Vacation Time!

I'm headed to the Pacific Northwest to camp and hike for two weeks. I'll "see" you all again on August 6th!

Photo: Indian Paintbrush and Subalpine Senecio, with the Nokhu Crags looming in the background; Never Summer Range, CO; July 8, 2013

Practicing Moments of Epiphany

It's amazing how much time I spend waiting for a flower to be still - for just a split second - so I can finally snap a shot. That's especially true in the mountains, where breezes, and often stiff winds, blow almost constantly. The challenge is amplified by a flower such as the columbine, which blooms on the end of a long, spindly stem, making it especially sensitive to the least movement of air. However, when I finally snap the shot, that moment is immortalized, giving the viewer the impression that such stillness-and-clarity is the usual condition of the flower.

Similarly, in the realm of revelation, the human race has spent hours, days, weeks, months and sometimes years watching and waiting for that brief moment when life suddenly makes sense and becomes filled with the blaze of divine fire. When these moments occur to someone else - to a religious founder, for example - we use the term "religion." And when these moments occur to us personally, we speak of "spirituality." In either case, these split seconds of epiphany are then recorded - in sacred scripture, in the pages of our own personal journal, or in our memory - and are thereby immortalized for all time.

The next step we call "faith," whereby we are called to take the moment of epiphany and practice and embody it throughout all of those moments when life seems dry and ordinary. In the process, we gradually BECOME the revelation rather than simply EXPERIENCE it. As the old Hindu phrase says, we learn to "BECOME sugar" rather than simply "TASTE sugar." With a photograph, this process occurs when we place ourselves (by "faith") within the scene and then practice the state of mind and heart it brings us. In the case of this photo of the columbine and stream, we might learn to "go with the flow" of the stream of life (rather than dam it up with our usual anxiety and fear), and all learn to RADIATE our own sacredness (like the flower) rather than constantly TALKING about it. In both cases, we PRACTICE the scene rather than simply EXPERIENCE it visually.

Photo: Colorado Columbine and waterfall; Chasm Lake Trail, Rocky Mountain National Park, CO; July 12, 2013

It is as if God were wearing the mountains upon him as common bones and flesh.

"It is as if God were wearing the mountains upon him as common bones and flesh."

The Contemplative John Muir

Photo: Narcissus Anemone, with alpenglow on Lulu Mountain; Never Summer Range, CO; July 8, 2013

The human species came from heaven, but not more directly than daisies.

"No matter how long the process, we are developments of earth and sun.  In the making of humanity, nature seems not a whit more enthusiastic than in the formation of seawaves that rise and fall and die in a second. The human species came from heaven, but not more directly than daisies. 

The Contemplative John Muir

Photo: Subalpine Daisies, Snowy Range, WY; July 15, 2013.  The tall white flower is American Bistort.

Sometimes the beauty of Nature is almost unbelievable!

Sometimes the beauty of Nature is almost unbelievable.  I hiked for two hours up to this alpine lake at 11,430 feet, and when the sun came out, the malachite-green hue of the lake contrasted beautifully with the blue-and-white of the columbines.  With the Crags looming in the background, who could ask for more?

Photo: Columbine, Snow Lake, and Nokhu Crags; Never Summer Range, CO; July 13, 2013

The mountains fairly seized me!

"The mountains fairly seized me, and 'ere I knew, I was up the canyon . . . Had a glorious storm, and a thousand sacred beauties that seemed yet more and more divine . . . I was alone and during the whole excursion, was in a kind of calm, incurable ecstasy.  I am hopelessly and forever a mountaineer."

The Contemplative John Muir

Colorado Columbines, with Columbine Falls in the background; on the trail to Chasm Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park, CO; July 12, 2013

Wyoming's Snowy Range is still relatively undiscovered.

I find it amazing that the Snowy Range is still relatively undiscovered.  Though small, this area in southeast Wyoming contains some of the most dramatic mountain scenery in the West, including dozens of lakes, all lying within several miles of each other.  The overall effect on the human spirit is a feeling of vastness and intimacy, spaciousness and intricate beauty. I've often thought that this unique landscape of white quartzite peaks is worthy of being declared a National Monument, though that would of course bring a lot more crowds to the area.  For now, enthusiasts come mostly from Laramie, with a few of us visiting from northern Colorado.

Photo: Parry Primrose, white quartzite blocks, and the cliffs of Medicine Bow Peak; Snowy Range, WY; July 15, 2013

The hardest rocks pulse with life.

"If you go to the midst of these bleached bones of mountains, and dwell confidingly and waitingly with them, be assured that the hardest rocks will pulse with life, secrets of divine beauty and love will be revealed to you by lakes and meadows and a thousand flowers, and an atmosphere of spirit be felt brooding over all."

The Contemplative John Muir

Photo: Green Quartzite lies in a boulder fiield at Medicine Bow Pass, Snowy Range, WY; July 15, 2013

Our task as human beings is to enhance the dreaming and imagining of the Creator.

Wilderness provides us a place to dream, to imagine in fresh ways.  As human beings, we are given the unique task of participating  in the dreaming and imagining of the Creator.  When we do this with joy and with a concern for the good of the Whole,  it is as though the Creator's echo returns in a different voice, and with new words added, thus enhancing His and Her experience of awe and wonder at the beauty of this amazing Universe.

Photo: Elephanthead and reflections of Medicine Bow Peak in a nameless pond; Snowy Range, WY; July 15, 2013

It is the longing for beauty which actually brings things into being.

"Beauty is the great creating cause which bestirs the world and holds all things in existence by the longing inside them to have beauty.  It is the longing for beauty which actually brings things into being."

Dionysius the Pseudo-Areopagite,

6th century Syrian monk

Photo: Rosy and Western Yellow Paintbrush, American Lakes, Never Summer Range, CO; July 8, 2013

We are meant to express our true nature with exuberance!

I really love this time of year, when the banks of Lookout Lake are filled with large clumps of Columbine.  Here, many of the blooms are white in hue, which makes the Snowy Range appear even more snowy!  To me, the abundance of blooms speaks of the overflowing exuberance of life.  All of us are meant to express our true nature and not feel bound up by excessive worry that we might be wrong or flawed!

Photo: Colorado Columbine, Lookout Lake, Snowy Range, WY; July 15, 2013

The mountains are calling and I must go!

"The mountains are calling and I must go."

The Contemplative John Muir

Photo: Parry Primrose, Lookout Lake, and the cliffs of Medicine Bow Peak; Snowy Range, WY; July 15, 2013

Nature throbs with beauty.

"The valley is just gushing, throbbing full of open, absorbable beauty."

The Contemplative John Muir

Photo: Columbines and waterfall, near Chasm Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park, July 12, 2013

Contemplative solitude serves as a reservoir of peace for others.

Alpine lakes often lie on high glacial shelves, hidden until one climbs right up to them.  Similarly, monks and contemplatives with a vocation to solitude understand that their continual practices of meditation and spacious tranquility serve as a spiritual reservoir that secretly waters the lives of all those dwelling in the city lowlands, engaged in busy, active lives.

Photo: Snow Lake with the Nokhu Crags looming above; Never Summer Range, CO; July 13, 2013

We little know how much wildness there is in us!

"We little know how much wildness there is in us."

The Contemplative John Muir

Photo: This young bull moose was drinking water from a puddle by the side of the road.  I wonder why he preferred it to the stream water flowing a short distance away?  Cameron Pass, CO; July 13, 2013

Things reveal themselves with full intensity only when they sense our avid interest.

"The possibility of intensifying things so that they reveal their essence depends so much on our participation. When things sense our avid interest, they pull themselves together without delay and are all that they can be 

. . . , vastly heightened."

Rainer Maria Rilke

Photo: Indian Paintbrush and Lulu Mountain, Never Summer Range, CO; July 13, 2013

Beauty is the harmony of contrasts.

One element of beauty is the experience of the harmony of contrasts. Here, in this photo, the camera was able to capture sunlight shining on the columbine, while the mountains remained in the shadow of storm clouds. Ten minutes later, a ferocious thunderstorm brought hail so thick it looked like snow, and we had to take cover in the trees. Who would have guessed that just a half-hour earlier, mountains, lakes and flowers were all sunny! It is contrasts such as these that make for such memorable outdoor experiences.

Photo: Columbine, American Lakes, Thunder Mountain and Lulu Mountain; Never Summer Range, CO; July 13, 2013

Expressing our vision for life when circumstances seem cold and icy.

Whenever I find Snow Buttercups blooming from within a snowbank several inches thick, I experience an extra shot of faith and perseverance.  It seems that the point of the universe is the experience of awe, wonder and surprise, and what is more surprising than the capacity to start expressing our vision for life when circumstances all around seem cold and icy?

Photo: Snow Buttercups, American Lakes, Never Summer Range, CO; July 8, 2013

Going OUT is actually going IN!

"I only went out for a walk, and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going OUT, I found, was really going IN."

The Contemplative John Muir

Photo: Thunder Mountain (L) and Lulu Mountain (R) just before sunset; American Lakes Trail, Never Summer Range, CO; July 8, 2013

Earth is partly heaven, and heaven, earth.

" 'Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor the mind conceived what God has prepared for those who love him' is applicable here, for earth is partly heaven, and heaven, earth."

The Contemplative John Muir

Photo: Pingora Peak, Lonesome Lake, and Alpine Bog Laurel at sunrise, Cirque of the Towers, Wind River Range, WY; July 5, 2013

Basic goodness is the shimmering brilliance of our being, as clear as a mountain lake.

"Our minds are vast and profound.  This innate wisdom is known as 'basic goodness.'  It is the natural, clear, uncluttered state of our being . . . Basic goodness, the shimmering brilliance of our being, is as clear as a mountain lake.  But we're not certain about our own goodness. We begin to stray from it as soon as we wake up in the morning, because our mind is unstable and bewildered . . . The magnet of 'What about ME?' draws away windhorse - our ability to bring about success - and our mind becomes very small . . . Virtue is practical, not moralistic.  It consists of cultivating thoughts, words, and actions that will help move us out of the 'me' plan . . . We have more space in our mind, and our view gets bigger.  We begin to see our inherent richness, the brilliance that's been hiding behind the clouds of stress and anxiety.  The nature of our mind is pure, like the sky.  Like space, it has a quality of accommodation.  Like water, it is clean, with no obstructions or opinions.  This is basic goodness, the indestructible nature of our being . . . It is the idea of 'me' which keeps us from seeing our own basic goodness.  The disease of 'me' is the root of all disease."

Sakyong Mipham,
Tibetan Buddhist teacher

Photo: Arrowleaf Balsamroot flowers, Bradley and Taggart Lakes, and the Jackson Hole area; Grand Teton National Park, WY; July 7, 2013

Nothing is more soft and yielding than water; yet for attacking the solid and strong, nothing is better.

"Under heaven nothing is more soft and yielding than water.

Yet for attacking the solid and strong, nothing is better;

It has no equal.

The weak can overcome the strong;

The supple can overcome the stiff.

Under heaven everyone knows this,

Yet no one puts it into practice . . .

The truth often sounds paradoxical."

Lao Tze

6th century, B.C.E.

Photo: North Fork Cascade Creek and the backside of the Tetons; Grand Teton National Park, WY; July 6, 2013

The fog of ego, attachment and the distractions of life makes us appreciate better the clarity of spiritual vision.

Generally, it seems we wish for clear spiritual vision without the  fog of ego, attachment or the distractions of life to obscure our gaze.  But perhaps we could not appreciate the one without the other.  Here we might take an analogy from photography. This rather typical view of the Teton Range just wouldn't be the same without the layer of fog to make it especially interesting!

Photo: Sunrise, Grand Teton National Park, WY; July 7, 2013

The great Tao flows everywhere; it does not show greatness, and is therefore truly great.

"The great Tao flows everywhere, both to the left and to the right.
The ten thousand things depend upon it; it holds nothing back.
It nourishes the ten thousand things,
And yet is not their lord . . .
The ten thousand things return to it,
Yet it is not their lord.
It is very great.
It does not show greatness,
And is therefore truly great."

Lao Tze,
6th century B.C.E.

Photo: Lichen-covered boulder and the Big Sandy River; Wind River Range, WY; July 5, 2013

The deeper the solitude the less the sense of loneliness, and the nearer our friends.

"Divine beauty all.  Here I could stay - tethered forever with just bread and water, nor would I be lonely; loved friends and neighbors, as love for everything increased, would seem all the nearer however many the miles and mountains between us . . . The deeper the solitude the less the sense of loneliness, and the nearer our friends."

The Contemplative John Muir

When we saturate ourselves in periods of silence and solitude, we come into contact with the spiritual essence of all things.  During these times, we see our friends and loved ones as they really are - as pure, lovable and full of goodness.  In solitude, we perceive the core essence of all beings - including those whom we know and love - as facets of the One Divine Beloved.

Photo: Alpine Bog Laurel at Lake Solitude; Grand Teton National Park, WY; July 6, 2013

The highest value of wild parks is as Nature's cathedrals.

"The highest value of wild parks is as places of recreation: Nature's cathedrals, where all may gain inspiration and strength and get nearer to God."

The Contemplative John Muir

Photo: Lupine blossoms and Pingora Peak, Cirque of the Towers, Wind River Range, WY; July 5, 2013

Love in its essence is spiritual fire.

"Love in its essence is spiritual fire."

Lucius Annaeus Seneca
Rome, 1st century A.D.

Photo: Sunrise at the Cirque of the Towers, Lonesome Lake, Wind River Range, WY; July 5, 2013

In solitude, we realize that our deepest "I" is actually an Other - the Divine Beloved.

When we are with other people, we seem engaged in a truly relational way of being. However, the different agendas that we and others carry often conflict with one another, and the resulting angst we feel can wear us out. On the other hand, in solitude, we begin to realize that the deepest relationship occurs right WITHIN us. When we are alone, we generally think that "me, myself and I" are the only reality present, and this mistaken perception makes us tire of being alone with ourselves. It is for this reason that we so often avoid solitude.

However, in a moment of epiphany, we may instead find ourselves awakening to the reality that our deepest "I" actually does not belong to us. In reality, God - the Divine Beloved, the Beyond Within, the Ultimate Mystery - IS our sense of "I." In other words, the "me" that consists in our thoughts, feelings, insights and creative actions is actually a different person than the One - the "I" - who is AWARE of all of these things. Indeed, our awareness - our listening, witnessing, and seeing; that is, our "I" - is itself a participation in a beloved OTHER. Fortunately, this Other is absolutely thrilled and enamored with our truest "me." Thus, real solitude reveals the deepest, most fulfilling relationship imaginable.

It is THIS primal affair that gives us the strength, courage and insight to deal compassionately with all of our other important relationships.

Photo: Snowlilies, Lake Solitude, and the back side of the Tetons; Grand Teton National Park, WY; July 6, 2013

"All things are divinized in morning light."

The Contemplative John Muir

Photo: Sunrise at Cirque of the Towers, Lonesome Lake, Wind River Range, WY; July 5, 2013

Each creature is made for its own happiness.

"The world, we are told, was made especially for man - a presumption not supported by the facts . . . Now, it never seems to occur to these far-seeing teachers that Nature's object in making animals and plants might possibly be first of all the happiness of each one of them, not the creation of all for the happiness of one.  Why should man value himself as more than a small part of the one great unit of creation?  And what creature of all that the Lord has taken the pains to make is not essential to the completeness of that unit - the cosmos?"

The Contemplative John Muir

Bull moose browsing among the willows; Snowy Range, WY; June 28, 2013

Creation is still going on!

"People talk about creation as a remote fact of history, as if it were something that was attended to a long time ago, and finished at the time. But creation was not an act; it is a process, and it is going on today as much as it ever was."

The Contemplative John Muir

Photo: Globeflowers, Lookout Lake, and the Snowy Range, WY; June 29, 2013

Water is sacred!

"To the Indian mind all nature was instinct with deity.  A spirit was embodied in every mountain, stream, and waterfall."

John Muir, 1890

Considering how precious water is in our present time of climate change, I'd like to see the Divine imaged more frequently in terms of water.  For example, we might think of Jesus speaking of the indwelling Spirit using the image of "rivers of living water."  If we viewed the Ultimate more in terms of rivers, streams, waterfalls, lakes and ocean, wouldn't we take better care of these sacred realities?

Photo: Waterfall and snowlilies, Bluebird Lake Trail, Rocky Mountain National Park, CO; June 28, 2013

Who wouldn't be a mountaineer? Up here all the world's prizes seem nothing.

"Who wouldn't be a mountaineer!  Up here all the world's prizes seem nothing."

The Contemplative John Muir

Photo: Marsh-marigold blooms in the foreground, snow lilies in the middleground, and the Snowy Range in the background; Snowy Range, WY; June 29, 2013

To get these glorious works of God into yourself - that's the great thing.

"To get these glorious works of God into yourself - that's the great thing."

The Contemplative John Muir

Photo: Alpine Bog Laurel, quartzite rock, and the Snowy Range, WY; June 29, 2013

Beauty reveals itself only to the beauty of a patient gaze.

"If our style of looking becomes beautiful, then beauty will become visible and shine forth for us . . . When we approach with reverence great things decide to approach us.  Our real life comes to the surface and its light awakens the concealed beauty in things.  When we walk on the earth with reverence, beauty will decide to trust us . . . There are times when beauty reveals itself slowly.  There are times when beauty is shy and hesitates until it can trust the worthiness of the beholder . . . Beauty waits until the patience and depth of a gaze are refined enough to engage and discover it.  In this sense, beauty is not a quality externally present in something.  It emerges at that threshold where reverence of mind engages the subtle presence of the other person, place or object.  The hidden heart of beauty offers itself only when it is approached in a rhythm worthy of its trust and showings.  Only if there is beauty in us [in our loving gaze] can we recognize beauty elsewhere: beauty knows beauty . . . There is a profound balancing within beauty."

John O'Donohue

Yesterday I went looking for the Purple Lady's Slipper Orchid and found several dozen plants in a small section of the spruce-fir zone of our mountains.  Because the flowers are nodding and because the four petals tend to curl over and shroud the "moccasin" part of the flower, I had to get down on the ground, tilt the flower upward, and bend the petals a bit to get a full view.  The entire flower is only about a half-inch across, and most people wouldn't even notice it as they pass by on the trail.  For me, the secretive quality of this Lady's Slipper hints at the attitude of mindfulness that is necessary to become aware of many of the beautiful things in life.

Photo: Purple Lady's Slipper Orchid is very rare and is considered endangered.  I found these on the Fern Lake Trail in Rocky Mountain National Park (CO) on July 1, 2013

I glowed with wild joy!

"I glowed with wild joy, as if I had found a new glacier."

The Contemplative John Muir

Photo: Alpine Sunflowers, Snowy Range, WY; June 29, 2013

In the presence of a beautiful landscape, the experience of vibrant joy swirls together human and non-human realms.

It's an amazing experience to hike up to treeline and suddenly come upon marshy meadows filled with vast mats of vibrant color. To me, these swaths of pink feel like communities of supremely sentient beings populating every nook and cranny with with their joy-filled blooms. John Muir called them "plant people," and their exuberant color definitely reveals the human aspect of their being.

I've discovered that when I unite myself with a beautiful landscape, the personal and non-personal aspects of life begin to interpenetrate and exchange places. Thus, the hiker transcends ego in taking on the non-personal, billion-year-old aspect of the landscape, and the plants and rocks become communicative in taking on the personal dimension of the hiker.

Here, the experience of joy - felt emotionally as an altered state of consciousness in the hiker, and embodied physically in the vast swaths of color - begins to SWIRL together the seemingly opposite realms of human and non-human, like a Sufi whirling dervish who dances as a means of experiencing the union of humanity and divinity.

Photo: Alpine Bog Laurel, Snowy Range, WY; June 29, 2013