Henry David Thoreau

What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us.Henry David Thoreau

Henry David Thoreau was born on July 12, 1817 in Concord, Massachusetts. He had two brothers and one sister. He graduated from Harvard University and began his Journal writings that were a primary source for his lectures and published work throughout his life.

Thoreau at five was taken by his parents to Walden Pond, and this area must be charged by special devas because something was impressed on him that he remembered so that later in his life he knew that this, of all the places on earth, was an area that was to be a sanctuary of enlightenment to him, and to it he returned.[by]1967.06.18[/by]

Thoreau was a dedicated, self-taught naturalist, who disciplined himself to observe the natural phenomena around Concord systematically and to record his observations almost daily in his Journal. The Journal contains initial formulations of ideas and descriptions that appear in Thoreau's lectures, essays, and books. Thoreau's observations of nature enrich all of his work, even his essays on political topics. Images and comparisons based on his studies of animal behavior, of the life cycles of plants, and of the features of the changing seasons illustrate and enliven the ideas he puts forth in his first book, Walden. He used the four seasons to symbolize human development, and to explore Nature’s simplicity, beauty, and harmony as models for social and cultural justice.

Replica of Thoreau's cabin near Walden Pond and his statue.

Flower has shared that Thoreau was often seen as a loner, but he did have Emerson as a great friend. Emerson had been a close pupil of Plato when he was in Greece. Thoreau had also had a past life in Greece during that golden period, yet he liked Aristotle even better than Plato.

So you can see how his mind worked in this last incarnation. He would go into the woods at Walden Pond and more like Aristotle he would make a practical application to using the great facets of observation and penetration into the heart of nature. He was of course a nature being who had had several lives as a human being. That is why he loved nature so much, it was his temple, it was his religion, it was his way and his altar.[by]1973.09.16[/by]

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