Sacred Mountain Rises Above

We are living in a profoundly exciting and challenging time. Humanity as a whole, and each of us as individuals, are confronted with the fact that the ways we have been accustomed to living no longer work for us, or our planet. As we wake up to this, many of us realize that we are involved in a difficult, yet fascinating learning process – our own personal evolution and the evolution of human consciousness. Shakti Gawain (The Four Levels of Healing)

So many thoughts, words, and feelings are present in me this early morning. I’m humbled by the planets and star beings in the clear pre-dawn sky, by the sacred mountain that rises above me, and the music of the creek flowing nearby. I’m humbled by the trees that live in these woods and by those whose lives are complete, transitioning some of them to service as the firewood I’m stacking each day. As I stack, I wonder what land they once thrived on and whether and how they were cared for.

Indeed, I’m humbled and blessed by the presence of all Life – the Life in these woods, these mountains, this valley that was once an ocean floor. I’m humbled by these cycles of life, and by all Life beyond this place. Sacred Life that at its core knows its sacredness and its unity, its uniqueness and its interconnectedness. Life that easily gives its gifts in reciprocity for that which it receives, all in support of Life. Life that knows without knowing that it knows and trusts without knowing that it trusts. Life that I imagine is the very essence of universal intelligence, wisdom, truth.

Sacred Life that we humans have separated ourselves from under the illusion that we, rather than Life itself, are the masters of the universe.

And as Gawain suggested way back in 1997, our ‘masters of the universe’ story and the systems it’s created don’t seem to be working out so well for anyone. I imagine that even the rich and powerful, consciously or not, recognize this and perhaps feel just as entrapped in and entrained by these systems that are crumbling under the weight of our illusions and false premises of control and power over as many of us are feeling. Even as they seek more wealth and more control. And we may cling to what is, comforted in some small measure by its familiarity.

This is the world that we find ourselves navigating. A world of systems that no longer work for humanity, if indeed they ever truly did. A world of systems we were led to believe in and that we depend upon is failing us as it has always failed Life, because it has failed to honor Life and to recognize Life’s sacredness.

I’m sensing that honoring Life, awakening its sacredness is the work and the promise of our time. It is the work, the promise and the quest that engages me as I walk this chapter of life.

Questions arise on my quest like those learned decades ago in journalism class: Who? What? When? Where? Why? And, perhaps most importantly – How? They rise not as a test (though, yes, this time is a test for us all), but to kindle curiosity and remind me that while I don’t know the answers, the way is being shown and I’m invited to lean more deeply into trust. To practice greater awareness of Life’s sacredness in the choices I make each day, and to honestly grapple with those choices that seem ‘necessary’ and yet aren’t aligned with Life.

I find myself questioning where I need to pivot while not judging those who don’t see the pivotal need or myself when I assess that I fall short. I long to build stronger community of care and share as we make collective pivots. And holding both the horrors of this time and the promising possibilities that rise as we reckon with our past and open to new and ancient pathways on behalf of Life.

I write not because I know ‘the way’ (as if there is such thing as The Way) but to explore. I write to remember that my life is a journey not a destination and that when I open to its sacredness, Life shows me its way each and every day.

Wood Stacking Delights!