Some people attend church, some wander in the forest and some even sip lattes in a coffee shop. Where people seek peace and spirituality is as varied as their environments, a concept known intimately by Metchosin writer Star Weiss.

Weiss, author of Havens in a Hectic World: Finding Sacred Places, asks in a society where the majority avoid going to churches, synagogues or mosques, where do people go to find the sacred in their lives?

“Where do we seek answers to the big questions? Where do we look for the divine in our lives?” Weiss asked. Not surprisingly, on coastal British Columbia, the answer often lies in the natural world around us, she said.

“A lot of people turn to nature,” Weiss said. “There is a way the natural environment affects us in B.C., particularly how we look for the sacred or divine part of our lives.”

In Havens in a Hectic World, Weiss interviews a mix of coastal inhabitants — ecologists, prisoners, spiritual leaders, artists, poets and First Nation elders to construct a “spiritual geography” of coastal B.C.

Weiss explores serene locations such as Witty’s Lagoon in Metchosin or Sombrio Beach near Port Renfrew, but also urban spaces such as coffee shops where people gather and connect. First Nations sacred sites give a perspective of the terrain that spans thousands of years, a difficult concept to grasp for most locals, she said.

“Most people think about a personal place, a place of childhood where they always felt safe,” Weiss said. “It’s really fascinating. That space is shorthand for what is most meaningful and important in our lives.”

Weiss, a former journalist and journalism teacher, dove into researching the book after surviving breast cancer a few years ago. It took more than a year to research and write, but it was an idea incubating in her mind for decades.

She moved to Metchosin from New York State in 1972, and soon realized people on the West Coast had a nuanced connection between spirituality and nature.

“There is a sense of nature here, of the mountains, trees and oceans,” she said. “The way people seek the sacred here is different than back east.”

Weiss is doing a book signing at Cole’s Books at Westshore Town Centre, Dec. 5 from 2 to 4 p.m. For more information call 250-478-3543.