A hike in the mountains helps move us beyond the obsessive clutches of the tight, leaden ego-self.

 

The perennial temptation - especially in wintertime - is to collapse in on the ego-self with its tight, claustraphobic, leaden concerns about individual needs, desires and worries.  For me, one of the chief manifestations of ego is the anger that arises when I seem to have no "say" in a situation.  This occurs especially when other people try to impose their will on me without asking my input.  However, I find that when I take a hike in the mountains, the spaciousness of the true self manifests itself more clearly, helping me realize that oneness with the transparency and vastness of the Divine Mind is the only way to move beyond the obsessive clutches of the ego-self.

Photo: Ponderosa Pine and peaks above Moraine Park on a stormy day; Rocky Mountain National Park, CO; February 15, 2014