Dennis Sparks/Contributor

“When I see the detail and arrangement of that design, it’s hard not to believe that a God is involved,” my friend said to me as he looked at the image of the photograph above that was displayed on the screen of my digital camera. “It makes me think about the greater forces that are at work that I’m not usually aware of in my day-to-day life,” he added as we continued our walk at Gallup Park on a cool fall morning.

Although our conversation on that subject was brief, it stimulated me to think about when and where I experience powers greater than myself, powers which I, like many people, view in a spiritual sense rather than through the lens of a formal religion.

For me, because feelings of transcendence and awe occur so often in nature, I’ve come to see the natural world as my “church,’’ as the place I feel a “higher power” at work in the universe and in my soul. I know that others find that power in rituals of worship, in religious or spiritually-oriented books, in music or other works of art, in loving relationships with family and friends, and in science, among other places.

Where and how do you experience the sublime and find solace, and how do you nourish the non-material aspects of your being?

Dennis Sparks’ “Things Observed” photos and essays encourage readers to slow down to deepen their appreciation of aspects of daily life that may sometimes elude awareness and to see familiar things in fresh ways. You can contact him at dennis.sparks@comcast.net.