Journey Up The Sacred Mountain

Imagine that you are climbing a sacred mountain,

Searching for that place at the top where you are so connected to the ground beneath you and all the world around,

And so open to the peace and clarity that comes with that.

A good map will provide you with an idea of how to get to the top of that sacred mountain,

But the map is meaningless without your own hard work in scaling the mountain,

Navigating obstacles,

And reaching the top is meaningless without your own presence and appreciation of where you are and what it took to get there.

All becomes easier with the right equipment,

Guidance and practice,

And when you put all these elements together,

You can find that mountaintop with ease,

And you may even begin to notice that the mountaintop is with you even on the lower ground.

Imagine you've now placed your feet on the sacred mountain.

You begin to make your way up the path,

Noticing the clarity of the air.

The fresh spring smells,

Hearing the gurgle of running water somewhere nearby.

You feel strong and ready for the climb.

As you continue on your way,

You notice a piece of old parchment on the floor.

You reach down to pick it up and discover that it is part of a very old map.

The original map is clear,

But it is also written over with notes and diagrams in more recent hands.

Continuing up the mountain,

You come across several more of these pieces.

Some are just the original map,

Others have been written or drawn on in different colors of pen.

Soon,

You come to a flat rock where you can rest and piece together these pieces which have made their way to you,

Left behind by those who have gone before.

It is a warm sunny day and there is no breeze.

As you put the pieces together,

You realize that you have a complete map which will help you to get to the top of the mountain,

And you have notes and drawings from other people that have followed the map.

All of these are useful in some way,

To somebody,

But you have to decide which of the instructions to follow and how.

One person has written estimates of different bits of the climb in paces which is useful but you don't know if their pace is the same length as yours.

Another has written their own experience on certain parts of the map.

Rested here,

Meditated there,

What a beautiful day.

You feel much better for having the map but are going to have to decide how to follow it yourself,

And you know that terrain can change all the time.

Before you go on,

You close your eyes and drop into yourself,

Noticing your breathing,

Your body,

The sounds around you and the thoughts in your mind.

As you drop deeper into yourself,

You feel the energy of the sacred mountain supporting you and you imagine that you hear the mountain's voice with a message to share with you.

You are now ready to take the next steps.

When you open your eyes,

You are pleased,

But not surprised,

To find that the pieces of map have become one.

Grateful,

You place it about your person and continue on,

Excited for your new experience.

With each step,

You feel stronger and more powerful within yourself,

Relishing the challenge of the climb.

The air tastes clean and fresh,

The sounds are peaceful and natural,

And you are pleased and satisfied that you chose to make this climb today.

It was a good call and the perfect use of a day.

You also feel incredibly present in yourself and your surroundings,

And as we reach the top of a ridge,

You pause.

Already we are high enough to see the countryside falling away below us and the scene is one of breathtaking beauty.

You spend a goodly amount of time just taking in the view,

Breathing the invigorating air,

Appreciating just where we've got to and the gift that is.

And here we are,

Today only.

On our ascent of the sacred mountain,

We pause to enjoy the view.

I wonder if you can take yourself there,

Now.

Close your eyes and go inside.

Notice your breathing.

Notice your body.

Take your attention down to your feet and rest them on the ground beneath you.

Feel their solidity.

Feel the presence of the earth supporting you.

Find the spot inside you where your energy is centered.

This is often either in the abdomen,

Solar plexus or the heart space.

And breathe into it.

As you breathe,

Invite these answers to come to you.

Who am I today?

And how do I embody my true self?

What one step,

No matter how tiny,

Can I take today towards sharing my gift to the world?

What can I bring to my experience today to support learning the lessons that are mine in this life?

How can I honor the people important to me today and develop our relationships?

Where do I want to place my energy?

Then come back to your awareness of your feet,

Your legs,

Your torso,

Arms,

Shoulders and head,

Your whole body and that place where your energy is centered.

Breathing in,

Breathing out and inviting the answers to those questions to just settle within you.

It's time to move on from the mountain ridge where we paused.

But we take with us that sense of appreciation and presence which we experience anew with every step.

Come back to the sacred mountain.

Remember how we were climbing it with that sense of presence and awe,

Drinking in that majestic beauty,

The clarity in the air.

The day is a magnificent one and as you continue climbing and the sun also climbs higher,

You begin to feel hot and a little uncomfortable.

You tell yourself that you will rest soon and pick a spot higher up where you will sit and recover.

Just as you're almost there,

Someone comes barreling down the path and pushes past you,

Knocking you over.

To add insult to injury,

They don't even stop to apologize and check if you're okay.

You watch the person who barged into you receding on the path.

You could go after them and insist that they recognize what they've done and apologize.

You even think about it for a moment,

But you quickly realize that you don't want to.

The incident has already passed and it's better for you to rest here,

Take a swig of water and pick yourself back up.

As you make this decision,

You feel better already and by the time you have rested,

Spent some time breathing and feeling the sacred mountain beneath you and picked yourself up intact,

You're back in the wonder and appreciation of the moment.

We were on the sacred mountain,

High enough to receive wonderful views and having just overcome a challenge.

You continue on your path,

Noticing the sounds of your feet on the path,

The sense of space and freedom that comes with the altitude.

But you're worried now.

Someone came out of nowhere and knocked you off your feet before.

What if they do it again?

You strain your ears for the sound of footsteps,

Keep your eyes front and invent four or five ways in which you might protect yourself in case it happens again.

Your body is already tensed,

Ready to take an evasive block and you're muttering to yourself the words that you will say as they approach,

To warn them that you're here and you won't stand for it.

Suddenly,

You realize that you have stopped hearing the mountain sounds.

You're aware that you passed through a wooded glade a few minutes ago and have a vague idea of vibrant colors,

But you didn't stop to smell the flowers.

You were too busy planning for that other eventuality.

You stop,

Plant your feet strong and take a deep breath.

You know that you have a strategy for what to do if someone comes barreling out of nowhere again and you choose to stop rehearsing it.

Instead,

You open yourself to the energy of the sacred mountain,

Solid and uplifting.

Taking you ever higher on your quest.

You are here,

You are now and you are present.

As you climb,

You appreciate more and more with every step.

The beautiful view,

Your own fitness,

This natural space where you can be,

The peace,

The silence,

The map which guides you.

Each of these things makes your life more pleasant and once again you pause to appreciate the amazing gifts which life gives you.

And here is the precept of the day,

Be grateful,

Be humble.

With each breath,

Bring in gratitude and send it out to cover the whole mountain.

Let's continue this flow for a moment.

Imagine that from the sacred mountain,

You can see the whole world spread out below you.

Down there are all the things that you are grateful for.

Breathe in,

Inviting in that state of gratitude.

Breathe out,

Send gratitude outwards and watch it arrive in all those places where you have something to be thankful for.

You might imagine your gratitude arriving at certain people,

Places and times.

Continue to breathe in,

Filling up with gratitude and to send that gratitude out with every out-breath.

We're quite high now and already confident in our ability to climb.

We have learned some of the ways up the mountain,

Experienced moments of frustration as we climb and moments of great awe.

And always,

Always,

The mountain is there beneath us,

Solid and unmoving,

Even as we climb and grow.

What is the view like from up here?

As you close your eyes and listen to the mountain sounds,

What do you notice?

You take out the map which was left to you by those who walked the path before you.

Finding the place where you are now,

You notice one word written in an ornate hand.

Why?

Great question.

Why are you climbing this mountain?

What is your intention?

You have the beginnings of an answer to that question about why you are climbing the mountain.

You know what's important to you about it and can articulate it.

And at that very moment,

You look at your feet and notice a pencil that someone dropped.

It's time to make your own mark on the map.

Moving quickly from hesitancy to certainty,

You write your own purpose on the mountain in big,

Strong letters across the top of the map.

A mist has come down and you are certain you are near the top,

But how near you cannot tell.

Your concentration is in the moment.

With the placing of each foot,

Your eyes down as you check the path in front of you.

Suddenly,

You realize that the sound of footsteps on the mountainside that you have been hearing for a while is not only coming from your feet.

You sense out to the side and realize that someone is walking beside you.

You exchange greetings and a few formalities and continue companionably up the mountain,

Keeping pace.

Here,

You are walking in compassion.

You and your companion pause for a rest.

You each decide to share some of your supplies and between you,

You create a warm and nourishing meal.

As you eat,

You share stories,

All that you have experienced so far in the climb.

You listen carefully and you share from your own truth.

Your companion complains of the cold and you gift them with a pair of spare gloves that you have been carrying.

Soon,

The track divides into two and your companion,

Who has walked the mountain before and has a different destination,

Directs you as to the best way to go before setting off on their own trail.

You part ways with warm wishes and thanks,

The greater for having shared this time together.

You are close to the top of the sacred mountain now.

As you climb,

You feel your muscles begin to ache.

You should be fitter,

You tell yourself.

You notice the sun's position in the sky.

You should be climbing quicker,

You think.

You recall the voice of your companion from yesterday and think of something you could have said or done which would have been better.

You wonder if,

When you reach the top,

You will be good enough.

And then you come to a sacred spot,

A shrine,

With a candle burning and you sit down in front of it and come into your presence to meditate.

And you have a revelation.

You notice that the candle in front of you is glowing brighter and although you have been meditating here for some time,

It is only growing stronger.

It does not seem to be melting down at all.

You pause to draw it on the map before taking your leave and preparing for the final ascent.

So here we are,

At the top of the mountain.

Notice how you feel now.

What has it taken you to climb this far?

What have you let go of along the way and what have you gained?

As you gaze out on the gorgeous view,

You feel on top of the world.

The air is so clear it seems to be singing to you.

You understand.

Standing at the highest peak,

Looking down at whence you have come,

Reminds you of looking at an illustration or diagram of the terrain.

And that's when you realize,

There's a reason the map was in pieces when you found it.

You pull out the old map and tear it into pieces.

The action is one of joy,

Liberation and certainty.

You scatter it to the four winds,

Knowing that it will reach the next person who needs it in the way that they need it.

Knowing that you no longer need it because you have the territory.

The mountain is yours and as you realize this,

You feel down into your feet to your own energetic roots extending downwards,

One with the mountain beneath you.

You feel up into your head where your energy opens outwards to the wide clear sky.

And you feel inwards,

Into your centre,

Where your own personal energy holds its own centre of gravity,

Balancing between the mountain and the sky.

It is up to you now where you roam,

Whether you stay at the top of the mountain,

Travel back along the path you came by or perhaps explore a new path.

You might already know what those new paths are and you might surprise yourself as you begin to welcome the Reiki precepts into your life.

For you dear listener,

I wish that you may be the recipient of your own and many blessings now and in times to come.

Just for today,

Do not anger,

Do not worry,

Be honest,

Be humble,

Be compassionate.