting, like the progression of Ireland from the farm to the industrial excesses of today. Overall, it was mildly interesting and nothing more.

[John Fredrickson · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I often like Raymo's writings, the contents of this book come across as reflections that do not cohere well enough for my taste.

[Eli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some books demand to be devoured; others need to be nibbled. Natural Prayers is a nibbling book. It's divided into eight sections, each one covering part of the year from a solar quarter day (Solstices and Equinoxes) to a cross-quarter or vice versa. Though the brevity of each section and the accessibility of the writing would have made this an easy three- or four-day read, I held myself to one season per day; reading slowly made me feel immersed in the progression of time and seasons.

Raymo's interests hew from the first seconds after the Big Bang to the life cycle of the malaria parasite. In all cases, he is well-schooled and well-spoken, treating his subjects with the respect and curiosity that makes both good science and good writing.

The frustrating thing about the book is its brevity, which doesn't allow Raymo a lot of depth in exploring his subjects. Or perhaps the breadth of his knowledge also limits his depth on any subject. I was also frustrated by the use of metaphor as main attraction, with the science more as a jumping-off place for memory and digression.

Natural Prayers is a lovely book, one I'm so glad to have read and am likely to read again. But it could have been a great book and misses its mark.

[Fred Kohn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I first read this book, oh, four years ago or so, and did not enjoy it nearly so much then. I suppose it was about expectations. One expects from the title that the book might be focused on spirituality, but spirituality is very much in the background. Rather, it is more a book of natural history. And the book really does a great job of that. Raymo's ability to turn a phrase makes him definitely a better science writer than more popular ones such as Stephen Jay Gould, and definitely better than Richard Dawkins. I only wish he had spent more time in this book discussing his thesis that natural prayer should be considered equivalent (or perhaps analogous) to observation of nature, because this is a fascinating thesis.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chet Raymo takes the reader through a year of observations of the natural world. As he observes nature, he discusses issues that are prompted by what he sees around him. This is more than a year in nature, it is thoughtful discussion of a variety of issues of importance to the survival of our earth as a viable habitat.