SIX MIRACLES OF NATURE BOOM!
The concept of the Six Miracles of Nature is a mental "tool" helping us -- us evolving, feeling mentalities -- orient with regard to our own presence on Earth and in the Universe. It has nothing to do with any religion.
THE SIX {clickable} MIRACLES ARE:
  1. Something exists instead of nothing.
  2. Once something existed, it evolved.
  3. Life arose.
  4. Life evolved.
  5. Instinctual behavior arose.
  6. Feelings and many more mental phenomena arose.

HOW IS THE SIX MIRACLES CONCEPT USEFUL?

OTHER THINKING TOOLS:

 The One Thing

 A Nature-Study/ Spirituality Flowchart

 Free online book: Nature-Study Meditation

 time spiral, created by Wikimedia Commons contributor Pablo Carlos BudassiAn image on which to meditate on the evolution of the Universe. Image produced by Pablo Carlos Budassi. Click on small image for a larger-than-screen, 6MB version.

Except for the First Miracle, each Miracle arises from a preceding one, like footsteps along a path. The resulting path indicates a direction taken by evolution on Earth. By meditating on that path and its direction, we gain a feeling for how we can harmonize our lives with it.

And what better definition of "enlightenment" can there be for a human than "living in harmony with the general flow of the evolving Earth?"

For example, in Nature here on Earth we see that recycling is practiced, and that evolution generally leads to ever greater diversity. Therefore, we can say that Nature teaches that we humans should recycle, and revere the Earth's diversity.

Many such instructive patterns exist in Nature, but at a certain point interpretation becomes tricky. What are we to think about the Earth's species so often assuming such roles as predator or prey; as parasite or parasitized; as disease organism or diseased organism?

At a certain point during any sustained spiritual growth, mentality alone no longer offers adequate guidance. We must feel and intuit our way forward. But those feelings and intuitions must be refined through experiences with Nature.

This writer did not reach a point of what felt like the beginnings of a mature spirituality until age 74. That feeling attended the full acceptance that the Creative Impulse behind it all -- some would say "God" -- Herself made us into predators and prey, and all the rest.

At that point, it felt as if the beauty of existence was perfectly balanced with sadness about our condition; that perhaps God Herself was a sad beauty.

A good first step is to recognize the FIRST MIRACLE.