Becoming Mountain by Jen Frey
“Going to the mountains is going home. ”
I grew up in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, home of the Ephrata Mountain, which is to say that our mountain is barely a hill. I read the works of John Muir and was enamored by his Love of Nature. I imagine it was Muir who introduced me to the call of the Mountains, but I was deaf to them.
I did not understand what was different or wonderful about a Mountain range. I even remember, while traveling in Montana, meeting a Naturalist who once lived near me. She asked how I could still live there. She said that she was always lost, for there were no Mountains to tell her where she was. This seemed silly to me. I could not understand her love of the Mountains.
As I look back, I laugh at my foolishness. My ability to be blind, deaf, and dumb towards Nature. For while I did not hear the call of the Mountains, they were definitely pulling me. I went to school in the Adirondacks, where we celebrated Peak Weekend by climbing all the Mountain tops in the area. Many of my travels were to incredible Mountains: Yosemite, Montana, Swiss Alps, Mauna Kea. I appreciated, well was in awe of, their beauty. I could feel their strength, power, and wild-ness. I went to Banff shortly after the shocking death of a very special Loved one and experienced the healing abilities of the Mountains and the Wild. I attribute these Mountains with helping to bring me out of the abyss of grief. However, it was when I went to the Andes Mountains in northern Ecuador that I finally heard the call. I found Home.
We drove from Quito, continually gaining elevation, until we were driving through the clouds. We reached our destination as the road ended. I felt as if we drove into another World or Dimension. I suddenly knew what Eden looked like. The Sun was shining brightly, the flowers were glowing, and the area had its own soundtrack provided by the birds, the pollinators, and, I swear, the Nature Spirits.
I felt my body lighten as all tension released. With every step and every breath I felt myself re-aligning to this Divine place. My Soul was filling, enlivening. Not only did I find Home, I was glimpsing the possibilities for a World aligned with Nature. I was learning what it is to truly be a Human Being in the fullest potential. I never wanted to leave this place or lose this feeling again. And yet, I knew that that was not a possibility. I have family and other concerns that I needed to be part of. I could not go stay on the Mountain like a Mystic.
My teacher Rocio Alarcon teaches us to align ourselves with our surroundings, to match our vibratory rate with theirs. This is what I did. I breathed in Mountainness. I allowed each of my cells to be flooded with this energy until it was difficult to tell my body from the Mountain body. I stayed this way until my body could remember the feeling and the vibratory rate. Now, I am able to carry the Mountain with me wherever I go.
I call on the Mountain before doing healing sessions with my clients, before teaching, when I know that I will be confronting a difficult situation, or when I am not feeling well, anytime that I need a little extra help or support. Sometimes, I call on the Mountain so that I may feel Home again.
I invite you to do the same thing. It is nice if you already know of a place or can be in a place that you feel really connected to. However, we are Spiritual Beings, so you can also do this by visiting a place in the Spirit World. You of course can connect with any environment, it does not need to be a Mountain. However, as we are talking about Mountains, that is what I am suggesting that you work with.
Mountain energy is important and quite helpful and very different from say Beach energy. We generally think of Mountains as being static; however, they are constantly changing. Some are growing, some are dying. Mountain energy is large and strong. Mountains have different ages and act accordingly. For instance, young Mountains are often feisty which can be experienced in earthquakes or lava flow.
Find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed. If you like, lie down and get comfortable. I prefer to stand when becoming Mountain. Take several deep breaths, feeling your body relax. If you have any areas of tension, direct your breath to these. Feel your lungs, your cells, your very body expanding with each in breath. Begin to visualize your Mountain. Take your time. Use all your senses. What do you smell? What do you hear? What do you taste? What do you feel? How do you feel? What is the light like? What plants are around you? What animals are around you? What is under your feet? What is overhead? Get a very clear picture. Gather as many sensations and as much information as you can. As you breathe, breathe in these sensations. Breathe in the smells, the sights, the sounds, the tastes, the sensations. Breathe in the Mountain. Allow your body to be flooded with Mountainness. Feel your cells soaking up the sensations. Feel your body melting into the Mountain. Stay here as long as you like, as long as you need to become Mountain. Recognize this vibratory rate. Begin to ask how you can come back here. Is there a sensation that will remind you of this, is there a word, is there an image? When you feel that your body will remember this place and you know how to come back, thank the Mountain Spirits. Begin to slowly return to your body and your room. Breathing the air of the room. Wiggling your fingers and your toes, until you are fully back in your body.
Now when you would like help from Mountain, when you need to be strong and large, slow and quiet, or bursting with creativity and shaking things up, you can call to your Mountain using the sensation, image, or word.
I give Thanks to the Mountains and the Apo.
I give Thanks for your strength and protection.
I give Thanks for your healing energies.
I give Thanks for your abundant beauty.
I give Thanks for the fresh, clean water you provide.
I give Thanks for the minerals and gems you shelter.
I give Thanks for the Ancient secrets you guard.
I give Thanks for your Songs calling us Home.
I give Thanks for your Being.
I give Thanks.