Stormy Mountain: An Adventure In Power & Presence

Welcome.

We're glad you found your way here.

We'll begin our adventure in a short while.

But for now,

Let's take a bit of time to settle mind and body.

Make yourself comfortable and take a few deep cleansing breaths.

I'd like you to picture yourself in a favorite space from your childhood.

Was it in the crook of a climbing tree?

Maybe on the lap of a grandparent?

Perhaps it was a secret spot somewhere outdoors.

Take a little time to locate yourself in this treasured space.

Get comfortable in this spot and with each exhale,

Allow your limbs to soften and settle.

As you look around,

What features of this place are most prominent?

Is there a familiar scent?

What are the sounds associated with your space of happiness?

Now simply take a bit of time to relax and enjoy being here once again.

It's time to travel again and we're moving to another serene location.

This one is on the bank of a northern lake that sits at the base of a majestic snow-capped mountain.

It's a clear sunny day and from this vantage point you are able to take in the entire vista.

The grand mountain and a few puffy clouds rise up before you,

Their mirror image reflected on the lake's dark still surface.

Breathe in the cool clean air and settle into your spot on the grassy bank.

The sunshine induces a contented drowsiness but passing breezes keep you from drifting into sleep.

In this state of relaxed awareness,

Bring to mind a recent joy in your life.

If you've had a hard go of it lately and joy is nowhere to be found,

Think of something or someone for whom you feel gratitude.

Let that warm feeling sit in your heart then slowly spread through your whole being.

The breeze is picking up a bit and as you glance across the lake you see wavy ripples dancing across the water's surface,

Slightly distorting the reflection of mountain and sky.

The wind carries a new scent and there's a feeling of change in the air as wispy gray clouds drift past.

Let the moodiness of this changing weather bring to mind a small challenge you're facing in your life right now.

Bringing the challenge closer to your heart,

Allow your breath to soften any sharp feelings around this issue.

Release any judgment about potential outcomes and simply hold the humanity of the players in the drama,

Including yourself,

With compassion.

Darker clouds have moved in and the lake has started to swell and roll with the wind.

The dreamlike reflection has disappeared and there is only the reality of the brooding sky and towering mountain.

Your limbs tingle from an electric energy in the atmosphere.

In these changeable conditions,

Bring to mind a larger challenge in your life,

Something that's been very difficult for you.

Is there a place in your body that is activated when considering this issue?

Bring your attention to that spot and as you exhale,

Allow the space to gently expand.

Feel your cells loosen their tight matrix so that everything associated with this issue softens a bit.

The wind seems to be coming from all directions at once.

As the trees sway and the sky grows more ominous,

All the thoughts and feelings you've been exploring begin to swirl in unison with the gusting wind.

The joy,

The stress,

The bigger problems.

Although you know these issues are real,

Your relationship to the drama is becoming noticeably different.

It all still matters,

But as the emotion leaves the confines of your body and surrounds your being,

You're filled with a sense of wonder for the complex richness of your life.

Sitting in the midst of this escalating activity,

Staring at the majestic mountain,

You feel calm and clear.

Eventually it dawns on you that rain is probably just a few minutes away.

Just as you begin to consider where you'll take shelter,

Something unexpected and amazing happens.

The mountain disappears from view and you are staring across the lake at a tiny figure on a green bank.

It takes a second or two to orient,

But you realize that you are now inhabiting the mountain,

Looking at a far off image of yourself on the other side of the water.

And it's not just you that you see.

The vista from this vantage point is spectacular.

From your highest peak,

You take in the entire valley,

Rolling out for miles in every direction.

And from your forested midline,

You watch your base expand into a dense tangle of roots,

Rocks and vegetation.

But the sights are not what's most stunning about this transformation.

It's the profound power and peace you feel as the mountain.

You inhabit your space with the solidarity of an entity that was born when the planet was young and sit sure in the knowledge that your grand presence will carry well into the future.

As predicted,

The full weather front has arrived.

The rain pours down and lightning slashes the leaden sky.

But instead of needing shelter,

You simply need to be exactly where you are,

Noticing everything and meshing with nothing.

Breathe in your power,

Feel the abundance of all the life you support,

And simply watch the storm rage around you.

Breathe in your power,

Feel the abundance of all the life you support,

And simply watch the storm rage around you.

The rain is easing enough to see some distance again,

And you train your focus on the far bank,

Curious to see how your smaller self has fared.

It appears that you found a lean-to and are curled up on your side,

Wrapped up in a light jacket.

The body posture indicates you're none too happy about the conditions,

And probably brooding over damp clothes and scuttled hiking plans.

Your mountain soul feels a tender ache for the ever-present worry you carry,

And empathy for how easy it is to lose sight of an expansive,

Clearing sky because you're fretting over muddy shoes.

Indeed,

The atmosphere has been radically altered by the storm,

And shines with a clean brightness.

Burning your gaze skyward,

You feel an ancient yearning to meld into this boundless space that shimmers with the potential of far-reaching bliss.

But that is for another day of adventuring,

Because second by second you are being drawn back into the concrete reality of your mountain-ness.

Just below your slender snow line,

Tree canopies drip their excess water into fast-flowing streams,

Rushing to feed the lake.

Birds that had taken cover start foraging again,

Eager to feast on the bounty of insects and seeds unearthed by the storm.

All the life you support springs into action,

And the energy that requires fills you with a deep and peaceful sleepiness.

While the natural world busily flits over your surface,

It's time to conserve your resources and rest for a bit.

Zelah Slowly,

Gently come back into awareness of the present moment.

Awareness suffuses your being.

As you open your eyes,

You realize you're stretched out in the lean-to with a warm blanket of sunshine streaming across your torso.

There's a fleeting twinge of sadness at being back in your small body,

But it's immediately followed by a flash of insight.

You have left the mountain,

But the mountain has not left you.

Sun and storm will forever encircle you with their beautiful,

Capricious dance,

But you are the mountain and can stay strong and centered through it all.

Until we're together again,

I wish you peace,

Purpose,

Prosperity,

And love.