“We all needed praise made of the heart’s tattoo as it inspired our feet or wings,
someone to admire us despite our tendency to war, to terrible
stumbles. So does the red cliff who is the heart
broken to the sky.

So do the stones who were the first to speak when we arrived. So does the flaming
mountain who harbors the guardian spirits who refuse to abandon
us. And this Earth keeps faithfully to her journey, carrying us
around the Sun”
— Joy Harjo from her poem "In praise of Earth"

Mountains, with their awe-inspiring heights, stand as guardians of the Earth. They have witnessed the passage of time, shaping landscapes and nurturing life for eons. Their enduring presence fills us with a sense of stability and permanence. Mountains are more than geographical features; they are living, breathing embodiments of Earth's wisdom and beauty, entrusted as ancestors and caretakers by Nature herself.

Mountains have long been considered places where the Earth and the divine are connected, making them sacred spaces, and in cultures around the world, sacred Mountains hold profound spiritual and cultural significance. They are revered as the very embodiment of Earth's sacred energy, places of worship, meditation, and deep reflection. Mountains carry the collective stories, traditions, and wisdom of generations, preserving the sacred bonds between humans and Nature.

Mountains offer a sacred refuge from the noise of our modern lives. In their silent presence, we find solitude and a profound sense of belonging. The gentle rustling of leaves, the whispers of the wind, and the songs of birds become a symphony of nature's own making. Here, we reconnect with our inner selves and remember our intimate bond with Earth and all her beings.

Working with the air and waters, Mountains weave weather and waterfalls. A single Mountain may cradle an entire series of varying ecosystems, nourishing multitudinous life forms. And within mountains are the buried treasure of gems, minerals, and fuels that we humans have loved and desired through so much of our history.

We offer our intention to honor and treasure Mountains as the revered Beings they are, to learn from them, and to live in a way that is harmonious and respectful.

Gratitude is a powerful practice, and Mountains, as guardians of life, provide us with endless reasons to be thankful.

We offer our Gratitude for Mountains

Planning Your Gratitude Ceremony

September 23rd, 2023 at your own time
This is a coordinated prayer that you offer in your own landscape (not an online event)

In recognition of Mountains and the contribution they provide to the web of life, we invite you to join us for the ONE Mountain Gratitude Ceremony.

Members of the ONE community will express their gratitude for Mountains around the world. We encourage you to pray with the Mountains where you live, adding your Heart and energy to a vibrant future for Earth and all life.

Reciprocity is a cornerstone in good relationships with our Nature kin, and showing our gratitude is key to building Co-Creative Partnership with our landscapes. Preparing for this ceremony and expressing your gratitude will help build deeper relationship and understanding between you and the Mountains you belong to.

In coordinating this simple ceremony we have created a printable instruction sheet to provide guidance and the framework for you to bring your creativity and open heart.

We invite you to let us know that you will be participating in this gratitude ceremony. You are invited to share your Mountain love notes and stories through the “Let us know you’re participating” button.

Mountain Day

Excerpted from Plant Spirit Healing by Pam Montgomery

Marble Mountain from Sweetwater Sanctuary- Home of ONE

What an exquisite day for mid-November, soft, warm air and lots of sun! Mark and I wandered up the stream meandering up the east side, not a way we normally go. We arrived at a spot where we could look down on three curves of the stream.

The breathless quiet of this place settled into our entire beings. In silence we sat, content to just be. Then up the next rise, dark shadows moving and scratching until their light reflected, and there, like old hunched-over men with shiny armored feathers, turkeys were pecking along.

Stillness again, then we saw the sleek grey movement of a soft-eyed doe, quietly nibbling her way down the mountain. We began to follow, finding her tracks as she crossed the stream. We lost sight of her as she slipped into the dark green, brown and gray landscape.

Wandering down the mountain we stopped at the falls to leave an offering- prayers of gratitude for the blessings of the day. We picked our way through the forest nibbling wintergreen berries, delighting in their fresh flavor. On the slope just above the stream, we dropped down on all fours, putting our lips to the water bubbling up from the ground.

Is this a dream, this sweet surrender to the bliss of simple presence with the wild? Perhaps my love for this green earth, this sweet water, these breathing trees and bright red berries makes this daydream real.

Like Thoreau says, “Love is an attempt to change a piece of dream world into reality.”



Across the Mountain

By Rachel Elion Baird

Marking the end of a long wet season, the storm sets down across the mountain. Miles of grey cast wide with charcoal seams that swirl and part, let loose another flood of heavy water.

This is our atmosphere capturing smoke from the fires that have burned, continue to burn, bringing it back down to earth with water, clearing the air. Rivulets cascade in every direction, tributaries swell and spill over onto land. The mountain seems to sparkle and sway inside the glistening flows.

Afterwards, there is only a deep blue vault and one lone cloud, a puff of white caught up on the high peak, no traces of what has past.

Summer’s spell is broken as Autumn takes hold, each day cooler and shorter, the trees putting on their colors, change, change, everywhere change. Only the mountain – our constant, remains steady, reaching deep below our feet, skirting the sky. 

More Mountain Love

Beloved Mountain, you are a guardian of Mother Earth, and I am grateful for you.

You inspire me with your magnificence, presence, and wisdom.

You nourish life with your snow, springs, and rivers and by directing the clouds.

You are a powerful source of water, food, and minerals. 

You are home to the unseen, to diverse plants, animals, birds, and fungi.

You have watched over life for eons, and you are woven into our stories and culture.

I honor you and thank you for holding us and all creatures in your embrace.

May you be respected and nourished.

May your energies, slopes and waters be kept pristine.

May all humans, everywhere remember and give thanks for Mountains.

I send my deep love and gratitude to you, beloved Mountain.

“Then, suddenly, the power of the place flowed through my senses. The size of the mountains came into me and I felt their weight and then ever more deeply their age, and I was tiny and small and aware of something that had been, long before human beings had been, and would still be long after they were gone.”
— Stephen Harrod Buhner

Resources

Mountain Stories and Articles from the ONE Archives:

Spoken Story, Mountain Pears

Loving Mountains, Saving Mountains: Short article highlighting mountaintop removal

Mountain Temples and Planetary Peace: Article about Damanhur, and how the temples were carved from a Mountain

Becoming Mountain: Article reflecting on our connections with Mountain

Mountains and Life:  a personal reflection by naturalist, Chloe Chunn, on a childhood adventure

Articles:

Media:

Organizations:

“Mountains have made me a naturalist, been my teachers and preachers, my rescuers, my challengers, inspiration,
and favorite journeys. Mountains have made my life wondrous.”
— Cloe Chunn